Photon is optimized for SQL workloads, delivering significant speedups through vectorized execution and native C++ performance. However, Photon only accelerates workloads that use compatible operations and data patterns. If a workload includes unsupported functions, unoptimized joins, or falls back to interpreted execution, Photon may be silently bypassed — even on a Photon-enabled cluster. In this case, users are billed at a premium DBU rate while receiving no meaningful speed or efficiency gain. This inefficiency typically arises when teams enable Photon globally without validating workload compatibility or updating their pipelines to follow Photon best practices. The result is higher costs with no corresponding benefit — a classic case of configuration drift outpacing optimization discipline.