This exactly. The difference between the faceless monoliths of the FAANG customer support world and those of the electronics distribution world is that in the l

This exactly. The difference between the faceless monoliths of the FAANG customer support world and those of the electronics distribution world is that in the latter case there is a sales rep behind the monolith who stands to get a substantial commission for making sure you can successfully get parts. If there's anything I've gained from this hellish year+ of building hardware, it's a much more frank and open relationship with our various CMs and distribution reps. These problems are none of their faults, and in many cases they've gone to ridiculous lengths to keep us (a relatively small fish) afloat.