There are three issues here intermingled. 1) Competing with your current company while moonlighting. 2) Leaving your current company and using any knowledge y

There are three issues here intermingled. 1) Competing with your current company while moonlighting. 2) Leaving your current company and using any knowledge you gained there against them. 3) Leaving your current company and using your skill set at an unrelated company. Contracts forbidding 1 & 2 are usually defensible both morally and legally. It’s 3 where the metaphorical water gets murky, since overly broad contracts of this type basically deny workers the ability to work and earn money for the duration of the noncompete, if enforced.