Tell HN: Google Cloud suspended our production projects at 1am on Saturday

Article summary

The author's production projects on Google Cloud were suspended at 1am on Saturday due to a billing issue, despite assurances from billing support that the account would not be suspended. The author had made manual payments to cover outstanding amounts and updated billing cards. The suspension occurred without warning, causing downtime for the production environment. The author advises against using Google Cloud for production due to this experience.

Main themes

• Google Cloud support
• cloud provider comparison
• big tech accountability
• regulation and litigation
• customer treatment
• production environment risks

What commenters say

• Google Cloud's support is inadequate, especially for production environments, and can lead to unexpected suspensions.
• Other cloud providers, such as AWS, have better support and more gradual termination processes.
• Big tech companies are too large and influential to be held accountable for their actions, and regulation is needed to protect customers.
• Breaking up big tech companies like Google may be necessary to address issues of customer treatment and accountability.
• Some argue that heavily-regulated industries are not necessarily better at treating customers well, and that regulation may not be the solution.
• Others believe that big tech companies will always prioritize their own interests over customer needs, and that alternative solutions should be sought.
• The lack of empathy and understanding from big tech companies can be attributed to their size and scale, making it difficult for them to provide personalized support.
• Regulation of support processes in big tech companies could help prevent sudden account suspensions and improve customer treatment.