Products rarely die from having too few features. They die from accumulating so many features that users can't find the ones that matter. This "death by a thousand features" happens gradually, with each addition seemingly reasonable in isolation.

I've watched mature products collapse under their own weight as teams continually added capabilities without removing anything. One enterprise platform I worked on had five different ways to create a new project - each added by different teams solving specific edge cases, but collectively creating a confusing mess for all users.

Feature bloat has real costs: increased complexity makes products harder to learn, slower to use, and more difficult to maintain. Cognitive load increases as users must process more options. Performance suffers with increased code complexity. And design cohesion breaks down as different features compete for limited interface space.

The solution isn't avoiding new features entirely, but approaching them with discipline. Every feature addition should pass high bars for inclusion: Does it serve a significant percentage of users? Does it address a frequent use case? Does its value outweigh its complexity cost? Can something else be removed to make room?

Adopt the practice of feature retirement alongside feature development. Regularly audit usage data to identify candidates for removal or simplification. When adding new capabilities, look for opportunities to consolidate or replace existing features rather than simply adding more.

The most elegant products aren't those with the most features, but those that do important things well with minimal complexity. Apple's original iPod succeeded not by offering more features than competitors, but by executing a core experience flawlessly.

In a world where anyone can add features, the true differentiator is knowing what to leave out.