Latest news with #ChunginLee
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Cheat On Everything': Viral AI Startup Cluely Lands $15M From Andreessen Horowitz After Its CEO Was Suspended From Columbia
Cluely, the controversial AI startup originally built to help users 'cheat on everything," has raised $15 million in a new funding round led by venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, co-founder Chungin 'Roy' Lee announced on X on June 20. The San Francisco-based company was co-founded by 21-year-old Lee, who rose to notoriety earlier this year after being suspended from Columbia University for launching an early version of the software, TechCrunch says. Cluely's other co-founder, Neel Shanmugam, also 21 and a former Columbia student, serves as the company's chief operating officer. Like Lee, Shanmugam faced disciplinary action at Columbia related to the AI tool. According to TechCrunch, both founders have since dropped out. Don't Miss: GoSun's breakthrough rooftop EV charger already has 2,000+ units reserved — become an investor in this $41.3M clean energy brand today. Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. Originally called "Interview Coder," the tool helped software engineers cheat on technical job interviews by providing real-time, AI-generated answers while the interview was in progress, TechCrunch says. Although Cluely has since scrubbed explicit references to cheating from its website, Business Insider reports that the platform still promotes itself as an "undetectable" AI assistant capable of viewing the user's screen and feeding answers in real-time during high-stakes conversations like interviews, exams, and sales calls. According to TechCrunch, Lee's suspension from Columbia accelerated his momentum. His viral online presence, often driven by controversial videos and stunts, has helped Cluely break through the noise in a crowded AI market. In April, Cluely released a video in which Lee used the software to impress a woman on a date by pretending to know about art, wealth, and wine. The comedic tone turned heads across social media, but not everyone was amused, TechCrunch says. Earlier this week, the startup attempted to throw a massive after-party following Y Combinator's AI Startup School. According to TechCrunch, police intervened after 2,000 people flooded the venue and stopped the party. Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100. Lee told Business Insider the company's top priority is achieving 1 billion total views across all social platforms. "We'll do pretty much whatever it takes to do that," he said. That ambition is reflected in the company's new hiring strategy. Cluely announced on LinkedIn that it will bring on 50 "growth interns" who will each be required to post four TikToks per day promoting the brand. Andreessen Horowitz partner Bryan Kim told Business Insider that Lee is a "founder with the boldness to rethink what's possible," which highlights Andreessen Horowitz's support for Lee's unconventional vision. 'We backed Roy early because he brings a rare mix of vision and fearlessness,' Kim said. Cluely's $15 million Series A round follows a previous $5.3 million seed investment co-led by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. Two unnamed investors told TechCrunch they believe the startup's current post-money valuation is approximately $120 million, although neither the company nor Andreessen Horowitz confirmed that figure. According to multiple posts from Lee on X and podcast appearances, Cluely is already profitable, TechCrunch says. Lee's provocative social media presence, including highly produced and often controversial videos, has played a key role in building brand awareness and driving public attention to Cluely. While Cluely's rapid rise has drawn praise for its bold marketing and attention-grabbing tactics, some reactions have been more critical. One of the company's launch videos was compared by viewers to the dystopian themes of "Black Mirror," showcasing a broader tension between innovation and ethical boundaries in emerging AI tools, TechCrunch reports. See Next: $100k in assets? Maximize your retirement and cut down on taxes: Schedule your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation. Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can earn passive income with just $100. Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'Cheat On Everything': Viral AI Startup Cluely Lands $15M From Andreessen Horowitz After Its CEO Was Suspended From Columbia originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Gizmodo
16-05-2025
- Gizmodo
It's Breathtaking How Fast AI Is Screwing Up the Education System
