Nobody Gets Promoted for Simplicity – Terrible Software

Software engineering cultures often reward performative complexity because overbuilding provides a more impressive narrative for promotion packets and design reviews.

This post argues that the "simplest thing that works" is frequently overlooked or dismissed as uninteresting, even when it is the most effective solution.

To combat this, we must change our incentive structures to treat simplicity as a hard-won virtue, making the avoidance of technical debt a visible and valued career milestone.