Data Pipeline

Hi, after working for a couple of companies that implemented and manage their own data pipelines, I see the true value that they bring. Just wanted to get a discussion going about the topic and see other more qualified peoples point of view.

At what point does a project/company need a data pipeline or custom complex ETL tools?

Do most businesses even require one?

It seems like most analytics platforms where most small projects start with (GA, Facebook Ads, ect.) want to lock you into their 'proprietary' dashboards. These dashboards are able to service most needs.