Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c698IR // #c698Synthesis

When SpaceX decided to catch the Starship booster with the launch tower's arms instead of landing legs, and a follower asked why he didn't just use landing legs, Musk responded, "Legs would certainly work, but the best part is no part."

— In our words · Source: Elon Musk (Walter Isaacson)

[Use when]

Reviewing any design -- ask what can be removed entirely before asking what can be improved.

[Why it matters]

Deletion beats optimization. A part that does not exist cannot fail, cannot weigh anything, and cannot cost anything. The design question is not how to make it better but whether it needs to exist at all.

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