I hate non-competes! Not just because of their effect on employees by preventing them from taking the ideal job. I also hate non-competes because of what they do to the American economy.
I believe that innovation comes from interaction—and that for Virginia (and the United States) to thrive as a hub of innovation in a highly competitive world, we must follow Silicon Valley’s model where non-competes are not enforceable and entrepreneurs are free to innovate without fear of litigation.
In my opinion non-competes are still legal in Virginia because of the influence of Big Business on our General Assembly…can you say “campaign contributions”? Big Business has its entrenched connections and lobbyists…employees and workers do not. But Big Business better think about the long-term effects of non-competes…otherwise they may be put out of business by innovative employees in California or India or China or Japan or………