3 ms·

> I know because I also switched to work for one of the vendors) Is that legal in the United States? In many European countries, you can't just leave your empl

> I know because I also switched to work for one of the vendors) Is that legal in the United States? In many European countries, you can't just leave your employer and go work for a client/partner due to the potential of you using the business secrets to disadvantage your former employer

p_l 3y ago
Even in Europe it can be legal, depending on exact contracts. Especially moving along outsourced "trusted" companies, sometimes it's seen as essentially divestiture of business unit into another company, etc.
db48x 3y ago
Absolutely. You can leave your employer any time you want, and there is nothing they can do about it. You don’t even have to give notice, although it is polite to do so. And you can go work for their competitors too, unless you signed a contract ahead of time in which you promised that you wouldn’t. Even then, that may not be enforceable.
- pm24601 3y ago
  This statement is true in some US states (California for example) However, it is not universally true. From the FTC rule finding (1/2023): https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-notices/non-compete-clause-rulemaking https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-no... > "About one in five American workers—approximately 30 million people—are bound by a non-compete clause and are thus restricted from pursuing better employment opportunities. A non-compete clause is a contractual term between an employer and a worker that blocks the worker from working for a competing employer, or starting a competing business, typically within a certain geographic area and period of time after the worker’s employment ends. Because non-compete clauses prevent workers from leaving jobs and decrease competition for workers, they lower wages for both workers who are subject to them as well as workers who are not. Non-compete clauses also prevent new businesses from forming, stifling entrepreneurship, and prevent novel innovation which would otherwise occur when workers are able to broadly share their ideas. The Federal Trade Commission proposes preventing employers from entering into non-compete clauses with workers and requiring employers to rescind existing non-compete clauses. The Commission estimates that the proposed rule would increase American workers’ earnings between $250 billion and $296 billion per year. The Commission is asking for the public’s opinion on its proposal to declare that non-compete clauses are an unfair method of competition, and on the possible alternatives to this rule that the Commission has proposed. "

p_l 3y ago

Even in Europe it can be legal, depending on exact contracts. Especially moving along outsourced "trusted" companies, sometimes it's seen as essentially divestiture of business unit into another company, etc.

db48x 3y ago

Absolutely. You can leave your employer any time you want, and there is nothing they can do about it. You don’t even have to give notice, although it is polite to do so. And you can go work for their competitors too, unless you signed a contract ahead of time in which you promised that you wouldn’t. Even then, that may not be enforceable.

pm24601 3y ago
This statement is true in some US states (California for example) However, it is not universally true. From the FTC rule finding (1/2023): https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-notices/non-compete-clause-rulemaking https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-no... > "About one in five American workers—approximately 30 million people—are bound by a non-compete clause and are thus restricted from pursuing better employment opportunities. A non-compete clause is a contractual term between an employer and a worker that blocks the worker from working for a competing employer, or starting a competing business, typically within a certain geographic area and period of time after the worker’s employment ends. Because non-compete clauses prevent workers from leaving jobs and decrease competition for workers, they lower wages for both workers who are subject to them as well as workers who are not. Non-compete clauses also prevent new businesses from forming, stifling entrepreneurship, and prevent novel innovation which would otherwise occur when workers are able to broadly share their ideas. The Federal Trade Commission proposes preventing employers from entering into non-compete clauses with workers and requiring employers to rescind existing non-compete clauses. The Commission estimates that the proposed rule would increase American workers’ earnings between $250 billion and $296 billion per year. The Commission is asking for the public’s opinion on its proposal to declare that non-compete clauses are an unfair method of competition, and on the possible alternatives to this rule that the Commission has proposed. "