Who is Soham Parekh? The Engineer Burning Through Tech by Working at Three to Four Startups Simultaneously

In Silicon Valley, the line between ambition and deception can be surprisingly thin. Soham Parekh, a software engineer with a clean résumé and top-tier credentials, became a headline name in July 2025.

Why? He secretly worked at three to four tech startups at once, without any of them knowing. 

Now, as his story unfolds, we’re left with tough questions about hiring in the tech world, the pressure to hustle, and how companies failed to spot the red flags. Let’s break it down.

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Key Takeaways

1. Soham Parekh held multiple jobs at once, collecting full-time salaries while working just a few hours at each startup.

2. Many of his employers were unaware until they noticed poor output, inconsistent communication, and strange behavior.

3. His story reflects bigger issues in tech, including over-reliance on résumés, loose oversight, and glorification of overwork.

How Soham Parekh Managed to Work at Multiple Startups Without Getting Caught

Source: iStock

On paper, Soham Parekh looked like the ideal hire. He had a Stanford background, a polished LinkedIn profile, and glowing references, many of which he wrote himself.

According to investigative reports, he leveraged this clean digital footprint to land simultaneous roles at early-stage startups.

These companies were often in their first funding rounds and didn’t have the bandwidth or infrastructure to monitor staff closely.

What made his actions possible was a combination of remote work flexibility, trust-heavy startup culture, and limited oversight.

Most startups hired him, expecting 40 hours a week of dedication. In reality, Parekh gave each company about five to ten hours, responding to Slack messages with delay, submitting half-baked code, or disappearing for days.

Here’s how he pulled it off:

1. He used fake names and altered photos for some internal platforms.

2. He blocked calendar invites from overlapping or exposed time slots.

3. He recycled the same project templates for multiple companies, with minor edits to make them look different.

4. He built a friendly rapport early on, then reduced visibility once onboarded.

Eventually, a few startups caught on. One founder discovered that a GitHub repo credited to Parekh had already been cloned from another employer. Others noticed that he reused onboarding documents across jobs.

His downfall wasn’t caused by one company exposing him; it was the growing network of founders, many of whom talk to each other. Once two or three compared notes, the pieces came together fast.

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Why Startups Still Hired Him Even After Red Flags

Here’s the baffling part: even after Soham Parekh was exposed, some startups still hired him. In one case, a founder admitted they were desperate for talent and willing to “take a chance” despite knowing his past. This raises real concerns about hiring practices in tech, especially at early-stage startups.

Startups often move quickly. They need developers who can ship fast and adapt to pressure. Parekh knew how to position himself as that type of worker.

His code, while inconsistent, sometimes passed review. He used just enough industry lingo and delivered just enough to make it through the first few weeks.

By the time managers started suspecting anything, he had usually already accepted another job elsewhere.

Why did he keep getting hired?

1. Startups lack formal HR teams to verify references thoroughly.

2. Many teams rely on gut feelings during hiring, especially when time is short.

3. Tech culture often rewards “hustlers”, and Parekh leaned into that image early on.

4. Some founders assumed poor performance was due to burnout, not deception.

In interviews with TechCrunch and The Verge, several founders expressed frustration not just with Parekh but with their own systems.

Some admitted they were overworked themselves and missed the signs. One founder called the situation “a wake-up call” for how lax early-stage hiring can be.

What’s troubling is how normalized overwork has become in tech. A person working 12 to 14 hours a day sounds normal in Silicon Valley.

That environment allowed Parekh to blend in until his trail of broken code and repeated ghosting finally caught up to him.

Read Also: Decentralized AI Wll Be the Next Huge Trend! Here are the Reasons

What Soham Parekh’s Story Says About Startup Culture and the Future of Hiring

The Soham Parekh case isn’t just about one engineer doing something shady. It highlights a deeper issue with how startups operate, especially in the early stages.

With remote work and speed-focused hiring, it’s easier than ever for someone to game the system. But that also means it’s time to rethink how talent is evaluated.

In his recent statement to The Times of India, Parekh claimed he felt “forced” to juggle jobs to keep up with financial pressures.

He said he wasn’t proud and admitted to misleading employers. But his confession also touched on the toxic nature of startup culture, where job security is low, expectations are high, and rest is rarely respected.

Some key reflections:

1. Startups need better vetting processes. Quick hiring is risky, especially without background checks.

2. Remote tools must include accountability measures, like time audits, project tracking, or peer reviews.

3. The myth of the nonstop hustler needs to die. Working multiple jobs isn’t ambition, it’s exploitation when done in secret.

Tech isn’t just about code; it’s also about trust. Soham Parekh broke that trust repeatedly, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum.

He thrived in an ecosystem that prized speed over structure and excitement over stability. If nothing changes, it won’t be long before another “Parekh” emerges under a different name.

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Conclusion

Soham Parekh’s case has sparked conversations that the tech world can no longer ignore. It’s not just a scandal, it’s a reflection of deeper flaws in how startups hire, trust, and burn through talent.

While his actions were undeniably wrong, they also point to a work culture that needs serious rethinking. If you’re investing in crypto or building a startup, take this as a lesson: due diligence matters.

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FAQ

Who is Soham Parekh?

Soham Parekh is a software engineer who became known in 2025 for secretly working at multiple tech startups at the same time, without their knowledge.

How did he manage to work at multiple companies?

He manipulated scheduling tools, used different names or profiles, and divided his time across jobs, often giving each company only a few hours per week.

Why didn’t anyone catch him sooner?

Early-stage startups often don’t have strong monitoring systems, and the remote work culture made it easier for him to stay under the radar.

Is working multiple jobs illegal?

Not always. But doing it secretly, especially while being paid full-time by each employer, is considered fraudulent and unethical.

What lessons can startups learn from this?

Companies should improve their vetting processes, use better project tracking, and avoid glorifying overwork. Trust is essential, but structure matters too.

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