Summary: Roy Lee, founder of Cluely, shares insights on the importance of viral marketing for startups, especially those outside deep tech. He emphasizes the role of controversy and authenticity in capturing attention, recounting Cluely’s own viral success and the challenges of sharing growth metrics. Lee encourages founders to focus on distribution and embrace a bold, personal voice in today’s social media-driven world.
The Power of Viral Marketing for Startups
At Disrupt 2025, Roy Lee of Cluely delivered a clear message to startup founders: if you’re not working in deep tech, you need to focus intensely on distribution and how to go viral. “Generally, if you’re not in deep tech, then you need to low-key deep focus on distribution,” Lee told the audience.
Why Viral Marketing Isn’t for Everyone
Lee also acknowledged that viral marketing isn’t a natural fit for everyone. “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. Realistically, most of these people have no chance of going viral,” he explained.
Cluely’s Viral Moment and Its Impact
Cluely’s AI assistant gained widespread attention in April after a viral claim that its undetectable windows could “help you cheat on anything.” Although this claim was quickly disproven by several proctoring services that detected the AI assistant’s use, the buzz helped Cluely raise $15 million from Andreessen Horowitz within months, making it one of the most visible products in the crowded AI assistant space.
Embracing Controversy as a Marketing Tool
Lee credits much of his viral success to his ability to frame himself in a controversial light. “I think I’m particularly good at framing myself in a way that’s controversial,” he said. “I do a lot of things that are different. And everything I do that’s different, I frame it through the filter of my voice. And my voice is naturally just very enraging to a lot of people.” For Lee, this approach aligns with his broader theory that attention is the ultimate currency on social media.
TechCrunch Disrupt is live!
Join Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. And don’t miss 300+ showcasing startups in all sectors.
Register now and save 50% on your pass.
2-FOR-1 DISCOUNT: Bring a +1 and save 60%
Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. And don’t miss 300+ showcasing startups in all sectors. Bring a +1 and save 60% on their pass, or get your pass by Oct 27 to save up to $444.
The Changing Landscape of Reputation and Attention
Lee believes that traditional notions of reputation are becoming outdated. “Reputation is sort of a thing of the past,” he said. “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 continued, “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.”
The Reality Behind Cluely’s Growth
When asked about Cluely’s revenue or user numbers, Lee was cautious. “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,” he said. “I’ll say we’re doing better than I expected, but it’s not the fastest growing company of all time.”