We run on multiple public clouds. We do have a lot of scraper algorithms (mostly because the community created / wanted them) but also text analysis tools, computer vision , audio and video processing etc. By operationalizing these algorithms/functions/recipes we allow piecing together sacalable services for larger applications . Google has been doing this internally for years .
> Algorithms are common, but also difficult to create. Aspiring entrepreneurs can take an eight-week crash course and learn how to program an app, but writing algorithms is a specialized skill. Algorithms are usually taught in higher-level computer science classes, and require a strong mathematical background...
Good algorithms can be hard to create, but anyone can create a algorithm, as it's just a recipe of mechanical steps. Anyone can create a "recipe" (of the cooking variety) for that matter.
Looking at Algorithmia's site, it basically looks like an eLance for writing things like scraper scripts, with the additional service of running it on their servers. Could be useful if their servers aren't EC2 and you need to run something that makes requests to a site that has blocked EC2.