Latest news with #Mixpanel
NDTV
17-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Soham Parekh's Life "Hasn't Changed One Bit" After Moonlighting Controversy
Soham Parekh, the Indian tech professional accused of moonlighting at multiple US-based startups, said in a recent X (formerly Twitter) post that his "life hasn't changed one bit" in the aftermath of the moonlighting controversy. On his latest post, one user commented, "This is either peak dedication or a cry for help." Another user wrote, "The question should have been 'why do you work so much?'" "Please share your insights on how to develop this skill without getting into usual rhetoric," a third user asked. My life hasn't changed one bit — Soham Parekh (@realsohamparekh) July 16, 2025 Soham Parekh Accused Of Moonlighting The accusations were made by Suhail Doshi, co-founder of Playground AI and former Mixpanel CEO. He claimed that Parekh was working at three to four startups at the same time. After his allegations, several other founders and hiring managers came forward with similar experiences. Parekh broke his silence, admitting to working multiple jobs due to financial necessity and working 140-hour weeks. He expressed regret and asked for advice on how to improve his situation, stating, "Have I ruined my career?" The incident gained a massive social media reaction, with users giving mixed responses. Some expressed concern over Parekh's mental health, while some hailed his dedication. However, the controversy sparked debate around work-life balance and the hustle culture among the young generation. What Is Moonlighting? Moonlighting means working at multiple jobs simultaneously, often without the knowledge or approval of one's primary employer. This can include freelancing, consulting or working full-time or part-time at another company while being employed elsewhere. In the context of the tech industry, moonlighting has become a topic of debate, particularly when employees work for competing companies or use confidential information from one employer to benefit another.
Economic Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
No moonlight shadows: How tech's trust-based culture opened the door to hidden dual employment
Agencies The case of software engineer Soham Parekh being outed by Mixpanel co-founder Suhail Doshi earlier this month, for 'moonlighting across multiple startups and scamming employers', has reignited an uncomfortable truth in the tech world. Moonlighting is no longer confined to a certain hierarchy, or harmless side gigs. It's now a sophisticated, high-stakes risk that even experienced and high-profile professionals are engaging are individuals who appear credible, talented and full of promise, often acing interviews, impressing decision-makers, and securing roles in fast-growing or established tech organisations eager for top talent. With most organisations now adept at using AI-based tools and technologies, tech professionals increasingly have the opportunity to deliver work faster and more efficiently, sometimes making it harder to detect whether their billable and non-billable time is being fully dedicated to the employer's benefit. At the same time, some take advantage of the speed, informality and trust-based culture that defines many tech organisations to engage in dual employment, putting companies at risk of financial losses, data breaches, operational disruption and reputational harm. In sectors where Indian tech firms work in the US or European markets - especially in SaaS, fintech or healthtech - moonlighting raises serious concerns over data confidentiality, GDPR compliance and IP protection. In India, the legal position on moonlighting remains fragmented. For most tech companies, the decision hinges on employment contracts that may include exclusivity clauses, confidentiality agreements and non-compete provisions. However, many organisations - particularly those in growth phases - tend to lack robust or standardised employment contracts. This often results in informal, or loosely-structured, employment terms, especially when hires are made quickly through networks and referrals. Absence of clear contractual terms creates ambiguity, which can be exploited to engage in dual employment without consequence. Even when such clauses exist, enforcement remains a challenge, especially in today's environment of remote work and a growing sentiment among employees regarding desirability of multiple gigs to expand their income how can fast-growing or evolving tech companies strengthen their defences against such incidents, while safeguarding sensitive data, upholding client trust and maintaining productivity? The following steps could help: Screen behaviour, not just skills Hiring processes should move beyond technical assessments to include behavioural evaluations and ethical judgement tests to reduce risk of bringing in individuals with questionable integrity. Robust employment background checks can also help verify credentials, past employment history and flag potential risks. Employment terms at the offer state Cutting corners in employment contracts can leave the door wide open for ethical grey zones, moonlighting risks and legal disputes. Key employment terms - policies on moonlighting, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, permissible external work, etc - should be defined from the outset, along with the consequences of violations such as termination, legal action or financial penalties. This contractual clarity minimises misunderstandings or manipulative behaviour down the line. Strike a balance Consider whether certain critical or sensitive roles benefit from in-person presence. While remote work offers flexibility, it can sometimes make it harder to