Russian court fines Google $20,565,635,200,000,003,000,000,000,000,000,000 over YouTube row
A Russian court has fined Google an obscene amount of money for a dispute over YouTube.
It looks like the tech giant might need to start saving those pennies because they’ve just been fined $20,565,635,200,000,003,000,000,000,000,000,000.
The crazy sum might be difficult to wrap your head around but it is equivalent to two undecillion rubles, which is what the court is asking Google to cough up.
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But why is the fine such a high amount?
This all boils down to the fact that YouTube blocked Russian TV channels from its platform.
It was ruled that the firm must pay a penalty to the tune of 100,000 rubles, which is $1026, for each day that access to the channels stayed blocked.
The amount of the fine would double every week and continue to do so, which is how we got to the enormous sum.
The amount of the fee is an undecillion which is a theoretical figure.
This is because it’s actually much larger than all of the total value of all assets on the planet.
So, unless Google has some secret planet's worth of wealth stashed away under the couch, it is highly unlikely they will set about ever paying this fortune.
People on social media have started joking about the pure ridiculousness of the whole situation, and expressed doubts the tech company will ever pay a sum even close to the court’s demands.
One bemused user wrote: “Seems unlikely they'll be popping out to the bank this morning to arrange that…”
Another person joked: “That amount is roundabout 9 billion time more than the entire money and gold reserves on planet earth - I want to smoke what those judges were smoking, and I want to smoke it now!!”
A third said: “And what, Russia going to invade Google? It will be a one-sided war for Google.”
And a fourth user joked: “Oh, no... anyway.”
Google was first taken to court back in 2020 by Russian media companies after it blocked access to ultranationalist news outlet Tsargrad TV and the now-defunct Internet Research Agency, according to a report by Novaya Gazeta.
This is when the company began accumulating daily penalties that have been steadily growing ever since, leading to the huge sum.
According to reports by RBC News, a total of 17 Russian TV channels have all filed legal claims against Google.
LADbible Group has contacted Google for a comment.