I disagree.
IMO, clipless is the most significant improvement in cycling in my lifetime. For me, connecting shoes to pedals significantly reduces fatigue, and clipless is far easier and safer for me to use than clips and straps. This has a much greater effect on my riding than integrated shifting, 8-9-10-11-?? speeds, disk brakes, or anything else (caveat: I haven't tried e-shifting, but it's hard to imagine that the effects of e-shift would outweigh the effects of clipless).
As BikerBilly used to say: YMMV