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Exactly. It's a nightmare scenario: you're a well-performing, well-paid (but still underpaid) Amazon employee. You change jobs for much better pay... But then A
by dunpeal 8y ago
Exactly. It's a nightmare scenario: you're a well-performing, well-paid (but still underpaid) Amazon employee. You change jobs for much better pay... But then Amazon sues.
Typically, you'll lose your new job, and probably become untouchable by most other employers. You'll be forced to pay a small fortune for lawyers, and spend numerous days in court, with the outcome uncertain, possibly for years, all while you're likely unemployed.
Not a chance most people would like to take.
- emodendroket 8y agoOn the plus side, now apparently only one year in Massachusetts.
- dunpeal 8y agoBetter than nothing, but one year is ages in technology. Imagine you're working on cutting-edge technology, get an offer to lead a team or maybe a whole startup... but you have to wait a year. For most startups, that's a deal-breaker. They simply can't wait that long. So that's one key reason California is far better for startups - in other states, they're effectively prevented from poaching employees from big tech. (Waiting a year is generally fine for big companies.)
- emodendroket 8y agoOh, I don't disagree, but before the limit was just "reasonable," whatever that meant.
- mrajcok 8y agoThis small risk of something very bad sounds like a case where insurance against this could be a win-win. "Pay a % of your increased earnings, and we cover any litigation related to your non-compete." If someone were able to analyze agreements and state laws to develop a good underwriting model there could be potential for an insurance tech startup here.
- emodendroket 8y agoYeah, or we could just have passed a version of the "garden leave" that wasn't toothless