Containers part I can understand. Why not spin up a tiny Docker Swarm (or k3s/k0s) cluster instead of straight out going to Google though?

Because those other things require more maintenance effort to run.

Getting creative is often just a pain in the ass. Doing the standard things, walking the well-trod path, is generally easier to do, even if it may not be the cheapest or most hardware/software-efficient thing to do.