--- title: "Police Shut Down AI Startup’s Party as CEO Screams That “Aura Is Just Too Strong!”" description: "One of the Ivy League dropouts behind a buzzy AI \"cheating\" app tried to host an illegal party outside the offices of San Francisco's storied Y Combinator — and the stunt got the attention of the fuzz. As TechCrunch reports, the \"cheat on everything\" app Cluely, which is not funded by Y Combinator, drew massive crowds outside of the incubator's bayside offices following the institution's star-studded \"AI Startup School\" event earlier this month. \"We only invited friends and friends of friends,\" insisted Roy Lee, one of Cluely's mischievous young cofounders, in an interview with the website. \"It just blew up way […]" date: "2025-06-22" modified: "2025-06-22" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/ai-cheating-startup-party-cops" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai cheating" - "big tech" - "Startups" - "y combinator" --- # Police Shut Down AI Startup’s Party as CEO Screams That “Aura Is Just Too Strong!” ![A buzzy AI "cheating" app tried to host an illegal party outside the offices of Y Combinator — and the stunt got the attention of the fuzz.]() *Group of beautiful young people throwing colorful confetti while dancing and looking happy. Friends making big party in the night. New year's or Birthday party. Series. \Image: Getty Images\* One of the Ivy League dropouts behind a buzzy AI "[cheating]()" app tried to host an illegal party outside the offices of San Francisco's storied Y Combinator — and the stunt got the attention of the fuzz. As [*TechCrunch* reports](), the "[cheat on everything]()" app Cluely, which is not funded by Y Combinator, drew massive crowds outside of the [incubator's bayside offices]() following the institution's star-studded "[AI Startup School]()" event earlier this month. "We only invited friends and friends of friends," insisted Roy Lee, one of Cluely's mischievous young cofounders, in an interview with the website. "It just blew up way out of proportion." Still, Lee said his Monday night shindig would have been "legendary" had SFPD not shown up to the scene to disperse the crowd that had at that point stretched around the block and blocked traffic. As the cops busted up the party, the 21-year-old tech founder was heard shouting "Cluely's aura is just too strong," *TechCrunch* notes. Over the course of this year, Lee and his friend and fellow cofounder Neel Shanmugam have, it seems, done a lot of "legendary" stuff. After [making waves online]() with their "undetectable" AI that could trick LeetCode — the [notoriously difficult]() software that many tech companies use in interviews with prospective engineers — the pair officially launched the app under the name "Interview Coder" back in February. The computer science undergrads presumed what they were doing was acceptable under Columbia's student handbook, but as they soon discovered, it very much was not. In response to school suspensions, the pair [decided to drop out]() to pursue "cheating" full-time. Not long after their grand exit, the boys and their app, which they renamed to "Cluely," got the attention of Andreessen Horowitz and other investors who [helped them raise a cool $15 million]() for their app, which claims it can help you cheat your way through life by seeing everything you do on your smartphone and offering suggestions along the way. In the months since, the Cluely crew apparently gained something of a reputation after selling $100 boxes of condoms that said "[F\*ck Leetcode]()" — a [viral marketing scheme]() that seems to have given them a taste for notoriety. Months away from the app's humble beginnings, however, Lee waxed regretful about what could have been. "It would have been the most legendary party in tech history," he told *TechCrunch*. "And I would argue that the reputation of this story might just make it the most legendary party that never happened." **More on AI startups:** [*AI Startup That Raised $81 Million to Detect Wildfires Bamboozled by Clouds, Still Relies on Humans*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()