Posted on 07/28/2005 8:02:43 PM PDT by Bush2000
Ex-Microsoft Exec Barred From Google Job
Jul 28, 8:20 PM (ET)
By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE
SEATTLE (AP) - A former Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) executive who defected to Google Inc. (GOOG) cannot immediately perform the job Google hired him to do, a judge ruled Thursday, saying Microsoft has a well-grounded fear that leaked trade secrets could hurt its business.
Superior Court Judge Steven Gonzalez granted a temporary restraining order barring Kai-Fu Lee from working at Google on any product, service or project similar to those he worked on at Microsoft, including Internet and desktop search technology.
A Google lawyer requested a more specific list of tasks Lee can perform. Microsoft said it would provide the court with its recommended list by Monday.
Microsoft sued Lee and Google last week, claiming that by taking the Google job, Lee was violating an agreement he signed in 2000 barring him from working for a direct competitor in any area that overlapped his role at Microsoft.
Google countersued, arguing that Lee's work for Microsoft had only the slightest connection to the job he was hired to perform at Google.
Microsoft and Google, along with Yahoo Inc. (YHOO), are locked in a fierce battle to dominate Internet searching technology, both online and through desktop search programs. Google has begun offering new services, including e-mail, that compete with Microsoft offerings.
Kai-Fu Lee is now free to scrub the toilets and work the grill at Google, though.
"leaked trade secrets could hurt its business"
Yes. Heaven forbid someone figures out how to close all the security holes in MSFT's bloatware.
Don't sign yellow dog contracts unless you live in California where they are unenforcable.
I think he'll do OK for himself.
Not an MS fan, but I despise Google after seeing where their political donations went.
Funny. I always thought that an employer hired someone for his past experience. There has to be a time limit that prevented this guy from working for a competitor. Otherwise he is in effect a slave of Microsoft and can't use his skills and knowledge for another employer.
You happen to know any alternatives to google ?
"Microsoft sued Lee and Google last week, claiming that by taking the Google job, Lee was violating an agreement he signed in 2000 barring him from working for a direct competitor in any area that overlapped his role at Microsoft."
Chances are this guy was issued stock options or other bonus compensation that included a no-compete clause covering a certain number of years after he leaves the company. Depending on his level of importance at Microsoft, the no-compete requirement could last anywhere from 3-10 years.
This is standard practice at most big high tech companies to keep their best and brightest from jumping ship during times of rapid expansion when the best way to get to a big raise is to quit and go somewhere else.
Superior Court Judge Steven Gonzalez granted a temporary restraining order barring Kai-Fu Lee from working at Google on any product, service or project similar to those he worked on at Microsoft, including Internet and desktop search technology
Google should just open a small office in Texas where agreements like these are worthless.
None that are great.
Politics aside, I've never been big on Google. "Page rank" is a cute little algorithm that's used as an alternative to keyword searching. It deserves recongition in the million-dollar range, I think, not the billions which the company is valued at. A better system could spring up overnight and - given computer history - probably will.
So M$ can prevent someone from making a living? Is M$ going to pay this person for the term he has to sit out before going back to work?
Actually, these agreements are enforcable in Texas. Many people in high-tech that I know have recevied stock options or some other extra special compensation that included a no-compete agreement.
No, they cannot prevent you from making a living, but they can sue you and the company that hires you to guarantee you do not leave them for the same job at a competitor. It is all legal and standard trade secret protection practice.
Since in high-tech most of the value of the engineer is in the knowledge in their head, companies must have some way to stop you from breaking your confidentiality agreement with them and divulging all their secrets to their competition.
Think of it this way. If you work at Intel for 10 years designing Pentiums and then you decide to leave and go to AMD to design Athlons, you will be in violation of the no-compete agreement and Intel will sue you and AMD. You can however likely go to Texas Instruments and start designing calculators without a problem.
Here's one secret this guy has carried out (according to the cat's usually reliable sources in Redmond. No, seriously!):
Microsoft Vista's "operating system" core is the MS DOS file loader!
What's GOOGLE? I use YAHOO for SEARCHING......don't want to support the commie/socialist Googlers.
Use YAHOO for searching......or maybe Dogpile....
Kai-fu Lee was a close confidant of Gates on all technical matters and was privy to Microsoft's most guarded trade secrets. He broke a contract. Microsoft is acting within its rights and the judge's ruling is actually easy on Google, since he could have, and perhaps should have, stopped Lee from even chatting around the water fountain at Google until the terms of his contract with Microsoft expired.
I have signed a similar clause at my new job. I have to wait 6 months after leaving them before I can start with a competing company.
Politics aside google is damn good for technical stuff.. try http://scholar.google.com to get access to hi-tech research articles.
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