IANAL, but from what I understand, you can put anything you want in a contract, but it doesn’t mean it’s enforceable.
So the reason why companies put in non-compete clauses is mostly because people believe it, not because it’s really enforceable.
Now if former twitter employees were still getting severance from Twitter while working at Meta, that could be an issue. But generally speaking, if you’re not getting money (consideration) non-compete clauses don’t matter much.
IANAL, but from what I understand, you can put anything you want in a contract, but it doesn’t mean it’s enforceable.
So the reason why companies put in non-compete clauses is mostly because people believe it, not because it’s really enforceable.
Now if former twitter employees were still getting severance from Twitter while working at Meta, that could be an issue. But generally speaking, if you’re not getting money (consideration) non-compete clauses don’t matter much.
In most regions, you’re right: you can put a noncompete in a contract, but enforcing it is another matter.
But noncompete clauses are explicitly illegal in California, where Twitter is based.
Most severance is paid in a lump sum.
And if they laid you off or fired you, there’s no way they can enforce a no compete clause.