NETGEAR, INC.

Previous wording

Any shortage or delay in the supply of key product components, or any sudden, unforeseen price increase for such components, would harm our ability to meet product deliveries as scheduled or as budgeted. Many of the semiconductors used in our products are obtained from sole source suppliers on a purchase order basis. In addition, some components that are used in all our products are obtained from limited sources. We also obtain switching fabric semiconductors, which are used in our Ethernet switches and Internet gateway products, and WiFi chipsets, which are used in all of our wireless products, from a limited number of suppliers. We also use Cable Modem chipsets and Mobile chipsets in our cable and mobile products. Semiconductor suppliers have experienced and continue to experience component shortages themselves, such as with lead-frames and substrates used in manufacturing chipsets, which in turn adversely impact our ability to procure semiconductors from them in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner. For example, we had previously experienced certain chipset shortages for some of our switching products from two of our semiconductor suppliers who did not have enough wafer capacity to satisfy our demand, and this shortage continued for several quarters. Our third-party manufacturers generally purchase these components on our behalf on a purchase order basis, and we do not have any guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers. If demand for a specific component increases, we may not be able to obtain an adequate number of that component in a timely manner, and prices to obtain such components may increase. In addition, if worldwide demand for the components increases significantly, the availability of these components could be limited and prices for such components may increase. For example, as the demand for Artificial Intelligence chips increase, semiconductor production capacity may be shifted to these specific components thereby constraining supply of or increasing cost on chips used in our products. Further, dependence on a sole source for certain key components of our products may allow such sole source suppliers to command increased leverage in negotiating prices and other terms of sale, which could adversely affect our profitability. As a result, we may be left with little choice but to accept such higher prices or other fees for key components in order to ensure continuity of supply. This could affect our profitability or if we choose to push back against more onerous terms, could lead to inadequate supply, which could materially adversely affect our business. Our suppliers may also experience financial or other difficulties as a result of uncertain and weak worldwide economic, geopolitical conditions, trade disputes or public health issues. Other factors which may affect our suppliers’ ability or willingness to supply components to us include internal management product allocation decisions or reorganizational issues, such a…

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Current wording

Shortages or delay in the supply of key product components, or sudden, unforeseen price increases for such components, such as current uncertainty regarding memory semiconductors and related components, could harm our ability to meet product deliveries as scheduled or as budgeted. Many of the semiconductors used in our products are obtained from sole source suppliers on a purchase order basis. In addition, some components that are used in all our products are obtained from limited sources. We also obtain switching fabric semiconductors, which are used in our Ethernet switches and Internet gateway products, and WiFi chipsets, which are used in all of our wireless products, from a limited number of suppliers. We also use Cable Modem chipsets and Mobile chipsets in our cable and mobile products. Semiconductor suppliers have experienced and continue to experience component shortages themselves, such as with lead-frames and substrates used in manufacturing chipsets, which in turn adversely impact our ability to procure semiconductors from them in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner. For example, we had previously experienced certain chipset shortages for some of our switching products from two of our semiconductor suppliers who did not have enough wafer capacity to satisfy our demand, and this shortage continued for several quarters. Our third-party manufacturers generally purchase these components on our behalf on a purchase order basis, and we do not have any guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers. If demand for a specific component increases, we may not be able to obtain an adequate number of that component in a timely manner, and prices to obtain such components may increase. In addition, if worldwide demand for the components increases significantly, the availability of these components could be limited and prices for such components may increase. For example, as the demand for Artificial Intelligence chips increases, semiconductor production capacity may be shifted to these specific components thereby constraining supply of or increasing cost on chips used in our products. Further, dependence on a sole source for certain key components of our products may allow such sole source suppliers to command increased leverage in negotiating prices and other terms of sale, which could adversely affect our profitability. As a result, we may be left with little choice but to accept such higher prices or other fees for key components in order to ensure continuity of supply. This could affect our profitability or if we choose to push back against more onerous terms, could lead to inadequate supply, which could materially adversely affect our business. Our suppliers may also experience financial or other difficulties as a result of uncertain and weak worldwide economic, geopolitical conditions, trade disputes or public health issues. Other factors which may affect our suppliers’ ability or willingness to supply components to us include inte…

Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.