The AI industry has promised to 'disrupt' large parts of society, and you need look no further than the U.S. educational system to see how effectively it's done that. Education has been 'disrupted,' alright. In fact, the disruption is so broad and so shattering that it's not clear we're ever going to have a functional society again. Probably the most unfortunate and pathetic snapshot of the current chaos being unfurled on higher education is a recent story by New York magazine that revealed the depths to which AI has already intellectually addled an entire generation of college students. The story, which involves interviews with a host of current undergraduates, is full of anecdotes like the one that involves Chungin 'Roy' Lee, a transfer to Columbia University who used ChatGPT to write the personal essay that got him through the door: When he started at Columbia as a sophomore this past September, he didn't worry much about academics or his GPA. 'Most assignments in college are not relevant,' he told me. 'They're hackable by AI, and I just had no interest in doing them.' While other new students fretted over the university's rigorous core curriculum, described by the school as 'intellectually expansive' and 'personally transformative,' Lee used AI to breeze through with minimal effort. When I asked him why he had gone through so much trouble to get to an Ivy League university only to off-load all of the learning to a robot, he said, 'It's the best place to meet your co-founder and your wife.' The cynical view of America's educational system—that it is merely a means by which privileged co-eds can make the right connections, build 'social capital,' and get laid—is obviously on full display here. If education isn't actually about learning anything, and is merely a game for the well-to-do, why not rig that game as quickly, efficiently, and cynically as possible? AI capitalizes on this cynical worldview, exploiting the view-holder and making them stupider while also profiting from them. When you think about the current assault on the educational system, it's easy to forget how quickly this has all happened. A more recent story from 404 Media shows that the American educational system was largely caught unawares by the deluge of cheating that the AI industry would inspire. After accumulating thousands of pages of school district documents via FOIA requests from around the country, 404's Jason Koebler found that ChatGPT has 'become one of the biggest struggles in American education.' Koebler's reporting notes that, in the early days of the AI deluge, school districts were courted by 'pro-AI consultants' who were known to give presentations that 'largely encouraged teachers to use generative AI in their classrooms.' For instance, Koebler writes that the Louisiana Department of Education sent him… …a presentation it said it consulted called 'ChatGPT and AI in Education,' made by Holly Clark, the author of The AI Infused Classroom , Ken Shelton, the author of The Promises and Perils of AI in Education , and Matt Miller, the author of AI for Educators . The presentation includes slides that say AI 'is like giving a computer a brain so it can learn and make decisions on its own,' note that 'it's time to rethink 'plagiarism' and 'cheating,'' alongside a graph of how students can use AI to help them write essays, '20 ways to use ChatGPT in the classroom,' and 'Warning: Going back to writing essays—only in class—can hurt struggling learners and doesn't get our kids ready for their future.' In other words, AI acolytes seemed to anticipate that the technology would effectively ruin essay-writing and test-taking, and wanted to spin it to present the ruination as mere 'transformation'—a new way of doing things—instead of a destructive force that would devastate education. This new way of doing things appears to be corrosive not just to students but also to teachers. Koebler's investigation shows that the AI lobbyists courted schools by making appeals to instructors, showing them that the likes of ChatGPT would make curriculum-building and assignment-giving that much easier. Now, teachers, too, seem to be taking the easy way out, as a recent New York Times story shows that college professors have been using chatbots to create their lesson plans, just as their students are using them to complete said lesson. The result of all of this is so obvious that it doesn't really bare repeating but I guess I'll repeat it anyways: Everybody who uses AI is going to get exponentially stupider, and the stupider they get, the more they'll need to use AI to be able to do stuff that they were previously able to do with their minds. The tech industry's subscriber-based, 'as-a-service' model is obviously on full display here, except that the subscription will be to intellectual capacity. The more you subscribe, the less 'organic' capacity you'll have. Eventually, companies will be able to pipe AI directly into your brain with the kind of neuro-implants being hawked by Neuralink and Apple. By then, of course, there will be no need for school, as we'll all just be part of the Borg collective.
