Tech Industry’s Multiple Job Controversy: The Case of Soham Parekh
Soham Parekh emerged as an ideal candidate for software engineering roles, but his appeal extended to numerous tech startups, raising significant concerns within the industry.
Recently, at least ten executives from various tech firms disclosed that they had hired Parekh, igniting a lively debate online about the growing trend of remote workers clandestinely maintaining multiple positions simultaneously.
The conversation surrounding Parekh initiated after Suhail Doshi, former CEO of Mixpanel, published a warning on Wednesday regarding Parekh’s practice of holding multiple jobs at different startups concurrently. Parekh did not reply to requests for a statement.
“PSA: There’s a guy named Soham Parekh (in India) who is working at 3-4 startups at once. He’s been targeting YC companies, so be cautious,” Doshi shared on X, referencing companies funded by Y Combinator.
Doshi expressed dissatisfaction about having to terminate Parekh within his first week, citing dishonesty as the reason. He urged others to be aware of Parekh’s ongoing activities.
Comments from users reflected similar experiences. One individual noted, “We just arranged a work trial for him next week. After seeing this tweet, we’ve canceled it. Thank you for the heads-up!”
Another user responded humorously, “I interviewed this guy yesterday; I can’t stop laughing!”
As allegations unfolded, Parekh began participating in interviews. He acknowledged during a Thursday appearance on the tech show “TBPN” that he had indeed worked multiple jobs simultaneously.
“I’m not proud of my actions,” Parekh admitted. “That’s not something I back. But due to financial circumstances, I felt I had no choice. No one enjoys working 140 hours a week, but necessity drove me to this.”
Parekh characterized himself as a “serial nonsleeper,” claiming he did not engage in activities outside of coding. He refuted online speculation that he employed a team of engineers or used AI tools to juggle multiple positions.
In the U.S., the percentage of individuals holding multiple jobs recently saw an increase from 5.3% to 5.5%, according to recent data.
In a conversation on X with Andriy Mulyar, CEO of Nomic AI—one of the firms where Parekh was employed—he revealed that he had juggled as many as four jobs at one time, some of which provided six-figure salaries. His monthly earnings were estimated at between $30,000 and $40,000. Mulyar confirmed to NBC News that the X account in question belonged to Parekh and acknowledged his prior employment at Nomic AI.
Parekh indicated in the “TBPN” interview that he began taking on multiple jobs in 2022 due to pressing financial needs. He also mentioned deferring an offer for graduate school in favor of pursuing an online degree. A résumé shared by Doshi, which Lowe verified as accurate, showed he attended Georgia Tech from September 2020 to May 2022. However, the school stated it had no record of him as a student.
“Soham shared, “There’s a lot of narratives surrounding me that are incomplete,” on his X account, which he confirmed in the “TBPN” interview. “I am passionate about building. That’s what I excel in. I have felt isolated and overlooked by many in my career, but creating is all I know, and that will continue.”
Marcus Lowe, founder of the startup Create, recounted a similar experience to others who spoke online. He verified to NBC News that Parekh appeared in the “TBPN” story.
Lowe noted that Parekh impressively excelled in his in-person interview in February, outshining most candidates. However, as his start date approached, various complications arose.
Whether it was a family visit or health issues, Lowe recalled Parekh’s numerous excuses for missing work. Initially, the reasons seemed plausible, but investigation into Parekh’s GitHub account raised suspicions.
“I noticed he had been committing code in the weeks leading up to his illness, including during the week he claimed to be sick,” Lowe reported. “It seemed odd, as typically you’re not coding a lot when you’re unwell.”
Further research revealed that Parekh was also actively contributing code for another firm, sync.so. Lowe reached out to that company’s founder, who confirmed Parekh’s employment there too.
“This has been a significant distraction for us. We are a small startup, and such unethical behavior is worth highlighting,” Lowe stated.
Parekh has been seen at sync.so in several employee posts and videos on their YouTube channel. An employee confirmed his position there but declined to provide further comments.
Parekh now asserts that he has committed to working with “one company and one company only,” specifically indicating a role at another startup called Darwin.
Sanjit Juneja, the founder and CEO of Darwin, stated in an email: “At Darwin, our focus is on creating innovative software products for brands and content creators. Soham is an exceptionally skilled engineer, and we are confident in his capacity to help us launch our products.”
Passionate journalist and digital news editor with a keen eye for global affairs and emerging trends. As the founder and lead writer of RSS News US, he is dedicated to delivering accurate, insightful, and engaging content to readers seeking trustworthy news in a fast-paced world.
