I know the difference between the stacks, but what I'm asking specifically about the Zero is, when do you (need the additional benefits of a full Linux stack)

I know the difference between the stacks, but what I'm asking specifically about the Zero is, when do you (need the additional benefits of a full Linux stack) && (the modest hardware of the Pi Zero W is enough) && (are shipping stuff at scale yet can live with the flakyness of microSD)?