Xinhua – English — This is pretty bad when Microsoft has to sue to keep employees from quitting. And I sure do not see Google as a competitor except in search where Microsoft isn’t really a player! This is a sad self-humiliation for the once domineering company.
BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhuanet) — Microsoft Tuesday sued one of its former top executives wooed away by Google to run a new research lab in China, the US software giant announced.
Microsoft revealed the suit as online search giant Google touted plans to tap into the booming Chinese market by opening before October a research and development center to be headed by former Microsoft executive Lee Kai-Fu.
Lee, a former Carnegie Mellon University researcher, who previously worked for Apple Computer Inc., later moved to Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington to become the company’s vice president responsible for developing speech recognition and other interactive technologies for computers.
Lee worked as vice president of Microsoft’s Natural Interactive Services Division before taking a job heading Google’s proposed research center in China, Microsoft said in a statement.
“We are asking the Court to require Dr. Lee and Google to honor the confidentiality and non-competition agreements he signed when he began working for Microsoft,” the company said.
Here’s a better more in-depth explanation.
Even if the court finds Dr. Lee needs to abide by his contract clauses (and I think it won’t), what does Google have to do with any of it? I don’t think they signed any contracts with Microsoft…
Wanderlay –
> hat does Google have to do with any of it?
> I don’t think they signed any contracts with Microsoft
I assume that Microsoft notified Google to keep their hands off of Lee as he had a non-compete. Google failed to respond and then made their announcement. M$ probably is seeking injunctive relief against google while they litigate against Lee.
I’m no Microsoft fan, but I have no problem with Redmond enforcing the confidentiality and non-compete clauses Mr. Lee agreed to as a condition of his employment. I signed similar documents prior to employment with a large IT services company. Mr. Lee doesn’t have to continue working for Microsoft; it’s simply unethical for him to attempt allegedly “sell” confidential corporate information — gathered during his tenure — to a company in direct competition with Microsoft.
I’m guessing there may be an illegal contract involved. The Google people are not that dumb.