{"id":309807,"date":"2025-03-26T06:04:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T13:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/?p=309807"},"modified":"2025-04-01T14:35:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T21:35:55","slug":"the-secrets-inside-google-clouds-unstoppable-growth-with-google-cloud-vp-sarah-kennedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/the-secrets-inside-google-clouds-unstoppable-growth-with-google-cloud-vp-sarah-kennedy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secrets Inside Google Cloud\u2019s Unstoppable Growth with Sarah Kennedy, Vice President Google Cloud Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In our latest episode of the <em>SaaStr What\u2019s New<\/em> series, SaaStr CEO and founder Jason Lemkin spoke with Sarah Kennedy, VP of Google Cloud Marketing. The conversation explored Google Cloud\u2019s rapid growth, its AI-first approach, and what the future holds for the cloud ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"The Secrets Inside Google Cloud\u2019s Growth with Sarah Kennedy, Vice President Google Cloud Marketing\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aBNEnNPGmJY?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.saastr.com\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: SaaStr 796: The Secrets Inside Google Cloud\u2019s Growth with Sarah Kennedy, Vice President Google Cloud Marketing\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" data-src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/7BgqPrZVkgWnpY968z7xPV?si=l9WzI7sTRa6xqkwYhCk4Tg&#038;utm_source=oembed\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5 Interesting Learnings from Google Cloud&#8217;s Journey with AI\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Here are <strong>five key learnings<\/strong> about AI at Google Cloud from the interview with Sarah Kennedy:<\/p>\n<h3>1.<strong>Google Cloud is Growing Fast, Fueled by Customers Deploying AI\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/5-interesting-learnings-from-google-cloud-at-13-billion-in-arr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Cloud<\/a> has been on a tear lately, growing at a rate of 30% quarter over quarter based on its most recent Q4 results. Sarah, who has been with Google for five years, reflected on the transformation from a $12 billion run rate to more than triple that today. The core drivers? A world-class AI stack, a commitment to flexibility and choice, and a long-term vision that empowers customers to migrate at their own pace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the last three to four years, we won a lot of business through single workloads,\u201d Sarah shared. \u201cAnd now, those who took a bet on us early are migrating more and more, especially with AI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While AI is at the forefront of every conversation, Google Cloud\u2019s growth extends beyond that. The company has been deliberate about providing flexibility\u2014customers aren\u2019t forced into an all-or-nothing migration. Instead, Google Cloud enables companies to experiment with modern app workloads before expanding their footprint.<\/p>\n<p>But the real tipping point? AI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were the third-place player in the cloud space, but we\u2019re becoming the first choice in AI,\u201d Sarah explained. \u201cCIOs and CTOs are under pressure from their boards to stay ahead, and Google Cloud is the partner that can keep them there.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>2. <strong>AI is a Developer-Led Movement<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>AI adoption isn\u2019t just happening at the executive level\u2014it\u2019s being driven bottom-up by developers. While CIOs are accountable for AI strategy, developers are the ones selecting, testing, and deploying AI models, \u200aGoogle Cloud is now seeing a resurgence in the power of the developer making the decisions in AI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCIOs are accountable, but they\u2019re learning from their developers,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a truly bottom-up moment, and marketing to developers has never been more important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This shift makes <strong>marketing to developers more critical than ever<\/strong>, and Google Cloud is responding with training programs, hands-on labs, and certifications to ensure enterprises have the talent they need. AI adoption is not just a top-down initiative. Sarah emphasized that developers are leading the charge.<\/p>\n<h3>3. <strong>Partnering with<\/strong> <strong>Salesforce &amp; Why<\/strong> <strong>Security is Now an AI Priority<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As AI capabilities expand, so do <strong>security concerns<\/strong>. Google Cloud customers are increasingly demanding AI solutions that are built with <strong>enterprise-grade security<\/strong>. The recent <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/5-interesting-learnings-from-salesforce-at-40-billion-in-arr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salesforce<\/a>-Google Cloud deal<\/strong> was driven in large part by customer demand to run Salesforce solutions on Google Cloud\u2019s highly secure infrastructure. AI security and <strong>data governance<\/strong> are becoming <strong>CIO-level priorities<\/strong>, and Google Cloud is uniquely positioned to address them.<\/p>\n<p>Security and AI are increasingly intertwined. With enterprises investing heavily in AI, they need assurance that their data remains protected. The recent Salesforce-Google Cloud partnership is a testament to this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCustomers told us, \u2018We want to run Salesforce on Google Cloud because of security, compute efficiency, and AI capabilities,\u2019\u201d Sarah noted. \u201cThe fact that we offer an open platform with multiple models on Vertex AI gives CIOs much-needed flexibility in a fast-changing world.