>Defining mitochondria as “nonliving” isn’t just a classification mistake, nor a question of word choice. Rather, it is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and role of mitochondria. It inherently undermines our understanding of biological systems and deeply influences the tools we build to study them.

This assertion is made but not supported. I don't think I understand the importance of this distinction, assuming that everyone already agrees about the evolutionary and mechanical facts about mitochondria, but as far as I can tell, no one disagrees that mitochondria were originally free living cells, or that they have their own DNA, or any of the other relevant facts about their origins or how they work in the cell. It's merely an argument about what it means to be alive. Which is philosophically interesting, but practically unimportant for the practice of biology.

This seems like a purely semantic debate with no broader importance.