Product Growth Podcast

This $20M AI Founder Is Challenging Elon and Sam Altman | Roy Lee, Cluely

19 snips
Jul 6, 2025
Roy Lee, founder of Cluely, a trailblazing AI startup, shares his audacious journey from getting expelled from Ivy League schools to building a $6M ARR business. He reveals how controversy can drive growth, discussing his viral marketing tactics and unconventional fundraising strategies. Roy highlights the importance of user behavior over traditional rules in product design and engages in a lively comparison with industry giants like Elon Musk and Sam Altman. His insights on the impact of AI in today’s marketplace are both thought-provoking and entertaining.
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ANECDOTE

Roy's Provocative School Exit

  • Roy Lee was kicked out of Harvard and Columbia due to his provocative behavior and being polarizing.
  • These setbacks motivated him to channel his energy into building a bold company instead of traditional schooling.
INSIGHT

Mastering Short-Form Virality

  • Short-form content algorithms reward digestible, controversial material that forces opinions.
  • Many tech founders fail to grasp this viral formula and produce overly complex, less engaging content.
ADVICE

Create Digestible, Reactionable Content

  • Create content that is both understandable by everyone and provokes reactions.
  • If no one would quote-post your content virally, revise it for better engagement potential.
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