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Earlier this month, TechPolyp reported the launch of a productivity tool. Similarly, TechPolyp noted the launch of the OpenAI language model set for summer. These mark the continuous evolution of AI-powered tools for ease of use. Following recent developments, 21-year-old Chungin “Roy” Lee made a public announcement that he’s gathered $5.3 million in seed funding from investors in support of a newly launched AI. Lee confirmed that he got this funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures for his AI cheating tool startup. The startup Cluely offers an AI tool to “cheat on everything”.
According to Lee’s post on the X thread, Columbia University suspended both Lee and his co-founder simultaneously. He attached the reason when the institution found out they had developed a tool to cheat on job interviews for a software engineering company.
Initially, the developers named the tool Interview Coder. However, the AI cheating tool is now part of Cluely, a San Francisco-based startup. It allows its users to cheat during examination periods, sales calls, and job interviews. Lee and his partner developed this with a hidden in-browser window. However, this browser can’t be viewed by the interviewer or test giver.
TechPolyp notes that Cluely has published a guideline comparing itself to inventions like the calculator and spellcheck due to its AI cheating tool. According to records, these were initially derided as “cheating”.
AI Cheating Tool’s Revenue Growth and Founder’s Background
For the record, Cluely has also published a slickly produced but polarizing launch video of Lee using a hidden AI assistant. During this period, he, albeit unsuccessfully, lied to a woman about his age and even his knowledge of art on a date at a fancy restaurant. While the video garnered praise for capturing people’s attention, others condemned it. To the latter group, the video was reminiscent of the dystopian sci-fi television show “Black Mirror”. Black Mirror represents the dark side of the technology world, where it has taken an unexpected turn.
According to Lee, Cluely’s CEO, the AI cheating tool surpassed $3 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) earlier this month. It’s also interesting to note that the startup’s other co-founder is another 21-year-old. He was also a former student of Columbia. His name is Neel Shanmugam, and he is Cluely’s COO.
Additionally, Columbia University also found Shanmugam guilty in their disciplinary proceedings over the AI cheating tool. According to the university’s student newspaper, both co-founders have dropped out of Columbia Varsity. However, Columbia hasn’t made further comments, citing student privacy laws.
Cluely started as a tool for developers to cheat on the knowledge of LeetCode. For knowledge’s sake, LeetCode is a platform for coding questions that some in software engineering circles consider outdated. This also doesn’t exclude Cluely’s founders. They believe the platform isn’t only obsolete but also a waste of time.
Lee claims he secured an internship with Amazon by utilizing the AI cheating tool. However, Amazon hasn’t made any public comment regarding Lee’s case. Nevertheless, the company said its job candidates must affirm they won’t use unauthorized tools during the interview process.