Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans

Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute [https://cloudwars.com/category/cloud-wars/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 explore the fierce competition among tech giants to attract the brightest minds in AI as the race for dominance ramps up a gear.   Highlights 00:03 — As the battle for AI dominance among the Cloud Wars Top 10 heats up, the race for talent has escalated. The latest executive to switch sides is Amar Subramanya [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amar-subramanya-3642498a/], the former Vice President of Engineering at Google, who was responsible for developing the Gemini assistant and had been with the company for 16 years, is now joining Microsoft AI as Corporate Vice President for AI. 00:28 — Ultimately, the stakes are so high that companies are now willing to shell out incredible sums to secure the best talent in the business. Recently ,OpenAI [https://cloudwars.com/cloud/openai-partners-with-google-cloud-amid-soaring-ai-demand-reshaping-ties-with-microsoft/]CEO Sam Altman stated that Meta was offering his employees $100 million signing bonuses. [https://cloudwars.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/for-maya.png] AI Agent & Copilot Summit [https://copilot.summitna.com/] is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details. [https://copilot.summitna.com/]   00:50 — Interestingly, this hiring drive by Microsoft comes at a time when the company has announced significant layoffs. However, this shouldn’t be viewed negatively. Instead, it serves as a poignant reminder of how the tech industry is pivoting towards AI and how these skills are becoming increasingly essential for workers in the industry. 01:36 — The AI Revolution [https://cloudwars.com/ai/microsoft-layoffs-part-of-new-normal-in-ai-revolution/] is ushering in a new wave of innovation, reminiscent of the startup culture that defined the Silicon Valley boom. Companies that wish to hire the best talent need to keep this in mind and embrace the desire of tech executives to explore new ideas and innovate beyond the confines of the copy-paste approach that has come to characterize many technologies. Visit Cloud Wars [Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.] for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I share how IBM has built a $7.5 billion GenAI business in just 18 months, transforming everything from mainframes to consulting under the bold leadership of CEO Arvind Krishna [https://cloudwars.com/cloud/arvind-krishnas-next-ibm-miracle/]. Highlights 00:13 — IBM last week reported its Q2 numbers. Very impressive. I thought one of the most interesting points was that in just 18 months, IBM has built up a GenAI business with a revenue run rate of $7.5 billion. And that GenAI impact is cutting across IBM's entire, huge product portfolio, everything from mainframes to software to consulting. 01:00 —This is a company that's 114 years young. And if you were to stack up all the startups or companies of any age that launched AI businesses within the last 18 months, I wonder how many of those would now have revenue of $7.5 billion. But IBM is right there, smack in the middle of that business. Krishna said GenAI's sparking growth in everything — even with mainframes. 02:16 — And on the software level, Krishna said that this new rise of the AI products within IBM are helping to improve products it currently has, like Apptio, Turbonomic, and HashiCorp, adding additional value to them. Now, one area where Krishna said there could be a little bit of cannibalization is in the broad area of consulting. 03:29 — This is all another sign of the remarkable job that Arvind Krishna has done in his five years now as the CEO at IBM. It's hard to recall, as well as the company's doing now and the innovation that's underway, what a mess it was five years ago when Krishna took over. IBM now has a fantastic portfolio of partnerships with many of the Cloud Wars Top 10 [http://www.cloudwars.com/cloud-wars-top-10] companies. 04:30 — So again, a big turnover here in the products, the technologies that come to use, how it goes to market, and the culture that it takes out to clients to let them know: We at IBM are very happy to bring together the best of the best companies in the world to drive new value for those clients. So hats off to IBM. Very nice quarter. Visit Cloud Wars [Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.] for more.

