April 10, 2026
From Doritos to datacenters
"Negative" views of Broadcom driving VMware migrations, rival says
Sticker shock sparks VMware stampede; rivals pounce as commenters roast Broadcom
TLDR: Nutanix claims roughly 30,000 users have left VMware since Broadcom’s takeover, blaming higher prices and bundling. Commenters pile on with “raise prices, lose users” warnings, Doritos-priced jokes, and open‑source hype, framing it as a classic short‑term profit vs. long‑term loyalty moment that could reshape a core IT market.
Nutanix lit the fuse by claiming about 30,000 customers have bolted from VMware since Broadcom took over, and the comments section exploded. To many readers, this was Business 101: raise prices, force bundles, end “buy-it-once” licenses, and people walk. One top-liked take said Broadcom might boost short-term cash but “eventually lose the market,” while another went full WWE promo with “Hock Tan sucks.” Drama? Delivered.
The plot thickened with real-world cameos. Nutanix bragged that Western Union is shifting up to 1,200 apps off VMware, with The Register saying the move gives them flexibility worldwide. Nutanix also name-dropped a giant Korean theme park and claimed multiple 100,000-core migrations in under a year. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Hyper‑V and open‑source favorite Proxmox lurk like hungry seagulls over a dropped hot dog.
Readers added flavor and memes. One compared VMware’s price hikes to $7 Doritos, calling it “snackflation for servers.” Another said they ditched VMware because it wouldn’t keep up with newer Linux versions—translation: if you stop maintaining, users stop caring. There’s even home‑lab FOMO as folks brag about Proxmox on their basement rigs. A survey cited by coverage says 95% of big companies moved at least a sliver of work off VMware, mostly to public cloud or Microsoft. The vibe? A mass “BYE” to expensive bundles, with rivals parading receipts and commenters passing the popcorn.
Key Points
- •Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami claims about 30,000 customers have migrated from VMware to Nutanix amid dissatisfaction with Broadcom’s VMware strategy.
- •Reported drivers for VMware customer departures include higher prices, forced bundling, the end of perpetual licenses, and reduced channel partners after Broadcom’s 2023 acquisition.
- •Nutanix reports strong mid‑market adoption and says recent migrations delivered its strongest quarterly new-logo additions in eight years.
- •Case studies include Western Union migrating 900–1,200 applications (3,900 cores), Everland, an unnamed 100,000‑core customer, and the Wynn Hotel in Boston moving off VMware.
- •A CloudBolt Software survey of 302 North American IT leaders found 95% had migrated at least some workloads off VMware, with many moving to public cloud IaaS and Microsoft’s Hyper‑V/Azure stack.