Rippling Ships MCP Gateway After Year-Long Evaluation of Startup Runlayer's Product

Rippling released a commercial MCP gateway on August 19, 2026, after testing Runlayer's competing product for over a year without becoming a customer. A Rippling employee texted Runlayer's founder describing the offering as a clone. Both companies dropped their lawsuits the same night — no settlement, no money. Runlayer, which has raised $42 million, now competes head-to-head with an incumbent that had deep exposure to its technology.