Indian engineer Soham Parekh went viral for secretly working 3–4 startup jobs at once.
Parekh admitted to overworking due to financial issue.
He denied using AI tools or hiring junior engineers to help.
Social media has been buzzing with posts about an Indian software engineer named Soham Parekh, who has left a trail of confusion and frustration across Silicon Valley. According to several tech founders, Parekh has been secretly working at multiple startups simultaneously for the last few years, without informing any of them. Parekh’s story has stunned the tech world because of how many companies he allegedly juggled and how well he covered his tracks.
SurveyFounders of startups are now sharing their experiences, saying he scammed their teams by pretending to be fully committed, while working three to four jobs at once. So, who exactly is Soham Parekh, how did he pull this off, and why can’t Silicon Valley stop talking about him? Keep reading to find out.
The beginning of the viral story
The buzz began when Suhail Doshi, CEO of AI image startup Playground AI, posted on X: “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 said he fired Parekh about a year ago after learning he was working other jobs. “Told him to stop lying/scamming people. He hasn’t stopped a year later,” he added. His post gained nearly 20 million views, and soon after, more startup founders came forward with similar stories.
Flo Crivello, CEO of Lindy, said he hired Parekh recently but let him go after seeing Doshi’s post. Matt Parkhurst, CEO of Antimetal, shared that Parekh was their first engineering hire in 2022 but was fired soon after they found out he was moonlighting.
Other startups like Sync Labs, Pally AI, Mosaic and Cluely also had interactions with Parekh, either hiring or interviewing him. Most were initially impressed by his skills but grew suspicious due to inconsistencies in his behaviour, such as rescheduling interviews often or lying about his location.
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Parekh speaks out
Parekh addressed the situation on the Technology Brother Podcast Network. He admitted to working multiple jobs since 2022, claiming it was due to financial problems. He denied using AI tools or hiring junior engineers to help, saying he worked around 140 hours a week, or 20 hours a day.
When asked why he didn’t simply request a salary hike from one company to ease his financial struggles, Parekh explained that he prefers to maintain a clear boundary between his professional and personal life.
He also said he genuinely cared about the work he did and wasn’t proud of how he handled things. Interestingly, he often preferred equity over salary.
Also read: Apple accuses former employee of stealing Vision Pro secrets before joining Snap
What’s next for Soham Parekh?
Soham Parekh recently claimed he’s now working exclusively at Darwin Studios, a startup focused on AI video remixing, according to TechCrunch. However, both he and Darwin’s CEO later deleted their announcements.
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
