Parekh called in sick on his first day at Create, a San Francisco-based startup, prompting co-founder Amin to ship his work laptop to an address that turned out to be a co-working space on Montgomery Street. This location was home to several Y Combinator-backed startups, including the AI lip-sync company Sync. The revelation was just the beginning of a much larger story.
Earlier this year, Amin was struggling to find top engineering talent willing to accept a salary of $150,000, considered low for Silicon Valley standards. Enter Soham Parekh, a twenty-something engineer who impressed with his coding skills during an in-person challenge at Create’s office. However, Parekh’s employment soon turned into a cautionary tale.
The Rise of a Startup Scammer
Parekh’s story is not an isolated incident. Dozens of founders have shared similar experiences, detailing how Parekh aced technical interviews, promised an imminent O-1 visa, and then vanished, leaving behind unfinished projects. According to SohamTracker, a database created after these revelations, Parekh has held at least 19 jobs since 2021, starting five of them in just the last two months.
This week, Amin discovered he wasn’t alone in being duped. Suhail Doshi, founder of AI design company Playground, took to social media to warn others:
“PSA: there’s a guy named Soham Parekh (in India) who works at 3-4 startups at the same time. He’s been preying on YC companies and more. Beware.”
Amin and his team soon realized Parekh was also employed by Sync, leading to his termination for dual employment.
Hustle Culture and Overemployment
Parekh’s actions have sparked discussions about the pressures of hustle culture. The subreddit r/overemployed, with nearly half a million members, is filled with stories of individuals juggling multiple remote jobs. Researcher Yegor Denisov-Blanch from Stanford University has identified at least 50 engineers working full-time at two companies, highlighting a growing trend.
Despite multiple attempts to reach Parekh, he did not respond to requests for comment. On a podcast, he attributed his actions to financial necessity and mental health struggles, stating,
“It was not more so out of greed, but essentially necessity.”
The Impact on Startups
The fallout from Parekh’s actions has been significant. Many of the 15 companies that employed him dismissed him within months due to poor performance. Founders describe a “playbook” where Parekh exploited the desperation of early-stage companies for top engineers. One founder noted,
“He knows early-stage companies are desperate for various top engineers, and the founders are extremely distracted because they’re trying to build a company.”
Unlike typical overemployees who target remote roles in large corporations, Parekh chose smaller startups, often requiring in-person work. He claimed this was because he cared about the jobs he selected.
Questionable Credentials and Future Implications
Parekh’s resume paints a picture of an ideal startup employee, boasting a degree from the University of Mumbai, internships at Amazon and Google, and a master’s from Georgia Tech. However, these credentials remain unverified, as neither institution confirmed his enrollment.
Founders who interviewed Parekh were initially impressed by his qualifications. Divyansh Chaurasia, a former colleague, provided numerous references before growing frustrated with Parekh’s behavior. Parekh often disappeared after a few days of work, offering various excuses, from family tragedies to geopolitical conflicts, to explain his absences.
The saga of Soham Parekh serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities startups face in a competitive talent market. As hustle culture continues to blur ethical lines, companies may need to rethink their hiring processes to safeguard against similar scams.
While Parekh maintains he is not a con artist, the companies he left in his wake tell a different story. As startups navigate the challenges of securing top talent, the lessons from Parekh’s case may prompt a reevaluation of recruitment strategies and the pressures driving individuals to extreme measures.
