Following on from VMware CTO Steve Herrod’s announcement that he is to leave his role, I joked on twitter that this was actually a response to the prospect of being accosted by Gregg Robertson and Darren Woollard at VMworld again about putting in an appearance at a London VMUG. I didn’t expect a response from him on account of the hundreds of other tweets he must have received, but the fact that I got one suggests to me that Dr Herrod is still fairly grounded despite having been instrumental in the establishment and growth of a very successful company whose developments have shaped IT and my career to date. Thank you.

Dr Herrod’s departure will raise questions about the future direction of VMware for sure. He joined the company in 2001 and moved into the role of CTO only a few months before Paul Maritz became CEO. Between them they oversaw a period of fantastic change that has continued past Paul Maritz’s step down last year.

I don’t think that Dr Herrod’s leaving is directly connected to last year’s change of CEO though. Look at the journey that VMware has made over the last 11 years, how they’ve grown from a one product company to an industry leader with a product portfolio to die for (in my opinion at least). However you measure success, VMware have achieved it and it’s not unreasonable for someone who has helped built up a great team around them to consider their work there done. That’s my take on it at least.

Yes, it’ll be interesting to see who steps into Dr Herrod’s shoes – they’re big – but I don’t think there’s much to worry about yet.

By the way Mr Gelsinger, I’m available any day next week (except Thursday – London VMUG) for an interview