The ground is shifting. For many, the idea of AI displacing jobs, automating tasks, and challenging how we work and live is a distant possibility – a storm on the horizon. For Roy Lee, that storm has already arrived, and he’s not running from it. He’s stepping right into the center.
Roy is the founder of Cluely, an AI-based productivity tool that began as a controversial “cheating” app and now has something more ambitious in mind. With over 70,000 users and $1 million in annual recurring revenue just 16 days after launch, Cluely is less about breaking the rules and more about rewriting them entirely.
“The future you fear of AI sort of coming, taking jobs, and displacing people, it’s not just coming, it’s already here,” Roy warns.
For Roy, the signs are clear. AI isn’t some far-off threat or long-hyped technology. It’s a force in motion that is already reshaping classrooms, boardrooms, and every digital space in between. His message is not subtle: if you are not using AI yet, you are behind. The world isn’t going to pause and wait for you to get to a stand and figure it out.
Resistance Is Futile But Familiarity Frees You
The rapid rise of AI has left many individuals feeling uncertain. For every new tool, there’s a fear of what it replaces – a job, a skill, even a sense of purpose. However, Roy’s advice to skeptics is simple: don’t resist it. Try it.
“If you’re on the fence about what the future of AI means, then I would encourage you just to give it a try. Most of the time, fear of the unknown comes from the unknown being unknown,” Roy says.
This isn’t just philosophical. It’s practical. In Roy’s world, the professionals who win aren’t necessarily the most traditional or experienced. They’re the ones who adopt, adapt, and automate. Cluely was designed to help with exactly that: removing friction from productivity by acting as an omnipresent digital assistant, working invisibly in the background to help users answer questions, write code, take notes, and even plan strategy. That’s why many call it cheating. Roy, however, sees it differently.
“This is the ultimate productivity tool. It just enables so much productivity that people often feel like this is cheating.”
Roy’s vision is clear: tools like Cluely aren’t replacing you. They’re equipping you to operate at a new level – a level where AI helps you answer questions before you’ve even finished asking them. Where work becomes fluid, thinking becomes faster, and decisions become clearer.
They’re not alone. In a recent report, McKinsey projected that generative AI could contribute up to $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy, disrupting nearly every sector – from finance and education to healthcare and creative industries. The implication is clear: AI is no longer an edge case. It’s the new baseline.
The Collapse of Systems and the Rise of a New One
Roy’s worldview doesn’t stop at productivity tools. He believes that the existing structures that define our society, schools, corporations, and even nation-states are poised to unravel soon.
“Everything as we know it in society is about to be changed in the next five to 10 years,” he predicts. “Entire social orders, entire economic systems will collapse.”
That may sound extreme. However, history has shown that when technology reaches a certain inflection point, the old ways of doing things often become obsolete. Just as industrial machines displaced manual laborers, AI is set to reshape knowledge work at its core.
Roy believes Cluely will be at the heart of that change. His ambition isn’t just to build a successful company. He wants to “conquer the entire application layer of AI,” transforming Cluely into the operating system for productivity in the age of intelligence.
The numbers support his urgency. After going viral with a promotional video that earned 12 million views, Cluely converted viewers at a 0.25% rate, an impressive early sign for a tool still in its infancy. Now, Roy says, they’re on track to be the fastest company in history to hit $100 million in ARR.
“We’re hoping to be the fastest company in history to see $100 million in annual recurring revenue… which I think is actually pretty doable for us.”
His vision extends even further. He talks openly about integrating Cluely into our minds through “brain chips,” creating a world where the boundary between human and machine dissolves – a world where we don’t just use AI; we become AI-assisted humans. That may scare some, but to Roy, it’s inevitable.
The Only Safe Place Is the Eye of the Storm
In Roy’s mind, the safest place isn’t on the sidelines – it’s right in the middle of the AI revolution. That’s where the opportunity lies. That’s where the real transformation happens.
He says, “The only safe place to be is in the eye of the storm. The future is now.”
To many, that storm feels chaotic, but to Roy, it’s clarity. In the eye, you’re not paralyzed by fear or overwhelmed by disruption. You’re moving with the current, not against it. You’re building, adapting, and evolving.
That’s what makes Roy’s worldview so radical. He’s not asking people to follow him into the future. He’s telling them they’re already in it, whether they realize it or not.
About Roy Lee
Roy Lee is the founder and CEO of Cluely, a bold new AI startup reshaping how people prepare for high-stakes moments. At just 21 years old, Roy made headlines after being suspended from Columbia University for developing an early version of his technology. What started as a controversial side project quickly evolved into Cluely, a San Francisco–based company backed by $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. Roy is leading a conversation about how technology can level the playing field, even when it breaks the rules. To learn more, visit cluely.com.
