Overview

• Playground AI’s CEO unmasked engineer Soham Parekh’s undeclared roles in a viral X post that led startups including Lindy, Antimetal and Sync Labs to terminate his contracts.
• Parekh’s self-reported 140-hour workweeks have drawn scrutiny over financial pressures driving simultaneous full-time engagements without employer consent.
• Both Parekh and Darwin Studios CEO Sanjit Juneja deleted their announcements of his exclusive hire, leaving the engagement unconfirmed.
• Tech firms are now enhancing candidate screening and remote-work oversight to detect hidden multiple-job arrangements early.
• The scandal underscores tensions between equity-heavy pay models, remote-work flexibility and trust in fast-moving startup hiring practices.