“The cloud giants stumble” is the title of David Linthicum’s Feb. 11, 2025, InfoWorld analysis—not proof that AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are collectively in decline. Linthicum argues that rising costs, migration complexity, AI infrastructure demands and data-control requirements are making enterprises more selective about where workloads run. The growth figures in his article end with Q3 2024, and newer Microsoft-reported results show why that dated snapshot should not be treated as a current market verdict.
What does “the cloud giants stumble” mean?
Linthicum’s article is an analysis of changing enterprise priorities, not an independently established finding that the largest cloud providers are losing ground as a group. His central point is that companies are scrutinizing public-cloud economics and fit more closely, while considering alternatives such as private or hybrid cloud, specialist providers and edge computing for some workloads.
The distinction matters: a customer moving one workload does not establish a broad exodus, and a provider’s growth rate is not by itself a measure of customer satisfaction or profitability. The article does not establish how widespread workload repatriation is or show that it caused changes in provider growth. Read Linthicum’s original InfoWorld analysis.
What growth figures did the 2025 article cite?
Linthicum reported the following provider growth rates for two historical periods. These are the figures in his Feb. 2025 article, not current growth rates:
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute#1 Best Overall
| Provider | Final quarter of 2023 | Q3 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | 13%, as reported by Linthicum in 2025 | 19%, as reported by Linthicum in 2025 |
| Microsoft Azure | 19%, as reported by Linthicum in 2025 | 20%, as reported by Linthicum in 2025 |
| Google Cloud | 26%, as reported by Linthicum in 2025 | 35%, as reported by Linthicum in 2025 |
Those figures indicate growth in the periods cited; they do not, on their own, show that providers were stumbling. The article also includes a combined market-share and market-size claim, but does not identify enough underlying measurement detail in its available text to use that figure as a verified comparison.
Why might companies reconsider where workloads run?
Linthicum identifies several pressures behind more selective cloud decisions. They are reasons to examine a workload’s fit, not proof that every organization should leave public cloud.
Rank #2
- Total cost: Public-cloud bills can include data-transfer or egress charges as well as compute and storage. Linthicum argues that cost scrutiny can make alternatives worth evaluating.
- Migration complexity: A lift-and-shift move can relocate an application without redesigning it for the destination. Linthicum points to the complexity of migrations as a reason that anticipated cloud savings may not be straightforward.
- AI infrastructure: AI workloads can create substantial infrastructure demands, prompting companies to consider specialized providers or other deployment choices.
- Data control and sovereignty: Governance, location and control requirements can make a private, hybrid or otherwise specialized environment more suitable for some data and applications.
- Workload-specific needs: Performance, latency and specialized infrastructure needs can favor an environment other than a general-purpose public-cloud service.
What does newer Microsoft data say?
Microsoft’s FY2026 Q4 metrics page reports year-over-year growth of 43% for Azure and other cloud services in the quarter, and 41% for FY2026. It reports Microsoft Cloud revenue growth of 27% in Q4 and for the full fiscal year. These are Microsoft-defined metrics and should not be compared directly with another provider’s differently defined segment. They complicate a blanket claim that cloud giants are stumbling, but do not establish how AWS and Google Cloud performed over the same later period or settle the market-wide picture. See Microsoft Investor Relations’ FY2026 Q4 metrics.
As another company-reported data point, Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said in the company’s July 30, 2025, FY2025 fourth-quarter earnings release: “Azure surpassed $75 billion in annual revenue, up 34 percent, driven by growth across all workloads.” That statement refers to Azure’s fiscal 2025 annual revenue and growth; it is not a current, cross-provider comparison.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
Is multi-cloud cheaper or simpler?
Not automatically. Using multiple providers may help an organization match services to workload needs or meet particular governance requirements, but it also means operating across more environments. Linthicum’s analysis points to the need for expertise in cost management, workload optimization and multi-cloud orchestration. Any potential savings have to be weighed against data transfer, migration effort, staffing and the work of managing systems across providers.
A single public cloud can reduce the number of environments to manage, while hybrid, private or specialist deployments may fit particular control, performance or infrastructure needs. None is universally cheapest or simplest. The relevant comparison is the full cost and operating burden of a workload in each viable environment—not the provider’s headline price alone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you decide where a workload belongs?
Assess the workload itself before choosing a cloud strategy. Linthicum advocates more selective deployment, but does not provide a quantified decision model or measured head-to-head benchmarks. Use these questions to frame an organization-specific evaluation:
- Total workload cost: Include compute, storage, data transfer, migration and ongoing operations.
- Performance and latency: Determine whether the application’s users, data sources or response-time needs favor a particular location or infrastructure type.
- Governance and sovereignty: Identify applicable requirements for data location, control and access.
- Portability and lock-in: Consider the effort required to move the workload later and how much it depends on provider-specific services.
- Operations and staff: Confirm that the team can manage the chosen environment, including any additional cost-management or orchestration work.
- Resilience and recovery: Check whether the design meets the organization’s recovery and availability needs.
These factors support a workload-by-workload decision, not an assumption that public cloud is always best or that moving out of it is inherently cheaper. A specialized provider or private deployment makes sense when it addresses a concrete requirement and the organization can account for its complete cost and operational demands.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
