Social media platform X was flooded today with memes, outrage, and disbelief over Soham Parekh, an Indian software developer accused of moonlighting at multiple US startups simultaneously—including some backed by Y Combinator (YC).
The scandal broke when Suhail Doshi, co-founder of Mixpanel and Playground AI, issued a public warning:
“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.”
What Did Soham Parekh Do?
Parekh allegedly secured jobs at several startups under false pretenses, juggling full-time roles at once — a practice referred to as moonlighting. At least six startup founders have confirmed hiring him and later discovering the duplicity.
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Lindy CEO Flo Crivello said Parekh had done “incredibly well” in interviews before being caught.
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Matthew Parkhurst, CEO of Antimetal, confirmed Parekh was fired for working at other companies.
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Timothy Wang, co-founder of Ponder AI, said Parekh was let go just three days after joining, describing him as “incredibly talented” with strong references.
Viral Outrage
The story has exploded online, with X users turning the incident into a meme storm. Many drew comparisons to earlier moonlighting controversies in India’s tech industry, while others debated the ethics of remote hiring and cross-border job fraud.
