“When I grew up in Bangalore, I’d never seen a computer,” says Thomas Kurian. The former president of Oracle, now the CEO of Google Cloud, remembers learning how to write while sitting outside his childhood home, and doing homework by candlelight during power blackouts. He credits his “trailblazer” mother, who instilled curiosity and discipline in all her children, with helping them understand the value of education beyond doing well on the next test. Something must have stuck, because Thomas is not the only Kurian in a major leadership position in Silicon Valley; his twin brother, George, is the CEO of NetApp. In this episode, Thomas and Joubin discuss how he accidentally got into computer programming, giving children the freedom to be curious, how to order a sandwich, leading 60 software acquisitions, knowing your own value-add, innovation through experimentation, investing in the future, and being competitor-aware and customer-obsessed.In this episode, we cover:Thomas’ childhood in India (03:45)His twin brother George — the CEO of NetApp — and their trailblazing mother (07:40)Nostalgia for simpler times without responsibilities (14:03)Working up the ranks at Oracle, from product manager to president (21:40)The Google Cloud opportunity (30:12)How to succeed inside a huge organization (32:38)The big difference between Oracle and Google Cloud in 2019 (39:35)The “mother of God” opportunity of the cloud (42:35)The advice Thomas gives to other CEOs (48:25)Links:Connect with ThomasTwitterLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com Learn more about Kleiner PerkinsThis episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian joins us Inside the Strategy Room for a wide-ranging conversation where he discusses how he has grown Google's cloud business, how he manages innovation, and how he thinks about talent management. Thomas also shares insights on sustainability and the future of artificial intelligence and machine learning. This episode is an excerpt of a conversation Thomas and Adrian Booth, a senior partner in our Silicon Valley office, had at a recent gathering of global business leaders.  Join our LinkedIn community of more than 87,000 members and follow us on Twitter at @McKStrategy.  Explore more Inside the Strategy Room episode transcripts on McKinsey.com  Discover our latest insights and join more than 92,000 influential professionals who are part of our LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Thomas Kurian, CEO at Google Cloud, Bill Holstein & Michael G. McLaughlin, Co-authors of Battlefield Cyber: How China and Russia are Undermining Our Democracy and National Security, discuss AI in various industries, cyber warfare and the SolarWinds attack, cryptocurrency conviction, Chinese disinformation campaign, and addressing digital security threats.