# John Bradshaw

> John Bradshaw — Field CTO, public speaker, and writer on cloud economics, AI infrastructure, and edge computing. Speaking events, media appearances, and original writing.

John Bradshaw is Field CTO at Akamai Technologies and a public speaker on cloud, AI, and edge computing. This site is his personal hub — speaking events, media appearances, original writing, and strategy insights. Editorially independent of Akamai: nothing here represents an official Akamai position.

## Conventions
Every content page listed below has an LLM-tuned markdown companion at the same URL with a `.md` suffix (e.g. `https://bradshaw.cloud/about.md`, `https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/build-vs-buy.md`). Auxiliary pages — tag listings, calculator subpages, the 404 page, and content-type filter pages under `/media/` (articles, videos, interviews, podcasts, press) — do not have `.md` mirrors. A single-file corpus is available at [https://bradshaw.cloud/llms-full.txt](https://bradshaw.cloud/llms-full.txt). Both update automatically on every deploy.

## About
- [About John Bradshaw](https://bradshaw.cloud/about/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/about.md)): Bio, background, and contact details.
- [Book speaking](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/book/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/book.md)): How to invite John to keynote, sit on a panel, or run a workshop.
- [Legal](https://bradshaw.cloud/legal/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/legal.md)): Site operator, copyright, governing law.
- [Privacy Policy](https://bradshaw.cloud/legal/privacy/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/legal/privacy.md)): What data is collected and your rights.
- [Terms of Use](https://bradshaw.cloud/legal/terms/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/legal/terms.md)): Acceptable use, IP, AI crawler policy.

## Strategy insights
- [AI Fundamentals](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/ai-fundamentals/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/ai-fundamentals.md)): A business leader's guide to the building blocks of AI — no code, no jargon, just the mental models that matter.
- [Frontier Models](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/frontier-models/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/frontier-models.md)): The most capable AI models available — and when a frontier model earns its cost vs when a small specialised model wins.
- [Model Context Protocol](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/mcp/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/mcp.md)): How MCP became the USB-C for AI — the universal standard for connecting AI agents to tools and data sources.
- [Build vs Buy](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/build-vs-buy/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/build-vs-buy.md)): The decision framework every CTO faces — when to build, when to buy, and when to compose.
- [AI Cost Curves](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/ai-cost-curves/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/ai-cost-curves.md)): When API costs cross the self-hosting line — the economics that drive infrastructure decisions.
- [AI Grid](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/ai-grid/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/ai-grid.md)): How NVIDIA's AI Grid reference architecture distributes AI inference across edge locations — and why it changes the economics of running AI in production.
- [Agentic AI Patterns](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/agentic-ai/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/agentic-ai.md)): From single agents to orchestrated teams — the architecture patterns behind AI that acts.
- [Economic Sovereignty](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/cloud-sovereignty/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/cloud-sovereignty.md)): From cloud chaos to cost control — the framework for regaining economic independence from hyperscaler lock-in.
- [Model Compression](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/model-compression/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/model-compression.md)): Compression is the family. Quantisation is one cousin. The techniques that shrink language models for self-hosting — what they do, what they cost in quality, and which ones you actually reach for.
- [From Content Wars to Experience Wars](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/content-wars-to-experience-wars/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/content-wars-to-experience-wars.md)): The streaming industry solved access. Now it needs to solve experience. A framework for what comes next.

## Upcoming speaking
- [TBC](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/idc-ai-data-xchange-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/idc-ai-data-xchange-2026.md)): 2026-06-07 — Las Arenas Balneario Resort, Getxo, Spain.
- [Applied AI in Practice: Deploying Tools Inside Real Client Workflows](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/ai-summit-london-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/ai-summit-london-2026.md)): 2026-06-10 — Tobacco Dock, London, United Kingdom.

