As we look around us, here are some of the big trends that inform our approach
Software is eating the world, but the Internet hasn’t caught up: There is a growing gap between developers and the foundational networking layers of the internet. Most developers today were born in the cloud and have limited awareness of anything that isn’t accessible and programmatic, including the networking ‘superpowers’ used by all the big guys at scale (interconnection, peering, deterministic routing, anycast, etc). This gap is growing into a huge chasm as AI unlocks an era of hyper automation. In a future defined by complexity and risk just as much as by opportunity, developers need these powers more than ever — not only to create amazing experiences, but also to manage security, cost, performance, and other critical business concerns.
A shift from cloud native to AI native: The technology world is undergoing rapid transformation, stimulated by AI and the maturity cycle of cloud-native. Applications and data are now widely (and rather) easily deployed and operated at scale. Developers no longer ship to a single cloud region, but instead to “everywhere” — with data and applications spread across many clouds and specialty providers. Gen AI (and specifically Agentic AI) is amplifying this complexity while inviting a new class of users, builders, and companies into the mix who are even more abstracted from the underlying complexity. Welcome to the AI native era.
The importance of connected ecosystems: AI is not only making the world volumetrically more complex, it is also shining a light on the importance of ecosystems. Where 20 years ago leaders were world-class at writing software, and 10 years ago they could win by writing great software and running it as a service, today’s moat includes sitting at the center of a powerful ecosystem. From Apple and Salesforce to AWS and Databricks, the most durable companies have vibrant ecosystems that solve myriad problems by connecting their customers to an ecosystem of integrated value. As these ecosystems grow in both value and complexity, developers need an AI-native interface to build new experiences and securely connect the dots, no matter where they are.
The need for a neutral operator: Over the last cycle, public clouds were joined by an exploding cohort of “alt clouds” that provide specific value “as a service” around data, security, developer experiences, AI infrastructure, inference, etc. These modern service providers (alongside incumbent technology producers and digital-leading enterprises) need a neutral, programmatic platform that sits in between all of the clouds, networks, and enterprises. A virtual “meet me room” for an AI and data first world. This is why we’re building a neutral platform for AI native providers, tech incumbents, and digital leaders to programmatically interact.