Most non competes are more psychological than actual. When challenged they usually do nothing. When they go to court they usually fail. One of the big ruling

Most non competes are more psychological than actual. When challenged they usually do nothing. When they go to court they usually fail. One of the big rulings is the non-compete cannot prevent you from working in your field. That said, if you were the lead designer at a company and held multiple patents, and another company offered a lot of money because they wanted to steal the secrets ... well that would go to court.