The feds are already digging into alleged anti-poaching agreements between Apple, Google, Yahoo, and others, which if true would represent collusion between the companies -- an antitrust no-no. This is sure to toss some gasoline onto that fire.

As the Mercury News' John Boudreau notes, there are situations where nonpoaching agreements are prefectly legal:

...such as when they form close partnerships that give managers deep knowledge of their collaborators' rank and file, he said. Non-solicitation agreements are also permitted when one company acquires another, say a startup. The stipulation prevents the founder from leaving with his top lieutenants to immediately launch a competing company.

IANAL, but the Apple-Palm scenario really doesn't seem to fit.

Of course, Jobs is the Teflon CEO. Almost nothing tarnishes him, from his near- to his well-known tirades against other Appletons.