I do recall reading the Alex engineers insisting on a physical off switch while the opposite was true for the Google Home product.

I think it’s wild that your counter argument is basically just gaslighting everyone. There are tons of (possibly coincidental) examples of this type of thing happening. Even if it’s a coincidence, it’s not explained away by “maybe everyone just forgot or is not paying attention”.

It's not gaslighting. I believe people see the ads for things they talk about in the same room as a smart speaker.

I also believe people very rarely only speak about a thing -- without there being any digital footprint at all of them engaging with it.

I have literally seen this play out with family and traced it back to make a point.