Google Gets Hit with a Fine So Big Your Calculator Might Just Explode
Hold onto your calculators, folks! A Russian court has decided to hit Google with a mind-boggling fine of $20 decillion U.S. dollars—yes, that’s 20 followed by a staggering 33 zeros. If you thought your math homework was tough, try wrapping your head around that number! This hefty sum comes after 17 of Russia’s TV channels and media outlets were blocked from YouTube, which is basically Google’s playground.
According to the Russian news outlet RBC, this all traces back to the fallout from President Vladimir Putin’s not-so-popular decision to invade Ukraine in 2022. And just to clarify, this fine is way more than Google’s entire market value of $2.15 trillion. But don’t worry; it’s still less than a googol (that’s one followed by 100 zeros), so we’ve got that going for us.
In a truly diplomatic move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that while the figure is very specific, it’s “filled with symbolism”—which is basically bureaucratic speak for “you can’t actually pay this.” He added that Google shouldn’t be playing gatekeeper with Russia’s media, suggesting that maybe Google should pay attention and fix the issue.
Things went downhill for Google in Russia in 2020 when they blocked some rather unsavory characters like Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin and oligarch Konstantin Malofeev. Fast forward to now, and Google’s Russian arm filed for bankruptcy last June, with the court officially declaring them bankrupt in November 2023. Talk about a rough patch!
If Google wants to avoid this colossal fine ballooning even further, it has nine months to resurrect those channels or face daily penalties that double weekly. There is also no limit on the fine amount. So, if you’re Google, now’s a great time to brush off those old YouTube channels and hit “restore”!
The issue was addressed in Alphabet’s (Google’s parent company) legal matter section, which states that Google reports ongoing legal issues with Russia involving civil judgments that include compounding penalties tied to disputes over account terminations, even for sanctioned parties. Alphabet believes these ongoing legal matters are unlikely to significantly impact them negatively.