Original Title: ABG CMO is eating the world.

Original Author: @0xJuliechen, Content Creator

Translation: Lila, Richie, BlockBeats

“If your startup is not a YC-backed B2B SaaS + GPT shell company and you haven't hired ABG as the CMO, then you're basically screwed.”

Footnote:

· YC: Short for Y Combinator, widely considered the world's top startup accelerator

· B2B SaaS: Subscription-based cloud software sold to businesses

· ABG = Asian Baby Girl

I've heard similar statements from countless AI company founders, each dreaming of finding the next Cluely: a company that effortlessly gains millions of views, staying in the spotlight. (Footnote: Cluely is a highly controversial AI startup that pioneered a new paradigm of "viral marketing," details of which will be discussed later.)

ABG = Asian Baby Girl. In Silicon Valley, it has become synonymous with young Asian women who excel in social media marketing. They are particularly skilled at creating eye-catching content, publishing virally spread articles, and marketing in a distinctive way. Suddenly, all AI startups are competing to hire them as CMOs.

Why? Because a viral post is much more effective than spending $50,000 on an advertising campaign.

A carefully cultivated "thought leader" persona on LinkedIn is less effective in gaining attention and engagement than posting a sharp comment or a selfie on X.

Are Asians naturally born marketers?

No, let me clarify: this has nothing to do with race (everyone of every race has the same capabilities). This exposes some deeper issues in the evolution of the startup market.

The Feedback Loop in the Tech Market

From past viral cases (such as @cluely), it can be seen that VCs chasing "engagement signals" have prioritized them over traditional financial metrics, leading to more funds flowing into more personality-driven, social-first projects.

Nowadays, more college students choose to become content creators rather than take a $200k salary at a tech giant, so more startups hire "ABGs" for marketing, raising the overall tech marketing standard and empowering creators with higher-quality marketing resources.

Social media interaction data has become the sole metric for marketing effectiveness.

And this feedback loop is accelerating: more attention means more funding, resulting in higher barriers to entry, attracting more talent shifts, until a stronger attention monopoly is formed.

Likes, views, and shares are no longer just vanity metrics but have become the new standard for due diligence.

The focus is not on ABG, but on the attention economy.

How to Capture People's Hearts? Cluely Provided the Perfect Answer

· Narrative: "Cheat on Everything" — perfectly aligned with founder @im_roy_lee's story (expelled from Columbia/Harvard University). This is not just a slogan but a carefully crafted rags-to-riches story.

From "a complete loser" to "cheating with AI, breaking into FAANG, YC, and A16Z." This kind of underdog narrative often simultaneously ignites people's aspirations and anger.

· Industrial Viral Machine: They recruited over 700 "clippers" — mostly small creators on TikTok/Instagram. The model is: pay for performance. $1 per thousand views. Zero upfront costs.

· Content Formula: Nonsense tweets  + Edge of attractiveness + Lifestyle flaunting. Party videos (like the halted "$1.5 million Rager"), founder Roy Lee's portrayal as a "genius intern," flaunting wealth, and disdain for traditional education. This marketing makes you think, "I really want to join this group of cool kids."

· Omni-Platform Domination: X is responsible for cultivating a thought leader persona (150K+ followers), with TikTok/Instagram as the main battleground, while LinkedIn/Reddit are used to spark native controversies.

What were the results? Daily views exceeding 10 million, with 1 billion views in 3 months, at a cost much lower than traditional advertising. While the traditional CPM is $4, they only need around $1.

However, the fatal flaw lies in: The marketing investment far outweighs the product; in reality, they never developed a decent, marketable product. Viral spread is not a byproduct but their sole product.

When Cluely pivoted to an "AI Note-taking Tool," the whole web mocked them. People wondered where all that money went.

Some even suggested: Since they are so good, why not just become a marketing agency for other AI companies?

But the most unbelievable part is: They did capture a certain truth. In this age of attention scarcity, "All press is good press."

Truly ironic: Everyone ridicules Cluely, yet everyone wants to be Cluely.

(If you hate me but keep following my updates, you are my fan.)

What is the truth, after all?

Attention is conquering the world.

Capital is flowing to companies that own consumer mind share rather than just market share. Today, the best product may not stand out; it is the product with the best story that prevails.

Every founder must also be a CMO, creating their own IP. While the product is crucial, without marketing, your product will go unnoticed.

The next wave of successful startups will not be built by the best engineers. They will be created by those who "speak both code and marketing."

Welcome to the new game.

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