Noncompete clauses: Companies say they need them, research shows that’s not true
&gt; Employers say they need noncompete clauses in order to protect their trade secrets and confidential information.<p>Which is such a clear and obvious lie that I&#x27;m amazed they even bother to say it out loud. There already exist several contractual and legal mechanisms that do a much better job of  protecting trade secrets and confidential information.<p>Noncompetes aren&#x27;t needed for this, and are only marginally useful for this at best.