OP was never late to the gate. I arrived as first class was boarding.

Since the person travelling with me is new to travelling, no point in sending them ahead as they would not have known what to do.

The whole point of this is that AA should issue the upgrade and then wait to see if that person accepts it in time or not. They shouldn't be skipping people in advance because they don't hear their name over the loud speaker or make it within the GAs time frame.