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Trending short videosFictional origin story of a startup
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@im_roy_lee

Instagram · Cinematic Trailer

@im_roy_lee just raised 15m to build a cheating company. follow for more.

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Views
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Likes
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Comments
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Engagement
3.4%
Outlier
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Video #18941 · Cinematic Trailer

Fictional origin story of a startupfrom @im_roy_lee

[01]

Overview

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.'

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1Introduce a controversial idea
  2. 2Show establishment punishment
  3. 3Reveal triumphant pivot
  4. 4Deliver philosophical tagline

[03]

Related videos

[04]

Classification

Concepts
Origin StoryHype TeaserBrand Manifesto
Elements
Montage EditingColor GradingText OverlaySlow Motion

[05]

Hook analysis

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]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

Caught [doing something controversial], he didn't stop. He built [what he created instead].

  • — Caught reselling school supplies for profit, he didn't stop. He built a seven-figure e-commerce brand.
  • — Caught automating his entire job with scripts, he didn't stop. He built a SaaS tool that does it for everyone.
  • — Caught brewing kombucha in his dorm room, he didn't stop. He built the fastest-growing gut health brand on campus.

[07]

Hook and payoff

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.

[08]

Narrative framework

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.

  1. 1

    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.

  2. 2

    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.

  3. 3

    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.

  4. 4

    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.

Themes

  • Disruption
  • Ambition
  • Ethics in technology
  • Redemption

Techniques

  • Narrative storytelling
  • Cinematic lighting
  • Montage editing

Trends

  • Founder origin stories
  • AI disruption narrative

Post caption

just raised 15m to build a cheating company. follow for more.

Text overlays

  • 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.

Transcript

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.

Fictional origin story of a startup | Viral Hooks