Previous wording

If we are unable to obtain a sufficient supply of components, or if we experience any interruption in the supply of components, our product shipments could be reduced or delayed or our cost of obtaining these components may increase. Component shortages and delays affect our ability to meet scheduled product deliveries, damage our brand and reputation in the market, and cause us to lose sales and market share. For example, component shortages and disruptions in supply related to the COVID-19 induced lockdowns in Shenzhen, China and Shanghai, China previously had limited our ability to supply all the worldwide demand for our NETGEAR for Business switch products, and our revenue and profitability was affected. At times we have elected to purchase components on the spot market or to use more expensive transportation methods, such as air freight, to make up for manufacturing delays caused by component shortages, which reduces our margins.

Current wording

If we are unable to obtain a sufficient supply of components due to factors including but not limited to increased demand due to trade policy or regulatory requirements, or if we experience any interruption in the supply of components, our product shipments could be reduced or delayed or our cost of obtaining these components may increase. Component shortages and delays affect our ability to meet scheduled product deliveries, damage our brand and reputation in the market, and cause us to lose sales and market share. At times we have elected to purchase components on the spot market or to use more expensive transportation methods, such as air freight, to make up for manufacturing delays caused by component shortages, which reduces our margins.

Previous wording

If we are unable to properly monitor and optimize our channel partners' inventory levels and maintain an appropriate level and mix of products with our retail partners and wholesale distributors and within our sales channels, we may incur increased and unexpected costs associated with this inventory. In 2022 and the first half of 2023, many of our retail and service provider partners began significantly reducing their target inventory levels which adversely affected our results of operations. While we see signs of the retail networking market stabilizing, the uncertain macroeconomic environment and high inflation and interest rates are also putting pressure on our NETGEAR for Business channel partners. We have experienced and continue to experience lower revenue as a result of our channel partners lowering their inventory levels and higher cost of carrying excess channel inventory. On the other hand, low channel inventory levels increase the likelihood that our sales channel customers may not be able to fulfill end user demand, leading to delayed or lost sales, unhappy customers and potential impacts to our brand and reputation. Inadequate stock levels could also hinder our ability to fulfill large orders or take advantage of unexpected demand spikes, thereby limiting revenue growth opportunities. Moreover, reductions in target inventory levels put pressure on our ability to accurately forecast customer demand and inventory requirements and increases the likelihood that the accuracy of such forecasts would be lower. We determine production levels based on our forecasts of demand for our products. Actual demand for our products depends on many factors, which makes it difficult to forecast. We have experienced differences between our actual and our forecasted demand in the past and expect differences to arise in the future. If we improperly forecast demand for our products and channel inventory levels, we could end up with too many products and be unable to sell the excess inventory in a timely manner, if at all, or, alternatively we could end up with too few products and not be able to satisfy demand. This problem is exacerbated because we attempt to closely match inventory levels with product demand leaving limited margin for error. Also, during the transition from an existing product to a new replacement product, we must accurately predict the demand for the existing and the new product. If we improperly forecast demand for our products and channel inventory levels, we could incur increased expenses associated with writing off excessive or obsolete inventory, lose sales, incur penalties for late delivery or have to ship products by air freight to meet immediate demand incurring incremental freight costs above the sea freight costs and suffering a corresponding decline in gross margins. For example, when demand for our Connected Home products turns out to be lower than we previously forecasted, it results in our revenue for our Connected Home pro…

