In an era where artificial intelligence redefines productivity, ethics, and access, two Columbia University dropouts have stepped into the spotlight with a bold, divisive invention. Chungin “Roy” Lee and Neel Shanmugam have secured $5.3 million in seed funding for Cluely, their AI startup. The company proudly markets its technology as a way to “cheat on everything,” from coding interviews to sales calls, even job interviews. Their pitch? Real-time help delivered silently through a hidden in-browser window, invisible to others but invaluable to users.
Cluely didn’t begin as a controversial startup. Its origin lies in a tool called Interview Coder, which Roy Lee developed to help software engineers during technical interviews. His tool didn’t sit well with Columbia University. The university suspended Lee for using and promoting a product that violated academic integrity. But rather than stop him, the suspension fueled a pivot. Lee partnered with fellow dropout Neel Shanmugam to expand Interview Coder into something more potent—Cluely.
From Suspension to Startup
Roy Lee’s journey from student to founder didn’t follow a traditional path. After building Interview Coder to assist programmers with real-time solutions during coding tests, Lee realized the broader implications of the tool. He envisioned a platform that would offer invisible assistance to users in various high-pressure scenarios—whether they were sitting in job interviews or handling live client calls.
Together with Shanmugam, Lee transformed the tool into Cluely. The duo launched the platform publicly and instantly drew attention for its provocative messaging. Cluely promises to give users an unfair edge in real-time, all while remaining hidden. The startup claims its tool mimics how calculators revolutionized math exams or how Grammarly assists writing without being considered cheating.
$5.3 Million and Growing
Despite ethical concerns, investors saw potential. Venture capitalists poured in $5.3 million in seed funding, betting on the future of Cluely’s underlying tech. The company didn’t just promise stealth—it delivered profitability. Within months, Cluely reported $3 million in annual revenue, driven largely by users desperate to gain an edge in high-stakes environments like interviews and sales presentations.
The funding round stunned critics and supporters alike. Critics questioned the judgment of backers who endorsed a product that, by its creators’ own admission, helps users lie, deceive, or manipulate systems. On the other hand, supporters argued that Cluely merely exposes weaknesses in systems designed to filter talent through rigid and outdated processes.
The Ethics of Invisible AI Assistance
Cluely walks a tightrope between innovation and ethical violation. The founders say that the tool doesn’t exist to promote dishonesty but to challenge the definition of cheating. Lee publicly compared the backlash to the early criticism of calculators, spell checkers, and predictive text systems.
But their launch strategy hasn’t helped silence critics. In a bold move, Cluely released a marketing video where Lee used the tool during a date to lie convincingly. Many saw the stunt as proof of the company’s irreverent, even mocking tone. Others felt it crossed a line, normalizing behavior that erodes trust not just in personal relationships but also in professional evaluations.
Interview Coder: The Birthplace of Cluely
Interview Coder didn’t just help coders ace LeetCode problems. According to Roy Lee, it helped him land internships at some of the world’s top tech firms, including Amazon, Meta, and TikTok. Lee claimed that he used Interview Coder during technical interviews, despite knowing that using unauthorized tools violated the companies’ policies.
Lee later admitted that he had no intention of accepting the internships. Instead, he wanted to expose what he saw as flaws in the technical interview system. He argued that companies over-rely on time-constrained, puzzle-like assessments that do not reflect real-world software engineering.
“I wanted to show how broken the system is,” Lee said in a now-viral tweet. “If a tool like mine can fool the interview process, maybe the process needs rethinking.”
Amazon, in response, stated that it strictly prohibits the use of external tools during interviews and that Lee’s actions would constitute a violation of their hiring policy.
Redefining “Cheating”
Cluely’s success forces society to confront a new question: What counts as cheating in a digital world? Lee and Shanmugam argue that many tools considered cheating today could become essential tomorrow. They say Cluely represents not deceit, but efficiency—a digital partner that helps users work smarter.
However, the tool’s very structure—hidden, undetectable, real-time—suggests otherwise. Its design encourages secrecy, not collaboration. It promotes outcomes, not process. Unlike a calculator or even ChatGPT, which users interact with openly, Cluely hides its influence to gain unearned trust and advantages.
Satire or Slippery Slope?
Some commentators interpreted Cluely as satire, a performance art piece meant to provoke discussion. But with millions in funding and a revenue stream that proves demand, the startup looks less like a stunt and more like a serious business. And with that seriousness comes responsibility.
Educational institutions, tech companies, and recruiters now face a dilemma. Do they harden their systems against tools like Cluely or accept that invisible AI will shape future human interactions?
Final Thoughts
Cluely’s rise offers both a warning and a challenge. Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam didn’t just build a tool—they held up a mirror to modern systems of evaluation, productivity, and trust. Their tool exposes vulnerabilities in how we test, hire, and communicate. But in doing so, it risks encouraging a world where deception becomes a default.
The ethical line remains blurry. One camp sees Cluely as a tool that empowers the underprepared and challenges legacy systems. The other sees it as a threat to merit, honesty, and trust. Either way, the world cannot ignore Cluely anymore. It has funding, traction, and controversy—everything a modern startup needs to go viral.
As Cluely moves forward, society must decide not only how to deal with it, but what it says about us that such a product found eager investors, willing users, and millions in revenue.