Soham Parekh: The Rise and Fall of Silicon Valley’s Most Notorious “Moonlighter”

Soham Parekh, a 26-year-old software engineer from Mumbai, India, has become one of the most talked-about figures in the global tech community in 2025. His story—a blend of technical brilliance, audacious risk-taking, and ethical controversy—has ignited fierce debates about remote work, hiring practices, and the very nature of trust in the startup world.

Early Life and Academic Background

Parekh’s journey began in Mumbai, where he displayed an early aptitude for computer engineering. He graduated with a stellar GPA (reported as 9.83/10) from the University of Mumbai and later claimed to have earned a master’s degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in 2022. His academic credentials, whether fully genuine or partially embellished as some allege, opened doors to elite opportunities in the US tech sector.

The Multi-Job Scandal

The controversy erupted in July 2025, when Suhail Doshi, co-founder of Mixpanel and Playground AI, publicly accused Parekh of simultaneously holding full-time engineering roles at multiple US-based startups—many backed by Y Combinator—without disclosing this to any employer. Doshi’s viral post on X (formerly Twitter) triggered a cascade of similar revelations from founders at companies like Alan AI, Synthesia, DynamoAI, Union.ai, Fleet AI, Antimetal, and others.

Key allegations included:

1. Working at 3–5 startups at once, often with overlapping job periods and using fabricated or misleading resume details.
2. Misrepresenting his location and availability, sometimes claiming to be in the US while actually working remotely from India.
3. Using multiple identities and addresses (e.g., having company hardware shipped to a US address, allegedly received by his “sister”).
4. Assigning work to junior developers in India or using automation to maintain the appearance of productivity across multiple roles.

How Did He Get Away With It?

Parekh’s technical skills and interview prowess were widely acknowledged. He reportedly cracked interviews at over 70 startups in four years, acing LeetCode tests and impressing hiring panels. The remote work culture and lax verification processes during the post-pandemic tech boom made it easier for him to slip through background checks and avoid detection—at least for a while.

Motives and Public Response

When the scandal broke, Parekh admitted to the allegations in a televised interview, expressing regret but insisting his actions were driven by financial desperation, not greed:

“I’m not proud of what I’ve done. But I had to do this out of necessity. I was in extremely dire financial circumstances. No one really wants to work 140 hours a week, right? But I had to do it.”

At his peak, Parekh reportedly earned between $30,000 and $40,000 per month, juggling multiple demanding roles. He claimed to have managed all responsibilities himself, without AI tools or outside help—though some founders dispute this, citing missed meetings and unreliable output.

Impact and Legacy

The Soham Parekh saga has become a lightning rod for discussions about:

1. Remote work vulnerabilities and the need for better verification and onboarding processes.
2. Ethics in tech hiring: Is Parekh a scammer, a symptom of broken systems, or simply a hyper-competent hustler who exploited existing loopholes?
3. Internet culture: Memes, jokes, and heated debates about “moonlighting” and hustle culture have flooded social media, making Parekh a household name in tech circles.

Where Is He Now?

As of July 2025, Parekh has gone mostly silent, expressing remorse and a desire to rebuild his reputation. He remains a divisive figure—admired for his technical acumen, criticized for his ethical lapses, and studied as a cautionary tale for the startup ecosystem.

Soham Parekh’s story is a stark reminder of both the opportunities and the pitfalls of the modern, hyper-connected tech economy. His rise and fall will likely shape hiring practices and ethical debates in Silicon Valley for years to come.