Cluely co-founder and CEO Roy Lee has admitted that a previously reported $7 million annual recurring revenue figure for the startup was inaccurate. Lee acknowledged on Thursday in a post on X that the number he shared publicly with TechCrunch last summer was not correct.
Lee wrote that the revenue figure was “the only blatantly dishonest thing i’ve said publicly online,” and described the statement as his formal retraction.
Dispute Over How Revenue Figure Was Shared
In the same post, Lee said the figure was mentioned during what he described as an unexpected call from a reporter.
He wrote that he “got a random cold call from some woman asking about numbers and told her some bs,” adding that he did not expect the conversation to result in a published article.
However, the circumstances of the call were different, according to details surrounding the interview.
Cluely’s public relations representative had contacted TechCrunch in advance to arrange a conversation with Lee. An email sent to TechCrunch reporter Marina Temkin on June 27, 2025 offered Lee for an interview about the company’s plans and development.
“I’d love to arrange an interview with Roy,” the email said. “Whether for a deeper dive into Cluely’s next phase or a fresh angle on his vision, we’d be happy to make it happen.”
Temkin accepted the offer, and the PR representative provided Lee’s phone number while confirming he was expecting the call. After several attempts, Lee answered and participated in the interview.
Startup Gained Attention For Interview Assistance Tool
TechCrunch’s interest in Cluely followed a surge of attention around the startup during the summer of 2025.
The company became widely discussed online for a product described as a “cheat-on-everything” tool that allowed users to secretly search for answers during video calls without detection.
Cluely’s origins trace back to a viral post Lee published on X stating that he and a co-founder had been suspended from Columbia University after creating software designed to help software engineering candidates cheat during job interviews.
Following that attention, the founders raised $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures.
The company planned to commercialize the technology that led to their suspension. The software was positioned as a tool that allowed users to access information during interviews or meetings without being detected.
Marketing Strategy Focused On Viral Attention
In June, Cluely raised an additional $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
By that time, the company had developed a marketing approach centered on provocative content and viral online campaigns designed to generate attention and attract users.
Lee discussed those tactics publicly during TechCrunch Disrupt in October 2025, where he spoke about how attention-driven marketing could help early-stage companies gain traction.
During the event, Lee declined to share updated revenue figures and said founders should be cautious about discussing financial performance.
“What I’ve learned is you should never share revenue numbers,” he told the audience.
Company Later Shifted Product Direction
Cluely has since changed its positioning and now presents itself as an AI-powered meeting note-taking platform.
In his post acknowledging the inaccurate revenue claim, Lee shared screenshots of figures from his Stripe account.
Featured image credits: Venables Legal Resources
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