A judge has temporarily barred a former Microsoft executive hired by Google from performing any duties at the search giant similar to those he performed at Microsoft.
Washington state Superior Court Judge Steven Gonzalez on Thursday granted Microsoft"s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent Kai-Fu Lee from violating his noncompete agreement. Google announced on July 19 that it had hired Lee to lead a new research and development center in China and serve as president of its Chinese operations. Lee was previously a vice president at Microsoft and played a key role in its operations in China. He also led development of some of its search technologies, Microsoft"s lawsuit claims.