One thing I wonder is if a downturn, or even just increased caution in anticipation of one, will put the brakes on the trend among startups that I characterize

One thing I wonder is if a downturn, or even just increased caution in anticipation of one, will put the brakes on the trend among startups that I characterize as "cloud at all costs". Perhaps if the VC spigots shut off or even severely reduce their flow for the foreseeable future, that growing AWS bill will take on a new significance. I'm certainly biased, in that I hope for this to happen, as I've considered one of my differentiating features (a.k.a. value prop) from other Ops (or "Devops" nowadays) professionals to be frugality with infrastructure, by using hardware in a datacenter. On the other hand, in a downturn, hiring might dry up in general, despite the article's advice to scoop up talent while it's a bargain.