There is a newly enforced limit on (paid!) Google Workspace accounts - you can only share files with non-Google users up to 5 times each calendar month. Note that this doesn't cap external accounts, just those that are non-Google. So want to share with your personal Gmail account - no problem. More than 5 @hotmails - nope!
Only way around is to upgrade to a plan that is double the price.
"Important: If you use a Google Workspace Business Starter or Frontline account, you can share files up to 5 times each calendar month with non-Google accounts. Each time is defined as sharing one document with one visitor."
Not sure who at Google thought this was the right way to upsell business accounts. Also, there is no mention of this limit in any plan description (eg. https://support.google.com/a/answer/6043385).
Feels like a shake-down.
Paid accounts get to bypass the limit because spammers aren't going to bother -- if they've got a valid credit card, there's much more effective ways of using that to send bulk email.
Google almost certainly has, and has consulted, internal analytics on where these spam campaigns are originating and which account tiers they are abusing most.
