I realise that different people have different needs, but I suggest that for most of us it's ownership of your own email domain name(s) that matters, so that if

I realise that different people have different needs, but I suggest that for most of us it's ownership of your own email domain name(s) that matters, so that if an email provider annoys you you can easily switch to another one. And that in turn means you can safely try small email providers, if you care about fighting against Google's hegemony. For my own case, I hosted my own email for years and saw no benefit, apart from the benefit that I still get from owning my own domain name(s).