Cluely CEO Roy Lee has officially retracted his previous claim of $7 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), revealing the company’s actual early-stage metrics. The startup, which first gained attention for its viral “cheat-on-everything” tool, raised millions in seed funding and a Series A round. However, the CEO apparently lied about the firm’s revenue figures last year and has now taken to X to address the issue.
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Cluely co-founder and CEO Roy Lee admitted that the annual revenue he shared last summer was false. He called it the “only blatantly dishonest thing” he has said publicly and issued a formal retraction.
In the same post, Lee explained that he received a “random cold call” from someone asking about revenue numbers and admitted he shared inaccurate figures. He also revealed the company’s actual metrics from Jun. 2025. The consumer ARR was $2.7 million, with a run rate of $3.8 million, while the enterprise ARR was $2.5 million, bringing the total ARR to $5.2 million and the run rate to $6.3 million.
Reports also show that at $20 per month per subscriber, Cluely would have needed nearly 29,200 paying users to justify the previously claimed revenue. Observers noted that no amount of media attention could generate that many subscribers while the product was still unstable and in early development. Additionally, the CEO has faced significant backlash from commentators who called him out for fabricating revenue figures.
Cluely’s Viral Rise and Pivot
Cluely first gained attention in 2025 for a tool that allowed users to secretly look up answers during video calls. It went viral that summer, generating widespread media coverage and sparking debates about ethical boundaries in online interactions.
The startup raised $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures, followed by a $15 million Series A from Andreessen Horowitz in June 2025. The company’s early marketing tactics generated attention in the tech press.
By Oct. 2025, Lee discussed a “rage-bait marketing” strategy adopted by Cluely, explaining how provocative stunts helped attract early users and maintain public interest. Since then, Cluely has pivoted to an AI-powered meeting note-taking tool, aiming to offer a sustainable product while leaving its viral past behind.
Is Cluely a Good Investment?
Cluely is a private company and not directly available for public investment. However, investors seeking exposure to AI companies can consider analysts’ top stock picks, such as Nvidia (NVDA), Meta (META), Amazon (AMZN), and Apple (APPL), on TipRanks’ Stocks Comparison Center.
