No sooner do I blog about Google vs. MSN Search, than Microsoft sues Google for headhunting an exec who had responsibility for MSN Search. And it turns out I know the guy. Kai-Fu Lee once headed up the group next to mine at Apple ATG in the early '90s, specializing in speech recognition, and is one of the smartest guys I've encountered. He's a perfect fit for Google: articulate, bicultural, computational linguistics background, ran MSFT's China lab for a while, years of senior technology management experience.
It's hard to make noncompetes stick in California. I don't know the status in Washington practice, or which jurisdiction will apply here. Grab a bowl of popcorn, as they say, this could be a bit of a show.