The complaint details a year-long commercial relationship that soured after Rippling allegedly leveraged confidential information gained during a product trial to build a competing platform. Runlayer CEO Andrew Berman stated the company is now seeking a preliminary injunction and expedited discovery to halt the rollout of what the internal message described as an almost one-to-one copy of their technology.

Runlayer, which recently secured $42 million in funding from backers including Khosla Ventures and Felicis, maintains that its platform is built on critical proprietary pillars of AI enablement and control. Represented by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, the firm argues that Rippling’s actions violate established confidentiality agreements. The case marks a significant escalation in the race to secure enterprise AI workflows, as Runlayer attempts to protect its intellectual property just eight months after emerging from stealth.