Question about job offer

For the past couple years, I've been working for an engineering firm in the Chicago area. Well, recently, I was approached by someone from a multi-billion dollar company with about 10k engineers strong asking me for my resume. I've always had bad luck with job applications, so I thought what the heck I gave him my resume.Gave them my resume Friday morning, got a call from hiring manager Friday afternoon saying he wants to interview right away. Got a call from recruiter scheduling me for my first interview Monday afternoon after work. Got a call on Tuesday for a 2nd interview, this time with the hiring manager and a couple project managers. Went to interview after work on Thursday. Got offer over the phone Friday morning. Got offer letter Friday afternoon. Received a couple text messages from the hiring manager asking me to sign and send back the offer letter on Saturday and Sunday. I signed it and sent it to him on Sunday. He promptly said thank you via text.Here's the thing. I spent a large chunk of the 2nd interview demoing to them my engineering software that I've been working on. There's no other like it on the market. They specifically asked me to show it to them. It's made my work a lot more efficient. For example, an assignment I had last month normally would take about a week to do. I used the opportunity to test out my software, and I finished it with 100% accuracy in less than a day. During the interview, they mentioned that they could have people help me develop my software further. And because they are a big company, they have the resources to help me market it and perhaps even buy it from me.They offered me a 50% pay raise and a dodge SUV to use for whatever purpose I want. They're bringing me on board with full benefits and everything. When they asked when I can start and I told them after I finish my current project, which will be in August, they said their only condition for their offer is 2 weeks for the 2 weeks courtesy notice to my current company.The whole thing came rather quickly. I'm still taken aback by what just happened this past week. I've already sent in my resignation letter to my company.The question is should I be worried? Life hasn't been this kind to me ever before, so I'm suspicious. Are they just trying to get to my software? Is there some devious plan I'm not aware of? Do you think I should be worried?Edited by coffee_addict, : No reason given.

Yeah, I'm going to the corporate office in Chicago to do the paperwork and stuff in a couple weeks. I'll be reading very carefully everything before I sign.I'm a civil engineer. Software is 100% self-taught. And I've been told I'm completely lacking in sense of UI design aesthetics.They have about 10k engineers of every field, 30k technicians, and like 100k workers. In other words, they really do have the resources and brain power to help me make this software a hit.I've been talking with my current boss. He and I are close and we talk about everything professionally and personally. He's been using my software at his office and so far he really likes it. He's been advising me to retain all the rights to this software as it could be very profitable in the future.Could they put something ridiculous in the contract(s) I'm going to sign when I start working for them?

I've been reading a lot of your posts, Percy. I think you work with software, right?Here's a scenario. Suppose they don't have to take my sources. Suppose I work for them for some time and during that time their people get to see me work using my software. Then a couple years later they magically came up with a software of their own that looks different but does exactly what my software does? You and I both know that what makes a software valuable is not the UI. It's not even the behind-the-scene code. It's the idea that matters.Added by edit.Can I install my software on their machine without legally giving them any right to it?Edited by coffee_addict, : No reason given.

Their turnover rate is almost nill. This company's yearly revenue is about $2B. It's like caterpillar for mechanical engineers. You join such a company to stay with for life and they take care of you and your family.

This is another possibility, to make this software a line of business.My current boss late last year suggested that my current company could use this software as a line of business software and use it internally by our engineers. The goal is to have an advantage over other engineering firms in this area. Because most of my current company's contracts are with the department of transportation, having an engineer being able to do a week's work in a couple days would be a huge advantage and therefore would give us more contracts in the future.He tried to convince the corporate heads this, but they (mostly old men who have been doing everything with a hammer and chisel for the last hundred thousand years) thought it was too idealistic and impractical. Myself and my boss even demonstrated to them how much more accurate and how much faster the work was, but, again, they thought it was just a toy.So, I had to go to the DOT and asked their special permission to use it while I'm working for them. Been showing it off to random people at engineers' seminars. I think that's how I got the attention of my future employer. I haven't asked.

Oh crap! I forgot to look at this angle. Let me check it.

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What worries me is that you may have already let the cat out of the bag in the interview.

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I'm pretty sure they knew about the software. I'd been showing off to random people at various engineers seminars. One of their recruiters just came out of no where and asked for my resume. I'm a private person. I don't just have my resume out there for the world to see. So, they must have known me from somewhere to have approached me in the first place.And during the interview the hiring manager asked me to demo the software to him and 2 of their project managers. I'm pretty sure they were aware of it.Regarding my current company, I'm pretty sure they don't care about it, considering they outright rejected it when my boss and I proposed to have it as an LOB for the company. This was back when I was nave and was ready to just start letting people in the company use it for free.Besides, they're a bunch of old men who still use hammer and chisel with stone tablets to communicate with each other. I'm pretty sure they've no concept of intellectual property. If they can't see it or hold it, then it doesn't exist.Added by edit.I am now officially in the new company's system. That was fast. I have an email and everything. Also got an order on the way for an iphone 6 and one of those laptops made of titanium that the military uses.Edited by coffee_addict, : No reason given.