Removing data transfer fees when moving off Google Cloud
Google Cloud now waives data egress fees for customers who fully migrate off its platform within a 60‑day window, aiming to ease fears of vendor lock‑in and make it more attractive as a “try first” cloud. Commenters see it as a low-cost, strategic move for a distant third-place provider that may pressure AWS and Azure on pricing, but many criticize the narrow scope: the waiver doesn’t help multi‑cloud or partial migrations, still leaves regular egress charges high, and is viewed by some as more of a regulatory or marketing response than a genuine shift in pricing power.
Overall sentiment
- Many see the change as positive and “smart,” but mostly as low-cost marketing rather than a large concession.
- Several commenters stress that Google is not eliminating egress fees generally, only for account exits, so praise should be tempered.
- Tone toward Google is mixed: appreciation for the move, but criticism of perceived hypocrisy and broader corporate behavior.
Mechanics & limitations of the offer
- Free egress applies only when fully exiting Google Cloud, after applying through support.
- There is a 60‑day window; some think that’s tight for large, complex migrations, especially if data transfer is an early phase.
- Fine print: Premium network tier only, only certain storage/data products, must request before contract termination, timeline changes must be reported, Google reserves audit rights.
- Some worry the “must apply” step and lack of automatic refunds mean many customers won’t benefit or may be denied (unclear from thread).
Vendor lock‑in, migration realism, and multicloud
- Supporters say this reduces psychological lock‑in and makes trying GCP less risky.
- Critics note it doesn’t help common scenarios: partial migrations, multicloud, or long‑term hybrid setups where ongoing egress fees still bite.
- One view: egress cost is small compared to engineering cost of migration; another view: some companies literally can’t afford egress and keep postponing exits. The true typical impact is unclear.
- Fear of egress fees is said to keep some organizations out of cloud or multicloud entirely.
Regulatory and competitive context
- Several link this to UK/EU investigations into cloud competition, especially around egress fees and restrictive software licensing.
- Others argue Google’s smaller market share makes this more of a competitive play to attract new workloads and pressure AWS/Azure to match.
Debate over egress pricing and fairness
- Many consider current egress prices “gouging” and anti‑competitive, especially given free ingress.
- Others counter that egress is what actually drives network costs, citing peering and traffic asymmetry; ingress is said to be effectively costless at scale.
- Proposals include requiring egress to be no more expensive than ingress, or symmetric pricing so providers can’t bias lock‑in.
Speculation & risk perceptions
- Some half‑jokingly see this as a prelude to shutting down GCP; others consider that unlikely given scale and recent profitability.
- Google’s history of product shutdowns still makes customers nervous, and some read this offer partly as reassurance on that front.