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>4. <strong>AI is Becoming More Cost-Efficient and Ubiquitous<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The fear that AI would be too expensive for broad adoption is <strong>fading fast<\/strong>. Google Cloud is optimizing its AI models and infrastructure, with advances like <strong>Flashlight (a lightweight AI model)<\/strong> and <strong>energy-efficient TPUs in Google\u2019s data centers<\/strong>. This is driving costs down to the point where Jason Lemkin predicts a <strong>\u201cno-limits\u201d era<\/strong>, where AI will be so cost-effective that companies can integrate it into <strong>every application and process<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A year ago, AI\u2019s cost was a major concern, but enterprises are becoming more efficient in managing resources. Sarah pointed to Google\u2019s infrastructure\u2014its data centers\u2019 cooling efficiencies, TPU optimizations, and the launch of lighter-weight models like Flashlight\u2014as game-changers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re entering an era where AI at the application level has no limits,\u201d Jason added. \u201cWhy can\u2019t my app do everything? The cost is coming down so rapidly that soon, it won\u2019t be a barrier.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>5. <strong>AI is Reshaping Workflows Across Every Function<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>AI isn\u2019t just a tool for engineering teams\u2014it\u2019s transforming <strong>every department<\/strong>. Sarah emphasized that AI is <strong>already changing marketing, customer service, operations, and more<\/strong>. Google Cloud\u2019s approach to <strong>agentic AI (AI-powered assistants for different roles)<\/strong> is helping companies automate tasks, improve decision-making, and <strong>supercharge human productivity<\/strong>. The next step? Ensuring every enterprise team, from <strong>creatives to finance<\/strong>, can leverage AI effectively.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: SaaStr 796: The Secrets Inside Google Cloud\u2019s Growth with Sarah Kennedy, Vice President Google Cloud Marketing\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" data-src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/7BgqPrZVkgWnpY968z7xPV?si=l9WzI7sTRa6xqkwYhCk4Tg&#038;utm_source=oembed\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Google Next 2025: The Ultimate AI and Cloud Event<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>With 32,000 attendees expected, including 15,000 developers, Google Next 2025 is set to be bigger than ever.<\/p>\n<p>Next is not just about product launches\u2014it\u2019s a rallying point for customers, developers, and the entire ecosystem to connect, learn, and experiment with AI in real-time.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saastrannual.com\/agenda-and-speakers?agendaPath=session\/1607018\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Cloud\u2019s presence at SaaStr Annual 2025<\/a>, where we\u2019ll dive even deeper into AI\u2019s impact on SaaS growth and innovation!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cloud.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-310528 alignleft lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saastr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-24-at-5.19.49-PM.png?resize=461%2C343&#038;quality=70&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"343\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 461px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 461\/343;\" \/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-310528 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saastr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-24-at-5.19.49-PM.png?resize=461%2C343&#038;quality=70&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"343\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saastrannual.com\/agenda-and-speakers?agendaPath=session\/1607018\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-310530 alignright lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saastr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1080x1080-2025-03-25T150102.093.png?resize=487%2C487&#038;quality=70&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"487\" height=\"487\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 487px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 487\/487;\" \/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-310530 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saastr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1080x1080-2025-03-25T150102.093.png?resize=487%2C487&#038;quality=70&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"487\" height=\"487\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In our latest episode of the SaaStr What\u2019s New series, SaaStr CEO and founder Jason Lemkin spoke with Sarah Kennedy, VP of Google Cloud Marketing. The conversation explored Google Cloud\u2019s rapid growth, its AI-first approach, and what the future holds for the cloud ecosystem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":310555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[23926,24898,31,21,24987,28,20,24897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5-interesting-things","category-ai","category-blog-posts","category-podcasts","category-saastr-ai","category-scale","category-videos","category-whats-new-at"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.saastr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Youtube-Thumbnails-2025-22.png?fit=1000%2C563&quality=70&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5oib2-1iAT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-24-at-5.19.49-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309807"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":310932,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309807\/revisions\/310932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saastr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}