On Sunday, Chungin “Roy” Lee, aged 21, revealed that he has secured $5.3 million in seed funding for his startup, Cluely, from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. Cluely provides an AI tool designed to assist users in “cheating” on various tasks.
Lee’s company was established following his suspension from Columbia University, as he and his co-founder developed a tool aimed at aiding software engineers in cheating during job interviews. This tool, initially named Interview Coder, now forms part of Cluely, a startup based in San Francisco. Cluely’s tool allows users to discreetly “cheat” on exams, sales calls, and job interviews using an invisible in-browser window, undetectable to interviewers or examiners.
Cluely has released a manifesto comparing its services to innovations such as calculators and spellcheck, which were originally criticized as forms of cheating. The company also produced a launch video featuring Lee using a hidden AI assistant to deceitfully engage with someone on a date, which received mixed reactions. Some viewers appreciated the attention-grabbing nature of the video, while others criticized it for resembling the dystopian themes of the television series “Black Mirror.”
According to TechCrunch, Lee, who serves as Cluely’s CEO, noted that the AI cheating tool recently exceeded $3 million in annual recurring revenue. The startup’s other co-founder is Neel Shanmugam, also a former Columbia student aged 21, who holds the position of COO. Both founders faced disciplinary actions at Columbia University over the AI tool and have since left the institution, as reported by the university’s student newspaper. Columbia University chose not to comment due to student privacy regulations.
Cluely originally started as a tool assisting developers with knowledge of LeetCode, a coding questions platform regarded by some, including the founders, as outdated. Lee mentioned using the AI cheating tool to secure an internship with Amazon. While Amazon declined to comment on Lee’s specific situation to TechCrunch, the company stated that job candidates are required to confirm they will not employ unauthorized tools during interviews.
Cluely is not the sole controversial AI startup introduced this month. Another startup, led by a renowned AI researcher, aimed at replacing human workers universally, has also sparked discussions on social media.