Big-o is about a specific class of optimization, and a theoretical understanding of it is important. It is important to distinguish between asymptotic optimiza

Big-o is about a specific class of optimization, and a theoretical understanding of it is important. It is important to distinguish between asymptotic optimization vs. i/o optimization vs. code optimization. I'd argue if you can't do the first one you're less likely to be able to handle the next two. Yes, you can do it intuitively to some extent. However, I think it's important to be systematic about it so we can have meaningful conversations about it beyond "doing it this way is slow and if we do it this way it's faster."