Rippling had unknowingly hired a person who would gather data and share it with Deel as the two startups were becoming more competitive, according to a new legal filing. The Rippling employee viewed and downloaded information on how to go up against Deel, and he also saw information on sales calls, demos and support requests.
“Weeks after Rippling is accused of violating sanctions law in Russia and seeding falsehoods about Deel, Rippling is trying to shift the narrative with these sensationalized claims,” a Deel spokesperson told CNBC in an email. “We deny all legal wrongdoing and look forward to asserting our counterclaims.”