I always get a kick out of reading the comments when Slashdot posts something like this. The majority of the comments on stories like these can be summed up in two sentences..."I don't have a use for this type of item nor have I ever owned one or any of its competitors, so I have no actual experience or knowledge to base my comment on. But because I don't like them nobody else should use them either, and anyone who does is a fucking idiot".
But at the same time, these comments also show how far Slashdot has degenerated over the years. Now every fourth comment is something like "This device is spying on you!!!!!!!!!!!1111111oneoneoneone". Back in the day, the average Slashdot reader was smart enough to have already fired up packet sniffing software and checked it out for themselves.
Now, to get back on topic. My 80 year old mother does not use Google Home. But she does have a couple of Amazon Echo Dots that I bought and set up for her. Their primary use is for daily news, weather information, music, and clocks and timers. She thinks its wonderful. That's good enough for me.