Tangential value is still value :)

I agree in principle, just want to add a bit of nuance.

Lets take famous “lines of code” metric.

It would be counterproductive to reward it (as proxy of productivity). But it is a good metric to know.

For the same reason why it’s good to know the weight of ships you produce.

"Tangential to value", not "tangential value".

The value in tracking false proxies like lines of code, accrues to the tracker, not the customer, business or anyone else. The tracker is able to extract value from the business, essentially by tricking it (and themselves) into believing that such metrics are valuable. It isn't a good use of time in my opinion, but probably a low stress / chill occupation if that is your objective.