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AWS: The Genghis Khan of the Digital Era
Genghis Khan and AWS
A history lesson from the greatest conqueror of human history.
Introduction
I recently read the book Genghis Khan and the Quest for God: How the World’s Greatest Conqueror Gave Us Religious Freedom, which was a great introduction to the world of Genghis as I didn’t know that much about his endeavors other than the high school education I got and some recent TV series made under his name. To my surprise, I was able to learn a lot of new things of this Asian cultures and also got a new interesting idea of how a person (or group of persons), given a vision, can literally change the world; that’s this blog all about.
In a manner akin to Genghis Khan, who rose from humble beginnings with a small nomadic tribe to ultimately commanding the largest contiguous land empire in history, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has had a similar journey. Starting off as a modest subsidiary of the online retail giant Amazon, AWS has grown exponentially and now stands as a titan in the realm of global cloud computing. This blog post aims to delve deeper into this fascinating parallel, exploring specifically how the strategies and dominance of Genghis Khan are mirrored in AWS’s rise to power.
Genghis Khan’s tale is one of strategic brilliance and unyielding determination, a story where a small, seemingly insignificant force can rise to command empires. Similarly, AWS’s journey began as an internal infrastructure management tool for Amazon. A small player in an emerging field, AWS was the digital equivalent of a minor Mongol tribe. However, just as Genghis Khan harnessed the full potential of his resources to build an empire, Amazon also recognized the immense potential of the service they had created and decided to offer it to the public. This move marked the beginning of AWS’s journey from a minor player to a global cloud computing powerhouse, mirroring the rise of Genghis Khan.
This blog post will take you through this journey, showing you how AWS, like Genghis Khan, turned the tables on their contemporaries, defied expectations and set new standards for success. We will delve into their strategies, their decisions, and the key moments that defined their paths to dominance.
Starting Small
Much like Genghis Khan, who was born into a minor Mongol tribe and got to power through strategy and determination, AWS started as a minor player in the field of cloud computing, when this word didn’t even make much sense to the entire industry. Initially, it was just an internal infrastructure management tool for Amazon.com. However, recognizing the potential of the service they had created, Amazon decided to offer it to the public and so the Cloud computing revolution started (And thanks to that I am writing this blog in my house as a Full time Cloud/DevOps engineer).
The Birth of AWS and Cloud Computing
In the early 2000s, Amazon.com faced challenges managing its growing e-commerce platform. While reorganizing its internal systems in 2002, Amazon realized they had developed infrastructure services that could be offered to other companies, leading to the creation of Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS launched its first public service, Simple Queue Service (SQS), in 2004. The real game-changer came in 2006 with the introduction of Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3), marking the beginning of modern cloud computing.
AWS’s revolutionary approach allowed companies to rent computing power and storage on an as-needed basis, offering unprecedented flexibility and cost-efficiency. This model was particularly beneficial for startups and small businesses. Other tech giants soon followed suit, with Microsoft launching Azure in 2010 and Google Cloud Platform in 2011. However, AWS’s early start gave it a significant market advantage.
Genghis Khan: A Revolutionary Unifier
The Mongol Empire was one of the largest empires in the history of the world, covering a massive nine million square miles at its greatest extent; approximately a quarter of the world’s population were under Mongol rule. One man in particular is credited with this awesome feat of conquest: Genghis Khan.
While Genghis Khan is often remembered for his conquests, he was also a revolutionary leader who transformed the social and political landscape of his empire. Much like how AWS has revolutionized the tech industry, Genghis Khan revolutionized the way conquered tribes lived and worked together.
One of Genghis Khan’s most significant innovations was his system of laws, known as the Yassa. This legal code promoted unity and order across his vast empire, transcending tribal boundaries. Some key aspects of the Yassa included:
- Religious tolerance: Genghis Khan allowed freedom of religion throughout his empire, reducing conflicts between different faith groups.
- Meritocracy: He promoted individuals based on their abilities rather than their tribal affiliations, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose.
- Standardized communication: The implementation of a unified writing system facilitated communication across the empire.
- Trade and diplomacy: Genghis Khan established protected trade routes (the Silk Road) and diplomatic immunity for envoys, promoting economic growth and international relations.
By implementing these revolutionary policies, Genghis Khan created a diverse yet cohesive empire where people from various tribes and cultures could work and live together. This approach to governance was far ahead of its time and contributed significantly to the longevity and success of the Mongol Empire.
AWS has created a digital ecosystem where businesses of all sizes and from various industries can coexist and thrive, Linux and Windows environments, On-prem and Cloud environments, and by that, revolutionizing the way companies approach technology and collaboration in the digital age.
