Western Digital has Separated into Two Independent Companies

Western Digital has officially separated into two independent, publicly traded companies, marking the culmination of a multi-year strategic plan to split its HDD and flash memory (SSD/flash) businesses.

📅 Timeline & Key Milestones

October 30, 2023

WD’s Board unanimously approved the plan to spin off its Flash business (NAND/SSD) and HDD business into separate entities, targeting completion in the second half of 2024

March 5, 2024

WD announced its CEO appointees post-separation:

David Goeckeler (then-current CEO) as CEO of the standalone Flash (NAND/SSD) company.

Irving Tan (EVP, Global Operations) to lead the independent HDD-focused Western Digital

October 2024

WD began operating separate customer and support websites:

WesternDigital.com for HDD/platform products,

SanDisk.com for flash-based products (SSDs, memory cards, USB drives)

December 2024

SanDisk unveiled a refreshed logo (“Sandisk”) and moved almost all flash product listings away from WD’s site

February 24, 2025

The spin-off was completed.

Flash business now operates as Sandisk Corporation, relisted on NASDAQ (ticker: SNDK).

WD continues independently, focusing solely on HDDs.

CEO of SanDisk: David Goeckeler.

CEO of Western Digital: Irving Tan

 What This Means Today (as of February–May 2025)

Support & Purchasing

HDD products—under the Western Digital brand—are serviced and sold by Western Digital Corp.

SSDs, memory cards, and other flash products—formerly WD-branded—are managed by Sandisk Corp

Brand Identity

SanDisk now stands as a separate company with its own branding and product strategy, reversing its 2016 acquisition by WD

Blocks and Files

WD retains HDD-related lines like WD Gold, WD Red, WD Black, Ultrastar, etc.

Leadership

Irving Tan leads the newly independent Western Digital (HDD-focused),

David Goeckeler leads Sandisk (flash-focused)

Why This Split Happened

Different market dynamics & strategies

HDD and flash-storage markets have distinct growth drivers, technological roadmaps, investment needs, and customer bases .

Investors believed unlocking separate operations could increase transparency and shareholder value

Improved agility

As standalone companies, each business can pursue tailored R&D, capital strategies, and partnerships appropriate to their product niche and competitive landscape.

The Bottom Line

Yes, Western Digital has split into two distinct entities:

Western Digital Corp – specializes in HDDs and storage systems.

Sandisk Corp – focuses on SSDs and flash-based products.

The split became official on February 24, 2025, with independent leadership, separate web presences, and standalone financial filings under their own tickers.

For consumers and businesses, this means HDD and flash products are supported and sold through different companies, with clearer specialization in each area of storage.