A guy from Mumbai worked at 5 startups simultaneously, got paid full-time by all of them, and kept it going for a year.
This is the
@realsohamparekh story — and every hiring team in tech needs to read it.
Soham looked perfect on paper. GSoC contributor, MLH Fellow, Meta speaker, published researcher, open-source founder. A dream hire by every metric recruiters care about.
@playgroundAI hired him. He skipped standups, went silent, and delivered almost nothing. They dug into his credentials — gaps everywhere. Fired within a week.
But he was already signed at two other YC-backed startups. At the same time.
His playbook:
→ Mouse jigglers to fake activity
→ AI scripts to handle basic coding tasks
→ PTO excuses to cover disappearances
→ Remote work to hide in plain sight
After the first founder exposed him on
@X , others piled on — YC and non-YC alike. Every single one said the same thing: "He nailed the interviews. He vanished after joining. Smart resume, zero results."
x.com/Suhail/status/19402873…
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Soham didn't break the hiring system. He found its blindspots.
Remote work without accountability. Credential-heavy screening that rewards storytelling over skill. AI tools that lower the bar to fake technical output. He didn't create these gaps — he just walked through them.
And he's not alone. He's just the one who got caught.
What should hiring teams actually do?
→ Use trial projects, not just polished interviews
→ Check references the candidate didn't hand-pick
→ Evaluate async work samples over vibe-based calls
→ Look for delivery patterns, not credential patterns
For job seekers: this isn't a blueprint. It's a cautionary tale. Your reputation in tech is your most valuable asset. AI can help you fake it short-term. It can't fake your track record.
The future of work is moving fast —
#AIjobs ,
#remoteworks , skill-based hiring. The only real edge? Build genuine skills and real credibility.
Explore future-ready careers →
thefuturejobs.in
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.