Thankfully not everything needs Kubernetes.

If you are going there, I also consider Kubernetes optional.

When I have the option to push for specific cloud deployments, I usually push for serverless or managed containers.

You might argue that still depends on Kubernetes, for me Kubernetes just like Linux, is mostly an implementation detail, that we get to open support tickets when it doesn't go as planned.

No one needs to hurt themselves running a local Kubernetes cluster.