>> The main idea of the non-compete agreement is that employers want to stop people from walking off the job and taking trade secrets to rival companies. If com

>> The main idea of the non-compete agreement is that employers want to stop people from walking off the job and taking trade secrets to rival companies. If companies weren’t able to secure those protections, they’d need to pay lower salaries, and we’d all be worse off. > No. If companies couldn't coerce workers to stay with them against their will, then they would have to pay better and be better employers. And we would all be better off. The author is presenting the standard business argument, i.e. trade secrets are good for business and society generally because they generate wealth, non-competes protect trade secrets, so without non-competes trade secrets would be revealed and business and society would be poorer, so everyone would be worse off. The author isn't agreeing with this pov (and neither do you or I), they want to ban non-competes.