spot early warning signs of dual employment or misrepresentation. A thoughtful balance between remote and in-office roles can help strengthen oversight where it matters most. Protect IP and data For tech companies, data and IP are lifeblood of the business, often their most valuable assets. Prioritising robust data privacy protocols and IP protection measures that go beyond just IT security are critical, including strong confidentiality clauses, controlled data access and clear expectations for ethical conduct. Tech-governance in real time Digital tools and advanced verification technologies can help flag unusual patterns, overlapping employment or undisclosed affiliations, often before they escalate into larger risks. Continuous, discreet monitoring not only strengthens internal controls, but also serves as an early warning system for potential conflicts of interest or ethical breaches. In cases where it's permitted, monitoring should be clearly defined in the organisation's policies, balancing respect for employee privacy and compliance with local employment laws. Draw the line before it's crossed Mandatory declarations and disclosures, clearly articulated in contracts and policies, should define what's permissible and what constitutes a breach of trust. This is where global standards like ISO 37009:2021 on conflict of interest can play a vital role in establishing appropriate guard can lead to loss of revenue, conflicts of interest, and integrity, compliance and reputational risks for organisations. Along with having clearly defined policies and procedures, companies need to implement robust internal controls and sanctions frameworks to prevent and detect unwarranted moonlighting activities. Singh is global markets & India leader, EY Forensic & Integrity Services, and Bhatt is technology sector leader, EY (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Markets need to see more than profits from Oyo Can Grasim's anti-competition charge against Asian Paints stand amid intense war Engine fuel switches or something else? One month on, still no word on what crashed AI 171 Delhivery survived the Meesho curveball. Can it keep on delivering profits? Stock Radar: Page Industries breaks out from Cup & Handle formation; stock hits fresh 52-week high For risk-takers with ability to stay invested for the long term: 5 small-caps from different sectors with upside potential of 5 to 32% Multibagger or IBC - Part 14: This auto ancillary with double-digit net margins is now getting EV-focused These mid-cap stocks with 'Strong Buy' & 'Buy' recos can rally over 25%, according to analysts
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
An over-employed engineer was caught secretly working for multiple Silicon Valley startups at once—picking up salary offers of up to $200K per job
A software engineer named Soham Parekh has admitted to secretly holding multiple jobs at once across Silicon Valley startups, earning offers of up to $200,000 before delivering minimal work. The saga began after a viral post by Mixpanel's former CEO accused him of scamming YC-funded companies. Startup founders say Parekh aced interviews, faked credentials, and offered wild excuses—ranging from drone strikes to visa issues—before vanishing. At least 10 companies reportedly hired and fired him for lying and underperforming. A single software engineer has become the most-hired person in Silicon Valley. The engineer, Soham Parekh, has admitted that he had been working across multiple up-and-coming Silicon Valley startups at the same time after he went viral on social media. Startup founders told Fortune that Parekh would ace early interviews, land high-paying jobs, and then ghost employers when work began. They say Parekh came up with creative excuses for late or poor quality work, before they discovered that he was simultaneously working for multiple tech companies. He'd been offered salaries of up to $200,000 per year in base compensation by founders. The saga began on Wednesday when Suhail Doshi, co-founder and former CEO of Mixpanel, issued a warning about him 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. 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 in a post on X. The post was quickly flooded with replies from fellow founders with similar stories, including a few who claimed to still have Parekh on their payroll. Related: Bosses are catching on to their 'overemployed' staff—one worker says they're making $3K a day doing 5 jobs Doshi shared the engineer's CV in a follow-up post, which listed multiple companies, work experience, and a master's degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in computer science. However, the institute told Fortune in a statement that they were 'unable to find any record of enrollment at Georgia Tech for a person with that name.' In an interview on the daily tech show TBPN, Parekh confirmed the claims he was holding down multiple jobs at the same time, saying: 'I'm not proud of what I've done. That's not something I endorse either. But no one really likes to work 140 hours a week, I had to do it out of necessity.' He added he made the choice because he was 'in extremely dire financial circumstances.' When reached for comment, Parekh referred Fortune to Sanjit Juneja, Founder and CEO of Darwin, who shared this statement: 'At Darwin, we are solely focused on building the most innovative software products for both brands and content creators. Soham is an incredibly talented engineer and we believe in his abilities to help bring our products to market.' Arkadiy Telegin, co-founder of AI startup Leaping AI, wasn't surprised when he saw the now-infamous engineer was trending on X. Telegin told Fortune he'd made Parekh a job offer in April after being blown away by the engineer in the interview process. 