When WD CEO Irving Tan rings the Nasdaq bell to open trading on February 2, 2026, he’ll be joined by a group that represents something rare in today’s tech industry: deep continuity. Lloyd Beardsley, Bill Joest, Lynn Liebschutz, and Richard Oswald have more than two centuries of combined experience at WD and its predecessor organizations. Standing alongside them will be Ethan Wong, a new graduate hire whose first official day as a full-time employee coincides with Nasdaq Day. 

Across generations, roles, and eras of technology, these five employees share a common thread—a commitment to curiosity, collaboration, and building what comes next. 

Decades of change … and continuity 

The four tenured employees began their careers at a time when hard drives were measured in pounds and documentation lived in binders and filing cabinets. 

Richard Oswald recalls how dramatically the tools of the trade have evolved. “What I think changed the most is tools and technology—online information versus printed manuals, and using pencil and paper versus typing something,” he says. Bill Joest echoes that shift, remembering when “every correspondence was handwritten by an engineer and turned into the typing pool.” 

Lloyd Beardsley’s memories go back to his very first days at the Great Oaks site in the 1970s. “The sheer size of the plant was incredible,” he recalls. “It felt like a small city—warehouses, manufacturing lines, thousands of people across multiple shifts. I felt fortunate to be hired and to work for such a world-class company.” 

While the technology has transformed from refrigerator-sized machines to portable devices with exponentially more capacity, the culture has shown remarkable consistency. As Lynn Liebschutz puts it, “There’s always interesting challenges. The challenges are different, but they’re fixable by people working together—and that’s been continuous.” 

That sense of teamwork is a theme all four veterans return to. “Teamwork is essential,” Joest says. “If the people you work with are skilled and good teammates, it makes all the difference.” 

Mentorship across generations 

For Beardsley, mentorship is both a responsibility and a reward. “I try to mentor and encourage newer employees,” he says. “It helps me with my job and makes WD a better company.” Joest agrees, noting that helping others grow ultimately strengthens the entire team. 

Oswald sees the exchange as a two-way street. “I can still learn from those who’ve been here a long time and guide those in newer stages of their career,” he says. 

That dynamic is especially meaningful to Ethan Wong, who first joined WD as an intern before becoming a full-time engineer. “There’s a lot of knowledge to be learned,” Wong says. “It’s a great opportunity to learn from that depth of experience. At the same time, bringing in new talent can change perspectives or prompt the question, ‘Is there a better way?’” 

Wong has already felt the difference between university and industry. “At WD, you have the time to ask why—not just how,” he explains. “Instead of racing toward deadlines, you’re encouraged to really understand how things work.” 

Pride in purpose: ethics and excellence 

Across all five stories, pride surfaces again and again—pride in the work, the products, and the way the company operates. 

“There’s a sense of pride when you say you work at WD,” Liebschutz says. Oswald adds, “I can proudly say I work for the high-tech leader in disk storage technology—and at the very site where the hard disk drive was invented and developed.” 

That pride is rooted in tangible accomplishments. Oswald recalls helping solve a critical spindle-bearing issue in the field, allowing customers to avoid costly returns. Joest remembers earning patents early in his career while working on products that combined mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. 

For Beardsley, pride also comes from how the company has evolved its responsibilities. Over the years, he’s seen a strong and growing emphasis on environmental stewardship, safer materials, recycling, and employee safety—progress that reflects WD’s broader commitment to ethics and excellence. 

“Ethics are something to really be proud of here,” Liebschutz says. “We think in that direction automatically.” 

Looking ahead to WD’s bright future 

That same pride fuels optimism about what’s next for WD. 

Wong is energized by the scale and relevance of the work ahead. “Starting my career at WD has been thrilling,” he says. “AI is exploding, and it’s exciting to see how critical large-scale data storage has become—and to wonder what innovations the next five years will bring.” 

Beardsley shares that enthusiasm. “I’m really encouraged by the direction WD is going,” he says. “The focus on staying at the top of technology and competition makes the future very bright.” 

As for Oswald, he looks forward to eventually watching from the sidelines. “I’m excited to see WD continue to succeed and know that I was part of it,” he says. 

Together, these five employees embody WD’s legacy—one built on collaboration, curiosity, and a belief that great technology is created by people who learn from one another. We’re proud to have them represent WD as we ring in the next era of innovation in data storage.