VMWare is/was the early on easy button for windoze-only admins and managers to have an eazy button for Linux virtual services without calling it Linux or having betray allegiances to Redmond like a dirty secret. It's usually the enterprise space that is lazy and unwilling to look at open source solutions, or change at all usually. Just pay the tax like a good shakedown.
Broadcom bought VMWare knowing they'd trap most into existing contracts as whales, and knew most would bear the cost increase regardless.
Few casualties, so what - look at them profits.