# Diane Greene

> Diane Greene co-founded VMware and built it into the company that pioneered x86 virtualization, leading it through the largest tech IPO of 2007. After being ousted from VMware in 2008, she co-founded Bebop, sold it to Google for ~$380 million, and became CEO of Google Cloud - growing it from $2.1B to $8B in annual revenue. A naval architect and competitive sailor before turning to software, she is the first woman to chair the MIT Corporation and sits on the boards of Stripe, SAP, Intuit, and Maersk.

- **Role:** Board Director at Stripe, SAP, Intuit, Wix, Maersk; Chair Emerita of MIT Corporation
- **Organizations:** VMware, Google Cloud, Bebop, VXtreme, Stripe, SAP, Intuit, Wix, A.P. Moller - Maersk, MIT Corporation, Khan Academy, Peninsula Open Space Trust
- **From:** Annapolis, Maryland, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont, M.S., Naval Architecture, MIT, M.S., Computer Science / Electrical Engineering, UC Berkeley, Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Vermont, Honorary Doctorate, Webb Institute
- **Known for:** Co-founded VMware and pioneered x86 virtualization technology that enabled modern cloud computing, Led the largest tech IPO of 2007 at $19.1 billion valuation, Three successful company exits totaling over $1 billion (VXtreme, VMware, Bebop)

## Career timeline

- **1974** — Organized the first Windsurfing World Championship at age 19
- **1976** — Won the National Women's Double-handed Dinghy Championship
- **1976-1978** — Worked as a naval architect designing ocean-going vessels and offshore structures
- **Early 1980s** — Ran engineering for Windsurfing International in Hawaii; won SF Classic windsurfing race women's division three times
- **1988** — Completed M.S. in Computer Science at UC Berkeley; pivoted fully to software engineering
- **1988-1997** — Engineering and management roles at Sybase, Tandem Computers, and Silicon Graphics (SGI)
- **1996** — Co-founded VXtreme, a streaming video startup; served as CEO
- **1997** — VXtreme acquired by Microsoft for ~$75 million; technology became basis for Microsoft Media Player
- **1998** — Co-founded VMware with Mendel Rosenblum, Scott Devine, Edward Wang, and Edouard Bugnion
- **2004** — VMware acquired by EMC Corporation for $635 million; Greene remained CEO
- **2007** — Led VMware's IPO at $19.1 billion valuation - the largest tech IPO of 2007
- **2008** — Fired as VMware CEO by the board; replaced by Paul Maritz
- **2012** — Appointed to Google's Board of Directors; co-founded Bebop (PaaS startup)
- **2015** — Google acquired Bebop for ~$380M; Greene named CEO of Google Cloud
- **2019** — Stepped down as Google Cloud CEO; succeeded by Thomas Kurian; left Alphabet board
- **2020** — Elected Chair of the MIT Corporation - first woman ever in that role
- **2020-present** — Active board director at Stripe, SAP, Intuit, Wix, Maersk; Chair Emerita of MIT Corporation

## Achievements

- Co-founded VMware and pioneered x86 virtualization technology that enabled modern cloud computing
- Led the largest tech IPO of 2007 at $19.1 billion valuation
- Three successful company exits totaling over $1 billion (VXtreme, VMware, Bebop)
- Grew Google Cloud from $2.1B to $8B in annual revenue as CEO
- First woman to chair the MIT Corporation (2020)
- Elected to the US National Academy of Engineering (2018)
- IEEE Computer Society Computer Entrepreneur Award (2011, shared with Mendel Rosenblum)
- Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women multiple years
- Organized the first Windsurfing World Championship at age 19 (1974)
- Won National Women's Double-handed Dinghy Championship (1976)
- Pledged entire ~$150M Bebop acquisition proceeds to charitable fund

## Latest updates

- **2024** — Received honorary doctorate from Webb Institute
- **2024** — Continues as board director at Stripe, SAP, Intuit, Wix, and A.P. Moller - Maersk
- **2020** — Elected first female Chair of the MIT Corporation
- **2019-06** — Left Alphabet board of directors following departure from Google Cloud CEO role

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianegreene
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/dianegreene

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/diane-greene
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04