Broadcom's software president Thomas Krause plans to leave on July 15 and become CEO of combined Citrix and Tibco; CEO Hock Tan will assume his responsibilities
On July 6, 2022, Thomas H. Krause, President of the Broadcom Software Group of Broadcom Inc. … Liana Baker / Bloomberg : Broadcom's Krause to Become CEO of New Citrix-Tibco Combination Wallace Witkowski / MarketWatch : Broadcom loses top software exec in the middle of VMware deal to head combined Citrix-Tibco company Joshua Fineman / Seeking Alpha : Broadcom's Krause to become CEO of combined Citrix-Tibco (update) Sam Boughedda / Investing.com : Broadcom President Krause Leaves for Citrix-Tibco Role Kelsey Kusterer Ziser / Light Reading : Broadcom powerhouse Krause sets his exit Shiyin Chen / Bloomberg : Broadcom's Krause Exits After Helping Lead VMWare Deal Talks Jeffrey Schwartz / Channel Futures : Broadcom Software's Krause Tapped to Become CEO of Citrix-Tibco Combo Jacob Carpenter / Fortune : Why Elon Musk's odds in court against Twitter shouldn't be underestimated
Context & Ripple Effects
Broadcom had already established an enterprise-software acquisition path with its CA Technologies deal, followed by the purchase of Symantec’s enterprise business. Krause’s exit transfers a central operating responsibility back to Hock Tan while placing Krause at the head of the Citrix-Tibco combination.
The later profile of Krause as CEO of Cloud Software Group shows that the planned leadership handoff became the operating leadership structure for the combined business.
First-order effects
- Hock Tan takes direct responsibility for Broadcom Software Group as Krause departs, concentrating software-group leadership with Broadcom’s CEO.
- Citrix-Tibco gains Krause as CEO, giving the newly combined company an executive with experience leading Broadcom’s software organization.
Second-order effects
- Broadcom’s software customers and employees now face a leadership transition managed directly by Tan rather than by the departing software president.
- Citrix-Tibco’s integration is more closely tied to the acquisition-led operating playbook Krause helped run at Broadcom, raising the importance of execution at the combined company.
Third-order effects
- The move reinforces enterprise software’s consolidation around combined portfolios run by executives experienced in acquisition integration, rather than standalone product companies.
- As such combinations accumulate, leadership continuity and post-deal operating changes become a more consequential competitive variable for enterprise-software buyers.
The trend: Enterprise software is consolidating through acquisitions and combinations, with integration leadership increasingly shaping the value of the resulting platforms.