Always negotiate this clause out. I see a lot of people saying "it's fine" or they have a verbal agreement. 99% of the time that work's fine. Its unlikely anyo

Always negotiate this clause out. I see a lot of people saying "it's fine" or they have a verbal agreement. 99% of the time that work's fine. Its unlikely anyone's side projects will be "valuable"[1] enough for your company to try and assert some control. Say 0.1% of the time you have the next million dollar idea. No, the issue people will more likely face is: The Company effectively can stifle you. They wanted you for those side projects, but how about that performance review where your manager is talking about all that "distraction" and reminding you of this clause - ownership means control don't forget, and if the own the IP then technically they can shut you down.... I hate this clause because it is effectively a company asserting its right to your private life. The same as the clause stating they can change your working hours at any time for any reason (also negotiate this one to something reasonable; to something like 30 days written notice with justification). Trendy companies spend a lot of time talking about work-life balance and such like then shove "standard" clauses like this into contracts... 1. I use the term valuable lightly, because everyone's work is valuable!