Police shut down Cluely’s party, the ‘cheat at everything’ startup

The newest San Francisco startup tradition drama occurred on Monday evening. And it centered round “essentially the most legendary occasion that by no means occurred,” Cluely founder and CEO Roy Lee tells TechCrunch.

Cluely had hoped to throw an after-party for a Y Combinator occasion occurring on Monday and Tuesday known as AI Startup School. 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 marketing. True to type, Lee posted a satirical video on X promoting his after-party. 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 really ship invitations out to the hordes. “We solely invited associates and associates of associates,” he mentioned.

However it turned the occasion, and other people shared the main points. When it was set to start, so many people were standing outside the venue that the strains wrapped round blocks. “It simply blew up means out of proportion,” Lee says. What appeared like 2,000 individuals confirmed up, he added.

A celebration that huge may need gotten uncontrolled, nevertheless it didn’t get the prospect. The strains have been blocking visitors, so the cops confirmed up and shut it down. “Cluely’s aura is simply too sturdy!” Lee was heard shouting outdoors because the cops busted it up.

“It will have been essentially the most legendary occasion in tech historical past. And I’d argue that the status of this story would possibly simply make it essentially the most legendary occasion that by no means occurred,” Lee tells TechCrunch, concurrently proud and bummed.

Lee turned recognized 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 every thing.” In April, Cluely raised a $5.3 million seed spherical, and its advertising and marketing is now rather less in-your-face: “All the things you want. Earlier than you ask.” 

The occasion and its demise by legislation enforcement naturally turned the topic of jokes, memes, and creative rumors. Lee’s clarification of the crowds outdoors is probably extra uninteresting 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.