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, she joins Bob Evans [https://cloudwars.com/author/bob-evans/] to talk about the shifting landscape of enterprise consulting, the rise of AI-driven delivery models, and what these changes mean for both firms and customers navigating digital transformation. Episode 53 | Smaller, Smarter, Faster The Big Themes: * The Traditional Consulting Model Is Quietly Collapsing: The traditional consulting model, built on large teams, playbooks, and high overhead, is no longer viable in the AI-native era. The shift is not a dramatic crash but a slow erosion of outdated practices. Customers no longer accept vague deliverables [https://cloudwars.com/data/how-to-treat-deliverables-as-assets-in-ai-and-data-projects/], bloated staffing, and unclear pricing. Instead, they demand speed, transparency, and clear outcomes. * Smaller, Nimble Firms Are Positioned to Win: AI and generative tools are leveling the playing field for smaller consultancies. Bonnie argues that boutique firms — once at a disadvantage against the scale of major global consultancies — can now compete on an equal footing due to AI’s democratization of data analysis [https://cloudwars.com/ai/sap-signavios-jp-ascenci-conversational-ai-for-data-analysis-and-actionable-insights/], automation, and service delivery. These smaller firms often move faster, customize more effectively, and offer high-touch support without layers of bureaucracy. * Transparency Is the New Currency of Trust: Bonnie criticizes large consulting firms for their persistent lack of transparency. Many resist public reviews, avoid accountability, and cherry-pick what gets showcased — raising red flags for discerning clients. She argues that in an era of instant data and shared experience, opacity is no longer acceptable. The future of consulting depends on a firm’s willingness to open itself to scrutiny and prove its worth. The Big Quote: “The disruption isn't necessarily a slowdown in the need for consulting. It's just the shift in how technology is getting delivered. It's in what the value of the consultant is. It's no longer building codes and the architecture as much as it is the change management and the ability to help customers make good, fast decisions." More from Bonnie Tinder: Connect with Bonnie on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnietinder/] or send a message via her Acceleration Economy Analyst page [https://accelerationeconomy.com/author/bonniet-716417/]. Visit Cloud Wars [Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.] for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I spotlight a powerful joint message from two of Europe’s top tech CEOs, Siemens CEO Roland Busch and SAP CEO Christian Klein, who are urging the European Union to reconsider its AI legislation. Highlights 00:03 — The CEOs of Siemens and SAP have urged the EU to reconsider its AI legislation, expressing concerns that the current law hinders innovation. SAP CEO Christian Klein and Siemens CEO Roland Busch are advocating for a new regulatory framework that supports AI innovation rather than stifling it. Busch cited the EU's AI Act [https://cloudwars.com/cybersecurity/decoding-the-eu-ai-act-a-look-at-the-global-implications-for-ai-security-and-compliance/] as the reason that Europe is falling behind. 00:46 — Klein echoed these concerns. Both CEOs believe the first step should be reevaluating the existing legislation affecting AI innovators in Europe. While the AI Act is designed to ensure the safe development and deployment of AI technologies, it also risks stifling innovation. 01:17 — This can lead to monopolization and hold back key innovators in the EU who are working collectively with their global partners to create what will become the cornerstones of the AI era. And there's a strong case for collaboration here. Both tech companies and legislators need to align in establishing the foundations for a thriving yet safe AI operations landscape. Visit Cloud Wars [Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.] for more.

Kim Lynch is the Executive Vice President of Government, Defense, and Intelligence, Oracle. She and Bob Evans sit down to discuss how public sector organizations are accelerating digital transformation with AI [https://cloudwars.com/tag/ai/], cloud, and secure infrastructure. They explore critical challenges like regulatory compliance [https://cloudwars.com/ai/transforming-compliance-ey-and-servicenow-simplify-complex-regulations/], procurement complexity, and legacy system modernization, as well as the growing need for scalable, mission-ready solutions. Kim also introduces Oracle’s Defense Ecosystem initiative. [https://cloudwars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Oracle-logo-1.png] Oracle's Government Tech Edge The Big Themes: * Oracle’s Role in Modernizing Government Technology: Oracle is taking a central role in transforming how government agencies operate by modernizing legacy systems and aligning technology with evolving mission needs. Lynch discusses how Oracle’s next-generation cloud infrastructure is purpose-built for mission workloads, offering flexibility, scalability, and AI-ready capabilities. * Defense Innovation Through Ecosystem Collaboration: A key theme from the discussion is Oracle’s launch of a dedicated defense ecosystem designed to spur innovation in mission-critical environments. Partnerships with startups and emerging tech providers help address complex defense challenges at both tactical and strategic levels. From compact “backpack” clouds to full-scale three-rack deployments, Oracle is delivering infrastructure that supports edge computing, secure communications, and global scalability. * AI, Data Ownership, and Customer-Centric Cloud Strategy: Oracle is focused on unlocking AI's full potential through advanced data management. Its cloud strategy centers on customer choice, flexibility, and data sovereignty, i.e, giving agencies the ability to deploy AI tools wherever they need them, whether in public cloud, on-premises, or at the tactical edge. Oracle Cloud services come with built-in support for autonomous databases and AI-ready infrastructure, but without vendor lock-in or data movement penalties. The Big Quote: “[Coming into the defense market] is challenging, and we can be a helpful guide, because we have done it for so long. We have the classified space. We know how to work the procurement system, to be able to respond to classified procurements, [and] that's not easy for startups, to be able to understand all you need to do to be able to respond to the government's requirements. So we are sharing that knowledge and providing an umbrella ecosystem to help others be successful in the space, because we know we all win when the best technology gets in the hands of our customers." More from Oracle and Kim Lynch: Connect with Kim Lynch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-lynch-49475ba3/] and learn more about Oracle and defense [https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/oracle-launches-first-of-its-kind-defense-ecosystem-to-redefine-national-security-innovation-2025-06-17/?utm_source=chatgpt.com].  * Sponsored Podcast * Visit Cloud Wars [Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.] for more.