Rippling recently released an affidavit detailing an alleged corporate espionage case involving a former employee, Keith O’Brien, who testified he was spying for its competitor, Deel. This came alongside a lawsuit filed by Rippling against Deel, accusing it of various allegations including racketeering and misappropriating trade secrets.
O’Brien, who joined Rippling’s Dublin office in July 2023, testified that after he did not secure a job at Deel, he was hired to collect confidential information in exchange for payment. His tasks included searching for sales leads, customer accounts, and product roadmaps, which he shared with Deel through various communication platforms.
He was reportedly caught after Rippling set a trap involving a fictitious Slack channel for spies. When confronted by Rippling’s lawyers, O’Brien attempted to erase evidence on his phone but was unable to fully cover his tracks.
Following the incident, he initially engaged with Deel, but eventually hired his own lawyer and chose to cooperate with authorities. Deel has denied the accusations and is preparing to counterclaim, while Rippling’s legal team asserts they possess significant evidence linking Deel’s leadership to the espionage activities. The situation highlights ongoing tensions in the competitive landscape of labor management technology.
Source link
