

'Not invented here' is killing Chicago R&D - influxed
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130515/BLOGS10/130509873/not-invented-here-is-killing-chicago-r-d

======
joezydeco
Pretty spot on, but takes a little bit of liberty with actual history.

 _"Illinois, on the other hand, is where the flagship state university
threatened to sue Marc Andreesen for using what he learned as a U of I
undergrad to create the first commercially successful Web browser"_

UIUC went after Andressen's Mosaic Communications because UIUC/NCSA claimed
ownership of the name Mosaic. Mosaic Communications changed their name to
Netscape. The legal action had nothing to do with Andressen trying to use his
undergraduate education in the workplace.

~~~
hga
More than a little, e.g. WRT the "traitorous eight" and California job
hopping:

" _I'm not saying California firms like it when talented employees leave with
know-how acquired on the company's dime. But the broader ethos of the valley
regards such activity as not only acceptable but essential to the economic
dynamism of the region._ "

No, by long standing public policy ( _way_ before the Silicon Valley or even
HP day) non-competes are unenforceable. Perhaps something of this ethos has
developed as a result, but I'm sure the law came before the ethos. Well, maybe
HP back in the good old days was relaxed about this, but definitely not
Shockley the junk yard dog. If he'd started his firm elsewhere we very
possibly wouldn't be communicating on this forum right now, because of how
this would have slowed progress of the field.

