I think it's unlikely for your worst case scenario to be realized. Underspecified objectives can cause unexpected results, but it can also lead to desired results. Fortunately experimentation is relatively cheap and tuning optimization metrics is the norm for most apps.

I’ve been on the safety end of those metrics and optimizations. Heck no.

Even without my personal experience being used, we see the outcomes and decisions made by dating firms.

Firms have to satisfy their investors/shareholders.