Complexity is not a badge of honor; it’s technical debt waiting to happen. In a world obsessed with the "new," choosing boring technology and simple architectures is the ultimate competitive advantage.
Every engineer has been there: staring at a "clever" solution that seemed brilliant six months ago, but is now completely incomprehensible. We often mistake complexity for sophistication, yet the most robust systems are those that are almost boringly simple.
Clever code has a hidden, compounding interest. It demands:
Constant mental overhead: Every change requires holding the entire universe in your head.
Extensive documentation: Because the code doesn't speak for itself.
Deep context switching: Hard to jump in, harder to stay in.
Rare expertise: Only the "wizard" who wrote it can fix it.
Simple code? Anyone can read it. Anyone can fix it. The ant doesn't build a skyscraper to show off; it builds a functional colony.
When building systems designed to last, follow these constraints:
Proven over Innovative: Let others spend their nights debugging the "cutting edge."
Documented over Novel: You shouldn't be the first person to ever see this specific error message.
Maintainable over Clever: Your future self (and your teammates) will thank you.
Instead of implementing a custom state machine with nested observers and advanced patterns, try a simple object with clear, explicit transitions.
The Result: Three months later, a junior developer can fix a bug in 10 minutes without a 2-hour onboarding session. That is the true power of simplicity.
Before adding a new layer of complexity, ask:
🐜 Does this solve a real, existing problem?
🐜 Can someone else understand this in 6 months?
🐜 What is the long-term maintenance cost?
If you can't answer these clearly, simplify.
Simple doesn't mean naive. It means: Clear intent. Obvious flow. Minimal surprise. The best engineers aren't the ones who write the cleverest code; they're the ones who write code that doesn't need to be clever.