Soham Parekh, an Indian software engineer, has become the focus of a major controversy in the global tech industry after being accused of moonlighting secretly holding multiple jobs at several US-based startups. The scandal has ignited fierce debate about remote work, hiring practices, and ethics in the fast-paced world of startups.
The controversy erupted when Suhail Doshi, co-founder of analytics platform Mixpanel and founder of Playground AI, publicly accused Parekh on X (formerly Twitter) of simultaneously working at three to four US startups, many of them backed by the prestigious Y Combinator accelerator. Doshi claimed that Parekh had been “preying on YC companies and more,” and revealed that he had fired Parekh within a week for dishonesty. Despite being confronted, Doshi alleged that Parekh continued his moonlighting activities at other companies.
Doshi’s warning triggered a wave of similar allegations from other startup founders, including those from Lindy, Fleet AI, and Antimetal, who said they were also deceived by Parekh’s impressive interview performances, only to later discover he was juggling multiple roles without disclosure. In total, at least five startups have come forward with similar complaints.
According to a resume shared by Doshi, Parekh claims to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai (2020) and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology (2022), with a reported GPA of 9.83 out of 10. However, the authenticity of his credentials and work history has been called into question, with Doshi alleging that “probably 90% of the claims made in it are fake.” Companies listed on his CV include Dynamo AI, Union AI, Synthesia, and Alan AI.
The Parekh saga quickly went viral, with social media users dubbing him the “CEO of Multitasking” and flooding platforms with memes and jokes about his alleged exploits. Even LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman joined in, highlighting the scale of the conversation within Silicon Valley.
After days of silence, Parekh finally broke his silence on social media, acknowledging the backlash and expressing frustration at being “isolated, written off, and shut out” by the tech community. He announced that he had signed on as a founding engineer at a new startup, promising to work exclusively for one company going forward. Parekh insisted that “building is the only thing I’ve ever truly known, and it’s what I’ll keep doing,” signaling a desire to move past the scandal.