VMware is no longer synonym of IT innovations. Now, it has because the new Microsoft of the nineties: it is about licensing costs and tricks. Let me elaborate a little bit more.

The EU is going after Apple and Google and Meta these days with fierce energy and determination. It’s all good1. But what is currently happening right now in IT world with the Broadcom merger with VMware is absolutely criminal2. Broadcom is doing some massive cleanup in the VMware house and the the list of SKU who was completely replaced with new bundles and licensing mode. For many big organisations (governmental for example), subscriptions price are simply going sky high. Many government agencies are now facing something like 3 to 10 times what they used to pay for about the same features set. It is criminal and if anything, this is something that should be looked into with more scrutiny. It is one thing that a bank is paying much more for something, but when it comes to government services, it is tax payers money. That’s quite different. We have to call it out publicly.

I wish we would talk about this more in the general press, not only in the tech field.

  1. It depends to whom you talk to. ↩︎

  2. Broadcom is well-known for their past merger with Symantec and Computer Associates. It was ugly. Apparently, it was a nothing to what we are seeing with VMware acquisition. ↩︎