There's a word for "Sign this or else" agreements and I'm too stupid to remember it. The non-compete agreements were a joke. We had a client come with a new employee and the old employer threatened to sue us. It wasn't worth 50k in legal fees for a 5k client we didn't really need.
I'm curious what will happen with non-competes that are actually legit. Preventing a CEO with a head full of strategic plans and trade secrets from going to a direct competitor is a legitimate thing for a company to do. Preventing a hairdresser from going down the street to another salon is ridiculous. The line is somewhere in between. Personally I think it's probably consideration for the agreement beyond simply getting the job or the ability to negotiate it that a CEO clearly has.
I'm just a lowly senior engineer. My non-compete says that if they prevent me from taking a job, they have to continue to pay my salary to do nothing for as long as they do so. That seems fair to me. They won't enforce it unless they have a reason, because they have to pay up, and if they do I get paid to search for the next job. I did negotiate it from ridiculously overbroad down to working for a company with a competing product to something I directly worked on.
Amazon has this service called 'Kindle Unlimited' and if you're in it, you are forced to sign a non-compete that you won't sell ANY of your ebooks that are in KU ANYWHERE else in the world.
Now, Amazon is a monopoly in the ebook world (they are over 90 percent of the market), and mainly because of things like this. To really make good money, you have to be in KU.
Now it would be really nice if this 'rule' applied to things we're forced into by monopolies like Amazon, but somehow, I have a feeling we're not going to be getting any relief.
It's my understanding the FCC board voted 2 to 1 on the non compete and predictably there already talk of a law suit by a national business group. We've been on the other side of the non compete at a veterinary hospital and it wasn't easy for us either. A vet left, hired some other employees away, and told the community about the new business on social media. Surprise, a lot of clients were friends on FB.
Now, non compete agreements are a thing of the past in the veterinary business. I'm not complaining cause it worked out in the end. No one said it would be easy
When I bought our house near Tulsa a couple years ago, it took me a good 6 months of getting home for the weekend to finally realize this really really nice "serious" house is actually mine, and not some relatives house I was visiting.
Earnest question: what would tip the scales for regular readers to become paid subscribers? There are substacks where I only read the free articles. Just curious.
Here is a kind of race related question for the learned ACF team. What is the deal with the inventory of Hell Cats on the floor plan at the big Dodge dealers in VA and Florida? Dealers have multiples of many models (except for Chrysler 300C’s) and multiples of some colors. They are all loaded with options and some dealers are sticking with the $25K ADM and other dealers are selling at MSRP…. Except for the Challenger 170 1000hp dragsters none at the big auctions have sold, have not met reserve. I am wondering if Dodge just cranked up the production line and flooded the market…. I am old enough to remember the dealers getting really greedy for the 1976 Eldorado Convertible and now almost 50 years later there are always a number of low mileage cars coming up for sale for less then what they sold for in 1976 accounting for the effects of the loss in the value of the dollar. Anyone got any theories or explanation on the huge inventory of Hell Cats?
Thirty years ago I was managing a Papa John's and had hired a new assistant manager making a jump from the local Pizza Hut franchise. Had to let him go because he had signed a non-compete and they were holding him to it. Maybe they were just being pissy because the founder of Pizza Hut had blown through all the cash he made from selling out and John made him a deal on some Papa's stores. Marketing Gold! Pizza Hut founder now a Papa John's franchisee.
I have a seriously messed up Salena Zito fetish. Come renewal time probably going to have to upgrade to Platinum Level in hopes that when Jack finally has a party at the Pussy Palace he invites his WE co-contributer. If my wife comes she'll be busy petting cats.
I've always been torn on Non-competes. Mentioned were "corporate boots" but they do and have protected small startup companies. A small startup company hires an engineer and spends thousands of dollars on that engineer for that engineer to take the knowledge the company invested to somewhere else? That doesn't seem fair.
It's also not fair when local journalists have to sign non-competes and can't work at another station even if they are fired.
I'm not sure what the answer is. I know that in my state that non competes are rarely enforced.
"the last Chinese dude to have this many chances to get laid just based on competitive fame… was probably Genghis Khan."
Yao Ming might want a word...
Also, can we all take a moment to appreciate a "Porsche 944 Type R"?
There's a word for "Sign this or else" agreements and I'm too stupid to remember it. The non-compete agreements were a joke. We had a client come with a new employee and the old employer threatened to sue us. It wasn't worth 50k in legal fees for a 5k client we didn't really need.
Also... bloody hell that Radical is fast!
