Silicon Valley’s VC firm, Andreesen Howowitz, has reportedly backed an AI start-up called ‘Cluely Inc’, which is known for its controversial marketing tactics on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). The investor has reportedly led a $15 million funding round for the artificial intelligence platform, as per Bloomberg reports.
Interestingly, the start-up gained viral fame for its marketing campaign, “cheat on everything.” Its 21-year-old founder, Roy Lee, has created a tool named “Interview Coder” that helped technical job candidates cheat on interviews using AI. “I’m completely kicked out from school. LOL!” he earlier wrote on LinkedIn.
Cluely is developing AI-powered transcription and related services. The start-up has been making waves online with a series of bold and attention-grabbing posts and videos. Recently, it also announced plans to hire 50 interns and even offered to cover dating app subscriptions for employees.
Currently, Cluely only has a handful of employees. However, it has hired over 60 interns. T he majority aren’t focused on engineering—instead, they’re dedicated to content creation, all in pursuit of the company’s bold ambition: to capture the attention of a billion people.
“Our ultimate bet is on attention. At a certain point we might have to tone down, but I think right now, culture has changed. Nobody watches TV anymore and commercials are dead. What’s alive right now is brain-rot marketing,” Lee said on Friday, as quoted by the report.
The start-up sees a shift toward a more casual approach in business and believes conventional marketing avenues like television are losing their impact. Lee acknowledged the skepticism surrounding Cluely, saying, “We’re betting on what happens when half the world loves you and the other half hates you. No one’s tested that before.”
One of its more talked-about stunts featured Lee in a slickly produced video, using Cluely’s AI to coach him through a date with an older woman. Earlier this month, the company attempted to host a start-up party that, according to TechCrunch, was shut down by police before it even began—further adding to its reputation for chaotic, viral marketing.
The VC firm appreciated the company’s campaigns during the funding round announcement. It termed Cluely’s marketing tactics as “rooted in deliberate strategy and intentionality”. “They have generated impressive brand awareness and mindshare. The campaigns have translated into meaningful consumer subscription revenue for its productivity tools,” the investors said, as quoted by Bloomberg.
This is not the first time Andreessen Horowitz has supported controversial figures. Recently, the VC firm also recruited Daniel Penny, who was acquitted after a highly publicized trial for using a chokehold an agitated man on a New York subway.
