Ask HN: Non-solicitation agreements/cofounders

[BayAreaSmayArea]

How are non-solicitation agreements typically viewed for colleague leaving to start a business together?

For instance an engineer and product manager decide to leave a company that they’re both working for to create a startup in a non-competing space. Are they opening themselves up to liability for “soliciting” each other to leave their current job?

Disclaimer: not looking for legal advice, and if I actually needed it I would find an employment lawyer. I’m merely curious and my searches are coming up empty and tend to only focus on the customers/sales aspect on non-solicitation.

[grizzles]

solicitation usually refers to customer accounts. If your contract prevents you from poaching other employees usually it says so explicitly and specifies a time period.

[BayAreaSmayArea]

Yep, that is exactly the kind of clause I’m asking about. 1 year I believe is typical.