Why Does SpaceX Design for Simplicity?

David Senra, reading Elon Musk, says early SpaceX designs chose simplicity because fewer components improve reliability and reduce cost. Simplicity wins. The tool for a fly is a fly swatter, and a cruise missile is far too much.

Every decision in early SpaceX designs kept that aim. Fewer components means fewer parts to buy and fewer parts that can go wrong. Genius has the fewest moving parts. Simplicity is the mantra, and it creates both reliability and low cost. It comes from hundreds of little changes. The Tesla Model 3 buildup put the idea on the factory floor: months at the Gigafactory went to fixing battery production, looking at every tiny part of each process and asking whether the process was necessary.