Every software engineer has faced it: the pull toward complexity. A new abstraction layer here, a design pattern there, a framework on top of a framework. Before you know it, a feature that should take an afternoon takes a sprint.
The Complexity Tax
Complexity is a silent tax on every team. It slows onboarding, increases bugs, and makes refactoring feel like defusing a bomb. The most impactful engineers I've worked with aren't the ones who write the cleverest code — they're the ones who write code that anyone can understand.
Three Principles
Over the years, I've distilled my approach into three principles:
1. Delete before you add. The best code is no code. Before writing a new utility, check if the problem can be solved by removing something.
2. Name things for the next reader. A variable called userEmailVerificationStatus is better than s. Verbosity in naming is not the same as verbosity in code.
3. Optimize for change. Requirements will shift. Write code that's easy to modify, not code that's "perfect" for today's spec.
Where SimpleCode Came From
SimpleCode started as a personal experiment: what if building a website were as simple as describing it? No boilerplate, no configuration, no templates to wrestle with. Just tell the AI what you want, and it builds it.
That builder is still in the workshop and not ready for real users yet. Holding it back is the same principle at work: a feature earns its place by making things simpler, not by existing. In the meantime, simplecode.ca is where I try these ideas in public.
The Takeaway
Simplicity isn't the absence of features. It's the result of ruthless prioritization. Every line of code is a liability. Every abstraction is a bet that you'll need it again. Make those bets wisely.
Originally published on simplecode.ca.
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