'He really crushed my interview. I interviewed around 50 people in the prior two weeks before talking to him and he passed, by far, all of the people I interviewed,' he said. 'He also was a very likeable person.' 'I offered him a salary range of $160,000 to $200,000 per year base compensation plus equity ranging from around 0.7% to 1.1%, he chose the middle of the cash and middle of the equity,' Telegin said. 'I told him to come to San Francisco and we could sign the papers.' Telegin said Parekh told him he was in the process of getting his O-1 visa—a type of visa reserved for individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics—but wanted to contribute remotely while he was still in India. However, almost immediately after the company onboarded him, Parekh started behaving strangely. 'He produced and wrote code, but he was insanely slow. And there were always these excuses like a flood or the electricity went out, and then the [Indo-Pakistan conflict] happened—but he was so far away from the conflict,' Telegin said. Parekh had told Telegin he was based in Mumbai, more than a thousand miles away from the fighting near Jammu and Kashmir, but later claimed a drone had damaged the building he lived in. Telegin said he assumed Parekh was picking up some work on the side and decided to formally pay him for his time, with the aim of locking in the engineer exclusively with a formal full-time employment contract which he would sign when he got to San Francisco, where the role was full-time, in-office. 'I thought if I pay him, then it's official … he's going to contribute and commit, but he never sent an invoice. In the end, I didn't transfer him a single dollar, which is the most confusing part of it all, because other people seem to have paid him.' A month later, when Telegin was visiting a fellow founder from his Y Combinator cohort, the pair got chatting about their AI hiring woes. The war for AI talent is particularly tough on startups right now as tech companies are competing for an increasingly small pool of talent. Big Tech companies are shelling out eye-watering salaries, making it difficult for startups with fewer funds to compete. 'Hiring is the biggest problem for any YC company, including us and including them,' he said. 'We've been chatting about our hiring pains while describing people we've been talking to, and then we both started describing Soham to each other. Then the next moment it was like: 'Wait, are we dating the same guy?'' Later, Telegin realized that his friend was merely the tip of the iceberg. Within his YC batch, Soham had interviewed or worked with three other companies. 'It was just surreal … At some dinner events, somebody would start saying: 'Oh, I'm interviewing this cool guy, he crushed my interview' and then people would say in unison: 'Oh, is it Soham?' And then the person telling the story would freak out, because what the hell is going on? It's like a dream,' he said. 'I don't think anybody hired him in my batch,' he added. 'But he was definitely paid for work trials.' Marcus Lowe, co-founder of Create, also had Parekh on the payroll as a full-time independent contractor for around two weeks earlier this year, during which the engineer made one appearance in the office and shipped almost no code. 'He's just a really strong engineer and he crushed the interview,' Lowe told Fortune. 'But about a week before he was scheduled to start, he texted us saying he needed to go to New York to visit his sister and needed to push the start date back.' 'Then the day before he was supposed to start, he texted us saying he was feeling sick and wasn't able to come in, so we pushed back the start date again,' he said. 'By this point, it was actually two weeks late before he came into the office for one day and he did good work … then the excuses started again.' Lowe had signed Parekh up as an independent contractor in a deal that included five days of in-office work and a base compensation of $150,000. Lowe only saw him in the flesh for one day. Suspicious, he went to Parekh's GitHub profile to investigate, saw he had committed code to another San Francisco-based startup. He went down to the offices to ask if Parekh worked there. He was told the engineer did, but was out sick. 'Long story short, we kept pushing him to come into the office, but he never did again. Eventually, we just gave him a performance conversation and said you're not shipping enough code, we need you to actually deliver,' he said. Parekh never did and was later terminated. Another Silicon Valley-based founder told Fortune he hired Parekh for a work trial in 2024 but decided not to move forward with him after it became clear he couldn't move to the US. He also said there were issues with his performance and a string of what he came to believe were habitual lies. He paid Parekh $2,400 for the week. All of the founders Fortune spoke to said they had heard of multiple other incidents where the engineer was working more than one job at once, some as long as three years ago. He also appears to have had a brief stint at Meta in 2021. Representatives for the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune. In a post on X, Gergely Orosz, a software engineer and author of the'The Pragmatic Engineer' newsletter, said he had 'confirmed 10 companies where [Parekh] was hired and fired for doing nothing (but lying to them.) And another 8 that interviewed him but rejected him (many feel they have wasted their time.) There are likely many, many more.' This story was originally featured on
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
How Soham Parekh managed to juggle work between startups without getting caught?
