Personally, because it reduces the skills base I need on board. I can ignore most issues below the app level and focus on what I do best. I've used Google App

Personally, because it reduces the skills base I need on board. I can ignore most issues below the app level and focus on what I do best. I've used Google App Engine and Azure but am focusing on GAE because of costs and the ability to ignore instances. When I'm not there and the server falls down, the App Engine team will be seriously motivated to get it up. Over time, I expect them to hugely improve reliability without me having to upgrade anything. My VM at Slicehost has been fantastic but is probably less secure than a Google VM. The crazy thing is that I won't have to pay Google a cent until I get serious traffic.