Cluely, a startup founded by 21-year-olds Chungin “Roy” Lee and Neel Shanmugam, has gained significant attention for its controversial AI cheating tool. Cluely was first dreamed up by the two when they were students at Columbia University. It provides hidden AI support in real time job interviews, which mainly emphasize technical challenges on sites such as LeetCode. Following the founders’ suspension from Columbia due to the controversy surrounding their tool, Cluely has now evolved into a broader all-purpose AI cheat assistant.
Cluely’s founders aimed to develop a product that would assist users in finding their way through the daunting labyrinth of technical interviews. The tool was originally used solely for coding interviews. Today, it’s sold for all sorts of uses, like high-stakes testing and salesforce monitoring. This rebranding is indicative of the expansion of AI support in fast-paced, high stakes environments where decisions are often life-or-death.
The startup promoted its launch video aggressively on social media. It included the audacious line, “new episode cheat on everything, Black Mirror.” Unsurprisingly, this provocative new marketing strategy has raised an eyebrow or two in the public, landing them accoladers and detractors alike. Cluely went against the backlash and has proven to be a financial success. Just a few months after founding, it passed the $3 million mark in ARR (annual recurring revenue).
Cluely, which is based in San Francisco, has raised $5.3 million of equity funding so far with the goal of climbing the money trail. This funding will significantly accelerate the tool’s creation. Beyond that, it will be critical to expanding its reach in the quickly evolving, competitive tech landscape. The innovative product gives users the power to covertly unleash AI greatness. This provides them with an unfair advantage in environments such as coding interviews and scientific exams.
Cluely’s founders sunk into serious depression after their suspension from Columbia University. Despite the challenges, they’ve carried on and are continuing to lay the groundwork to realize their vision. It’s the firestorm around their product that has created a veritable feeding frenzy for Cluely. That has spurred crucial discussions about ethics in technology and AI’s role in education and our future workforce.
