Big Idea: Cloud computing is just renting someone else’s computer over the internet.

• 1960s: J.C.R. Licklider (MIT, ARPANET) imagined “intergalactic computer networks.”
• 1970s–80s: Mainframes used “time-sharing” → multiple users sharing one powerful computer.
• 1990s: The internet + cheap storage made remote hosting possible. Companies like Salesforce pioneered SaaS (Software as a Service).
• 2006: Amazon launched AWS (Elastic Compute Cloud + S3 storage). This is considered the true beginning of modern cloud computing.
• Today: 3 main providers dominate → AWS (Amazon), Azure (Microsoft), Google Cloud (GCP).

Key Takeaway: Cloud = evolution of time-sharing + internet + virtualization → now central to how tech operates.