Broadcom-VMware: Deal of the decade makes it to the finish line as $61bn acquisition closes

As of today, VMware will operate as VMware by Broadcom

Broadcom's record-breaking acquisition of VMware for $61bn finally closed today, a year and a half after the very first announcement.

Starting today, VMware will operate as VMware by Broadcom.

"Today I am thrilled to announce Broadcom's successful acquisition of VMware, and the start of a new and exciting era for all of us at the company. VMware joins our engineering-first, innovation-centric team, which is another important step forward in building the world's leading infrastructure technology company," writes Broadcom president and CEO Hock Tan.

"While an important moment for Broadcom, it's also an exciting milestone for our customers around the world. And as I said when we first announced the acquisition, we can now come together and have the scale to help global enterprises address their complex IT infrastructure challenges by enabling private and hybrid cloud environments and helping them deploy an ‘apps anywhere strategy."

The mega merger overcame its final hurdle this week after China granted regulatory approval, the last major market to give the greenlight to end the months-long saga.

A marriage between the two has now received legal merger clearance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and the UK.

Future of VMware employees

While Broadcom can celebrate its historic deal, the future of VMware employees remains uncertain.

Reports in August speculated major layoffs at VMware with a particular focus on non-engineering roles.

A month later VMware staff were reportedly told they may have three offers in front of them post the completion of Broadcom's acquisition.

The trio of outcomes included severance on VMware's usual terms, a new offer of ongoing employment from Broadcom, and a short-term contract as part of a transition plan that will see their roles terminated in the future.