The article outlines how software has evolved from a standalone product to an intrusive force in our lives, likening it to a car that interrupts your drive with prompts and tutorials. Initially, software shipped on physical media, and users had a clear understanding of what they were getting. Once the internet emerged, developers could update software, fix bugs, and receive feedback in real-time. While this connectivity brought significant advantages, it also opened the door for developers to collect detailed user data, shifting the focus from improving software to optimizing user behavior. As analytics became mainstream, developers began prioritizing metrics like daily active users (DAU) and engagement rates over the actual quality of the software. This shift led to a culture where decisions were driven by data rather than user experience. The article highlights Goodhart’s Law, emphasizing that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. This is illustrated by a case at Microsoft where a feature was deemed unused, but its visibility had been progressively reduced, misleading the team into thinking it wasn’t valuable. The rise of A/B testing further complicated this landscape. While it allows developers to test variations and gather real-world data, it also shifts the product team’s focus from user needs to experimentation on users. This can dilute the product vision, as decisions become more about metrics than meaningful user experiences. The author warns that this approach can turn software into a laboratory where every interaction is a test, potentially prioritizing short-term gains over long-term user satisfaction.