In the cutthroat world of tech startups, a bizarre story of deception and overemployment has emerged that’s sending shockwaves through Silicon Valley. Soham Parekh, a Mumbai-based engineer, managed to pull off an extraordinary feat: simultaneously working at multiple startups while fabricating most of his professional credentials.

Parekh’s audacious scheme involved impressing technical interviews, securing high-paying roles at prestigious tech companies, and then juggling up to four jobs at once. Playground AI founder Suhail Doshi was among the first to publicly call out Parekh, describing him as someone “preying on YC companies” and working at 3-4 startups simultaneously.

The extent of Parekh’s fabrications was staggering. He claimed to have a master’s degree from Georgia Tech, a credential the university flatly denied. Startup founders who hired him quickly discovered inconsistencies, with some reporting that he would make elaborate excuses about why he couldn’t produce code - ranging from drone strikes to electricity outages.

At least 10 companies hired and subsequently fired Parekh after discovering his multiple job strategy. Some founders, like Leaping AI’s Arkadiy Telegin, were initially impressed by his interview skills, offering salaries between $160K-$200K. However, they soon realized something was amiss when Parekh’s work performance and reliability came into question.

In a candid podcast interview, Parekh admitted to working up to 140 hours per week across multiple jobs. While he claimed financial hardship and genuine interest in each company’s mission, he acknowledged that his approach was unsustainable and ethically questionable.

This incident highlights a growing trend of “overemployment” in remote tech culture, where professionals attempt to maximize their earning potential by simultaneously working multiple jobs. For Parekh, the strategy ultimately backfired, burning bridges and eroding trust within the tech community.

Whether this is a cautionary tale about the pressures of the tech industry or simply an extreme case of professional misconduct remains to be seen. What’s clear is that in the world of Silicon Valley, reputation is everything - and Parekh’s has been irreparably damaged.