Chungin “Roy” Lee, the CEO and cofounder of the controversial AI “cheating” platform Cluely, offered a candid diagnosis of why so many promising startups ultimately fail to survive. According to Lee, the core issue does not lie in the products themselves or the brilliance of the engineering teams behind them, but rather in the fact that these products never manage to reach a sufficiently broad audience. In his view, a company can build something extraordinary from a technical standpoint, yet still collapse if it cannot capture public awareness or spark cultural interest.
During an in-depth conversation at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Lee offered a pointed critique of the startup ecosystem, emphasizing that while engineers are often masters of logic and computation, they tend to falter when tasked with creating compelling content that resonates emotionally. He argued that producing a technically sound product is only half the battle—the other half is crafting a message powerful enough to cut through the digital noise. Lee, known for his outspoken and sometimes provocative remarks, went so far as to challenge attendees to find even a single video that rivals Cluely’s own promotional work in creativity, intensity, or originality. “Most of what you see out there,” he claimed, “are imitative, surface-level efforts that fail to leave any real impression.”
Founded earlier in the year, Cluely was initially introduced as a tool designed to assist software engineers in navigating difficult technical interviews—somewhat infamously by helping them “cheat” during the process. While this framing quickly drew attention (and controversy), it also demonstrated Lee’s insight into the viral mechanics of internet culture. A video humorously depicting him attempting to use Cluely during a date—clearly intended as satire—spread rapidly across social media platforms, making the product and its cofounder instant conversation points across the tech community. Although references to job-interview “cheating” have since been scrubbed from the company’s official site, Cluely remains positioned as an “undetectable” AI assistant capable of observing a user’s screen and supplying information or answers in real time.
Based in San Francisco, the startup has become one of the most closely watched early-stage ventures of 2025, especially after securing a $15 million funding round led by the prestigious venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz in June. The company’s growth strategy, as Lee repeatedly stresses, depends less on traditional marketing spend and more on mastering distribution—ensuring that Cluely becomes a visible, unavoidable presence across the internet’s most influential platforms. As he explained on the “Sourcery” podcast, Cluely’s ambition is nothing short of ubiquity: it must become “the biggest thing” on Instagram and TikTok. For Lee, true brand strength comes not from polish or pedigree but from widespread familiarity; every brand that dominates consumer consciousness, he argues, is recognized not merely by professionals but by everyday users.
In his interview with TechCrunch, Lee elaborated further on this ethos, noting that the internet rewards audacity far more than refinement. In his estimation, the old-fashioned concept of a carefully maintained corporate reputation has been displaced by a new cultural economy that values authenticity, boldness, and direct emotional connection. Modern founders, he suggested, must be unfiltered and personal—qualities that are almost diametrically opposed to traditional notions of professionalism. When questioned about whether Cluely’s provocative marketing tactics qualify as “rage-bait,” Lee dismissed the label, insisting that his approach stems from honesty rather than sensationalism. “It’s not about provoking anger,” he clarified. “It’s just who I am—straightforward, sometimes polarizing, but authentic.”
Lee’s media appearances paint a consistent picture of a founder deeply skeptical of conventional business wisdom. His rejection of corporate formalities appears strategic: by positioning Cluely and himself as disruptors who embody the chaotic, meme-driven spirit of the internet, he ensures that his message reaches far beyond industry insiders. Yet when Business Insider reached out for further comment, Lee did not respond.
In earlier interviews with the same publication, Lee articulated an immense goal for Cluely’s visibility: surpassing one billion collective views across all media platforms. He defines the company’s internal culture around this objective, declaring that every individual on the team must contribute directly to either building the product itself or ensuring that the product captures cultural momentum. “There are only two kinds of jobs at Cluely,” he said on the “Sourcery” podcast. “You’re either an engineer—someone constructing the core technology—or an influencer whose job is to make that technology famous. There’s nothing in between.” His hiring standards reinforce that philosophy: within Cluely, no one who lacks serious engineering ability or fewer than 100,000 social media followers is likely to be a fit.
Lee argues that traditional marketing backgrounds, no matter how experienced, often fail to produce this sort of virality. The capacity to create content that strikes a chord with online audiences, he claims, is something innate to those fully immersed in contemporary digital culture—often younger creators who instinctively understand online humor and trends. “You can take a thirty-five-year-old marketer who scrolls endlessly through social platforms,” he remarked, “but that doesn’t mean they can generate a ten-million-view idea. True virality requires intuition and cultural fluency, not just exposure.” His observation, though controversial, reflects a broader industry recognition that younger teams often command a more instinctive grasp of what captures fleeting digital attention.
Demonstrating his willingness to back his rhetoric with action, Lee revealed on LinkedIn in July that Cluely is offering extraordinarily high compensation packages to recruit elite talent. The company is advertising base salaries reaching as high as one million dollars for exceptional engineers, and between $250,000 and $350,000 for designers, in addition to generous equity options. His recruitment message was simple and meritocratic: what matters to him is not formal credentials, academic pedigree, or age, but sheer excellence and demonstrable skill. “I care only about how good your work is,” he wrote, emphasizing that factors such as educational background, professional history, or nationality are irrelevant if a candidate can deliver world-class results.
In sum, Lee’s comments and Cluely’s trajectory together reveal an emerging entrepreneurial philosophy defined by a fusion of technological innovation and social media acumen. For Lee, success is no longer about simply creating functional tools—it is about constructing movements that capture imagination, attention, and conversation. His relentless focus on visibility, authenticity, and virality may seem unconventional, yet it encapsulates a striking reality of the modern startup era: in a world saturated with information, the most technically sophisticated product in the world is worthless if no one ever sees it.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/cluely-cofounder-chungin-roy-lee-engineer-viral-content-2025-10
