Unlock Viral Growth: The Ragebait Strategy That Catapulted Cluely to Fame

The Power of Going Viral in Startup Marketing

Cluely’s Roy Lee has a crucial message for startup founders: you need to think harder about how to go viral. At Disrupt 2025, he emphasized that unless you're in deep tech, your focus should be on distribution.

Why Most Engineers Struggle with Viral Content

Lee pointed out that engineering skills don't always translate to content creation. He stated, "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."

Cluely's Controversial Rise to Prominence

Cluely's AI assistant gained fame in April with a viral claim that its undetectable windows could "help you cheat on anything." This was quickly debunked when proctoring services proved they could detect the AI. Despite this, the company raised $15 million from Andressen Horowitz in just months, becoming a standout in the AI assistant market.

Mastering the Art of Controversy

Lee attributes his success to a talent for framing himself in controversial ways. 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." This approach is part of his broader theory that attention is the only currency on social media.

The Shift in Reputation and Authenticity

According to Lee, "Reputation is sort of a thing of the past." He cited examples like Sam Altman and Elon Musk to illustrate that the world is trending toward extremes. "You have to be extreme, you have to be authentic and you have to be personal," he advised.

Measuring Success Without Sharing Numbers

When asked about Cluely's revenue or user numbers, Lee declined to share specifics. He explained, "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 did note that the company is "doing better than I expected, but it's not the fastest growing company of all time."