It all makes sense now.
We don't like to leave things unnoded. When we have a node idea, we like to bring it into being.
Now, here's the problem: The process of node creation is serial. We can only create nodes one at a time, even if we use multiple windows. But node ideas appear in parallel -- one idea leads to two or three more, and then each of these leads to two or three. So, while the number of nodes we have made increases linearly, the number of nodes we want to create increases exponentially.
Over time, the gap between the noded and the unnoded will finally cause us to snap.