# START: Emma Lawler, Product Lead, Rippling "Rippling Automated Compliance"

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/start-7171926/start-emma-lawler-product-lead-rippling-rippling-automated-compliance
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/start-7171926/start-emma-lawler-product-lead-rippling-rippling-automated-compliance.md
Podcast: [START](https://stenobird.com/podcast/start-7171926)
Published: 2026-07-17T14:55:46+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d1dfb10e
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/d1dfb10e/d05e7e0f.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/start-7171926/episodes/start-emma-lawler-product-lead-rippling-rippling-automated-compliance
Duration seconds: 1500

## Resource

As a founder, Emma Lawler felt like SOC 2 was a major distraction from building. But when she started selling to enterprise logos, it became something that was impossible to ignore. Now, as Product Lead at Rippling , she channeled her first-hand experience of getting SOC 2 compliant to rethink how all automated compliance frameworks are run. It started with a retro. Every other SOC 2 vendor works the same way: Detect a problem Alert your team Fix it...somewhere else The problem with this checklist is that "somewhere else" requires dozens of additional integrations. Because these vendors are just reporting layers on top of your stack. Rippling is your stack. Which means most of your compliance evidence is collected before you start AND when there's a gap in compliance, Rippling fixes it. Unencrypted device --> encrypt it. Wrong app access --> de-provision automatically Incomplete security training --> gate system access until its done. Because compliance really isn't about the report. It's about operating your company securely -- and proving it without a yearly fire drill. Emma shares more about how her own founder journey influenced building Rippling's powerful new automated compliance product, available today for SOC 2 Type 1 and 2. 🎙️ Emma Lawler , Product Lead, Rippling on Fondo START pod ‍ 00:57 Introducing Rippling Automated Compliance 02:07 The evolution of compliance software 03:02 AI's role in compliance workflows 03:41 Understanding SOC 2 requirements 04:20 Compliance and enterprise procurement 05:03 Building secure operating practices 05:46 Product development at Rippling 06:28 Building with a lean team 07:15 Lessons from founding startups 08:55 Learning through product pivots 11:01 AI in modern product development 12:41 Planning and research with AI…

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## Transcript

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