@im_roy_lee
Instagram · Cinematic Trailer
@im_roy_lee just raised 15m to build a cheating company. follow for more.
@im_roy_lee
Instagram · Cinematic Trailer
@im_roy_lee just raised 15m to build a cheating company. follow for more.
Performance
Video #18941 · Cinematic Trailer
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The video presents a fictional origin story for a tech startup called 'Cluely.' It begins by showing the founder, Roy Lee, being expelled from Columbia University for creating an AI tool to cheat on job interviews. Undeterred, he launches 'Cluely,' an AI tool to 'cheat on everything,' which quickly gains popularity among students and secures a $15 million investment from a16z, culminating in a celebratory party and the tagline, 'today it's cheating, tomorrow it's fair.'
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What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds
Title hook · 30%
Cluely
Visual hook · 70%
The video opens with a dramatic, low-light shot of a young man intensely focused on writing complex formulas on a whiteboard. The cinematic lighting and serious expression create a sense of mystery and high stakes.
[06]
Steal this for your own video
Caught , he didn't stop. He built .
[07]
The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back
Hook
The Foundational Premise: Open with a scene that visually represents the core concept, accompanied by on-screen text that concisely explains the protagonist's initial controversial creation and its purpose.
Payoff
The Philosophical Tagline: The video concludes with a simple, memorable, and thought-provoking statement on a black screen that encapsulates the core philosophy behind the protagonist's actions.
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The structural pattern this video runs on
Framework
The Rebel Vindicated
This framework tells the story of a protagonist who is punished by an established institution for a controversial idea, only to pivot and achieve massive success by doubling down on that same idea, thereby proving the institution wrong.
The Institutional Condemnation
An authoritative voice or text delivers a negative judgment against the protagonist, showing the immediate consequences and rejection by the 'old guard' for their actions.
The Defiant Manifesto
The protagonist verbally rejects the institution's judgment, reframing their controversial action not as a flaw, but as a forward-thinking vision that the establishment is too slow to understand.
The Rebellious Pivot
The narrative jumps forward to show the protagonist has transformed their 'crime' into a formal venture (a company, a movement, a product), escalating the original concept into something bigger.
The Market Vindication
The protagonist is shown receiving a significant, undeniable form of external validation (e.g., funding, a major award, a massive crowd) that proves their controversial idea has value and support.
just raised 15m to build a cheating company. follow for more.
branding · beginning
Cluely
informational · beginning
In February 2025, Roy Lee created Interview Coder, an AI tool to cheat on job interviews.
informational · beginning
In March, he was kicked from Columbia University after using it to land several top tech jobs.
informational · middle
A month later, he started Cluely, an AI tool to cheat on everything.
informational · end
$15 Million
branding · end
Cluely x a16z
title · end
today it's cheating
title · end
today it's cheating, tomorrow it's fair.
Better Lee, Columbia University has found you guilty of academic integrity violations. Do you have anything to say? Look, I I've already apologized to school, but to be honest, No in the water just hit you thinking it'll last us through the summer? Welcome to Cluey.