If open-vm-tools installed on VM/template, editing a network device will not connect to it at power on

Trying to edit a network adapter of a VM when cloning it from a template.

If VMware tools is installed, it edits and connects after power on successfully but if open-vm-tools is installed instead, it will edit the network adapter successfully but it will not connect to it at power on automatically. I have to manually check "Connect at power on" from the client which for some reason was unchecked even though in the device specs I marked startConnected = true.

Here's the spec:

      deviceChange = (vim.vm.device.VirtualDeviceSpec) [
         (vim.vm.device.VirtualDeviceSpec) {
            dynamicType = <unset>,
            dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
            operation = 'edit',
            fileOperation = <unset>,
            device = (vim.vm.device.VirtualE1000) {
               dynamicType = <unset>,
               dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
               key = 4000,
               deviceInfo = (vim.Description) {
                  dynamicType = <unset>,
                  dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
                  label = 'Network adapter 1',
                  summary = '10.20.30-VLAN-Test'
               },
               backing = (vim.vm.device.VirtualEthernetCard.DistributedVirtualPortBackingInfo) {
                  dynamicType = <unset>,
                  dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
                  port = (vim.dvs.PortConnection) {
                     dynamicType = <unset>,
                     dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
                     switchUuid = '81 b7 0e 50 6e 8f 67 c5-40 46 3a 40 d5 e5 4b 32',
                     portgroupKey = 'dvportgroup-1235',
                     portKey = <unset>,
                     connectionCookie = <unset>
                  }
               },
               connectable = (vim.vm.device.VirtualDevice.ConnectInfo) {
                  dynamicType = <unset>,
                  dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
                  startConnected = true,
                  allowGuestControl = true,
                  connected = true,
                  status = 'ok'
               },
               slotInfo = <unset>,
               controllerKey = 100,
               unitNumber = 7,
               addressType = 'assigned',
               macAddress = '00:50:56:8e:70:53',
               wakeOnLanEnabled = true
            },
            profile = (vim.vm.ProfileSpec) []
         }
      ]