‹ Seagate Technology
Ch 4 · The Engineer Who Stayed
Chapter 4 · Management
Same company. Three decades. From engineer to CEO.
Who's steering Seagate, and what have they bet the company on?
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✦ The bottom line
Dr. William 'Dave' Mosley, 58, has been Seagate's CEO since October 2017. He joined the company in 1996 as a Senior Engineer with a PhD in solid state physics. 29 years at one company.
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The story behind the CEO
1996
Mosley joins Seagate as a Senior Engineer fresh off a PhD in solid state physics.
2002–2009
Promoted through engineering and R&D — VP of Research and Development, then SVP of Global Disk Storage Operations.
2009–2017
Runs sales and marketing, then becomes President and COO. Steers the company through the 2011–2012 HDD industry consolidation.
Oct 2017
Becomes CEO and joins the board. Inherits a HDD company in the middle of the SSD-substitution scare.
2020s
Bets the company on areal density (HAMR/Mozaic) — fitting more bits per platter. Keeps the dividend through the down years. Now in the upcycle.
From the Q3 press release · the bet
We believe Seagate is entering a new era of structural growth as AI applications amplify data creation and support sustained storage demand. Our areal density-driven product strategy enables us to deliver higher-capacity, energy- and capital-efficient storage at scale.
↳ Mosley is naming the thesis: areal density (engineer's metric) + AI data creation (the demand) = structural, not just cyclical, growth. He's been at Seagate for nearly 30 years — he's seen plenty of false dawns.
Source · 8-K (press release) · CEO Commentary · Q3 FY26 · Filed Apr 28, 2026
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Strong
Engineer-lifer, 29 years in. Kept the dividend through the lean years.
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Chapter 4 · MANAGEMENT
The Engineer Who Stayed
you now read: skin in the game
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Chapter 6 · RISK
The Substitution Question