I see. Well, when I said it was as bad as always, I was referencing the quote, "Premature optimization is the root of all evil." I take that has hyperbole, but the point isn't that premature optimization is bad. (So I think I get what you mean: premature includes the idea of being bad. It's one way of being bad. So in a sense "premature optimization is bad" means "a bad kind of optimization is bad". The point is premature optimization is particularly to be avoided. Treating it as a tautology misses the main point.

Suppose you're a snake charmer talking to an old-timer and the old-timer says, "The venomous king cobra is venomous." That's just a tautology. But if the old-timer says, "The venomous king cobra is the most venomous snake you'll ever handle and a single bite can kill an elephant," then hopefully you don't get stuck on the tautology and can see the important, actionable warning in there.