I mention this tidbit because I recently read a glowing article about Diane Green in The Economist. The story of her rise to fortune was a very typical, romantic Silicon Valley tale of success from humble beginnings: with a degree in mechanical engineering, she spent several years in Hawaii, windsurfing. She then moved to the Bay Area to study compsci at Berkeley before success with VMware. The corporate headquarters in Palo Alto feature “green” buildings and an open management style (glass walls), emphasizing cooperation. The article ends with the biggest endorsement: Steve Jobs is “particularly fond” of Greene, and I’m sure he had some interest in the windsurfing part of the story. Such hobbies are supposed to make people more well-rounded and down to earth, in comparison to the suits up in Seattle.

Then today the bombshell that VMware has ousted Greene, along with rumors of an earnings miss. The stock is down 20%. The reality of cold, hard business has once again, intruded on the Silicon Valley fantasy. Sigh.

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