Cluely’s Roy Lee isn’t afraid to stir the pot — and he’s taking that daring vitality to the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 27-29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West.
He’ll dive into how he’s constructing one of the vital talked-about startups in AI, why courting controversy could be a development technique, and what it takes to face out in a loud client tech market. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Roy Lee shake issues up at Disrupt. Register right here to save lots of as much as $444 in your cross, and get 60% off a second.
How Roy Lee’s rage-baiting constructed a $15 million AI startup
Roy Lee is the co-founder and CEO of Cluely, an AI assembly assistant that gives real-time insights and turns conversations into searchable and shareable studies. Tons of of firms are pitching related merchandise, so why will we care about Cluely? What actually units Lee aside is his mastery of consideration. In an period when most startups struggle to be observed, Lee has made rage-baiting social media content material his enterprise mannequin.
Lee initially went viral as a Columbia College scholar who bought in hassle for dishonest on Large Tech interviews with an AI assistant he constructed, all of which he documented on social media. Lee then dropped out and launched Cluely, which was initially pitched because the “cheat on everything startup.” It was a tagline designed to ruffle feathers and spur engagement — a method that Cluely has turn out to be well-known for, and others have tried to repeat.
Say what you’ll about Lee’s advertising and marketing efforts, however Cluely routinely breaks by way of the noise of social media and press releases, incomes the startup visibility that firms 10 instances its dimension wrestle to purchase. Lee operates Cluely on the precept that almost all firms are enjoying it too protected and that spotlight is all you want to win the patron market.
Cluely raised $15 million in a Sequence A from Andreessen Horowitz earlier this yr and has spent its funding on flashy launch movies, dozens of content material creator interns, and an enormous workplace in San Francisco. Lee is without doubt one of the founders on the middle of the AI bubble, and he’s used it to his benefit.

Learn the way stirring the pot fuels development — seize your cross earlier than costs rise
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Lee will share how he thinks about virality as a advertising and marketing technique, his ideas on the AI bubble, and the way Cluely is constructing an enduring enterprise on high of its social media fame. Register now to save lots of as much as $444 in your cross, plus get 60% off a second. Costs enhance when occasion doorways open on October 27.
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco
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October 27-29, 2025

