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I have a fake personal assistant. It started almost by accident, but for 10 years has made people take me more seriously
By | FORTESA LATIFI | www.businessinsider.in
- Jamira Burley, 34, works in the tech industry and has a fake personal assistant named Matt.
- She says people treat you differently when they think you have an assistant — especially a male assistant.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jamira Burley, a 34-year-old who works in the tech industry. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I have a secret to tell you.
For the last 10 years, I’ve had a fake assistant. His name is Matt, and he answers emails for me. He negotiates rates, schedules meetings, and rejects offers that aren’t up to par.
He also doesn’t exist.
I created my fake personal assistant, Matt, a decade ago
It happened almost by accident. I had made a separate email account for people to contact me with opportunities, and I got an email where the person seemed to assume that a third person, like an assistant, was manning the contact email address.
