If you work in a specific industry (web design, car sales, kitchen cleaning) then by definition almost every company in that sector is a competitor. Except in

If you work in a specific industry (web design, car sales, kitchen cleaning) then by definition almost every company in that sector is a competitor. Except in some very limited fields, there's no problem at all with this. No one commented on the ethics of Marissa Mayer going from Google to Yahoo, did they? Why should it be any different for you? If you worked in a highly specialised or regulated field and had signed a contract with an onerous "non-compete" clause, that'd be different. Check with a lawyer - not HN.