[marginalia_nu]

> In my opinion, the only useful metric is profit generated. Everything else is just an emotional safety blanket for uncertainty.

This too can be a toxic metric. Only focusing on what looks good in the quarterly report encourages a type of short-sightedness that has been the undoing of many businesses.

[zaidf]

In my opinion, the only useful metric is profit generated

We know by observing private equity that the easiest way to hack this metric is by doing layoffs until there is imminent threat of the business vanishing.

[dsr_]

It's also not observable in real-time; often only quarterly or annually. That makes it really hard to make tactical decisions.

[throwaway2331]

Yes; it's a trade-off due to how difficult it is to make people give a shit about the short-term---forget about the long-term (if there's no stock involved. We've barely figured out how to make CEOs tuned into the "long-term").

The corp is just a vehicle for the goals of all its passengers. Most of them are only on-board for a couple of stops, and then off to the next vehicle. To voluntarily forgo getting off at your stop, without receiving something of equal or greater value, seems awfully foolish.