I am not paranoid, I have ordered a HomePod and already have Macs, iPhones, iPods, iPads, AirPods, Amazon Echo, and even a Samsung TV remote all with microphones in. I am however aware of the opportunity that these present the vendor or third parties to exploit their capabilities to listen in. Personally I accept this possibility as the benefits outweigh it. I was merely amused at the prospect of paying for a device that would enable an employer to listen in on me. I don't imagine for a moment that Apple would actually do that, but I know some of my past employers would have done if they had had the facility. I am self employed now!