Cloud Wars analyzes the major cloud vendors from the perspective of business customers. In Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans talks with both sides about these profoundly transformative technologies, and with monthly All-Star guests from across the business community about the trends impacting how the world lives, works, plays, and dreams. Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.
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In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I spotlight Thomas Kurian’s game-changing customer strategy at Google Cloud. Highlights 00:03 — We’ve got a new number one on the Cloud Wars Top 10 . That’s Google Cloud. They’ve leapfrogged Microsoft, and Oracle has moved up to the number two spot, with Microsoft coming in at number three. This is reflective of a very, very different business environment that we’re facing here at the beginning of the AI Economy . 00:37 — I had the chance to speak with Google Cloud ...
Bob Evans sits down with Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, following Google Cloud’s rise to the #1 position on the Cloud Wars Top 10 . Their conversation explores how Google Cloud’s customer-first philosophy, deep industry specialization, and long-term AI investments have reshaped its trajectory. Kurian shares how disciplined portfolio choices, partner ecosystems, and applied AI are helping customers innovate for the future rather than reinforce the past. Customer-Led Cloud Strategy The Big Th...
Key Takeaways Overview : Taylor defines accessibility as the "design and provision of products, services, environments, and information that can be easily used, accessed, and understood by everyone, especially those with disabilities." At its core, it’s about creating equitable experiences for all. Accessibility impacts : When noting the impacts of accessibility for organizations and businesses, Taylor explains that it offers ethical, financial, legal, and even SEO-related advantages, highlighti...
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella details his influential vision for AI's next phase, moving beyond initial discovery to widespread diffusion and real-world impact. He advocates for viewing AI as scaffolding for human potential, developing sophisticated systems beyond individual models, and evaluating AI based on its social acceptance and positive societal contributions. This vision reinforces Microsoft's commitment to human-centered AI.
Bob Evans , Founder of Cloud Wars, joins John Siefert , CEO, Cloud Wars and Dynamic Communities, to unpack one of the most dramatic reshuffles in the history of the Cloud Wars Top 10 . Together, they explore what Bob calls “tectonic shifts” as Google Cloud rises to number one, Oracle surges to number two, and Microsoft slips to third. The conversation goes well beyond rankings, diving into AI platforms, enterprise outcomes, customer-driven innovation, and why growth, not size alone, defines clou...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore the massive reshuffle in the Cloud Wars Top 10 driven by the rise of AI-first strategies. Later this morning, I'll expand upon these themes in a second fireside chat with my CEO, John Siefert, specifically focusing on numbers four through ten on the list. Highlights 00:03 — We’ve got more big changes going on in the Cloud Wars Top 10. SAP moves up to number four. Palantir rockets from number 10 to number five. AWS tumbles from number four to number seven, ...
Bob Evans sits down with John Siefert to unveil major shifts in the Cloud Wars Top 10 rankings in this first of a two-episode series. The discussion centers on why Google Cloud now claims the number-one position, Oracle surges to number two, and Microsoft slides to number three after a historic run. Evans explains how customer empathy, ecosystem strength, security posture, leadership vision, and forward-looking execution — not just financial performance — drive the rankings. The Big Themes: The ...
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, host Giuseppe Ianni , Cloud Wars Analyst and thought leader, sits down with Bob McAdam, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Tasklet and a Programming Committee member for the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA . Together, they explore how AI has evolved from hype to hands-on reality, what attendees can expect at this year’s summit, and why practical, ERP-focused use cases are now top of mind for partners and end users alike. Key Takeaways F...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down why Google Cloud now tops the Cloud Wars Top 10 . Highlights 00:08 — This week we have named Google Cloud as the new number one company on the Cloud Wars Top 10. Oracle has risen to number two. Microsoft slides down to number three. Microsoft’s held that top spot for four years. It’s three times bigger than Google Cloud, but there’s much more that goes into the Cloud Wars Top 10 than size alone. 01:30 — We’ve got coming up a video with John Siefert , ou...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at the continued strength of the Microsoft– OpenAI partnership, despite past tensions, through the launch of GPT-5.2. Highlights 00:12 — Microsoft has announced the general availability of OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 in Microsoft Foundry. It stated that introducing a new frontier model series, purposefully built to meet the needs of enterprise developers and technical leaders, is setting a new standard for a new era. 00:39 — The GPT-5.2 series boasts deeper logical reas...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I connect the dots between tech disruption and retail transformation. Highlights 00:15 — We see now the true emergence from what I’ve called for a long time the AI Revolution, now into the AI Economy. NVIDIA , with a strategic partnership with Mercedes-Benz, is not just Mercedes-Benz using a little bit of NVIDIA’s software inside its new cars. It's calling it an AI-driven car. Google then also stepped outside of the tech industry to buy an energy firm. 01:15 — Could...
Bonnie Tinder is the founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, an independent B2B peer review site that amplifies the voice of the customer. She focuses on software customers, consulting partners, and software vendors and helps identify the best partners for their needs. In this episode of Cloud Wars Live, Bonnie and Bob explore why AI success hinges far more on implementation than hype. As the AI economy moves from experimentation to everyday business reality, Bonnie shares research-backed insight...
Key Takeaways Adoption approach : Successful adoption of AI requires not only technical implementation but also strong data governance, strategic initiatives, and enterprise-level practices, explains Simms. While there is great potential across business solutions, challenges like hallucinations and poor adoption highlight the need for structured approaches and diverse expertise. Session selection : As a member of the Programming Committee Board , Simms explained his thinking behind evaluating se...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at why private-data inferencing may be the next trillion-dollar AI market Highlights 00:28 — Larry Ellison's grand AI plan for 2026 is centered on the holy grail for CEOs, boards of directors, and business leaders. They’re looking to unlock the power of all their data for AI reasoning and inferencing. Oracle’s promise is that Oracle’s solutions are going to allow companies to be able to reason and do inferencing on all of their private data, and to do so very...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I share how big tech and Edtech are aligning to meet the challenges of rapid change. Highlights 00:03 — IBM and Pearson have announced a partnership to create personalized learning products powered by AI. These products are designed for a wide range of businesses, public organizations, and educational institutions. Pearson aims to utilize watsonx Orchestrate and watsonx Governance to develop these products. Additionally, IBM will create a custom AI-powered learning ...
