Why This Series Exists

Most business advice is backwards. It starts with tactics (growth hacks, funnel optimization, messaging frameworks) and works backward to strategy. But tactics without position are just expensive experiments. You’re throwing spaghetti at the wall and calling the ones that stick “insights.”

Here’s what actually works: Position → Identity → Distribution → Tactics.

The companies that win don’t have better tactics. They own concepts in customers’ minds. Once you own a concept (a noun, not an adjective), everything else becomes obvious. Your distribution chooses itself. Your product roadmap writes itself. Your customers explain you better than you explain yourself.

This series, “From Clarity to Gravity,” exists to reveal what’s actually happening when companies create pull instead of push. Not the story they tell investors. Not the tactics that get credited. But the mental territory they’ve claimed and how that ownership makes everything else inevitable.

Who Should Read This

This is for CEOs and founders who sense something’s off with the standard playbook. You’ve done the customer interviews, built the MVP, and crafted the messaging. But it feels like you’re pushing a boulder uphill while watching competitors coast.

It’s for product leaders tired of feature factories. Marketing leaders tired of campaign hamster wheels. Sales leaders tired of discount negotiations. All symptoms of the same disease: you’re competing on tactics when you should be competing on meaning.

And it’s for anyone who wants to understand how mental territory actually works — how a company can sell water for $4 a can (Liquid Death), turn note-taking into controversy (Cluely), or make enterprise software feel like joining a movement (Notion).

What You’ll Get

Each volume in this series deconstructs a company that’s creating unusual gravity in its market. Not because they have better features or bigger budgets, but because they own a concept that matters to someone’s identity.

You’ll learn to see past the surface, past the growth metrics, viral campaigns, and feature announcements to the positional engine underneath. More importantly, you’ll learn to build that engine yourself.

This isn’t about copying tactics. It’s about understanding the physics of mental ownership so you can claim your own territory.

The Framework: From Clarity to Gravity

Before we dive into Cluely, let me explain how this works.

Clarity is knowing what you sell. It’s features, benefits, use cases. Most companies stop here. They achieve clarity and wonder why growth is still hard.

Gravity is owning what you mean. It’s when customers think of you not because they need your product, but because they need to be who your product makes them. Gravity creates pull. Customers find you. Investors chase you. Talent recruits itself.

The path from clarity to gravity runs through position, specifically, by owning a noun in customers’ minds. Not describing yourself with adjectives (we’re fast, simple, powerful), but claiming ownership of a concept (we ARE speed, simplicity, power).

Why Cluely Makes the Framework Visible

I’m starting with Cluely because they make the hidden mechanics obvious. Most companies bury their position under corporate speak and feature lists. Cluely leads with it: “We built Cluely so you never have to think alone again… The future won’t reward effort. It’ll reward leverage.” That’s not a value prop. It’s a worldview. And worldviews, when they connect to identity, exert a gravitational pull.

Cluely and the Monopoly on “Command”

Part 1: The Story They Want You to Hear

Ask Cluely what they do, and they’ll tell you about real-time AI that whispers answers during your calls. They’ll mention the invisible overlay, the ambient assistance, and the fact that it works during the conversation instead of after.

But that’s not why they matter.

They matter because they’re attempting something most companies don’t even know is possible: owning a concept so completely that competitors can only define themselves in relation to it.

The concept is Command.

Not assistance. Not productivity. Not even intelligence. Command. The felt ability to control any live conversation, to set the pace, to never be the one scrambling for words.

The Strategy They Claim

Cluely’s founders position their strategy as “AI maximalism” meets viral distribution. Launch with controversy (“we help you cheat”), capitalize on the attention to users, and convert curiosity into revenue. Simple.

The metrics they parade support this story: 100,000 users quickly, ARR jumping from $3 million to $7 million after enterprise features, and unnamed Fortune 500 companies doubling contracts. Classic hypergrowth markers. But metrics are outcomes, not causes. The cause is position.

The Tactics That Get Credit

Everyone talks about Cluely’s marketing: the Columbia cheating scandal recreation, the “dating” ad, and the founder Roy Lee playing controversy like jazz. They’ve built a creator network comprising over 60 creators and 700 “clippers” that transforms every product update into content events.

