July 3, 2025: The tech industry is abuzz with controversy as Indian software engineer Soham Parekh finds himself at the center of a scandal involving alleged job fraud and deception across multiple startups. The revelations, made public by Playground AI founder Suhail Doshi, have triggered widespread discussion and condemnation across tech circles on both sides of the globe.
In a strongly worded public service announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Doshi accused Parekh of simultaneously working at three to four startups, mainly targeting Y Combinator (YC) backed companies. “He’s been preying on YC companies and more. Beware,” Doshi wrote, claiming that he had fired Parekh during the engineer’s first week at Playground AI.
What’s more shocking is that despite being exposed a year ago, Parekh allegedly continued to secure roles and work undetected at multiple firms.
A Deep Dive into His Resume
Doshi shared a version of Parekh’s resume online, claiming that 90% of it is likely fabricated. Some of the roles listed on Parekh’s CV include:
- Senior Software Engineer (Contract) – DynamoAI (Jan 2024–Present)
- Senior Fullstack Engineer – Union.ai (Jan 2023–Jan 2024)
- Senior Fullstack Engineer – Synthesia (Dec 2021–Dec 2022)
- Founding Software Engineer – Alan AI (Jan 2021–Dec 2021)
- Open Source Fellow – GitHub (May 2020–Aug 2020)
His academic background mentions a Master’s in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology (2022) and a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai (2020).
However, Doshi warned that most links and verifiable details in the resume were either inactive or unverifiable. “I tried to help him turn a new leaf, but clearly, it didn’t work,” he added.
Industry Reacts: “There Are 1000s of Soham Parekhs”
The revelations have sparked broader conversations around “overemployment” and moonlighting, with many tech influencers stating that Parekh may just be the tip of the iceberg. One commentator wrote, “There are 1000s of Soham Parekhs we don’t know about.”
Another US-based founder, Igor Zalutski of Digger, revealed that their company narrowly avoided hiring Parekh. “He seemed sharp and no-bs during interviews. But three past employers warned us he lied about his visa status and ran this scam for years,” he said.
Soham Parekh Breaks His Silence
Amid growing backlash, Parekh has reportedly reached out to Doshi, expressing remorse and concern for his future. “Have I completely sabotaged my career? What can I do to improve my situation? I am also happy to come clean,” he reportedly asked.
While no official photos of Parekh have surfaced, screenshots from virtual meetings with him are circulating on social media.
What This Means for the Tech World
This incident has raised serious questions about remote work verification, hiring due diligence, and the ethics of parallel employment, especially in the startup world where agility and trust are paramount.
As the industry reels from what some are calling “Soham-gate”, startups may be forced to tighten hiring practices and improve background checks to avoid being similarly duped.