From your comments I gather you might not understand the problem.
Were Soft Engs simply to do 'work' then you would be absolutely right.
But in a world of IP ... it's a different story.
Company ABC brings you in, trains you on their know-how and core IP, which took a lot of struggle, $, and R&D to create - then you leave, go to a competitor, and effectively communicate and give away ABC Corps. most valuable asset.
Non-competes can certainly applied far too aggressively, esp. in situations where there is not merit ... but there are definitely cases wherein I think it does make sense.
I'm thinking companies like DWAVE in Vancouver that built the 'first' qubit/quantum computer. The guy spent his whole life developing that tech. It's feasible that Google just grabs up some of the team and internalizes all that work and effort for the price of a few headcount.
It's a real problem in some cases, but worse - very difficult to parameterize.
Were Soft Engs simply to do 'work' then you would be absolutely right.
But in a world of IP ... it's a different story.
Company ABC brings you in, trains you on their know-how and core IP, which took a lot of struggle, $, and R&D to create - then you leave, go to a competitor, and effectively communicate and give away ABC Corps. most valuable asset.
Non-competes can certainly applied far too aggressively, esp. in situations where there is not merit ... but there are definitely cases wherein I think it does make sense.
I'm thinking companies like DWAVE in Vancouver that built the 'first' qubit/quantum computer. The guy spent his whole life developing that tech. It's feasible that Google just grabs up some of the team and internalizes all that work and effort for the price of a few headcount.
It's a real problem in some cases, but worse - very difficult to parameterize.