Not sure what I think of this...

Comments

# William said on July 19, 2005 10:03 PM:

I'm the "Armed Geometer". I like that nickname:
http://www.jjbresearch.org/acs/blogs/optionsscalper/archive/2005/06/25/NakedDrugs.aspx

# William said on July 19, 2005 10:09 PM:

You were already the Cornbread which was cool as shit for a nickname

# William said on July 20, 2005 3:36 AM:

Mr. William G. Ryan,

Yeah, I definitely think that you need a nickname. I've been trying to think of one for a while, especially since that toolblast thing with that guy who tried to copy you. There can be only one (Bill Ryan).

Anyways, regarding this Microsoft/Google poaching deal, its clear that Microsoft is sending a message: If you choose to defect, be prepared for consequences. I agree that this is bad policy as it only inhibits loyalty rather than cultivates it. Because there are few positions at this level at Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and other similar firms, I think Microsoft is trying to give pause to anyone who chooses to commit and then break the commitment. So I think Microsoft's aim is at the individual and not at the marketplace or competitors. This guy chose to accept a position at Google that was in direct competition with the position he held at Microsoft. I agree that there is a significant talent pool that likely could replace this guy at Microsoft and that Microsoft should focus on finding the "better" person and then bragging about their "new hire".

The other consideration that I can think of is if a researcher left MSR to go to another research position elsewhere outside of the corporate world, e.g. The Santa Fe Institute (http://www.santafe.edu). They do really cool research and discover a bunch of new search ideas, patent them, don't sell them for a year, then take those assets to the next firm, e.g. Google, Yahoo. Do the terms of the non-compete disallow this activity?

---O

p.s. Do you have a gun collection with pictures like the Armed Geometer?

# William said on July 20, 2005 7:05 AM:

O - I have one gun, that's it, and I look pretty much like that Blue Cuckoo bird on my blog, except I'm not blue. The Armed Geographer is about as cool as it gets for nicknames (and Andy already had a cool nickname).

To the rest of your post, I agree total. There's nothing wrong per se with MS Taking this stance, I just think that when youa re the biggest, richest and baddest, you can look a LOT cooler by punching back instead of running to court (Lawyers suck)

# William said on July 20, 2005 5:44 PM:

Nickname suggestions:

The Offender
Ryanator
Mrs Cuckoo

# William said on July 20, 2005 6:15 PM:

I was really enjoying your suggestions until I got to #3. Mrs Cuckoo huh? I was thinking something more like Sir Cuckoo or maybe I could go a little more international and be Mullah Muhammad Cuckoo, Supreme Ayatolla Cuckoo, Cuckoo Van Der Sloot or anything a bit more, uhhh, less feminine

# William said on July 25, 2005 2:30 PM:

Say I have a company that develops toilet seats. I hire the best and brightest toilet seat makers and their ONLY qualification is... toilet seats. If they sign a "noncompete" lameness, that means basically that the only way they can get a job making toilet seats again within X years/months/whatever is if and ONLY if they are fired. Horse crap.

If Microsoft hired this guy for a specific purpose and that is his only purpose, he has every right to seek work outside that company if he's able. We as humans tend to lock ourselves into a position or niche and it's very hard to work around that if your resume is littered with jobs that only apply to that hole you dug yourself into. I don't think anyone, regardless of corporate or spiritual "enlightenment" can somehow enforce that every single worker "non-compete". I'm sure a lot of people will bow to this crap because they need the money but what about when they break it because the competition is *gasp* offering something better? They get a ton of "legal fees" on top of "damages" and whatever else some highly paid lawyer can come up with.

The worst part about this is that he had to wait a year according to the clause. A year? Any American would be homeless within a couple of months if they had no job. If this is the only thing this guy can do, who the hell is Microsoft or anyone to tell him that he can't do it? Should he go work at McDonalds until that year is up? I don't think so. Granted it looks like he left Microsoft directly with no waiting time at all, but some people are so strapped they can't go 2 weeks without a paycheck or things start to fall apart. A lot of this speculation is on a case by case basis but when you get down to the root of this, it's unethical. If I won't let the government tell me where I can work, I sure as hell won't let some company who thinks they own the world try to do the same. There is some good news though. This guy is in China and it'd probably be a cold day in hell before they let some American company have their way with him. Microsoft should just sit down and shut the hell up about this one.