Microsoft Pushes AI, Trump Resets Rules and Cisco Wants Control
The next phase of AI is being shaped by frontier ambition, lighter-touch regulation and a growing battle for control of the infrastructure layer.
On this episode of Techstrong Gang, hosts Alan Shimel and Mike Vizard, joined by Tom Hollingsworth, Andi Mann and Jon Swartz, break down three stories that show where that pressure is building. The panel starts with Microsoft’s latest push at the AI frontier, turns to the Trump administration’s scaled-back AI executive order and closes with Cisco’s effort to become the control layer for AI infrastructure and agents.
The first segment, Microsoft Cleans Up AI, looks at how Microsoft is positioning itself at the frontier of enterprise AI and what that says about the next phase of the market.
The second segment, Executive AI Order, examines the White House’s new 30-day voluntary safety review approach and what it signals about how Washington wants to handle AI oversight.
The final segment, Cisco in Control, explores Cisco’s Cloud Control platform and its larger ambition to become the operating system for AI infrastructure, agents and enterprise orchestration.
Taken together, these stories point to the same broader shift: the AI race is no longer just about models. It is also about governance, control and who owns the rails underneath deployment.
