NDAs

I received an email inquiry last week…

I am on the lookout for an experienced iOS developer for an iPhone App.
Ideally someone based in the London vicinity is preferable - and most importantly someone with the skills and attitude to be reliable in getting the job done right! If you are available and interested please let me know!

Well, that's definitely me!

I like to meet people and discuss projects face-to-face over coffee, so we set up a meeting in central London a few days later. But then this arrived:

Please find attached an NDA - it just makes us feel more comfortable having something signed on paper…

I don't sign NDAs. There’s a good chance that I have discussed or worked on a similar idea with another client, or might do so in the future, or have a similar app in my personal development schedule. Signing an NDA restricts my future business, and leaves me open to litigation. I politely told him this, and assured him that "our conversation will be completely confidential, and that your idea will neither be copied or passed on."

That put the breaks on our meeting, but he decided he'd still like to have a phone chat. 

And here's the kicker - after wanting me to sign an NDA to protect his idea, it turns out the idea was "copy another big selling app with some tweaks", and while I'm at it, had I worked on any similar apps for other clients? And could I copy that code to use in his app?

WTF?!? Unsurprisingly I haven't heard back from him!