> You have to teach the user what the icon means

Who's in charge here? The software works for me, not the other way around.

I don't want to be learning your glorious new UI, I want to be using its essential feature and getting out ASAP.

I understand that for progress to be made, ideas must be explored and risks must be taken.

But leaving out a label is not progress, it's just someone trying to save screen space on a cluttered design, and it doesn't help me.