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Current wording

If we are unable to properly monitor and optimize our channel partners' inventory levels and maintain an appropriate level and mix of products with our retail partners and wholesale distributors and within our sales channels, we may incur increased and unexpected costs associated with this inventory. In 2022 and the first half of 2023, many of our retail and service provider partners began significantly reducing their target inventory levels which adversely affected our results of operations. While we believe our channel partners' current inventory targets are at reasonable levels, the uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment and high inflation and interest rates could change our partners' desired inventory targets. In the past, we have experienced lower revenue as a result of our channel partners lowering their inventory levels and higher cost of carrying excess channel inventory. On the other hand, low channel inventory levels increase the likelihood that our sales channel customers may not be able to fulfill end user demand, leading to delayed or lost sales, unhappy customers and potential impacts to our brand and reputation. Inadequate stock levels could also hinder our ability to fulfill large orders or take advantage of unexpected demand spikes, thereby limiting revenue growth opportunities. Moreover, reductions in target inventory levels put pressure on our ability to accurately forecast customer demand and inventory requirements and increases the likelihood that the accuracy of such forecasts would be lower. We determine production levels based on our forecasts of demand for our products. Actual demand for our products depends on many factors, which makes it difficult to forecast. We have experienced differences between our actual and our forecasted demand in the past and expect differences to arise in the future. If we improperly forecast demand for our products and channel inventory levels, we could end up with too many products and be unable to sell the excess inventory in a timely manner, if at all, or, alternatively we could end up with too few products and not be able to satisfy demand. This problem is exacerbated because we attempt to closely match inventory levels with product demand leaving limited margin for error. Also, during the transition from an existing product to a new replacement product, we must accurately predict the demand for the existing and the new product. If we improperly forecast demand for our products and channel inventory levels, we could incur increased expenses associated with writing off excessive or obsolete inventory, lose sales, incur penalties for late delivery or have to ship products by air freight to meet immediate demand incurring incremental freight costs above the sea freight costs and suffering a corresponding decline in gross margins. For example, when demand for our products turns out to be lower than we previously forecasted, it results in our revenue for our products to come in l…

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Previous wording

We operate in a highly competitive, quickly changing environment, and our future success depends on our ability to develop or acquire and introduce new products and services, enhance existing products and services, effectively stimulate customer and business demand for new and upgraded products and services, and successfully manage the transition to these new and upgraded products and services. Our future success will depend in large part upon our ability to identify demand trends in the consumer, business and service provider markets, and to quickly develop or acquire, manufacture and market and sell products and services that satisfy these demands in a cost-effective manner. In order to differentiate our products from our competitors’ products, we must continue to increase our focus and capital investment in research and development and marketing and sales, including software development for our products and complementary services and applications. For example, we previously made a strategic shift to focus on premium, higher margin products and have committed a substantial amount of resources to the development, manufacture, branding, marketing and sale of our Nighthawk mobile hotspot products, Orbi WiFi systems and Pro AV managed switches, and to introducing additional and improved models and services in these lines. In the third quarter of 2023, we launched our first WiFi 7 products, namely the Orbi 97X mesh system and the Nighthawk RS700 router, and will continue to invest in a strong pipeline of WiFi 7 introductions in 2024 across all our major product lines. The success of new products and services depends on a number of factors, including timely and successful development either through rapid innovation or acquisition, market acceptance, our ability to manage the risks and costs, such as investment costs and marketing costs, associated with development and introduction of new products and services, the effective management of purchase commitments and channel inventory levels in line with anticipated product demand, availability of products in appropriate quantities and at expected costs to meet anticipated demand, the risk that new products and services may have delays, quality or other defects or deficiencies and our ability to effectively manage marketing and reviews of our products and services.

