VMware Inc. has filed a lawsuit against former executive Rajiv Ramaswami, who joined rival software maker Nutanix Inc. earlier this month, for alleged “material and ongoing breaches of his legal and contractual duties.”

The Dell Technologies Inc. subsidiary detailed the complaint in a statement released Monday.

Ramaswami joined VMware in 2016 after stints at Broadcom Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and IBM Corp.’s research group. The executive’s most recent role at VMware was chief operating officer. The context behind the newly filed lawsuit is that Nutanix, the virtualization giant’s top rival in the hyperconverged infrastructure market, named Ramaswami as president and chief executive officer earlier this month.

VMware said in its statement that Ramaswami “had a clear and extended period of conflict of interest” prior to taking on the new role. The executive, the Dell subsidiary claims, secretly met with Nutanix leaders for at least two months before resigning while at the same time continuing to work with VMware colleagues to shape “key strategic vision and direction” details.

“He should have disclosed this conflict of interest to VMware so that the company could have taken steps to protect itself,” the virtualization giant said in its statement. “But he did not notify VMware, and thus deprived the company of the ability to do so by concealing his Nutanix-related activities.”

The company added: “VMware is not a litigious company by nature. Indeed, the company tried to resolve this matter without litigation. But Mr. Ramaswami and Nutanix refused to engage with VMware in a satisfactory manner.”

Nutanix responded to the development with a statement of its own. “VMware’s lawsuit seeks to make interviewing for a new job wrongful,” the company told TechCrunch. “We view VMware’s misguided action as a response to losing a deeply valued and respected member of its leadership team. Mr. Ramaswami and Nutanix have gone above and beyond to be proactive and cooperative with VMware throughout the transition.”

Bengaluru: US-based Cloud computing company Nutanix on Thursday it has appointed VMware veteran Rajiv Ramaswami as President and CEO.

Ramaswami succeeds co-founder Dheeraj Pandey, who previously announced his plans to retire as CEO of Nutanix upon the appointment of a successor

“The talented Nutanix team, under Ramaswami’s leadership, is well-positioned to drive sustained growth, to improve efficiency and to advance leadership in the emerging hybrid cloud infrastructure category,” said Sohaib Abbasi, Lead Independent Director of Nutanix.

Ramaswami has held senior executive roles at industry leaders including Broadcom, Cisco and Nortel, after beginning his career at IBM.

“Working closely with the Board, the management team, and the more than 6,000 talented Nutanix employees around the world, we will build on Nutanix’s strong foundation of continuous innovation, collaboration and customer delight,” said Ramaswami.

At VMware, Ramaswami served as Chief Operating Officer of Products and Cloud Services.

Prior to this role, Ramaswami led VMware’s Networking and Security business, one of the fastest-growing units in the company, as Executive Vice President and General Manager.

“This is the decade to watch for a company that so values simple, secure, and seamless. On a personal note, it has been a privilege to serve our customers and partners, working closely alongside Nutanix employees,” said Pandey who will step down from the Board effective from December 14.

In February this year, Nutanix officially commissioned its new India headquarters in Bengaluru.

The facility brought together the sales, engineering, R&D, service and support functions under one roof, and boasts a modern, open plan and engaging workplace, with multiple collaborative and creative spaces as well as an in-house gym, sleep pods, and gaming zones.