In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I examine how AI demand is reshaping rivalries between Google Cloud, AWS, NVIDIA, and Anthropic. Highlights 00:03 — According to reports, Anthropic has committed to a $200 billion five-year agreement for Google Cloud services and Google-designed chips, a deal that could account for more than 40% of Google Cloud's revenue backlog. 00:18 — This represents yet another escalation in the rapidly expanding partnership between Google Cloud's parent company, Alphabet, and A...
May 20, 2026•2 min•Ep. 830
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I look at how Google Cloud is pairing technical innovation with go-to-market execution to fuel AI growth. Highlights 00:00 — One of the fastest-growing companies in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is Google Cloud, and it has just launched a program of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs), specializing in AI to help accelerate AI transformation at the point of the customer. 00:46 — I had a chance to speak about this new AI FDE program with Matt Renner, President and Chief Revenue...
May 19, 2026•4 min•Ep. 827
In this Cloud Wars conversation, Bob Evans speaks with Matt Renner, Chief Revenue Officer at Google Cloud, about the explosive acceleration of enterprise AI adoption and how Google Cloud is scaling to meet it. Renner explains why customers are demanding immediate business outcomes, not experimental pilots years down the road, and shares Google Cloud’s response through expanded field engineering investments, ecosystem funding, and deeper enterprise co-creation . The discussion also explores Googl...
May 19, 2026•13 min•Ep. 828
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I connect SAP, Palantir, and Ford to AI’s expanding economic disruption. Highlights 00:11 — Recently, both SAP, number four on the Cloud Wars Top 10 , and Palantir, number five on the Cloud Wars Top 10, have asked: Are we reaching the end of the term software or software company? 00:47 — But I think their idea is that, what we've thought of as software, what we've come to picture it to be, the image we have in our head, the mindset we have around software, is just g...
May 18, 2026•5 min•Ep. 825
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I unpack SAP CTO Philipp Herzig’s perspective on AI, APIs, and the company’s next era beyond traditional software. Highlights 00:01 — As part of our ongoing analysis of the massive changes that SAP rolled out this past week at their Sapphire event in Orlando, I had an interesting one-on-one conversation with SAP Chief Technology Officer Philipp Herzig , where he discussed a range of things. Particularly this notion of how, as SAP begins to move beyond applications i...
May 15, 2026•4 min•Ep. 823
Bob Evans speaks with SAP CTO Philipp Herzig from SAP Sapphire in Orlando about SAP’s AI strategy, platform evolution, customer modernization challenges, governance , and enterprise-scale agent deployment. Herzig lays out SAP’s positioning around openness, business AI, autonomous agents, security, and migration support, while addressing confusion around API policy changes and fair-use limits. SAP’s AI Inflection Point The Big Themes: SAP’s AI Platform Is Becoming Cohesive : A major theme in the ...
May 15, 2026•16 min•Ep. 824
At SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Bob Evans sat down with Sebastian Steinhäuser to discuss what may be one of the most consequential strategic shifts in SAP’s history. As enterprise AI moves from experimentation to execution, Steinhäuser outlines SAP’s vision for the autonomous enterprise: where AI agents, assistants, business data, and deep industry expertise come together to solve real operational problems. AI with Industry Depth The Big Themes: Customers Want Outcomes, Not AI Demos : A recurring th...
May 14, 2026•12 min•Ep. 820
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how SAP’s AI Revolution could redefine enterprise software through agents, data, and industry-specific intelligence. Highlights 00:03 — We are reporting here from the Sapphire show floor in Orlando. It's been a wild week here, and I had a great chance to talk with SAP Chief Operating Officer, Sebastian Steinhäuser about some of the changes that are going on there inside what I call SAP's AI Revolution. 00:21 — Covering everything from what it's doing with ...
May 14, 2026•4 min•Ep. 821
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I examine why OpenAI bringing frontier models to AWS signals a new era of AI platform pragmatism. Highlights 00:03 — Hot on the heels of the news that OpenAI and Microsoft have re-explored the terms of their partnership, leading to a much more flexible outcome for OpenAI, the company has introduced an expanded partnership with AWS to bring OpenAI's latest models to Amazon Bedrock . 00:23 — The new solutions currently in preview include the launch of Codex on Amazon ...
May 13, 2026•2 min•Ep. 818
Highlights 00:28 — Over the past couple of years, SAP has been the growth leader in applications, growing anywhere from 50% to 250% faster than some of its major competitors. 00:41 — The company has undergone a shift to consumption pricing. This is something that will be phased in over the next couple of years. CEO Christian Klein says it reflects the way that people are using AI and the value they’re getting out of the product. 01:12 — SAP is developing tighter relationships with AI innovators....
