# Roger Lee

> Roger Lee is a San Francisco-based serial entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Comprehensive, an all-in-one compensation management platform, and the creator of Layoffs.fyi, the internet's go-to tracker for tech layoffs. He also co-founded Human Interest, a $1B+ 401(k) platform serving over 20,000 small businesses. A Harvard Applied Mathematics graduate who taught himself HTML at age 12, Lee has been building internet products since the early 2000s - including a teen social network that reached 30 million monthly views in 2003. Named to San Francisco Business Times '40 Under 40' in 2023, he's become the de facto authority on both where tech workers are being let go and how much they should be getting paid.

- **Role:** Co-Founder / CEO at Comprehensive
- **Organizations:** Comprehensive, Human Interest, Layoffs.fyi, Thunder, PaperG, SubProfile Network
- **From:** San Francisco, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, S15 Batch, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Co-founded Human Interest, a 401(k) platform valued at over $1 billion serving 20,000+ small businesses, Created Layoffs.fyi, tracking 450,000+ tech layoffs and cited by BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, WSJ, and NPR, Named to San Francisco Business Times '40 Under 40' in 2023

## Career timeline

- **2001** — Co-founded SubProfile Network, an AIM instant messaging service that reached 30 million monthly views and ranked among top 10 teen websites in 2003
- **2007** — Co-founded PaperG at Harvard with Tyler Bosmeny and others, providing digital advertising services to newspapers
- **2008** — Won Harvard i3 Innovation Challenge; graduated with BA in Applied Mathematics; turned down McKinsey offer to pursue PaperG full-time
- **2010** — PaperG secured over $1 million in funding
- **2011** — Created Job Change Notifier, a LinkedIn tool featured on TechCrunch and Mashable; PaperG named to Forbes 100 Most Promising Companies
- **2014** — PaperG (rebranded as Thunder) acquired by Walmart; Lee stepped down
- **2015** — Co-founded Human Interest (originally Captain401) with Paul Sawaya; joined Y Combinator S15 batch; obtained Series 65 investment advising certification
- **2020** — Founded Layoffs.fyi during paternity leave in March, tracking tech industry layoffs during COVID-19 pandemic
- **2021** — Human Interest raised $200M Series D; Lee co-founded Comprehensive with Teddy Sherrill
- **2022** — Comprehensive raised $6M seed round led by Inspired Capital with Floodgate, SV Angel, and others
- **2023** — Layoffs.fyi tracked approximately 450,000 tech layoffs; Lee named to SF Business Times '40 Under 40'; NYT published profile
- **2024** — Human Interest accumulated $700M+ in total financing; Comprehensive continued expanding compensation platform

## Achievements

- Co-founded Human Interest, a 401(k) platform valued at over $1 billion serving 20,000+ small businesses
- Created Layoffs.fyi, tracking 450,000+ tech layoffs and cited by BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, WSJ, and NPR
- Named to San Francisco Business Times '40 Under 40' in 2023
- Co-founded SubProfile Network as a teenager, achieving 30 million monthly views and 3 of top 10 teen websites in 2003
- Won Harvard i3 Innovation Challenge in 2008
- Raised $6M seed round for Comprehensive from top-tier investors including Inspired Capital, Floodgate, and SV Angel
- PaperG/Thunder was named to Forbes 100 Most Promising Companies in 2011 and later acquired by Walmart
- Profiled by the New York Times as the de facto authority on tech layoffs
- Layoffs.fyi attracts over 1 million monthly visitors

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Human Interest accumulated $700M+ in total financing and is planning for a potential IPO
- **2023-05** — Profiled by the New York Times; Layoffs.fyi surpassed 450,000 tracked tech layoffs
- **2023-01** — Named to San Francisco Business Times '40 Under 40'
- **2022-10** — Comprehensive featured in TechCrunch; expanding compensation platform to more companies
- **2022-01** — Comprehensive raised $6M seed round led by Inspired Capital

## Links

- Website: https://www.rogerlee.com/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerrlee
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/roger_lee

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/roger-lee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13