Emilio Garcia explains why metrics used as performance targets get gamed. Metrics work best as guidance, not goals, because they're imperfect proxies for reality. All models are wrong, but some are useful.
every single metric you pick, if you start rewarding people for it, and it's not only for marketing, someone will come up a way to hit the target. And so that's the part that I think is important to always have in mind, that every single number that you pick, use it as a guidance and remember, and reminding people that these are means to an end. The metric itself is not the goal. Right. It's what the metric helps you infer about the world, right, is what truly matters. There's a phrase that I heard that says, "All models are wrong, but some are useful." And I like— it's pretty much what I'm trying to say, right? All metrics are not truly reflecting 100% reality, but they are useful.
