hypothetically, if you sign a noncompete where they're enforceable and resign (without disclosing anything to anyone), how would they even know where you're going or have the basis for a lawsuit?

maybe they'd know with execs where their occupation is public, but for line employees it just seems like a scare tactic. I kind of doubt they're going to drop thousands of dollars on a lawsuit because some associate SWE hops from amazon to microsoft