We Priced Out 'Just Use a PaaS' at Scale. Here's Where It Breaks.

Overview Last week I argued that mid-market platform teams are stuck between two roads — build an internal platform you can’t staff, or rent a PaaS you outgrow. A few people pushed back on the second road: is renting really that bad? The DX is incredible and the bill is tiny. They’re right, for a while. So this post is the honest version of the rent-it math. Not “PaaS is bad” — it isn’t — but where the curve bends, and why the bend catches teams by surprise. ...

July 16, 2026 · 7 min