Cloud capitalism and the AI transition

In this talk, recorded at BESI on April 9, 2026, MIT political scientist Kathy Thelen explores the origins and implications of the new cloud business model powering the AI boom. She elaborates on how this model differs from the traditional platform model out of which it grew, as well as the technological, political, and distributional impacts of the rise of this new business model. She also shares her preliminary assessment of how the cloud business model is developing along different trajectories in the United States, Europe, and China.