In a controversy that has ignited heated debates across tech circles and social media platforms, Indian software engineer Soham Parekh was accused of moonlighting at multiple startups simultaneously, allegedly deceiving employers and gaming the startup hiring ecosystem. The revelations have sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley and India’s tech community, as founders, investors, and engineers react to what many are calling one of the most audacious employment scams in recent memory.
The allegations first came to light when Suhail Doshi, co-founder of analytics platform Mixpanel and founder of Playground AI, publicly named Soham Parekh on X (formerly Twitter), warning others: “PSA: there’s a guy named Soham Parekh (in India) who works at 3–4 startups at the same time. He’s been preying on YC companies and more. Beware.” Doshi claimed Parekh had briefly worked at one of his companies in 2023 and was fired within a week after his duplicity was discovered.
Doshi followed up with more damning statements, alleging that Parekh “got nothing done” and “made up constant lies.” He also released Parekh’s resume, which listed companies such as Dynamo AI, Synthesia, Union AI, Alan AI, Fleet AI, and Antimetal, raising further suspicion about the scale of the alleged deception. “I tried to talk sense into this guy, explain the impact, and give him a chance to turn a new leaf because sometimes that’s what a person needs. But it clearly didn’t work,” Doshi wrote.
Soon after the post went viral, at least five other tech leaders came forward corroborating Doshi’s claims. Flo Crivello, founder and CEO of Lindy, said, “Holy sh*t. We hired this guy a week ago. Fired this morning. He did so incredibly well in interviews, must have a lot of training. Careful out there.” Crivello even shared notes from Parekh’s interview, in which Parekh claimed to have left Antimetal due to time zone issues and dissatisfaction with the company’s changing direction.
Matthew Parkhurst, CEO of Antimetal, confirmed Parekh had worked at the company. “Funnily enough, Soham was our first engineering hire in 2022. Really smart and likable; enjoyed working with him. We realised pretty quickly that he was working at multiple companies and let him go,” Parkhurst said. In a sardonic tone, he added, “Hiring Soham is a new rite of passage tbh. Any great company should go through it.”
Other confirmations followed. Nicolai Ouporov of Fleet AI acknowledged that Parekh had been employed at his firm, and Adish Jain, founder of Mosaic, also admitted Parekh “did great” in interviews. Michelle Lim, Head of Product at Warp, revealed that Parekh had been hired for a work trial which was subsequently cancelled once the allegations surfaced.
Doshi further alleged that Parekh contacted him privately after the exposure, expressing remorse and concern about the long-term impact of his actions. According to Doshi, Parekh asked, “Have I completely sabotaged my career? What can I do to improve my situation? I am also happy to come clean.”
Investor Deedy Das, in a widely shared LinkedIn post, called Parekh “the tip of the iceberg,” claiming thousands like him exist in the remote work economy. He described how such “overemployed” professionals manipulate the system: using mouse jigglers to fake activity, blocking calendars as ‘focus time,’ keeping cameras off during meetings, and outsourcing work.
Das pointed to a Reddit thread where one anonymous user, claiming to be a data expert with 15 years of experience, bragged about earning $800,000 (Rs 6.85 crore) a year by managing five jobs simultaneously. “No job should take too much effort (time) relative to the return. This is also tied to stress. Are they demanding things? Unfriendly? Drop them!” the Reddit user wrote. The user also advised others to “lie, cheat, and steal. Use AI,” calling interviews a “game.”
Das noted that the Reddit community hosting such discussions has over 500,000 members, suggesting that the practice is far more widespread than many realise.
As the scandal spiralled, discussions on platforms like Hacker News erupted, with users debating the ethical and structural implications of Parekh’s actions. One poster who had worked with him remarked, “He will blow the interviews completely out of the water. Easily top 1% or top 0.1% of candidates. The problem is when the job actually starts, it’s just excuses upon excuses.” Another added, “He actually had multiple companies on his LinkedIn at the same time, including ours… then it turned out he was working at all of them simultaneously.”
Despite his apparent technical ability, employers reported patterns of missed meetings, late pull requests, and implausible excuses. “When they did do something, it was brilliant but they only produced stuff when questions were being asked,” one former manager said. Others speculated that a team or dev shop might be helping him deliver sporadic outputs.
Amid the fallout, some questioned whether Parekh’s exposure was justified. “Do we really need to know his name to discuss his actions?” one user asked, while another argued that the industry’s lack of proper vetting, especially among early-stage startups, was partly to blame. “Lots of YC companies copy each other’s process and selection criteria. Basically—they all have the same blind spots,” said another.
Meanwhile, memes flooded social media, with netizens dubbing the saga “Soham-gate” and making light of the situation. Jokes ranged from “Corporate speedrun unlocked” to “The Wolf of YC Street.” Search terms such as “Soham Parekh LinkedIn” and “Soham Parekh Georgia Tech” trended on Google India as curious users tried to learn more about the engineer behind the controversy.
Parekh, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, has yet to issue a formal public statement. As of now, he remains silent on the allegations beyond his private exchange with Suhail Doshi.
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