Times
25-04-2025
- Times
The AI tool to help you ‘cheat on everything'
Using artificial intelligence to cheat in a job interview got Chungin Lee kicked out of Columbia University. Mere weeks later, he has raised more than $5 million toward a startup to level the playing field — with an AI tool that promises to help anyone 'cheat on everything'. Cluely is an undetectable desktop app that scans text and audio to generate answers during live conversations. Unlike ChatGPT, which searches the internet for data, Cluely analyses only information available on users' computer screens. Lee, 21, Cluely's co-founder, described the app as a virtual companion that 'knows everything about you, sees what you see, hears what you hear'. The San Francisco-based startup has raised $5.3 million from venture capital firms, and attracted about 70,000 users who pay
India Today
23-04-2025
- Business
- India Today
Man suspended for 'cheating' builds AI firm to do it better, gets Rs 44.3 crore fund
A Columbia University student who faced suspension for building an AI tool to cheat tech interviews has now raised millions to expand the idea into something even bigger and bolder. Chungin Lee, a 21-year-old computer science student, who made headlines for creating an AI-based tool that quietly helped users ace LeetCode-style questions in real-time during coding interviews, said he has secured funding of $5.3 million (Rs 44.3 crore approximately). advertisementHis AI tool, Interview Coder, was designed to help students while running invisibly during live assessments for companies like Amazon, Meta, and TikTok. Unsurprisingly, the stunt didn't go well with the industry. Lee was suspended by Columbia, blacklisted by Amazon, and branded a 'cheater' online. But instead of backing down, he doubled up. He turned the backlash into momentum. Lee launched Cluely, an AI startup that offers users silent, in-browser support for everything from exams to sales calls to job interviews. Think of it as a whispering AI that never gets caught, at least that's the pitch. Lee had a message for those who called it unethical as he announced securing $5.3 million in pre-seed funding. In a post on X, Lee said, "$5 million to change the definition of the word 'cheating'."advertisementHe reposted a post by X handle of his firm, which reads, "They called calculators cheating. They called Google cheating. The world will say the same about AI. We're not stopping. Just raised a $5.3M pre-seed to build the future - faster." Lee had earlier said that he was kicked out of Columbia and blacklisted by Amazon four weeks after he launched Interview Coder. He was told by those around him to quit his plan to expand his AI tool. Lee narrated the entire incident in a series of posts on X. I just got kicked out of Columbia for taking a stand against Leetcode the whole story (long thread): Roy (@im_roy_lee) March 27, 2025While several users call it cheating, Chungin Lee calls it changing the rules. And with millions now backing his idea, he's made it clear that he's not here to play by the old rules. Trending Reel
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Suspended from Columbia, student raises $5 million for AI cheating tool: ‘The world will say…'
A Columbia University student, who was suspended for creating an AI tool to cheat in coding interviews to secure summer internships at tech giants like Amazon, Meta, TikTok and more, has raised $5.3 million in funding for what he called "changing the definition of cheating." 21-year-old Chungin Lee who goes by Roy Lee built an AI tool named Interview Coder, an invisible application which offered real-time assistance to software engineers in technical interviews that used LeetCode. After his tool went viral on social media for effectively fooling the biggest tech companies, Lee faced flak from Meta and Amazon and was eventually suspended from Columbia. However, he doubled down and created Cluely, an AI tool that helps users 'cheat on everything' including interviews, exams, and sales calls through hidden in-browser windows. Hitting back at those who labelled the startup as a means of cheating at interviews, the company shared the news of securing their new multi-million funding with a message. "They called calculators cheating. They called Google cheating. The world will say the same about AI. We're not stopping. Cluely just raised a $5.3M pre-seed to build the future — faster," it read. Lee said four weeks after he launched Interview Coder, he was kicked out of Columbia and blacklisted by Amazon and was told by those around him to quit his plan to expand his AI tool. "Everyone in my life told me to quit, but I ignored all advice and kept going. I've since come to learn that you really need to swing big if you ever wanna make it. Hope this resonates with some of you. This mentality is what inspired me to build Cluely, the ultimate end-state of Interview Coder, and something I never would've thought I could build six months ago. This is the most ambitious project I will ever work on," he declared on X. (Also read: Columbia student creates AI tool to easily land offers from Amazon, Meta, TikTok and more)
