In a report compiled from Russia’s TASS news agency and the UK’s “Daily Telegraph” on October 30th, it was revealed that the Russian government has slapped Google with a fine totaling an eye-popping 20quintillion(yes,that′s35zeroesafterthe20)!ThisnumberiswaymorethanthecombinedGDPoftheentireplanetin2023,whichsitscomfortablyataround110 trillion (a mere 15 zeroes).
Here’s the backstory: in 2020, Google’s video platform YouTube banned several Russian media accounts, and when the tech giant lost the court battle over this, the fines started rolling in – a daily fine of 100,000 Russian rubles. Legal experts chatting with TASS said that if Google didn’t cough up within nine months, the fine would double every day, with no ceiling in sight. Only by complying with the court ruling could Google hope to make a comeback in the Russian market. This fine is way more than Google’s entire market value, folks!
According to the “Daily Telegraph,” after the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022, Google shut down its Russian division and its subsidiary declared bankruptcy. Russian police had already seized assets worth over $100 million from the bankrupt entity. Despite Russia’s out-of-this-world claim for compensation, Google stated in its last financial report, “We don’t think these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect.”
TASS quoted an expert who said, “Google obviously won’t pay this fine, and the Russian Federation can’t collect it from them.” All of Google’s assets in Russia have already been seized or frozen. He added that any claims made by the Russian government would only hold water domestically, and international bodies would need to pursue Google’s responsibility. So, it looks like Google’s got a whole lot of zeroes to ponder over – and maybe a new strategy for avoiding future legal troubles!