Rippling accuses rival "unicorn" Deel of espionage

Zoom in: Rippling alleges in its complaint that Deel planted a mole inside of Rippling's Ireland office, and that it created a fake Slack channel as a "honeypot" to suss out the rogue employee.

• Rippling adds that the effort was designed by Deel to steal customers, retain customers who were considering a switch, poach employees, and leak information to the media.
• Rippling is being represented by Alex Spiro, an attorney known for his work with Elon Musk.
• A Deel spokesperson declined comment, saying the company hadn't yet seen the suit.

The bottom line: This one is full of strange bedfellows.

• Rippling is being represented by Alex Spiro, best known for his legal work with Elon Musk.
• But Rippling is led by Parker Conrad, who was replaced as CEO of his prior startup, Zenefits, by David Sacks — a Musk confidant and fellow Trump White House advisor who's publicly savaged Conrad (and vice versa).
• One of Deel's top backers in Andreessen Horowitz, which also has sent several members to Trump's White House and has backed Musk's recent business efforts.

Read the lawsuit: