Earlier today, VMware announced its intent to acquire Pivotal. With a focus on the intersection of modern application development and multi-cloud infrastructure, Pivotal and VMware have collaborated heavily in the last few years—co-developing software, taking products and services to market and contributing to the open source community. Multi-cloud infrastructure has become a requirement for enterprise organizations. Kubernetes harnesses the complexities of multi-cloud infrastructure while providing a standard abstraction for modern application development tools to be used on any cloud.
Together, Pivotal and VMware will transform how the world builds software on Kubernetes. VMware has been steadily expanding our products, services and expertise to help lead our customers’ cloud native journeys. Last year, we acquired Heptio for clear Kubernetes vision and community leadership. This summer, we acquired Bitnami to accelerate packaged application delivery for Kubernetes and connect the cloud native ISV Ecosystem with the needs of Enterprise software teams. Over the last 12 months, VMware has become a top 3 contributor to the Kubernetes project, collaborating and leading key SIGs that focus on enterprise readiness.
Our customers are excited about our approach to Kubernetes, but they’ve also been clear that cloud native infrastructure is a means to develop modern applications. And so our efforts and innovations are focused across three dimensions: Run | Manage | Build
1. VMware helps customers RUN open source Kubernetes across environments with consistency
The Kubernetes landscape is in constant motion. We believe to run Kubernetes with consistency, across clouds and capture the latest innovation, our customers should adopt open source Kubernetes. And so, open source has been the foundation of our flagship Kubernetes offering, VMware PKS. We co-developed VMware PKS with Pivotal to ensure consistent implementation on-premises, across public cloud(s) and at the edge.
VMware and Pivotal are fully aligned on Kubernetes. Pivotal recently announced they are focusing their expertise in building outstanding developer experiences on Kubernetes with multiple new and updated products (including PAS). VMware has been pushing the boundaries with Kubernetes, and at VMworld next week we’re going to push even further. Join us for some major announcements as we demonstrate our intent to be the leading enabler of Kubernetes.
2. VMware enables operators to MANAGE all their Kubernetes from one point of control, to free developers to focus on code
VMware and Pivotal customers include many of the world’s largest and most complex enterprises. As we consult on their cloud native practices, a pattern is emerging—they are managing ever increasing numbers of small Kubernetes clusters … and they are running those clusters across multiple environments.
This is the right use of the technology, but it risks introducing tremendous management burden. They need a way to manage Kubernetes across environments, and that’s a degree of openness that is not possible from a cloud service provider. Fortunately, we have a solution that Pat Gelsinger will announce on stage next week and Ray O’Farrell will demo for thousands of attendees.
3. VMware provides enterprises the products and expertise to BUILD modern applications with a cloud native supply chain
Once we have established consistent infrastructure and consistent operations, we are in a strong position to help our customers build modern applications on that footprint. But we need deep understanding of developers and a cloud native platform, and Pivotal offers both.
For the last 6 years Pivotal has been at the leading edge of modern software development helping enterprises transform how they build their most important applications.
- Pivotal made Netflix-style microservices the de-facto software architecture pattern in the enterprise. Spring Boot is now downloaded over 75 million times per month and is the most popular Java developer framework today
- Pivotal’s Platform has enabled developers to quickly and securely get code from development to production. Today over 750,000 application instances run on this platform
- Pivotal Labs has helped some of the world’s biggest companies modernize their existing applications and development methods to quickly move to cloud
We know Pivotal, and Pivotal knows VMware. We share customers—many of our largest customers run Pivotal software at scale on VMware and our customers are asking us to come together. VMware and Pivotal share a commitment to the community—collectively we’re a force across Kubernetes, Cloud Foundry and developer technologies. And we share vision—we offer the most complete approach to application modernization on any cloud.
Together Pivotal and VMware are ready to help transform the way our customers build software on Kubernetes.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding the proposed acquisition of Pivotal Software by VMware, the expected complementary nature and strategic advantages of combined offerings and opportunities and potential benefits to VMware and its customers. These forward-looking statements are subject to applicable safe harbor provisions under federal securities laws. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (1) the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to closing the proposed acquisition (including the failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals) in the anticipated timeframe or at all; (2) uncertainties as to the outcome of the vote by Pivotal stockholders to approve the Pivotal acquisition; (3) the possibility that the acquisition does not close; (4) the possibility that competing offers may be made; (5) the possibility that the expected benefits from the proposed acquisition will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; (6) the risk that the business will not be integrated successfully; (7) the risk of litigation and regulatory actions related to the proposed acquisition; (8) other business effects, including the effects of industry, market, economic, political or regulatory conditions; and (9) other unexpected costs or delays in connection with the acquisition. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, are based on current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect as well as other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including VMware’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that we may file from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. VMware assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.
Additional Information about the Pivotal Acquisition and Where to Find It
This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed merger with Pivotal Software (the “Pivotal Merger”). This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy VMware securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval. The proposed Pivotal Merger will be submitted to Pivotal’s stockholders for their consideration. In connection with the proposed transaction, Pivotal intends to file a proxy statement and other relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with the solicitation of proxies by Pivotal, the Company and Dell Technologies in connection with the proposed transaction. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to Pivotal’s stockholders.
BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF PIVOTAL ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT REGARDING THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The proxy statement, any amendments or supplements thereto and other relevant materials, and any other documents filed by Pivotal with the SEC, may be obtained once such documents are filed with the SEC free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
In addition, Pivotal’s stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC through the Investors portion of Pivotal’s website at investors.pivotal.io or by contacting Pivotal’s Investor Relations Department via e-mail at ir@pivotal.io.
Pivotal, VMware, Dell Technologies Inc. and certain of their respective executive officers, directors, other members of management and employees, may under the rules of the SEC, be deemed to be “participants” in the solicitation of proxies from Pivotal’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may be considered “participants” in the solicitation of proxies will be set forth in Pivotal’s preliminary and definitive proxy statements when filed with the SEC and other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction, each of which can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above when they become available. Information regarding certain of these persons and their beneficial ownership of Pivotal’s common stock is also set forth in Pivotal’s proxy statement for its 2019 annual meeting of stockholders filed on May 3, 2019 with the SEC, which may be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
