8/16    I just left my employer. They didn't ask to get their HW back.
        Is is common for employers to contact me a few months/years later
        and ask for their HW back?
        \_ Is it an iPhone 9 prototype? :-)
           \_ as a matter of fact, it is just a 2 year old laptop
              and they don't seem to keep track of inventor
        \_ You're responsible for returning your employer's property when you
           leave.  Consider the downside of them realizing it's missing and
           taking legal action (unlikely, but it does happen).  Is a two year
           old laptop worth *that*?  Granted, that's a worst-possible-outcome.
           \_ how much does a 2 year old laptop depreciate by? how much does
              it cost to start a lawsuit?
              \_ How much is your reputation worth? I worked at a failing
                 startup where a number of employees stole equipment.
                 I can guarantee you that they will never get a job at
                 any company I am working at.
              \_ You've misunderstood.  It's not the cost of a lawsuit.  It's
                 the cost to swear out a criminal complaint, and that's near
                 zero.  If a former employer wants to be a hardass about this,
                 they report the equipment stolen, swear out a complaint, the
                 police get a search warrant, and come looking for it.  If they
                 find it, it's a criminal case against you, not a civil case.
                 So it doesn't cost your employer *anything*.  It might not
                 even be your former manager, just some beancounter in finance.
                 In the case of failed startups, it's the outsourced
                 liquidation specialists (Diablo Management and their ilk).
                 \_ how about this scenario: They don't find anything in your
                    house. Someone blogs about it. It gets on Techcrunch and
                    Business Insider. Now the company is forever known as the
                    fucking lame vindictive asshole that nobody wants to work for.
                    fucking lame vindictive asshole that nobody wants to work
                    for.
                    \_ Still not worth the risk to me.  The value of stealing
                       a two year old laptop is less than a day's pay.  That's
                       an absurd amount of risk for such a small payoff.
                       \_ According to taxman, equipments write-off depreciation
                          is about 20% a year over 5 years. So a $3000 laptop
                          is worth about $1800 after 2 years. You make that
                          much in a day? You serious?
                          \_ 20% a year is not realistic for computers --
                             you can't buy a $1000 laptop new and sell it a
                             year later for $800.  Also, most laptops are a
                             lot cheaper than $3000 new.
                          \_ The last time I talked to our finance people, we
                             were fully depreciating *computer equipment* in
                             three years, not five.  And it looks like our
                             typical laptops are more like $1,700.  Do I make
                             more than 1700/3 in a day?  Hell yes.