A group of tech companies – including Google Inc., Intel
Corp. and Adobe Systems, Inc. – have settled antitrust claims
by a class of software engineers alleging that the tech companies
entered into agreements not to poach each other's employees.
According to the software engineers, the alleged conduct had the
effect of depressing salaries by 10-15 percent, causing
approximately $3 billion in damages. The defendants dispute any
wrongdoing. The terms of the settlement have not been announced
yet, but the parties are expected to file the settlement agreement
with the court on May 27, 2014.
In addition, eBay Inc. reached settlements with the Department
of Justice and the State of California regarding an alleged
agreement between eBay and Intuit, Inc., not to recruit each
other's employees. If approved, the DOJ settlement will
prohibit eBay from entering into or maintaining anticompetitive
agreements relating to employee hiring and retention for a period
of five years.
