Thread regarding VMware layoffs

just re-listening to the Q&A - who is the annoying moderator? Talks to us like we are 4 year olds

Just watched the recording. For anyone who has no bandwidth to watch the full session, watch from 47:20 for the main crux of the message from Betsy, as well as the Q&A.

@2qqt+1oAkls9y

More like 2x that.

Forever young!

Oof, this is cringe. The invincibility of youth, thinking they have the world figured out by 25 years old, and are so sure that they get by on skills alone.

I miss those days.

Especially when you find out you are not on the top, get let go and have no DEI to blame. Boo-hoo.

Bring it on! I’m on top and ready to price it , anytime anywhere - even drunk.

Your post is filled with logical flaws.

The meritocracy and skillocracy don’t simple fall to “people who look like me” - white male.

They fall to people who are actually skilled based on their skill. See challenge above. If you come from blah-blah-stan and walk the walk, welcome with open arms my brother or sister or however you identify. You see, trans, etc totally fine. Just show me your skills baby.

So bring it on , I’m ready to kick a-s and make great sh-t with whoever is skilled.

Put that in your DEI pipe and smoke it, maybe you will reach enlightenment.

"Where is the ProDEI crowd that said Broadcom loves DEI? You heard it straight from Betsy's mouth folks. Your precious DEI program is dead. Onto the meritocracy and skillsocracy."

It's amazing how when it depends on people like you, the meritocracy and skillsocracy always happens to fall on people who look like you: definitely male and mostly white.

You are up to a HUGE wake up call at Broadcom. Especially when you find out you are not on the top, get let go and have no DEI to blame. Boo-hoo.

@1ifq+1oAkls9y

Ahem, and some are Broadcom employees who like to camp out here with a bag of popcorn. Hi all!

You won't have those quarterly days off work, or a week off after Christmas. There won't be a Chief People Officer at quarterly meetings. But you will have DEI and DEI requirements. If you are chosen, you should prepare yourself now.

@1lqw+1oAkls9y

The vast majority of this company visits sites like this one and blind to get information you’ll never get from corporate. Sure there is some trolling and speculation but you can weed out some kernels of truth.

So print out your Broadcom corporate BS document. Cuddle with it, sleep with it under your pillow tonight, but know that it’s just there to check boxes for the gullible bleeding hearts like yourself. You and your gullible friends that sit in the audience at the all hands laughing praising and worshipping our inept leadership will find out soon enough the realities of the business world.

The rest of us will live in reality.

But please remember, she chose to watch her people burn to collect their gold fillings even though the pockets were out of room.

Shame on her!

“ Betsy looked like on the verge of tears. She is very passionate about VMware and deeply frustrated”

This is where you have to separate yourself from what you thought and reality.

I have no reason to believe this whole debacle upsets B3++y, I believe she’s authentic and about people BUT she could have quit like anybody else and sounded the alarm that VMware was being taken over by an absolute cr-p hole of a company.

But please remember, she chose to watch her people burn to collect their gold fillings even though the pockets were out of room.

Everybody has a price and they found hers a long time ago.

Reality is gonna su-k for a lot of you. But not her.

As for myself and most of the rest of the folks on here,

That sums it up. The vast minority who come to this site are already biased in one way or another. So, believe what you want. Speculate what you want. The data is there, you are just finding excuses to not believe it.

See you in six weeks.

@1bjt+1oAkls9y

OMG they have a document! Let me touch the grass for a sec....hmmm this feels like BS. If things are so great there for DEI, then why did Betsy make that comment.

Also lets check out the veracity of the link you sent. Example - Take a look at the M&A section with the hostage pictures and employee quotes talking about how happy they are. Contrast that with all the people there that say they constantly fear for their job, and do you think that document is truly representative of reality at Broadcom?

You keep drinking the koolaid @1bjt+1oAkls9y. As for myself and most of the rest of the folks on here, we'll take a more realistic view of things.

Where is the ProDEI crowd that said Broadcom loves DEI? You heard it straight from Betsy's mouth folks. Your precious DEI program is dead. Onto the meritocracy and skillsocracy.

DEI is not dead. It's officially called Diversity@Broadcom. It's a large effort. They advertise it. Touch grass and read up. I'll help: https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/environment-social-governance-report

If you think DEI is not at Broadcom you are in for a huge surprise. You may want to sit down for this, but they actually have PODs! They're called Lean In Circles.

Like any other HR department, there is not much room there for Broadcom to absorb VMware's team. So, VMW's team knows they'll likely be let go. Beyond that, you're reading too much into it.

"DEI may not be 'quite the same with Broadcom'."

Where is the ProDEI crowd that said Broadcom loves DEI? You heard it straight from Betsy's mouth folks. Your precious DEI program is dead. Onto the meritocracy and skillsocracy.

