It is always interesting to me how much 'morality' (in the sense that an individual/corporation 'should' abide by these rules) can be derived from applying symmetry principles.

People aren't particles, though. What symmetry tests are good for with regards to human beings, is to see if something like a principle which claims to be "fundamental" is really fundamental.

I think it's safe to argue that every single thing in a contract is for the benefit of the employer and has zero to do with morality. And it is up to the employee to have their own internal contract that the employer must align to. It's like legal court where the prosecution and defense go full court press not out of morality but because the belief that if both sides pull their hardest then the truth will be found.

The "golden rule".

Only do unto others that which you wish others to do unto you (or something like that, you get the idea).

They'd hire for a different role and "transfer" the person.

That just sets the precedent the non-compete bound employee can be hired in the same manner. Reciprocal.

This is the perfect use case for anonymous tips receiving a percentage of the fine.

Works well for taxes and other whistleblowers.

I would love to take a short vacation to an alternate universe where all job descriptions say that applicants MUST NOT have any recent experience in the area of employment.

That's kind of how clean room design works. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_room_design

Ignorance is bliss, especially if it’s well paid

It IS reciprocal. You're welcome to present that "non-comparable hire" contract to the company before accepting your offer, but they no doubt will rescind your offer. You have the same right to reject the offer if you don't like the contract they present.

It's common for executive's lawyers to negotiate contracts with the firm before accepting an offer (including what the firm can or cannot do to the executive without penalties). I wish it were more normalized for ICs.

I guess I'd say that's true to first order. Sure, if a company does something egregious that I don't like it is within the realm of possibility that I can go found another one, double their revenue, and grind them out of existence before doing things my way. I suppose you could say that's reciprocal since that's kind of what they did to me in this hypothetical example. Fortune rarely favors that, though, and if you ask me companies have vastly more economic firepower than independent contributors but haven't adopted the corresponding responsibility.

May as well really be fair. If the employee isn't allowed to work in that industry for 2 years, neither is the company. They'll just have to find some other source of revenue and retool their business for a couple years.