Columbia Student Creates AI Tool for Tech Internships
A Columbia University student developed an AI tool, Interview Coder, which he claims helped him secure internship offers from prominent technology companies like Amazon, Meta, and TikTok. The tool, designed to assist with coding interviews, has sparked controversy and raised ethical questions.
Created by Columbia student Roy Lee, Interview Coder is described as an invisible application that helps users solve coding problems typical of LeetCode interviews, which are commonly used by tech firms.
Lee shared on X that he had received offers from several tech companies after using the tool. “Yes, I actually used Interview Coder to get an Amazon offer. Yes, I used to also run an account that taught people how to solve Leetcode questions,” he wrote.
He also posted a screenshot from LinkedIn showing internship positions at Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and Capital One, all starting in February 2025. In each entry, he noted that he would accept the internship if other offers were rescinded.
Lee even posted a YouTube video allegedly showcasing his use of Interview Coder during a LeetCode interview. The video appears to show him using the tool to solve coding problems in real-time. However, the video and Lee’s actions subsequently drew scrutiny from Amazon.
An email, purportedly sent by Amazon to Columbia University, was later shared. The email expressed concern over Lee’s conduct during the interview process: “Chungin, or Roy as he prefers, recently interviewed for our Amazon SDE Intern role in which he proved to be a strong candidate. Soon after, I received a link to a YouTube video created by Roy in which he showed himself using an invisible cheating tool to gain an unfair and unapproved advantage during the interview process.”
“While this is disturbing enough, further research showed that Roy is selling this tool to other students and engineers, spreading the tool to many users,” the email stated. HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of this information.
Lee responded that he had already rejected the Amazon offer and had no intention of joining the company. He claimed his intention was to challenge the prevalence of LeetCode interviews. “Point of the software is to hopefully bring an end to Leetcode interviews. This tool took me a week to build and a better engineer could’ve built it in half a day,” he said. Interview Coder, therefore, wasn’t meant to secure a particular internship.
In a subsequent post, Lee shared a screenshot of an email allegedly sent from Meta, rescinding his internship offer. The email read, “Hi Roy. Following up from our phone conversation to confirm your offer of employment at Meta has been rescinded effective immediately. Thank you for your interest.”
