Published: June 25, 2025
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Cluely is breaking every rule of Silicon Valley: • Only hires engineers having >100K followers • Have 50 "growth-interns" for content • Threw a YC after-party that the Police shut down • And now raised $15M from a16z It's actually a media company in disguise 🧵

Image in tweet by Christopher Ho

The team structure is insane. Only 11 full-time employees exist, split into 2 roles having 100K+ followers each: 4 world-class engineers 7 influencers Roy's hiring rule: "Nobody who's not a great engineer has less than 100K followers."

Roy got kicked out of Columbia for building a cheating tool. But then he cracked something no other founder has: consistent daily virality. While others go viral once and disappear, Cluely's content dominates feeds every single day.

Image in tweet by Christopher Ho

Before Cluely, Roy failed at every traditional startup idea. He tried building an AI sales agent for liquor distributors - the most generic B2B concept imaginable. Then he posted a LinkedIn demo of his cheating tool. 600,000 views overnight. That's when he knew.

The YC afterparty stunt shows their method perfectly: Roy camped outside YC headquarters, posted a tongue-in-cheek party invite. 2,000 people actually showed up. Police shut it down for overcrowding. The failure became their biggest marketing win.

Image in tweet by Christopher Ho

But wait, what the heck does the company do? Cluely says that it helps you "cheat on everything". Imagine having an AI that tells you what to say in any conversation. Job interviews, sales calls, dates - it sees your screen, hears everything, and feeds you perfect responses.

Their content distribution network resembles a media empire: 50+ creators managed through internal CRM systems. Scaling to 2,000 creators across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Goal: 1 billion views across all platforms.

Image in tweet by Christopher Ho

Roy studied how Elon Musk became untouchable through polarizing content. He believes that once you reach escape velocity, controversy becomes an asset rather than a liability. The goal is getting there before burning too many bridges.

Roy's vision extends beyond typical startup goals: He genuinely believes all companies will consolidate into 2-3 super entities. His stated 50-year plan: Compete with Elon Musk and Sam Altman for universal domination.

Whether Cluely succeeds or explodes spectacularly, they've already proven something profound: Viral content can replace traditional marketing budgets. Controversy-driven growth might actually scale. The line between startup and media company is disappearing.

Image in tweet by Christopher Ho

If you found this thread valuable: 1. Follow me @chr1stopherHo for more threads on entrepreneurship and delegation. 2. RT the linked tweet to spread the word.

@Chr1stopherHo Sounds like a typical scam

@Chr1stopherHo What's the whole point of this thread? I guess you got paid advertising dollars to promote them?

@Chr1stopherHo Amazing share

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