Alleged Deel ‘spy’ said he had a ‘breakdown’ after Rippling confrontation before destroying phone
Keith O’Brien admits to destroying his device amid escalating legal battle over trade secrets.
A former Rippling employee at the center of a high-stakes corporate espionage case admitted in court that he destroyed his mobile phone after experiencing a "breakdown" following a confrontation at the company’s Dublin office. Keith O’Brien, a payroll compliance manager accused of leaking sensitive information to rival Deel, told the court in Dublin that he feared for his safety and had been "followed for the past week" as the case against him unfolded.
The legal battle between HR software giants Rippling and Deel escalated earlier this month when Rippling secured an Irish court order permitting an inspection of O’Brien’s devices. But when supervising solicitor Michael Coonan arrived at the Rippling office to enforce the order, O’Brien allegedly refused to comply. According to Coonan’s testimony, first reported in Ireland's Business Post, O’Brien was warned that destroying evidence could result in contempt of court, to which he replied, "I’m willing to take that risk," before locking himself in a bathroom. When he emerged, he ignored instructions to remain in the building and left the premises.
"I suggested to him that if he had the phone with him, he ought to be very careful not to take any steps to delete any materials or to contact any people about the order, because that was exactly what the order prevented him from doing," Coonen told the court, according to the Business Post.
Appearing before court judge Justice Mark Sanfey, O’Brien admitted that he had destroyed his phone following the incident, citing mounting pressure from media scrutiny. "I had a breakdown… over the weekend there has been a witch hunt for me," he said, claiming that journalists had been contacting him and his family. "I’m very concerned about my well-being and safety."
Rippling, a $13 billion HR tech company, has accused Deel of orchestrating a corporate spying operation to gain access to trade secrets, internal communications, and customer information. The company alleges that O’Brien fed confidential data to Deel’s leadership as part of a coordinated effort to undercut Rippling’s sales and recruit its employees. Deel has denied any wrongdoing, calling the lawsuit an attempt to distract from Rippling’s own legal troubles.
In court, Rippling’s legal team emphasized the seriousness of O’Brien’s actions. "I don’t accept that he doesn’t understand what this is about, and anything he says to the contrary is a deflection," said lawyer Marcus Dowling, representing Rippling. While acknowledging that O’Brien is entitled to an adjournment due to the risk of imprisonment in a contempt motion, Dowling urged the court to ensure O’Brien accounts for what remains of the data he allegedly leaked.
Justice Sanfey warned O’Brien that he was in a "very serious situation" but acknowledged his presence in court. "I think you do need to face up to the situation," the judge stated.
In its lawsuit, Rippling claims it uncovered Deel’s involvement by crafting a deceptive internal document referencing a nonexistent Slack channel called “d-defectors.” The company then sent the letter to a select few Deel executives, including Philippe Bouaziz, father of CEO Alex Bouaziz, and the company’s chairman and CFO, as well as Spiros Komis, Deel’s Head of U.S. Legal. Within hours, Rippling alleges, O’Brien searched for the fake channel for the first time—allegedly proving Deel’s senior leadership was actively directing the operation.
Deel has strongly denied any wrongdoing. A company spokesperson responded to the allegations by linking the lawsuit to Rippling’s own legal troubles. "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," Deel said in a statement. "We deny all legal wrongdoing and look forward to asserting our counterclaims."
A Rippling spokesperson said in response: "Rippling has never been accused of nor violated sanctions laws, and unlike Deel, we never worked with Russian banks to help clients avoid sanctions."
The case, which began in U.S. courts, has now expanded across multiple jurisdictions, highlighting the global implications of the dispute. The matter is set to return to court next week.
Deel, which was founded in 2019 and has grown into a global leader in remote workforce management, is currently valued at $12 billion. The company has faced other legal scrutiny, including a Florida lawsuit alleging it facilitated money laundering and processed payments to Russia in potential violation of U.S. sanctions. Deel has denied these allegations as well.
