Deel files motion to dismiss Rippling’s corporate espionage lawsuit

Global people platform Deel has filed a civil lawsuit against a HR tech competitor, Rippling.

This suit includes motions to dismiss a corporate espionage lawsuit Rippling filed against Deel on March 17, as well as to have the case resolved in Ireland as the alleged spy (Keith O’Brien) is an Irish citizen and was employed by Rippling’s Irish subsidiary.

In a blogpost about the suit, Deel wrote: “Rippling has a documented history of attacking competitors and former employees – including Deel – through legal action, frivolous regulatory complaints, and misleading marketing tactics.

“We have taken the high road in the past but enough is enough. We won’t tolerate this conduct any longer.”

We look forward to the truth coming out through the litigation process in Ireland,” continued the blog.

Talking about Deel’s legal filing, Parker Conrad, Co-Founder and CEO of Rippling, posted on X: “Deel filed their response to Rippling today.

“In hundreds of pages filings, what stands out is what’s missing.

Nowhere does Deel dispute our central allegation – that Alex Bouaziz [CEO and Co-Founder of Deel] personally recruited a spy to steal Rippling’s trade secrets, and personally directed the theft.”

A deep dive into legal allegations by both Deel and Rippling

To fully understand this story, it is important to dig into the allegations and lawsuits being filed on both sides.

Rippling’s March 17 lawsuit hinges on the allegation that Deel participated in “a calculated and unlawful corporate espionage scheme” where a spy tried “to steal and weaponize critical competitive data” with the intention of gaining “unfair market advantage”.

Rippling alleges that senior leadership, including CEO Bouaziz, and his father and CFO Philippe Bouaziz, were aware of the espionage.

The aim of the suit is to “stop Deel’s theft and misuse of its confidential and proprietary information, to prevent Deel from further harming Rippling through its unlawful competition, and to obtain compensation for the significant harm to Rippling that Deel has caused through its serial violations of the law”.

Deel’s counter-suit, which was filed on April 24 2025, alleged: “Haunted by his previous failures, and now fueled by suffocating jealousy at his inability to fairly compete with Deel in the marketplace, Rippling’s co-founder and CEO, Parker Conrad—who was investigated and penalized by the SEC, and exiled from his own former company, Zenefits, for flouting the law—has fallen back on his old playbook: cheating.”

The lawsuit talks about a “conspiracy” with three elements.

One allegation is that Rippling is on a mission to “smear and tarnish Deel’s stellar reputation”.

The second is a “relentless and obsessive efforts to unlawfully solicit and access Deel’s confidential information”.

The third the “rampant unlawful and anticompetitive conduct, driven by [Rippling Co-Founder & CEO Parker] Conrad’s trademark disregard for internal processes, controls, and compliance”.

The suit makes specific reference to Conrad’s alleged history of “cutting corners when he could not advance through legitimate means”.

In UNLEASH’s reporting on the original Rippling suit, we explored the implications of the legal battle on the wider HR sector.

For Tami Nutt, VP of Research & Insights at Aspect4, in this scenario, nobody is the winner, and “especially not the customers”.

HR professionals already deal with enough workplace drama. They’re not looking for more corporate battles—they just want reliable, efficient technology that makes their jobs easier.”