I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.
The above quote is attributed to Blaise Pascal.
Software is a fast paced industry, as such the need to change the software is also frequent. More often than not the change is about a new feature, functionality or trying to run an experiment. Developers think of these things as additions and not really changes to the software, because it is convenient to think of it that way. This is consistent with the findings of the current research[1]. In comparison to adding something, figuring out what to remove has more cognitive load and requires the most precious commodity, time! This is the intention of the title and my adaptation below.
We would have to manage less code, but we did not have the time.
In addition, when there are no safeguards like unit/integ tests, the need to just add stuff worsens the situation. This culture results in Tech Debt, which incurs the compound interest of poor readability and in some cases performance.
It is misleading to say that since customer is getting immediate benefits, delivering the code by any means is justified. Developer productivity has direct impact on the rate of the delivery over a period. It is okay to make such tradeoffs when the organization/company is starting out and the initial speed is non-negotiable. However, as organizations mature, these factors can be the difference between long term success and failure.
So the next time someone refactors or removes the code. Thank them!
References
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-04-24/research-shows-why-simplifying-is-hard-and-complicating-is-easy
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/