Back in the good old days, headhunters never got sued. If a lawyer
went nuts on you, there was always a good shrink available. Being
a headhunter meant never having to say you were sorry. Corporate law
has evolved substantially since then.
Today, Google is getting sued for headhunting one of the brightest
techno-brains in China , Dr.
Kai-Fu Lee . Actually, Dr. Lee was in Redmond Washington , working
for Microsoft when the deal went down and Microsoft is pretty pissed
about it all.
In
a press release issued around noon on Tuesday, Google reported
it had hired one of China 's most respected computer pioneers, Dr.
Kai-Fu Lee. Problem is, until Monday afternoon anyway, Dr. Lee was
the corporate VP of Microsoft's Interactive Services Division. That
got Gate's goat, big time.
Hours before Google issued the press release, Microsoft issued
suit in a Washington State court against Dr. Lee and his new employer,
citing breach of contract. They are seeking an injunction to prevent
Dr. Lee from taking his new position as head of Google's China Division.
"Accepting such a position with a direct Microsoft competitor
like Google violates the narrow non-competition promise Lee made
when he was hired as an executive," Microsoft said in its lawsuit,
as quoted today in a ZDnet report . "Google is fully aware
of Lee's promises to Microsoft, but has chosen to ignore them, and
has encouraged Lee to violate them."
The suit seeks monetary damages for the loss of Dr. Lee's services
as well as injunctive measures to prevent Dr. Lee from violating
a narrowly worded non-competition agreement or sharing information
Microsoft claims as its intellectual property. The lawsuit states
that Dr. Lee was for some time, "responsible for overall development
of the MSN Internet search application."
Calling Dr. Lee's move a "particularly egregious" violation
of a non-competition agreement that was part of his contract with
Microsoft, Deputy General Counsel, Tom Burt said Dr. Lee "...has
access to sensitive information, to trade secrets about our search
technology and business plans and our China business strategies."
Google is planning to open a massive Research and Development Centre
in China by the end of October. With decades of investment in science
and engineering, and many of the world's top technical universities,
China is seen by most in the industry to be the leading IT nation
in the near future. It also has an economy developing at 9% or more
per year, three times faster than most G8 economies.
The press release noted these factors stating, "China , with
its thriving economy and excellent universities, is home to many
outstanding computer scientists and engineers. By establishing an
R&D center in China , Google is making a strong commitment to
attracting and developing Chinese talent, as well as partnering
with local universities and institutes. The selection of Dr. Kai-Fu
Lee to lead this important operation underscores Google's commitment
to building a successful Chinese product research and development
center and to expanding its international business operations."
Google VP of Engineering, Alan Eustace said, "The opening
of an R&D center in China will strengthen Google's efforts in
delivering the best search experience to our users and partners
worldwide. Under the leadership of Dr. Lee, with his proven track
record of innovation and his passion for technology and research,
the Google China R&D center will enable us to develop more innovative
products and technologies for millions of users in China and around
the world."
As for Dr. Lee himself, apparently he informed his boss at Microsoft
on July 5 th that he wasn't coming back from a sabbatical he had
planned and that he was in discussions with Google about China .
In yesterday's press release, Google spokespersons quoted Dr. Lee
saying, "It has always been my goal to make advanced technologies
accessible and useful to every user, as well as to be part of the
vibrant growth and innovation in China today. Joining Google uniquely
enables me to pursue both of my passions and I look forward to returning
to China to begin this exciting endeavor."
This is bound to get more interesting as time develops.
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