Alphabet Inc has appointed Kobi Bar-Nathan as the chief financial officer (CFO) of its Google Cloud division, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He took on the role this month after serving as CFO at Oracle and previously held a cloud finance role at Microsoft.

His appointment comes as Google Cloud, now profitable, strengthens its position in the competitive cloud market led by Amazon and Microsoft.

The division plays a critical role in the company’s AI strategy and is led by Thomas Kurian, who joined Alphabet in 2019 from Oracle after strategic disagreements with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison.

Alphabet confirmed the appointment, while Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.

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🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ The Oracle-to-Google executive pipeline continues a strategic talent acquisition pattern

Bar-Nathan’s move from Oracle to Google Cloud represents the latest in a consistent pattern of Google recruiting Oracle leadership talent over the past seven years.

This executive migration began notably in 2018 when Thomas Kurian joined as Google Cloud CEO after reportedly disagreeing with Oracle founder Larry Ellison over cloud strategy1.

The pipeline continued with other significant Oracle veterans: Amit Zavery joined as VP of Engineering for Apigee in 2019 after 24 years at Oracle2, and Amit Ganesh moved to Google as VP of Engineering in 2018 after two decades at Oracle3.

These strategic hires reflect Google’s deliberate effort to inject enterprise DNA into its cloud division, addressing a long-standing challenge of adapting its consumer-focused culture to enterprise needs.

2️⃣ Cloud providers increasingly focus on financial discipline amid AI investment surge

Google Cloud’s hire of a seasoned finance executive comes at a critical financial inflection point for the division, which recently achieved profitability after years of losses as mentioned in the original article.

This financial turnaround mirrors the broader cloud industry’s evolution from growth-at-all-costs to sustainable business models, with Google Cloud beating analyst estimates for operating profit several quarters in a row.

The timing is particularly significant as cloud providers face unprecedented capital expenditure requirements to support AI infrastructure, with analysts emphasizing investors’ desire for transparency regarding these investments4.

Cloud market data shows the global infrastructure market reached approximately $90-94 billion in Q1 2025, growing 23% year-over-year5, with AI capabilities driving significant portions of this growth.

Strong financial leadership has become essential as cloud providers balance massive AI investments against profitability expectations, especially as generative AI is driving increased cloud budgets for 72% of executives according to PwC’s 2024 survey6.

3️⃣ The competitive cloud landscape sees smaller players gaining AI-driven momentum

While AWS (29-33%), Microsoft (20-22%), and Google Cloud (10-12%) dominate the market78, the data shows Oracle maintaining a steady 3-4% share despite being fifth in overall rankings.

Market share statistics reveal that while the top three providers control approximately 63% of enterprise cloud spending5, the remaining portion represents a substantial opportunity worth tens of billions of dollars annually.

Google’s 10-12% market share represents significant growth from the 8% reported in 20189, showing the company’s steady progress despite remaining well behind the two market leaders.

The ongoing executive transfers between competitors highlight how the battle for cloud market share has intensified into a talent war, with companies seeking leaders who can navigate the increasing complexity of AI-driven cloud services.

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