Finally breaking silence after becoming an overnight sensation for all the wrong reasons, Indian techie Soham Parekh shared his side of the story.
Shortly after Playground AI founder Suhail Doshi accused the tech professional of defrauding multiple US startups and moonlighting at them simultaneously, a post from a so-called “Real Soham Parekh” emerged on the platform X. Claiming that he was “pissed” and had “something to prove,” the man climbing viral fame said that he was present his piece in an upcoming interview. And now, he has delivered on the promise.
Soham Parekh interview: Indian techie breaks silence after severe ‘scam’ accusations
Coming out a tech-driven show called TBPN, Soham Parekh admitted to all allegations heaved at him, in addition to sharing a very human story at the centre of it all that ultimately pushed him to do what he did. Identified as a “former engineer” on the YouTube show hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays, the Indian tech guy confessed that while he “not proud of his actions,” he had no other option to fall back on due to “dire financial hardship” driving his decision-making conscience at the time.
Having worked at firms like Antimetal, Playground, Lindy, Dynamo AI, Union.ai, Synthesia, Alan AI and more, as per his CV doxxed online, he said, “I don’t think anyone enjoys working 140 hours a week, but I had to do it because of financial conditions.”
He further explained “I did what I had to do to get out of a tough situation,” adding that his actions reflected his intense determination to change his situation.
Telling his truth to the world, Soham admitted that he was from Mumbai, and he grew up in the Indian metropolitan city as well. However, his plans to complete his graduation in the US took a major hit due to financial setbacks. He then revealed that he finally set off for America after landing a job, which was followed by him taking on multiple jobs at the same time.
What’s next for Soham Parekh?
Discussing his past jobs and the people he “had the privilege to work with,” Parekh did not shy away from disclosing where he was headed next on his professional journey.
Sharing his excitement about joining a company called Darwin, he said, “They are essentially building a new AI-driven data platform… video platform for UGC style media.”
In the wake of all that transpired in the past life-changing 24 hours, Soham said that this would now be the only thing he’s going to be focussed on. With not just pressure driving his new change, but also determined to prove his worth, he affirmed, “I think you know, they have put a bet on me and I have lot to prove.”
How the whole ‘Soham-gate’ situation picked off the ground?
The Indian tech professional’s public interview followed just a day after the Internet blew up speculative debate around him. More and more hefty accusations about Parekh duping multiple US startups took precedence online after former Mixpanel CEO Suhail Doshi’s initial claims kicked of what he called the “Soham-gate.”
Branding him a “scammer,” Doshi issued a public service announcement (PSA), lifting the lid on his various side-hustles in the IT industry. “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,” the Playground AI founder wrote on X.
He added, “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.” As he went on to even suggest that possibly 90% of the links and credits on Parekh’s CV are “fake,” other tech execs flew into the comments section, alleging that even they had fallen prey to Soham’s supposed scheme.