Google and Microsoft are using their deep pockets to take on AWS

Google and Microsoft have turned to a new strategy which has seen both companies make big investments in other businesses in an effort to bolster their cloud market share and better compete with AWS.

After replacing Diane Greene as the CEO of Google Cloud back in 2019, Thomas Kurian hasn’t been afraid to tap the company’s $142bn cash reserves to attract more customers to the service. In fact, Google has made sizeable investments in the business security system provider ADT ($450m), the Spanish-language media company Univision, the healthtech startup Tempus Labs and the futures-exchange firm CME Group ($1bn).