There's a guy named Soham Parekh in India who…: Silicon Valley CEO exposes the moonlighting scam of Indian techie

Time of India

a day ago

Soham Parekh
, an Indian
software engineer
has sparked outrage across
Silicon Valley
after being publicly accused of simultaneously working at multiple American startups while deceiving employers about his availability and commitments. The explosive allegations have triggered a viral social media storm and exposed vulnerabilities in
remote hiring practices
.
Suhail Doshi
, co-founder of analytics platform
Mixpanel
and founder of Playground AI, exposed Soham Parekh in a scathing social media post, claiming the India-based developer has been "preying on
YC companies
and more" by maintaining employment at three to four startups simultaneously.
"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. I fired this guy in his first week and told him to stop lying/scamming people. He hasn't stopped a year later. No more excuses," Doshi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
How Soham fooled multiple startups
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Undo
The pattern that emerged was consistent across multiple companies: Parekh would excel in interviews, impressing founders with his technical knowledge and communication skills, but would subsequently underperform due to conflicting commitments. Following Doshi's initial accusation, several other startup founders shared remarkably similar experiences.
Flo Crivello, founder and CEO of Lindy, revealed the immediate impact: "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."
Nicolai Ouporov, co-founder and CEO of Fleet AI, confirmed the scale of the deception: "He has been doing this for years and works at more than 4 startups at any given time."
Michelle Lim from Warp demonstrated how quickly the warning spread through the startup community: "We just signed him up for our work trial next week. Saw this tweet. Cancelled work trial. Thank you for sharing!"
Doshi himself has dubbed the controversy "Soham-gate," posting real-time updates as more companies come forward: "Not a joke. This is happening real time. This is the 3rd DM today about someone firing him.
soham-gate
."
What Soham's resume revealed
According to Doshi's shared documentation, Parekh's resume lists employment at prominent AI companies including Dynamo AI, Union AI, Synthesia, and Alan AI. However, Doshi dismissed the credentials as fraudulent, stating the resume was "probably 90% fake and most links are gone."
The resume presented an impressive profile: a software engineer with a bachelor's degree from the University of Mumbai and a master's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, showcasing experience across multiple high-profile AI startups. Yet the document that initially impressed hiring managers became evidence of systematic deception once scrutinized.
Matthew Parkhurst, CEO of Antimetal, confirmed Parekh had worked at his company but revealed the quick discovery: "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." The pattern suggested Parekh was crafting overlapping employment histories to hide his simultaneous commitments.
When questioned about work verification, Doshi explained: "Obviously they do. How else do you think he keeps getting fired?" The controversy has highlighted specific vulnerabilities in remote hiring practices, particularly for early-stage startups that may lack robust background check processes.
Why Soham's case sparked 'Soham-gate'
The scandal has revealed a broader issue within the remote work ecosystem. Investor Deedy Das characterized Parekh as "the tip of the iceberg," pointing to online communities where individuals boast about earning hundreds of thousands of dollars through simultaneous employment schemes.
Despite the public exposure, Parekh has reportedly reached out privately, asking: "Have I completely sabotaged my career? What can I do to improve my situation? I am also happy to come clean."
Parkhurst, noted with sardonic humor: "Hiring Soham is a new rite of passage tbh. Any great company should go through it."
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