Do the seniors know they are talking to an AI companion and do they mind?

They always know they are talking to an AI and we remind them regularly. Do they mind? No is the short answer, not at all. They actually appreciate talking to Mary (that is the name of the companion) because she is kind and patient "unlike my childrens" (quote from a French user) and "she is always happy to talk to me" .

1. I've always been on the personal brand side. More and more founders are building it now (sometimes even before the product is ready while it's still in development, before seed fundraising). The CEO builds their position so the product sells more easily at the official launch.

2. But I have experience with people who built the product, scaled it, and only then did we discover who was behind it.

Honestly, with the first approach, I'd be concerned that people invest more in me as a person than in the product. People would idealise the founder and overlook the product's flaws (which could hurt development and constructive feedback).

+ I noticed the most common mistake that many people who started building a personal brand first, connected their product to their personal accounts (emails, social media, etc.) and started having a problem selling these things, because they cannot "give someone keys" to their personal profiles.