By April 2025, Cluely’s AI assistant was a household name. It did claim that its undetectable features would allow you to “cheat on any [insert noun of choice]. This argument imploded just as fast. Market-leading proctoring services even demonstrated their ability to prevent or detect the use of Cluely’s technology. Cluely suffered a setback, but it soon bounced back. Less than three months later, the company announced they’d raised $15 million from Andreessen Horowitz, emerging as one of the biggest contenders in the highly competitive AI assistant space.
Roy Lee, a US representative of Cluely, provided useful context and perspective during our Disrupt 2025 event. This dynamic gathering happened in San Francisco from October 27-29, 2025. Most importantly, he reminded everyone that attention is the real currency of social media. He challenged startup founders to change their mindsets about how to go viral. Lee mentioned how anger is the best form of controversy, as controversy can be one of the biggest sparks for virality. Controversy breeds engagement.
“Generally, if you’re not in deep tech, then you need to low-key deep focus on distribution,” Lee advised. He’s of the mindset that if a startup isn’t focused on telling their story as much as building breakthrough technology, they’re going to fall flat. Unsurprisingly, Cluely has rapidly turned into one of the hottest products in the new AI assistant space. This acknowledgement is a testament to their innovative approach, even as the young company maintains the confidentiality of its revenue and user base.
Lee’s development philosophy goes farther than just reducing bottom-line metrics of success. He stated, “What I’ve learned is that you should never share revenue numbers because if you’re doing well, nobody will talk about how well you’re doing. And if you’re doing poorly, people will only talk about how poorly you’re doing.” The angle of this piece really highlights his point that reputation is failing in the fast-changing world of the new digital economy.
Speaking at the same session, Roy Lee gave his advice for developing a strong personal brand and authenticity in today’s new market. “You just have to realize that the world is trending to a different place, where you have to be extreme, you have to be authentic and you have to be personal,” he remarked. He understood the consequences of losing a positive reputation made him lose capital on the line as collateral. He knows that the trend these days is to go sexier, louder, edgier.
“I think I’m particularly good at framing myself in a way that’s controversial,” Lee added, highlighting his understanding of the dynamics at play in social media today. His observations and experiences are what many startup founders today feel as they too embark on this challenging and ever-growing path to stand out among the chaos.