May 12, 2026•5 min•Ep. 816
In this Cloud Wars conversation, Bob Evans sits down with Workday Co-Founder and CEO Aneel Bhusri for a candid discussion about AI’s disruptive impact on enterprise software, the future of agentic workflows, and why Bhusri returned to the CEO role during one of tech’s most consequential transitions. The conversation explores whether AI will replace software or labor, why systems of record remain strategically vital, and how enterprise leaders should think about governance, security, and business...
May 11, 2026•22 min•Ep. 813
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I unpack why Workday customers are demanding AI agents and agentic capabilities. Highlights 00:03 — I had a chance to speak with Workday co-founder, then CEO, then chairman, now back as CEO, Aneel Bhusri. And absolutely, Aneel, I would say, is back as CEO. He is unplugged in this conversation and definitely fired up about Workday’s prospects, and the sort of reimagination of the company as an AI-first, AI-powered, agentic powerhouse moving into the future here. 01:2...
May 11, 2026•4 min•Ep. 814
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Workday and Achievers are using AI- driven behavioral intelligence to transform employee recognition and workforce engagement. Highlights 00:03 — Workday has made Workday Recognition provided by Achievers, available to its customers. This offering has been developed alongside Achievers, the world's leading employee recognition and reward software, integrating its features into the Workday experience. The new offering leverages AI to make it easier for ...
May 08, 2026•2 min•Ep. 811
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at how Palantir’s soaring growth reflects rising demand for disciplined, outcome-driven AI platforms. Highlights 00:03 — For the past several quarters, the fastest-growing company in the Cloud Wars Top 10 has been Palantir. It upheld that mark in Q1, and what I wanted to talk about today was their combination of extraordinary growth and also the rise from Palantir of a couple new terms to describe what's going on in AI right now. 00:30 — Palantir believes it'...
May 07, 2026•5 min•Ep. 812
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I unpack how flexibility and competition are reshaping the AI ecosystem. Highlights 00:08 — One of the most important tech partnerships in the past decade has undergone a radical shake-up. I'm talking about Microsoft and OpenAI, the two companies have revealed new terms for their partnership agreement in a joint statement. 00:38 — "Today, we are announcing an amended agreement to simplify our partnership and the way we work together, grounded in flexibility, certain...
May 06, 2026•3 min•Ep. 810
At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas, Cloud Wars Founder Bob Evans sat down with Managing Director for Internal Innovation, KPMG, Aaron Purcell to discuss how KPMG is accelerating AI transformation with Google Cloud. As both a customer and partner of Google Cloud, KPMG offers a unique “client zero” perspective, using Gemini and Vertex AI internally while helping clients do the same. Purcell explains why Google’s full-stack AI platform stood out, how governance and speed can coexist, and why employe...
May 05, 2026•8 min•Ep. 794
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I compare AWS’s impressive quarter with the even faster momentum of its competitors. Highlights 00:01 — Wanted to talk today a little bit about the Q1 that AWS just had. I think they revealed an awesome acceleration in Q1, but in a competitive sense, it's still falling behind competitors like Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Oracle. 00:36 — After three years, our AI run rate now for AWS is $20 billion, compared to $58 million for cloud in its early years. Jassy emphasiz...
May 05, 2026•5 min•Ep. 808
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I break down how hyperscalers reached a staggering $2 trillion backlog and what it means for the future of AI infrastructure. Highlights 00:03 — The hyperscaler market (the four big companies that are helping to shape the world with the power of AI), their backlog has now hit $2 trillion. So not just their recent revenue, talking about future commitments, contracted business not yet recognized as revenue: $2 trillion. Talk about some responsibility. 01:21 — So you s...
May 04, 2026•5 min•Ep. 807
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Cloud Wars Founder Bob Evans, is joined by James Lennox, Director of Product, Microsoft, who shares his perspective on AI transformation, enterprise adoption, and the evolving human-AI relationship. Recorded live at the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA, Lennox explores how tools like Copilot and Work IQ are reshaping productivity, governance, and innovation across industries. Key Takeaways Delegation is the New Productivity Model : Lenn...
May 01, 2026•10 min•Ep. 804
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I analyze the shifting balance of power between Google Cloud and AWS. Highlights 00:03 — Last week, we had three of the four hyperscalers report their Q1 numbers. It’s been fascinating to look at those. While everybody did very, very well, Google Cloud just had an utterly exceptional, spectacular Q1, and I think the evidence of what we see in these comparative numbers shows why Google Cloud has risen to number one. 00:51 — If we compare side by side, Google Cloud an...
