It's beginning to look a lot like Microsoft over at VMware, at least around the executive washroom VMware’s executive roster is beginning to look very familiar to the old Microsoft regime. Since Diane Greene’s departure, it seems as though a few key executive positions have fallen into the hands of former Microsoft employees. [ Listen: VMware hiring ex-Microsoft execs | VMware must consider new strategies for survival against Microsoft ] The virtualization giant announced that it has hired Richard McAniff, a 21-year veteran of Microsoft, as the company’s new executive vice president and chief development officer. In this new role, McAniff will be responsible for research and development across VMware’s Server and Desktop Business Units. He will join other former Microsoft executives, including CEO Paul Maritz and COO Todd Nielsen. “I am pleased to welcome Richard to VMware at a time when the company is poised to expand its technology leadership even farther ahead with its upcoming VMware vSphere generation of products,” said Paul Maritz, president and chief executive officer, VMware. “As the new leader of our R&D organization, Richard brings deep experience in developing industry-leading software. He will play a crucial role in driving product engineering efforts that will help drive and grow our business.” McAniff left Microsoft at the end of 2008. While at Microsoft, he was responsible for several major software tools including parts of Microsoft’s Office business. He was also responsible for Microsoft’s business-intelligence efforts inside Office and the development of Web components for SharePoint Portal Server. From the outside looking in, there has never been much of a positive relationship between VMware and Microsoft. So it will be interesting to see how much the growing Microsoft executive presence within VMware will define and shape the company’s vision as well as how it will effect the competition between the two companies moving forward. Software Development