Roy Lee: Viral Hype Isn’t Enough for Success
▼ Summary
– Roy Lee believes social media virality is important for startups but acknowledges brand awareness alone doesn’t guarantee sustained growth.
– Cluely launched with controversial “rage bait” marketing claiming to help users cheat, building on Lee’s prior notoriety from academic suspension.
– The startup recently pivoted from multiple enterprise use cases to focus specifically on being an AI notetaker for meetings and consumers.
– Cluely secured $15 million in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz based on its ability to convert attention into paying customers.
– Lee now avoids sharing financial metrics despite previously boasting about revenue growth, reflecting lessons learned about public disclosure.
Achieving viral fame on social media can launch a startup into the public eye, but Roy Lee, founder of Cluely, emphasizes that this initial burst of attention is not enough to guarantee lasting success. While he champions the power of online buzz for building brand awareness, Lee now acknowledges that without a solid product and clear use cases, that hype quickly fades.
Reflecting on his company’s journey at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Lee admitted, “I can’t say if it’s a mistake, but maybe we launched too early.” He described the initial strategy as releasing a minimally functional product, hoping early adopters would discover its applications. Cluely first captured headlines in April with a provocative marketing campaign centered on a tool that promised to help users “cheat on everything.” This wasn’t Lee’s first brush with controversy; he had previously been suspended from Columbia University for creating software used to cheat during coding interviews. He leveraged that notoriety to build Cluely, which originally claimed to provide undetectable information during online chats.
By late June, the company had rolled out an enterprise version, suggesting it could assist with sales calls, customer support, and remote tutoring. However, the startup recently narrowed its focus, relaunching with a new website that positions its product as an AI assistant specifically for meetings. Lee stated the revised plan is to “become the best AI note taker, starting with the consumer.” This move places Cluely in a highly competitive market, though Lee highlighted unique features like automated follow-up emails. When pressed for details on sales performance and customer retention, he was evasive, only commenting, “I’ll say we’re doing better than I expected, but it’s not the fastest growing company of all time.”
The startup’s talent for generating buzz did help it secure a $15 million Series A funding round from Andreessen Horowitz in June. Bryan Kim, a partner at the firm, explained on its podcast that he invested because Lee demonstrated an ability to convert that public attention into a base of paying customers.
Earlier in the summer, Lee was far more open with financial figures, boasting that the company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) had jumped from $3 million to $7 million in just one week. He claimed at the time, “Every single person who has a meeting or an interview is testing this out.” His stance has since changed dramatically. Four months later, Lee is reluctant to share any metrics, stating, “What I’ve learned is you should never share revenue numbers.” He argued that there is no benefit to transparency, suggesting that good performance is ignored while any misstep is magnified. This cautious approach contrasts with many other founders in the AI sector, who frequently publicize impressive ARR numbers to showcase their rapid growth.
The story of Cluely serves as a clear lesson for the tech industry: going viral might get customers in the door, but a genuinely useful and reliable product is what keeps them there. Social media hype can provide a powerful launchpad, but it cannot compensate for a lack of substance or a poorly defined market fit.
(Source: TechCrunch)
