Startup wars
As the extraordinary dispute between Deel and Rippling grips the startup world, Capital Brief has revealed tactics used by Australia's Employment Hero in its own fight against one of the companies.
"Never interfere with your enemies while they're in the process of destrying themself," wrote Employment Hero’s chief executive Ben Thompson on X this week (typos his).
We can’t be certain — Employment Hero declined to confirm or comment — but Thompson seemed to be referring to the extraordinary dispute that erupted this week between two of the Australian unicorn’s US-based competitors, Rippling and Deel.
In an explosive lawsuit that generated plenty of headlines offshore, Rippling accused Deel of engaging in corporate espionage by planting a mole within its company who spent months stealing its trade secrets and hid in a bathroom in its Dublin office once confronted.
Deel denies the claims. Nevertheless, it looks like the latest example in a long tradition among startups where the line between aggressive competition and underhanded tactics blurs into an uncomfortable grey.