These tactics work because they’re position-coherent. When you own “Command,” controversial marketing makes sense. You’re already promising something that makes people uncomfortable (helping them dominate situations where they might naturally struggle). The edgy marketing makes the position visible.

What Nobody Says Out Loud

The product shipped broken. Early reviews documented 5-10 second delays, generic suggestions, and hallucinations. As one reviewer put it: “It didn’t help me cheat on anything.”

This should have killed them. It didn’t. Because position creates patience, when you own a concept that people want to be true, they’ll forgive present failures for the promise of the future. They’re not buying your product, they’re buying membership in the future you’re describing.

Part 2: The Mental Territory Map

To understand what Cluely actually owns, you need to map the mental territory in their space:

Cluely owns Command (control in the live moment)
Otter/Fireflies own Recall (perfect memory of what happened)
Microsoft/Google own Assistance (help with tasks)
Gong/Chorus own Coaching (learning from patterns)

See the difference? Three of these four positions involve work that occurs during the conversation. Only Cluely stakes its claim on the conversation itself. The live, high-pressure, someone’s-watching moment where you either sound sharp or you don’t.

This focus on the moment creates natural boundaries. Competitors can’t suddenly claim to own “command” without abandoning their current positions. Otter can’t pivot from “never forget anything” to “never freeze up” without confusing everyone who already knows them for memory.

Why “Command” Works

Command connects to something primal. It’s not about being smarter, it’s about being steadier. Every professional has felt that stomach-drop moment when they’re asked a question they should know but don’t. When the client challenges their expertise. When the interview takes an unexpected turn.

Command promises immunity from that feeling. Not through preparation (that’s anxiety-inducing), but through real-time support (that’s relief). The brilliance is that command travels across contexts while maintaining its meaning:

In sales: command the objection
In interviews: command the conversation
In support: command the escalation
In leadership: command the room

Same noun, different applications. That’s positional leverage.

Part 3: The Identity Purchase

People don’t buy Cluely for the features. They buy it for who they get to be while using it.

The Identity Stack

Surface identity: “I’m someone who uses tools to win”
Deeper identity: “I refuse to be dominated by situations”
Core identity: “I am in control of my outcomes”

This isn’t about cheating, despite the marketing. It’s about refusing to accept that some people are naturally better at thinking on their feet. It’s saying “I reject the premise that quick-wittedness is fixed.”

Who Actually Buys

The early adopters tell you everything about the position:

Anxious high-performers who know they’re smart but freeze under pressure
Strivers in high-judgment environments (sales, consulting, startups)
Anyone whose success depends on live performance but who identifies as a preparer, not a performer

These aren’t demographics. They’re psychographics. More specifically, they’re identity graphics. People who share a common story about who they are and who they want to be.

The B2B Translation

In an enterprise, “command” can’t be sold as “cheating.” But it doesn’t need to be. The noun translates perfectly into corporate-safe language:

“Real-time performance support”
“Conversational intelligence”
“Live coaching and enablement”

The buyers change the label to protect their reputation. Users still feel the same way: they want a command. That’s the beauty of owning a noun. It survives translation.

Part 4: Why Everything Works (Or Doesn’t)

Once you understand that Cluely owns “Command,” their choices make sense:

Why the Viral Marketing Works

Command is inherently controversial. It suggests someone has an unfair advantage. The marketing just makes that tension explicit. When they say “it feels like cheating,” they’re not being edgy. They’re being honest about what command means in competitive contexts.

Why the Creator Network Works

Command needs to be seen to be believed. You can’t explain the feeling of having the perfect response appear just as you need it. You have to show it. Creators provide infinite surface area for demonstration.

Why the Product Struggles Matter Less Than You’d Think

When latency hits 5-10 seconds, command dies. You can’t be in command if you’re visibly waiting for help. This is Cluely’s real risk — not competition, not regulation, but the gap between the command they promise and the assistance they currently deliver.

However, what’s interesting is that users keep trying. They want command to be real so badly that they’ll tolerate a broken product while it improves. That’s the power of position. It creates patience that features alone never could.

Why the Enterprise Pivot Was Inevitable

Command scales up better than it scales down. A consumer might want command occasionally (job interviews, first dates). An enterprise seller wants it every day, multiple times a day. The value density is higher, the willingness to pay is higher, and the identity fit is tighter.

