Benioff is referring to the widely disparaged animated paperclip Microsoft unveiled as part of Office 96. The "smart" digital helper was designed to assist with certain tasks, but it was viewed more as an annoyance and reviled by users. As such, Benioff's comments had a tone of mockery.

When the cofounder of a giant tech outfit like Salesforce publicly disses a rival product, it's worth noting what they say. And Benioff certainly had some choice words about Microsoft's big AI push.