Cognitive computing will revolutionize how organizations use computers. In this Executive Report, we consider the nature of cognitive computing. We look at the topic from five different perspectives, including: (1) rules-based expert systems, (2) big data and data mining, (3) neural networks, (4) IBM’s Watson, and (5) Google’s AlphaGo. We conclude that cognitive computing isn’t a specific new technology, but rather a variety of different technologies and complex architectures used to solve complicated and challenging problems.