employer cover photo
employer logo

VMware has lost its way - Anonymous employee VMware Employee Review

1.0
26 Aug 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I would have said being surrounded by smart people with a purpose, lead by people with integrity, at a forward thinking company with a bright future - but I can't. Not anymore. That's what VMware used to be. Even the newest, most innovative group to come along in a long time - vCloud Air - has devolved into a political, back-stabbing mess populated with weak leadership that either already has or will soon drive off everybody with any talent and brains. And it seems this nightmare of a management team will even fire those that question any of this. Where are your EPIC values when they actually need to be tested VMware? In the trash, with all the other good things you ever did.

Cons

If you think my Pros were Cons, wait till you hear the Cons. In summary, the leadership of the vCloud Air team specifically has somehow become convinced that they actually know what they are doing. No longer is there a sense of experimentation and risk taking, which attracted some of the brightest minds from across the company and the industry to sign up for the journey, but instead in their place are arrogance, ignorance, and politics. Arrogance is bread from the top down, with the "leaders" making arbitrary and damaging decisions while ignoring the informed counsel of the people WHO ACTUALLY DO THE JOB EVERYDAY. This leads to embarrassing displays of ignorance by the "leaders" in all hands presentations and customer meetings when false and/or falsified information is shared as the truth. And the politics of the place make it impossible for any of the smart folks who clearly know the information is untrue to call it out with their "leaders" for fear of retaliation in the form of public humiliation or firing. And they have good reason to be scared - retaliation is the new blood sport at VMware. Once there was a time when people could wake up and feel good about the challenges they faced everyday...now they wake up and dread every minute.

Explore other reviews about VMware

5.0
24 Jun 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

VMware is a big company but in many ways had a startup vibe. That was great because the resources and infrastructure of a big company were there, but it gave most people I worked with freedom to work on many projects, influence, move around, and contribute in many ways. Plus, many things moved faster than they might at other companies of the same size. Perks were really great including bonuses, events on the campus, opportunities, etc.

Cons

The biggest con is the annual layoff. During most of the years I was there, we were growing like crazy, beating expectations, gaining in stock price, etc. It was always positive and upward. However, every single January, it was known that there would be a round of layoffs, even when all numbers were looking great as they almost always were. Management called it restructuring. But, over the years, some really good people were let go for no apparent reason. Then to add insult to injury, a week or two later, there would be a company quarterly meeting discussing how VMware was doing so well and is still hiring, but they had to make some changes. It always felt dishonest and the sympathy for those let go came across as disingenuous.

71
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All