Cluely, a San Francisco based startup, has made a big splash recently. Its 21-year-old CEO Lee allegedly used an AI assistant to trick a woman into thinking he was much older and art-savvy on a dating app. Our launch video introducing this secret AI weapon has sparked a war on the internet. Some critics have lauded the game like Cluely for its boldness, while others have likened it to the eerie stories featured in the dystopian show “Black Mirror.”
Cluely joined as Interview Coder. These days, it’s centered on preparing job candidates for interviews with artificial intelligence technology. Lee and Neel Shanmugan, former Columbia University students, are co-founders of Cluely. Its creator, Danny Lee, shot into the tech scene’s limelight when Danny shared the experience of making an interview cheating prevention tool on X (formerly Twitter) that went viral for its utility. This premise soon evolved into a startup intent on revolutionizing how interviews are done.
Cluely’s mission is clear: to assist candidates in acing job interviews by providing them with AI-generated answers and strategies. Ironically, Lee gives great credit to the AI tool for getting him recently accepted into an internship program at Amazon. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment about Lee’s use of the tool. The agency is following up on its policy against the use of non-public materials in hiring.
The resulting launch video has served to both spotlight Cluely’s groundbreaking approach, as well as the troubling implications. Critics argue that such tools could undermine the integrity of the hiring process, while supporters see it as a necessary evolution in a competitive job market. Cluely’s founders released a Cluel.ly manifesto. They describe their invention as a “calculator or spellcheck for interviewing,” asserting that it makes the interview process more efficient and enjoyable.
Cluely began by addressing frustrations within the software engineering community regarding LeetCode, a platform often viewed as outdated and time-consuming for coding practice. Lee and Shanmugan contend that traditional code tests fail to accurately assess candidates’ skills. While commendable, they argue that these approaches are ill-fitted to the lightning-fast pace of technology today.
Cluely hit a huge milestone earlier this month when they crossed the $3mm ARR mark. This explosive growth is a testament to the robust market demand for its services. The startup’s marketing tactics are polarizing and attention grabbing. They have advanced an important debate by raising key ethical questions regarding the use of such practices in employment.
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