Goodhart's Law
- “what is goodharts law”
- “when a measure becomes a target”
- “goodharts law examples”
- “who said goodharts law”
01 · Side by side
Side by side
Comparison sheet
| Aspect | Goodhart's law | North Star Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Says | Targets corrupt measures | Pick one measure as target |
| Stated | 1975 | 2010s |
| Aware of the other | n/a | Usually not |
| Both can be right | Briefly | Briefly |
| Timescale | Bites later | Works at first |
| Remedy | Use several | Change it periodically |
02 · Which one you meant
Which one did you mean?
In shortReaders who land here meaning Goodhart's Law rather than North Star Metric are usually searching for phrases like “what is goodharts law”, “when a measure becomes a target”, “goodharts law examples”.
North Star Metric
- “what is a north star metric”
- “how to choose a north star metric”
- “north star metric examples”
- “should revenue be the north star”
03 · Which came first
Which came first
In shortGoodhart's law. 1975 — Charles Goodhart writes, in a paper on UK monetary management: 'Any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control purposes.'
- 1975
Goodhart's Law. Charles Goodhart writes, in a paper on UK monetary management: 'Any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control purposes.'
- 2010
North Star Metric. Sean Ellis coins 'growth hacker', defining it as a person whose true north is growth — the navigational language is already present.
04 · Read either one