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One thing worth noting is that the metrics the author mentions (sales, likes etc) are clearly, as everyone would readily admit, not a true measure of value. At
by 2grue 2y ago
One thing worth noting is that the metrics the author mentions (sales, likes etc) are clearly, as everyone would readily admit, not a true measure of value. At best, they're a proxy for what actually matters. And we know from Goodhart's law and reward hacking that optimizing a proxy is, at some point, either useless or actively counterproductive. This thought can be a real source of peace of mind.
- s1artibartfast 2y ago>And we know from Goodhart's law and reward hacking that optimizing a proxy is, at some point, either useless or actively counterproductive. I don't think that's accurate. It might be useless from the perspective of the system, but hugely advantageous from the perspective of the individual. When a co-worker hacks the metrics and gets the promotion, that might be bad for the company but it is great for them, and perhaps bad for you. The same is true for sales, search engines, and social interactions. I agree with your first point that the proxies are not true reflections, but don't see where this is peace of mind when someone loses out because of them. If anything, I think it would Foster anger that the system is rigged, basically the opposite of Peace of mind