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Western Digital Corporation

Hard disk drives and data-center storageFounded 1970
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Independent Editorial Analysis
12 historical events · Editorial analysis

Western Digital Company Profile: Revenue, Business Model & Strategy

Research depth: 12 milestones · 7 FAQs

Western Digital reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $12.92 billion for the year ended July 3, 2026. Irving Tan is CEO, and the company has focused on hard disk drives since separating Sandisk in February 2025.

How Western Digital makes money: Western Digital makes money by designing, manufacturing, and selling hard disk drives. Most revenue now comes from high-capacity nearline drives bought by hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises to store large…

Revenue & employeesCEO historyFoundersBusiness model
Annual Revenue (FY2026)$12.9B
Employees40,000
CEOIrving Tan
Founded1970
IndustrySemiconductors
By Swet ParvadiyaLast reviewed:
Data sources: annual reports, SEC filings, methodology
Industry:Data storage hardware

Western Digital Corporation key figures

Western Digital Corporation had revenue of $12.9B for fiscal year 2026, up 35.7% from FY2025. Net income was $9.3B, a net margin of 72.0%.

Source: WD fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year 2026 results release · Last reviewed October 2026

Revenue growth, FY2015 to FY2026
-1.1% a year
Compound annual rate, $14.6B to $12.9B
Peak revenue year
FY2018
$20.6B; the latest reported year is 37.4% below the peak
Revenue per employee
$322,975
FY2026 revenue divided by 40,000 employees; headcount may use another date
Current chief executive
Irving Tan
In the role since 2025 (1 year)
Documented transactions
5
Between 2007 and 2017
Founded
1970
56 years ago
Where was Western Digital founded?
Western Digital was founded in Newport Beach, California, United States in 1970. en.wikipedia.org
When did Western Digital start?
Western Digital was founded in 1970.
How old is Western Digital?
Western Digital is 56 years old as of 2026.
In-Depth Analysis
181 words · 1 min read

Western Digital at a glance

Western Digital, which now uses the WD brand, is a San Jose-based maker of hard disk drives. It reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $12.92 billion for the year ended July 3, 2026, up 36% from the prior year. Irving Tan is CEO.

From test equipment to hard drives

Alvin B. Phillips founded the company as General Digital in 1970. It became Western Digital in 1971, moved into chips and disk controllers, and entered drive manufacturing by buying Tandon's hard-drive operations in 1988. Acquisitions of Komag (2007), Hitachi GST (2012), and SanDisk (2016) followed.

The Sandisk separation

Western Digital announced a split of its HDD and flash businesses in October 2023 and completed the Sandisk spin-off on February 21, 2025, keeping a 19.9% stake. In 2026 it used most of those shares in exchanges for its own debt and stock.

Fiscal 2026 results

GAAP gross margin rose to 48.9% and non-GAAP diluted EPS reached $10.22. Fourth-quarter revenue was $3.75 billion, up 44% year over year, and the company guided first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue to about $4.1 billion.

Table of Contents

Western Digital Corporation Key Facts

CompanyWestern Digital Corporation
Annual revenue change+35.7% (FY2025–FY2026)
Financials$12.9B (FY2026, last reviewed October 2026)
FY2026 net income$9.3B
Last reviewedBy Swet Parvadiya, Founder & Editor - October 2026
Founded1970
Founder(s)Alvin B. Phillips
CEOIrving Tan
HeadquartersSan Jose, California, United States
IndustryData storage hardware
Employees40,000+
TickerWDC

Western Digital Company Profile: Revenue, Business Model & Strategy

"Western Digital grew fiscal 2026 revenue 36% to $12.92 billion, its first full year as a company built only around hard drives after the Sandisk separation."

Western Digital reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $12.92 billion for the year ended July 3, 2026. Irving Tan is CEO, and the company has focused on hard disk drives since separating Sandisk in February 2025.

Revenue

$12.9B

Founded

1970

Author: CorpDigest Research DeskCompany Research

Recorded annual revenue change

Western Digital Corporation had $9.5B of annual revenue in FY2025 and $12.9B in FY2026. Revenue rose 35.7% between those fiscal years.

