Soham Parekh: The Serial Moonlighter Who Fooled Silicon Valley StartupsIn an extraordinary case that has gripped Silicon Valley, Soham Parekh, a software engineer based in India, is at the center of a controversy that has left startup founders stunned. Over the past week, social media has been flooded with stories of Parekh allegedly working simultaneously at multiple tech startups—without informing any of his employers.
How It All Started: Suhail Doshi’s Viral PSA
The story exploded when Suhail Doshi, CEO of image generation startup Playground AI, issued a public warning on X (formerly Twitter). Doshi revealed he had fired Parekh a year earlier for secretly working multiple jobs. “He’s been preying on YC companies and more,” Doshi wrote. His tweet quickly went viral, racking up over 20 million views and prompting a wave of similar revelations from other tech founders.
Multiple Startups, One Engineer
Following Doshi’s post, numerous startup CEOs began sharing their experiences with Parekh:
- Flo Crivello of Lindy AI said he hired and quickly fired Parekh after learning of the allegations.
- Matt Parkhurst, CEO of Antimetal, claimed Parekh was their first engineering hire before they discovered he was moonlighting.
- Sync Labs, an AI lip-syncing startup, even featured Parekh in a promotional video before letting him go.
Y Combinator Startups Duped
Parekh also applied to several Y Combinator-backed startups:
- Haz Hubble of Pally AI offered him a founding engineer role.
- Adish Jain of Mosaic interviewed Parekh, but didn’t proceed with hiring.
- Rohan Pandey from Reworkd shared that Parekh was among their top interviewees, but they discovered he was lying about being in the U.S., using an IP tracker via Zoom.
In multiple cases, Parekh impressed hiring teams with his technical abilities, particularly in React and algorithm design. However, discrepancies in his resume and communication patterns raised suspicions.
Pattern of Deception
Several founders noticed red flags:
- Missed meetings and frequent rescheduling.
- Conflicting job histories on GitHub and resumes.
- A tendency to insist on remote work, even for roles that required local presence.
Adam Silverman of Agency and Roy Lee of Cluely echoed similar concerns about inconsistencies in Parekh’s behavior. Despite these issues, many admitted he was a strong coder.
Soham Parekh Speaks Out
In an appearance on the Technology Business Programming Network (TBPN), Parekh confirmed that he had been working at multiple companies since 2022. He denied using AI tools or assistants and claimed to be working up to 140 hours a week.
Parekh attributed his decision to financial pressure, saying he had turned down graduate school to pursue multiple job offers. Interestingly, he often opted for low salaries and high equity—a contradiction if income was truly his motivation.
Despite the backlash, Parekh claimed he genuinely enjoyed his work and was committed to each company’s mission. “I’m not proud of what I did,” he said, “but it made me a much better programmer.”
What’s Next for Parekh?
In a surprising move, Parekh announced he would now work exclusively at Darwin Studios, an AI video remixing startup. The announcement was later deleted—by both Parekh and Darwin CEO Sanjit Juneja.
Still, Juneja issued a statement supporting Parekh:
“Soham is an incredibly talented engineer and we believe in his abilities to help bring our products to market.”
Turning Controversy Into Opportunity
While many in the tech world consider Parekh a scammer or serial liar, others are watching to see if he can turn his viral moment into a legitimate business opportunity—just as other startups have done. Cluely, for example, built its brand around controversial marketing and landed a $15 million seed round from Andreessen Horowitz.
Will Parekh follow a similar path, or will this be the end of his startup saga?
Conclusion
The Soham Parekh controversy shines a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of fast-growing tech startups, especially those relying on remote, international talent. It also raises ethical questions about overemployment, deception, and the pressure to survive in a hyper-competitive industry.
As the tech world watches closely, one thing is clear: Silicon Valley won’t soon forget the name Soham Parekh.