In today's development landscape, metrics can be a double-edged sword, tempting developers to focus on quantity over quality, and incentivizing the wrong behaviors. However, as an entrepreneur who has seen the allure of metrics firsthand, I believe that metrics must be applied thoughtfully to avoid game-playing and instead empower developers to solve problems and drive meaningful outcomes. My company, Daytona, takes a different approach by focusing on creating environments where developers can focus on problem-solving, not chasing metrics. By simplifying environment setup, providing flexibility in cloud options, and integrating with existing tools, we aim to make it easier for engineers to drive business outcomes without distraction. Effective leaders should foster transparent cultures where engineers own solutions and creativity thrives, rather than mandating metrics. Our purpose is to create environments where developers can be productive on their own terms, where abstraction enables innovation, not box-ticking. By empowering developers and improving environments, we believe that we can improve software development and unlock the full potential of our team members.