MIT Sloan Management Review Article on What an FTC Noncompete Ban Could Mean for Workers and Businesses

In January, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission proposed a ban on noncompete clauses in employment contracts. In addition to barring new noncompete agreements with employees and independent contractors, the rule would require employers to rescind existing ones. To understand what a federal ban could mean for workers and businesses, why it’s facing opposition, and how employers can prepare, we spoke with Evan Starr, an associate professor of management who studies noncompetes at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

About the Author

Evan Starr is an associate professor of management and organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. His research examines issues at the intersection of human capital accumulation, employee mobility, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Kaushik Viswanath is features editor at MIT Sloan Management Review.

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