The most recent San Francisco startup tradition drama occurred on Monday evening. And it centered round “probably the most legendary occasion that by no means occurred,” Cluely founder and CEO Roy Lee tells TechCrunch.
Cluely had hoped to throw an afterparty for a Y Combinator occasion occurring on Monday and Tuesday known as AI Startup College. The occasion drew crowds due to scheduled audio system like Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, and Elon Musk.
Cluely is an AI startup born of controversy and rage-bait comedy advertising and marketing. True to kind, Lee posted a satirical video on X promoting his afterparty. It exhibits him camped out by the famed Y Combinator signal — the one all of the YC founders take selfies with. (Cluely shouldn’t be a YC startup.)
The tweet marketed the occasion to his greater than 100,000 followers and mentioned to DM for an invitation. Lee tells TechCrunch that he didn’t truly ship invitations out to the hordes. “We solely invited buddies and buddies of buddies,” he mentioned.
However it grew to become the occasion, and other people shared the main points. When it was set to start, so many individuals have been standing exterior the venue that the traces wrapped round blocks. “It simply blew up approach out of proportion,” Lee says. What appeared like 2,000 individuals confirmed up, he added.
A celebration that large may need gotten uncontrolled, however it didn’t get the possibility. The traces have been blocking visitors, so the cops confirmed up and shut it down. “Cluely’s aura is simply too robust!” Lee was heard shouting exterior because the cops busted it up.
“It might have been probably the most legendary occasion in tech historical past. And I might argue that the popularity of this story would possibly simply make it probably the most legendary occasion that by no means occurred,” Lee tells TechCrunch, concurrently proud and bummed.
Lee grew to become identified in San Francisco when he posted a viral tweet on X saying he was suspended by Columbia College after he and his co-founder developed an AI instrument to cheat on job interviews for software program engineers.
They turned that instrument right into a startup that gives a hidden in-browser window that may’t be seen by an interviewer or proctor. The startup additionally went viral for its advertising and marketing that promised to assist individuals “cheat on all the things.” In April, Cluely raised a $5.3 million seed spherical, and its advertising and marketing is now rather less in-your-face: “The whole lot you want. Earlier than you ask.”
The occasion and its law-enforcement demise naturally grew to become the topic of jokes, memes and creative rumors. Lee’s rationalization of the crowds exterior is maybe extra boring than what some individuals imagined. After the cops confirmed, “We did some cleanup, however the drinks are all there ready for the following occasion,” he guarantees.
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