Ducks in a Row: Amazon’s Non-Compete Paranoia
by Miki Saxon
Non-compete agreements are the bane of workers, especially those whose skills are industry-specific and don’t travel well — such as semiconductors — and whose employers answer to state laws other than California’s.
And it’s easy to understand employer paranoia regarding proprietary information, trade secrets, customer lists, etc.
Intel’s legendary Andy Grove built its culture on the idea that “only the paranoid survive,” but Jeff Bezos’ paranoia makes Grove look like Mister Mellow.
That paranoia really shows up in the 18 month non-compete clause for hourly and seasonal workers.
“[Workers can not] engage in or support the development, manufacture, marketing, or sale of any product or service that competes or is intended to compete with any product or service sold, offered, or otherwise provided by Amazon (or intended to be sold, offered, or otherwise provided by Amazon in the future) that employee worked on or supported, or about which employee obtained or received confidential information”
Even more bizarre is the definition of “competitors,” which include physical retailers, publishers, e-commerce retailers, media companies, payment processing and information/computing storage.
Granted, it’s never been enforced and the company says they are removing it, but it certainly gives a window on Bezos’ paranoia.
And while it could be the product of an unconstrained law department, but given Bezos’ well-known micro-focus that’s doubtful .
Image credit: Tambako The Jaguar