"I am tired of the attitude of all the Execs. That Stage had around $100M of VMware stock and bonus wealth on it. No wonder they are laughing."

Why one dog? When I can afford 5+

Their attitude amounts to dancing on employee’s tombstones.

And lastly, as a manager it truly upsets me that I will be completely ignored when it comes to BC‘s decisions about my team

And likely you will be ignored/fired as well.

You should think of it as a relief, as you a avoid the responsibility of which 6 of 10 people you have to fire. That will not be good for team morale either.

We are all F’d…. Except for the happy execs that dance and giggle their way to the bank. They need a good kick in the a-s.

The employee questions felt like plants.

I am tired of the attitude of all the Execs. That Stage had around $100M of VMware stock and bonus wealth on it. No wonder they are laughing.

These guys have always been giddy on the company meetings. I didn‘t mind it that much, however I‘d attended the manager meeting before and in that one, Betsy looked like on the verge of tears. She is very passionate about VMware and deeply frustrated… I suppose someone gave her feedback. If those guys had given some sort of eulogy, people wouldn‘t have liked it either. Morale would have taken a huge hit and Q3 would have been in danger. Also, this was our last company meeting as an independent company- it was clear that they wouldn‘t be lugubrious, but try to cheer us up.
I truly appreciate the Q3 bonus payout in October- whilst it‘s only fair, it‘s still very nice of them to pull it forward.
And lastly, as a manager it truly upsets me that I will be completely ignored when it comes to BC‘s decisions about my team. And Betsy‘s upset about that as well, one could tell. It‘s really unheard of and makes us managers appear like complete id--ts in front of our teams. (But what bothers me more is that I can‘t protect them, give them a heads up, retain who I need most or who needs the job most, etc.)

Agree with the inappropriate level of giddiness and attempts to discuss puppies and lightening the mood. The mood need not be lightened it is a death.
Having respect for those who will lose their ability to support their family would have gone much longer as would have the time spent talking bc the whole hour instead of garbage the first half.
It is disengenuous and disrespectful to treat us like we can be easily distracted from the catastrophic events to come.
Be honest….I appreciated that Betsy tried but was shaky and visibly nervous for her part.
Has to be difficult and the hardest all hands of her life

Best of luck to all

Nailed it. The amount of laughter in the room and the not taking the questions serious or even asking serious questions was frankly insulting. If you were in the room you're walking away with a huge cash settlement, but the other 37k of us on the stream, don't have that luxury.

A couple thoughts...

• The pollyana-ish comments in the chat about, "What a great culture; I hope we don't lose it"...and multiple comments along those lines! I can't believe some (many!) people are naive enough to be thinking/wishing that.
• Seems many of us are going to get letters/communications/whatever directly from Broadcom, without even our management knowing exactly what and when. That's crazy!

Agree with the OP's meeting summary but would add just one thing. The execs on stage were inappropriately giddy and unserious in today's meeting. Yes, we had a great quarter, and yes, they're all going to be walking away with $$$$$; however, a large percentage of us will be unemployed soon. Very soon.

Show some respect and dial back the dancing (Betsy) and the jokes. Show some respect for those of us that won't get to take an early retirement with many millions of dollars in the bank. This isn't a game and it's not something to laugh at.

Thanks for the post. One question, though. When you wrote "Key people decisions will >be in mid October", did you mean that by mid October all employees will know in which >od the four categories they belong to? Thanks!

yes, for US folks and for folks in some other countries (not specifically mentioned) you will know your status by "mid October", and I take that to mean Oct 16-20 or so, probably somewhere in that time range.

In some countries by law it is prohibited to divulge information of this type so they will know on Oct 30 after official close.

pre-recording was so weird - it felt cold and overproduced

I actually do care about the lighting and spot via webcast. And their outfits. So waa waa waa, let the OP talk.

This is a gem too:

Steve Jobs has ruined generations of CEOs. I don't require a tuxedo, but the whole "executive in jeans" look is embarrassing. Although at least the clothes fit. Looking at you, Magoo!

LOL

They fixed the lighting issue. Still unforgivable though.

you nailed it

Who cares what they are wearing?

Because a CEO is a public persona and has is the public face of the company. He represents our brand.

Apparently our CEO thinks his image of a poorly dressed confused looking man is totally fine.

I guess you don’t mind, but most of the world expects more from someone in his position.

Tell us that Broadcom's culture is going to be massively colder and harsher without telling us that Broadcom's culture is going to be massively colder and harsher...

Not that that should come as a surprise to anyone, by now.

Thanks for the post. One question, though. When you wrote "Key people decisions will be in mid October", did you mean that by mid October all employees will know in which od the four categories they belong to? Thanks!