I don't think theres a comparison there (or I'm just unsure of the point you're making with that statement). I agree, they aren't conceptually complex, but Kubernetes is a large scheduler that _definitely_ benefits from having a dedicated team managing it.

That being said, I always recommend using a tool like Terraform to back up infrastructure and the likes.

Maybe I didn't do enough with Kubernetes to need a dedicated team hmm.

The point I wanted to make is that my opinion is a bit different. Being able to declare how state should be instead of doing it imperatively/with configuration management is just something I enjoy and which I think does not cost much more in comparison.

That is why I wondered why not use it as a small startup?

You definitely still could if you feel the maintenance is manageable. This was just my experience :) I chose to go with something like Cloud Run.

Terraform and Ansible are not nonos! I use them for my small product and they are reliably good! Kubernetes has much more complexity and a steeper learning curve compared to those tools! But it has its own benefits. Apply what is necessary than what is fancy!