> they think the old code is a mess. . . . they are probably wrong. The reason that they think the old code is a mess is ... It’s harder to read code than to write it.

I suppose I think the reason people think code is a mess is because it _is_ a mess. Just yesterday I saw a team decide to override $PATH in 50 separate files because they didn't understand how to package a python library. (I'm not innocent in crazy stuff either, we're all human).

My experience is that rewrites happen when a team doesn't have anything clear to do instead, so it's more like "teams/businesses with no clear objectives" struggle rather than inherently rewrites.