Overview

• Rippling has filed a federal lawsuit accusing competitor Deel of orchestrating a corporate espionage scheme involving a planted employee, referred to as 'D.S.' in the complaint.
• The alleged spy accessed sensitive information over 6,000 times, including sales leads, pricing strategies, and customer data, which Rippling claims Deel used to counter its business efforts.
• Rippling confirmed its suspicions through a honeypot operation, baiting the spy with a fake Slack channel that was accessed shortly after Deel's executives were informed of its existence.
• The lawsuit alleges Deel's top leadership was involved in directing the espionage, though Deel has denied all wrongdoing and called the claims sensationalized.
• Rippling is seeking damages and a jury trial, with the case marking a significant escalation in the intense rivalry between the two $10 billion HR tech firms.