## Recent past speaking
- [Debate: Cloud, on-prem and everything in between – Can enterprises keep control?](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dcd-connect-live-south-europe-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dcd-connect-live-south-europe-2026.md)): 2026-05-06 — DCD Connect Live: South Europe 2026.
- [Connectivity, CDNs & network edge – powering real-time digital solutions](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/techuk-digital-transformation-edge-cloud-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/techuk-digital-transformation-edge-cloud-2026.md)): 2026-03-26 — Digital Transformation: From the Edge to the Cloud.
- [From Content Wars to Experience Wars](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dpp-european-broadcaster-summit-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dpp-european-broadcaster-summit-2026.md)): 2026-03-11 — DPP European Broadcaster Summit 2026.
- [Tech Trends](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dpp-tech-trends-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dpp-tech-trends-2026.md)): 2026-01-21 — DPP Tech Trends 2026: Breakfast Briefing.
- [Cloud for Media 2025: What the latest data tells us](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dpp-leaders-briefing-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/dpp-leaders-briefing-2025.md)): 2025-11-18 — DPP Leaders' Briefing 2025.
- [Architecting the Agentic Web](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/idc-futuretech-summit-germany-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/idc-futuretech-summit-germany-2025.md)): 2025-11-06 — IDC FutureTech Summit Germany 2025.
- [Cloud Innovation: Powering Next-gen Apps](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/akamai-world-tour-dubai-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/akamai-world-tour-dubai-2025.md)): 2025-10-01 — Akamai World Tour 2025 Dubai.
- [API Security Made Simple](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/rns-cyber-defense-roadshow-dubai-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/rns-cyber-defense-roadshow-dubai-2025.md)): 2025-09-16 — RNS Cyber Defense Roadshow Dubai.
- [API Security Made Simple](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/rns-cyber-defense-roadshow-abu-dhabi-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/rns-cyber-defense-roadshow-abu-dhabi-2025.md)): 2025-09-11 — RNS Cyber Defense Roadshow Abu Dhabi.
- [How is AI Impacting Organisations — Ethics, Principles, Data Governance, IT and Talent?](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/du-tech-envision-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/du-tech-envision-2025.md)): 2025-09-09 — du Tech Envision 2025.

## Writing
- [Build vs Buy: The Decision Framework Every CTO Gets Wrong](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/build-vs-buy-framework/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/build-vs-buy-framework.md)): Why the build-vs-buy decision is never binary, how to think about total cost of ownership, and the hybrid approach that actually works in practice.

- [AI Cost Curves: When API Pricing Becomes Your Biggest Infrastructure Decision](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/ai-cost-curves/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/ai-cost-curves.md)): The economics of API vs self-hosted AI inference, where the crossover point sits, and why the hybrid approach wins for most production workloads.

- [Agentic AI Patterns: From Chatbots to Autonomous Workers](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/agentic-ai-patterns/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/agentic-ai-patterns.md)): The architecture patterns behind AI that takes action, not just answers questions. Single agents, multi-agent orchestration, human-in-the-loop, and a worked example.

- [The Cloud Cost Crisis Is Undermining AI Innovation](https://aijourn.com/the-cloud-cost-crisis-is-undermining-ai-innovation/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/cloud-cost-crisis-ai-innovation.md)): How hyperscaler pricing models and data egress fees constrain innovation, and why portable architectures, distributed systems, and open ecosystems are the way forward.

- [Cloud Was Never Meant to Be Cheap—Especially Not at Hyperscale](https://techstrong.it/featured/cloud-was-never-meant-to-be-cheap-especially-not-at-hyperscale/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/cloud-never-meant-to-be-cheap.md)): Why cloud cost depends on architecture and workload shape rather than scale, and how distributed models outperform hyperscale for AI-driven, data-gravity-bound workloads.

- [State of Cloud 2025: Navigating EMEA's Cloud Revolution](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/state-of-cloud-2025-emea/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/state-of-cloud-2025-emea.md)): How organisations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa balance innovation with economic constraints through AI, edge computing, and distributed architectures.

- [Unleashing the Power of Akamai's Distributed and Edge Cloud Services for PWAs](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/akamai-edge-cloud-pwas/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/akamai-edge-cloud-pwas.md)): How Progressive Web Apps leverage distributed and edge cloud services for faster load times, offline resilience, and improved user experiences.

- [Understanding Serverless and Serverful Computing in the Cloud Era](https://www.techradar.com/pro/understanding-serverless-and-serverful-computing-in-the-cloud-era) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/techradar-serverless-serverful.md)): Comparing serverless and serverful computing paradigms — the trade-offs between simplicity and cost versus control and customisation.

- [What is a Proposal?](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/what-is-a-proposal/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/what-is-a-proposal.md)): A guide to business proposal types — RFP, RFQ, IFB, RFI — and their role in procurement, with a focus on customer value and clear communication.


