Category Archives: Executive contracts

Study Finds Public Losing Patience When CEOs Act Out

Add Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, Amazon’s entertainment chief Roy Price and KB Home’s Jeffrey Mezger to the growing list of executives making headlines for the wrong reasons. One of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, Weinstein was forced out after … Continue reading

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U-Turn Ahead: Uber hits brakes over new hire’s refusal to help in trade secret defense

In a move that surprised no one watching the drama between Uber and Google’s Waymo self-driving vehicle division, Uber fired engineering whiz Anthony Levandowski on Tuesday. The company thought it scored a real coup last year in hiring Levandowski to … Continue reading

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Game industry executive’s job-hopping mistake leads to `Game Over’ jury verdict for Facebook/Oculus

Hours after a Dallas jury returned its $500 million verdict for ZeniMax over claims that Facebook and Oculus unfairly used its virtual reality coding, the creator of that code, John Carmack, took to social media to continue his defense. Carmack, … Continue reading

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NFL lessons for the C-Suite on succession planning, Exhibit 1: Tony Romo

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has himself in an ideal succession situation. He waited to draft the perfect candidate – Dak Prescott. He and can now let potential future star quarterback Prescott learn while aging star Tony Romo still has the ball. Boards and C-Suite folks should think like Jones: Keep your stars in place, but keep an eye on the future of the company. Continue reading

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Your Employment Agreement is Nothing Like a Mortgage Document

Another report on employment contracts is discouraging but not surprising. A survey of 1,000 people in the U.K. showed that more than 90 percent didn’t read their employment contracts – despite the fact that the terms can haunt them for … Continue reading

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Dialer Beware: Trump Volunteers Must Sign Onerous Agreement to Work Online Phone Bank

Where do I begin? There are so many troubling aspects to the lengthy nondisclosure agreement that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is requiring online campaign volunteers to sign that I just had to speak up. The contents of this 2,271-world … Continue reading

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Massage Envy No More

Houston Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson recently interviewed me about how a woman’s search for a better job landed her in serious legal trouble. The unfortunate story involves Maxie Foster, who worked for years as a receptionist to pay her … Continue reading

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Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

Zillow recently reached a whopping $130 million settlement with Realtor.com operator Move Inc. shortly before the two online real estate giants went to trial over alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. While the settlement amount is a far cry from the … Continue reading

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White House Report Says Non-Competes May Hurt Competition

The White House is weighing in on the growing use of non-compete agreements and how they can negatively affect competition, individual workers and the overall economy. Once a tool reserved for top executives, the 16-page report released earlier this week … Continue reading

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Law360 Kerfuffle Adds to Noncompetes Bonfire

Every few months, a story comes along that reignites the “noncompetes are evil” fervor. Right now, the story du jour is that of Stephanie Russell-Kraft, a freelance reporter who formerly wrote for the legal newswire Law360. She left Law360 – her first job out of college – to take a job at competitor Thomson Reuters Corp. Continue reading

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