Clippy the paperclip is taking over profile pics across the internet in protest of big tech

Microsoft’s iconic Office Assistant, Clippy, is taking over profile pictures across YouTube, X, and other platforms, and it’s no nostalgia trip. The trend began after YouTuber and consumer rights activist Louis Rossmann urged his followers to adopt Clippy as a protest symbol against big tech.

Why does everyone on YouTube have a Clippy PFP?

On Aug 7, 2025, Rossmann posted a YouTube video with an action-oriented title.

“Change your profile picture to clippy. I’m serious,” it says.

The Clippy takeover was slow at first, but over the weekend, people outside of Rossmann’s fan circle began to notice. More and more PFPs featured the Microsoft Office Assistant, better known as Clippy, the paperclip with eyes. From versions ’98 to 2004, Clippy could greet Microsoft Office users with offers of help as they started working.

Unlike generative AI, Clippy only offered stock advice depending on what type of document or spreadsheet you were drafting. He could be easily dismissed or turned off entirely to never bother you again, and he didn’t come with a paywal,l and he never harvested your data.

The purpose of choosing Clippy as the movement’s icon appears to be this contrast between the early days of the home computer and today’s tech nightmare.

“Clippy is a symbol that what used to be considered one of the worst annoyances of our life would now not only be welcomed, but for all of his flaws, celebrated as an idol,” said Rossman in his video.

Supportive comments on the video from various users with Clippy PFPs quickly flooded in. “Clippy would never take your data for AI learning,” wrote @VocaloidLUMi.

“If buying isn’t owning, then pirating isn’t stealing,” wrote @stephan.mp4.

“Clippy would never add AI overview to every single search result,” wrote @alongertripbackhome.

“YouTube says ‘who are you?’. Clippy says ‘how are you?’.” wrote @Tomatoes TasteWeird.

The “right to repair” activist compared changing your PFP to Clippy to the Sons of the Harpy movement in Game of Thrones, season five. It’s basically a signal to the tech industry showing how many people oppose what they’re doing.

With 2.3 million views on his video and countless Clippys now on YouTube, X, and other platforms, the idea is clearly spreading.

How Clippy the paperclip became the face of the fight against big tech.

Rossmann and the Clippy PFP brigade are rebelling against multiple forms of tech industry shenanigans. Harvesting data, training AI on our every word (often without consent), turning products we used to only have to buy once into subscriptions. barring us from repairing our own property—all of these are targets of the movement.

“If you’re tired of companies changing the terms of the sale after the sale, turn your profile photo to a Clippy,” says Rossmann. “If you’re tired of companies that have the ability to ransomware your products … change your profile photo to a Clippy.”

“When a company CEO logs into their Slack and sees 10,000 Clippys looking back at them, what I hope occurs is that they intuitively understand that they no longer live in a world where they can get away with f*cking over the consumer.”

Five days later, Rossman’s YouTube video has over 39,000 comments from Clippy PFP owners. Many have customized their Clippy to make the movement a little more fun and expressive.

They’re also making sure that tech companies hear their demands.

“Clippy would never read my menstrual data from my period tracking app so it can sell my attention to advertisers,” said YouTuber @antropofilia1318.

“Clippy says NO to AI age verification!” wrote @ClippyStar. “Clippy says NO to new paywalls on platforms you’ve purchased! Clippy says NO to exploiting troubled teens!”