I'm curious what will happen with non-competes that are actually legit. Preventing a CEO with a head full of strategic plans and trade secrets from going to a direct competitor is a legitimate thing for a company to do. Preventing a hairdresser from going down the street to another salon is ridiculous. The line is somewhere in between. Personally I think it's probably consideration for the agreement beyond simply getting the job or the ability to negotiate it that a CEO clearly has.
I'm just a lowly senior engineer. My non-compete says that if they prevent me from taking a job, they have to continue to pay my salary to do nothing for as long as they do so. That seems fair to me. They won't enforce it unless they have a reason, because they have to pay up, and if they do I get paid to search for the next job. I did negotiate it from ridiculously overbroad down to working for a company with a competing product to something I directly worked on.
On the other hand, the noncompete ban will allow you to swap the color of your branded chains seamlessly from one corporation to join another.
On the non-compete thing.
Amazon has this service called 'Kindle Unlimited' and if you're in it, you are forced to sign a non-compete that you won't sell ANY of your ebooks that are in KU ANYWHERE else in the world.
Now, Amazon is a monopoly in the ebook world (they are over 90 percent of the market), and mainly because of things like this. To really make good money, you have to be in KU.
Now it would be really nice if this 'rule' applied to things we're forced into by monopolies like Amazon, but somehow, I have a feeling we're not going to be getting any relief.
I have noticed "Mike O" on the rear wing, but it's not clear to me how to find any more information about "Mike O." Does "Mike O" have a Web site?
It's my understanding the FCC board voted 2 to 1 on the non compete and predictably there already talk of a law suit by a national business group. We've been on the other side of the non compete at a veterinary hospital and it wasn't easy for us either. A vet left, hired some other employees away, and told the community about the new business on social media. Surprise, a lot of clients were friends on FB.
Now, non compete agreements are a thing of the past in the veterinary business. I'm not complaining cause it worked out in the end. No one said it would be easy
When I bought our house near Tulsa a couple years ago, it took me a good 6 months of getting home for the weekend to finally realize this really really nice "serious" house is actually mine, and not some relatives house I was visiting.
"link to a pair of genuinely excellent Substacks"
A pair? I see only The Ruffian...unless you are counting the link to an earlier ACF as one of the two? ;)
"It was a real lesson for me in how power works; both she and the CEO were somebody and I was nobody."
I am reminded of that with increasing frequency and force each year for the past decade or so.
Earnest question: what would tip the scales for regular readers to become paid subscribers? There are substacks where I only read the free articles. Just curious.
Here is a kind of race related question for the learned ACF team. What is the deal with the inventory of Hell Cats on the floor plan at the big Dodge dealers in VA and Florida? Dealers have multiples of many models (except for Chrysler 300C’s) and multiples of some colors. They are all loaded with options and some dealers are sticking with the $25K ADM and other dealers are selling at MSRP…. Except for the Challenger 170 1000hp dragsters none at the big auctions have sold, have not met reserve. I am wondering if Dodge just cranked up the production line and flooded the market…. I am old enough to remember the dealers getting really greedy for the 1976 Eldorado Convertible and now almost 50 years later there are always a number of low mileage cars coming up for sale for less then what they sold for in 1976 accounting for the effects of the loss in the value of the dollar. Anyone got any theories or explanation on the huge inventory of Hell Cats?
Thirty years ago I was managing a Papa John's and had hired a new assistant manager making a jump from the local Pizza Hut franchise. Had to let him go because he had signed a non-compete and they were holding him to it. Maybe they were just being pissy because the founder of Pizza Hut had blown through all the cash he made from selling out and John made him a deal on some Papa's stores. Marketing Gold! Pizza Hut founder now a Papa John's franchisee.
Maybe the Biden administration did the right thing for regular folks just trying to pay the bills but also they're suing Scheetz for the crime of not hiring criminals. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2976681/biden-lawsuit-against-sheetz-gas-will-enrage-pennsylvania-voters/
I have a seriously messed up Salena Zito fetish. Come renewal time probably going to have to upgrade to Platinum Level in hopes that when Jack finally has a party at the Pussy Palace he invites his WE co-contributer. If my wife comes she'll be busy petting cats.
I've been saying that for decades: Being fired nullifies a non-compete. Being fired is the company saying "You're not good enough to work here."
So if I'm not good enough to work for you, why do you not want me to work elsewhere?
I've always been torn on Non-competes. Mentioned were "corporate boots" but they do and have protected small startup companies. A small startup company hires an engineer and spends thousands of dollars on that engineer for that engineer to take the knowledge the company invested to somewhere else? That doesn't seem fair.
It's also not fair when local journalists have to sign non-competes and can't work at another station even if they are fired.
I'm not sure what the answer is. I know that in my state that non competes are rarely enforced.