Russia has imposed an astronomical fine on Google, amounting to 20 undecillion rubles ($2.5 decillion).
This figure is not only mind-boggling in its sheer size but also surpasses the entire global GDP, which stands at approximately $105 trillion.
The fine was levied as a consequence of Google's decision to remove Russian state-run and government YouTube channels following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to reports from the Russian news agency TASS, this action violated Russia's administrative offenses code, prompting the hefty penalty.
The situation escalated when a Russian judge considered "a case in which there are many, many zeros," reflecting the magnitude of claims brought by 17 YouTube channels against the tech giant. Google, with a market value of $2.24 trillion, finds itself in an unprecedented predicament. Even if it were inclined to comply with the judgment, the company would be unable to pay even a fraction of the fine.
To put this into perspective, Google's global profit last year was $73.7 billion, meaning it would take the company an unfathomable 33.8 quintillion years to settle the current fine, a period that will double daily if unpaid.
This development highlights the growing tensions between tech companies and national governments, particularly in the context of international law and geopolitical conflicts.
Google's Russian subsidiary was declared bankrupt by a Moscow court in October 2023, following the seizure of its bank account by Russian authorities, which left the company unable to pay staff or vendors.
As Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, aptly described, the fine is "an insane number," equivalent to "1.9 x 10 to the 15 times greater than current global GDP."
He further illustrated the enormity of the sum by stating, "About 5 x 10 to the 12 days have passed since the start of the universe, so even if Google gave Russia everything the world produced this year, every day since the universe began, it would only have paid about 3% of this fine."
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