>On the other hand, this is a small space, and it’s inevitable that we will bump into each other. Threatening Palm with a patent lawsuit in response to a decision by one employee to leave Apple is just out of line. A lawsuit would not serve either of our interests, and will not stop employees from migrating between our companies. This is a very exciting time for both of our companies, and the market is certainly big enough for both of us. We should focus on our respective businesses and not create unnecessary distractions.
Compare this to Eric Schmidt's spineless response when Jobs complained to him about Google poaching:
>Can you get this stopped and let me know why this is happening?" Schmidt wrote.
>Google's staffing director responded that the employee who contacted the Apple engineer "will be terminated within the hour."
>He added: "Please extend my apologies as appropriate to Steve Jobs."
Then again, Google thrived afterward and happily enjoyed the fruits of illegally suppressing wages, while Palm's market share plummeted soon after Jobs' threat.