The founder who turned academic cheating into a $15 million funding round is doubling down on his controversial marketing playbook. Cluely's Roy Lee told startup founders at TechCrunch Disrupt that going viral - even if it makes people angry - is the only distribution strategy that matters in today's attention economy.
The startup world's most polarizing founder just gave his masterclass in manufactured controversy. Cluely's Roy Lee took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 with a simple message - if you're not making people mad, you're not marketing hard enough.
"Generally, if you're not in deep tech, then you need to low-key deep focus on distribution," Lee told the San Francisco crowd, delivering what's become his signature blend of business advice and provocation. But this wasn't your typical growth hacking talk. Lee's strategy centers on something most founders actively avoid: making enemies.
The approach has certainly paid off for Cluely. Back in April, the AI assistant exploded across social media with claims it could "help you cheat on anything" through undetectable browser windows. The backlash was swift and brutal. Multiple proctoring services quickly proved they could detect the tool, turning Lee into an overnight villain in academic circles.
But here's where Lee's playbook gets interesting - he turned that outrage into rocket fuel. Within months, Cluely had secured $15 million from Andreessen Horowitz, vaulting the company into the top tier of AI assistant startups in one of the most crowded spaces in tech.
"I think I'm particularly good at framing myself in a way that's controversial," Lee explained during his Disrupt appearance. "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."
It's a calculated admission that reveals the method behind what critics dismiss as attention-seeking behavior. Lee isn't accidentally controversial - he's weaponizing anger as a distribution mechanism. In his view, traditional PR and reputation management belong to a bygone era of controlled media narratives.
"Reputation is sort of a thing of the past," Lee 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 going batshit crazy."
