Personally, I think non-compete agreements should be unenforceable- from my view of contract law, they should be an "unconscionable" contract as the privileges and obligations on of both parties are grossly out of balance.
In a standard employment contract the employee agrees to supply labor to the employer and the employer agrees to supply payment to the employee, and both parties can exit this agreement at will. - Equal balance of privileges and obligations.
With a non-compete contact the employee must agree to provide his labor to the employer AND be bound to provide labor ONLY to the the employer for the specified time-frame, but the employer has no obligation to maintain this contract for said time-frame, they can terminate, or modify the contract at their will, but the employee will still be bound to their obligations for the full duration - to not provide their labor to any other employer!
This would be like a rental contract where the lessee agrees to pay rent for 1 year, but the landlord reserves the right to change the rent at any time during the lease, or to terminate the lease at will, and STILL demand that the lessee maintain rent payments for the duration of the lease!
beyond any specific rental laws; this contract is unenforceable because of the gross imbalance between the parties!
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I don't see where anyone has made that claim. He can work wherever he wants and do whatever he wants so long as he doesn't directly compete with Apple. That's pretty standard language in any non-compete.
He's an digital circuit engineer, so he can go work on computer board design - oh wait- no apple makes computers...
he can go work on broadband chip design - oh, no apple makes those too....
He can go design computer peripherals - Nope apple makes those too
He can go design video display circuitry - Nope again, Apple makes monitors!
Maybe touchscreen controller boards? - Nope again?
What technology could he apply his PERSONAL expertise too that doesn't, in some way, compete with apple.
He would have to be skilled in a complete different field; maybe if he also has his pilots license! maybe...