May 01, 2026•5 min•Ep. 805
At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas, Bob Evans sat down with Karen Dahut, CEO of Google Public Sector, to discuss how AI, security, and open cloud strategies are reshaping government services. Dahut shared how Google Public Sector was built on the belief that government agencies deserve the same advanced commercial technologies as private enterprises, and why that decision is now proving critical in the era of agentic AI. AI Reinvents Government The Big Themes: Commercial Cloud for Government : Ka...
Apr 30, 2026•18 min•Ep. 795
In this special episode of Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans sits down with Steve Miranda, Executive Vice President of Applications Development at Oracle, from Oracle Park in San Francisco to discuss one of the biggest shifts happening in enterprise technology: agentic AI applications. Miranda explains how Oracle is moving beyond embedded AI and AI agents to fully agentic applications that can act on business objectives rather than just automate transactions. From finance and supply chain to HR and cus...
Apr 30, 2026•11 min•Ep. 802
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Oracle is redefining enterprise software with AI agentic applications. Highlights 00:03 — One of the biggest stories of the year, maybe the next few years, is going to be the rise of generative AI, the animating force behind business innovation and unlocking new ways for businesses to work, to run, to see the future, to adapt, and to give people higher-value opportunities as well. 00:29 — Oracle, I think, has been the most articulate and the most activ...
Apr 30, 2026•5 min•Ep. 801
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Cloud Wars Founder Bob Evans is joined by Dona Sarkar, Chief Troublemaker of AI Adoption at Microsoft, who shares her perspective on how leaders should approach AI adoption, why fear around AI replacing jobs is misplaced, and how executives can create a culture of experimentation. Speaking from the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA in San Diego, Sarkar explains why organizations need AI-first thinking, stronger leadership involvement, an...
Apr 29, 2026•17 min•Ep. 798
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, host Giuseppe Ianni speaks with Parmesh Rajan, VP of Technology for HSO US, live from the AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA in San Diego, California.Rajan explains how organizations are moving beyond experimentation and embedding AI directly into business processes, implementation delivery, and workforce productivity. The discussion highlights a shift from standalone copilots toward operational, production-grade AI agents that deliver measura...
Apr 29, 2026•9 min•Ep. 796
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Stellantis and Microsoft are launching one of the most ambitious enterprise AI collaborations yet, spanning engineering, cybersecurity, and large-scale operational transformation. Highlights 00:09 — Stellantis, the automaker responsible for well-known brands such as Dodge, Jeep, Peugeot, and Ram Trucks, has partnered with Microsoft in a five-year strategic collaboration. 00:19 — The goal of the partnership is to accelerate the company’s digital transfo...
Apr 29, 2026•3 min•Ep. 797
In this episode of Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans sits down with Tirthankar Lahiri , Senior Vice President for Mission-Critical Data and AI Engines. Lahiri explains how agentic AI is transforming enterprise applications from simple question-answer systems into action-driven platforms that can reason, remember, and securely execute tasks. He details Oracle’s strategy around unified agent memory, private agent factories, deep data security, and open development standards, all designed to help customer...
Apr 28, 2026•22 min•Ep. 792
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I break down Google Cloud’s $750M partner ecosystem investment and its aggressive push to lead the agentic AI transformation race against Microsoft, AWS, and Oracle. Highlights 00:03 — Last week in Las Vegas, we saw Google Cloud roll out an incredibly broad, deep set of agentic AI technologies and solutions. They’re making a massive push on this. Google Cloud is the number one player in the Cloud Wars Top 10, and they’re looking to really take the big lead in agenti...
Apr 28, 2026•5 min•Ep. 793
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down how SAP is outperforming Oracle, Salesforce, Workday, and Microsoft in the applications race. Highlights 00:03 — We saw some first-quarter numbers from SAP late last week, and I think it's fascinating to see how, in the light of these very, very strong numbers from SAP, we still seem to hear about this idea that these doomsayers are saying that AI is going to destroy the enterprise apps business. That's certainly not happening. 00:33 — The three big num...
Apr 27, 2026•4 min•Ep. 791
ogle Cloud Next, Cloud Wars CEO and Founder Bob Evans sits down with Karthik Narain, Chief Product and Business Officer, Google Cloud, to discuss how AI is fundamentally changing enterprise expectations. Narain explains why customers no longer judge technology providers by licenses sold or cloud consumption, but by measurable business outcomes. From forward-deployed engineers to agentic workflows and the evolving role of product design, he outlines how Google Cloud is rethinking engagement, prod...
Apr 24, 2026•17 min•Ep. 790
