NDA
A nice dissection of "The cult of the NDA". I agree with the author that the level of secrecy commonly assumed to be prudent among American enterprises is counter-productive.
For example, why won't private companies disclose their revenue figures? When I started a trading company exporting US made pet food to Japan (yes, you read that right, but it's a long story), I too engaged in this secrecy nonsense and wouldn't let anybody know exactly how much kibble we were pushing in Kobe. Of course, knowing that I had a grand total of two employees (one part-time) should provide an inkling that perhaps we weren't toe to toe with Ralston.
But once I got over to Japan, the first question, as a form almost of politeness, that you'd get asked is "what's your turnover" (one of the few Britishisms [Britticisms?] in common currency]. And, as the vendor, I'd have to tell them.
In all my time in business, this never harmed, and frequently helped, me.
Now with start-ups these days, this same pettifogging American obsession with non-disclosure and the perhaps related over-lawyering intersect in these ludicrous "Sign my NDA" demands. Like when a friend was starting a knock-off business of a major, popular, flash-in-the-pan, and refused to disclose anything at all without my first signing an NDA.
Look, if you can't summarize your business in 1 page without giving away the company store, you're either excessively paranoid or a poor summarizer. Skip the NDA fetishism and get on with your business.
