A few weeks ago I posted about a New York Times article highlighting Rippling suing Deel, well get your popcorn ready because the affidavit is out. And let me tell you it reads like a script that Netflix has already optioned. There’s a bunch of juicy details in it:

“Alex told me he ‘had an idea.’ He suggested that I remain at Rippling and become a ‘spy’ for Deel, and I recall him specifically mentioning James Bond.”

Never good when the corporate espionage plan starts with a 007 reference on a WhatsApp call from the office conference room.

“I asked Alex and Philippe to paper our arrangement with a consulting agreement… Alex refused… I understood that his refusal was due to the fact that he did not want a documentary record of our relationship.”

Airtight strategy: no paper trail, just vibes.

“Philippe established payment terminology… I would send a picture of a watch… Philippe would say ‘send that watch to London.’ Then he would say ‘the buyer is happy.’”

Corporate code language so weird it sounds like a Montblanc commercial directed by Wes Anderson.

“Among the specific searches that I recall Alex asked me to run were searches for ‘tom brady,’ ‘iran,’ ‘sanctioned countries,’ and ‘tinybird.’”

Tom Brady and sanctioned countries. Normal competitive intel stuff. As a Patriots fan this is the weirdest search here. Why Tom Brady? Is there some celebrity endorsement deal? Is Tom Brady looking for a global HR solution?

“I smashed my old phone with an axe and put it down the drain at my mother-in-law’s house, as Deel’s lawyer Asif had advised.”

There’s a lot to unpack in this sentence, but the axe is really doing most of the work.

“Deel’s lawyer Asif said… ‘don’t worry, PSG is going to sort all this out.’ I understood him to be referring to Alex.”

PSG: not Paris Saint-Germain, but apparently a new alias for Deel’s CEO. Although Deel’s CEO really likes PSG, Paris Saint-Germaine, so who knows?

“I decided to cooperate after I got a text from a friend on March 25, 2025 saying, ‘the truth will set you free.’”

Spy thriller meets after-school special. When does this appear on Netflix? Just want to know when to get my 🍿 ready.

I really recommend reading through all 12 pages of the affidavit you won’t be disappointed.