## Media appearances
- [John Bradshaw (Akamai): «La inteligencia artificial es tan buena, o tan mala, como los datos que la alimentan»](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/computing-es-interview-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/computing-es-interview-2026.md)): interview · Computing España — Entrevista con John Bradshaw durante su visita a España, donde analiza el cambio de paradigma que supone el estallido de la IA: cómo el edge computing y la IA agéntica transforman la relación entre empresas y clientes, por qué los modelos especializados reducen costes frente a los grandes LLM, y por qué «la inteligencia artificial es tan buena, o tan mala, como los datos que la alimentan».

- [NAB 2026: Demand vs Supply](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/dpp-nab-2026-demand-vs-supply/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/dpp-nab-2026-demand-vs-supply.md)): press · DPP (Digital Production Partnership) — DPP analyst report examining the evolving relationship between technology vendors and content companies, asking whether suppliers are keeping up or whether the gap is growing. Built from DPP workshops and conversations at NAB 2026, the report highlights three key demands: cloud repatriation, security and trust, and the shift from meeting to live. John Bradshaw is cited among the industry contributors.

- [Exploring the Future of AI at the Edge](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-ai-edge-future-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-ai-edge-future-2026.md)): video · Akamai EMEA (BrightTALK) — Short session examining how organisations are reconsidering AI deployment locations as the technology accelerates, exploring how edge-based AI is transforming cloud design, application performance, and data governance.

- [How Consumer Experience Is Driving Enterprise UX](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-consumer-ux-enterprise-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-consumer-ux-enterprise-2026.md)): video · Akamai EMEA (BrightTALK) — Exploring how rising user expectations from consumer applications are compelling enterprises to modernise their UX delivery through distributed cloud and edge computing to achieve real-time, intelligent experiences.

- [Why Digital-Native Organisations Aren't Betting on Hyperscalers](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-digital-native-hyperscalers-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-digital-native-hyperscalers-2026.md)): video · Akamai EMEA (BrightTALK) — Digital-native companies are reconsidering their dependence on hyperscalers due to escalating expenses, vendor lock-in, and suboptimal performance. Examines how distributed cloud methods can provide greater operational flexibility and cost reductions.

- [State of Cloud 2026: From AI Hype to Real-World Value](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-state-cloud-2026-ch17608/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-state-cloud-2026-ch17608.md)): video · Computer Weekly (BrightTALK) — A simulcast of the Akamai EMEA session with Bryan Glick (Computer Weekly), exploring the shift from AI experimentation to practical deployment in 2026. Covers four key predictions shaping cloud and AI's future, balancing innovation with measurable business value.

- [From Core to Edge: Akamai on Where AI Inference Must Live Next](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/podcast-core-to-edge-ai-inference-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/podcast-core-to-edge-ai-inference-2026.md)): podcast · Tech Talks Daily — John Bradshaw discusses whether AI's competitive advantage in 2026 lies in model size or infrastructure placement, and how financial scrutiny is refining rather than slowing adoption, pushing intelligence toward edge infrastructure for improved performance and cost efficiency.

- [From Core to Edge: Akamai on Where AI Inference Must Live Next](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/video-core-to-edge-ai-inference-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/video-core-to-edge-ai-inference-2026.md)): video · Tech Talks Daily — Video companion to the Tech Talks Daily podcast episode. John Bradshaw examines where AI inference should live in 2026, exploring the shift from centralised cloud training to distributed edge inference.

- [State of Cloud 2026: From AI Hype to Real-World Value](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-state-cloud-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-state-cloud-2026.md)): video · Akamai EMEA (BrightTALK) — On-demand session with Computer Weekly's Bryan Glick examining the shift from AI experimentation to practical deployment in 2026, covering four key predictions shaping cloud and AI's future, balancing innovation with measurable business value.

- [SDxCentral Magazine – Issue 1](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/sdxcentral-magazine-issue-1/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/sdxcentral-magazine-issue-1.md)): press · SDxCentral — Featured in the inaugural issue of SDxCentral Magazine, covering AI inferencing, edge computing, and the evolving cloud landscape in 2026.

- [How to Use Cloud and Edge to Create Seamless Omnichannel Experiences](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-omnichannel-retail-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/brighttalk-omnichannel-retail-2026.md)): video · Akamai EMEA (BrightTALK) — On-demand webinar with Retail Gazette exploring how retailers are modernising cloud and edge strategies to enhance performance and customer experience, covering AI for digital channel stability and intelligent cloud-edge blending for omnichannel optimisation.

- [Why We Are Renaming This Channel: Edge and Inference](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/dcd-broadcast-edge-inference-rename-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/dcd-broadcast-edge-inference-rename-2026.md)): video · Data Center Dynamics — DCD's Edge Computing broadcast channel is renamed to reflect the convergence of edge computing and AI inference, signalling a broader industry shift toward distributed intelligence at the network edge.

