Amazon 18-month Non-Compete
Anyone have any issues with this after leaving Amazon? Did it prevent you from seeking employment opportunities with other tech companies? How rigid is this policy?
Unless you are some head honcho, no one gives a shit
The business value of being spiteful towards a line engineer is at least negative 10-100 million dollars when you consider what a chilling effect that would have on hiring. But if you piss of your management chain badly enough, anything is possible.
Amazon went HAM on non-compete after my friend when he left Amazon Seattle. He was just a PM. The new company defended him legally but it dragged out multiple months. The reason Amazon goes HAM is because lack of prosecuting makes the non competes weaker to enforce going forward. Praise cali for the middle finger on non competes.
That may be the explanation he gave you but unless he was L7+ or at Lab 126, he must've pissed off someone. Amazon does literally everything and 10k devs quit every year -- 99.9% of them have zero problems.
No pretty sure it happened. Granted this was abt 5 years ago so YMMV and yes now that Amazon touches everything it wont be able to hire if word gets put that they’re going HAM on everyone.
I would say fuck Amazon, and just spread the knowledge.
1.) unenforceable in Cali means it can’t be part of your contract *if you work in cali* not that Amazon can’t sue you if you work in some other state, then try to get a job in Cali. 2.) if your contract looks like mine then the non compete clause stipulates no work for a competitor on a product that would be advantaged by confidential knowledge you got at Amazon. E.g. if you’re in search at Amazon, you can work on Google docs, but not on Google search 3.) as stated by others, you are very likely too small of a fish to worry about this. “What if I become a big fish while I’m at Amazon?” I answer: then it’ll probs have been worth the noncompete
Thanks! This is very helpful.
No problem for me in 2012. I left AWS one day and started at a “competing” company the next. (“Competing” meaning in the hosting and Cloud technology space; in scare quotes because...can any company actually compete with Amazon? :). But I was not a high level (only 6) or key employee; just one of many.
Non-competes are unenforceable in California so there’s no problem there, take whatever job you want. In Washington state, they’re enforceable but frowned upon by the courts. You’ll probably be fine. Ask a lawyer if you’re worried. (I am not a lawyer)