[pullo]

there is a good article by Ben Horowitz to this point. http://bhorowitz.com/2011/02/23/is-it-ok-to-hire-people-from...

what happened here is much bigger than a deal that goes between two friends who run a startup. it by all means seems like collusion by the overlords to ensure the minions are kept where they are to 'serve' them ( a minor exaggeration). Parts of this story is revolting, like firing and making an example of the recruiter who poached a google employee.This sickens me and is surprising , probably cause, I am not cynical enough..

[jphackworth]

An interesting article - thanks for the link.

In summary, these practices are extremely common, and Ben Horowitz recommends them. However, they are technically illegal in California.