This becomes more stark when you compare powerpoint with another part of Microsoft Office: Excel. Excel is actually amazing software. Innumerable small businesses are basically run through Excel. Excel is truly user empowering software that lets lay-people exploit the power of their computer to solve real problem.
Compared to Excel, powerpoint is just sad. In theory it keeps people in the audience of any presentation awake, but in reality it fails at even that. Excel empowers users to solve problems, while powerpoint is little more than an emotional crutch for people who are nervous in front of crowds.
The problem with PP is not PP, but that most people do not know how to give a presentation.
It has other uses but... Have you not seen what I describe? That would be a useful data point for me if true.
Where I work Power Point is mainly used to make presentations that are easy to read on a projector screen (as it should be used).
On many places it seems to be used as a general document writer application ... so what we emotionaly associate with Power Point might differ alot.
I am fascinated by the way "fitness landscapes" manifest in companies OUTSIDE the financial fitness of the company's trade. People often act like trade fitness is the only realm where we compete in capitalism, but there are so many more.
Moat fitness for a company doesn't benefit their trade at all. Customers don't benefit when you kill a competitor, but you do.
Similarly PowerPoint doesn't benefit the customer or the business. It's a tool for employee theater, using it makes employees appear less fit to be fired.
And I like your point that unaccountability fitness is also an existential competition for executives.
I wish there were a big list of these for me to ponder.