Retreating from the discussion of silently dispatching enemy sentries at the mall, I did try this modification to my Sypderco Tenacious, and found it does work but is not very safe or useful.

I personally have no problem opening the Spydie with my thumb, and in fact, I can open in quicker and easier than my assisted Kershaw Leak (the latter has a nub on the spine you have to locate and press to activate the assist). Meanwhile, the zip ties caught on the pocket lining and sometimes made it slower to get the knife out of my pocket, occasionally opening the blade enough to expose the edge before coming free.

The last straw was it just looked ugly. And as every good mall ninja knows, style points are awarded for appearance.