In a controversy that has taken Silicon Valley by storm, Indian software engineer Soham Parekh has found himself at the center of a widespread tech scandal, with multiple startup founders accusing him of simultaneously holding jobs at several US-based companies. What began as a cautionary post on X (formerly Twitter) by Mixpanel founder Suhail Doshi has snowballed into one of the most discussed events in recent tech memory, drawing reactions from industry veterans, founders, and even LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

Doshi’s original post issued a stark warning: “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”. He added that Parekh was briefly hired at one of his companies before being fired within a week after suspicions of overemployment arose.

Following this, a cascade of startup founders shared similar experiences. Flo Crivello, CEO of AI assistant startup Lindy, revealed that his company had also hired Parekh. “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. Careful out there”, Crivello wrote.

The alleged moonlighting came to light after Doshi shared what he claimed was Parekh’s resume, which listed a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree from Georgia Institute of Technology. It also detailed stints at startups including Dynamo AI, Synthesia, Alan AI, and Union AI. Several of these companies confirmed that Parekh had indeed worked for them and had been let go after suspicions of dual or multiple employment surfaced.

Matthew Parkhurst, CEO of cloud optimization startup Antimetal, stated that Parekh had been their first engineering hire back in 2022. “Really smart and likable; enjoyed working with him”, Parkhurst said. “We realized pretty quickly that he was working at multiple companies and let him go.” In a tongue-in-cheek remark, he added, “Hiring Soham is a new rite of passage tbh. Any great company should go through it”.

As the revelations spread, so did the online buzz. Google Trends saw a sharp spike in searches such as “Soham Parekh LinkedIn” and “Soham Parekh Georgia Tech,” as netizens tried to verify the credentials of the now-infamous engineer. Memes flooded platforms like Reddit and X, many dubbing Parekh a 'generational talent' for allegedly managing several jobs simultaneously without detection. Even Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and a prominent Silicon Valley figure, joined in, engaging with humorous posts circulating under the now-viral hashtag #SohamParekh.

The incident has rekindled broader discussions around the ethics and practicality of 'overemployment' a growing trend in remote work culture where individuals juggle multiple full-time jobs, often without informing their employers. AI investor Deedy Das weighed in, stating that Parekh was just 'the tip of the iceberg'. In a viral LinkedIn post, Das described common tactics used by individuals engaging in overemployment: employing 'mouse jigglers' to fake activity, keeping video off during calls, blocking calendars for 'focus time', and even outsourcing work to others.

Das also pointed to a Reddit community with over 500,000 members dedicated to overemployment, where one user claimed to earn $800,000 a year by holding five jobs at once. “Interviews should be gamified. Lie, cheat, and steal. Use AI the anonymous user wrote, reinforcing the cynical attitude that has alarmed many employers.

Michelle Lim, Head of Product at developer tools company Warp, confirmed that Parekh had been hired on a trial basis before allegations surfaced. “Trial cancelled”, she wrote.

While most founders condemned the deception, some online users posed a different question if Parekh was performing well and meeting all expectations, was his dismissal necessary? A Hacker News user wrote, “All anecdotes I see about this dude is: ‘We hired him and he did a fantastic job, but once we found out he had multiple employment we fired him.’... Why? If the guy’s doing well by all metrics and not leaking IP, literally, who cares?”

Still, many industry voices emphasized that trust, contractual obligations, and ethical conduct cannot be overlooked. “It’s risky to employ people of low character. There’s the risk of theft, lawsuits, etc not to mention the frustration of dealing with lies and flakiness”, one commenter responded.

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As scrutiny deepened, Suhail Doshi claimed that Parekh had privately messaged him, asking, “Have I completely sabotaged my career? What can I do to improve my situation? I am also happy to come clean”. Doshi said he attempted to offer guidance, but concluded, 'It clearly didn’t work'.

With legal, ethical, and reputational implications in play, the Soham Parekh saga has highlighted the complex challenges facing today’s remote-first workforce where boundaries between productivity and deception are increasingly blurred. Whether this will lead to stricter vetting processes, new regulations, or a cultural reckoning around remote work ethics remains to be seen.