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Senior Manager, Partner Strategy & Operations - Senior Manager VMware Employee Review

4.0
Jan 22, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are some great leaders at the VP and exec level (especially Betsy Sutter, Ryan Knauss, Brandon Sweeney, etc.), but many of the execs are not that approachable and keep themselves on a pedestal. There's an excellent gym on the main campus and it's a truly beautiful place to work. The delicious cafes and snacks available all the time are a huge perk as well. The company does it's best to keep employees feeling like they are part of a larger community with interesting industry speakers, musicians, and large company events. Every employee was an A-player when I was there in the early days , but as it got bigger, it got very political. I worked there from 2007 - 2015, and it was a wonderful and stable place to be during the uncertain times of a major recession.

Cons

I spent nearly 8 years of my career life at VMware and I made many friends and poured my heart and soul into the company. For the first few years it was the epicenter of innovation, but soon too many laid off employees from Cisco came over and changed the culture. It evolved into a place where everyone was jockeying for a promotion and the team environment soon dissipated. Sadly, some managers purposefully make it a mystery how to progress in one's career. I loved VMware and was sad to leave, but leaving and going to my current company was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Explore other reviews about VMware

5.0
Jun 24, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

VMware is a big company but in many ways had a startup vibe. That was great because the resources and infrastructure of a big company were there, but it gave most people I worked with freedom to work on many projects, influence, move around, and contribute in many ways. Plus, many things moved faster than they might at other companies of the same size. Perks were really great including bonuses, events on the campus, opportunities, etc.

Cons

The biggest con is the annual layoff. During most of the years I was there, we were growing like crazy, beating expectations, gaining in stock price, etc. It was always positive and upward. However, every single January, it was known that there would be a round of layoffs, even when all numbers were looking great as they almost always were. Management called it restructuring. But, over the years, some really good people were let go for no apparent reason. Then to add insult to injury, a week or two later, there would be a company quarterly meeting discussing how VMware was doing so well and is still hiring, but they had to make some changes. It always felt dishonest and the sympathy for those let go came across as disingenuous.

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