Maybe in SV the comp is that high. I only have insights into European markets, but here the comp doesn't differ too much from programmers. And an AWS expert won

Maybe in SV the comp is that high. I only have insights into European markets, but here the comp doesn't differ too much from programmers. And an AWS expert won't be cheaper than someone with knowledge how to manage infrastructure. And yes, you'll need three people, but not full time. From experience I can say that even with a hundred servers, it tends to be a small chunk of each of their time. And if you have a redundant system and don't deploy on Fridays, the chance that someone has to respond to a call on the weekend is pretty much 0.