Compression Is the Most Underrated Skill in Software

The engineers who consistently produce the most leverage share one trait that doesn&rsquo;t show up on resumes: they compress. They compress code, yes, but also ideas, APIs, explanations, and system designs. They take something sprawling and find the smaller, truer version of it. This isn&rsquo;t minimalism for its own sake. Compression is a precision skill. Done wrong, it produces cryptic…