Soham Parekh is an engineer whose overlapping work for startups became a public controversy in July 2025. He acknowledged working multiple jobs at once, said he was not proud of it, and described financial pressure as a reason. Founders’ accounts also described hiring, firing, interviews, and an offer—but those are not all proof of employment. The available reporting does not establish Parekh’s work status after his July 2025 announcement that he would focus on Darwin Studios.
How the story became public
On July 2, 2025, Suhail Doshi, CEO of Playground AI, posted on X that Parekh was working at three or four startups at once. Doshi said he had fired Parekh from Playground AI after discovering the other work. TechCrunch reported the post had received roughly 20 million views; that is the publication’s reported figure from 2025, not a current or independently verified count. The post drew accounts from other startup founders, broadening the story beyond Doshi’s allegation. TechCrunch, July 3, 2025
What founders said—and what those accounts establish
Founders described different kinds of contact with Parekh. A job, an interview, and an offer are not interchangeable, so the accounts should not be treated as a confirmed roster of employers.
- Playground AI: Doshi said he fired Parekh after learning of other work.
- Antimetal: CEO Matt Parkhurst said Parekh was the company’s first engineering hire in 2022 and that Antimetal let him go after realizing he was working at multiple companies. Parkhurst also described him as “Really smart and likable; enjoyed working with him.” TechCrunch, July 3, 2025
- Lindy: CEO Flo Crivello said the company had hired Parekh in the weeks before Doshi’s post and fired him after learning of it.
- Pally AI, Mosaic, Cluely, Reworkd, and Agency: TechCrunch reported an offer for a founding engineer role at Pally AI, interviews at Mosaic and Cluely, and interviews with Reworkd and Agency. The report does not make all of these confirmed jobs.
Reworkd co-founder Rohan Pandey told TechCrunch that Parekh said he was in the United States, which the job required, while the team suspected he was elsewhere. Pandey said the team used an IP logger on a Zoom link and located him in India. This is Pandey’s reported account of the team’s actions and recollection, not an independently verified finding. TechCrunch, July 3, 2025
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What Parekh said about working multiple jobs
In a TBPN interview dated July 3, 2025, Parekh acknowledged working multiple jobs simultaneously since 2022. He denied using AI or junior engineers to do his work and said the arrangement had taken a toll. He attributed it to financial jeopardy and described his financial circumstances as extremely difficult. His explanation is his account of why he did it; it does not erase the founders’ accounts or independently establish every employment detail. TBPN interview transcript, July 3, 2025
“I’m not proud of what I’ve done. That’s not something I endorse either,” Parekh said, as quoted by TechCrunch and Fortune. He also said, “But no one really likes to work 140 hours a week, I had to do it out of necessity.” The 140-hours-per-week figure was his self-reported claim, not a verified timesheet or independently established total. TechCrunch, July 3, 2025 Fortune, July 4, 2025
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What was reported about Darwin Studios and his résumé
After the controversy broke, Parekh announced that he would work exclusively for Darwin Studios, an AI video and media startup. TechCrunch reported that Parekh’s announcement and the founder’s post were quickly deleted, but quoted Darwin CEO Sanjit Juneja as saying, “Soham is an incredibly talented engineer and we believe in his abilities to help bring our products to market.” Moneycontrol reported on July 17, 2025, that Parekh said his life had not changed much and repeated his plan to focus on Darwin. These reports establish what he announced and intended at the time, not whether he remained at the company later. TechCrunch, July 3, 2025 Moneycontrol, July 17, 2025
Fortune reported that a résumé shared by Doshi listed a Georgia Tech master’s degree, and that the institute said it was “unable to find any record of enrollment at Georgia Tech for a person with that name.” That is Fortune’s account of the institute’s response; it should not be extended into a broader conclusion about Parekh’s qualifications. Fortune, July 4, 2025
Rank #3
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What the controversy does—and does not—show
The July 2025 coverage documents a specific dispute about overlapping work, hiring practices, and what founders believed they had been told. It does not establish a measured rate of moonlighting or overemployment across Silicon Valley, nor does it establish Parekh’s employment status as of October 3, 2026. The label “serial moonlighter” appeared in coverage and framing, but should not be mistaken for a formal finding or a complete account of every role.
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