Internet Rages at "AI Cheaters", but Young Asian Guy Nets $7M in a Year with Cheating Tech

While being denounced as "cheating dogs," this AI-powered platform has secured over $100 million in funding with annualized revenue soaring to $7 million? Dubbed the "AI cheating" pioneer, Cluely has exploded in popularity across the internet! Despite heavyweight backing from a16z, the open-source alternative Glass is rapidly gaining traction. Is this a disruptive counterattack defying conventional wisdom, or just another Silicon Valley bubble waiting to burst?

In just one week, the annualized revenue soared from $3 million to $7 million!

Cluely, an AI startup "most watched in Silicon Valley", publicly declared that "cheating with AI is perfectly justifiable."

It has stirred up the market in a highly controversial way and dominated the competition.

Cluely's aggressive approach has attracted a great deal of outside doubt and backlash.

Derick Angelo, a writer and product designer, has witnessed the rise and fall of numerous startups.

He said bluntly, "Tech entrepreneurs don't buy what Cluely is selling. Cluely is doomed to fail."

This is certainly not just Derick Angelo's opinion. Some netizens even call it a "cancer".

Despite the continuous controversy, well - known Silicon Valley investment institution a16z directly invested $15 million, pushing Cluely's valuation to $120 million.

In the press release, the investors may have deliberately tried to whitewash the "cheating tool":

Cluely is exploring a brand - new form of AI application — an active, multi - modal intelligent assistant.

It can not only respond instantly but also accurately understand the context.

This far surpasses traditional meeting recording or transcription tools.

In the personal and corporate markets, Cluely stands out and is unique.

Since the launch of the enterprise - version product, users have flocked to Cluely. Co - founder Roy Lee revealed to the media:

"Everyone who has a meeting or an interview is testing this product."

"A life cheat code? A destiny cheat device?"

Cluely claims that their product is an invisible AI that can watch the screen, understand conversations, and offer real - time advice.

It's no exaggeration to say that "before others finish speaking, it has already thought of the next sentence for you."

Perhaps realizing the need to shape a "mainstream corporate image", their slogan has changed to:

"Everything is ready for you without you having to say a word."

Previously, their early slogan directly stated, "Cheat on everything."

Now, they emphasize more that the core competitiveness of the product is the "thinking turning point":

As long as it can see or hear, Cluely can provide assistance.

No matter what the problem is, it can be solved. With just a gentle press, Cluely can understand and respond accurately — no need to switch pages throughout the process, and everything is under control, simple and straightforward!

Although the publicity strategy has become more "conservative", Cluely's insistence on "efficiency first and excelling everywhere" has never changed.

On one hand, the controversy drives traffic; on the other hand, venture capitalists rush to invest. Cluely has used the "bad reputation" to gain a "bright future" and has become well - known despite the negative publicity.

A single customer pays $2.5 million annually! But is its future secure?

Not only do consumers chase after it, but B - end customers are also placing crazy orders for Cluely.

As soon as the enterprise - version of Cluely was launched, it witnessed explosive growth.

Lee said that a listed company will double its annual contract with Cluely this week, with the amount reaching $2.5 million.

He didn't disclose the customer's name but said it was "the most direct proof of market trust."

On top of the consumer - grade version, the enterprise - version has added functions such as team management and data security and is widely used in scenarios such as sales communication, customer service training, and remote teaching.

However, there are also hidden concerns beneath the good situation.

Open - source confrontation: A free alternative is launched

Just last Thursday, another company named Pickle announced the open - sourcing of "Glass", a free alternative that almost realizes Cluely's core functions.

Glass: An invisible AI desktop assistant, completely open - source, no registration required, 100% free

Within one day, on GitHub, the open - source project "Glass" received 1.3K stars and more than 200 forks.

Project address: https://github.com/pickle - com/glass

Github Star historical record

Glass directly targets Cluely's positioning as an active AI assistant.

Different from traditional AIs that require active questioning, Glass runs continuously in the background, observes the screen content in real - time, listens to the audio, and provides relevant help instantly.

On the open - source page, Glass features "digital thinking expansion":

🤖 Super fast and lightweight, completely open - source!

Glass stays on the desktop. What you see is what you get. It listens in real - time, understands the context, and transforms every moment into structured knowledge.

💬 Super proactive in meetings!

Without any reminder, it will automatically pop up to - do lists, meeting summaries, and key answers at the very second you need them.

🫥️ Truly invisible!

It doesn't appear in screen recordings, screenshots, or take up Dock interfaces. It runs silently in the background, doesn't secretly record or upload data, and will never disturb you!

They also showed several highlights:

The question then arises: Does this mean that Cluely doesn't have any "technical barriers"?

This "copycat battle" of business models has just begun.

Can Cluely withstand the open - source wave and meet the expectations of venture capitalists? Is it just a flash in the pan or a pioneer of the new normal in AI office work?

The market is watching.

Just yesterday, the latest news came out. Bryan Kim, a partner at a16z, revealed why he invested $15 million in Cluely.

So, what exactly does this investor see in Cluely?

Why did Cluely raise $15 million in financing?

After investing in well - known companies such as ElevenLabs, Captions, Function Health, and BeReal, Bryan delved into how he worked hard to win this round of investment.

Bryan Kim, abbreviated as BK, is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), mainly investing in consumer - grade applications and AI application - layer enterprises.

Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Bungalow and has worked at social media network Snap, seed fund Uncommon Projects, and the investment banking department of Credit Suisse Group.

What BK is betting on is not a certain category but the next stage of human evolution.

For BK, speed is everything. Instead of using an assistant, he shows up in person to win highly competitive deals. Even if it means flying to London in less than 90 minutes or showing up at the office with a steak.

This is why he invested in Cluely.

A $15 - million bet at the center of the controversy storm

Three weeks ago, he first met Cluely's founder Roy Lee.

At that time, Roy Lee was extremely ambitious. He said he wasn't raising funds, didn't plan to meet investors, and didn't want to waste time.

BK still made an invitation, not to talk about money but about the product and the people.

This "money - free" meeting gradually turned into an in - depth exchange: corporate customers started to pay attention, revenues started to rise, and the product started to spread on its own...

The data emerged, and the timing was right.

Finally, Cluely's financing was finalized — just before it launched that eye - catching and controversial viral marketing campaign.

BK believes that "right now, the AI field is like a chaotic primordial soup. Everything is churning and unclear. We're still in the early stage."

There are 700 million devices running AI applications, but there are still very few that have surpassed ChatGPT in terms of active users.

That's why — to break through the competition, capture users' minds, and start the flywheel effect, "momentum" must be created:

Attract the strongest talents,

Polish the product with the best technology,

Realize quick monetization,

Only in this way can you form a barrier in a very short time and keep moving forward.

Cluely's path to popularity: Breaking the rules and breaking through in reverse

Recently, almost all of Cluely's operations have been "mocking common sense": advocating "long live cheating", releasing provocative videos, and ignoring users' attitudes...

But surprisingly, they all "worked".

On one hand, the brand has become extremely polarized; on the other hand, the official announcement of the $15 - million financing has sparked a series of outside doubts: