Podcast
Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans
Hosted by Bob Evans · ENGLISH
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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OpenAI Expands AWS Partnership to Bring Frontier AI Models to Amazon Bedrock
Yesterday00:02:20Tap to summarizeIn 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 Bedrock and Amazon Bedrock managed agents powered by OpenAI. Now AWS customers will be able to leverage the latest OpenAI models through their existing Amazon Bedrock APIs and controls. 00:46 — Customers will be able to utilize OpenAI's coding agents to scale software development on Bedrock. And with Amazon Bedrock managed agents powered by OpenAI, teams can build and deploy production-ready OpenAI-powered agents on AWS, benefiting from the global infrastructure and security AWS provides. 01:06 — At the heart of this expanded partnership, particularly in terms of messaging from AWS, is the delivery of frontier AI to the infrastructure millions of organizations already trust, and this is one of the cornerstones we're seeing now in the AI Revolution in terms of partnerships. 01:39 — Companies are focusing on their strengths, which is crucial for the parts of the business that customers rely on and that really define them in the eyes of their users. Ultimately, it's the customers who will benefit from these collaborations moving forward. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →SAP's AI Plan: Data, Pricing, M&A, Partnerships
2d ago00:04:37Tap to summarizeHighlights 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. An interesting one is Palantir, which is now billing itself as an AI infrastructure company, serving as the software foundation enabling AI to do its best work. 02:00 — There are three recent notable acquisitions: Reltio for Master Data Management Dremio for more SAP and non-SAP data pulled together Polar Labs to help SAP move forward with structured data 02:52 — Evidently, SAP is trying to capitalize on what’s happening with the AI revolution and the new capabilities that come with it. I think that Klein’s leadership, focus, and willingness to take ambitious moves with acquisitions and strategic partnerships will be force multipliers in the market. 03:47 — Forward-deployed engineers will be a big part of SAP’s new AI alignment with customers, to help those customers rapidly develop and deploy AI agents and applications. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →Workday CEO: Aneel Bhusri Unplugged + Fired Up
3d ago00:03:50Tap to summarizeIn 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. 01:27 — He said none of them is talking about vibe coding applications. He said the enterprise apps are here, but he said "it’s our job at Workday to ensure that they are reinvigorated and kept as modern as possible, with as much AI and agentic capability as possible." 02:29 — He also said, “We’ve got to take on a startup culture, startup mentality, a startup mindset that lets us continually experiment, push new things out, and not get stuck in doing things a certain way.” 02:58 — The opportunity now that customers see is for the right sort of agentic AI to come in to enhance what the applications are already doing, to help these companies move faster, get better insights, allow people to be able to move up to higher-value work. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →Workday CEO Aneel Bhusri Says AI Will Replace Labor, Not Software
3d ago00:21:36Tap to summarizeIn 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 transformation as intelligent agents begin reshaping the operating model of modern organizations. AI Changes Enterprise Work The Big Themes: AI Replaces Labor, Not Software: One of the most provocative points in the conversation is Bhusri’s assertion that AI is not currently replacing enterprise software, it’s replacing labor. That distinction changes everything. Rather than displacing systems like HR, finance, or ERP, AI is being layered on top of those systems to automate work previously performed by people. Bhusri sees this as both a business opportunity and a societal concern. Systems of Record Still Matter: Despite “SaaSpocalypse” chatter, Bhusri argues strongly that systems of record remain deeply entrenched. Customers are not planning to rip out core HR or ERP systems and replace them with loosely connected AI tools. Instead, the competitive battle shifts to what gets built on top of those platforms. That’s a major strategic advantage for incumbents with trusted enterprise infrastructure, data models, and governance frameworks. Bhusri groups Workday alongside SAP, Oracle, and Salesforce as vendors with durable strategic relevance. AI’s Social Impact Is the Bigger Story: The most human part of the discussion comes at the end, when Bhusri expresses genuine concern about AI-driven job displacement. Unlike past automation waves focused on repetitive tasks, he worries this generation affects reasoning and knowledge work. Yet he remains optimistic that technology ultimately improves society. Still, he insists enterprise leaders must become part of the solution, not simply profit from disruption. The Big Quote: “Great tech companies aren’t built on one generation of technology.” More from Aneel Bhusri and Workday: Learn more about Workday and AI Connect and Workday Agent System of Record. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →How Workday Is Using AI to Transform Employee Engagement and Retention
6d ago00:02:20Tap to summarizeIn 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 HR teams to evaluate performance drivers. 00:29 — The integration enables employees to recognize their peers and redeem rewards directly within Workday, while streamlining these processes for HR within Workday Human Capital Management, or HCM. This integration provides HR teams with insights into in-demand skills and creates a broader picture of performance. 00:55 — Ben Carter, Senior Vice President, Total Rewards at Workday, explained, “Recognition fuels engagement, and engagement drives productivity, making it one of the clearest indicators of a thriving workforce. By bringing Achievers into Workday, we are helping customers amplify those everyday moments of appreciation and turn them into actionable insights..." 01:22 — By embedding Achievers directly into Workday HCM, Workday is showcasing a significant use case for enterprise AI. That's behavioral intelligence. This really, to me, represents a shift away from automation and instead leverages AI's ability to provide insights at a human level. 01:45 — Businesses are pursuing tools that can offer them a competitive advantage, especially in a landscape where many are targeting similar goals and deploying the same strategies and tools to achieve them. I believe tools like this, which focus on behaviors and reward performance as a result, will undoubtedly become powerful assets in the competitive business arsenal. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →Palantir Q1: Extraordinary Growth Battling 'AI Slop'
