Uber Engineers Create AI 'Boss' to Prep for Tough Meetings
Uber's Clever Hack: An AI CEO for Meeting Prep
Imagine getting to practice your big presentation with a virtual version of your boss before the real thing. That's exactly what Uber engineers created - an AI-powered clone of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi affectionately called "Dara AI."
The Virtual Boss Experience
During a recent podcast interview, Khosrowshahi shared how teams use this digital double to test-run their presentations. "They told me they'd run their slides by the AI version first," he explained with apparent amusement. The tool predicts his likely questions and critiques presentation logic, letting employees refine their pitches until they're meeting-ready.
What started as a workplace hack has become standard practice at the ride-hailing giant. Teams now treat "Dara AI" like a dress rehearsal for high-stakes meetings, using its feedback to strengthen arguments and anticipate executive concerns.
From Survival Tactic to Productivity Tool
Rather than being offended, Khosrowshahi sees this as brilliant innovation. "Uber is essentially one big codebase," he noted, praising engineers as the company's true architects. The numbers back this up - 90% of Uber's software engineers now incorporate AI tools into daily work, with 30% using it for fundamental architectural decisions.
The CEO describes AI's productivity impact as "unprecedented" in his career. What began as a way to avoid tough questions has evolved into something more profound - engineers using AI not just to build systems, but to rethink how the entire company operates.
The New Rules of Workplace Communication
This story reveals how AI is changing office dynamics:
- Pre-meeting rehearsals go digital with simulated executives
- Upward communication becomes more polished through AI refinement
- Productivity gains emerge from unexpected employee innovations
The "Dara AI" phenomenon shows workers aren't just using artificial intelligence - they're creatively adapting it to solve very human workplace challenges.
Key Points:
- Virtual practice partner: Uber employees test presentations with an AI version of their CEO before real meetings
- Widespread adoption: 90% of Uber engineers now use AI tools in their daily work
- Architectural impact: A third of engineering staff use AI for fundamental system design decisions
- Executive approval: CEO Dara Khosrowshahi praises the initiative as innovative problem-solving
