Software code can continually worsen without inherent limits

Zach Kehs states that adding floors and rooms to a building indefinitely will cause it to collapse, but software does not face such constraints. The code can always become worse through new layers of indirection or performance reductions. This illustrates the persistent challenge of technical debt in software development. Managing this ongoing risk is crucial for maintaining reliable systems, especially in environments running models or agents. Engineers must recognize that software quality can deteriorate over time without inherent limits. Source: https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/6/zach-kehs/