👋 Hey {{first_name|there}},
The Illusion of “Simple”
Every team loves the idea of simplicity.
“We’ll rewrite this as microservices; it’ll be cleaner.”
“We’ll use serverless, fewer ops, more focus.”
“We’ll standardize on a single database, fewer moving parts.”
And every time, the promise is the same: less complexity.
But here’s the truth:
Complexity never disappears. It only moves.
You can push it into infrastructure.
You can hide it in tooling.
You can spread it across teams.
But it’s always there, waiting to be paid for.
The real question isn’t “how do we make this simple?”
It’s: “Where should the complexity live?”
🧭 The Mindset Shift
From: “This design simplifies everything”
To: “This design moves complexity to where we can handle it”
Developers are often trained to chase elegance, the “simplest” possible design.
Architects learn to accept complexity, but place it deliberately.
Some complexity is best handled by machines (infra, automation).
Some must live with developers (code, interfaces).
Some belong in process (checklists, reviews).
And sometimes, it sits with people (skills, communication).
The architect’s job isn’t to erase complexity.
It’s to move it where it hurts least and helps most.