Rippling Accuses Deel of Espionage in $12B HR Tech Rivalry

Rippling's lawsuit alleges Deel planted a spy to steal trade secrets, escalating their fierce competition in the workforce management software market.

Rippling claims Deel recruited an employee, referred to as 'D.S.', who accessed confidential data over 6,000 times, including sales pipelines and customer details.
A honeypot operation set up by Rippling allegedly confirmed Deel's involvement, with the spy searching for a fake Slack channel hours after Deel executives were informed of it.
Rippling alleges D.S. provided stolen information to Deel's leadership, including CEO Alex Bouaziz, and used it to counter sales efforts and poach employees.
When confronted with a court order to preserve his phone, D.S. reportedly locked himself in a bathroom, possibly attempting to destroy evidence, before fleeing the premises.
Deel denies the allegations, framing the lawsuit as a distraction from Rippling's own legal challenges, while Rippling seeks damages and a jury trial in federal court.