Like you say it's an open secret and when the bottom line is the most important thing (spoilers, nothing is ever done "for the passion") then cost will always come into play.

It's worthing reading "Work Without the Worker: Labour in the Age of Platform Capitalism" by Phil Jones (https://amzn.to/41QqKGh), for the fuller story of refugee camps having full computer suites so people can work for cents on the dollar. I got very very very annoyed after reading that book.