Tech Industry Grapples with Hustle Culture After Engineer Revealed to Work for Multiple Startups at Once
The tech world is in an uproar following revelations that a software engineer was secretly working for multiple Silicon Valley startups simultaneously — a situation some experts say highlights the darker side of hustle culture.
Soham Parekh, a Mumbai-based software engineer, became a viral topic on social media after being accused by Suhail Doshi, founder of Playground AI, of juggling roles at several startups. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Doshi warned others: “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.”
Doshi added that he fired Parekh within his first week and urged him to stop what he described as deceptive practices. A year later, Doshi claimed, Parekh had not changed his behavior.
The post quickly gained traction, racking up over 25,000 likes and prompting other startup founders to come forward. Among them was Lindy, an AI startup, which said it terminated Parekh’s employment after seeing Doshi’s post. Parekh did not respond to a request from *CNBC Make It* for comment.
Matthew Parkhurst, founder of Antimetal, a software startup, shared that Parekh was the company’s first engineering hire in 2022. While he praised Parekh’s intelligence and likability, Parkhurst noted they discovered he was working for multiple companies and decided to part ways.
Haz Hubble, co-founder of social media scheduling tool Pally, also revealed he had offered Parekh a founding engineer role.
Doshi confirmed to *CNBC Make It* via email that Parekh had worked at Playground AI, but concerns arose shortly after his hiring due to erratic availability and inconsistent work quality. The final red flag came during an off-site event, where the truth reportedly became evident.
Parekh later appeared on the tech podcast TBPN, acknowledging that he had indeed worked for multiple startups at once — though he expressed regret over the deception.
“I wasn’t proud of what I did,” Parekh admitted. “No one really wants to work 140 hours a week, but I felt like I had no choice. I was in extremely dire financial circumstances.”
He explained that he began moonlighting in 2022 out of necessity, often sacrificing sleep to keep up with the grueling schedule. Despite his financial struggles, Parekh insisted that greed was not his motivation.
“I cared about these companies,” he said. “I always took the lower salary and higher equity offers.”
### A Widespread Issue
While Parekh’s case has drawn significant attention, it’s far from unique. Many tech workers have quietly taken on multiple jobs in recent years, especially during the pandemic, as a way to hedge against layoffs and economic uncertainty.
A subreddit called **r/overemployed**, created in 2021, has become a hub for tech professionals sharing strategies on how to manage multiple roles without detection.
Alexandru Voica, head of corporate affairs and policy at AI firm Synthesia, told *CNBC Make It* that the rise of remote work played a major role in enabling this trend.
“Remote work opened doors for many hardworking people, but it also allowed individuals with opportunistic mindsets to take on jobs they wouldn’t otherwise be able to handle,” Voica said.
This phenomenon isn’t limited to the U.S. In India’s IT sector, reports show a 25–30% increase in moonlighting between 2020 and 2023, driven by low wages and the flexibility of remote work.
### The Dark Side of Hustle Culture
Parekh’s story is a stark example of how deeply entrenched hustle culture remains in the tech industry — and how damaging it can be.
Dmitry Zaytsev, founder of talent management firm Dandelion Civilization, described Parekh’s actions as the “extreme end of hustle culture,” where work becomes performance and personal identity gets fractured.
“He passed multiple technical interviews because the tech industry often overlooks soft skills like commitment and reliability until problems arise,” Zaytsev said.
He added that burnout is inevitable when workplace cultures glorify overwork and equate productivity with value.
Parekh’s reported 140-hour workweeks are not just unsustainable — they’re emblematic of a system that prioritizes output over well-being.
This issue has sparked broader conversations in Europe, where some venture capitalists have pushed for adopting China’s infamous “996” work model — 99 hours per week, or 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — to stay competitive globally. However, many European founders have resisted, citing the risks of burnout, declining productivity, and employee resentment.
Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital, described the push for overwork as a misguided “fetishization of hustle culture” rooted in Silicon Valley’s glorification of relentless grind.
### Risks to Flexible Work
Voica warned that cases like Parekh’s could jeopardize the flexible work policies that many employees rely on.
“When people abuse remote or hybrid setups, it creates a negative perception of all engineers,” he said. “That could lead employers to rethink flexible arrangements altogether.”
Such a shift would disproportionately affect vulnerable groups — including women, parents, and people with disabilities — who have benefited most from flexible work environments.
“The real danger,” Voica said, “is that bad actors could undo progress that has made the tech industry more inclusive.”
In the end, Parekh’s story serves as both a cautionary tale and a mirror reflecting the pressures and contradictions of modern tech culture — where ambition can blur into exploitation, and hustle can mask desperation.