Google Cloud vs The Linux Foundation

Darshan Kantak Named Netflix VP of Ads Platform

Netflix has appointed Darshan Kantak as Vice President of its ads platform. He will lead the teams responsible for the advertising experience on the service, as well as the reporting and operational tools for the Netflix Ads Suite. Kantak previously served as VP of Product at Google Cloud's Applied AI and has held positions at Snap, Meta, Microsoft, and Yahoo. He will report to Amy Reinhard, President of Advertising. His appointment comes as Netflix adjusts its ad revenue forecast to $2.7 billion for 2026, citing slower-than-expected rollouts of some ad capabilities. The streamer also recently announced updates to its ad platform, including new measurement capabilities and expanded programmatic offerings. This move underscores Netflix's commitment to strengthening its advertising infrastructure.

• Darshan Kantak joins Netflix as VP of Ads Platform.
• He will lead product, engineering, and data & insights teams for advertising.
• Kantak previously was VP of Product at Google Cloud's Applied AI.

Microsoft reveals Azure revenue: $33.2B in Q1 FY2027

For the first time, Microsoft disclosed Azure's quarterly revenue in dollars, reporting $33.2 billion for the July-September quarter, up 48% year-over-year. This beat analyst expectations of $32.3 billion and surpassed Google Cloud's $30.7 billion, though Google Cloud grew faster at roughly double the rate. Azure now represents Microsoft's largest and fastest-growing product line, accounting for about 36% of total quarterly revenue. The disclosure comes as Microsoft introduced a new reporting segment, Agents and Infra, which includes Azure and Microsoft 365 cloud, generating $76.8 billion. This transparency allows investors to directly compare Azure with AWS and Google Cloud, intensifying the cloud race.

• Microsoft reported Azure revenue of $33.2 billion for Q1 FY2027 (July-September 2026), up 48% year-over-year.
• Azure revenue exceeded analyst expectations of $32.3 billion.
• Google Cloud reported $30.7 billion revenue for the same quarter, growing roughly twice as fast as Azure.

YouTube Q3 2026 Ad Revenue Hits $11.2B, Up 9.2%

Alphabet reported Q3 2026 earnings with total revenue of $127.6 billion, up 25% year-over-year, slightly missing analyst estimates. YouTube generated $11.2 billion in ad revenue, a 9.2% increase from the prior year. YouTube also contributed to the $14.3 billion in Google Services subscription revenue, which includes YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. Google Cloud revenue surged 103% driven by AI infrastructure demand. CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted that Alphabet is now on a half-trillion dollar revenue run rate, with AI investments boosting Search query growth. Gemini models are processing nearly 32 billion tokens per minute, and the Gemini app has reached one billion users. YouTube Music and Premium surpassed 150 million subscribers globally.

• Alphabet's Q3 2026 total revenue was $127.6 billion, up 25% year-over-year.
• YouTube ad revenue reached $11.2 billion in Q3 2026, a 9.2% increase year-over-year.
• Google Services subscription revenue (including YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket) was $14.3 billion.

European firms urged to boost open source involvement for sovereignty

At the Open Source Summit Europe in Prague, organized by the Linux Foundation, speakers urged European companies to move from merely consuming open source software to actively contributing and participating in governance. A Linux Foundation survey found that over 90% of European organizations view digital sovereignty as strategically important, and that those with advanced open source governance achieve over four times return on investment versus 3.6 times for others. The EU's Tech Sovereignty Package and Cyber Resilience Act were cited as policy drivers. The summit also discussed AI agents, with GitHub data showing one in three pull requests now involve AI agents, and concerns about AI accuracy among developers. The event highlighted the need for European autonomy in technology development.

• Open Source Summit Europe took place in Prague, organized by the Linux Foundation.
• Linux Foundation survey: over 90% of European organizations consider digital sovereignty important.
• Organizations with advanced open source governance report >4x ROI vs. 3.6x for others.

Linux Foundation Europe Report: Digital Sovereignty Drives EU Tech Strategy

The Linux Foundation Europe released its fifth annual 'State of Open Source in Europe 2026' report, revealing that digital sovereignty is now central to European technology strategy. According to the report, 94% of organizations consider digital sovereignty important, with 61% deeming it very important. Organizations with advanced open-source governance report an average return on investment over four times their investment, compared to 3.6 times for those without formal governance. The report highlights that European developers contribute nearly 40% to foundational infrastructure projects like Kubernetes and OpenStack. However, significant challenges remain: 31% of organizations lack formal open-source governance, and while 94% use or test AI-based coding tools, there is pressure on managing open-source dependencies. The report also notes that 48% of organizations manage private forks, incurring high maintenance costs, and that the 2026 technology sovereignty package is expected to generate two billion euros in digital infrastructure investments.

• 94% of European organizations consider digital sovereignty important, with 61% rating it very important.
• Organizations with advanced open-source governance report average ROI over 4x their investment, vs. 3.6x for those without.
• European developers contribute nearly 40% to foundational projects like Kubernetes and OpenStack.

Open Secure AI Alliance Joins the Linux Foundation to Build a Shared, Open Defense Stack for the AI Era

Originally founded by dozens of enterprise leaders and NVIDIA, the Alliance moves to neutral governance to expand industry collaboration on open AI security tools, research and shared defenses.