Do you have to reach out for google or a book to do a simple if/else statement? What about a for loop? Now what about the difference between a map and a set? Likely not, it's the basics used in any app.

Talking about premature optimization here implies there's some work to be done, things to think through, stuff that's not obvious. And that's totally true at a certain complexity level.

But what is "complex" and what is "obvious" isn't objective. It's purely a factor of what the "average software developer" knows.

What I'm arguing is that while at one point the pendulum was swinging too far one way, it's now too far in the other, and it's affecting software quality industry wide.