[HeyCori]

Long read:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/23/3906310/the-no-hire-paper-trail-steve-jobs-and-eric-schmidt-didnt-want-you-to-see

What's really concerning is how many people are defending such practices...

[palandri]

If you look up the definition of extortion, it sure seems to fit:

Extortion (also called blackmail*, shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offence of unlawfully obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion.

[JohnnyCanuck]

Some of it is actually pretty reasonable. Competitors do not necessarily want to get into a never ending bidding war for staff and many industries have a courtesy arrangement to not actively poach (as opposed to considering applicants who come to them). I do know of organizations that have unwritten rules about maximums or quotas with respect to the percentage of hires from other companies.

That said, some of this goes well beyond what is reasonable and, quite frankly, shows what kind of values people like Jobs and Schmidt had/have. Who would really want to work for their companies given how they behave anyway?

[Laura Knotek]

I was well aware of NDA, since I signed one at one job that I had. However, I was not aware of employers activities like those at Apple/Google. I always thought it was the employee, not the employer, who was held responsible.

[stmav]

Some of the isheep are out in full force in the responses.