> LOC is often a rough approximation for complexity.
Setting aside the anecdote, this statement is key. If you exclude deliberate efforts to game the LOC metric, LOC is closely correlated to complexity, however else you measure it (branch count, instruction count, variable count, rate of bugs, security vulnerabilities, etc). Unlike any other metrics however, LOC is dead simple to measure. Thus, it's an extremely useful metric, so long as you don't set up an incentive for devs to game it.
Setting aside the anecdote, this statement is key. If you exclude deliberate efforts to game the LOC metric, LOC is closely correlated to complexity, however else you measure it (branch count, instruction count, variable count, rate of bugs, security vulnerabilities, etc). Unlike any other metrics however, LOC is dead simple to measure. Thus, it's an extremely useful metric, so long as you don't set up an incentive for devs to game it.