According to AIbase, the startup Runlayer, which develops a secure model context protocol (MCP) gateway, has formally filed a lawsuit against the human resources software giant Rippling, accusing it of stealing trade secrets, unfair competition, and breaching contracts during a product trial period. The case is handled by the renowned law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, highlighting the trust and security challenges faced when selling AI infrastructure to enterprise customers with in-house development capabilities.

The complaint reveals that Rippling had engaged in intensive engineering collaboration and product trials with Runlayer for nearly a year, during which Runlayer shared its product roadmap and even source code under a confidentiality agreement. However, after the trial was terminated due to disagreements over pricing, insiders from Rippling leaked that the company was developing a clone product that replicates Runlayer's offering. In response, Rippling confirmed that it is launching an in-house MCP gateway but strongly denied the allegations of infringement, stating that the product was independently developed using proprietary technology.

Since Anthropic open-sourced the MCP protocol at the end of 2024, MCP gateways have become essential infrastructure for securely connecting AI agents to external data. Runlayer's recent lawsuit, which has raised $42 million in funding from institutions like Khosla Ventures, highlights the industry risk of technology imitation during deep trials in the enterprise AI tools market, sounding a safety alarm for the entire AI infrastructure sector.