Shortcuts all have a price of one kind or another. Usually that price is hidden from the bean counters that wanted to do these things for short term profit bumps regardless of the impact on quality, visibility into what was being done on behalf of a company, actually creating value that belongs to a company and is reproducible, making sure that talent is loyal and believes in the company and its goals, and so on.
As for freelancing, when you force someone to stand on their own two feet, when they have to learn to fish for themselves, suddenly, they get a much clearer picture of their real value to the organization and of the organization’s value to them. Successful freelancers are some of the hardest people to recruit on the planet because they know the organization doesn’t bring them much value while they are creating a great deal of the real value. That’s why you have to pay consultants more.
If you find yourself having to go it alone, it will start out very scary. You’re going to have to stretch to learn to wear more hats. You have to learn to market yourself, for example, and to network to find business. Cast off your fears and welcome those challenges. Quit trying to join a large organization or get Big VC to back your idea. You can go it alone more than well enough to come out way ahead. After all, business wouldn’t be doing this to you unless they didn’t value you all that much. That tells you something about how they will treat you if they did decide to hire you. OTOH, you are also undervaluing yourself.
Why make the same mistake as the business whose decision you so disagree with? Recognize your inestimable value and get to work for yourself. Enjoy being your own boss. Embrace the change and use it to improve your life.