Tech Firms Settle High-Tech Workers’ Lawsuit

They could’ve paid $9 Billion:

The 3-year-old case revolves around a “gentlemen’s agreement” that the companies forged to retain employees. Internal emails excavated during the pre-trial proceedings showed Google, Apple and other major technology employers agreed not to recruit each other’s workers to help protect their own interests.

The companies maintained that the “no-poaching” cartel wasn’t illegal because they still could hire employees from their partners in the arrangement, as long as the workers initiated the inquiries about vacant positions.

…

At one point in 2006, Google sought Jobs’ permission to hire a respected programmer, Jean-Marie Hullot, to run a new engineering office in Paris even though Hullot had already resigned from Apple, according to emails turned over in the case. Google also wanted to hire some other former Apple engineers that formerly worked with Hullot. After some email negotiations about what Hullot and his colleague would be working on at Google, Jobs wrote, “We’d strongly prefer that you not hire these guys.” Google then backed off its Paris plans, according to emails.

In another instance, Schmidt fired a Google recruiter who riled Jobs by contacting an Apple employee about a job opening. After being informed of the firing, Jobs responded with a smiley face in an email.

Read Full Post »