Featured in this episode of Chaos Lever
Who knew that a multi-billion dollar acquisition would be so fraught and complicated? [Ed.- We all did.] Broadcom and VMware have mutually agreed to extend their self-imposed deal close date by 90 days to May 26, 2023. That would be a full twelve months since the announcement of the merger agreement.
Most likely, the extension is due to delays from the various antitrust probes in the US, UK, and EU as they all investigate whether the deal will be allowed.
It would appear that the two companies are still quite enamored of each other, at least if you listen to Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, who has been on a bit of a publicity tour assuring VMware customers that they aren’t about to get fleeced by licensing.
It’s an awkward place for VMware to be in, a perpetual state of limbo until the deal closes and restructuring starts. Although there was an initial exodus of VMware employees when the merger was announced, the rest of employees seem to have adopted a “wait and see” attitude.
Looks like they’ll have to wait a bit longer to see if they still have a job. At least they’re free to talk some serious smack if they don’t!