I've always felt there were a lot of background tasks that just need to be done but have no time sensitivity that could fit this model, but in reality it hasn't ever been something you can generalize to a point that it's worth building it out. Still haven't given up on the idea though :).
It can really be great for experiments by a small startup or small, impoverished research group.
If you have customers expecting your results in a timely fashion that won’t work at all. But you can get them to pay for your computer time, so it’s no big deal.
For a small startup that hasn’t been funded yet it can be a lifesaver (let me set up this experiment and get some data — ok, now I can work on this other important thing until the response comes back, perhaps tomorrow). I used to work in the life sciences where experiments had long latency (spend all day preparing samples, stick them on the instrument and let it run all night, then spend a day or two on the data). It forced me to think differently about my strategy, which has been invaluable long term (I end up doing fewer, better experiments even when. It under such cost pressure). I suspect the folks who had to submit a card deck had the same benefits.