Expansion
Genghis Khan’s expansion strategy was characterized by swift and unrelenting conquests, a approach mirrored by AWS in the digital realm in terms of how Amazon’s subsidiary has gaing and control for the last couple of years some of the big companies in their cloud. AWS’s rapid expansion was driven by constant innovation and the introduction of new services, much like how Genghis Khan’s empire grew through superior military tactics and strategies. I like that analogy just because the tactics implemented by Genghis and his military forces have been used by AWS applied to the international markets.
Genghis Khan utilized advanced warfare techniques, such as the use of mounted archers and sophisticated siege weapons, to overcome his adversaries. Similarly, AWS outmaneuvered its competitors by offering:
- A wider range of services, constantly expanding its portfolio to meet diverse customer needs, as they a customer obsessed company, always trying to deliver what customers want in the short term.
- Superior customer support, again, being a customer obsessed company means having almost impossible SLOs and SLAs. Not everything is perfect, we had had multiple outages in recent years.
- Competitive pricing models, they were the pioneers of the multiple cloud pricing models, that were of course replicated by other cloud providers. This is an interesting point, as when the cloud emerged, this price models were the hooks that the companies needed to join the cloud, just as new tribes joined and formed the Mongol Empire.
- Continuous technological advancements, staying ahead of industry trends by investing in development of new and improving existing technologies. Genghis had to develop new ways of managing all the resources that his new growing empire was holding, by implementing new ways of tax collection or new social laws, that by his time didn’t exist at all.
Just as Genghis Khan’s conquests led to the creation of the largest contiguous land empire in history, AWS’s aggressive expansion strategy resulted in rapid market share growth on recent years. This approach transformed AWS from a small division of Amazon into the dominant player in the cloud computing industry, controlling a significant portion of the global market as for today.
Moreover, both Genghis Khan and AWS demonstrated adaptability in their expansion strategies. Genghis Khan often incorporated the technologies and expertise of conquered peoples, while AWS has shown a willingness to adapt its services to meet specific regional and industry requirements, and by doing so, solidifying its global dominance in the cloud space.
Global Dominance
Today, AWS is indeed the world’s leading provider of cloud services, much like Genghis Khan was the most powerful ruler of his time. AWS’s infrastructure is spread across the globe, with data centers in every major region. This global reach allows AWS to serve millions of customers around the world, making it the Genghis Khan of the digital age. Its dominance is not just in terms of scale, but also in terms of technological advancement, just as Genghis Khan was known for his advanced warfare techniques.
However, just as Genghis Khan’s empire faced challenges and eventually fragmented, AWS’s dominance is not unchallenged. Other major cloud providers have emerged and expanded their reach, creating a more competitive landscape:
- Microsoft Azure: Like the rise of competing empires, Azure has rapidly expanded its global presence. It’s now the second-largest cloud provider, offering a wide range of services and leveraging Microsoft’s strong enterprise relationships.
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Similar to how some of Genghis Khan’s descendants carved out their own territories, Google has established itself as a formidable player in the cloud market, particularly strong in areas like machine learning and data analytics.
- Alibaba Cloud: Mirroring the rise of regional powers after the fall of the Mongol Empire, Alibaba Cloud has become a dominant force in Asia, particularly in China, challenging AWS’s global supremacy in certain regions.
These competitors, much like the fragmented empires that emerged after Genghis Khan, have begun to chip away at AWS’s market share. They’ve adopted similar strategies of rapid expansion, technological innovation, and competitive pricing.
However, unlike the fall of the Mongol Empire, the cloud computing market continues to grow, allowing multiple players to coexist and expand. This dynamic ecosystem more closely resembles a constantly evolving digital landscape rather than a winner-takes-all conquest as our beloved Genghis and his empire.
Despite this competition, AWS maintains its leadership position through continued innovation, expansion, and its first-mover advantage. But the lesson from history remains: even the mightiest empires face challenges, and maintaining dominance requires constant adaptation and innovation in the face of rising competitors.
Conclusion
The growth and dominance of AWS closely mirror the strategies and conquests of Genghis Khan. Starting small, expanding rapidly, and achieving global dominance, AWS has truly become the Genghis Khan of the cloud computing industry, or at least it was in the early years of the cloud adoption. Its relentless focus on innovation, customer service, and expansion have made it a force to be reckoned with, just like the mighty Mongol leader.
Image creation
I used AI image generators to do the arts of Ghengis riding over the clouds, I must say I love everyone of them.
References
- [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815475-genghis-khan-and-the-quest-for-god] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815475-genghis-khan-and-the-quest-for-god
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