Fears of Clippy the paperclip resurface after Microsoft buys LinkedIn
LinkedIn users may never see an animated paperclip popping up to ask, "Can I help you with that?" But that won't stop them from worrying.
Following the news that Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, everyone began wondering what this means for the popular resume-based social network. Xbox Live functionality? An endorsement from Bill Gates? ...the return of Clippy the paperclip?
For those who never used Microsoft Office in the late nineties, Clippy was a digital "office assistant" on apps like Microsoft Word, who'd pop up and give unwanted advice on how to save, print, etc. Nearly everyone found him annoying, and the paperclip became a staple of Windows parodies over the years.
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Some Twitter users gave their reactions on the possible return of the dreaded paperclip with eyes (and eyebrows?):
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Some people thought about other possible ways Microsoft and LinkedIn might combine with each other. Xbox One came to mind:
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For the record, there is currently no indication that Clippy will appear on LinkedIn. So don't worry about him changing into a pair of glasses to read your resume.
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Jonathan Keshishoglou (he often shortens that last part to just "Kesh") was an editorial intern on the Mashable Watercooler team. Watch him ramble coherently on Twitter: @keshception
