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Tell HN: Beware confidentiality agreements that act as lifetime non competes

416 points throwarayes | 7 comments | 21 Jun 25 16:02 UTC | HN request time: 1.266s | source | bottom

Just a note of warning from personal experience.

Companies don’t really need non-competes anymore. Some companies take an extremely broad interpretation of IP confidentiality, where they consider doing any work in the industry during your lifetime an inevitable confidentiality violation. They argue it would be impossible for you to work elsewhere in this industry during your entire career without violating confidentiality with the technical and business instincts you bring to that domain. It doesn’t require conscious violation on your part (they argue).

So beware and read your employment agreement carefully.

More here https://www.promarket.org/2024/02/08/confidentiality-agreeme...

And this is the insane legal doctrine behind this

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inevitable_disclosure

Show context
gwbas1c ◴[21 Jun 25 19:15 UTC] No.44340006[source]▶
I once declined a job offer because the non-compete made no sense. (It was many pages, claimed that I would be paid during the non-compete period, and impossible to read.) I basically concluded that they (the company) had a lawyer that was basically wanking off.
replies(1): >>44340195 #
senkora ◴[21 Jun 25 19:41 UTC] No.44340195[source]▶
In finance, it is common to be paid your base wage during your non-compete. Or at least that is how mine worked.
replies(3): >>44340287 #>>44340658 #>>44341147 #
1. dylan604 ◴[21 Jun 25 20:53 UTC] No.44340658[source]▶
That seems like something ripe for being gamed. How do they protect from someone just quitting and continuing to get paid?
replies(1): >>44340803 #
2. thw09j9m ◴[21 Jun 25 21:19 UTC] No.44340803[source]▶
They're not obligated to enforce the non-compete. If you don't have any sensitive information to take to a competitor, they might not give you any garden leave.

OTOH, I've seen non-competes as long as 2.5 years from places like Citadel.

replies(2): >>44341520 #>>44345945 #
3. kccqzy ◴[21 Jun 25 23:35 UTC] No.44341520[source]▶
What's worse is actually those non-competes with a variable period. The company doesn't have to tell you in advance how long it will be; only when you hand in your resignation letter will they tell you. It entirely serves to make your job hunt more difficult.
replies(1): >>44345947 #
4. throwaway2037 ◴[22 Jun 25 11:17 UTC] No.44345945[source]▶

    > I've seen non-competes as long as 2.5 years from places like Citadel.
Congrats: You are part of the 0.01% of the industry. Did they also offer to pay your bonus during that period? Else, it looks like a shitty deal that I would never accept. I heard that Florida now has some weird state-specific rules about high income people with non-competes.
5. throwaway2037 ◴[22 Jun 25 11:18 UTC] No.44345947{3}[source]▶
Jesus: What jurisdiction is this? And what dummy signs a contract like that?
replies(2): >>44346952 #>>44349575 #
6. kccqzy ◴[22 Jun 25 13:49 UTC] No.44346952{4}[source]▶
New York and the company in question is none other than Citadel.
7. wbl ◴[22 Jun 25 19:26 UTC] No.44349575{4}[source]▶
The kind who likes money. Lots and lots and lots of money.