&gt; &quot;I share my specs today with you, you&#x27;ll share your specs tomorrow with me&quot;<p>This is how Silicon Valley worked, back when the silicon was actually made there.  My impression is that Google&#x27;s obsessive culture of secrecy (necessary because it grew up in an environment where loose lips really did sink ships) is the strongest influence in destroying that culture of information-sharing, although of course NDAs, interface copyright lawsuits, DRM, and software patents have also taken their toll.<p>California&#x27;s century-old legal limitations on what rights employees can sign away to employers have also been very helpful.<p>So it&#x27;s not surprising that technological development is happening today in a place where employers&#x27; ability to own their employees&#x27; minds is more limited — the innovation is done by the engineers, after all, not the investors, so shifting the power balance in favor of the investors will damage your region&#x27;s competitiveness.<p>I&#x27;m interested to hear about the abuse and impoverishment.