Funny how every single reply missed the part where I mentioned I have worked at this scale. Larger in some ways. I know what that kind of automation looks like,

Funny how every single reply missed the part where I mentioned I have worked at this scale. Larger in some ways. I know what that kind of automation looks like, and what it can do for you. My point is that, even with that, managing thousands of smaller clusters is going to involve way more operational work than running fewer larger clusters (based on appropriate technology). Try to address that, not the strawman of someone who might suggest trying to do this without modern automation.