Well, you are confusing "complicated" with "difficult". While this is true in general, automation reduces the difficulty of working with a complicated system.

Well, you are confusing "complicated" with "difficult". While this is true in general, automation reduces the difficulty of working with a complicated system. For instance, the build system is extremely "complicated". But all you really need to do is to make sure your code compiles, you pass all your local tests, and the BVTs, and you are good to go (oh, and a code review; anyone who objects to a code review is probably shouldn't be coding). When, you, as a developer, satisfy those local conditions, the system automatically works at the global level. Don't get me wrong, complexity is an evil that I'd rather avoid, but it is a necessary evil for creating systems that are useful in the real world; and it is an evil that can be tamed with automation. [Full disclosure: as a former MSFT employee, my thoughts are heavily influenced by the company.]