UK AI Startups Hampered by Garden Leave Clauses Unlike Silicon Valley
NandoDF · x · 2026-08-15
NandoDF argues that the UK AI startup ecosystem is hindered by non-compete garden leave clauses, unlike Silicon Valley. In California, employees can start companies immediately after leaving giants like Google, but in the UK, American firms such as Google DeepMind impose 1-year garden leaves on senior researchers and 6 months on juniors. These contracts, often forced during promotions, prevent researchers from starting new ventures or hiring quickly. This slowness is criticized by US VCs, prompting a call for the UK government to legislate changes to align with Silicon Valley rules.
Related event: Ex-DeepMind staffer blasts UK garden leave rules stifling AI startups(7 posts)→
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