Cloud Computing Predictions for 2020
If my math is right, this is my 10th yearly predictions blog post, so that would be ten years of awfully inaccurate predictions. Hang in there with me for the next ten years.
Looking back over the last decade I certainly made both some good ones and flubbed on others. Predicting Apple to go with original content in 2016 was a few years ahead of its time. I also predicted Apple to buy Salesforce in 2011, which now seems mostly crazy. Of my best, predicting that Bitcoin would dive in 2018 was on the right track. Last year I predicted that most, if not all, auto manufacturers would announce electric versions of their vehicles, which was pretty on the nose.
Let’s get to 2020 and see how much I can be wrong on.
Streaming Mergers
In 2019 almost everyone launched a monthly streaming service, including the big players such as Disney and Apple. Next year will be the year of the merging. I predict that some of the big ones get bought out and merged into the others. Facebook will buy Netflix and Hulu will be re-bundled into Disney plus. By the end of the decade there will only be three players in the content market: Google, Apple, and Amazon. Everyone else will have died off or be bought up. It will be like 1970 again with CBS, NBC, and ABC.
Confidence: 5
Salesforce Spits out .Org
This might be wishful thinking, but there are many examples of Salesforce reversing course on a bad prior direction. Do you remember paying for Mobile, Analytics Edition, or NGO Connect? Yeah, those are gone. While there are many good business reasons to join .org and .com, it doesn’t seem to make the community very happy. I predict they reverse the decision and split them off again. The crowds will cheer and .org will be free again. By the end of the decade Salesforce.org will be bigger than Salesforce.com.
Confidence: 8
Climate Crisis Collides
If 2019 taught us anything, the world is still very much divided on the Climate Crisis. I predict that 2020 starts off the decade with tragedy and acceptance. It is time for the population to get behind the cause and cure and get out from under the financially funded opinions.cash. On the Cloud Computing side, 2020 will mark an all-in from the big tech stocks on putting massive capital behind the change. By the end of the decade we will have a plan in place and be making major strides to reverse the damage.
Confidence: 3
Glimpse of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is all around us but at the moment controlled by some of the bigger tech players. Whether you think AI will be a helpful tool or will take over humanity, 2020 will be the year that we get our first glimpse of a runaway AI. Someone will use their artificial intelligence to do bad things and will get caught. The news will shock the world and will be the start of a mainstream discussion about the pros and cons. By the end of the decade, AI will be included in every household device and will be as ubiquitous as “the internet.”
Confidence: 7
A Decade of Arkus
This one is easy and very predictable. Arkus, going into its 10th year of business, will be celebrating all of our client success throughout 2020. By the end of the decade Arkus will still be a company that values our clients and employees, while also doing our best to do good in the world.
Confidence: 10
Do you agree or disagree with any of my predictions? Shout it out in the Trailblazer Community or directly at me @JasonMAtwood on Twitter.
