• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Tech workers will get average of $5,770 under final anti-poaching settlement

Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 3, 2015, 10:40 AM ET
Google Moves Into New Washington Campus
Google employees and contractors in the cafeteria of the company's Kirkland, Washington office in 2009.Stephen Brashear—Getty Images

An illegal plot among Silicon Valley companies, including Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG), to suppress engineers’ wages produced a drawn-out court fight over how much the employees should get in compensation—and how much the lawyers representing them should be able to collect from that amount. Now, the numbers are finally official.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh approved a deal in which Apple, Google, Intel (INTC), and Adobe (ADBE) will pay $415 million for their role in the pact, which involved senior executives like the late Steve Jobs creating “no-poach” lists. The lists were part of a scheme whereby companies agreed not to recruit each others’ employees.

While the companies reached an initial settlement of $324.5 million last year, Koh threw it out on the grounds that it was too low, and handed too much of the award to lawyers. Court documents show the revised arrangement provides “$40,822,311.75 (or 9.8%)” in attorney fees plus additional expenses to the law firms in the case.

The final result is that the approximately 64,466 workers affected by the poaching scheme will collect about $5,770 each on average, according to Koh’s ruling.

In deciding to approve the deal, the judge also declared it fair in light of the low level of objections.

“Out of 64,466 Class Members, only 11 submitted objections (about .017 percent of the Class, or about one in every 5,860 Class Members) …In addition, only 56 Class Members have opted out of the Settlement (less than .09 percent of the Class),” Koh wrote.

The settlement comes after a similar one involving collusion between Intuit (INTU), Lucasfilm, and Pixar, which led those companies to pay $20 million in 2013.

The fact that the companies resorted to such conspiracies reflects the high-stakes war for talent in Silicon Valley, where companies struggle to retain top engineers. Unlike other states, California does not allow “non-compete” clauses, which means its easier for tech talent to move from firm to firm. As a result, tech companies often resort to other tactics like non-disclosure agreements and patent lawsuits in an effort to ward off talent raids.

See a copy of Judge Koh’s final order further below:

Correction: this post was updated at 3:30pm ET. An earlier version misstated the number of workers affected by the scheme.

Koh Anti-poaching Order by jeff_roberts881

For more Fortune coverage, check out this video:

Sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

About the Author
Jeff John Roberts
By Jeff John RobertsEditor, Finance and Crypto
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jeff John Roberts is the Finance and Crypto editor at Fortune, overseeing coverage of the blockchain and how technology is changing finance.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

InvestingVenture Capital
NFL legend Joe Montana lived around top VC execs as a 49er, then leveraged those ties to launch his second career as an investor
By Jason MaFebruary 8, 2026
3 hours ago
CybersecurityJeffrey Epstein
FBI found little evidence Epstein ran a sex trafficking ring for powerful men and concluded a ‘client list’ doesn’t exist
By Michael R. Sisak, David B. Caruso, Larry Neumeister and The Associated PressFebruary 8, 2026
5 hours ago
RetailEurope
Trump’s Greenland crisis triggered a surge in apps designed to help shoppers boycott U.S. goods, though few American imports are on store shelves
By James Brooks and The Associated PressFebruary 8, 2026
6 hours ago
nfl
CommentaryTV
The Super Bowl was made for TV and instant replay was made for visual AI. Here’s how it could be better and what it would look like
By Jason CorsoFebruary 8, 2026
7 hours ago
monkey
CybersecurityAnimals
One way AI won’t ruin the world: tools to crack down on the $23 billion animal trafficking trade
By Eve Bohnett and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
8 hours ago
heacock
CommentaryLeadership
I’m a CEO who grew a ‘boring’ air filter business into a $260 million company, and AI is going to help blue-collar, everyday people just like me
By David HeacockFebruary 8, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. is '1,000% going to go bankrupt' unless AI and robotics save the economy from crushing debt
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Even with $850 billion to his name, Elon Musk admits ‘money can’t buy happiness.’ But billionaire Mark Cuban says it’s not so simple
By Preston ForeFebruary 6, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z Patriots quarterback Drake Maye still drives a 2015 pickup truck even after it broke down on the highway—despite his $37 million contract
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Anthropic cofounder says studying the humanities will be 'more important than ever' and reveals what the AI company looks for when hiring
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
AI can make anyone rich: Mark Cuban says it could turn 'just one dude in a basement' into a trillionaire
By Sydney LakeFebruary 7, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Next-gen nuclear's tipping point: Meta and hyperscalers start deals with Bill Gates’ TerraPower, Sam Altman-backed Oklo, and more
By Jordan BlumFebruary 7, 2026
24 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.