You could, but that doesn't mean it's a brilliant idea to do it. It's like "I could get away with shoplifting, but it's not a brilliant idea to do it when considering the risks."

For one, most large corporations make you sign a non-disclosure agreement which is effective for about a year or so even after quitting the company.

So say you work at Coca-Cola and you got headhunted by Pepsi. Per a non-disclosure agreement that you signed when you were hired at Coca-Cola, you can't start spilling the beans of Coca-Cola trade secrets the moment you start working for Pepsi.

Of course, realistically it is unenforceable and like you said there are ways to do it, but whether that's a smart move is another matter.

And secondly, now Pepsi knows you are a snitch and will be willing to spill out the beans when a new opportunity comes along. They may just suck out all the Coca-Cola info from you and throw you into a low key position that doesn't deal with Pepsi's own confidential data.

Thirdly, consider that when you apply for a job at a company, you normally list references. So now you risk your friendship and relationships as well.

In the end, you gain very little for a huge risk taking endeavor.


I know, I know. You're probably going to say, well I can just go to an internet cafe in Prague or Lagos somewhere and upload my data from there; no one will know.

I mean, sure, go right ahead. Realistically it is possible and is very hard to catch like you said. And if you wanted to do it, be my guest. So long as you understand the risks involved, know how many people it'll affect, and want the self-euphoric feeling that you did something good when in reality people really don't give a crap and just leech. That's how downloading stuff off of BT is.