Today’s RSA Conference live analysis segment from theCUBE’s Dave Vellante focused on the latest earnings reports of big tech companies that focus on cloud business.

“Microsoft beat earnings. Azure came in at about 31% in constant currency,” said Vellante (pictured). “Google Cloud grew at 28% … I’ve got AWS growing at 15% this quarter year over year.”

These numbers indicate that Azure is gaining share over its rivals.

Vellante discussed this and more at today’s RSA Conference, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. (* Disclosure below.)

UK regulators block Microsoft-Activision deal

Vellante also touched on U.K. regulators’ decision to block Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. “That’s a big blow to Microsoft, as they were planning to transform their gaming business … into a cloud-based business,” he said. This move is a part of a broader trend where governments are trying to halt big tech acquisitions that could limit competition.

Vellante went on to analyze Google Cloud’s performance, stating, “I had 28% [growth] for GCP. I think it’s more like 21 to 22%,” he said. Alphabet had an operating profit in its cloud division for the first time ever, which is a significant milestone for the company.

Vellante emphasized the importance of making an apples-to-apples comparison of cloud providers. His estimates for the quarter are $21 billion for AWS, $17 billion for Azure and $3.5 billion for GCP. “There’s a compression between Azure and AWS … so we’ll see what’s happening there,” he said.

The earnings climate and soft-landing scenario

Discussing the broader earnings climate, Vellante observed a mixed case, with 80% of earnings beating forecasts. However, there’s still a lot of conservatism as companies aren’t raising their outlooks. Amid the uncertainty, there’s a possibility of a soft landing, with the Fed’s actions to raise rates and stall economic growth aimed at fighting inflation.

There is also a shift in venture capital funding, with growth funding drying up and more capital moving into early-stage companies, according to Vellante. “VCs are excited … about GPT and foundation models … because it means they can start more companies for less money,” he stated.

Here’s the complete video analysis, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the RSA Conference:

(* Disclosure: This is an unsponsored editorial segment. However, theCUBE is a paid media partner for the RSA Conference. Sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE