- By Ajeet Kumar
- Fri, 04 Jul 2025 10:31 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The tech world is buzzing after allegations surfaced against an Indian-origin software engineer, Soham Parekh, who is accused of working at multiple startups at the same time, a practice often referred to as "moonlighting." The claims were made public by Suhail Doshi, founder of analytics company Mixpanel, who issued a warning to fellow entrepreneurs via social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Silicon Valley startups raises concerns
According to Doshi, Parekh briefly worked at Mixpanel before being terminated. He accused Parekh of repeatedly exploiting opportunities at Y Combinator-backed startups, despite being previously exposed for such conduct. Doshi went further, sharing Parekh’s resume and casting doubt on the legitimacy of its content, suggesting that a significant portion of it might be fabricated. In response, several Silicon Valley founders, engineers, and hiring managers echoed similar concerns, accusing Parekh of misleading companies for personal gain.
The revelations have caused a stir across both the US and Indian tech communities, with many viewing it as one of the boldest cases of employment fraud in recent memory. The situation has ignited intense debate around ethics, hiring standards, and accountability in remote work environments. Tech Twitter, in particular, has turned the controversy into a viral meme trend, with Parekh unintentionally becoming a symbol of Silicon Valley’s "hustle culture." Even LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman weighed in humorously, referencing Parekh’s now-infamous resume.
Who is Soham Parekh?
Soham Parekh is a software engineer from India accused of holding multiple positions at once across various early-stage startups without informing his employers. While he was often praised for his technical skills and charisma during interviews, recent claims portray him as having misled companies by managing overlapping roles, sometimes relying on junior developers or falling short of deliverables due to divided attention.
Soham Parekh: Educational Credentials (Under Scrutiny)
Based on a resume shared by Doshi, Parekh’s academic background includes:
- A Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai (2020), with a GPA of 9.83/10.
- A Master's in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology (2022).
These qualifications, if legitimate, may have helped him secure positions at highly competitive startups. However, given the controversy, the accuracy of these details is being questioned.
Work History Across Startups
Parekh's alleged resume lists several roles, primarily at Y Combinator-backed startups:
- Dynamo AI – Senior Software Engineer (Contract, Jan 2024–Present)
- Union.ai – Senior Fullstack Engineer (Jan 2023–Jan 2024)
- Synthesia – Senior Fullstack Engineer (Dec 2021–Dec 2022)
- Alan AI – Founding Software Engineer (Jan 2021–Dec 2021)
- GitHub – Open Source Fellow (May 2020–Aug 2020)
Other companies linked to Parekh include Antimetal, Fleet AI, and Mosaic. Founders and product leads at these firms, such as Matthew Parkhurst (CEO, Antimetal) and Michelle Lim (Warp), have verified that Parekh worked with them, though often for short durations.
ALSO READ: How AI Can Help Indian Startup Sector And What Are The Ethical Challenges? Expert Shares Insights
Colleagues have described him as a standout engineer, someone capable of solving complex problems in a fraction of the time others needed. This made him a go-to hire for early-stage teams. However, many now claim that he leveraged his skills to secure multiple full-time jobs, sometimes outsourcing work or failing to meet expectations due to overstretching himself.
