A PwC survey of 1,030 business and tech executives separated the top 12% of performers from the rest, highlighting insightful differences.

Here's what caught my attention:

Cloud Strategy for Growth

For 50%+ of top performers, cloud isn't just about operational efficiency — it's a driver of customer activation and acquisition:

• 60% leverage cloud to unlock new customer engagement channels

• 59% create new revenue streams

• 53% achieve market expansion

These numbers are 2X higher than their peers, revealing a systematic advantage in growth metrics.

For enterprises lagging behind, this underscores the strategic importance of cloud GTM via cloud marketplaces, co-sell with clouds, etc.

Cloud as the Foundation

"Far and away, the biggest behavioral difference" is that top performers demonstrate a clear commitment to cloud:

72% of top performers are "all-in" on cloud data modernization vs. just 33% of others. This makes their data ready for AI.

They're also 2X more mature across key cloud engineering disciplines, including security (70% vs. 37%), AI (60% vs. 27%), migration (59% vs. 25%), etc.

By moving data to the cloud and making it easily ingestible by LLMs and AI, top performers are unlocking new value as they integrate AI capabilities.

⚡ AI Amplifies the Results and Drives Cloud Investment

As a result, top performers are significantly outpacing their peers in AI-driven outcomes:

• 82% report productivity gains (vs. 40%)

• 74% unlock new revenue streams (vs. just 27% of others)

• 73% enhance customer experience (vs. 41%)

This integration of cloud and AI explains why 92% of top performers plan to increase cloud budgets in their next cycle, with 63% increasing them by 6% or more.

Even among non-top performers, 85% plan to grow cloud investments, signaling broad acknowledgment of cloud's transformative potential.

💡 The One-Two Punch: Cloud + AI

Top performers don't just excel at cloud or AI individually—they systematically combine them to create a one-two punch, resulting in 2-3X better outcomes across all business metrics.

The result? A widening gap between companies that excel at cloud partnerships and AI and those that don't.

For leaders, this data also underscores that success in the AI era isn't about any single metric or technology—it's about mastering the entire ecosystem/stack of cloud, AI, and partnerships.

Those who do will, redefine what's possible in growth, innovation, and customer engagement.