From Dorm-Room Defiance to $120M AI Disruption: The Cluely Ai Saga

Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam founders of Cluely AI

Dive into the controversial rise of Cluely AI. How founders Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam weaponized virality to turn a cheating hack into a $120M startup. Startup Stories Author: Jimmey Barnwal  |  December 10, 2025 |  5 min. read In one version of the future, disruption looks like elegant APIs, quiet offices and careful whitepapers. In another, it looks