I try to leave as many fan leaves on as possible. They do help with photosynthesis and photosynthesis contributes to all those terpenes and cannabinoids we are looking for. After day 30 or so I remove them throughout the grow just to increase light penetration and air flow. Any big fans blocking light or a bunch of leaves growing into each other always get plucked. There are also people on here that schwazz their autos. I know very little about it but it’s heavy defoliation. Lots of ways to skin a cat.
Here’s the guide to Schwazzing if your interested.
S CHWAZZING AUTOFLOWER