Good engineers write readable code. Great engineers delete code. What do exceptional engineers do? Exceptional engineers solve the problem so simply that future teammates wonder why it was considered hard in the first place. What trait distinguishes top 1% engineers in your experience? Key considerations: 1. Immediate developer velocity vs 3-year maintenance cost 2. Team cognitive load and onboarding overhead 3. Organizational maturity and infrastructure readiness What is your personal experience? Let’s discuss in the comments!