I have no clue on dkim/spf/dmarc implementation details (so correct me if I'm wrong) but I can't imagine it costs google anymore to send an email as "yourname@example.com" vs "From yourname@gmail.com on behalf of yourname@example.com".

Assuming that's the case as soon as it was walked back from don't pay and your account, data, and purchases are gone to don't pay and only your email is gone but you're allowed to create a free email like everyone else they were in a unenviable position.

They'd basically have to waste engineer and support hours to make an objectively worse system just to reclassify domain names in emails as premium for a group that new customers couldn't be part of. Even then the price tag on premium addresses is much less with an email forwarder rather than the large price (for families) that google wanted.

I run a family email domain from GSuite. Let me pay you for SOMETHING that's less than a full business account. I never expected the free ride to last 16 years.