Gusto vs Rippling: Founders, CEOs and History
Gusto was founded in 2011 by Joshua Reeves, Tomer London, Edward Kim and is led by Joshua Reeves. Rippling was founded in 2016 by Parker Conrad, Prasanna Sankar and is led by Parker Conrad.
Company facts
Founders
Gusto
Joshua Reeves
Josh Reeves co-founded ZenPayroll, now Gusto, in 2011 and has been CEO ever since. He led the 2015 rebrand and expansion into benefits, the 2021 Series E, the 2025 Guideline acquisition and the company's growth past $1 billion in revenue in early 2026.
Tomer London
Tomer London co-founded Gusto in 2011 and led product for much of its history, shaping the simple, owner-friendly payroll and benefits experience the company is known for.
Edward Kim
Edward Kim co-founded Gusto in 2011 and led its engineering and technology work, including the payroll and tax infrastructure behind the platform.
Rippling
Parker Conrad
Parker Conrad co-founded Rippling in 2016 and has been its CEO since. He has grown it into a company with roughly $1 billion in annual recurring revenue and a $16.8 billion valuation (May 2025).
Prasanna Sankar
Prasanna Sankar co-founded Rippling in 2016 and served as its CTO, building early versions of the platform. He left the company in 2020, and in 2025 he told Forbes he had sold his shares over the years.
CEOs and their tenures
Gusto
- Joshua Reeves2011–present
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Has led Gusto since founding, through the 2015 rebrand, the 2021 Series E, the 2025 Guideline acquisition and the 2026 move past $1B in revenue.
Source - Tomer London2011–present
Co-Founder
Co-founder who led product development for Gusto's payroll and benefits platform.
Source - Edward Kim2011–present
Co-Founder
Co-founder and longtime technology leader who built early payroll and tax infrastructure.
Source
Rippling
- Parker Conrad2016–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Rippling since founding. He set the multi-product 'compound startup' strategy and guided the company to about $1 billion in ARR and a $16.8 billion valuation.
Source - Prasanna Sankar2016–2020
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Built Rippling's early engineering platform as CTO before leaving in 2020.
Source
Timeline: Gusto and Rippling side by side
2011Gusto
ZenPayroll Founded & Y Combinator (W12)
Joshua Reeves, Tomer London, and Edward Kim founded ZenPayroll in Palo Alto, joining Y Combinator.
2012Gusto
Public Launch & $6.1M Seed from Silicon Valley Royalty
Launched cloud payroll, raising $6.1M backed by the CEOs of Yelp, Dropbox, Yammer, and Box.
2014Gusto
$60M Series B at $560M Valuation Led by Google Capital
Raised $60 million led by CapitalG, expanding automated payroll across all 50 US states.
2015Gusto
Rebrands to Gusto & Launches Health Benefits Brokerage
Rebranded from ZenPayroll to Gusto, launching health insurance brokerage and workers' comp.
2016Rippling
Rippling founded
Parker Conrad and Prasanna Sankar started the company in San Francisco.
2018Gusto
$140M Series C at $1.6B Valuation & Denver Campus Launch
Achieved unicorn status led by T. Rowe Price, opening a large regional operating campus in Denver.
2019Gusto
$200M Series D at $3.8B Valuation Led by Fidelity
Raised $200 million, crossing 100,000 small business customers across America.
2019Rippling
$45M Series A led by Kleiner Perkins
Funded expansion of payroll and IT products.
2020Rippling
$145M Series B at $1.35B valuation
Founders Fund led the round. CTO Prasanna Sankar left the company the same year.
2021Gusto
$175M Series E and First Acquisitions
Raised a $175M Series E at about $9.5B and acquired Ardius, Symmetry and RemoteTeam.
2022Rippling
Valuation reaches $11.25B
Raised $250 million Series D; expanded into finance products.
2023Rippling
$500M Series E during SVB failure
Raised emergency capital to keep client payrolls running after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed.
2024Rippling
$200M Series F at $16.8B
Coatue led, alongside a tender offer of up to $590 million.
2025Gusto
Tender Offer at $9.3B and Guideline Deal
June tender offer led by Ontario Teachers'; August agreement to acquire Guideline.
2025Rippling
Deel lawsuit and $16.8B Series G
Sued Deel in March, then raised $450 million at a $16.8 billion valuation in May.
2026Gusto
Surpasses $1B in Revenue
Gusto said trailing twelve-month revenue passed $1B, with growth accelerating five straight quarters.
2026Rippling
Rippling AI launch; ~$1B ARR
Conrad reported revenue growing 78% year over year; CNBC Disruptor 50 rank No. 11.
Acquisitions
Gusto
- Guideline2025$600M
- Ardius2021Undisclosed
- Symmetry2021Undisclosed
- RemoteTeam2021Undisclosed
Rippling
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Questions about Gusto vs Rippling
Who is the CEO of Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) and Rippling (People Center, Inc.)?
Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) is led by Joshua Reeves and Rippling (People Center, Inc.) is led by Parker Conrad. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) founded vs Rippling (People Center, Inc.)?
Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) was founded in 2011 — 5 years before Rippling (People Center, Inc.), which was founded in 2016. Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.)'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Rippling (People Center, Inc.).
How many employees does Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) have compared to Rippling (People Center, Inc.)?
Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) employs approximately 3,200 people. A verified employee count for Rippling (People Center, Inc.) is not currently available.
Where are Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) and Rippling (People Center, Inc.) headquartered?
Both Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) and Rippling (People Center, Inc.) are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) and Rippling (People Center, Inc.)?
Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) was founded by Joshua Reeves, Tomer London, Edward Kim. Rippling (People Center, Inc.) was founded by Parker Conrad, Prasanna Sankar.
Which company has a longer operating history — Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) or Rippling (People Center, Inc.)?
Gusto (ZenPayroll, Inc.) has been operating for approximately 15 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Rippling (People Center, Inc.) has been in operation for around 10 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Gusto vs Rippling overview