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Royal Dutch Shell

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Corporation

The Resume

    (April 1907- )
    Oil and gas company
    Headquartered in the Hague, Netherlands
    Formed by the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum (founded 1890) and 'Shell' Transport and Trading (founded 1897)
    86,000 employees (2021)
    $379.3 billion in assets (2020)
    Revenues of $180.5 billion (2020)
    5th-largest company in the world based on revenue
    Largest company headquartered in Europe

Why Royal Dutch Shell might be annoying:

    Many of its pipelines in the Niger delta are rusted and leaking.
    Human rights groups have accused it of collaborating with the Nigerian government in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other environmental activists.
    It overstated its oil reserves (2004), resulting in a £17 million fine by the Financial Services Board and a lawsuit by shareholders that ended with a $450 million payout.
    The British Advertising Standards Authority ruled Shell had mislead the public with an ad that described its oil sands project in Canada as 'a sustainable energy source.' (2008)
    It funded the public information film 'Climate of Change' that said about global warming, 'Action now is seen as the only safe insurance.' (1991)
    It spent $22 million lobbying against government policies to reduce carbon emissions (2015).

Why Royal Dutch Shell might not be annoying:

    During World War I, it was the sole provider of aviation fuel to the Royal Air Force.
    Future poet laureate Benjamin Betjeman wrote or edited several of the company's 1930s guidebooks to English counties.
    It was the first Dutch company to own and use a computer (1952).
    It operates six windfarms in the US.
    It announced plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 119 Votes: 53.78% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying