Cluely CEO Roy Lee Admits Falsely Reporting $7 Million in ARR

Cluely grew out of an AI job-interview cheating tool developed by Columbia University students and gained attention through its “Cheat on Everything” slogan and controversial marketing. It raised a $5.3 million seed round from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures, followed by a $15 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz in June 2025. The company has since pivoted to AI meeting-notes software, making the integrity of its revenue claims a matter of trust for both the media and venture-capital investors.

Roy Lee admitted on X on March 5, 2026, that his July 3, 2025, claim to TechCrunch that ARR had doubled within a week to $7 million was false. Stripe data Lee disclosed for June 2025 showed consumer ARR of $2.7 million and enterprise ARR of $2.5 million, for a combined $5.2 million. Based on the company’s revenue pace at the time, its annualized revenue run rate was about $6.3 million.