[timoxley]

> ... makes case analysis easier ...

> ...making the code look less complicated than it actually is...

> I'd rather emphasize the underlying declarative intent, the state machines, and pre/post-conditions.

These statements are strange to me as I personally see early returns as attempts as achieving exactly these goals. I guess people unroll logic in their head in different ways. "flat" to one may appear "nested" to another and vice versa.