Disclaimer: I worked for HGST about 3 years ago (but in the Enterprise storage (flash)/Object store fields, not consumer/prosumer HDDs). At the time, WD was as

Disclaimer: I worked for HGST about 3 years ago (but in the Enterprise storage (flash)/Object store fields, not consumer/prosumer HDDs). At the time, WD was assimilating HGST's drive tech where there were cost/performance/reliability benefits to the point where quite a few 'WD' products were just relabeled HGST ones, possibly with minor firmware/logic board tweaks. I seem to recall that at the time some WD Black, and maybe Gold, models at least were rebadged HGST units. The aim at the time was to fade out the HGST brand so that everything was WD and I pretty much think that has since been done.