Soham Parekh, an India-based software engineer, has made headlines after admitting to secretly working across dozens of US startups at the same time. Soham Parekh was accused by Suhail Doshi, co‑founder of Mixpanel and Playground AI, of working for multiple startups at the same time.(X/@mhadifilms) The controversy surfaced after entrepreneur Suhail Doshi, in a series of posts on X, called Parekh a 'scammer' who had tricked several startups, including those backed by the Y Combinator accelerator. "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," San Francisco-based Suhail Doshi posted on X. He added that Parekh worked briefly at one of his companies and was fired within his first week. It was later revealed that Parekh juggled roles at around 34 different companies, including Alan AI, Synthesia, DynamoAI and often with overlapping job periods. Also Read: Soham Parekh breaks silence: Indian engineer admits to working at multiple startups, says it wasn't to scam anyone Ever since the post on X went viral, more companies shared their story showing how Parekh turned up for a job interview and how he managed to fool them. How Soham Parekh operated? Dhruv Amin, co-founder of AI startup Create, took to X to share the story of how his firm hired Soham Parekh as engineer number five and that he was recommended by a recruiter. Parekh called in sick on the very first day of the job and said he would onboard from home, and gave his address to ship his laptop. "Yes, we hired him. we're building an AI agent in SF. he was eng #5.- recommended by a recruiter, which lent legitimacy. He was eager and crushed our in person pair programming onsite. I believe he's actually a good engineer...I gave offer while waiting for responses for the first (and last) accepted same evening. said he had an nyc trip planned, then would first day at 9:30 am he calls in sick (strange). said he'd onboard from home. gave an address to ship laptop," Dhruv said in a post on X. The first red flag, Dhruv said, was the shipping address. Instead of home, Parekh asked for his laptop to be shipped to a San Francisco office building. Also Read: Why is Indian coder Soham Parekh being accused of 'scamming' US startups? Explained Dhruv, who happened to be on a visit to a doctor, checked the place, which housed industrial spaces and Sync Labs, a YC-backed startup. Meanwhile, Parekh called in sick in the first week, while his GitHub account showed late-night activity on private repositories. Over the days, things got even weirder with Parekh missing meetings, delayed deliverables and made excuses. "He then spent 2 days saying he was working on something from home we knew should have taken him 1/2 a day max. always almost ready, just testing something. Finally it started blocking the main thread. So my co-founder asked to take over his branch to get it done. Almost nothing had been done," Dhruv added. When the firm found out that Soham was working for Sync Labs, they confronted him, only to get a denial. Eventually, when the co-founder called Sync Labs and asked if Soham was working there, the response from the YC company was that he was working from home that day. Dhruv added that Parekh was a good engineer, but the "biggest mistake was lying repeatedly." Soham Parekh responds Soham Parekh, who is at the center of the online storm, has publicly admitted to working for multiple startups full-time. Parekh said that the allegations against him were true and he did it due to his financial circumstances. Also Read: Arrested terrorist, influenced by Zakir Naik, a 'big fish' in bomb-making: Andhra Police 'It is true. I'm not proud of what I've done. But, you know, financial circumstances, essentially. No one really likes to work 140 hours a week, right? But I had to do this out of necessity. I was in extremely dire financial circumstances," he said during an interview to tech show TBPN. The controversy has raised concerns on the growing trend of 'overemployment' where people take multiple remote jobs without disclosing them. It has also raised concerns over the hiring culture, especially among the tech startups, that hire people without adequate background checks.
