The intersection of technology, politics and innovation took center stage this week, with discussions on the recent U.S. election, the rise of enterprise AI and the scrutiny of Amazon’s leadership.

These topics, along with insights on the CHIPS Act and challenges facing startups in the AI space, were explored by theCUBE Research’s John Furrier (pictured, left) and Dave Vellante (right) during the latest episode of theCUBE Podcast. The elections’ impact on the tech sector, particularly in driving market stability and optimism, emerged as a central theme.

“It is absolutely incredible to see the reaction to the election and the impact on the tech industry and just the overall landslide victory by Trump and the signals of certainty, or at least some certainty, to the country,” Furrier said.

Election aftermath: stability and opportunity

The election’s outcome, marked by a “landslide victory by Trump,” signaled a renewed sense of certainty in the U.S., particularly for the tech sector, as Furrier pointed out the influence of the election on the innovation economy and capital markets.

“This has been an awesome week for news and action,” Furrier said. “The election has impacted us.”

One of the critical themes was the push for stability. This certainty has already sparked optimism in the markets, with a “relief rally two days in a row” and signs of IPO resurgence.

“Trump’s still a wild card, but they want some certainty, and I think they got that with the election,” Furrier said. “Now there’s a fever of ‘let’s go, let’s get down to business.’”

Activists slamming Jassy: A leadership under scrutiny

While the election brought a sense of stability to the market, companies such as Amazon.com Inc., continue to face scrutiny. Amazon’s leadership, particularly Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy, has faced criticism in an open letter by Blue Duck Capital LLC for his strategic choices. This has led analysts to believe that the investor group, described by Furrier as “Lame Duck Capital,” has a deep misunderstanding of Amazon’s strategy.

“They just want cash,” Furrier said. “They completely just have no clue about how … [Amazon is] working.”

The letter claimed Amazon was underperforming under Jassy’s leadership, but Furrier pushed back on this narrative, pointing out Amazon’s disciplined approach and long-term focus.

“Andy Jassy doesn’t really [care]. He and Jeff Bezos [don’t care] what people think about their losing money, making money,” Furrier said. “They’re a long-game player … focused on the customer.”

Furrier highlighted Jassy’s focus on generative AI, describing it as a foundational technology that positions Amazon for sustained growth.

“Jassy’s … approval rating right now internally might not be that high. There might be some disgruntled stuff going on because he has made some bold moves,” Furrier said. “The pre-buying … the absolute focus on gen AI and their performance has shown, you saw the growth and the numbers are there, and they don’t really care about the cash as much for that customer, Duck Capital, they care about their customers.”

The podcast highlighted Amazon’s deliberate focus on long-term innovation rather than succumbing to the pressures of Wall Street. This strategy reflects the company’s confidence in its ability to sustain growth through bold investments in technology and infrastructure, according to Vellante.

“If companies have to buy back stock and they’ve got to give dividends, [it shows] they don’t have enough ideas to invest in their future,” he said. “I love when a company says, ‘Forget about placating Wall Street. We’re going to invest in the future of our business.’”

Enterprise AI: The next big boom

Enterprise AI is emerging as a transformative force, offering the potential to drive both organizational efficiency and individual productivity. This balance, according to Vellante, mirrors the productivity booms of the 1960s and the 1990s.

“The AI boom is probably going to be a combination of both,” Vellante said.

Enterprise AI holds immense potential for automating workflows and unlocking value from proprietary data. These advancements could create new opportunities for businesses. However, this opportunity is still in its early stages, with many companies struggling to fully understand and leverage AI.

“A lot of people are in this … ‘I don’t know what I don’t know’ phase,” Furrier said. “They’re applying their AI to figure out the AI.”

Challenges remain, particularly for startups struggling with resource access. GPU availability is a major bottleneck, making it hard for smaller companies to scale.

“If you’re a startup and you don’t have a Series A, you have nothing,“ Furrier said. “Maybe you could scrounge up a GPU, but for the most part, they’re constrained.”

AI’s growing influence is mirrored in rising capital spending, led by hyperscalers such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Furrier highlighted AWS’ strategic partnership with Anthropic, describing it as “a major piece of the puzzle.”

Vellante emphasized cost dynamics, noting that while AI model development costs are soaring, operational expenses are plummeting.

”The cost per token has come down four orders of magnitude in four years,” Vellante said.

As enterprise AI continues to reshape industries, broader efforts such as public-private partnerships, supported by the CHIPS Act, are vital for sustaining AI growth. Analysts argue that private companies must contribute more to ensure success.

“My feeling has always been that Apple and Amazon and Meta and Google, and maybe some others, should be carving off some money out of their balance sheet,” Vellante noted. “Those with big stakes in this.”

Furrier linked this need for structural change to broader trends spurred by the recent election, pointing to potential strategies that could reshape U.S. competitiveness in AI and manufacturing.

“Do we stack up a sovereign fund in the U.S.? Do we do a Bitcoin reserve? Do we double down on the CHIPS Act?” Furrier asked.

Watch the full podcast below to find out why these industry pros were mentioned:

Donald Trump, 45th U.S. president
Lina Khan, chair of the FTC
Andy Jassy, president and CEO of Amazon
Matt Garman, CEO of AWS
Jeff Bezos, chairman of Amazon
Kamala Harris, 49th United States vice president
Joe Biden, 46th United States president
Elon Musk, CEO Tesla Inc.
Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Michael Dell, chairman and CEO at Dell Technologies
Jeff Clarke, COO and vice chairman of Dell Technologies
George Gilbert, principal analyst at theCUBE Research
Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Here’s the full theCUBE Pod episode:

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Photo: SiliconANGLE