- [Akamai: le previsioni cloud per il 2026](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/techfromthenet-previsioni-cloud-2026-it/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/techfromthenet-previsioni-cloud-2026-it.md)): article · TechFromTheNet — Le previsioni di Akamai per il cloud nel 2026: una fase di maturità guidata dall'AI con attenzione rinnovata a costi, affidabilità e fiducia digitale. Fra i trend chiave: ROI più rigoroso sui progetti AI, agenti AI affidabili per le attività quotidiane, architetture ibride edge-cloud e consolidamento delle piattaforme di streaming intorno alla personalizzazione.

- [AI Inferencing Will Define 2026, and the Market's Wide Open](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/sdxcentral-ai-inferencing-2026/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/sdxcentral-ai-inferencing-2026.md)): article · SDxCentral — John Bradshaw, Field CTO Cloud EMEA at Akamai, explains why 2026 is shaping up to be the breakout year for AI inferencing — the process of putting trained models to work — and why the market remains wide open for challengers to hyperscaler dominance.

- [Build Cost-Aware Cloud Strategy Without Vendor Lock-In](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-cost-aware-cloud-strategy-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-cost-aware-cloud-strategy-2025.md)): video · TFiR — John Bradshaw, Field CTO Cloud EMEA at Akamai, unpacks a counterintuitive principle for modern cloud strategy — plan your exit before you plan to start — and argues that core-and-edge architecture combined with strategic clarity on business goals is what keeps organisations cost-aware and free from vendor lock-in.

- [From FinOps to ValueOps: Solving Cloud Cost Intelligence with AI](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-finops-valueops-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-finops-valueops-2025.md)): video · TFiR — John Bradshaw, Field CTO Cloud EMEA at Akamai, explains how cloud concentration risk has become a "clear and present danger" to modern enterprise, and how the shift from FinOps to ValueOps — engineering value through AI-driven insight — reframes cloud economics.

- [How to Design Cloud Infrastructure That Survives Major Outages](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-cloud-outages-design-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-cloud-outages-design-2025.md)): video · TFiR — John Bradshaw argues that major cloud outages reveal design failures, not just technology failures, and explains how abstraction across multiple providers creates true resilience rather than dependency on a single cloud's availability guarantees.

- [Akamai: le previsioni cloud per il 2026 tra AI, fiducia digitale e infrastrutture più intelligenti](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/lineaedp-previsioni-cloud-2026-it/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/lineaedp-previsioni-cloud-2026-it.md)): article · LineaEDP — Le previsioni cloud di Akamai per il 2026 sottolineano l'adozione dell'AI con responsabilità sul ROI, l'emergere di agenti AI affidabili per compiti quotidiani e le architetture ibride cloud-edge per garantire affidabilità quando i servizi falliscono. La fase di maturità privilegia efficienza dei costi e infrastrutture affidabili rispetto all'innovazione a ogni costo.

- [Why Hyperscale AI Models Are Too Expensive for Most Use Cases](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-hyperscale-ai-cost-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-hyperscale-ai-cost-2025.md)): video · TFiR — John Bradshaw argues the economics of hyperscale AI models don't stack up for most enterprise use cases, and makes the case for domain-specific and small language models running closer to users — trading raw parameter count for cost efficiency, latency, and fit-for-purpose outcomes.

- [How AI is Reshaping Cloud Economics and Multi-Cloud Strategy](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-cloud-economics-multicloud-2025/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/tfir-cloud-economics-multicloud-2025.md)): video · TFiR — John Bradshaw examines how artificial intelligence is transforming cloud economics, driving a shift toward value-focused strategies and accelerating adoption of multi-cloud architectures as enterprises balance cost, performance, and vendor risk.


## Section indexes
- [Home](https://bradshaw.cloud/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/index.md))
- [Strategy](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/strategy.md))
- [Writing](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/writing.md))
- [Speaking](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/speaking.md))
- [Media](https://bradshaw.cloud/media/) ([md](https://bradshaw.cloud/media.md))

## Feeds and indexes
- [llms-full.txt](https://bradshaw.cloud/llms-full.txt): Full content corpus in one file.
- [RSS feed](https://bradshaw.cloud/rss.xml)
- [Sitemap index](https://bradshaw.cloud/sitemap-index.xml)
- [Video sitemap](https://bradshaw.cloud/video-sitemap.xml)