When contemplating the decision to leave IBM for LzLabs, I found it helpful to enumerate the pros and cons of that decision, which I shared in a Leaving IBM: A causal analysis blog post after I’d formally left IBM.
Who could have predicted that a blog post that wasn’t about programming arcana, physics or mathematics would have been my most popular ever. There’s no accounting for the taste of the reader;)
In response to that blog post, I’ve been contacted by a few IBMers who were interested in potential LzLabs employment.
Please note that I left IBM with band 9 status, which means that there is a one year restriction (expiring ~May 2017) against me having any involvement with hiring, or recruitment of IBM employees. An IBM lawyer was very careful to point that the band 9 contract I signed in 2006 has such a non-solicitation agreement. I don’t think that anybody told the IBM lawyer that IBM appears to be trying really hard to throw away technical staff, but that does not change the fact that I am bound by such an agreement.
If you contacted me, and I was to respond, it could probably be argued that this would not count as solicitation. However, I don’t feel inclined to pick a fight with IBM lawyers, who I imagine to have very sharp teeth and unlimited legal budgets. So, if you are working for IBM, and asking about LzLabs employment, please don’t be offended that I did not reply. I will try to remember to respond to you next spring, when the sharks are swimming elsewhere.