Thank you for this detail.

Based on this and some of the other replies above, it sounds like I should keep my AMEX Plat and possibly get a lower tier AA card. I don't personally need the Admiral's lounge. Instead, I'm happy with the Priority Pass + the Centurion lounge, and also love my AMEX Plat for the other benefits its offers.

That being said, now I'm questioning the value of AA status. In my mind, I was picturing throwing 100-200k in spend on a card, and effectively buying Main Cabin flights, and getting upgraded to first class (where available) because I have Plat Pro or Exec Plat status with AA. Based on what I've quickly researched, it looks like this is not something that AA does? Is that correct? As I mentioned in my OP, I've mostly flown Delta historically, and I know they do bump up their status customers based on seat availability.

I also did read that "complimentary" upgrades for the lower tier status is only for flights up to 500 miles... I don't think I've ever been on a <500 mile flight unless it was a connection...