Literally everyone hated Clippy. It was an absolute mockery of a useful assistant or feature, and at the time everyone detested Microsoft. I think this post is satire.
It wasn't a panacea but it was at least positive-value, unlike most current AI.
nobody used clippy, but nobody expressed vitriol. you just easily dismissed it and went on with your business.
But many non-tech-savvy users felt differently, and were accepting of the attempt to provide help.
back in the day people needed to be convinced that they needed a computer and that they'd be able to figure it out.
if you see clippy on a showroom floor or on your friends pc, you might think "oh yeah, i suppose I could use a computer to do that!".
Convincing people they maybe should get a computer worked much better if they saw that it might increase their productivity.
Techy folks all already had one back then, and Clippy was aimed at those still writing their correspondence on a typewriter. I have no doubt that switching to a computer was productive for them, even if it increased Microsoft sales in the process.
the idea is that when your CEO goes on slack or teams or whatever and see 100 clippies they'll be "oh wow, nobody likes how we earn our dollar."
or the very least people who are concerned about surveillance will know who is on their team!
so just do it
I'm serious