Nevertheless it's certain that there has to be people alive who saw a complex problem and simplified it 10x, even if the solution never got out of their local sphere. Solutions that you and me would implement with automation and sensors, people in developing countries would find a way with less technology or resources. Even our current systems seem needlessly complex and overengineered compared to when hardware was a limitation.
If you want to think about needless complexity being everywhere, take for example the simplicity of the Internet, made when hardware was limited, against modern monstrosities like Bluetooth, now that we can just throw more hardware at problems.