Former Cloud Exec Calls Major AWS Outage ‘Inevitable’ Given System Complexity

Inevitable Disruption in Cloud Infrastructure

A significant Amazon Web Services outage that impacted millions of users and businesses this week was described as “inevitable” by former AWS vice president and general manager Debanjan Saha, according to his statements to CRN. The DataRobot CEO, who also held executive positions at Google Cloud, stated that given the massive global scale and complexity of distributed cloud systems, it’s actually remarkable that large-scale disruptions occur as infrequently as they do.

Inevitable Disruption in Cloud Infrastructure
Executive Perspective on Cloud Reliability
Call for Enhanced Business Resiliency Strategies
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Redundancy Measures
Market Impact and Systemic Concerns
Broader Implications for Industry Oversight
Outage Scope and Technical Root Cause

Executive Perspective on Cloud Reliability

Saha, drawing from his extensive experience at both AWS and Google Cloud, indicated that the outage was “inevitable over a long enough horizon,” sources report. His career includes leadership roles at IBM, SoftLayer, and significant positions at both major cloud providers before becoming CEO of AI software developer DataRobot in 2022. According to his analysis, both public and private cloud providers will eventually experience outages despite substantial investments in infrastructure design and operation.

Call for Enhanced Business Resiliency Strategies

The former cloud executive emphasized that the disruption should serve as a reminder for organizations to thoroughly review their systems and architectures. “Every business that relies on cloud infrastructure should have a clear strategy for resiliency,” Saha stated in his email to CRN. He suggested that companies need to think beyond single data centers or regions, and where possible, implement multi-cloud or hybrid environments to mitigate risk.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Redundancy Measures

While acknowledging that building redundancy across multiple regions or providers inevitably adds costs and complexity to IT environments, Saha asserted that “for any organization where uptime is mission-critical, that investment is well worth it,” according to the report. This perspective comes as cloud infrastructure continues to play an increasingly critical role in global business operations.

Market Impact and Systemic Concerns

The outage’s widespread impact highlights the foundational role that hyperscale cloud providers now play in the digital economy, analysts suggest. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud collectively generated approximately $75 billion in cloud infrastructure services revenue during the second quarter of 2025 alone, with AWS capturing about $31 billion of that total. The report indicates that AWS currently holds approximately 30% of the global cloud infrastructure market.

Broader Implications for Industry Oversight

Saha indicated that the extensive ripple effects of the AWS outage raise important questions about transparency, accountability, and potential regulatory oversight. “When one stumbles, the ripple effects can be felt across industries,” he noted, suggesting that as reliance on these platforms deepens, there may be justification for more robust frameworks governing cloud infrastructure providers.

Outage Scope and Technical Root Cause

According to reports from Downdetector owner Ookla, over 4 million users reported issues related to the AWS outage, which reportedly affected more than 1,000 companies during its 15-hour duration. The disruption impacted various services including payment systems, financial trading applications, social media platforms, and commercial software. Technical analysis indicates the root cause stemmed from a Domain Name System (DNS) error that prevented applications from locating the correct address for AWS’ DynamoDB database service.

Amazon is scheduled to report AWS’ third quarter 2025 financial earnings on October 30, according to the company’s announced timeline.