While I was at VMware, Pat Gelsinger was the CEO. We didn't always agree on everything, and as a businessman and CEO, others can and have commented. I want to talk about Pat, the human being.
There were two times that Pat showed me his character was the kind of CEO I wanted to work for.
The first was when I just joined. It was an executive offsite. And he announced that a couple of VPs had been fired for having too much smoke coming out of their organization. I had never seen a CEO publicly fire a VP and announce it for being crooked. I thought, damn, this guy takes integrity seriously.
I realized then and there that I would never work for someone whose integrity and honesty I doubted. CEOs sometimes have to fudge the truth, but I knew Pat would do the right thing when it mattered.
The second was just before VMworld 2019. That year, my mom lost her ability to communicate with the outside world because of Alzheimer's. My life's most significant professional success was about to be announced at VMworld 2019, but she couldn't be there. She was my biggest fan. My dad is my other biggest fan. I tried to explain what we did, and he got it. But I knew my dad would appreciate a note from Pat, so I asked Pat.
Pat said yes. I thought I would get a brief, cursory email. Pat had a company to run, a VMworld to prep, and a billion things to do. He composed eight paragraphs. This was a wonderful gift for my dad, which he still treasures. It was a very personal and thoughtful email.
I wish him and his family all the best.