India Today
05-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
From hired to fired, tech founder reveals how Soham Parekh operated and hints at how he fooled companies
In a bizarre saga that could be ripped straight from a tech satire, Soham Parekh, an India-based software engineer, has stunned Silicon Valley after admitting to secretly working full-time for dozens of US startups, at the same time. What began as whispers of moonlighting quickly exploded into a full-blown controversy after revelations surfaced that Parekh was juggling roles at up to 34 different companies, sparking outrage, disbelief, and a flurry of story broke when Suhail Doshi, founder and former CEO of Mixpanel, posted on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Parekh of deceiving several Y Combinator-backed startups. Doshi claimed he had fired Parekh within a week of uncovering the truth. As the thread gained traction, more founders chimed in, admitting they had either hired or interviewed Parekh, only to discover he was already employed elsewhere. One such founder, Dhruv Amin, co-founder of AI startup Create, shared his experience with Parekh in an X thread that quickly went viral. Dhruv explained that Soham had joined his team in San Francisco as engineer number five, on the back of a recruiter's recommendation and an impressive pair-programming interview. 'Yes, we hired him He was eager and crushed our in-person pair programming onsite. I believe he's actually a good engineer,' Dhruv wrote. But the enthusiasm quickly turned into accepting the job, Parekh said he'd be away in New York and would begin a week later. When Monday rolled around, he texted Dhruv excitedly, only to call in sick on his first day. 'He said he'd onboard from home. Gave an address to ship the laptop,' Dhruv there, things only got weirder. Parekh missed meetings, delayed deliverables, and made excuses. It all unravelled when Dhruv's team discovered he was actively working at another company, Sync, at the same time.'When we called Soham up, he denied it to the end. Said Sync guys were just friends,' Dhruv recalled. But the real kicker came when Sync published an 'Employee of the Month' video, featuring none other than Soham Parekh contract was swiftly terminated. 'He dipped,' Dhruv said, assuming he was just a young engineer who had made a bad call. But when the wider story broke, Dhruv's embarrassment turned to amazement. 'Then I was pissed. Then impressed Still not sure how he pulled it off for so long with in-person startups and long hours, but appreciated the hustle. Hope he had a good reason. Feels like a stressful way to make money.'Soham Parekh's side of the storyadvertisementAs the tech world demanded answers, Parekh finally spoke out in an interview on The Backchannel podcast (TBPN), confirming what many had suspected. 'It is true,' he said, calmly owning up to the deception. 'I'm not proud of what I've done. But, you know, financial circumstances, essentially. No one really likes to work 140 hours a week, right? But I had to do this out of necessity. I was in extremely dire financial circumstances.'He added that he completed all the work himself -- no shortcuts, no AI, no external help -- and maintained that his output met claimed the hustle began in 2022, after postponing graduate school and enrolling in an online programme from Georgia Tech. But that detail raised more questions when a Georgia Tech spokesperson confirmed there was no record of his enrolment, casting further doubt on the timeline and fuelling speculation around how far the deception may have the storm, Parekh has already landed on his feet. He's now joined a San Francisco-based AI startup named Darwin, and has promised to leave his multi-job days behind. 'I won't be taking up any more additional jobs,' he his story has raised ethical questions about moonlighting and transparency in remote hiring, it's also exposed deeper vulnerabilities in the startup hiring culture, especially in the fast-moving world of venture-backed tech, where background checks are often minimal and pressure to scale is high. Love him or loathe him, Soham Parekh's name is now etched into Silicon Valley lore.- Ends
