I don't know. I always thought of software as a living thing. As such, it is never complete.
For example, 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced every year. Doesn't it make more sense to think of software in this way, as opposed to e.g. a car or a building? I guess even a building needs maintenance (roof is replaced, windows are replaced, ...), but it's on such long timescales that we think of it as "finished".
If you think of software as a living thing where X% of it needs to be replaced every year just to keep it where it is, then there is no need for a "big rewrite".
For example, 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced every year. Doesn't it make more sense to think of software in this way, as opposed to e.g. a car or a building? I guess even a building needs maintenance (roof is replaced, windows are replaced, ...), but it's on such long timescales that we think of it as "finished".
If you think of software as a living thing where X% of it needs to be replaced every year just to keep it where it is, then there is no need for a "big rewrite".