Part 5: The Strategic Lessons

This isn’t about Cluely. It’s about what Cluely teaches us about position.

Lesson 1: Own Nouns, Not Adjectives

Every startup claims to be “faster,” “smarter,” “easier.” These are adjectives. They modify nouns that someone else owns. When you define yourself through adjectives, you’re playing on someone else’s field.

Nouns are different. When you own a noun, you own the field. Everyone else has to position relative to you. Once Volvo owned “safety,” everyone else could only be “safe too” or “safer than,” inherently weaker positions.

Lesson 2: Position Chooses Distribution

Cluely didn’t choose controversial marketing. Command chose it. When your position challenges social norms (like the norm that you should know the answers yourself), controversy becomes your most authentic voice.

This is why copying tactics fails. Liquid Death’s metal aesthetic works because they own “death” to water’s “life.” If Dasani tried the same tactics, they’d just look confused.

Lesson 3: Identity Beats Features

Features are what you build. Identity is why people buy. Cluely’s features are arguably worse than competitors’ — slower, less accurate, more likely to hallucinate. But they’re the only ones promising command, and command is what anxious high-performers want to feel.

Lesson 4: The First 30 Seconds Are Everything

Command lives or dies in the first suggestion Cluely makes. If it’s perfect (fast, accurate, natural-sounding), the user feels the promised identity. If it’s slow or wrong, the illusion shatters.

Most products spread their value across the entire experience. Positional products concentrate it in moments. For Cluely, that moment is the first time you say their suggestion out loud, and it works.

Lesson 5: Positions Evolve Through Three Stages

Shock → Norm → Default

Cluely is leaving Shock (where “cheating” language lives) and entering Norm (where “command” becomes acceptable to discuss). Eventually, if they succeed, they’ll reach Default, where having command in conversations becomes expected, like spell-check in documents.

The challenge is maintaining ownership as the position normalizes. Once everyone accepts that real-time conversation support should exist, why should Cluely own it? This is where depth matters more than first-mover advantage.

Part 6: What Cluely Must Do Now

Understanding their position clarifies their path forward:

1. Make Command Instantaneous

The north star metric isn’t user growth or ARR. It’s Time-to-Command (TTC). How many milliseconds are there between when someone needs help and when perfect help appears? Everything that doesn’t improve TTC is a distraction.

2. Instrument the Moments That Matter

Meetings aren’t monoliths. They’re made of moments:

The opening (who sets the frame?)
The challenge (who maintains composure?)
The close (who drives next steps?)

Build Command Scores for each moment. Show users exactly when and how they took control.

3. Create Voice Coherence

Command has to sound like me. If the suggestion sounds like a robot or a different person, I’m not in command. I’m a puppet. Build voice profiles that match not just tone but thinking style.

4. Publish the Ethics Framework

Own the conversation about ethical use. Define what command is (preparedness, presence, performance) and isn’t (deception, impersonation, manipulation). The company that writes the rules shapes the category.

5. Build Command Equity Through Stories

Every case study should highlight 2-3 specific moments where command changed the outcome. Not “saved 5 hours a week” but “recovered from brutal objection at 15:32 mark.” Make command visible and measurable.

Part 7: What This Means for You

You’re not Cluely. You probably don’t want their controversy or their specific position. But their pattern is yours to steal.

Finding Your Noun

Start here: What concept, if you owned it completely, would make competition irrelevant?

Not what you do. Everyone can copy features. Not how you do it. Everyone can copy processes. But what you mean in the customer’s mind when they’re making sense of their world.

Some questions to excavate your noun:

What state do customers want to achieve through you?
What identity transformation happens when someone succeeds with your product?
What word do customers use when they recommend you that isn’t about features?
What competition can’t you escape, even when you’re technically different?

Testing Your Position

Once you have a candidate noun, test it:

Relevance: Does it connect to a real human need or desire?
Differentiation: Can you credibly claim to own it?
Coherence: Does everything about your business reinforce it?
Scalability: Does it expand or contract as you grow?
Defensibility: Would competitors damage themselves trying to take it?

