Cluely is an AI meeting assistant built to listen to live conversations, understand what is on the user’s screen and provide answers or suggestions in real time. The company was founded by Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam after they built Interview Coder while studying at Columbia University.
Cluely became famous because its founders openly marketed the product around the idea of “cheating on everything.” The company has since positioned the software more broadly as a live meeting assistant for notes, sales calls, interviews and other conversations.
What Cluely does today
Cluely listens to a live conversation and uses that context to help the user while the meeting is still happening. Its current product can generate notes, answer questions and surface suggestions based on what it hears and what is visible on screen.
The company also offers conversation memory and people search features that can bring previous meeting context into a future call.
Why people call it undetectable
Cluely markets a paid mode designed not to appear in screen sharing or recordings. The company also says its meeting assistant does not need to join a call as a separate bot.
That feature is one reason the product is controversial. A tool can be technically capable of staying out of a screen share while still being prohibited by an employer, school, interviewer or exam platform.
Where Cluely came from
Before Cluely, Lee and Shanmugam built Interview Coder. The software was designed to provide AI help during technical coding interviews.
Columbia Spectator reported in April 2025 that both students faced disciplinary proceedings over Interview Coder. Lee received a one year suspension, and both founders then left Columbia.
The controversy created attention around the product and its founders, and the idea was expanded into Cluely.
The funding
Cluely raised a US$5.3 million seed round in 2025, co led by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. About two months later it raised a US$15 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz.
TechCrunch reported that investors believed the Series A put Cluely’s post money valuation near US$120 million, although Andreessen Horowitz did not publicly confirm that valuation.
Why investors backed it
Part of the investment case was distribution. Cluely became unusually good at getting attention through short videos, provocative marketing and public debates about whether the product counts as cheating.
Andreessen Horowitz later published a conversation with Lee describing virality as a central part of the company’s strategy rather than a side effect.
Is Cluely legitimate?
Yes, Cluely is a real venture backed software company with named founders, a public product, paying plans and known investors.
That does not answer whether using it is allowed in a particular situation. Legitimacy as a business and permission to use the product are different questions.
Can you use Cluely in an interview or exam?
That depends on the rules. Many employers, universities and assessment platforms prohibit undisclosed outside assistance. If a process says AI help is not allowed, using an invisible AI assistant can still violate those rules even if the software itself works as advertised.
The safest approach is to check the policy before using any real time assistant in a graded, regulated or employment assessment.
How much does Cluely cost?
Cluely currently offers a free Starter tier with limited AI responses and meeting notes. Its Pro plan is listed at US$19.99 per month, while a higher priced plan includes its screen share undetectability feature.
Pricing changes, so check the company’s current pricing page before subscribing.
What is the real debate?
The interesting question is not whether AI can help someone during a live conversation. It clearly can.
The harder question is disclosure. Using an assistant to remember a customer’s previous request is very different from secretly using one in an assessment where independent performance is the thing being tested.
That distinction is likely to become more important as live AI assistance becomes normal in workplaces.
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