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A problem here is that while the companies will generally make very clear that they don't want you to have any single line of code, any schematic, any drawing,

A problem here is that while the companies will generally make very clear that they don't want you to have any single line of code, any schematic, any drawing, anything at all from your previous company; they may also expect you to bring "experience" from the previous company, thereby pressuring more junior employees into doing exactly that - bringing some docs from the previous company - but not telling about it. Through my career I have been to several meetings where everyone was, notebook in hand, expecting to hear the "experience" from the new guy. That is obviously as legal as it gets, but the pressure for the junior employee to have kept a couple of notes is there, and you'd never know. i.e. I suppose no one was aware that he had this code, and it's unlikely it went into nvidia's codebases or that nvidia wanted it; but it also doesn't mean nvidia did not pressure the guy into doing that.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
That sounds wrong in so many ways. Do you live in China or something where this is expected? I've worked at about 10 or so companies in 3 countries and it was never expected for the juniors to ever "bring documents from previous workplaces as knowledge and not tell about it". Bringing your "experience" means only the experience and problem solving skills that are in your head as we're in the knowledge work business. Bringing documents to regurgitate just means IP theft, not knowledge work and is no guarantee to make you a productive employee, and no company would ever touch you for ever doing that.
- chii 3y ago
  > Bringing your "experience" means only the experience and problem solving skills that are in your head it's hard to differentiate experience with IP. For example, there might be a tricky problem (say, in manufacturing), and the solution is a trade secret. The "experience" from said employee is really just relaying that trade secret.
userbinator 3y ago
Some people have very, very good memories and can bring all of that in their brain. Does that make it legal or not, just because it's in someone's brain and can be easily regurgigated at will? It's a subtle question.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago

That sounds wrong in so many ways. Do you live in China or something where this is expected? I've worked at about 10 or so companies in 3 countries and it was never expected for the juniors to ever "bring documents from previous workplaces as knowledge and not tell about it". Bringing your "experience" means only the experience and problem solving skills that are in your head as we're in the knowledge work business. Bringing documents to regurgitate just means IP theft, not knowledge work and is no guarantee to make you a productive employee, and no company would ever touch you for ever doing that.

chii 3y ago
> Bringing your "experience" means only the experience and problem solving skills that are in your head it's hard to differentiate experience with IP. For example, there might be a tricky problem (say, in manufacturing), and the solution is a trade secret. The "experience" from said employee is really just relaying that trade secret.

userbinator 3y ago

Some people have very, very good memories and can bring all of that in their brain. Does that make it legal or not, just because it's in someone's brain and can be easily regurgigated at will? It's a subtle question.