Key Takeaways Reflections: Grant reflects on last year's AI Agent & Copilot Summit, acknowledging the in-depth learning opportunities given the newness of AI at the time. Although it was the first year, he says it "felt like a really mature conference." The upcoming AI Agent & Copilot Summit can enable attendees to dig deeper into "how we actually accomplish things as a business, as an organization, and even as individuals. Session considerations : Looking forward to the event in March, ...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore what ServiceNow’s potential $7B acquisition of Armis could mean for its cybersecurity strategy and its customers. Highlights 00:06 — According to recent reports, ServiceNow is in advanced talks to acquire Armis, with more details expected to be announced in the coming days. Coverage from Bloomberg suggests that the deal could be worth up to $7 billion. I want to discuss what the introduction of Armis to the ServiceNow ecosystem could mean for customers. 00...
Key Takeaways AI use cases : At Insight Works, Hamblin explains that AI is leveraged in three main ways: to enhance internal business process development, to create higher-quality marketing content, and to enhance product offerings. Product specifics : Hamblin shares how AI is streamlining Shop Floor Insight , a product of Insight Works, by automating labor time validation, eliminating the need for supervisors to manually review time cards through exception-based logic and rules. Further, AI and...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and an incredible New Year. Highlights 00:02 — This is the best time of the year, the holidays. We want to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Happy New Year to everybody. This is my special partner, Louisa. She's two and a half. She's quite the technologist. 00:40 — So, hey, everybody, I just want to say it is a blast being a little part of your technology lives. We have enjoyed this year so much. We a...
today's Cloud Wars Minute, I unpack how tech and mindset together will decide the winners in the 2026 AI economy. Highlights 00:31 — Google Cloud, has just had a pretty interesting engagement with BNY Mellon. BNY used to be called Bank of New York, merged with Mellon — a massive financial services organization — and they've got what I think is a brilliant AI strategy. It's simply: “AI for everyone, everywhere, everything." 01:24 — BNY has chosen to take Gemini Enterprise and adapt it into BNY’s ...
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, John Siefert, CEO of Dynamic Communities and Cloud Wars, is joined by AJ Ansari, Microsoft MVP and member of the programming committee for the AI Agent & Copilot Summit. The conversation focuses on what enterprises should really be looking for as agentic AI adoption matures. Key Takeaways Real-world stories over hype: As interest in agentic AI surges, Ansari notes a sharp increase in speaker submissions driven by practitioners who have m...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at how Google Cloud is reshaping the defense tech landscape. Highlights 00:04 — Google Cloud has announced a multi-million dollar contract with the NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA), to provide critical sovereign cloud capabilities.This new strategic partnership aims to enhance NATO's digital infrastructure.The NCIA will utilize Google Distributed Cloud, or GDC, to support its Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Center, or JATEC. 00:39 — On...
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I break down the latest earnings results showing Oracle and Google Cloud surging into a tie for the #2 fastest-growing cloud vendors in the world’s greatest growth market. Highlights 00:13 — Two companies that are really pushing the boundaries here in the greatest growth market the world has ever known are Oracle and Google Cloud . Recently, Oracle pulled into a tie with Google Cloud for the second spot, number two spot on the fastest growing major cloud vendors lis...
Key Takeaways Summit expectations: With so many people dipping their toes into the AI, Copilot, and agentic capabilities of Microsoft, Nancie expects the AI Agent & Copilot Summit to be filled with exciting stories about the outcomes and how people are leveraging and benefiting from it. She also anticipates seeing more exploratory customer case studies demonstrating the shift from conversational Copilot side to the agentic side. "I'm expecting to see much more of that understanding, how to u...
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I cover Oracle's Q2 results. Highlights 00:19 — One of the hottest Cloud Wars Top 10 companies right now is Oracle. And I want to talk today a little bit about Oracle's Q2 results from last week. I think there's been a little bit of the fog of war, the fog of AI war specifically here, that has obscured the impact behind what's really going on with Oracle's numbers. 01:06 — Let's look at Oracle's RPO (remaining performance obligation) results from Q2. RPO rose 433% t...
In today's Cloud Wars Agent & Copilot Minute, I explore Microsoft's addition of Mistral Large 3 to its Foundry platform and why it's a major win for developers seeking open, enterprise-ready AI models. Highlights 00:11 —Microsoft Foundry is a platform from Microsoft, designed for building, customizing, and deploying GenAI applications and agents. It allows users to access over 11,000 models. Recently, Microsoft added a new model to its offerings, Mistral Large 3. Microsoft claims it to be on...
Sales, and Matt Hobbs, Cloud Engineering and Data Analytics Platform Leader and Partner at PwC US. Together, they explore how companies can stop overpaying for cloud and instead fund AI innovation by shifting spend from legacy and suboptimal cloud deployments into modern architectures, multi-cloud strategies, and enterprise-grade AI capabilities that actually move the needle on growth, margin, and new business models. Smarter Cloud, Bigger AI The Big Themes: Built to Cost Less : Oracle entered t...
Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud. In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss why culture, mindset, and leadership matter just as much as technology in driving AI transformation, based off my conversation with Will Grannis, CTO, Google Cloud. Highlights 00:30 — Will has been the Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud, one of the world’s most advanced tec...
