I have a bit of insider knowledge on this, and you'd be surprised at how demented a CIO can be at getting away from a company that has pissed them off. VMware is no exception, and I personally know of 2 companies, which are top 5 in the world in their field, that have been exploring alternatives to VMware. The internal culture at VMW has been one of upping prices to match what broadcom will want for almost a year, and it's causing clients to go elsewhere. Companies with an effective monopoly can still fuck it all up.