[arbuge]

I was an EIR once. The thought of copying someone's idea never even vaguely occurred to me - indeed, I was taken on board to further develop a preexisting idea. May not be true at less reputable venture firms, but in general the maxim of not worrying too much about people stealing your idea still applies.

That said, it's the first time I hear of HIRs, and I don't think retaining such people at VCs makes any sense, precisely because this concern seems more real. It's cool if the VCs themselves have hacker backgrounds of course, but having a full time hacker on board is another matter.