The affidavit of a Rippling employee caught spying for Deel reads like a movie

Rippling recently made public the affidavit of an employee who admitted to spying for Deel, a rival HR tech company.

The story reads like a corporate espionage movie, complete with a sting operation and a smashed phone.

The employee, Keith O’Brien, was hired by Rippling in 2023 and later approached by Deel’s CEO and CFO to spy on Rippling. He was offered payment in exchange for confidential information.

O’Brien conducted searches for information and shared details with Deel, leading to a lawsuit from Rippling.

The spying was uncovered when O’Brien accidentally backed up incriminating evidence to his iCloud account.

Rippling set a trap to expose the spy, leading to a confrontation with O’Brien and subsequent attempts to cover his tracks.

Deel denied the allegations and accused Rippling of spreading falsehoods.

Rippling’s attorney believes they have strong evidence of corporate espionage by Deel’s leadership.

Other industry players have voiced support for Rippling in this matter.

This incident is not the first clash between Rippling and Deel, with previous marketing campaigns causing backlash for Rippling.