Now, for the big surprise — Roy Lee, the CEO of Cluely, has just announced. Most notably, he admitted in public that he lied about the startup’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) numbers. Lee first alleged an ARR of $7 million. Later he disclosed that the real consumer and enterprise revenues were just $2.7 million and $2.5 million including the first half of FY22. Following this announcement, questions have arisen over the honesty behind the now viral startup. It came to the forefront in the summer of 2025 after it allowed users to quietly google answers on video calls.
Cluely, which was founded after Lee’s controversial suspension from Columbia University due to the development of a tool designed to aid in job interview cheating, experienced rapid growth. In late June 2025, the firm closed a $15 million Series A financing led by Andreessen Horowitz. They also went on to close another $5.3 million in seed funding led by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. Even in its short and hailed success, this gap in reported revenue raised a cloud over the successful implementation.
On June 27, 2025, Cluely’s PR team reached out to TechCrunch reporter Marina Temkin to set up an interview with Lee. During the interview, Lee openly admitted to his previous claims about the company’s revenue being “the only blatantly dishonest thing I’ve said publicly online.” He even shared proof from his Stripe account to confirm his confession. He acknowledged that he was blindsided when pressed on the numbers.
“I got a random cold call from some woman asking about numbers and told her some bs, did not expect an article about it.” – Roy Lee
As Cluely pivots from that original idea, the company has changed its name to Neura and rebranded as an AI-powered meeting note-taker. This pivot comes just as Cluely’s industry is facing increasing scrutiny and a developing counter-industry focused on identifying users who abuse Cluely’s first tool.
Lee’s marketing tactics, described as “rage-bait,” were showcased at the TechCrunch’s 2025 Disrupt event in October, demonstrating the controversial strategies that helped propel Cluely into the spotlight. These tactics have come under fire, bringing about important ethical questions about honesty in the startup culture.
Lee remarked, “What I’ve learned is you should never share revenue numbers.” His comments illustrate the tightrope walk many startups have attempted to navigate between transparency and the demands of hypergrowth and public accountability.