London –
Russia is searching for an unfathomable sum of cash from one of many world’s largest tech corporations.
Google reportedly owes the Kremlin greater than 2 undecillion rubles — a 2 adopted by 36 zeroes — after refusing to pay fines that at the moment are accruing for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube.
The just about unpronounceable penalty quantities to US$20 decillion — or round $20 billion trillion trillion. That dwarfs the dimensions of the worldwide financial system.
At $110 trillion, in keeping with Worldwide Financial Fund figures, world gross home product appears to be like modest as compared. Google dad or mum Alphabet, in the meantime, has a market worth of round $2 trillion.
Russian state media TASS reported this week {that a} Russian court docket had earlier ordered Google to revive the YouTube channels — a number of of which have been blocked since 2022 — or else face mounting fees, with penalties doubling each week.
Requested in regards to the lawsuit throughout a name with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that he “can’t even pronounce this determine proper” however mentioned that the eye-watering sum was “crammed with symbolism.” Google “shouldn’t be limiting the actions of our broadcasters on its platform,” he added.
CNN has contacted Google for remark. In quarterly earnings revealed this week, the corporate referred to “ongoing authorized issues” regarding its enterprise in Russia.
“Civil judgments that embrace compounding penalties have been imposed upon us in reference to disputes concerning the termination of accounts, together with these of sanctioned events,” Google mentioned. “We don’t consider these ongoing authorized issues may have a fabric hostile impact (on earnings).”
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Google curtailed operations within the nation however stopped wanting pulling out altogether, in distinction with a number of different American tech corporations. Lots of its providers, together with Search and YouTube, proceed to be out there within the nation.
Months after the invasion, Google’s Russia subsidiary filed for chapter and paused most of its business operations after the federal government seized management of its financial institution accounts.
