DigitalOcean Gradient AI — No Access Despite Active Promotion

DigitalOcean is actively promoting DigitalOcean Gradient AI — their "full-stack AI platform" that supposedly simplifies the entire ML lifecycle with GPU-backed compute, flexible workflows, and seamless deployment.

Sounds great, right? Except... you can't actually access it.

I requested GPU Droplet access to use Gradient AI and received a rejection email saying they are "regrettably unable to accommodate your request at this time." No clear reason, no timeline, no path forward — just a vague suggestion that maybe they'll "revisit" it if I use the platform more.

So let me get this straight: you market a product publicly, run a hackathon around it, and then deny access to developers who actually want to build with it?

That's not how you build a developer community. That's how you lose trust.

I will not be recommending DigitalOcean to anyone.

If you're planning to build something with Gradient AI — think twice before counting on access being available when you need it.