Google has been fined 2 undecillion rubles (approximately $20 decillion) in Russia for removing Russian TV channels from YouTube, an amount that surpasses the global GDP of around $110 trillion many times over, Euronews reports.
Experts argue that Google will not pay this penalty, as the fine vastly exceeds the company’s financial capabilities. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has a market capitalization of just over $2 trillion and recent quarterly earnings of approximately $80.54 billion, making the fine infeasible. Additionally, any enforcement of the penalty would be limited to Russia. Google has not commented on the matter.
The fine originated from a four-year court case after YouTube banned the ultra-nationalist Russian channel Tsargrad in 2020, following US sanctions on its parent company.
