Chungin “Roy” Lee, a 21-year-old Columbia University student has raised $5.3 million for his startup Cluely, which offers an AI tool that helps “cheat on everything.” This came shortly after Lee posted a viral X thread where he mentioned he was suspended by Columbia University after he and his co-founder developed a tool to cheat on job interviews for software engineers.
The tool, originally called “Interview Coder” is now part of Cluely. It allows users to “cheat” on exams, sales calls, and job interviews through a hidden window that cannot be viewed by the interviewer or test giver.
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Cluely published a “manifesto” that claimed it “wanted you to cheat on everything.” The manifesto states that use of the calculator, spellcheck, and Google, were once considered cheating, and claims this tool is just part of the natural progression of technology. At the same time, it says that AI is not just another tool, but it would “redefine how our world works.”
Cluely also produced a rather controversial launch video that showed Lee using Cluely while on a date, with him using the tool to lie about his age and his knowledge of art. While some praised this ad for grabbing attention, it was also derided as “dystopian,” and “reminiscent of the show Black Mirror.”
Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures were the investors that led Cluely’s seed funding. Along with Lee, Cluely was co-founded by Neel Shanmugam, a fellow Columbia University student. Shanmugam was also embroiled in disciplinary proceedings at Columbia over the AI tool. Both co-founders have dropped out of Columbia, according to the university’s student newspaper.
Lee says he was able to obtain an internship with Amazon using the AI cheating tool. While Amazon did not comment on this specific case, it said its job candidates must acknowledge they won’t use unauthorized tools during the interview process.