Elisabeth Diana, who served as the head of communications at the human resources company Deel, is no longer with the organization, as reflected on her LinkedIn profile.
The news of Diana’s resignation from Deel was first reported by Bloomberg. This development occurs amid allegations against Deel, which has been accused of placing a spy at its competitor, Rippling.
Attempts by TechCrunch to reach out to Diana for comments were unsuccessful at the time of publication. According to her LinkedIn profile, Diana joined Deel in November 2021 and departed in April 2025. Before her tenure at Deel, she held the position of head of communications at Instagram and was the corporate head of communications at Facebook.
In a statement, Deel expressed appreciation for Diana’s contributions, stating, “We are grateful for the work Elisabeth did while at Deel and wish her the best in her next endeavor.”
Rippling, a company specializing in workforce management, announced on March 17 that it was filing a lawsuit against Deel for alleged espionage, with accusations ranging from violating the RICO racketeering act to misappropriation of trade secrets and engaging in unfair competition.
Initially, Rippling did not disclose the identity of the employee involved. However, on April 2, it released an affidavit signed by the employee, Keith O’Brien, seemingly supporting Rippling’s allegations.
O’Brien’s account, detailed in the affidavit, adds drama to the lawsuit filed by Rippling against Deel in March, resembling a narrative of corporate espionage, complete with elements like a sting operation and a destroyed phone.
Deel’s future, which was recently valued at $12.6 billion, appears uncertain. The startup is backed by investors such as General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital, and Y Combinator and was reportedly considering entering the public markets just two months prior.
In response to Rippling’s lawsuit, Deel issued a statement denying “all legal wrongdoing” and claimed that Rippling was attempting to “shift the narrative” from accusations that Rippling had violated Russian sanctions. Keith O’Brien later indicated that he had been encouraged by Deel executives to make false statements to authorities, alleging that Rippling was facilitating Russian payments.
The report has been updated to include a statement regarding Diana’s departure from Deel and additional context regarding O’Brien’s statements.
