Keith O’Brien, a former Rippling employee, admitted to sharing internal information with a competitor in exchange for Ethereum
$1,798.55
payments while still working at the company.
The arrangement, which allegedly ran from September 2024 to March 2025, involved O’Brien sending daily updates through Telegram to Deel.
According to a signed affidavit filed in a Dublin court, O’Brien said he was encouraged by Deel’s CEO, Alex Bouaziz, to stay at Rippling and share company data.
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O’Brien said Deel sent him $5,000 worth of Ethereum each month, with the promise that using crypto would not leave any record. He claimed he used a Blockchain.com wallet to receive the funds, converted them into cash, and moved the money to his bank account.
The information Deel asked for included internal messages, sales leads, and strategic plans. O’Brien said he was asked to search through Rippling’s internal systems, including Slack, Salesforce, and Google Drive. He said he was told to look up terms like “Tom brady”, “iran”, “tinybird”, and “sanctioned countries”.
Deel also appeared interested in Rippling’s potential customers, especially those who had booked product demos.
The case ended in March when a court order required O’Brien to hand over his devices. He said Deel’s lawyers contacted him that same night and discussed whether he should flee to Dubai with his family.
On March 28, O’Brien decided to confess by saying that he no longer wanted to protect Deel at the expense of his own family. While he admitted he was still afraid of the company’s influence, he said he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.
Recently, CLS Global agreed to pay over $428,000 after pleading guilty in a Boston court. What happened? Read the full story.
Having completed a Master’s degree in Economics, Politics, and Cultures of the East Asia region, Aaron has written scientific papers analyzing the differences between Western and Collective forms of capitalism in the post-World War II era.With close to a decade of experience in the FinTech industry, Aaron understands all of the biggest issues and struggles that crypto enthusiasts face. He’s a passionate analyst who is concerned with data-driven and fact-based content, as well as that which speaks to both Web3 natives and industry newcomers.Aaron is the go-to person for everything and anything related to digital currencies. With a huge passion for blockchain & Web3 education, Aaron strives to transform the space as we know it, and make it more approachable to complete beginners.Aaron has been quoted by multiple established outlets, and is a published author himself. Even during his free time, he enjoys researching the market trends, and looking for the next supernova.
