Backblaze Taps NetApp Veteran Anuj Kumar as CRO Amid AI Storage Push
Event summary
- Anuj Kumar, former NetApp cloud revenue leader, joins Backblaze as CRO to drive AI infrastructure growth.
- Backblaze's B2 Cloud Storage business grew 26% YoY in 2025, with first eight-figure total contract value deal closed.
- Kumar will focus on neocloud GPU providers ($14B storage opportunity by 2030) and AI-native developers.
- Backblaze serves hundreds of AI companies across model training, audio/video generation, and enterprise AI applications.
The big picture
Backblaze is positioning itself as a key player in the AI infrastructure buildout, targeting both supply-side (neocloud GPU providers) and demand-side (AI-native developers) opportunities. The appointment of Kumar signals a strategic shift to scale cloud revenue operations amid a $14B storage opportunity by 2030. This move comes as Backblaze seeks to capitalize on the replatforming of enterprise technology for AI, with storage as a critical underpinning.
What we're watching
- Execution Risk
- Whether Kumar can replicate NetApp's cloud revenue growth at Backblaze while balancing product-led motion with upmarket expansion.
- Market Positioning
- How Backblaze differentiates itself in the AI storage market against competitors like NetApp and AWS.
- AI Demand
- The pace at which AI-native developers and neocloud GPU providers adopt Backblaze's S3-compatible, cost-efficient storage solutions.
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