When Cluely, a startup known for promising users the ability to “cheat on everything,” recently secured a $15 million Series A investment spearheaded by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the announcement provoked a wave of controversy. Critics swiftly voiced disapproval on social media platforms, questioning the ethical implications of backing a company that not only embraced provocative marketing but had yet to demonstrate a tangible, completed product.
Yet, for Bryan Kim, a partner at a16z, Cluely’s provocative approach was precisely its allure. Previously an advocate for startups meticulously crafting polished, artisanal products to ensure long-term success, Kim realized that the rise of generative AI radically altered the landscape for consumer-facing ventures. With giants like OpenAI rapidly integrating similar capabilities into their own products, slow, careful development could no longer guarantee survival. Instead, Kim argued, emerging AI startups needed to generate immediate momentum and swiftly pivot alongside market developments.
Kim elaborated on this thesis in both public commentary and recent podcast appearances, explaining that speed—whether it is in product development or marketing traction—now provides AI startups their best chance at longevity and dominance. In Lee and Cluely, he had come across a founder that perfectly embodied this high-velocity philosophy.
Even before rolling out a clearly defined product, Cluely managed to capture broad attention through viral marketing built specifically around controversy. Founder Roy Lee openly discussed this strategy, observing that social media algorithms frequently reward contentious and provocative messaging rather than nuanced, intellectual posts. Lee, who had carefully studied what type of content explodes in popularity on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, confessed that when the startup first announced itself with a slickly produced teaser video—one that featured an AI assistant secretly helping Lee lie during a date—the actual product was barely functional.
Nonetheless, the marketing gamble paid off. Despite accusations of “rage-baiting,” Cluely quickly turned its polarizing brand into paying customers, a notable accomplishment given the overwhelming noise in the crowded consumer AI landscape. Lee confidently predicts that the long-teased product launch, scheduled imminently, will generate greater excitement than a straightforward release ever could have.
Kim, applying his “momentum as moat” theory, sees Cluely’s rapid-fire marketing strategy as not only legitimate but imperative for new AI ventures facing swift industry commoditization. Rather than relying exclusively on product precision at launch, new startups must be willing, in Kim’s words, “to build the plane as it falls down the cliff.”
The upcoming official unveiling will ultimately test whether Cluely’s audacious approach can successfully transition the company from controversy-driven visibility into sustained business viability—or if the plane built mid-air crashes spectacularly back to earth.
