Here's the thing: i built LLM pipelines for a mid-stage fintech before joining Global API's solutions team. Every quarter the same argument came up: do we go direct to OpenAI, route everything through Azure, or layer in an aggregator? What I learned over those months is that the "right" choice depends almost entirely on your failure tolerance — and most teams dramatically underestimate theirs. This post is the matrix I wish someone had handed me on day one. Why "Just Go Direct" Falls...