Cloud Realities – the podcast series

Before Siri had sass and Alexa started judging your music taste, the original virtual assistant was quietly revolutionizing the ’90s—powered by many patents and a whole lot of foresight. Now, as AI goes from buzzword to boss, we ask, will it transform your job, your home… or just steal your knowledge? 

This week, Dave, Esmee and Rob speak with Kevin Surace, Futurist, Inventor & “Father” of the Virtual Assistant, about exploring the evolution of AI, what the future might hold, and how disruptive innovation can shake up your organization in ways you might not expect.  

TLDR:

•  00:40 – Introduction of Kevin Surace
•  05:12 – Rob gets confused by Google Maps reviews and selfies
•  08:15 – Deep dive into the evolution of AI with Kevin
•  52:00 – How intelligent agents can help manage digital noise and support mental well-being
•  1:07:30 – Wrapping up the book the Joy Success Cycle and heading to a concert 

Guest:

• Kevin Surace

We’re back! In this Season 5 premiere, the team reunites after their summer break to kick off an exciting new chapter. Join us as we catch up, share bold predictions for the year ahead, and explore big questions, like whether 2026 will be the year of the autonomous organization. Expect candid reflections, lively discussion, and a sneak peek at what’s coming up this season. 

We are very keen this season to establish a feedback loop with listeners, so will be doing shows exploring listener questions and challenges – something we are really looking forward to.  Please get in touch with us, via LinkedIn, Substack or cloudrealities@capgemini.com, if you have questions or challenges for us, we’d love to hear from you!

TLDR:

•  00:20 – We’re back!
• 00:35 – Catching up on what we did during the summer break
•  10:48 – Planning ahead until Christmas: Microsoft Ignite, AWS re:Invent, an AI mini-series and cool guests
•  20:27 – Tech talk: iPhone 17, deep democracy training, and the human impact of innovation
•  32:10 – Will autonomous organizations powered by agents emerge within 12–18 months?
•  40:45 – Reflections inspired by Jaws, climbing adventures, and Bruce Springsteen 

Dave, Esmee, and Rob are strapping in for another season of bold, brain-bending conversations—and they’re bringing the flux capacitor with them from Back to the Future.

Season 5 beams in global leaders and innovators who challenge how we think about technology, business, and humanity. From AI disruption to digital sovereignty, from leadership to culture—this season’s guests are ready to shake things up.

Our first full episode drops on September 25, but before we hit 88 miles per hour, here’s a quick trailer to set the timeline straight, or at least bend it a little.

Dave, Esmee, and Rob take a moment to look back on the wild ride that was Season 4—revisiting the themes that sparked the biggest conversations and the guests who left a lasting impression. They also reveal what’s on their summer to-do lists and drop a few juicy hints about what’s coming in Season 5. Get ready—it’s going to be even bigger and bolder.

Thank you to all our listeners and guests for joining us in Season 4 – have a great summer and we will see you in September!

TLDR:

• 00:40 Season 4 by the numbers – and a fun mix-up with round figures
• 03:20 Reflecting on standout topics and memorable guests
• 03:42 Scaling AI: Hyperscaler narratives, tech momentum, and the adoption gap
• 13:18 Ethics in the AI era – how organizations can and must stay grounded
• 18:12 The human factor: Why “human-in-the-loop” matters more than ever
• 27:29 Sovereignty in tech – geopolitics, shifting narratives, and the rise of Sovereign AI
• 37:16 A deep dive into Telco – highlights from our dedicated mini-series
• 53:48 2025 tech trends with Gene Kim
• 55:33 Listener Q&A: Daniel Delicate on Cynefin vs. IT operating models
• 1:01:44 Andrea Kis on keeping humanity in fast-paced tech
• 1:06:09 Ezhil Suresh on how we prep and record our podcast with top-tier guests
• 1:11:38 John Eaton-Griffin on how guests have shaped our thinking
• 1:17:19 A word from our co-host
• 1:19:57 Looking ahead to Season 5: AAA episodes, new industry mini-series, and Hyperscaler events
• 1:22:09 Meet our new AI companions: Substack and the Cloud Realities chatbot
• 1:23:40 What’s next for us this summer

The rise of structure software fueled globalization by streamlining operations across borders. Now, Cloud and AI are accelerating this momentum, enabling faster innovation, smarter decision-making, and scalable growth. By modernizing ERP with intelligent technologies, organizations can stay agile, competitive, and ready for the next wave of global transformation.

This week, Dave, Esmee and Rob talk to Timo Elliott, Innovation Evangelist at SAP, to explore how SAP is driving globalization—and how organizations can accelerate innovation through the power of Cloud and AI.

TLDR:

• 00:55 Introduction of Timo Elliott
• 02:40 Rob shares his confusion about misleading online ads
• 08:06 In-depth conversation with Timo
• 46:32 Rethinking control in enterprise systems
• 1:00:00 Brunch at a Paris café or joining an event?

Guest:

• Timo Elliott

GreenOps is a cultural transformation that empowers developers to turn emissions data into meaningful action, bridging the communication gap with ESG teams and exposing the critical truth that cloud cost and carbon cost are not the same, which fundamentally reshapes how we approach sustainable IT.

This week, Dave, Esmee and Rob talk to James Hall, Head of GreenOps at Green Pixie, to unpack the real state of GreenOps today—and why we’ve only just scratched the surface.

TLDR:

• 01:57 Rob is confused about AGI
• 06:11 Cloud conversation with James Hall
• 22:10 Esmee as media archeologist, found GreenOps is 50 years old
• 30:46 Having some drinks in the summer

Guest:

• James Hall

Quantum computing in 2025 is rapidly advancing toward commercialization, with breakthroughs in algorithms, scalable hardware, and cloud-based quantum services driving real-world applications across finance, healthcare, logistics, and cybersecurity

This week, Dave, Esmee, and Rob dive into the cutting edge of quantum computing with Catherine Vollgraff Heidweiller, Quantum AI PM at Google, and James Goeders, Head of Product for Google Quantum AI, exploring how far we’ve come since our June 2023 Quantumania! episode and what to expect from Willow—the bold fusion of quantum, AI, digital integration, deployment, and the broader tech ecosystem.

TLDR:

• 00:46 Meet Catherine and James – intros and backgrounds
• 02:22 Rob is confused about students using AI
• 09:40 Deep dive with Catherine and James on the current state and future of Quantum
• 48:01 Quantum isn’t just tech—it’s a whole new way of thinking
• 1:01:37 Seize the moment and bringing external users onto quantum hardware

Guest:

• Catherine Vollgraff Heidweiller
• James Goeders

The telecom industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This shift is creating new business opportunities and services but also brings significant challenges in transformation and modernization. In this special bonus episode, building on our Reimagining Telecoms mini-series, we dive into the current opportunities shaping today’s dynamic telco landscape.

This week, Dave, Esmee and Rob talk to Vivek Badrinath,  Director General of the GSMA about the current opportunities shaping today’s dynamic telco landscape and the role of GSMA.

TLDR:

• 01:38 Introduction to Vivek and the bonus episode
• 03:48 In-depth conversation with Vivek Badrinath
• 42:13 Can empathy become a strategic KPI in telecom?
• 47:20 Event in Uzbekistan and doubling down on the digital ecosystem

Guest:

• Vivek Badrinath

Telco Production:

• Praveen Shankar