Brad Alan Zelnick

Brad Alan Zelnick asked about Palo Alto Networks' strategy to disrupt its past success and ensure leadership in the AI and quantum future, beyond smart M&A, given the current AI storm and the importance of identity security.

Answer

Chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora explained that the core business of network inspection remains vital as AI and quantum drive more data volume. He highlighted the success of XIM in a new market and the long-term impact of quantum computing on encryption, positioning Palo Alto Networks with products in each category, including the strategic Kronosphere acquisition for observability.

Brad Alan Zelnick asked about Palo Alto Networks' strategy to ensure continued success in an AI and quantum future, beyond M&A, given the rarity of a winner in one technology generation remaining dominant in the next.

Answer

Chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora explained that the need for network inspection persists and will be driven by increased AI volumes. He highlighted the success of XIM in a new product category and emphasized the disruptive potential of quantum computing, which necessitates infrastructure upgrades. Arora also noted Kronosphere's role in observability as a strategic move.

Brad Alan Zelnick inquired about Oracle's historical ability to navigate industry transitions, specifically regarding enterprise applications, and how its integrated advantages across database, infrastructure, and silicon position it against competitors, potentially leading to a market share shift or 'extinction event' for some.

Answer

Larry Ellison (Chairman and CTO) underscored Oracle's substantial advantages as both an infrastructure and application company. He detailed their use of AI application generators to build more efficient and superior applications, giving them a significant edge. He also highlighted Oracle's strategy of offering comprehensive application suites (e.g., ERP, CRM, medical) engineered for seamless integration, which solves a broader range of customer problems and reduces the need for multi-vendor system integration. He reiterated the unique value of the AI database for secure inferencing on private enterprise data combined with public data, enabling customers to ask critical business questions.

Brad Alan Zelnick asked for Oracle's perspective on the future of enterprise applications, particularly how companies without Oracle's integrated database and infrastructure advantages will fare amidst industry shifts.

Answer

Chairman & CTO Larry Ellison explained Oracle's substantial advantages as both an infrastructure and application company, emphasizing the use of AI application generators for efficiency and building comprehensive application suites that integrate seamlessly, solving a larger portion of customer problems.