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Signed, sealed, and shackled, non-compete agreements started as a way to shield trade secrets.
But now, they're often used to guard turf, control talent, and stifle movement.
Sometimes among workers who never held a secret to begin with,
get ready to Explore the thorny world of non-compete clauses and what it means for your professional freedom.
Coming to you live from Beijing, this is Roundtable.
I'm Ha Young.
For today's program, I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and you should in the studio.
First on today's show.
Ever feel like your old job is haunting your chances of moving forward in your career?
Or worse, like you're caught in a legal trap with no escape.
Non-compete.
Agreements.
Now widespread beyond the C-suite to entry-level jobs could be setting legal traps for your next career move.
It's a growing barrier that affects more workers than ever before.
Let's start by understanding exactly what these non-compete clauses are and what they were originally meant to do.
First of all, thankfully, I think I didn't sign any non-compete clauses before.
Or maybe I didn't even realize it because they could be very vague.
A non-compete agreement is a clause in which an employee agrees not to join a competitor or start a similar business after leaving a company.