People Prefer Adding Over Subtracting

People reflexively try to fix problems by adding—more people, more features, more money—rather than by removing or simplifying, even when subtraction would solve the problem more efficiently. Experimental work (Leidy Klotz) and historical anecdotes (General Magic, Brooks’s Law) show this is a cross‑domain bias that crops up in engineering, product design, journalism, and management. — Recognizing this bias matters because policy, corporate strategy, and technology governance that assume 'more is better' will systematically create complexity, cost overruns, and fragile systems unless they institutionalize subtraction and constraints.