Sun simply refused to modify its Success Formula. Remember when the company launched Java? But leadership (McNeely) would not transition the company to its real source of value - software. Thus it let competitors, including Linux and Microsoft keep closing the price/performance gap. Too bad the company wouldn't use White Space to evolve on the strength of its innovations. This might appears as the single opinion from a point source, but believe me many of us

Sun Microsystems Autopsy: Death by Reverse Darwinism

http://danielnenni.com/2009/09/16/sun-microsystems-autopsy-death-by-reverse-darwinism/

It seems like the structure bloated way too much and the organization lost its priority over a period of time. While the benefits are good, HR seems unusually disorganized. There is no surety of job, no matter you are a top performer, benefits are for those who lick the boots of senior management. If you want to sustain your job, you need to be one of the favorites of management.