I can't speak for Massachussetts, but in Washington state non-competes have to be narrowly tailored resulting in them being relatively hard to enforce.
The one take away I have from this situation is that we have an honesty problem. People criticize Reddit as a platform of hate and vitrol, but as in reality this only partially describes the entirety. They complain that people on the internet are too free to speak their minds, but perhaps this is a reflection on our society a place where honesty and the free exchange of ideas is discouraged.
Disappointing that you view all criticisms against Ellen Pao as inherently sexist. I think if anything people would be just as critical of her if she was a guy. Who appoints a lawyer to run Reddit?
Peer review is less effective then you imagine and a highly political process. These experts usually have a vested interest in a certain viewpoint or line of research. I agree extra scrutiny always helps, but scientific consensus does not guarantee truth.
I love the attitude some of speakers in the video show towards people with technical understanding. I guess when you are incompetent you always need to test people to see if they are lying.
I agree Ballmer was not "one of the worst CEOs in history", but Bush will quite certainly rank among the worst presidents in history. Bush's two war mistakes were gargantuan, scholars estimate over one million war dead in Iraq, in addition he accelerated the decline of the American state in numerous other aspects.
Privacy is not just a moral good but necessary to for society to survive and thrive in the long-run. Countries and governments frequently do not act in their own best interest and I view mass surveillance as one of these instances.