HR Firm Exposes Corporate Spy: Slack Trap Unveils Breathtaking Espionage

Big drama in the HR software world! Rippling, another HR software company, says one of its own employees was a mole. A spy! And they’re pointing the finger at competitor Deel.

According to a new lawsuit, Rippling alleges Deel “cultivated” an employee. The goal? To steal secrets. To funnel confidential info straight to Deel.

The Alleged Scheme

Rippling claims this employee was super interested in. .. Deel. Like, searching for “Deel” in their systems about 23 times a day! This went on for four months, allegedly fishing for intel on customers thinking about switching from Deel.

The lawsuit says this stolen info helped Deel understand Rippling’s sales tactics. Letting them create counter-offers.

The “Honeypot”

To catch the alleged spy, Rippling set a trap. A digital one.

Rippling’s legal team emailed some of Deel’s top people. They mentioned a secret Slack channel at Rippling called “#d-defectors. ” Apparently, this channel was where employees discussed talking to Deel customers.

Here’s the kicker: The channel didn’t exist. It was totally fake.

Within hours, the lawsuit claims, the suspected mole searched for the bogus channel. Boom! Rippling says that was the smoking gun. Proof Deel had an inside person.

Strong Words

“The evidence is undeniable,” says Alex Spiro, Rippling’s lawyer. “Deel’s top leaders are involved in corporate espionage, and they’ll be held responsible. ”

Vanessa Wu, Rippling’s general counsel, added, “We’re for competition, but not when it breaks the law. This espionage is huge. It touches their sales, marketing, recruiting, everything. ”

Bathroom Break Gone Wrong?

Rippling says the employee, based in Dublin, was ordered to hand over his phone after the Slack trap. The lawsuit describes a tense scene.

He supposedly ran to the bathroom and locked himself in. Repeated warnings not to delete anything? Ignored. He allegedly said he was “willing to take that risk” and then. .. fled.

Deel’s Response

Business Insider reports Deel denies any wrongdoing. A spokesperson said they “look forward to asserting our counterclaims. ”

The Lesson?

Think before you type. Be careful what you search for on Slack. You never know who’s watching.