It’s not a barrier because there is nothing qualitatively different at 999 vs 1000. It’s just a goal. This is not condescending to the field at all. Crossing a

It’s not a barrier because there is nothing qualitatively different at 999 vs 1000. It’s just a goal. This is not condescending to the field at all. Crossing an arbitrary goal that is very difficult to get to is still impressive. Just stop using the “breaking the barrier” phrase.