Moonlighting or Just Surviving? Soham Parekh Explains Why He Took 5 Startup Jobs at Once

Indian software developer Soham Parekh has issued a public clarification after coming under fire on social media for allegedly working at multiple Silicon Valley startups simultaneously. The 26-year-old admitted to the “moonlighting” claims but said the decision was born out of financial hardship, and not dishonesty.

In his response, Parekh acknowledged juggling multiple roles but pushed back against the suggestion that he had acted with ill intent. “I was going through a really difficult time financially,” he wrote in a social media post. “It wasn’t about deceiving anyone. I was just trying to stay afloat.”

He acknowledged that in hindsight, his choices were questionable. “I should have communicated better and been transparent. But at that moment, I didn’t feel like I had many options,” 

The controversy erupted when a Mixpanel co-founder Suhail Doshi shared a post alleging that Parekh had been moonlighting across several early-stage startups without apprising his employers. The post quickly, which went viral on social media, prompted a wave of online criticism and sparked a wider debate around employee ethics in the startup world.

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“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.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,” Doshi had mentioned in his earlier tweet. 

Despite the backlash, Parekh has now landed a new role as a founding engineer at an AI video startup, which he described as a much-needed second chance. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I’ve learned a lot from this experience and I’m focused on rebuilding trust,” he added.

The episode has reignited conversations in tech circles about moonlighting—especially within lean, high-pressure startup environments where employees are expected to go all-in. While some commentators have slammed Parekh’s actions as “unprofessional”, others have pointed to the rising cost of living and :job insecurity” in the tech industry as contributing factors.

Parekh concluded his statement with an appeal for empathy. “I know I made mistakes, but I also know I’m not the only one struggling. I hope we can have a more honest conversation about what’s really driving people to take such steps,” he said.