[Animats]

The account gives you an email address [e-mail] and cloud storage which syncs with the phone.

Doesn't tethering to this new service defeat the whole purpose of the project?

[hombre_fatal]

Not if “degoogling” is the purpose.

[Animats]

It's like, having escaped the walled garden, the user feels the need to be caged again.

[john61]

you can very easily self host the server part. it is free software.