Indian Caught Secretly Working 5 US Jobs Simultaneously

A Silicon Valley hiring scandal has erupted around an Indian software engineer accused of secretly working for as many as five technology companies simultaneously, exposing vulnerabilities in startup recruitment practices and reigniting debates over remote work accountability.

Soham Parekh, based in India, faces mounting allegations from multiple Y Combinator-backed startup founders who claim he misrepresented his employment history while juggling concurrent positions.

Suhail Doshi, founder of artificial intelligence startup Playground AI, first exposed the alleged scheme in a series of posts detailing how his company discovered Parekh's simultaneous employment at three to four other firms. Playground AI terminated Parekh within a week of hiring him in 2024, Doshi said.

"His resumé was 90% fake," Doshi wrote, sharing documentation that listed previous positions at prominent AI companies including Dynamo AI, Union AI, and Synthesia. The founder also published what he claimed was a private message from Parekh expressing remorse: "Have I completely sabotaged my career? What can I do to improve my situation? I am also happy to come clean."

The allegations quickly snowballed as other tech executives came forward with similar experiences. Fleet AI CEO Nicolai Ouporov claimed that Parekh had worked for his company and suggested the behavior was systematic.

Matthew Parkhurst, CEO of cloud cost optimization startup Antimetal, described firing Parekh after discovering his multiple concurrent positions. Despite calling the engineer "really smart and likeable," Parkhurst quipped that "hiring Soham is a new rite of passage" in the startup community.

Yet, the controversy surrounding Parekh shouldn't take anyone by surprise.

In 2024, research from SideHustles.com found that one-third of remote workers maintain multiple jobs, compared to 20% of in-person workers and 17% of hybrid workers. 25% of employees hold multiple positions, averaging 50 hours per week across their roles.

"Remote workers are increasingly working multiple jobs due to the rising cost of living in recent years," Kevin Thompson, finance expert and CEO of 9i Capital Group, told Newsweek.

"Additionally, many remote roles are relatively easy to manage, allowing workers to take on additional jobs without a noticeable drop in productivity."

The controversy has even attracted opportunistic job offers, with Cluley CEO Roy Lee, whose AI tool helps users "cheat on everything" from job interviews to sales calls, reaching out to Parekh with a job offer.