Source for FY2026

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Explore Western Digital In Depth

Detailed research across every dimension of Western Digital — history, financials, leadership, and strategy.

Company History

Western Digital reported $12.92 billion in fiscal 2026 revenue and employs about 40,000 people. Irving Tan is CEO and Kris Sennesael is CFO.

Full Western Digital history →

Revenue & Financials

Western Digital had $12.9B in revenue for fiscal year 2026. Data covers 10 fiscal years.

Western Digital financials →

Founders

Western Digital was founded by Alvin B. Phillips in 1970 in Newport Beach, California, United States. Explore each founder's background, motivations, and their role in building the company.

Western Digital founders →

CEO & Leadership

Western Digital is currently led by Irving Tan. Explore the full CEO history — leadership transitions, tenures, and the strategic decisions of each chief executive.

Western Digital CEO history →

Business Model

Western Digital makes money by designing, manufacturing, and selling hard disk drives. Most revenue now comes from high-capacity nearline drives bought by hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises to store large…

How Western Digital makes money →

Acquisitions

Western Digital has completed 5 documented acquisitions. Explore the full acquisition history and strategic rationale behind each deal.

Western Digital acquisitions →

Competitive Strategy

The company is concentrating on higher-capacity drives for cloud customers, long-term supply agreements, margin expansion, and capital returns through dividends and share repurchases.

Western Digital strategy →

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CorpDigest Research Desk

 Research Profile

Our analysts compile business strategy profiles from public financial filings, press releases, and analyst reports. Each profile is reviewed for accuracy before publication by our editorial desk and updated on a rolling basis.

About the Author →Our Methodology →

Sources & References

All data point citations [1], [2], etc. in the tables above refer to these primary sources.

Financial data on this page is sourced from SEC EDGAR filings, official earnings releases, and verified press statements. Revenue figures are reviewed and updated periodically. Read our full data methodology ->

Primary source: www.westerndigital.com/in-id/company/newsroom/press-releases

Editorial Methodology

Company Research

We use company filings, annual reports, company statements and press reports, with primary sources preferred where available. Each financial row shows its recorded source. Full-year figures are separated from annualized run-rates, partial periods and forecasts; unaudited figures carry a label. Source detail varies by company, so check the linked material when the reporting basis matters.

1. Primary Sources

Public companies may provide filings and annual reports. Private-company figures may come from statements or press coverage. A missing figure stays missing, and a source link should identify where its number came from.

2. Expert Curation

We organize company records and review claims for strategic context, source quality and clarity. Pages show a review date where one is recorded.

3. Multi-Pass Audit

Technical checks flag inconsistent figures and missing links. Editorial review of the underlying source remains necessary for claims those checks cannot verify.

Swet Parvadiya
SEC filings & public records methodology
Sourced from public financial records

Frequently Asked Questions About Western Digital

What does Western Digital make?

Western Digital designs and manufactures hard disk drives, mainly high-capacity nearline drives for cloud and enterprise data centers, plus client and consumer drives.

Who is the CEO of Western Digital?

Irving Tan has been CEO since February 2025, when the Sandisk separation was completed. Kris Sennesael is CFO.

What was Western Digital's revenue in fiscal 2026?

Revenue was $12.92 billion for the fiscal year ended July 3, 2026, up 36% from $9.52 billion in fiscal 2025.

Is Sandisk still part of Western Digital?

No. Sandisk became a separate public company on February 21, 2025. Western Digital kept a 19.9% stake and disposed of most of it in 2026 through debt-for-equity and equity-for-equity exchanges.

Where is Western Digital listed?

Western Digital trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker WDC.

Does Western Digital own SanDisk?

Yes, Western Digital completely acquired SanDisk in a massive $19 billion deal in 2016, instantly making WD one of the absolute largest flash memory manufacturers in the world.

Who founded Western Digital?

Western Digital was originally founded in 1970 as 'General Digital' by Alvin B. Phillips, a former Motorola employee, initially manufacturing specialized calculator test equipment.

Strategic Face-Off

Head-to-Head Comparisons

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.