The good news is that most employers don&#x27;t actually try to enforce non-competes unless the violation is egregious (like poaching clients).<p>This particular case might be a cynical and calculated action to, as the article says, &quot;send a message&quot; to other young employees looking to move on. It could be the aggressor here has been suffering from a brain drain and this is how they&#x27;ve decided to deal with it.