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Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

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Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#71

Post by ozzythecat »

I can’t answer your specific question, but I would really encourage you to think more about the AWS offer.

Having spent a decade at Amazon, across several organizations, I don’t recommend it as a place to work.

There was a NYTimes article about the company in 2015. Everything there still reflects the day to day culture of the company.

For me Amazon took an unprecedented toll on my mental and physical health. I did earn enough money, but I immensely regret all the time I didn’t spend with my family over the years, all the friendships that faded, and the constant reminder from leaders how I could always do better - nothing was ever good enough.

Amazons leadership fundamentally does not see their employees as human beings. As I grew the ranks over the years, I was directly coached on removing myself from certain day to day interactions, because it would simplify decision making if I didn’t have an interest in my own people, that simply forming just work bonds was a conflict of interest in terms of doing what’s “right” for the company.

Any non compete you’re concerned about isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.

Good luck to you.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#73

Post by locusofself »

ozzythecat wrote: post #71

I can’t answer your specific question, but I would really encourage you to think more about the AWS offer. Having spent a decade at Amazon, across several organizations, I don’t recommend it as a place to work. There was a NYTimes article about the company in 2015. Everything there still reflects the day to day culture of the company. For me Amazon took an unprecedented toll on my mental and physical health. I did ea…

Thank you for this. I'm currently (today) trying to negotiate an offer with AWS and while the brand/tech is making it really tempting, Work/life balance is really important to me right now as a father of a 3 year old (the only child I am planning to have).

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#76

Post by pcaharrier »

vlovich123 wrote: post #47
greyface- wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AWS is based in Seattle, Washington, not California.

AWS definitely has offices and employees in California. The enforcement is not about where you're headquartered but where the employee is determined to be working. An employee living full time in California would be protected. Disclaimer: Not a lawyer.

Not necessarily. Many such contracts also contain a choice of law clause that specifies which state's laws will apply.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#77

Post by [deleted] »

greyface- wrote: post #62
cmckn wrote: post #60

You're misreading the agreement (unless it's changed significantly very recently). Like any non-compete I've ever seen/signed, it only applies to products/services that: > Employee worked on or supported, or about which Employee obtained or received Confidential Information. Totally fair if you don't want to enter that agreement, but the language is pretty standard.

Amazon can simply argue that all engineers receive Confidential Information about products/services that they did not work on, but were aware of due to company memos, access to internal documentation, etc.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#78

Post by pcaharrier »

cmckn wrote: post #60

You're misreading the agreement (unless it's changed significantly very recently). Like any non-compete I've ever seen/signed, it only applies to products/services that: > Employee worked on or supported, or about which Employee obtained or received Confidential Information. Totally fair if you don't want to enter that agreement, but the language is pretty standard.

Without seeing the clause verbatim, I also suspect there is a misreading going on here. Having dealt with noncompete clauses in a previous job, writing one like what the OP suggests is one of the surest ways to get a judge to find that the clause is unenforceable.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#79

Post by simonebrunozzi »

Tell HN: anyone with good knowledge about something like this will not tell you on Hacker News. Probably not even in private.

Think about it: if you had issues with AWS related to your non-compete, you probably reached some form of agreement or settlement. I'd assume in a large number of these cases, part of the agreement is to not disclose anything about it in public.

Take my two cents: talk to a good, really good, lawyer.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone successfully renegotiated an AWS non-compete?

#80

Post by thatjoeoverthr »

You’re saying that just asking will cause them to pull the offer. That would be bizarre behavior. If that’s accurate, do you want to work for them? You don’t. And you don’t have to.

My first proper job after being a freelancer I felt it had an overly broad clause about ownership of work done in my private time. When I asked, they clarified, and I told them directly, that makes sense, but that’s not what’s written. They just changed it for me! No problem! It was no Amazon but a large company in my book.

If (with the help of a lawyer) it isn’t clarified to your liking, do not work for them.

No is good.

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