“Most companies die because I think they get the culture wrong because it's not fucking fun to work at your startup where you're grinding 13 hours a day with people you don't even like.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading:
filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard
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More from Roy Lee
AssertionPartly supported
Amazon threatened to boycott Columbia unless they suspended Roy Lee
“An Amazon executive sees this. They send a letter to Columbia saying, essentially, you need to expel this kid, or we're never going to hire you from your school anymore, and it's, like, a very thinly veiled threat. Columbia sees the letter. They loop me into a…”
Roy LeeAug 4, 2025▶ 14:26He got kicked out of Harvard—then grew to $5M ARR in just 3 months. | Roy Lee, Co-Founder of Cluely · PMF Show
AssertionSupported
Roy Lee: I recorded myself using Interview Coder during an Amazon interview
“I record myself using it on Amazon.”
Roy LeeAug 4, 2025▶ 11:29He got kicked out of Harvard—then grew to $5M ARR in just 3 months. | Roy Lee, Co-Founder of Cluely · PMF Show
Insight
Lee: 70,000 viral telemetry data points beats talking to users
“Like, I think one of the biggest benefits of going so viral is now you don't really have to talk to users as much because you can sort of see user data and the quicker you get to see user data, like I'd rather see 70,000 user data points rather than talk to se…”
Roy LeeAug 4, 2025▶ 17:54He got kicked out of Harvard—then grew to $5M ARR in just 3 months. | Roy Lee, Co-Founder of Cluely · PMF Show
Insight
Roy Lee: Going viral and winning audience mindshare necessarily requires controversy
“To be in the mind of the audience, you must be in the eyes of the audience. And that means necessarily go viral and go viral necessarily means be controversial.”
Roy LeeAug 4, 2025▶ 31:00He got kicked out of Harvard—then grew to $5M ARR in just 3 months. | Roy Lee, Co-Founder of Cluely · PMF Show
Opinion
Roy Lee: I know the Twitter algorithm better than anyone in the world
“I think I might personally know the Twitter algorithm better than any single person in the world right now. And if there is a superpower that I have, then it would be that. Well, like at the moment, like truly, truly, I think nobody else in the world has this …”
Roy LeeAug 4, 2025▶ 12:47He got kicked out of Harvard—then grew to $5M ARR in just 3 months. | Roy Lee, Co-Founder of Cluely · PMF Show
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Lee: Cluely signed million-dollar enterprise deals because buyers found my Twitter funny
“Yeah, I mean, like, especially on Twitter, like, we literally signed million dollar enterprise contracts because people think my Twitter is funny.”
Roy LeeAug 4, 2025▶ 37:37He got kicked out of Harvard—then grew to $5M ARR in just 3 months. | Roy Lee, Co-Founder of Cluely · PMF Show
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