This whitepaper argues that hyperscalers follow a predictable lock-in and value erosion playbook that hooks customers with low prices and generous features, then squeezes them with reduced service quality, paywalls, and rising fees, and finally harvests profits through rent-taking once switching becomes painful. It highlights mechanisms such as extended hardware depreciation that can shift reliability and maintenance risk to customers, punitive data egress fees, and proprietary PaaS services that make migration slow and expensive. The paper points to growing interest in cloud repatriation and strategic hybrid models, recommending an assessment-led approach to determine where hyperscalers still fit, which workloads can be moved, and how to regain cost and architectural control.

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