Building Your Gravity

If the noun passes those tests, commit completely:

Codify it everywhere: Make the noun your north star for every decision
Instrument for it: Create metrics that prove the noun is happening
Hire for it: Build a team that embodies the noun naturally
Design for it: Make product choices that maximize the noun, even at feature cost
Communicate through it: Let the noun choose your marketing, not vice versa

Part 8: The Physics of Mental Territory

What Cluely really teaches us isn’t about AI or meetings or ethics. It’s about how mental territory works — the physics of owning concepts in minds.

Territory Is Exclusive

Only one company can own a noun in a category. Once Volvo owns safety, BMW can’t have it. They must find another noun (performance) or create a new category (ultimate driving machines vs. safe family cars). This exclusivity creates power. When you own a noun, you don’t compete. You define the terms everyone else competes on.

Territory Compounds

The longer you own a noun, the harder it becomes to dislodge. Every customer story, every product update, every marketing campaign adds weight to your ownership. Eventually, the noun becomes so associated with you that competitors sound derivative just mentioning it.

Territory Chooses Everything

Once you commit to a noun, it makes decisions for you:

What features to build (ones that reinforce the noun)
What customers to serve (ones who value the noun)
What story to tell (the one where the noun is the hero)
What metrics matter (proof the noun is happening)

This isn’t constraining. It’s liberating. Instead of infinite options, you have a clear filter.

The One Question That Matters

Forget about TAM and SAM. Forget about JTBD and PMF. Forget about CAC and LTV. These are all downstream metrics that follow from something more fundamental:

What noun will you own?

Answer that, and everything else is execution. Fail to answer it, and everything else is theatre.

Cluely owns Command. The felt ability to control live conversations. That ownership explains their growth, their controversy, their struggles, and their future. Every tactical success and failure flows from that positional choice.

Your noun is waiting. It might be uncomfortable (like Command). It might seem too simple (like Safety). It might challenge category conventions (like Death for water).

But once you name it, claim it, and prove it consistently, you stop pushing your business up the hill. You create gravity. And gravity brings everything (customers, talent, capital, attention) to you.

That’s the shift from clarity to gravity. That’s what this series will keep revealing, one company at a time.

The question isn’t whether you’ll choose a noun to own. The question is whether you’ll choose it consciously and own it completely, or let the market choose it for you and own it partially.

The companies we’ll study chose consciously. That’s why they matter. That’s why they win.

Find Your “Command” (Without the Controversy)

You just saw how Cluely owns “Command” and why that ownership matters more than their features, funding, or viral videos.

Now the question: What noun will you own?

Before you hire a messaging consultant to wordsmith your homepage, or an agency to “refresh your brand,” or someone to fix what they’ll call positioning (but is really just tactical framing), try this first.

The CEO Clarity Starter Kit

It does exactly what we just analyzed in this case study. It helps you find and own your noun.

What you do:

Run the Position Audit (reveals what noun you might already own without knowing it)
Complete the 8-Question Advisor (the same questions that would surface “Command” for Cluely)
Feed the output into ClarityGPT (included)

What you get:

Your noun. The concept you can actually own, not just claim
A 4-Level Positioning Canvas showing how to move from saying it to OWNING it (like Cluely moved from saying “real-time AI” to owning “Command”)
ClarityGPT translates your position into landing pages, offers, and LinkedIn profiles (written in your buyer’s voice, not consultant-speak)
A 30-day positioning course so you can apply this method without me

Time required: About an hour (less time than reading three more case studies about tactics that won’t work without position)

Who’s used it: 200+ CEOs and founders who were tired of pushing uphill

Investment: $249 USD

Most realize they don’t need the consultant or agency after this. Or they need far less than they thought. Because once you know your noun (your “Command”) the tactics become obvious. The distribution chooses itself. The customers explain you better than you explain yourself.

And yes, if you buy the kit, it nudges me closer to that Porsche in the photo. Thanks in advance for supporting excellent positioning and questionable life choices.

Stop competing on features. Start owning concepts.

Get your CEO Clarity Starter Kit

P.S. — Cluely raised $15M and built a creator army to establish “Command.” You probably don’t need that. You just need to know what noun you’re fighting for. The kit shows you how to find it.

From Clarity to Gravity (Vol. 1): How Cluely Owns “Command” and Why Your Tactics Don’t Matter