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Unpacking Rippling vs Deel: corporate espionage and a $16B plot twist

Despite courtroom chaos, Rippling is still going full steam ahead. The HR tech startup at the center of an increasingly dramatic legal battle with rival Deel just raised a fresh $450 million () in funding at a $16.8 billion valuation, and launched a new “Startup Stack” to woo early-stage companies—winning over Y Combinator as both…

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Despite courtroom chaos, Rippling is still going full steam ahead. The HR tech startup at the center of an increasingly dramatic legal battle with rival Deel just raised a fresh $450 million () in funding at a $16.8 billion valuation, and launched a new “Startup Stack” to woo early-stage companies—winning over Y Combinator as both an investor and a client.

The funding lands amid the company’s high-profile legal fight with Deel () , which Rippling accuses of movie-worthy corporate espionage, complete with secret crypto payments and decoy Slack channels. Deel has denied the claims and fired back with its own lawsuit, calling Rippling’s accusations a “distraction.”

Today on Equity () , Mary Ann Azevedo and Charles Rollet are digging into the HR tech showdown from legal drama to IPO implications and global intrigue.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

•

The alleged spy, Rippling’s evidence, and Deel’s denials

•

YC’s involvement in Rippling’s latest project, and why the move is raising eyebrows

•

The potential impact on IPOs for both companies 

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. 

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts () , Overcast () , Spotify () and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X () and Threads () , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here () .

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ()

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CNET

Were You Impressed by Google’s New Pixel Devices? Tech Editors React to Made by Google 2026

Our top mobile and health tech editors from PCMag, CNET and ZDNET share their thoughts on Google’s Made by Google Pixel event hosted by Trevor Noah. What were the coolest features on the new Pixel devices, and what felt like a dud? Read more about the Made by Google event on CNET.com: Made by Google…

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August 12, 2026

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Our top mobile and health tech editors from PCMag, CNET and ZDNET share their thoughts on Google’s Made by Google Pixel event hosted by Trevor Noah. What were the coolest features on the new Pixel devices, and what felt like a dud?

Read more about the Made by Google event on CNET.com:
Made by Google 2026: Pixel 11 Event Date, Time, How to Watch and What to Expect

Video Credits:
Host: Iyaz Akhtar
Host: Andrew Gebhart
Producer, Live Streaming Engineer: Stephen Beacham
Co-Producer, Comment Moderator: Vidisha Yadav

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CNET

Everything Revealed at Made by Google 2026 in Less Than 12 Minutes

Google revealed its new lineup of Pixel 11 Phones, Pixel Buds Pro, the Pixel Watch 5 and the new Pixel Tag at its Made by Google event, hosted by Trevor Noah. Check out all the highlights and product reveals in less than 12 minutes. You can find the products mentioned in this article linked below…

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August 12, 2026

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Google revealed its new lineup of Pixel 11 Phones, Pixel Buds Pro, the Pixel Watch 5 and the new Pixel Tag at its Made by Google event, hosted by Trevor Noah. Check out all the highlights and product reveals in less than 12 minutes.

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Science & Technology

What You Tell AI Could Show Up in Court

Use a lawyer that uses AI, do not use AI as your lawyer. Chat GPT and Claude don’t have attorney-client privilege so whatever you ask can (and likely will) be discovered if you go to litigation. Startup lawyer Kristina Subbotina joined us on our Build Mode podcast to talk about how she built Lexsy, an…

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24 hours ago

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August 12, 2026

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Use a lawyer that uses AI, do not use AI as your lawyer. Chat GPT and Claude don’t have attorney-client privilege so whatever you ask can (and likely will) be discovered if you go to litigation.

Startup lawyer Kristina Subbotina joined us on our Build Mode podcast to talk about how she built Lexsy, an AI tool that keeps human lawyers in the loop.

Watch the full episode here:

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