if the company is providing you access to knowledge and
domain exposure, you shouldn't be exploiting it to start
your own business on the side
Actually, why not? Is it so bad that employee will benefit in ways more diverse than getting the paycheck?
This is the line of reasoning that breeds contempt down the road - company says "you can't have your own ideas", employee says "Fine, then I'm working here 9-to-5". Everybody loses.
It might be if you are creating a breeding ground for competitors. There's nothing immoral about asking to own all your personal time IP, but I can see both sides to the argument.
So you MIGHT be breeding competitors, therefore you have to ask for any and all IP? A bit over-reaching it seems. There is really no need for it in most cases, the only reason they always ask for it is because nobody ever questions the practice.
You can call it overreaching; I don't mind. But you just disqualified yourself from a big chunk of otherwise interesting jobs. It's not like I'm making up the fact that software startups have non-negotiable IP clauses.
You want a really fun non-negotiable clause? Come up with something "patentable", then quit. You can be forced to work on the patent application, a year later, at a rate set by your ex-employer. Happened to me.
Well, so yo should have kept it to yourself to preserve your own best interest. That's exactly the problem with that situation, it stimulates you to work 9-5 and keep quiet about everything and anything. I think that situation is broken.
And it's strange how you, an apparent victim of the system, come to its defense. Doesn't compute.
This is the line of reasoning that breeds contempt down the road - company says "you can't have your own ideas", employee says "Fine, then I'm working here 9-to-5". Everybody loses.