Anti-MCP alliance: Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, ServiceNow back A2A-based rival standard
On July 13, 2026, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, and ServiceNow agreed to back a shared agent-connectivity standard built on Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol — explicitly positioned as an alternative to Anthropic's MCP, the
On 2026-07-13, the verified AI news record added a significant company strategy & platforms development: On July 13, 2026, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, and ServiceNow agreed to back a shared agent-connectivity standard built on Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol — explicitly positioned as an alternative to Anthropic's MCP, the de facto agent-integration standard for ~18 months.
Context
On July 13, 2026, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, and ServiceNow agreed to back a shared agent-connectivity standard built on Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol — explicitly positioned as an alternative to Anthropic's MCP, the de facto agent-integration standard for ~18 months. Verifies wide04. Alliance members control the enterprise data layer (CRM, ITSM, warehouse) and two clouds — a standards war over agent plumbing. Notably, Muse Spark 1.1, Devin Desktop (ACP), and Salesforce's own MCP server (GA June 21) show MCP still spreading in parallel → fragmentation risk, "support both" outcome likely.
What changed
On July 13, 2026, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, and ServiceNow agreed to back a shared agent-connectivity standard built on Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol — explicitly positioned as an alternative to Anthropic's MCP, the de facto agent-integration standard for ~18 months. According to The Information (per wide04); davidandgoliath.ai; digitalbrightfuture, the supporting record states: “Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, and ServiceNow agreed on 13 July 2026 to back a shared standard for connecting AI agents to business software, positioning the alliance as a direct alternative to Anthropic's Model Context Protocol… built on Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol.”.
Why it matters
Verifies wide04. Alliance members control the enterprise data layer (CRM, ITSM, warehouse) and two clouds — a standards war over agent plumbing. Notably, Muse Spark 1.1, Devin Desktop (ACP), and Salesforce's own MCP server (GA June 21) show MCP still spreading in parallel → fragmentation risk, "support both" outcome likely. The strategy angle matters because platform control, pricing, partnerships, and access rules can shift competition even when model capabilities are similar.
Details
The research file records the item under “Anti-MCP alliance: Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake, ServiceNow back A2A-based rival standard” with source timing of July 13–14, 2026. The captured research confidence note is: Medium-high (The Information original not directly accessible; multiple consistent secondary reports). Status: confirmed news / ecosystem alliance.. Verifies wide04. Alliance members control the enterprise data layer (CRM, ITSM, warehouse) and two clouds — a standards war over agent plumbing. Notably, Muse Spark 1.1, Devin Desktop (ACP), and Salesforce's own MCP server (GA June 21) show MCP still spreading in parallel → fragmentation risk, "support both" outcome likely.
Limitations and caveats
This item is based on a single authoritative source or a company-attributed claim captured in the research file; independent corroboration was not established in the research window.
Sources
Update note: Last reviewed 2026-07-22. Next checkpoint: monitor official channels and the linked source record.
Sources
- The Information (per wide04); davidandgoliath.ai; digitalbrightfuture — reputable-press
Drafted with AI assistance from source briefs; reviewed for citation completeness and label accuracy.