Soham Parekh, a software engineer from Mumbai, has become a focal point in discussions surrounding hustle culture within the tech industry. His recent revelation that he worked for multiple Silicon Valley startups simultaneously has raised critical questions about the ethics of overcommitment and the implications of remote work.
In a recent interview on the tech show TBPN, Parekh shared the fact that he wears several other hats. Previously, he was the first engineering hire inside Antimetal in 2022 and now works at Lindy, an AI startup. His extreme habits had him clocking an incredible 140 hours per week in productivity. As a self-described serial non-sleeper, he joked about being the perfect test case for the product. His choice to pursue side hustles was somewhat new as of 2022, inspired by what he called “very very bad financial situation.”
Parekh’s case sheds light on a disturbing pattern in the field. As businesses push to maximize value per unit of production, workers are forced to run themselves ragged. Parekh’s employment at Lindy came to a sudden halt once they discovered his fraud. He was shown the door only a week into his term. Matthew Parkhurst, a representative from Lindy, stated,
“We realized pretty quickly that he was working at multiple companies and let him go.”
Besides Lindy and Antimetal, Parekh co-founded Pally and likely others. His ability to pass multiple rounds of technical interviews underscores a broader issue: soft skills are often undervalued in tech hiring processes. This reality allows people like Parekh to hide in plain sight while duping multiple employers at the same time.
The advent of remote work has only increased these challenges. In 2021, a subreddit called “r/overemployed” emerged. It offers useful tips to make sure you pull off the double or triple dip successfully, and without anyone finding out. Unfortunately, this kind of culture has made overcommitment seem acceptable—even commendable—in many workplaces.
Impersonating a federal agency Experts have called into question the legality and impact of such behavior. Dmitry Zaytsev pointedly remarked,
“Burnout is a predictable outcome when the workplace culture rewards overcommitment and treats exhaustion as a badge of honor. Soham’s admission that he worked 140 hours a week is not just unhealthy; it’s a reflection of a system that equates worth with output.”
His explanation of this phenomenon was enriched by his perspective on the competitive landscape for tech talent during the pandemic. He noted,
“During the peak of Covid, there was this rush from tech companies to fire talent, and there was this intense competition for talent.”
Voica cautioned that these conditions bred widespread patterns of behavior similar to those shown by Parekh. He described how an era of fierce competition opened doors for women and minorities. Consequently, many of them were able to obtain positions they normally would not have been eligible to fill.
The significance of what Parekh did goes far beyond his experience. His story is a cautionary tale that represents the worst end of hustle culture. In this dystopia, employment becomes a repeated act, and individual humanity becomes a lost soul. Zaytsev reflected on this alarming trend:
“What we’re seeing is the extreme end of hustle culture: when work becomes performance, and identity becomes fragmented.”
The tech industry’s fixation on productivity metrics helped produce the culture where multi-tasking is not only doable but wrong. Suhail Doshi, another industry figure, expressed his frustration with Parekh’s actions and their impact on startups:
“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 [Y Combinator] companies and more. Beware. I fired this guy in his first week and told him to stop lying/scamming people. He hasn’t stopped a year later. No more excuses.”
There is growing recognition that Parekh’s behavior is not an isolated incident. Many tech workers are covertly managing multiple jobs in recent years. This dangerous trend fosters an uneven ethical playing field between employers and employees.