Cluely’s CEO Roy Lee delivered a provocative message to startup founders at Disrupt 2025: if you’re not in deep tech, you need to prioritize distribution with obsessive focus. “Generally, if you’re not in deep tech, then you need to low-key deep focus on distribution,” he told the audience. But Lee also acknowledged that not every founder is suited for the kind of viral marketing that can catapult a startup into the spotlight. “If you’re any good at engineering, you’re probably not funny and you’re probably not going to be a content creator because you don’t have it in your blood,” he said. “Realistically, most of these people have no chance of going viral.” Cluely gained widespread attention this April with a bold claim: its AI assistant could help users cheat on exams undetected. The statement quickly backfired when proctoring platforms demonstrated they could identify the tool’s use. Despite the backlash, the controversy fueled massive visibility. Within months, Cluely raised $15 million from Andreessen Horowitz, emerging as one of the most talked-about AI assistants in a crowded market. Lee owns the strategy behind the attention. “I think I’m particularly good at framing myself in a way that’s controversial,” he said on stage. “I do a lot of things that are different. And everything I do that’s different, I frame through the filter of my voice. And my voice is naturally just very enraging to a lot of people.” For Lee, this approach is rooted in a larger belief about the current state of attention and influence. “Reputation is sort of a thing of the past,” he argued. “You can try to be the New York Times and guard your ironclad reputation, but realistically you’ve got Sam Altman on the timeline talking about hot guys and you’ve got Elon Musk going batshit crazy.” He sees a shift in the digital landscape: “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.” Still, the long-term effectiveness of this strategy remains unclear. When pressed for revenue or user growth figures, Lee declined to share specifics. “What I’ve learned is that you should never share revenue numbers,” he said. “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.” He added, “I’ll say we’re doing better than I expected, but it’s not the fastest growing company of all time.”