I work in an enterprise where we are transitioning thousand-plus apps from data centers to the cloud. It can be reduced to this, and we can also do a lot of what we are doing now by moving certain technologies into the DC stack, but if you equate the cloud to VPS’ (bare instances) then the missing “rent software too” changes the validity of that reduction significantly.

That “rented computer plus rented software”, when it’s infrastructure, doesn’t look much like the DCs, with scripts, of old.

I’m an old school sysadmin. Cloud engineering doesn’t feel like sysadmin’ing anymore. It’s different enough to mark a significant change. I like 80s music and root prompts... and at work, one of those doesn’t play anymore.

I don't think it is that simple. NIST has an excellent definition of Cloud Computing that includes other specific characteristics that move beyond someone else's computer in a data center.

https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-145/final

I think, the problem with the cloud is that it it's a whole automated network of someone elses computers that employs some idiosyncratic tech to manage them.

I don't think it's a problem. Every complex system is really an automated network of someone else's stuff employing some idiosyncratic tech to manage it. Mass-produced textiles, highways, factory farming, bee hives, air conditioners, coffee, rain. We don't always own the thing and don't always have control over how it works. But we still get a lot of value out of it and continue to use it.