I got to say, I'm rooting for injuries here, but if nothing else you have to admire the sheer chutzpah of Russia:
Can you imagine the Google secretary getting that letter from the Kremlin and reading every one of those zeroes?
So what on earth would lead Russia to fine Google a number so large that nobody's really sure what it even is?
Google reportedly owes the Kremlin more than 2 undecillion rubles — a 2 followed by 36 zeroes — after refusing to pay fines that are now accruing for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube.
The virtually unpronounceable penalty amounts to $20 decillion — or around $20 billion trillion trillion. That dwarfs the size of the global economy.
"2 undecillion"???
My question is, who made up the number "undecillion?" You have to assume that word's never been used until this point. Even the people who issued the fine can't say it!
Asked about the lawsuit during a call with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that he 'can't even pronounce this figure right' but said that the eye-watering sum was 'filled with symbolism.'
Peskov went on,
Google should not restrict the actions of our broadcasters, but it does. This should be a reason for Google's management to pay attention to this and correct the situation.
So it seems unlikely that Google will, you know, be able to pay this back. Total global gross domestic product is about $110 trillion, a vanishing fraction of 2 undecillion. Google has a market value of $2 trillion.
But hey Google, if you want to try to pay it back and you go bankrupt in the process, not sure we're gonna complain!
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