AI Disruption: PagerDuty CEO Calls Fears 'Overbaked'

PagerDuty CEO Jennifer Tejada has expressed that fears regarding artificial intelligence causing widespread disruption in the software industry are "overbaked." Speaking at an event in San Francisco on Tuesday, Tejada likened the process of adapting software systems to a painful, yet manageable, tattoo removal. Despite PagerDuty's stock plummeting nearly 42% this year amid these AI-related concerns, Tejada highlighted the company's proactive approach.

Tejada revealed PagerDuty is strongly encouraging its employees to integrate AI more extensively into their workflows. Hiring new developers, she noted, will only proceed if it can be definitively proven that AI cannot fulfill the required tasks for a given role first. This internal focus aims to leverage AI rather than be replaced by it.

In a separate development, WD Corp., formerly Western Digital, is strategically shifting its production focus. Instead of merely increasing the number of units produced, the company is concentrating on enhancing the capacity of its hard drives. This move addresses the industry-wide surge in demand for data storage, significantly boosted by the explosive growth of AI data centers.

WD Corp. has become a key beneficiary of this AI build-out, with its shares climbing 57% this year following a substantial gain in 2025. CEO Irving Tan stated on Wednesday that video content is also a significant driver of storage appetite. Tan also confirmed that supply chain risks stemming from the current Middle Eastern conflict remain low, with no material impact on the business or employees.