According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft and Google have been engaging in ‘shadow campaigns’ to influence policymakers and undermine their cloud rivals’ businesses ahead of potential regulation in the cloud computing industry. The report alleges that Microsoft has been privately accusing Amazon of undercutting rivals on pricing and violating cloud computing contracts. Meanwhile, Google has been lobbying against Microsoft’s licensing practices, claiming they make it difficult for cloud providers to compete. These behind-the-scenes efforts aim to shape regulatory scrutiny and potentially gain an advantage over competitors like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. The cloud giants are vying for market share in the lucrative cloud computing market, which is expected to be worth over $1 trillion by 2024. As regulators worldwide consider new rules for the industry, these ‘shadow campaigns’ could influence the regulatory landscape and impact the competitive dynamics in the cloud computing space.