Prince says Cloudflare has built the development platform for the AI-powered Internet, that organizations rely on it for protection as threats escalate, and that it is in a higher gear for its next growth phase.
We have built the development platform for the AI-powered Internet—and as digital threats escalate, organizations of every size continue to rely on Cloudflare for protection. Our engine is firing on all cylinders, and we've found an even higher gear for this next phase of growth.
All statements by Matthew Prince ›
Prince positions Cloudflare as the first agentic cloud, distinct from neoclouds and hyperscalers, with developers flocking to it.
Cloudflare isn't a neocloud. We're also not, as some of you have called us, the fourth public cloud. We're something different. We're the first agentic cloud, and developers are flocking to us to build the agentic AI future.
Prince says agents will outnumber humans online 1,000 to 1 sooner than five years, and container-based clouds can't keep up cost-effectively.
I predicted last quarter that within five years, agents would outnumber humans online 1,000 to 1. A quarter later, I'll take the under on the timing of that bet based on everything we're seeing today. The container-based architecture of the hyperscalers and neoclouds just can't keep up in a cost-effective way with the new agentic paradigms of today.
Prince warns a wave of AI-discovered vulnerabilities will hurt for about two years, though the internet is becoming safer.
It's coming, and it's going to be bad, and it's going to be bad for, I think, two years. But the good news is, we're finding the monsters, we're cleaning them up, and the internet is actually getting safer.
Prince says CISOs are panicking and the worst of the vulnerability wave is not yet over.
I think right now what CISOs are doing is panic. It feels like the sky is falling. Again, I think everyone is sort of holding their breath and saying, "Hopefully the worst of it's over." I know for a fact the worst of it is not over.
Prince expects agent-era micropayment business models (Act 4) to become Cloudflare's largest business within ten years.
I don't know exactly how long it will be before it turns into major sources of revenue, but if you look out in the more distant horizon, if you look 10 years out, I would imagine that this becomes the largest part of Cloudflare's business.