6d ago00:05:10Tap to summarizeIn 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's been successful because it is offering real solutions when other tech vendors — many other tech vendors, it says — are offering only incomplete portions of it. Total revenue was up 85% to $1.63 billion. If you take the U.S., which is both commercial and government or defense business, it's up 104% to $1.28 billion. 01:31 — Palantir has blown past its guidance in each of the last several quarters. Its big point about AI slop is that customers are wasting time and money with incomplete AI solutions that don't offer enough precision, enough rigor, enough discipline, so that every move that agents are making can be tracked with great specificity about cost, security, and ROI. 02:30 — Alexander Karp says there’s a new category here that he thinks is more befitting of what Palantir does: AI infrastructure. These results are remarkable because it shows that what it is that Palantir is putting together, customers are loving. It's passed now 1,000 customers, and its customers are rapidly increasing the spending they’re doing with them. 03:24 — Karp says business leaders have to start thinking differently about what they want out of AI and what a high-quality AI vendor is going to deliver for them. Palantir has been around for 23 years, and despite seeming like a startup company, it continues pushing forward on customer expectations and the value it's imparting to customers. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →OpenAI Gains Freedom as Microsoft Restructures Landmark AI Alliance
1w ago00:02:42Tap to summarizeIn 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, certainty, and a focus on delivering the benefits of AI broadly. This new agreement frees both companies up to pursue opportunities independently while maintaining a relationship." 00:59 — There is an endpoint for the length of time that Microsoft has rights to OpenAI's model. OpenAI is going to benefit massively from wider partner opportunities, but still, there are additional benefits for Microsoft as well. 01:17 — Microsoft will remain OpenAI's primary cloud partner, with products shipping first on Azure. However, OpenAI can now serve all its products to customers across any cloud provider. Microsoft will continue to have a non-exclusive license to OpenAI IP until 2032. 01:54 — Despite the significant alterations, Microsoft will continue to participate directly in OpenAI's growth as a major shareholder. Microsoft will benefit by not having to allocate so many resources, allowing it to focus on areas that align with its evolving business goals. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →How Gemini Enterprise Is Driving Internal Innovation at KPMG | Cloud Wars Live
1w ago00:08:19Tap to summarizeAt 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 employee familiarity with consumer AI tools is changing enterprise adoption faster than ever before. KPMG’s AI Playbook The Big Themes: Why Google Won: KPMG evaluated multiple AI providers, but Google Cloud stood apart because it offered what Aaron Purcell called the “full stack.” Instead of piecing together separate providers for models, infrastructure, and agent development, Google delivered an integrated platform that included model creation, cloud services, infrastructure, and a mature agent-building platform through Vertex AI. That end-to-end capability gave KPMG confidence that execution would be faster and more scalable. Consumer AI Accelerates Enterprise Adoption: One of the biggest accelerators for enterprise AI adoption is that employees are already using similar tools at home. Purcell noted that many people already have experience with Google products in their personal lives, making workplace adoption much easier. Tools like NotebookLM and Gemini Enterprise feel intuitive because users recognize the patterns and workflows from consumer applications. Instead of learning entirely new systems, employees translate familiar habits into the workplace. This reduces resistance, shortens training time, and improves confidence. Keeping Up With Vertical Innovation: Purcell said the pace of AI innovation is no longer a hockey stick. It feels like a vertical line. New capabilities are arriving so quickly that organizations need systems to keep employees informed without overwhelming them. KPMG uses Gemini Enterprise itself as a communication platform, with announcement sections highlighting new features and important updates. They also run office hours, user sessions, and collaborative education efforts to keep professionals current. The Big Quote: “We’re providing the general user with the ability to create their own agents for personal productivity.” More from Google Cloud and KPMG: Learn more about Google Cloud and KPMG and Google Cloud's alliance. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →AWS's Awesome AI Acceleration: Still Falling Behind
1w ago00:04:44Tap to summarizeIn 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 emphasized how aggressively AWS is pushing into AI and highlighted four key reasons behind this acceleration. 02:05 — AWS revenue grew 28% to $37.6 billion, its highest growth in 15 years. However, Google Cloud is growing at 63%, Microsoft at 29%, and Oracle at 44%, with all three showing stronger backlog growth. 02:55 — A couple things can be true at the same time. AWS had a strong quarter and happy customers, but on a competitive basis, it ranks last in growth rate, backlog size, and backlog growth among hyperscalers. 03:52 — AWS remains strong in a massive market with many customers, but compared to competitors, it has the smallest and slowest-growing backlog. Those are the facts on the ground today in the cloud market. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Transcribe →Hyperscaler Backlog Hits $2 Trillion
1w ago00:04:45Tap to summarizeIn 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 see Microsoft’s backlog almost doubled: $627 billion. Oracle’s up a whopping 325% to $553 billion. We’ve got Google Cloud with a huge jump, 93%, $462 billion, and AWS, very nice number, but relative to the others it is not quite up to snuff at 49%, $364 billion. 02:25 — So I think AWS is doing a good job; it’s just its competitors are doing a better job — higher growth. All in all, this rolls up to more proof: this is the cloud AI market, the greatest growth market the world has ever known. 02:52 — Google Cloud, on its revenue side, 63% growth, and then by far its fastest growth backlog number here, 93%. This is a red-hot company, not just for the last few months — this backlog shows a huge number coming forward. 03:39 — This is a fantastic time to be a customer in this business because you’ve got unbelievable demand. The competition from these companies is showing they’ve got to continue to innovate as rapidly as possible and give their customers more choice. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
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