Russia Could ‘Bankrupt’ Google with Unpayable Fine.
One million dollars is not enough? – “OK then,” Russia says, in true Dr. Evil style, “we will hold Google ransom for 2.5 trillion trillion trillion dollars.”
Credit: Shutterstock, Tomas Ragina.
Russia drops colossal financial blow on Google – Hefty fine tops world’s total GDP for blocking Kremlin propaganda.
In what may be the mother of all fines, Google has been slapped with a penalty that makes even the world’s entire economy look like pocket change. Russia’s penalty is for a staggering 20 undecillion rubles – $20 decillion- or 2.5 trillion trillion trillion dollars! The fine is for Google’s refusal to restore YouTube channels with Kremlin-friendly content.
The world’s GDP is currently estimated at $110 thousand billion (12-digit figure) by the IMF. The sum has grown so astronomical it would take more than the combined GDP of every country on Earth to settle this Russian tab.
Since the saga began in 2020, Google has been butting heads with Moscow after pulling the plug on pro-Russian outlets, including Tsargrad TV and RIA FAN, due to sanctions linked to the Ukraine invasion. With 17 Russian channels now banned on YouTube, Russia hit back with the fine, which doubles daily for every missed payment. Forget simply re-entering the Russian market – Google might be locked out until they conjure up a universe’s worth of cash.
Russian news agency Tass claims Google now owes a “36-figure sum” under Russia’s Administrative Offences Code. One unnamed judge, with a wit that could fill a Kremlin courtyard, said he was handling “a case in which there are many, many zeros.”
As if this financial colossus wasn’t mind-boggling enough, Google would have to work over 33 quintillion years to pay it off, even if they forked over their entire profit every year. That’s right: quintillion with 18 zeros – or, in other words, an eternity’s work. Not that Google’s fretting too much; with their market value at around $2.16 trillion, this fine is a reminder that some disputes might just be too rich for even tech giants to resolve.
Despite their Russian bank accounts being frozen and their Moscow office filing for bankruptcy in 2022, Google’s free services, including YouTube and Search, remain accessible in Russia. But while Russian netizens can still search and stream, it’s not without cost. Google axed AdSense in Russia in August and stopped all online ads in the country back in 2022.
So, unless Google coughs up the unimaginable and submits to the ruling, this cosmic standoff could go on indefinitely, eclipsing not only economies but perhaps even the lifespan of our galaxy.
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