I hope you keep your win 7 isolated from the internet since it has been out of maintenence for quite a while now.
You always have to consider that probably at least 80% of the Windows code base is the same across versions. So when a current release gets a patch for a new security flaw that's a hint to the malware devs the old release is likely vulnerable too. As soon as a version gets out of maintenance its likelihood for infection rises steeply.
Windows telemetry started with Windows 10. Windows 7 was the most stable Windows ever and hardware configurations were just as plentiful. Sure, the data helps but it's hardly mandatory.
Apparently, you're the only one who gets it. I guess the others either aren't engineers (yet) or only work in huge corporations where there's a department for everything.
I'm in a small company, too. Those cannot survive if people aren't flexible in their tasks and in my opinion that's far more interesting work than being a cubicle drone.
I have been using it exclusively for years. Does its job most of the time and when it doesn't and I include Google results (via bang !g) Google doesn't really find it either.
However, I've opted out of most Google services in parallel, so their model of me probably isn't the best anymore. If in their bubble, their results may still be better (creeps me out though, so I live with non-perfect search).