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I created an account here just to comment on this. I am not aware of the whole story here, specifically if he did the game development on his own time (i.e. wh

I created an account here just to comment on this. I am not aware of the whole story here, specifically if he did the game development on his own time (i.e. while not at work). However, I employ several software developers for the development and maintenance of a billing system which we deploy using a SaaS model. I would be very upset, and would in fact view it as fraudulent activity, if one of those developers built a competing product, especially while they were at work and I was paying them to do work for me. And, even if the developer did all the work at home, I would still have IP concerns. How would I know he was not ripping off a bunch of ideas or code from work? I know that hackers are a fiercely independent lot, as I am myself, which is why I started my own company. However, we have to be careful that we don’t go too far with the “stick it to the man” attitude. Put your self in the employer’s shoes. What if you started a company, put in a bunch of money and time, only to find out that one of the people you hired was developing a product very similar to yours on the side. How would you feel about that?

jcromartie 18y ago
I don't really envision a hacker stealing his employer's code. If he's going to build a competing product it's likely because he's up with the code at his day job. As far as I can gather, the most that SGN has against Maestri is the possibility that "his success with Mob Wars was his insight into the company’s infrastructure and intelligence." I see no mention of it being developed on company time. So he learned from his experiences, was bored, and made something on his own. If he was my employee then I'd say "good for you (and you can leave since you obviously don't need this job)."
- fhhacker 18y ago
  Well, let me know if you ever raise a bunch of capital and start a successful company. I will come work for you, gain a bunch of "experience", and re-create your company on the side. When I get the "atta boy" from you, I will move on.
  - deleted 18y ago
    [deleted]
- thwarted 18y ago
  If you can't learn something from a job, then what have we all been putting on our resumes? Some things fall under (questionably enforceable) non-competes, and some things don't. If you learn how to run a purchasing department at K-Mart, does that mean you can't use the knowledge you gained to run the purchasing department at Target? What qualifies as "infrastructure and intelligence"?
rmaccloy 18y ago
I don't have any deep knowledge of the case, but I think it's worth noting that he apparently built the thing while working at the precursor to SGN, FreeWebs, which has a different business entirely. It's possible he built it while they were in the process of retooling/spinning off as a gaming company (which would be pretty questionable), but if he built the app in question beforehand, it seems ethical to me (legal or not.)

jcromartie 18y ago

I don't really envision a hacker stealing his employer's code. If he's going to build a competing product it's likely because he's up with the code at his day job. As far as I can gather, the most that SGN has against Maestri is the possibility that "his success with Mob Wars was his insight into the company’s infrastructure and intelligence." I see no mention of it being developed on company time. So he learned from his experiences, was bored, and made something on his own. If he was my employee then I'd say "good for you (and you can leave since you obviously don't need this job)."

fhhacker 18y ago
Well, let me know if you ever raise a bunch of capital and start a successful company. I will come work for you, gain a bunch of "experience", and re-create your company on the side. When I get the "atta boy" from you, I will move on.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
thwarted 18y ago
If you can't learn something from a job, then what have we all been putting on our resumes? Some things fall under (questionably enforceable) non-competes, and some things don't. If you learn how to run a purchasing department at K-Mart, does that mean you can't use the knowledge you gained to run the purchasing department at Target? What qualifies as "infrastructure and intelligence"?

rmaccloy 18y ago

I don't have any deep knowledge of the case, but I think it's worth noting that he apparently built the thing while working at the precursor to SGN, FreeWebs, which has a different business entirely. It's possible he built it while they were in the process of retooling/spinning off as a gaming company (which would be pretty questionable), but if he built the app in question beforehand, it seems ethical to me (legal or not.)