Cheating Is the New Merit? The AI Hiring War No One Wants to Admit
AI, Cheating, and the Future of Hiring: What Roy Lee Gets Wrong
A few days ago, I came across that viral Cluely post — you know the one. A Columbia student, Chungin “Roy” Lee, built an AI tool specifically designed to cheat during interviews.
He didn’t just get expelled for it. He’s now doubling down.
In a recent interview, Lee made a bold, unsettling claim:
“Cheating is the only fair way into the industry now.”
Why? Because, according to him, AI has split the talent pool in two:
🔹 Those who use AI to get ahead
🔹 And those who moralize against it
Lee’s not just talking — he’s acting. His startup has completely abandoned technical interviews. No coding challenges. No assessments. Just a casual culture-fit chat and a leap of faith.
His logic?
“The AI already knows all the work you’ve done. I should just be able to match you directly to the job.”
It’s a radical stance — and it’s catching fire.
The AI Arms Race Has Officially Begun
There are now two competing beliefs emerging in the hiring world:
AI is the great equalizer — it levels the playing field, giving everyone access to top-tier answers and solutions.
AI erodes merit — it blurs the line between actual skill and artificial performance.
Only one of these can be true.
And here’s where Roy Lee — and many like him — are getting it wrong.
Real performance isn’t about who can get AI to whisper the right answer.
It’s about what happens when AI isn’t in the room.
When the system crashes at 2 AM.
When you’re debugging something you’ve never seen before.
When you need to defend a technical decision to a room full of non-technical stakeholders.
That’s when capability is revealed.
In the Age of AI, Verification Becomes the Competitive Advantage
If everyone is “AI-capable” on paper…
how do you identify who can do the job?
That’s the billion-dollar question.
And the companies that figure it out won’t just survive the AI hiring revolution.
They’ll define it.
Some organizations are already adapting. A top 5 US insurer noticed Cluely-style tactics showing up repeatedly—so they introduced
interview proctoring and a secure browser
during their hiring process.
The result? Misuse was flagged instantly. A few candidates simply dropped off when the shortcuts didn’t work.
Still, bypass methods are evolving fast.
👉 Here’s a quick walkthrough showing how interview proctoring and secure browsers—while essential—can still be defeated using modern tools:
Detect Cluely with Talview Proctoring | Arcade
This isn’t about fear. It’s about understanding the landscape—and designing smarter defenses.
Because when AI makes everything look polished,
effort becomes the real signal
❓The Big Question
If AI has made everyone sound equally right in an interview...
how do you find the ones who can deliver when it really counts?
This isn’t about banning AI tools.
It’s about building hiring systems that still recognize
real preparation, real thinking, and real skill.
Because in a world full of polished answers,
it’s the ability to perform under pressure that still sets people apart.