Uber engineers built a chatbot modeled on CEO Dara Khosrowshahi so employees could practice presentations before meeting him. Khosrowshahi said that some teams present their slide decks to the AI version of him, using the simulation to refine their arguments before the real executive sees them. He also said that about 90 percent of Uber's software engineers use AI and around 30 percent are power users who are rethinking the company's architecture, TechCrunch reported on February 24th.

The replica turns management into a rehearsal room. Employees can test a proposal against an approximation of the boss's questions before entering the meeting where authority is still human and consequences are real. The company gains a record of what its workers expect from an executive, while the executive gains a filter that makes presentations arrive already polished. A model trained to imitate a leader does not hold the leader's power, but it can shape the behavior of everyone preparing to face that power. The subordinate learns to anticipate the machine before speaking to the person. The empty chair remains in the room, surrounded by an invisible audience made from the boss's previous language.