In a shocking move, Russia has imposed a staggering fine of 20 undecillion rubles (around $2.5 decillion) on Google for removing state-run YouTube channels following the Ukraine invasion. This translates to a mind-boggling $2.5 trillion trillion trillion, or $2,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
According to TASS, the fine stems from violations of Russia’s administrative offenses code. If Google doesn’t pay within nine months, the amount will double daily, and the company will be barred from operating in Russia.
This unprecedented penalty has emerged from claims by 17 YouTube channels against Google. The tech giant acknowledged the pressures from Russian authorities in its Q2 2024 report but believes these legal issues won’t significantly impact its operations.
With a market value of $2.24 trillion and last year’s profit of $73.7 billion, paying even a fraction of this fine is impossible. In fact, it would take Google approximately 33.8 quintillion years to settle the debt, a timeline that continues to double as the fine remains unpaid.
This fine far exceeds the entire global economy, valued at about $105 trillion. Nigel Gould-Davies from the International Institute for Strategic Studies called the figure “insane,” noting it’s 1.9 x 10 to the 15 times greater than current global GDP.
In October 2023, a Moscow court declared Google’s Russian subsidiary bankrupt after authorities froze its bank accounts, leaving it unable to pay employees. While Russia has pressured Google over alleged illegal content, the platform remains accessible to Russian citizens for now.
