The thing about company secrets is that once they're exposed (or guessed, or reverse engineered), then anyone can use them. This is essentially security through obscurity, but for ideas. It's not solid.
In particular, it's not a protection against an employee leaving and starting another company that does the same thing. As the employee, you thing that's good, but a business owner would think it's bad.
I know, that viewpoint doesn't help you personally. (Also, many times patents are overkill.) But a company owner may really not like your solution, because from their position, the weaker protections are a threat vector.
It's true, once a secret is exposed then you become copy-able.
But in reality it's more complex than that, because the secret maker has the advantage of momentum and someone copying you only has a snapshot in time (when they saw how you do your magic).
Fighting patents are extremely expensive, and ensuring your product stays locked to your patent is equivalent to circling your wagons around the patent. The world moves on, new technologies are released, new languages, now you are scared to move forward because protecting your patent means you have to stay locked to that idea.
In particular, it's not a protection against an employee leaving and starting another company that does the same thing. As the employee, you thing that's good, but a business owner would think it's bad.
I know, that viewpoint doesn't help you personally. (Also, many times patents are overkill.) But a company owner may really not like your solution, because from their position, the weaker protections are a threat vector.