Soham Parekh joins Darwin Studios after Silicon Valley backlash for moonlighting

Soham Parekh announced he is joining AI startup Darwin Studios exclusively, after facing heavy backlash from Silicon Valley over his moonlighting activities. Parekh, who had been working simultaneously for at least five companies, said financial hardships pushed him to juggle multiple jobs.

“I’m not proud of what I did,” Parekh told US technology show TBPN in his first interview since the controversy erupted. He clarified that he managed the work himself without employing junior developers, adding, “I wish I had the money.”

He also denied using AI for his work, stating that he started juggling jobs in 2022 "before the CoPilot boom".


The scandal erupted when Playground AI founder Suhail Doshi warned startups on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “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.” YC refers to startup accelerator Y Combinator.


Parekh was fired from multiple roles, and recruiters flagged him as a risky candidate. Later, Parekh announced he would join Sanjit Juneja’s Darwin Studios as a founding engineer to build Wayve, an AI video remixing platform. Juneja endorsed Parekh, calling him a “10x engineer” who now has “something even greater to prove than just his love for software.”

His story has again fueled heated debates across tech circles about remote work oversight and the ethics of moonlighting. Some have criticised Parekh harshly, calling his actions fraudulent. Others have argued the incident reflects deeper cracks in the startup culture’s relentless demand for productivity and hustle.