To people hesitating, the path is simple and safe:
Create your new email (I’d recommend your own domain but you can also use another provider)
Set up Gmail so that it redirects all mail into your new mailbox.
Start giving your new email and migrate little by little your accounts to the new email.
You will not lose emails sent to your Gmail but you won’t use their UI anymore.
At some point, you will realize nothing but spam ends up on your Gmail and you can close it if you want.
Exactly and that’s why they don’t want it to happen again.