And imho, the main appeal to the Pixel is that it's Google-controlled and provides the same benefits as Apple-controlled iPhones do: timely updates, strong security, things that "just work", tight 1st party ecosystem integration, etc.

You may or may not be able to flash custom ROMs to you Pixel, but if you choose not to, you'll probably have a fairly optimal stock Android experience. If you absolutely have to have custom everything, there are hundreds of other Android handset options, which is a boon for everyone.