Ask HN: Is dealing with software that has “grown over time” common?

Of course it is normal that you will handle preexisting code when joining a company that has been developing software for some years.

It is understandable that processes are being deployed to ensure data integrity and safety while increasing code complexity.

For me personally it is quiet a surprise to what extend this can grow.

I wonder how many developers think that the software they are developing/fixing at work is overly complicated, clunky, (unnecessarily?) heavily abstracted to the point where it is always time consuming to make changes or even just smaller fixes.