A dying company, about to collapse - Senior Principal Engineer WD Employee Review

1.0
Jul 31, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good salary, easy work style. good life. It is a very established industry, every area has been researched thoroughly. Therefore any inquiring mind has a lot to learn. The knowledge accumulation can be rapid, especially for new comers.

Cons

hard drive industry is being replaced by solid state drive business. the ship is sinking. WD and HGST merge is a sign of further shrinking of this business. Because HGST produces better hard drives than the original WD, the WD Fremont site is about to close within 6 months. There have been many waves of large-scale lay-off since 2012 (on Fremont site and San Jose site of WD), and many engineers left for better opportunities. The remaining engineers are here waiting for their packages. Some groups become empty, so there are occasionally some openings. The entire WD will shake in the next year. The Fremont site will close in 6 months for sure. The reason is on the area of magnetic head, WD Fremont is far behind HGST and vendors (Headway). The ship is sinking and there is no career chance for anyone.

Explore other reviews about WD

5.0
Jun 2, 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

great management and good expectation

Cons

low pay and salary not much RSU

3.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Stable firm if you find a pocket to cruise in

Cons

Most recent uplift are bubble-induced

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