Current wording

We operate in a highly competitive, quickly changing environment, and our future success depends on our ability to develop or acquire and introduce new products and services, enhance existing products and services, effectively stimulate customer and business demand for new and upgraded products and services, and successfully manage the transition to these new and upgraded products and services. Our future success will depend in large part upon our ability to identify demand trends in the consumer, business and service provider markets, and to quickly develop or acquire, manufacture and market and sell products and services that satisfy these demands in a cost-effective manner. In order to differentiate our products from our competitors’ products, we must continue to increase our focus and capital investment in research and development and marketing and sales, including software development for our products and complementary services and applications. For example, we previously made a strategic shift to focus on premium, higher margin products and have committed a substantial amount of resources to the development, manufacture, branding, marketing and sale of our Nighthawk mobile hotspot products, Orbi WiFi systems and Pro AV managed switches, and to introducing additional and improved models and services in these lines. In the third quarter of 2023, we launched our first WiFi 7 products, namely the Orbi 97X mesh system and the Nighthawk RS700 router, and will continue to invest in a strong pipeline of WiFi 7 introductions in 2024 across all our major product lines. To get ahead of the rapidly evolving regulatory compliance landscape, and given the critical importance of cyber security in the networking space, we have also invested in cybersecurity, security features and procuring internet-connected components from sources outside of nations deemed foreign adversaries by the US government, which enhance the Company’s compliance and cyber security posture, but also comes at greater cost. The success of new products and services depends on a number of factors, including timely and successful development either through rapid innovation or acquisition, market acceptance, our ability to manage the risks and costs, such as investment costs and marketing costs, associated with development and introduction of new products and services, the effective management of purchase commitments and channel inventory levels in line with anticipated product demand, availability of products in appropriate quantities and at expected costs to meet anticipated demand, the risk that new products and services may have delays, quality or other defects or deficiencies and our ability to effectively manage marketing and reviews of our products and services.

Previous wording

Changes in trade policy in the United States and other countries, including the imposition of tariffs and the resulting consequences, may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Current wording

Changes in trade policy and regulation in the United States and other countries, including but not limited to the imposition of tariffs, may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Previous wording

International trade disputes, geopolitical tensions, and military conflicts have led, and continue to lead, to new and increasing export restrictions, trade barriers, tariffs, and other trade measures that can increase our manufacturing and transportation costs, limit our ability to sell to certain customers or markets, limit our ability to procure, or increase our costs for, components or raw materials, impede or slow the movement of our goods across borders, or otherwise restrict our ability to conduct operations. Increasing protectionism, economic nationalism, and national security concerns may also lead to further changes in trade policy. For example, when the U.S. government engaged in extended trade negotiations with China, which resulted in the implementation of tariffs on a significant number of products manufactured in China and imported into the United States, we worked closely with our manufacturing partners to implement ways to mitigate the impact of these tariffs on our supply chain as promptly and reasonably as practicable, including shifting production outside of China. We cannot predict what further actions may be taken with respect to export regulations, tariffs or other trade regulations between the United States and other countries, what products or companies may be subject to such actions, or what actions may be taken by other countries in retaliation. In addition, actions to mitigate the effect of these tariffs are disruptive on our operations, may not be completely successful and may result in higher long-term manufacturing costs. Moreover, there is no certainty that countries to which we have shifted our manufacturing operations will not be subject to similar tariffs in the future. As a result, we may be required to raise our prices on certain products, which could result in the loss of customers and harm to our revenue, market share, competitive position and operating performance.

Current wording

International trade disputes, geopolitical tensions, and military conflicts have led, and continue to lead, to new and increasing export restrictions, import restrictions, trade barriers, tariffs, and other trade measures that can increase our manufacturing and transportation costs, limit our ability to sell to certain customers or markets, limit our ability to procure, or increase our costs for, components or raw materials, impede or slow the movement of our goods across borders, or otherwise restrict our ability to conduct operations. Increasing protectionism, economic nationalism, and national security concerns may also lead to further changes in trade policy. For example, when the U.S. government engaged in extended trade negotiations with China, which resulted in the implementation of tariffs on a significant number of products manufactured in China and imported into the United States, we worked closely with our manufacturing partners to implement ways to mitigate the impact of these tariffs on our supply chain as promptly and reasonably as practicable, ultimately leading to the successful shift of our manufacturing entirely outside of China.

Previous wording

We have invested, and in the future may invest, in new business strategies and adjust existing business strategies. Such endeavors may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including distraction of management from current operations, greater-than-expected liabilities and expenses, economic, legal and regulatory challenges, inadequate return on capital, potential impairment of tangible and intangible assets, and significant write-offs. Changes in business strategies are inherently risky and may not be successful. The failure of any significant investment could materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition. For example, as mentioned in the risk factor above “To remain competitive and stimulate consumer and business demand, we must successfully manage new product introductions and transitions of products and services”, we previously made a strategic shift to focus on premium, higher margin products and services and we continue to make changes in our business strategies, including pursuing new, adjacent markets. Changes in business strategy would require us to hire in key areas and make certain investments, including marketing; however, such investments may not prove to be successful. Additionally, a significant part of our business strategy and culture is to focus on long-term growth and as a result, our profitability may be lower than it would be if our strategy were to maximize short-term financial results. If we are ultimately unable to improve profitability at the level or during the time frame anticipated by securities or industry analysts and our stockholders, the trading price of our common stock may decline. If we fail to develop and successfully execute on our business strategies, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could be materially adversely affected.

