VMware 'YouTube Fiasco' Put to Rest

Hopefully the VMware YouTube saga has now seen its last chaper. Scott Drummonds, the VMware employee who posted a highly provocative YouTube video showing Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor repeatedly crashing under a workload, has publicly apologized for the matter.

"I made a bad call," states Drummond simply. He continues:

"...my intention to stir the pot with eye-poking banter has put my credibility and by association VMware’s credibility in question among some of you.  For this I apologize.

I’ve removed the video from YouTube.  I’ve also sent a note of apology to Jeff Woosley at Microsoft."

These are very gracious comments, and speak highly of Drummonds and VMware. He doesn't try to defend his actions or pass the blame onto anyone else. He mans up and admits his error. Removing the video was a key remedial action as well. One can argue that it should have been taken down long ago, but the fact is that it is down now. In the end, it ended up rebounding on VMware like a razor-edged boomerang. People are now sophisticated enough abou the Internet to realize naked FUD when they see it (much like the Microsoft "Busting VMware Myths" video).

Still, there's not a person reading this that hasn't made a mistake or two (or two million and two, in my case); Drummonds' classy apology should close the matter, as far as I'm concerned.

Hopefully, it will also serve as a warning to other vendors: work on making your own products better, instead of spending time bashing the competition. It's wasted, and counterproductive, energy.

Posted by Keith Ward on 06/11/2009 at 12:48 PM