January 5, 2026
Cheat sheet or cheat street?
RevisionDojo, a YC startup, is running astroturfing campaigns targeting kids
Students cry foul: paid posts, 'leak' bait, and mass downvotes
TLDR: Students accuse YC-backed RevisionDojo of staged Reddit hype, paid promos, and pressure on critics, with mods investigating and similar tactics seen after its OnePrep buy. Commenters oscillate between cynicism about YC, calls to regulators, and jokes about “disruption” invading school life—trust is the casualty.
Reddit’s student crowd is in full-on revolt over RevisionDojo, a Y Combinator–backed test prep startup for IB (International Baccalaureate) exams. Posters on r/IBO claim the company’s hype isn’t organic at all—alleging astroturfing (fake grassroots buzz) via accounts posing as students dropping “cheatsheets” and “predicted leaks,” with friendly sock-puppets swooping in to upvote and cheer. Some say they were offered cash to post promos, while critics report being nudged by reps and hit with coordinated downvotes. Mods say they’re investigating, and multiple threads flag attempts to solicit official exam papers—a big no-no.
Then came the plot twist: RevisionDojo bought OnePrep, a free SAT tool that was beloved on r/sat, and suddenly the same vibes appeared. Users noticed a blitz of 150 Trustpilot reviews in days (link) and a massive 2,000+ upvote post later removed by mods for manipulation. The community response? Pure drama. One camp rolls its eyes—“YC being unethical, shocking”—while another goes full crusader with report-to-the-FTC energy and links. A side thread drags another YC startup, Pickle, for an AR device bait-and-switch. There’s gallows humor (“Disruption comes to junior academia”) and billionaire jokes (“Paul Graham is one of the good billionaires”), equal parts sarcasm and fury. In short: students feel played, mods are swinging hammers, and trust is on life support.
Key Points
- •Users on r/IBO documented alleged astroturfing by RevisionDojo, with accounts posing as students to promote IB materials.
- •High school students reported being offered payment to write promotional Reddit posts for the company.
- •Critics allegedly faced direct contact from company representatives and coordinated mass downvotes of negative comments.
- •TikTok influencers and fake Reddit posts were reportedly used to solicit official IB exam papers, violating IB policies; moderators are investigating.
- •After acquiring OnePrep, similar tactics reportedly appeared: rapid Trustpilot review spikes and Reddit posts removed for manipulation.