Current wording

We have invested, and in the future may invest, in new business strategies and adjust existing business strategies, including but not limited to investments in cybersecurity, security features and the procurement of internet-connected components from sources to ensure the security of our products and regulatory readiness. Such endeavors may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including distraction of management from current operations, greater-than-expected liabilities and expenses, economic, legal and regulatory challenges, inadequate return on capital, potential impairment of tangible and intangible assets, and significant write-offs. Changes in business strategies are inherently risky and may not be successful. The failure of any significant investment could materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition. For example, as mentioned in the risk factor above “To remain competitive and stimulate consumer and business demand, we must successfully manage new product introductions and transitions of products and services”, we previously made a strategic shift to focus on premium, higher margin products and services and we continue to make changes in our business strategies, including pursuing new, adjacent markets. Changes in business strategy would require us to hire in key areas and make certain investments, including marketing; however, such investments may not prove to be successful. Additionally, a significant part of our business strategy and culture is to focus on long-term growth and as a result, our profitability may be lower than it would be if our strategy were to maximize short-term financial results. If we are ultimately unable to improve profitability at the level or during the time frame anticipated by securities or industry analysts and our stockholders, the trading price of our common stock may decline. If we fail to develop and successfully execute on our business strategies, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could be materially adversely affected.

Previous wording

In addition, adverse changes in economic conditions or unforeseen disruptions in the businesses of any of our key customers could adversely impact the sale of our products to end users and the quantity of products our customers decide to purchase from us. For example, as mentioned above in the risk factor “Accurately managing our sales channel inventory and product mix within the current environment is challenging, and we have, and may in the future, incur costs associated with excess inventory, or lose sales from having too few products,” many of our retail and service provider customers have and continue to reduce their target inventory levels. This shift may have a longer-term impact on the inventory levels our customers choose to carry.

Current wording

In addition, adverse changes in economic conditions or unforeseen disruptions in the businesses of any of our key customers could adversely impact the sale of our products to end users and the quantity of products our customers decide to purchase from us. For example, as mentioned above in the risk factor “Optimizing our channel partners' inventory levels and product mix within the current environment is challenging, and we have, and may in the future, incur costs associated with excess inventory, or lose sales from having too few products,” many of our retail and service provider customers have reduced and continue to reduce their target inventory levels. This shift may have a longer-term impact on the inventory levels our customers choose to carry.

Previous wording

We compete in a rapidly evolving and fiercely competitive market, and we expect competition to continue to be intense, including price competition. Our principal competitors in the consumer market include ARRIS, ASUS, D-Link, Eero (owned by Amazon), Linksys (owned by Foxconn), Google WiFi, and TP-Link. Our principal competitors in the business market include Arista, Cisco Systems, D-Link, Extreme Networks, Fortinet, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Juniper Mist, Ruckus Networks, TP-Link, and Ubiquiti. Our principal competitors in the service provider market include Cradlepoint, Franklin, Huawei, Inseego, Nokia, Orbic, Sonim, TP-Link, WNC, and ZTE. Other competitors include numerous local vendors such as Xiaomi in China, AVM in Germany and Buffalo in Japan. In addition, these local vendors may target markets outside of their local regions and may increasingly compete with us in other regions worldwide. Our potential competitors also include other consumer electronics vendors, including Apple, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba and Vizio, who could integrate networking and streaming capabilities into their line of products, such as televisions, set top boxes and gaming consoles, and our channel customers who may decide to offer self-branded networking products. We also face competition from service providers who may bundle a free networking device with their broadband service offering, which would reduce our sales if we were not the supplier of choice to those service providers. In the service provider space, we also face significant and increased competition from original design manufacturers, or ODMs, and contract manufacturers who sell and attempt to sell their products directly to service providers around the world.

