I think it can prevent the clap and run by a good percentage, but the other side of it is if a person is a clap runner they'll still do it but now it would count as a view but not as a read.

Also, not seeing the time of an article may help with longer form content. I've found that people who come to the platform to "just read" don't have a problem with a 9 minute story. But a writer who reads usually won't read anything over 5 to 6 minutes. It's understandable--they have to write too.