P1The contract contains a non-compete clause barring the employee from joining a direct competitor within 50 miles for 24 months following termination

P2Under Delaware law, non-compete clauses are enforceable when three requirements are met: the restriction must protect a legitimate business interest; its geographic and temporal scope must be reasonable; and the employee must have received adequate consideration at signing

P3The clause protects proprietary trading algorithms and client relationships, both recognized as legitimate business interests under Delaware precedent

P4A 50-mile radius and 24-month duration fall within the range courts have upheld for senior engineers with direct access to trade secrets

P5The employee received a $50,000 signing bonus at contract execution, constituting sufficient consideration