July 7, 2025
More people are opting for multiple full-time gigs to make more money.
The trend of being “overemployed,” where a person holds multiple full-time jobs, is gaining steam on a global scale.
The community gained widespread attention on July 2 after Suhail Doshi, founder of tech startups Playground and Mixpanel, took to X to call out an employee he had fired upon discovering they were working multiple full-time jobs.
“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,” Doshi tweeted. “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.”
While overemployment—or polyworking—surged during the pandemic’s remote work boom, the rise of AI-powered tools has made juggling multiple full-time jobs even easier by boosting workplace productivity. The r/overemployment subreddit, with over 430,000 members, provides a glimpse into a growing community of professionals united by a common goal: holding multiple jobs to achieve financial freedom.
In one instance, a Reddit user boasted about securing their fifth full-time job, which increased their daily income to over $3,000.
“I tell them up front that I’m a ‘consultant,’” the user wrote. “I won’t be at the all-hands meeting. I skip daily stand-up calls. They know how to reach me if I’m needed, but I keep distance from the organization. I’ll get a few tough things assigned in a sprint and solve them at some point over two weeks. They leave me alone.”
As for what they feel helps them keep landing high-paying, fully remote gigs, “I’m determined and vigilant,” they added. “Never letting a plate drop. Always checking emails and Teams throughout the day. Up early, working multiple time zones across the US.”
The subreddit, along with Doshi’s recent claims, highlights a growing trend: more workers are not only seeking but successfully managing multiple full-time jobs to maximize their income. Just over 5% of employed workers hold more than one job, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
The ideal roles for overemployment tend to be low in meetings, senior enough to allow delegation, and based at large companies where individual employees are less noticeable. As for how to secure these roles in a tough job market where many are struggling to land even one, the Reddit user suggests bending ethical boundaries to make it happen.
“Interviews should be gamified,” the user wrote. “Lie, cheat, and steal. Use AI. Tech interviews are 80% an opportunity for some blowhard at the company to impress their skill on you. With AI, the walls of tech are coming down.”
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