Chungin 'Roy' Lee (Cluely)

Overview

Chungin 'Roy' Lee, a 21-year-old entrepreneur, has gained significant attention in the tech industry as the co-founder of Cluely, a startup that has developed a controversial artificial intelligence tool aimed at facilitating cheating during interviews, exams, and more. Originally a student at Columbia University, Lee created this AI tool, initially called Interview Coder, which caused considerable ethical debates due to its application in providing unfair advantages in real-time scenarios, such as job interviews and coding assessments. The attention garnered by his project has led to substantial seed funding and discussions about the tool's ethical implications.

Recent Developments

April 2025: Chungin 'Roy' Lee announced Cluely's successful raise of $5.3 million in seed funding from investors including Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures, cementing the startup's financial foundation 1.
April 2025: A video highlighting the use of Cluely’s tool during a fake job interview became a viral hit, further propelling discussions about the tool's implications and the boundaries of ethical AI use 4.
February 2025: Both Lee and co-founder Neel Shanmugam were suspended from Columbia University due to ethical breaches associated with using their AI tool during university-sanctioned events, leading them to drop out and focus on their startup 3.
March 2025: Lee turned down an internship offer from Amazon after posting a video of himself using the tool during an interview, which led to Amazon raising ethical concerns with Columbia University 2.

Personal Information

Attribute	Information
Full Name	Chungin "Roy" Lee
Born	2003 (exact date unclear), possibly USA or South Korea
Nationality	Korean-American
Occupation	Entrepreneur, Co-founder and CEO of Cluely
Known For	AI tool for interview assistance, Cluely startup
Education	Former student at Columbia University

Early Life and Education

Chungin 'Roy' Lee was reportedly born in 2003 and possesses Korean-American heritage. His early life and influences remain relatively private, but significant attention turned toward him during his time at Columbia University. Lee pursued studies likely related to technology or computer science, which played a direct role in his ability to conceptualize and develop the AI interview tool known as Cluely, originally Interview Coder. Although precise details about his foundational education are limited, his time at Columbia became a defining period, largely due to the controversial software that led to his suspension and subsequent dropout.

Career and Notable Achievements

Chungin 'Roy' Lee's career trajectory shifted remarkably when he and Neel Shanmugam developed Interview Coder, an AI tool to assist users during job interviews and technical assessments.

The tool, capable of running unnoticed through a hidden browser interface, quickly gained notoriety for its applications in cheating scenarios 5.
Despite being suspended from Columbia University, Lee successfully leveraged the publicity, turning the project into a funded startup, Cluely 6.
The startup received $5.3 million in seed funding and has reportedly achieved over $3 million in annual recurrent revenue 7.

Current Work and Impact

Currently, Chungin 'Roy' Lee serves as the CEO of Cluely, a startup that has stirred significant discussions in the tech world. Cluely represents both the potential and ethical quagmire of AI advancements, seeking to redefine conventional cheating notions while spearheading innovations in digital assistance. The company argues its AI implementations are analogous to early perceptions of technologies like calculators and spellcheckers, challenging the ethical frameworks around technological implementations.

Conclusion

Chungin 'Roy' Lee's journey offers a complex narrative about innovation intersecting with ethics. His work with Cluely not only challenges traditional views on cheating but also foregrounds the broader debates around AI's role in shaping professional landscapes. As the startup continues to grow, so will the discussions around its place in society, potentially prompting new norms in tech applications and career assessment tools.