The Soham Parekh Story: How One Engineer Exposed the Flaws of Silicon Valley’s Remote Work Culture
In an era defined by AI, remote work, and startup hustle culture, one name exploded across the internet and Silicon Valley this month: Soham Parekh. From juggling five remote jobs to becoming a tech folk hero—and then issuing public apologies on a livestream—Soham’s story is equal parts unbelievable, controversial, and deeply human.
But behind the memes and headlines lies a compelling look at the modern job market, tech’s broken hiring system, and what it truly means to hustle in 2025.
From Mumbai to the Bay: The Rise of a Reluctant Legend
Originally from Mumbai, India, Soham Parekh’s path to tech wasn’t glamorous. Coding wasn’t something he chased out of pure curiosity—it was something he discovered “through process of elimination.” But once he found it, he fell in love with building.
His first job was at a voice assistant startup named Allen around 2020. Though he was accepted into a U.S. grad school, financial hardship kept him from pursuing it. Instead, Soham began working remotely for U.S.-based startups, visiting the States occasionally for off-sites while mostly operating out of India.
This unconventional beginning would eventually lead to one of the most viral stories in tech.
Overemployed to the Extreme: 5 Jobs, 120-Hour Weeks, and $1M+ Salaries
By 2022, with his financial situation worsening, Soham began stacking remote jobs—first two, then three, eventually five concurrent roles at startups.
“No one likes working 140 hours a week,” he admitted in a livestream. “But I had no other option.”
Using a combination of well-crafted cold emails, strong technical skills, and genuine interest in the companies he joined, Soham quickly became the favorite “founding engineer” across multiple teams.
He was clearing over $1 million per year, writing all the code himself—without subcontractors, and without early help from AI tools.
“Some of these startups had only three engineers. I had to carry entire product launches. It was all me,” he said.
While rumors swirled that he may have used junior devs or outsourced help, Soham and several of the companies he worked with confirmed that every line of code was handcrafted—at least until codegen tools like Claude and Cursor emerged later.
The Leak That Changed Everything
In early July 2025, Soham’s setup came crashing down.
Playground AI’s founder posted on X (formerly Twitter) revealing that an engineer had been working at multiple companies behind the scenes. That engineer turned out to be Soham Parekh.
Within 24 hours, the story exploded. Dozens of other startups realized they’d hired the same person. Soham was fired from all of them—but instead of vanishing, he addressed the controversy head-on.
He appeared in a livestream on The Ben’s Podcast Network, publicly confirming everything.
“Yes, it’s true. I was working five jobs. But it wasn’t about greed—it was about survival.”
“I’m Not Proud of It”: The Human Side of the Story
In his livestream, Soham laid everything bare. From his upbringing in India to the emotional toll of financial stress, he spoke with vulnerability and honesty:
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He worked 120 to 140 hours per week, often sleeping just 4 to 6 hours a day.
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He didn’t use Leetcode-style prep. In fact, he admitted he likely would’ve failed companies with those interview formats.
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Most of the jobs he landed were through take-home assessments and cold emails that demonstrated genuine interest.
“I cared about every company I worked for. I wasn’t chasing money—I was trying to build something meaningful.”
He also rejected offers from big tech firms, choosing mission-driven startups instead—even if they paid less.
Could This Have Been Avoided?
The livestream conversation asked an important question: Why didn’t you just ask for more money?
Soham’s answer revealed a deeper issue many engineers face:
“I’m not good at asking for help. I was embarrassed to talk about my situation. So I tried to fix it silently.”
He added that most of his jobs involved lower pay, higher equity, even though as a non-U.S. citizen, he couldn’t actually benefit from that equity until obtaining a visa.
He didn’t build financial models. He didn’t view his approach as a business. It was simply survival—through code.
Rebuilding: From Scandal to Redemption
Despite the scandal, many former colleagues and founders expressed continued respect for Soham’s talent and dedication. Some even reached out to offer support.
Today, Soham Parekh is starting over—with just one job.
He’s now working exclusively at Darwin AI, a startup building an AI-powered video and data platform for UGC-style media. This time, he says, he’s fully focused.
“They’ve taken a bet on me. I’ve got a lot to prove. And I believe in actions more than words.”
The product is expected to launch within weeks—and the tech world is watching.
The Bigger Picture: What Soham Parekh’s Story Reveals About 2025
Soham’s story isn’t just about one engineer—it reflects the deeper structural problems in today’s tech ecosystem:
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Remote work has created blind spots in hiring and accountability.
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AI tools have increased productivity, but also muddied expectations.
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Overemployment is no longer rare—it’s a movement. Subreddits like r/Overemployed now have over 400,000 members.
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Talent inequality is growing. While AI researchers earn nine-figure deals, generalist devs are struggling to stay afloat.
What happens when a broken job market meets global talent, AI acceleration, and startup desperation? You get Soham Parekh—a mirror for the times.
Final Thoughts: Mistake, Redemption, and the Future
Whether you see him as a villain or a visionary, Soham Parekh has reshaped how we think about work, trust, and ambition in the digital age.
He’s apologized, he’s rebuilding, and he’s still doing what he loves: coding.
And maybe—just maybe—his story will inspire companies to build more human-centered hiring systems, and engineers to speak more openly about their struggles.