AWS has zero value because you can just buy a bunch of servers and rack them. And on and on.

If all you are using on AWS is EC2, I agree that it has no value. You should switch to a much cheaper option.

But how would you ever get the PhD-level mathematical riddle that AWS sends you every month? The one they call the "bill". You can't just get that level off difficulty anywhere!

Once you’ve cracked that one, you can get billing tenure by working out how to explain the Azure invoice….