Current wording

We compete in a rapidly evolving and fiercely competitive market, and we expect competition to continue to be intense, including price competition. Our principal competitors in the consumer market include ARRIS, ASUS, D-Link, Eero (owned by Amazon), and TP-Link. Our principal competitors in the business market include Arista, Cisco Systems, D-Link, Extreme Networks, Fortinet, Haiwei, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Ruckus Networks, TP-Link, and Ubiquiti. Our principal competitors in the service provider market include Compal, Franklin, Huawei, Inseego, Nokia, Orbic, Sonim, TP-Link, and ZTE. Other competitors include numerous local vendors such as Xiaomi in China, AVM in Germany and Buffalo in Japan. In addition, these local vendors may target markets outside of their local regions and may increasingly compete with us in other regions worldwide. Our potential competitors also include other consumer electronics vendors, including Apple, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba and Vizio, who could integrate networking and streaming capabilities into their line of products, such as televisions, set top boxes and gaming consoles, and our channel customers who may decide to offer self-branded networking products. We also face competition from service providers who may bundle a free networking device with their broadband service offering, which would reduce our sales if we were not the supplier of choice to those service providers. In the service provider space, we also face significant and increased competition from original design manufacturers, or ODMs, and contract manufacturers who sell and attempt to sell their products directly to service providers around the world.

Previous wording

Many of our existing and potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition and substantially greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources. These competitors may, among other things, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies, obtain more favorable pricing from suppliers and manufacturers, and exert more influence on sales channels than we can. Certain of our significant competitors also serve as key sales and marketing channels for our products, potentially giving these competitors a marketplace advantage based on their knowledge of our business activities and/or their ability to negatively influence our sales opportunities. For example, Amazon provides an important sales channel for our products, but it also competes with us in the mesh WiFi systems product category through its subsidiary Eero. In addition, certain competitors may have different business models, such as integrated manufacturing capabilities, that may allow them to achieve cost savings and to compete on the basis of price. Other competitors may have fewer resources but may be more nimble in developing new or disruptive technology or in entering new markets. We anticipate that current and potential competitors will also intensify their efforts to penetrate our target markets. For example, in the past certain network security companies such as Symantec have introduced security routers for the home consumer market to compete with us and we believe that other network security companies may also seek to do the same. Also, due to our recent success in the audio visual over IP market, some of our competitors may seek to enter this market as well. Price competition is intense in our industry in certain geographical regions and product categories. Many of our competitors in the service provider and retail spaces price their products significantly below our product costs in order to gain market share. Certain substantial competitors have business models that are more focused on customer acquisition and access to customer data rather than on financial return from product sales, and these competitors have the ability to provide sustained price competition to many of our products in the market. Average sales prices have declined in the past and may again decline in the future. These competitors may have more advanced technology, more extensive distribution channels, stronger brand names, greater access to shelf space in retail locations, bigger promotional budgets and larger customer bases than we do. In addition, many of these competitors leverage a broader product portfolio and offer lower pricing as part of a more comprehensive end-to-end solution which we may not have. These companies could devote more capital resources to develop, manufacture and market competing products than we could. Our competitors may acquire other companies in the market and leverage combined resources to gain market share…

