What the world looks like now 4 years in (advice from someone who lived it)

This is for those that end up getting a job offer at VMware, and will be an IC (individual contributor). Take the job if you are done climbing the corporate ladder, think you could be successful/happy in this “culture” and want to make more money than you imagined.

I saw a comment elsewhere from someone who came from the CA acquisition and said they are a “nobody” and now a few years in could never imagine they would be making this much money. Same here, but I’m from Symantec.

If you are able to check your ego with whatever title they decide you get, and are prepared to hunker down and work, this place will be great. You need to be happy with where you are in your career, because as long as you stay here that title won’t change. You can give yourself a vanity title for LinkedIn if it makes you feel better, but very few people move up. The business isn’t built that way. However you will be making so much money you probably won’t care. You won’t have to deal with business politics because there aren’t enough management levels for it (or at least the little fiefdoms are gone). Your work will be interesting, and will span like the work of 8 other people at any other company. It doesn’t get boring. This is a great place for mid to late career where you have “been there done that” with the grind of trying to be promoted and are over it.

If the people you work with are all from VMware, you will still have that team culture, It might have Broadcom “business model” implications, but especially for the rank and file employees, your job will be keeping your head down and just working. That stuff along with the politics with it, will have little direct impact for you day to day after VMware has adjusted to the Broadcom business model.

I know it feels like “Lord of the Flies” right now, but it settles down once you are on the other side and the work needs to get done. All the people that couldn’t hack it without a VP title slowly start to leave…and then your stock starts to vest, and before you know it it’s year 2, you get another stock grant and things calm down immensely. Hope you at least entertain the offer if you get one

Wishing you the best with wherever you end up.

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For those asking about the compensation, very rough rule of thumb is your RSU grant is equivalent to about 90% of your salary, and that is given out every year, and vesting quarterly. Then add on top of that whatever the stock appreciates, plus the dividend and it’s a nice sum of money.

And yes, stock appreciation isn’t a given, but Hock’s (and therefore Broadcom’s whole thing) is based around the stock and increasing it. That’s why they are so crazy about cost reduction and not spending money on extras. Hock’s contract has stock price milestones built into it for his bonus’, with the last tranche being reached when stock price is >$1100. I would not bet against Hock making it happen. Read it yourself: https://investors.broadcom.com/static-files/5b6046f2-a742-4020-8146-c3b78c064c0c

All these people from CA and Symantec posting about the huge sums of money seem to be really underestimating what VMware already pays us. I'm glad you all got a nice bump, for VMware people, we're not getting a bump we're just losing a bunch of stuff.

Take1 was a horrible program that only grew worse. For other companies we got the US-based $5250 rule for college, then an open training budget. VMware didn't even give $5250, so if you were going for your degree you would have to compete against those wanting to get drunk at AWS Reinvent sponsor parties.

Is it purely the RSUs that all this extra income is from?
As I see mixed messages saying don’t expect a payrise. Only better rsu’s and bono.

“Losing take 1” hahahaha lol.

You would have to be crazy not to accept a stay offer just because you don’t want to work from an office.

With stock and bonus I’m making almost triple what I was making at CA Tech. I’ve accelerated my retirement plans significantly.

The Broadcom office I work in doesn’t have all the of the bells and whistles that CA had but it’s perfectly fine and comfortable.

Even if you just stay with Broadcom for 4-5 years to stash some cash, payoff cars or help with college tuition that’s fine. Nobody says you have to do it forever.

Also Broadcom is not as militant as many think when it comes to office attendance.

Keep an open mind.

The money is worth it.

Don’t sabotage yourself.

Everyone seem continuing to talk about this mass of money that will be thrown on us as soon as we will join AVGO.

Strange thing is that I don't see so much difference in salary between the two companies on GlassDoor, Levels.yi and other similar websites.

As long as you don't consider the stock appreciation which is not guarantee it will happen again... BCM is now evaluated 350B and the market is saying is a bit overevalated now but noone can know what can happen.

For sure at the moment we are loosing: 14 days paid day off (EPIC+take a break), wellbeing allowance, take1 program and rumors says that in Europe not even ESPP is enabled plus other stuff I'm probably forgotten.

Also, If I'm forced to go to the office it will cost me another 2K yearly in gasoline + health.

So let's hope that at least we are able to compesate what we loose.

This is how VMware was before it was ruined over the last several years. Many paid off their houses and prospered before everything was undermined.

This is rad. I’m down and like someone else said if I don’t make the initial cut I’m going to apply and get back in
The stock is a fn rocket

Often "we work hard here" translates to "we make no effort to size your workload up front, just pile more on until cracks appear, then leave you permanently redlined at that level." Doesn't sound very appealing, but yes it is common practice. Maybe above-average money truly is "compensation" in that sense of the word?

Post from TheLayoff.com

100% agree with you. Feel like we've all been fed a huge lie This is no way to live. Money is important but it's not more important than your sanity and happiness.

