Name: Cameron
Posting #1
Period: D
Topic: Tech/Science
Title: U.S. busts Apple, Google, and Intel over sevret employee poaching
Writer: Nate Anderson
Publication Date: September 24, 2010
Length:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/us-busts-google-apple-intel-over-secret-employee-poaching-pact.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
Yesterday, the US announced a lawsuit against Google, Adobe, Apple, Intel, Intuit, and Pixar. The grounds for the lawsuit was evidence that each company had agreed to not "cold call" the other companies employees. Cold calling (in these terms) is the practice if calling or sending a job offer to an employee of a different and most likely competing company. The justice department is able to follow employee handbooks and regulations back to 2006 when Apple and Google executives made an agreement to put eachother on their "Do Not Cold Call" list. Similar arangements followed quickly in 2007 when Pixar, Intit, and Intel all made agreements with either Google or Apple. The Assistant Attorney General Molly Boast stated the the "Do Not Cold Call" lists "restrained competition for affected employees without any procompetitive justification and distorted the competitive process."
To sum up, the "Do Not Cold Call" lists created by these technology supergiants were constructed to shut down competion and control the market. Whether the lawsuit goes to federal court of is put to rest by a settlement; it is most likely the end for these "Do Not Cold Call" lists.
I think that it is rather interesting that companies would give employees in competing companies job offers. I actually wouldn't mind being part of one of those companies and take advantage of those calls if i meant not getting into an muddy situations.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to me that alot of companies do that, it wouldnt be fair to the company if they are having a major problem on loosing their bestest employees because of these cold calls. If I were in one of the companies and somehow I recieve a cold call, I would just decline, however thats just my opinion because it wouldnt be a bad offer if your company is not paying you as well as the other companies offer.
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