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Current wording

Many of our existing and potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition and substantially greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources. These competitors may, among other things, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies, obtain more favorable pricing from suppliers and manufacturers, and exert more influence on sales channels than we can. Certain of our significant competitors also serve as key sales and marketing channels for our products, potentially giving these competitors a marketplace advantage based on their knowledge of our business activities and/or their ability to negatively influence our sales opportunities. For example, Amazon provides an important sales channel for our products, but it also competes with us in the mesh WiFi systems product category through its subsidiary Eero. In addition, certain competitors may have different business models, such as integrated manufacturing capabilities, that may allow them to achieve cost savings and to compete on the basis of price. Other competitors may have fewer resources but may be more nimble in developing new or disruptive technology or in entering new markets. We anticipate that current and potential competitors will also intensify their efforts to penetrate our target markets. For example, in the past certain network security companies such as Symantec have introduced security routers for the home consumer market to compete with us and we believe that other network security companies may also seek to do the same. Also, due to our recent success in the audio visual over IP market, some of our competitors may seek to enter this market as well. Price competition is intense in our industry in certain geographical regions and product categories. Many of our competitors in the service provider and retail spaces price their products significantly below our product costs in order to gain market share. Certain substantial competitors have business models that are more focused on customer acquisition and access to customer data rather than on financial return from product sales, and these competitors have the ability to provide sustained price competition to many of our products in the market. Average sales prices have declined in the past and may again decline in the future. These competitors may have more advanced technology, more extensive distribution channels, stronger brand names, greater access to shelf space in retail locations, bigger promotional budgets and larger customer bases than we do. In addition, many of these competitors leverage a broader product portfolio and offer lower pricing as part of a more comprehensive end-to-end solution which we may not have. These companies could devote more capital resources to develop, manufacture and market competing products than we could. Our competitors may acquire other companies in the market and leverage combined resources to gain market share…

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Previous wording

We depend substantially on our sales channels, and our failure to maintain and expand our sales channels would result in lower sales and reduced net revenue.

Current wording

We depend substantially on our sales channels and certain significant customers and loss of and/or failure to maintain and expand our customer sales volume and/or sales channels would result in lower sales and reduced net revenue.

Previous wording

To maintain and grow our market share, net revenue and brand, we must maintain and expand our sales channels. Our sales channels consist of traditional retailers, online retailers, DMRs, VARs, and broadband service providers. Some of these entities purchase our products through our wholesale distributor customers. We generally have no minimum purchase commitments or long-term contracts with any of these third parties.

Current wording

To maintain and grow our market share, net revenue and brand, we must maintain and expand our sales channels. Our sales channels consist of traditional retailers, online retailers, DMRs, MSPs, and broadband service providers. Some of these entities purchase our products through our wholesale distributor customers. We generally have no minimum purchase commitments or long-term contracts with any of these third parties.

Previous wording

Our traditional retail customers have faced increased and significant competition from online retailers. Further, we have experienced the shift to a greater percentage of purchases taking place online versus traditional retail customers. If we cannot effectively manage our business and inventory requirements amongst our online customers and traditional retail customers, our business would be harmed. The recent trend in the consolidation of online retailers and DMR channels has resulted in intensified competition for preferred product placement, such as product placement on an online retailer’s Internet home page. Expanding our presence in the VAR channel may be difficult and expensive. We compete with established companies that have longer operating histories and longstanding relationships with VARs that we would find highly desirable as sales channel partners. In addition, our efforts to realign or consolidate our sales channels may cause temporary disruptions in our product sales and revenue, and these changes may not result in the expected longer-term benefits. We also sell products and services directly to consumers from our own e-commerce platforms. This requires material investment in capital, time and resources and carries the risk that it may not achieve the expected return on investment that we are expecting, and that it may adversely affect our relationships with our existing channel partners, which ultimately may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Current wording

Our traditional retail customers have faced increased and significant competition from online retailers. Further, we have experienced the shift to a greater percentage of purchases taking place online versus traditional retail customers. If we cannot effectively manage our business and inventory requirements amongst our online customers and traditional retail customers, our business would be harmed. The recent trend in the consolidation of online retailers and DMR channels has resulted in intensified competition for preferred product placement, such as product placement on an online retailer’s Internet home page. Expanding our presence in the MSP channel may be difficult and expensive. We compete with established companies that have longer operating histories and longstanding relationships with MSPs that we would find highly desirable as sales channel partners. In addition, our efforts to realign or consolidate our sales channels may cause temporary disruptions in our product sales and revenue, and these changes may not result in the expected longer-term benefits. We also sell products and services directly to consumers from our own e-commerce platforms. This requires material investment in capital, time and resources and carries the risk that it may not achieve the expected return on investment that we are expecting, and that it may adversely affect our relationships with our existing channel partners, which ultimately may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Previous wording

