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Platform risk made real. The answer is neither panic nor dismissal: work out which customers are actually at risk, double down on what the provider cannot easily do, and reduce dependence where it matters.

Generous terms now, constraints later. The interviewer wants the value of the offer weighed against the cost of losing optionality, and a counter-proposal that keeps the benefits without the trap.

A platform decision with a three-year shadow. Hosted platforms ship faster today; owning the stack keeps options open. Principal answers decide which layers must stay portable and accept convenience everywhere else.