In conventional physics-based engineering, there is enormous overlap between disciplines because everyone is a programmer "writing code" (building things) with

In conventional physics-based engineering, there is enormous overlap between disciplines because everyone is a programmer "writing code" (building things) with a common programming language (physics) on a common hardware (reality). This language and hardware is completely fucked, and tries to thwart your plans at every step, on every level. This leads to huge amounts of brainpower, engineering, and framework "code" going into simply making your "program" compatible and stable. This naturally clamps hard on the overall output complexity of your program. Mother nature really really hates complex physical systems. A hatred that grows exponentially as complexity increases. Software engineering on the other hand exists in a parallel space that is perfect and idealized. It's engineering that never has to leave the textbook ideal models. Mother nature has no claim in this space. This doesn't mean it is necessarily easier however. It means that all the effort typically put into just making something not burn up can now be put into complexity. So you end up with systems that are insanely complex. Engineering minds unchained by the constraints of reality, you just get complexity built on complexity serviced by complexity.