Columbia suspends student for sharing disciplinary records of AI interview cheating tool
A Columbia University student created an AI tool called Interview Coder that automatically solved technical coding interview questions to help job candidates cheat. After publicly disclosing his use of the tool in a video posted online, Columbia suspended him for one year, citing his violation of confidentiality by sharing disciplinary documents on social media.
What happened
Chungin 'Roy' Lee, a second-year computer science student at Columbia University, created Interview Coder, a desktop application designed to help job candidates cheat on technical coding interviews by taking screenshots of problems and using AI to generate solutions in real time.
Lee posted a YouTube video of himself using the tool during an Amazon interview in December. He claimed Interview Coder obtained internship offers from Amazon, Capital One, Meta and TikTok, later revealing the tool sold for $60 per month.
Columbia suspended Lee for one year on March 27, 2025, citing his violation of a confidentiality agreement by posting unauthorized documents and photos from his disciplinary hearing on social media.
Reported impact
Multiple technology companies rescinded job offers to Lee after he publicly disclosed his use of AI to cheat in interviews. Lee stated he was on track to generate approximately $2 million annually in revenue from the tool before the suspension.
Index analysis
Lee developed the tool to specifically circumvent technical interview assessments, enabling candidates to present solutions they did not generate themselves. The invisibility of the tool to browser detection systems highlighted a gap in how companies monitor for AI use during remote interviews.
Governance controls
Lee stated he reviewed Columbia's academic handbook before creating and marketing the tool and determined it could not be used by students to cheat on in-class assignments, concluding technical interviews fell outside the university's scope. Columbia's disciplinary action targeted Lee's breach of confidentiality rather than the creation of the cheating tool itself.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.