AI Startup Raises $5.3M to "Cheat" on Anything
## AI Startup Cluely Raises $5.3M to Develop AI-Powered "Cheating" Tool
San Francisco-based startup Cluely, co-founded by 21-year-old Chungin “Roy” Lee and Neel Shanmugam, has secured $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. The company's controversial product uses AI to help users "cheat" on various tasks, including exams, job interviews, and sales calls. This follows the founders' expulsion from Columbia University after developing a similar tool, Interview Coder, for software engineering interviews.
Cluely functions as an in-browser AI assistant, undetectable by proctors or interviewers. It provides real-time answers and information, effectively circumventing traditional methods of detecting cheating. The startup has garnered significant attention, both positive and negative, for its provocative marketing campaign, including a video depicting Lee using Cluely on a date to fabricate details about himself. While some praise the company's innovative approach and comparison to earlier technologies like calculators and spellcheck, others criticize it as reminiscent of dystopian science fiction.
Lee, Cluely's CEO, claims the company's revenue reached $3 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) earlier this month. He admits to using Interview Coder to secure an Amazon internship, though Amazon declined to comment on the specific case. The company's website boldly states that it aims to redefine human-machine interaction, pushing the boundaries of ethical comfort. Lee asserts that the core of Cluely's strategy centers on viral marketing and widespread adoption, aiming to establish market dominance before competitors emerge. The company’s ambitious goal highlights the increasingly blurred lines between AI innovation and ethical concerns. While Cluely frames its technology as a disruptive force, potentially reshaping how people interact with technology, the ethical implications remain a central point of contention.
San Francisco-based startup Cluely, co-founded by 21-year-old Chungin “Roy” Lee and Neel Shanmugam, has secured $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. The company's controversial product uses AI to help users "cheat" on various tasks, including exams, job interviews, and sales calls. This follows the founders' expulsion from Columbia University after developing a similar tool, Interview Coder, for software engineering interviews.
Cluely functions as an in-browser AI assistant, undetectable by proctors or interviewers. It provides real-time answers and information, effectively circumventing traditional methods of detecting cheating. The startup has garnered significant attention, both positive and negative, for its provocative marketing campaign, including a video depicting Lee using Cluely on a date to fabricate details about himself. While some praise the company's innovative approach and comparison to earlier technologies like calculators and spellcheck, others criticize it as reminiscent of dystopian science fiction.
Lee, Cluely's CEO, claims the company's revenue reached $3 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) earlier this month. He admits to using Interview Coder to secure an Amazon internship, though Amazon declined to comment on the specific case. The company's website boldly states that it aims to redefine human-machine interaction, pushing the boundaries of ethical comfort. Lee asserts that the core of Cluely's strategy centers on viral marketing and widespread adoption, aiming to establish market dominance before competitors emerge. The company’s ambitious goal highlights the increasingly blurred lines between AI innovation and ethical concerns. While Cluely frames its technology as a disruptive force, potentially reshaping how people interact with technology, the ethical implications remain a central point of contention.
