that's one way to look at it, but it's rarely this clear cut. usually the system is initially built from P1+P2+P3+...PN that are wired together in a somewhat sa

that's one way to look at it, but it's rarely this clear cut. usually the system is initially built from P1+P2+P3+...PN that are wired together in a somewhat sane manner and do the job. enter joe, that thinks P2 is over-engineered and thinks he can do a a better job without understanding why P2 is the way it is or why it was even built like this. joe proceeds to replace P2 with P2'+P2a+P2b that kind-of get the job done but make the system a little bit more complicated. Joe gets a promotion for being a doer and improving "complicated shit". Now, imagine armies of Joes picking up the least complicated part of the system and making their contribution. The initially sane and straightforward components get replaced with increasingly more complicated ones. In the end, everything is so complex that no progress can be made.