A Russian court has handed Google a staggering fine of 2 undecillion rubles, or approximately USD 20.6 decillion, for failing to restore YouTube accounts linked to Russian TV channels. This astronomical figure has a staggering 33 zeros and far exceeds the world’s GDP.
For those wondering, this is what a decillion looks like — USD 20,604,600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
The hefty fine was slapped by a Russian court because of the legal actions of over a dozen Russian TV channels that had their YouTube accounts suspended by Google. The search giant has done so in compliance with US sanctions imposed on Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine.
Despite the massive fine, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has downplayed any impact it will have on its overall operations.
It’s worth noting that Google has no active presence in Russia and that its Russian legal arm, Google LLC, declared bankruptcy in 2022 after its bank accounts were seized by Russian authorities.
Google’s free services continue to be accessible in Russia.
