Moving Complexity Down - The Real Path to Scaling Up C++ Code

Learn how to scale C++ software development beyond traditional functionality-focused engineering approaches in this conference talk from CppCon 2025. Explore the fundamental challenge of achieving multiplicative gains in software development across eight orders of magnitude from simple programs to the world's largest codebases. Discover why engineering solely for functionality becomes insufficient when scaling up software and understand the concept of moving complexity downward toward the actual code and programming language level. Examine how the KISS principle can fail in large-scale development contexts and analyze how design patterns function outside conventional frameworks. Investigate the foundational role of programming languages in software scaling, with specific focus on how C++ features have historically enabled large-scale development while critically evaluating newer language features that may not contribute to scaling effectiveness. Compare lessons learned from other programming languages to understand best practices for managing complexity in enterprise-level C++ development. Gain insights from a senior software engineer with experience in autonomous mobility systems and asteroid detection software development through signal processing applications.