Google Cloud Taps C3 AI for Growth Strategy

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Google Cloud and C3 AI are teaming up for enterprise artificial intelligence.?The combination is interesting in that it reunites Oracle veterans Thomas Kurian and Tom Siebel. But it’s also notable in how it illustrates the strategy both Google and Microsoft are pursuing as they attempt to chase down Amazon Web Services: A combination of A.I. and industry focus.

The way Kurian and Siebel explained it to me,?C3’s suite of solutions will be optimized to run on Google Cloud, and Google Cloud’s significant salesforce —?which Kurian has been building over the last couple of years — will pitch C3’s enhanced capabilities as a selling point over AWS and Microsoft Azure.?(C3 AI will still work on AWS and Azure, of course.)

This move is reminiscent of Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Nuance, announced in April.?At the time, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described it to me as both a targeted play in healthcare and a broad play in A.I.

But industry watchers and investors should be aware:?As the so-called “cloud” market matures, the big players believe their ability to solve industry-specific problems with A.I. software will matter more than pricing and even whiz-bang features.

My conversation with Kurian and Siebel:

While you were sleeping …

Eight states will roll out a feature allowing users to add driver’s license and state IDs to Apple Wallet?for iPhone and Apple Watch to use at security at participating airports, Apple announced Wednesday.?CNBC

LinkedIn is shutting down its ephemeral Stories product,?the company announced Tuesday. The company plans to “remove the current Stories experience by the end of September,” according to Liz Li, senior director of product. The Snapchat-style video Stories were first launched in February 2020 in internal testing.?The Verge

In the broader world …

U.S. companies created far fewer jobs than expected in August?as the Covid resurgence coincided with cutbacks in hiring, according to a report Wednesday from payroll services firm ADP.?CNBC

On the horizon …

Thursday, 9/2: IDEO CEO Sandy Speicher in a Fortt Knox 1:1

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