Cloud Hyperscalers: The $10M Lesson from 37signals

Cloud-first is the default. Every startup uses AWS. Every enterprise migrates to Azure. Every consultant recommends GCP. But here’s the thing: 37signals went from $3.2M per year to $1.3M per year after leaving the cloud. Over $10M saved in five years. GEICO spent a decade migrating to the cloud. Result: 2.5x higher costs. They’re not alone. The cloud isn’t always cheaper. It’s often more expensive. Especially when you factor in hidden costs: egress fees, managed services, vendor lock-in. ...

February 18, 2026 · 4 min · 720 words · Zaoui Amine