In my experience, as a normal non-unicorn employee at a large corp, I was able to have my contract modified. It required advice from an employment law lawyer that cost a few hundred dollars and a couple emails with the company’s general counsel.

You can change these contracts. Hiring people is difficult and once the company has made that decision they don’t want to lose you over a contract clause.

Some companies are literally legally barred from individualising employment contracts due to active union or government contracts they have.

As an average Joe, I was able to negotiate employment contract changes every place I worked in the tech industry in California in the early 02000s. I don't remember having been faced with contract clauses that I felt needed alteration as an entry-level tech employee in the 01990s.

It's worse than that for the average Joe. The offer can be rescinded altogether if one raises too many concerns about the offer.

You evidently have no idea what you're talking about.

Then please provide me sources. What non single digit percentage of the workforce regularly has the ability to negotiate clauses in work agreements?

Like, every single white collar worker?

White collar workers are the average Joe? And the average white collar worker negotiates terms of their employment?

It’s anecdata on my part but whenever a white collar worker tells me they don’t need a union because they can negotiate a better deal, they get real angry at me when I ask them the last time they negotiated a better deal for themselves

I had every single one of all my contracts (as employee and one-nerd-business) adapted in minor or major ways.

I am good at what I do, but no unicorn and not FANG "level".

But then again, I don't live in the US

I never said I want an individualized contract, but I reserve the right to reject the offer, and I have, when the contract is unreasonable. What I want to know is when exactly to reject it wrt the confidentiality agreement.