• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
TechAmazon

3 Big Takeaways from Amazon’s Cloud Bonanza

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 29, 2017, 5:41 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

For Amazon, the key to cloud computing dominance is overwhelming the competition with new tools and customers.

Andy Jassy, the leader of Amazon Web Services, spent nearly three hours during the annual AWS re:Invent 2017 conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday talking about Amazon’s (AMZN) cloud supremacy.

Yes, companies like Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG) may have growing cloud computing businesses that involve selling access to computing resources in a pay-as-you go model. But those companies still lag AWS when it comes to important benchmarks like the number of customers they have or cloud computing features, he said.

To be fair, AWS has a head start of several years in cloud computing, and the cloud computing market still represents just a fraction of the overall IT market, according to research from Gartner. So there’s still time for the others to catch up.

Here are three takeaways from Jassy’s talk:

Amazon Talks Trash About Its Rivals

Jassy took a not-so-subtle shot at cloud computing rivals by showing a graphic that compared the number of AWS features to those of its competitors. Of course, AWS was listed as the leader in all the categories, from database services to security.

But instead of listing the rivals by name, AWS listed them by color. Vendor 2 was blue, the corporate color of Microsoft Azure. Vendor 3 was multi-colored kaleidoscope—just like Google’s logo, while Vendor 4 was very red and very Oracle.

#AWSreinvent2017 Vendor2= Azure // Vendor 3 = Google // Vendor 4 = Oracle // Great idea to show the competitors #AWS pic.twitter.com/tV7R3ZvGN5

— Manuel Espinoza (@espinozaman) November 29, 2017

Tiring of subtlety, Jassy eventually got granular by calling out Oracle by name and showing a cartoon that made Oracle founder Larry Ellison the butt of the joke. Jassy said customers want “the ability to not be locked in to abusive or onerous relationships,” a nod to the perception of Oracle’s hard-knuckled sales teams. Of course, with AWS getting bigger, so too does the perception that its own business will flex its muscles too.

Ouch Amazon taking shots at Oracle here. #AWSreinvent2017 but you know…”vendor lock in” …ahem… pic.twitter.com/vFxhIun4YW

— Tom Maiaroto (@tmaiaroto) November 29, 2017

You Want Customers? We Got ‘Em!

Technology companies like Microsoft and Salesforce (CRM) typically use their annual user conferences to showcase new partnerships and customers. Amazon was no different.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

For example, new Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom talked on stage about how the travel company is moving its entire corporate infrastructure to AWS. NFL CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle mentioned using AWS’s machine learning tools to provide better statistics for football teams. Quarterbacks could one day use the data to explain to coaches why they chose to get sacked during a play. Rather than the sack being considered a failure, it could be more easily spun as the best decision for the team.

https://twitter.com/LTOmaha/status/935937941498683392

And while no Disney representative was at the talk, Amazon said Wednesday that the entertainment giant has chosen AWS to be its “preferred public cloud infrastructure provider.” This means that while Disney can use other cloud services, it’s likely to spend the most money on AWS.

You Better Believe We Know About Machine Learning

Jassy shared a laundry list of new feature during his talk. But what’s noteworthy is that he appeared to focus a lot on machine learning products, an area in which tech analysts believe Amazon trails Microsoft and Google in, as a recent Bloomberg News report described.

Slow day for Amazon. pic.twitter.com/t8XXQLDUTA

— Ernie Smith is @ernie@writing.exchange (@ShortFormErnie) November 29, 2017

Jassy also tried to end the perception that AWS has fewer AI tools for developers than its peers. Without saying that Amazon wants to “democratize artificial intelligence,” to the masses like Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce all do, Jassy described a similar-sounding strategy that refers to making complex AI technology easier to use for those without deep backgrounds in the field.

Amazon, like Google and Microsoft, believes it’s among a small group of businesses that has the most sophisticated deep learning technology and related expertise needed to operate the tech. And it wants to make money by selling access to the AI technology it creates.

With that, Jassy announced new AI tools that are similar to Google’s language translation and transcription services.

Difference between #Google translate and #Amazon Transcribe – Transcribe uses #MachineLearning to add punctuation. Amazon Translate is next. #reInvent pic.twitter.com/vtsPDEF71s

— Robert (@RobFiction) November 29, 2017

He also talked about another tool that can recognize certain images in videos and can automatically flag “inappropriate content like videos you don’t want people to be watching,” which could be useful for companies interested in showing user-created videos on their sites.

#reinvent Deeplens and Sagemaker ML demo by @awscloud and Dr. Matt Wood. Object recognition, facial analysis, and content detection. pic.twitter.com/AQe4vTfPTM

— Douglas Pollei (@dougpollei) November 29, 2017

Jassy also showed off a portable camera that has the ability to automatically recognize objects and even the emotions of a person’s face. AWS machine learning chief Matt Wood demonstrated the camera’s capabilities by smiling next to the album art of Pink Floyd’s psychedelic epic Dark Side of the Moon. The camera recognized the band that created the music and the album’s name. It also deduced that Wood likes the album, based on his smile. Wood then frowned in front of Whenever You Need Somebody, an album by 1980’s pop star Rick Astley. The dutifully camera noted his lack of enthusiasm.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

chad
AIConsulting
Exclusive: KPMG and OpenAI bet the future of software is ‘headless’ — and the future of work is mostly talking
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 21, 2026
1 hour ago
Yang Zhilin, co-founder of Moonshot AI, in Beijing, China on March 25, 2026. (Photo: VCG/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
What will the White House do about China’s new open weight AI models?
By Andrew NuscaJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
$5 billion tech CEO says unemployed Gen Z should be out 3 days a week building their network: ‘Sometimes those jobs you want, they’re never published’
SuccessCareers
$5 billion tech CEO says unemployed Gen Z should be out 3 days a week building their network: ‘Sometimes those jobs you want, they’re never published’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 21, 2026
4 hours ago
A Jersey Mike's logo is displayed outside one of their stores in San Diego, California.
InvestingIPOs
Jersey Mike’s IPO valuation could reach eight times Sweetgreen’s market cap
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 21, 2026
4 hours ago
LaLiga president says tech is already making the fan experience better, and it could solve football’s money problem too
AISports
LaLiga president says tech is already making the fan experience better, and it could solve football’s money problem too
By Catherina GioinoJuly 20, 2026
15 hours ago
A 13-year-old teenage boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media apps.
PoliticsSocial Media
French President Macron backs effort to ban kids under 15 from social media before departing office next year
By The Associated Press and Samuel PetrequinJuly 20, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
18 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
22 hours ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
Retail
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.