You're entirely missing our point(s). When I send an SMS with Twilio, they a) aren't going to send me a bill for the cost of employing an engineer for a year a

You're entirely missing our point(s). When I send an SMS with Twilio, they a) aren't going to send me a bill for the cost of employing an engineer for a year and b) are a reliable vendor I can take to my board. To refute your example, I could send messages via three services and still be ahead because I'm paying for what I use.