One of the most startling discoveries for Chinese companies entering the U.S. market is how little power non-compete agreements actually have. Unlike in many other countries, most non-compete clauses in the United States are either unenforceable or so narrow that talented employees can easily move between competitors.
对于进入美国市场的中国公司来说,最令人震惊的发现之一是竞业禁止协议实际上几乎没有约束力。与许多其他国家不同,美国的大多数竞业禁止条款要么无法执行,要么范围非常狭窄,以至于优秀员工可以轻松地在竞争对手之间流动。
California, home to Silicon Valley, has effectively banned non-competes. Even in states where they're technically legal, courts typically refuse to enforce them unless they're extremely limited in scope and duration. The recent Meta-to-OpenAI exodus demonstrated this perfectly: engineers moved freely between direct competitors, bringing their expertise with them.
硅谷所在地加利福尼亚州实际上已经禁止了竞业禁止协议。即使在技术上合法的州,法院通常也拒绝执行这些协议,除非它们在范围和期限上极其有限。最近从Meta流向OpenAI的人才流失完美地证明了这一点:工程师们在直接竞争对手之间自由流动,并带走了他们的专业知识。
This means several things for Chinese companies. First, the talent you hire may be easier to recruit than you expect—their current employer probably can't stop them from joining you. Second, and more critically, the talent you hire will be equally free to leave. The American tech sector operates on the assumption that employees are always "in play," constantly evaluating opportunities. Your retention strategy must account for this reality.
这对中国公司意味着几件事。首先,你招聘的人才可能比你预期的更容易招到——他们现在的雇主可能无法阻止他们加入你。其次,更关键的是,你雇用的人才同样可以自由离开。美国科技行业的运作基于这样一个假设:员工总是处于"可争取"状态,不断评估机会。你的留任策略必须考虑到这一现实。