It is not so hard to predict failure/buy out of some SAAS provider, it happened so many times. I am curious why Venture Capital investors are not looking at that problem closely.
Nothing in the entire VC Funded startup scene makes sense when you try to apply basic logic, much less a sane way to operate a sustainable business.
But that's just it: These companies are funded by people who are simply in it to make a profit, (as opposed to people who want to actually achieve something with their efforts). Users become dollar signs, and it's all about how quickly you can get enough new users to monetise the bejeezus out of their attention/personal information/etc, before they dump you for the next new flavour of the week.
And than you don't have any control over your infrastructure as well because someone else has theknowledge not you.
I don't see any advantages doing this as long as you are small. Those few hundred dollars are better investet in simple SAAS.
Yes but you gotta be smart here. It's not like Firebase is the only database out there. And once your product grows, and you hit Firebase limits which forces you in the "pay as you go" plan, whatever cheapness you thought you bought into quickly becomes a huge expanse.
-installing MySQL
-Installing Apache
-installing PHP MyAdmin
-running some commands from shell and SQL
-done.
If you create a startup it is wise to know the basics as such and in case that you grow to hire people to pimp it up.