I could imagine the switch being very difficult at an existing company, but if a startup implemented cloud dev environments from day one, it would be baked into

I could imagine the switch being very difficult at an existing company, but if a startup implemented cloud dev environments from day one, it would be baked into their DNA. When I worked as a contractor, the biggest when starting a new client was getting the dev environment set up. Cloning the repo, installing packages, pulling docker images, modifying host files, etc. If all that already existed in the cloud and I just needed credentials to log in and I could start contributing in minutes instead of hours or days (even weeks if you have to ship a laptop), that would open up possibilities for bringing on devs for shorter engagements. You could have a dev spin up a cloud environment for a single ticket, giving them access to a single feature branch or even a single file or module...write the code and tests without having to invest time in environment setup