iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Replies

feveritch @feveritch.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Here’s how Politico reported Deel‘s reaction to repeated run ins with policymakers and regulators last year. www.politico.com/newsletters/politi…

FIRST IN PI — CHAO, HEITKAMP ADVISING HR STARTUP: HR and
payroll fintech Deel has tapped several Washington power players for the
startup's first advisory board as the company beefs up its presence in D.C.
— The advisory board features Elaine Chao, the former Transportation and
Labor secretary who's also married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell; former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.); former acting Labor
Secretary Seth Harris; and Charlotte Corley, the former banking and
consumer finance commissioner for Mississippi.
— Deel's platform exploded in popularity during the pandemic, but its rise
ran into trouble in Washington, where last year a group of House
Democrats urged the Labor Department to investigate whether Deel had
been intentionally misclassifying employees as contractors, allegations it
denied. Deel hired its first lobbyists last summer and has dropped $280,000
on federal advocacy since then as it looked to win over lawmakers. A
spokesperson for Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who led the letter calling for
an investigation into Deel, told Forbes that his concerns had been alleviated
after meeting with the company.
— "An industry first in HR tech, the Advisory Board will help Deel excel in
an increasingly complex labor and regulatory environment, implement
those learnings into our products and partnerships, and help build
awareness for our compliance reputation within the HR ecosystem," Nick
Catino, Deel's global head of public policy, wrote in a draft blog post shared
with PI, arguing the company "can't achieve our ambitions unless we work
closely with the policymakers and regulators who shape employment
policy."

100

feveritch @feveritch.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Put succinctly, Deel quickly put together an advisory board consisting of former politicians to shield themselves from growing regulatory and political pressure.

100

feveritch @feveritch.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

When you suddenly need help navigating an „increasingly complex labor and regulatory environment“ — the very heart of your business — and you’re eager to „build awareness for our compliance reputation within the HR ecosystem“, something is telling me you’re full of shit.

100