Sounds like conspiracy theories.
I guess the 12 hour days aren't that big of a deal for Jim. And yeah, it'll definitely be a McDonald's. Because this non-competition clause would definitely shut the door to anything beyond fast food! Even if it did, maybe Jim should check his pride at the door.
Since we're going to play the conspiracy theory game, this clause also prevents evil companies...we'll call this one EA, from going after the employees of other companies and stealing them with promises of fat paycheques and excellent working conditions.
But yeah, it's definitely not because people have all sorts of access to ideas and implementation strategies that aren't their own. I mean, no person would ever dream of taknig a kickass idea that they learned at one company, and using it in a competing company that would be willing to pay them more money.