Ask HN: How are startups dealing with key talent poaching?

4 pointsdbreunig2 comments

Given Google’s non-acquisition of Character.ai and Meta’s recent moves, how are investors and start ups dealing with the threat that it’s easier and cheaper for large companies to poach key talent rather than buying the company?

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The only legal protection is IP.

File everything, follow trade secret compliance protocols, etc.

This will give you march in rights and generates a legal minefield that can make poaching top talent far riskier.

I hate the term “poaching”. Labor is transactional like everything else in capitalist society. It’s a trade for money for labor and they are trading theirs to the highest bidder.

If you want to know why they aren’t acquiring the company - blame the government making it harder for large companies to acquire other companies. But the government can’t stop these same companies from just hiring the people. They didn’t want the probably money losing product and history shows most acquisitions result in shutting down the product anyway

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