Non-competes really only matter for people with exceptional knowledge of something.
From a business standpoint, the legal resources to build a case against a single “average person” who signs a generic non-compete are not a good investment.
But like I said, it’s a judgement call. Anyone in the possession of that exceptional knowledge should be able to determine the risk.
So who are the non-competes really for then?
They're for assuaging the corporate leadership that they are actually effective at managing that pesky turnover problem they've been having in a manner that doesn't require them to increase pay or improve working conditions. That and people who carry a "book of business" (the sales team) and those with critical expertise in certain, niche knowledge domains.
There was also an issue that resulted in state legal action where fast food workers were blackballed due to non-competes.