Google was clearly thinking long term when it hired Dr. Lee, an AP story shows that they were willing to pay him even if a MSFT non compete made it impossible for him to work for the first year.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, joined by The Seattle Times and The Wall Street Journal, filed briefs last week asking the judge not to seal the documents, which included a Google document stating it would continue employing Lee for up to a year and defend him in court if Microsoft wrongfully accused him of breaching the noncompete agreement.
Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said Google’s employment agreement with Lee “underscores the fact that Google was aware that Dr. Lee had a noncompete agreement with us and had the expectation that by hiring him, he could be breaking that agreement.”
The article also had this great tidbit:
Other documents released Tuesday were largely blacked out, including notes from a May 2004 meeting Lee had with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and other executives. The subject: “Kai-Fu Lee’s thoughts on search.” Microsoft redacted most of the words, except for “Google,” “MSN,” and “Longhorn,” the former code-name for the Windows operating system update the company plans to release next year.
This worked out pretty nicely for Lee.