Expelled from Columbia for cheating, funded millions for scaling it
Two Columbia dropouts have raised millions for an AI tool that helps users “cheat” their way through interviews, exams, and even dates — and they are not being apologetic for it
In a city where ambition bleeds into every sidewalk crack, it takes more than code to raise eyebrows in Silicon Valley. Yet, 21-year-old Chungin "Roy" Lee has managed just that — with an AI startup that openly encourages people to cheat.
This week, Lee announced that his company, Cluely, secured $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. The company offers what it calls a "completely undetectable" AI assistant. It works quietly in the background, helping users during exams, interviews, sales calls — even dates.
Born out of a suspension, not a dorm room, Cluely's origin story reads like a modern fable. Lee and his co-founder, Neel Shanmugam, were students at Columbia University when they developed a tool to coach software engineers through job interviews.
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The tool, originally named Interview Coder, went viral on X. Soon after, the university took disciplinary action. Both students have since dropped out.
The AI, now part of San Francisco-based Cluely, functions through a stealth browser window, feeding users real-time answers while remaining invisible to observers. The startup's manifesto argues that spellcheck and calculators were once seen as "cheating" too.
Their launch video featuring Lee using the AI to bluff his way through a date divided viewers. Some praised its boldness, others saw it as a glimpse into a dystopian future. Critics compared it to episodes of Black Mirror.
Despite the uproar, Cluely has already crossed $3 million in annual recurring revenue. Lee claims he landed an internship at Amazon using the very tool that got him expelled.
