I agree - it doesn’t have to be measured that way, and IMO it’s setting businesses up for failure. Having unrealistic goals is what drives some management to engage in risky (or illegal) activities, just to meet a quota or make figures look good for the annual report. That kind of toxic behavior spreads, and now too many firms treat it as a normal cost of doing business. I once worked at a company that routinely furloughed almost an entire department in December, and tried to hire their experts back at the end of January.
I’ve been saying similar things about companies and billionaires for years. I guess it will either end when companies with better methods acquire their staff (because those management moves are hard on workers) and customers (cutting quality and service is how some firms cut costs), or when the fines and lawsuits affect the bottom line to the point they can’t continue. 
