VMware's future uncertain: Diane Greene replaced by ex-Microsoft Exec

My good pal, CEO of Virtualization.com just called me while I was driving back home after having a solid workout, that Diane Greene has been replaced by an ex-Microsoft exec! This news is shocking for:
- The great leadership that Diane offered to the company
- She had an amazing vision, OK CNN, Forbes et al have always spoken of the lack of business acumen
- She had a strong following of her solid engineering staff and I'm sure a lot will be reconsidering their future immediately
- A lot might change in the top exec ranks of VMware as well, for instance what will happen to Mendel etc


This is definitely a breaking news and still in a way a sad news. I am fond of Diane and her style and I'm sure she'll start a revolution someplace else soon enough.

Here's the link to Virtualization.com who picked it up from MarketWatch.

Reuters thinks that its mere competition and not weak economy:

"You have to believe this (change in revenue forecast) is due more to new competition than to macroeconomic issues," she said.

VMware, 86 percent-owned by storage equipment maker EMC Corp (EMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 22.

Its shares fell to an all-time low of $36.55 earlier in the session before recovering a little to $38.77, still down 27 percent. EMC shares fell 12 percent to $13.33.

The shares debuted on the New York Stock Exchange at $52 in August 2007, compared with their IPO price of $29. They reached a record high of $125.25 in October 2007.

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