Who is Soham Parekh, the Indian engineer accused of scamming US startups?

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4 days ago

Soham Parekh, an Indian software engineer, is at the centre of a scandal in Silicon Valley. The man is allegedly working at multiple full-time jobs at once without disclosure. Many startup founders expressed their shock upon discovering Parekh's reality, describing him as a 'smart and talented engineer' who aced job interviews read more
Soham Parekh's strong academic background and ability to impress in interviews helped him land high-level positions at well-known startups. Image courtesy: X
He had the perfect resume, aced every interview, and landed roles at some of Silicon Valley's most promising startups. But behind the scenes, Soham Parekh was allegedly playing a risky game, working multiple full-time jobs at once, without telling any of his employers.
Now, the Indian software engineer is at the centre of a growing storm in the startup world, with top founders accusing him of deception, resume fraud, and exploiting the loopholes of remote work culture.
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The revelation has sparked intense debate on social media, with many discussing the implications of such actions in the tech industry.
Here's what we know about the case.
Who is Soham Parekh?
Soham Parekh is an Indian software engineer who has worked simultaneously at several startups without disclosure, a practice known as moonlighting.
Parekh reportedly holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai (2020), with a stellar GPA of 9.83/10, and a Master's Degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech (2022).
These credentials, if accurate, helped him land roles at competitive startups. However, many now doubt the authenticity of some of the claims on his resume.
According to Suhail Doshi, co-founder of Playground AI and former CEO of Mixpanel, Parekh targeted Y Combinator-backed startups and managed to work at three or four at the same time. Doshi was among the first to flag his behaviour publicly, posting screenshots of Parekh's resume and alleging much of it was fake.
Probably 90% fake and most links are gone. pic.twitter.com/h9bnLc8Cwj — Suhail (@Suhail) July 2, 2025
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On paper, Parekh listed roles at several tech startups, including, Senior Software Engineer (Contract) at Dynamo AI (January 2024–present), Senior Fullstack Engineer at Union.ai (January 2023–January 2024), Senior Fullstack Engineer at Synthesia (December 2021–December 2022), Founding Software Engineer at Alan AI (January 2021–December 2021), Open Source Fellow at GitHub (May 2020–August 2020).
He was also reportedly associated with companies like Antimetal, Fleet AI, and Mosaic. Founders like Matthew Parkhurst (CEO of Antimetal) and Michelle Lim (Head of Product at Warp) confirmed hiring him, though many of these stints were short-lived.
The techie has been described as an exceptionally talented engineer. One social media user who claimed to have worked with Parekh said, 'When he works, yes. I saw him taking on a task and finishing in an hour when it'd take at least three for other engineers.'
His strong performance in interviews and clear technical skills made him a top pick for fast-growing startups. But the latest allegations suggest he used this talent to take on multiple roles at once, deceiving employers in the process.
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How did Soham fool startups?
Soham Parekh's strong academic background and ability to impress in interviews helped him land high-level positions at well-known startups. But things started to unravel when Suhail Doshi, founder of Playground AI, publicly warned others in the startup world.
'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 wrote on X.
Soon after, other founders began sharing similar experiences. Flo Crivello, CEO of Lindy, said they had just hired Parekh but let him go a week later after discovering the deception. 'He did so incredibly well in interviews, must have a lot of training,' Crivello added.
Joke aside, the real lesson from Soham is we as an industry ought to do way more public shaming
I personally know 4 people(!) who got scammed by him
We'd have gone for another month if it wasn't for @Suhail
So: I will now post publicly when I'm screwed over by someone in a way… — Flo Crivello (@Altimor) July 2, 2025
Nicolai Ouporov, co-founder of Fleet AI, also came forward, saying Parekh had been pulling off this act for years. 'He works at more than 4 startups at any given time,' he claimed.
At Antimetal, CEO Matthew Parkhurst described Parekh as 'really smart and likeable' but admitted they had to let him go due to divided commitments. He even joked that hiring Soham had become 'a new rite of passage' for startups.
Funnily enough, Soham was our first engineering hire in 2022
Really smart and likable; enjoyed working with him
We realized pretty quickly that he was working at multiple companies and let him go
I can't imagine the amount of equity he's left on the table https://t.co/vXGlHxF1QH — Matt (@mprkhrst) July 2, 2025
Michelle Lim from Warp shared how the warning spread fast. 'We just signed him up for our work trial next week. Saw this tweet. Cancelled work trial. Thank you for sharing!' she posted.
Doshi continued updating his followers with real-time developments. 'Not a joke. This is happening real time. This is the 3rd DM today about someone firing him. soham-gate,' he wrote.
While Parekh has not issued a public statement, Doshi shared a private message from him that hinted at regret. 'Asking this as genuine advice… Have I completely sabotaged my career? What can I do to improve my situation? I am also happy to come clean,' Parekh reportedly messaged.
Soham's case just the 'tip of the iceberg'?
While Parekh's actions have stirred up the startup world, many believe his case is just one example of a much bigger problem.
Investor Deedy Das described him as 'the tip of the iceberg' and suggested that there are likely thousands of others doing the same thing.
Das outlined several tricks used by people who juggle multiple jobs, like using mouse-jiggling tools to appear active online, blocking off fake calendar slots as 'focus time,' outsourcing parts of their work, and keeping their cameras off during meetings.
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While Parekh's actions have stirred up the startup world, many believe his case is just one example of a much bigger problem. Image courtesy: X/@Flo Crivello
He also shared screenshots from Reddit, where one user claimed to be making $800,000 a year by working five jobs at once. The same person described how they avoided physical office visits, called themselves a 'consultant,' and only handled high-priority tasks to get by.
The Soham Parekh scandal is now being seen as a wake-up call. It has pushed companies to rethink how they screen new hires, manage remote teams, and build safeguards to detect and prevent this kind of fraud.
With input from agencies