Intellectual property is the hot commodity in the engineering and computer science workplace.
During his first day on the job, the engineer receives a memo from management. The memo says that, in essence, the company is reimbursing him up front for any and all future technological breakthroughs and developments that he might devise during his employment, and adds that he will be able to claim no further remuneration. This scenario plays itself out in technical workplaces across the country. The pace of development within technology companies is typically accelerated, in part because competition between firms is fierce. The newest program, chip design or breakthrough process could mean millions of dollars in revenue for whatever company claims it.