The Cost of Keeping What You Should Remove
Every product accumulates features that consume more resources than they deliver. These aren’t broken or controversial—they function properly but serve virtually no one, silently occupying space in the codebase.
I kept such features alive for years, reasoning they caused no harm. This pragmatic-sounding approach masked a costly mistake: software doesn’t remain static. Dependencies shift, frameworks evolve, and security patches propagate through forgotten connections. Those abandoned features aren’t free; they generate mounting technical debt.
The Expensive Illusion
The deception we accept: “It works, so maintaining it costs nothing.” Initially true, but misleading. A single bug in an obscure feature consumes half a day of engineering time investigating, fixing, and documenting. Multiply this across dozens of neglected features accumulated over years.
Accumulated Burden
One unused feature barely registers. Dozens compound invisibly, reshaping every technical conversation. Design reviews extend because interfaces lack breathing room. Dependency upgrades touch mysterious code paths. New engineers waste weeks understanding systems where significant portions serve no purpose.
Why Removal Stays Off the Table
Often, nobody defends these features actively—they’re simply never questioned. Without proper usage tracking or institutional knowledge, teams can’t confidently identify what to remove. This absence of deliberate decisions becomes the decision itself.
Ego Masquerading as Engineering
Honest reflection reveals deeper motivations: removing a feature admits earlier effort was misaligned with user needs. This discomfort often masquerades as engineering judgment.
The Distinction That Matters
Not all low-usage features deserve removal. Some serve niche audiences deeply. Others exist due to contractual or regulatory requirements. The critical difference lies between consciously evaluating features and preserving them through neglect.
The Discipline of Subtraction
Excellence emerges through ensuring every feature earns its place—not through accumulating functionality, but through honest assessment: Does this still matter to users? The most admirable products demonstrate discipline in subtraction, where someone possessed the clarity to distinguish between what was built and what deserves survival.