As someone who has been at many different tech companies my response to the OP is.... No thanks. Been there, done that. I spent years working at another infamous, awful enterprise tech company where the fear of being laid off was constant, where opportunities to climb the ladder were non-existent and the level of stress was never ending.

Money is one thing. But after going through that I would gladly take less money and work at a nicer more caring company versus bleeding myself dry at a soul su-king cubicle factory. That is why I left VMW as soon as I could. Because BC smelled exactly like the company I had worked for and I wanted nothing to do with that.

"Ok.. so get into Broadcom, get low title ( ignore it), get fantastic pay and just be a drone.. don’t try to be unique or innovate. Got it."

Agreed, this poster has outlined a pitiful existence, focused on money. We can do better

Q: Is this an American worldview? You have the option to create a life that revolves around merely making money or something else that matters more. You have a choice.

I've worked at several large tech companies. Each time I've been a bystander of inept leadership, toxic middle managers, and my peers who feared saying or doing anything that might upset the 'accepted' status quo. It was a tolerable experience, at best.

Frankly, I'm thinking (now I'm at the end of my career) that I've cheated myself out of a more rewarding life. Sure, I have plenty in my 401k, but I have an empty feeling inside.

Am I alone, or do any of you think that we've all been duped into believing a lie?

I'm sure the RSUs worked out well given the rising stock price. I wonder how comparable it would be with flat stock, like we've been seeing.

Interestingly total comp on levels.fyi look to be comparable for a software engineer.

https://www.levels.fyi/companies/broadcom/salaries/software-engineer

https://www.levels.fyi/companies/vmware/salaries/software-engineer

Kudos to original poster. Great post and this is EXACTLY how it is. Probably worth mentioning:

Making so much money you won't care you're a X rather than Y
Quick decision making is refreshing
You'll still be surrounded by on a day to day basis with majority VMware employees.
Great place mid to late career.

All of the 3 options:
Redundancy, transition of full time BC employment have their positives. Stay rationale and don't be too fast to turn your nose up at BC full time employment.

Thank you for the insight, it’s really useful.
Can I ask, are you aware of many CA or Sym people getting RSUs as part of their offer, or is it generally after the first year?

@iye+1oWMM9ao - OP here. I focused on ICs for a few reasons:

The majority of the job offers will be this (IC5 specifically - or Individual contributor, level 5)
This is the area I know and can speak to
There are still a lot of politics and figuring out that needs to be done when you are at a people manager here that first year.

While I focused on ICs, the main takeaways apply to everyone that joins; a specific type of person will be successful here. If you think you are one of those people, you will likely be very happy once the dust settles.

In short, make you own mind up - same as any other job at any other company.

This is an excellent post. Thank you for sharing. Life at BC for an IC sounds cool especially as you say, you are not fussed with title and been there done that etc. perfect place to stay in twilight years. Bring it in!!

As far as manager transition, I am not a manager so no experience there.
I have seen about the same amount of managers let go for poor performance as IC's .
No one is above being let go if they don't perform. You don't get to be a manager unless you are a rock star...at least in my division.

@Been in your shoes, what is your take on manager transition into BC?

Nobody mentioned anything about being a drone. In fact, if you are not unique or innovating, you are gone. That is the only option to move ahead in BC

Ok.. so get into Broadcom, get low title ( ignore it), get fantastic pay and just be a drone.. don’t try to be unique or innovate. Got it.
Do they also promise the job for life ? Cause it’s gonna probably su-k trying to find another junior titled job at 500k..

sounds amazing. this is exactly what i want in a company.
I make north of 300 @ VM as a salebozo and would love to be a stone cold ki-ler for broadcom.

all the VMware fluff annoyed me. Some good workers, for sure, but lots of lazy folks and professional a-s sitters. I don't need 10 Epic 2 days and Groundhog's day off, i need people to respond to e-mails when my sh-t is broken so i can sell stuff.

If Broadcom doesn't make me an offer, i'm applying every week 'till i get back in.

I agree,
I was in a small company that BC acquired a while back. Was making 90k at the time.
I did some really good work, helped other teams without being asked and I got a promotion, 2 actually. It is hard but not impossible.
Now my total compensation is over 400k and I'm looking at early retirement. get over all the perks you will lose at VM, work hard and you will smile every year as the stock keeps climbing! It is a winning team but not for everyone.

@OP+1oWMM9ao Thanks for sharing these details. Why is your post targeted at ICs? Was the experience a lot different for the folks in the management line at Symantec?

Have to agree. Kind of looking forward to a structured BAU instead of the patchwork mess we have now.

Thank you for the unvarnished truth. Right now it's somewhat "controlled chaos" at VMware; but I, and I think many others are hoping for an offer and to see some of the processes improve under BC. We've made some great software, but we've made serious operational missteps, if BC can get us executing and focused again, I think it could be a really positive thing for those asked to stay.

Here's hoping anyway; I have a long tenure so it wouldn't be the end of the world to go, but I'd like to stay and see what the next few years hold!

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What the world looks like now 4 years in (advice from someone who lived it)

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