VMware has had some significant management changes: http://managementaschangeagent.blogspot.com/2008/07/update-to-recent-vmware-ceo-change.html http://managemen

VMware has had some significant management changes: http://managementaschangeagent.blogspot.com/2008/07/update-to-recent-vmware-ceo-change.html http://managementaschangeagent.blogspot.com/2008/07/update-t... so you are maybe right about the MBA, non-founder thinking at the C-level there. Compare VMware's 20110331 net income to 20101231 net income: https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:VMW&fstype=ii https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:VMW&fstype=ii - note how it has flattened. Since VMware is public quarterly results are vital to the naive MBA. Said MBA might decide to improve profitability by pushing small customers to cloud services (Amazon) who are already customers of VMware. This also has the advantage eliminating VMware as a competitor to some of VMware's largest customers. ESXi is already free with limitations. This will definitely be the reasoning if we see VMware make workstation free thereby bring even more potential users in.