Ep 88 - Cloud CAPEX: Not for the faint of wallet (Charles Fitzgerald)

Telco in 20

• 22 min

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If you’re partnering with one or more of the hyperscalers, their roadmap is your roadmap. It’s important to know where they’re steering their ships, and a great way to gain insight into this is to follow their CAPEX spending.  For this episode, I talk with Charles Fitzgerald, managing director at Platformonomics. His annual Follow the CAPEX report tracks spending by the Big 3 hyperscalers—Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud—and includes crystal-ball insights into their strategic plans and priorities. Listen now to hear:  <ul> <li>How the hyperscalers spent money in 2023 and how their paths are diverging [02:10];</li> <li>How AI strategy is affecting CAPEX spending [05:47];</li> <li>The last word on whether cloud repatriation is really a trend [11:36]; and</li> <li>Why it’s time for "clown providers" like IBM and Oracle to ante up or get out of the big top [16:59].</li> </ul> Links and Resources <ul> <li>Read Charles Fitzgerald’s <a href="https://platformonomics.com/2024/02/follow-the-capex-cloud-table-stakes-2023-retrospective/" rel="nofollow">2023 retrospective on public cloud CapEx spending</a> and check out his <a href="https://platformonomics.com/2023/05/platformonomics-repatriation-index-q1-2023-surfs-up/" rel="nofollow">Q1 2023 Repatriation Index</a>TM </li> <li>Take a look at TelcoDR’s <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lsrP2BL7MgBfqEX4pCK5IU3Z0zIIAdRQW6y3MaeAOGI/edit?hl=en&forcehl=1#gid=1414701138" rel="nofollow">Hyperscaler Region Tracker</a> to see where the three “BIGS” have been putting their regions.</li> <li>Check out this <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-28/amazon-bets-150-billion-on-data-centers-required-for-ai-boom" rel="nofollow">Bloomberg article</a> about Amazon’s AI-focused data center investments, which includes quotes from Charles.</li> <li>Charles is all about following the money—great inspiration for a $-inspired playlist: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ" rel="nofollow">Money</a> by Pink Floyd</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srwxJUXPHvE" rel="nofollow">Can't Buy Me Love</a> by The Beatles</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxmCCsMoD0" rel="nofollow">Money, Money, Money</a> by ABBA</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0" rel="nofollow">Money for Nothing</a> by Dire Straits</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GlJ1lFvkK4" rel="nofollow">She Works Hard for the Money</a> by Donna Summer</li> </ul></li> <li>I can’t wait to pounce on telco execs while I’m in Diani Beach, Kenya, just like my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh character <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27GuYQ2Oeng" rel="nofollow">Tigger would do</a>. </li> <li>Check out this episode on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JG8rmmvosI" rel="nofollow">YouTube channel</a>.</li> <li>You can find the transcript for this episode <a href="https://www.telcodr.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/EP-88-Charles-Fitzgerald-Transcript.pdf" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</li> </ul> Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, <a href="https://www.telcodr.com/contact/?utm_source=TDREm031221" rel="nofollow">set up a meeting</a> with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring. Follow DR <ul> <li>Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic?<a href="https://www.telcodr.com/contact" rel="nofollow"> Send it in!</a></li> <li>Want to sponsor a podcast?<a href="https://www.telcodr.com/contact" rel="nofollow"> Let us know</a></li> <li>Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/TelcoIn20" rel="nofollow"> @TelcoIn20</a></li> <li>Follow DR on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/TelcoDR" rel="nofollow"> @TelcoDR</a></li> </ul> The Telco in 20 podcast won 2022 and 2023 MarComm Awards, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a Forrester <a href="https://go.forrester.com/blogs/the-100-best-channel-podcasts-of-2021/" rel="nofollow">Top 100 Channel Podcast</a> and Feedspot <a href="https://blog.feedspot.com/telecom_podcasts/" rel="nofollow">Top 10 Telecom Podcast</a>.  If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews! This week’s guest About Charles Fitzgerald Charles Fitzgerald is a Seattle-based angel investor, with a focus on developer platforms and infrastructure. Previously, he spent 20+ years working on platform businesses at Microsoft and VMware. He can see the cloud from his house. Podcast Credits <ul> <li>Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios Royston, TelcoDR</li> <li>Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media</li> <li>Editor/Marketing: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing</li> <li>Editing: Andrew Condell</li> <li>Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio</li> <li>Music: Dyami Wilson</li> </ul> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com" rel="nofollow">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.