All of our products are manufactured, assembled, tested and generally packaged by a limited number of third-party manufacturers, including original design manufacturers, or ODMs, as well as their sub-contract manufacturers. In most cases, we rely on these manufacturers to procure components and, in some cases, subcontract engineering work. Some of our products are manufactured by a single manufacturer. We do not have any long-term contracts with any of our third-party manufacturers. Some of these third-party manufacturers produce products for our competitors or are themselves competitors in certain product categories. Due to uncertain and changing economic and geopolitical conditions, the viability of some of these third-party manufacturers may be at risk. The loss of the services of any of our primary third-party manufacturers could cause a significant disruption in operations and delays in product shipments. Qualifying a new manufacturer and commencing volume production is expensive and time consuming. Ensuring that a manufacturer is qualified to manufacture our products to our standards is time consuming. In addition, there is no assurance that a manufacturer can produce our products at the appropriate volumes and in the quality that we require. In addition, as we recently have transitioned a substantial portion of our manufacturing facilities to different regions, we are subject to additional significant challenges in ensuring that quality, processes and costs, among other issues, are consistent with our expectations. For example, while we expect our manufacturers to be responsible for penalties assessed on us because of excessive failures of the products, there is no assurance that we will be able to collect such reimbursements from these manufacturers, which causes us to take on additional risk for potential failures of our products.

Current wording

All of our products are manufactured, assembled, tested and generally packaged by a limited number of third-party manufacturers, including original design manufacturers, or ODMs, as well as their sub-contract manufacturers. In most cases, we rely on these manufacturers to procure approved components and, in some cases, subcontract engineering work. Some of our products are manufactured by a single manufacturer. We do not have any long-term contracts with any of our third-party manufacturers. Some of these third-party manufacturers produce products for our competitors or are themselves competitors in certain product categories. Due to uncertain and changing economic and geopolitical conditions, the viability of some of these third-party manufacturers may be at risk. The loss of the services of any of our primary third-party manufacturers could cause a significant disruption in operations and delays in product shipments. Qualifying a new manufacturer and commencing volume production is expensive and time consuming. Ensuring that a manufacturer is qualified to manufacture our products to our standards is time consuming. In addition, there is no assurance that a manufacturer can produce our products at the appropriate volumes and in the quality that we require. In addition, as we recently have transitioned a substantial portion of our manufacturing facilities to different regions, we are subject to additional significant challenges in ensuring that quality, processes and costs, among other issues, are consistent with our expectations. For example, while we expect our manufacturers to be responsible for penalties assessed on us because of excessive failures of the products, there is no assurance that we will be able to collect such reimbursements from these manufacturers, which causes us to take on additional risk for potential failures of our products.

Previous wording

Specifically, substantially all of our manufacturing and assembly occurs in the Asia Pacific region, and any disruptions due to natural disasters, climate change, health epidemics and political, social and economic instability in the region would affect the ability of our third-party manufacturers to manufacture our products. For example, in late August 2021, heavy rains caused our manufacturer in Thailand to become flooded and created a one-month delay in manufacturing and required us to move some non-U.S. manufacturing back to China. Furthermore, if the cost of production charged by our third-party manufacturers increases, it may affect our margins and ability to lower prices for our products to stay competitive. Labor unrest in Southeast Asia, China or other locations where components and our products are manufactured may also affect our third-party manufacturers as workers may strike and cause production delays. If our third-party manufacturers fail to maintain good relations with their employees or contractors, and production and manufacturing of our products is affected, then we may be subject to shortages of products and quality of products delivered may be affected. Further, if our manufacturers or warehousing facilities are disrupted or destroyed, we would have no other readily available alternatives for manufacturing and assembling our products and our business would be significantly harmed.

Current wording

Specifically, substantially all of our manufacturing and assembly occurs in the Asia Pacific region, and any disruptions due to natural disasters, climate change, health epidemics and political, social and economic instability in the region would affect the ability of our third-party manufacturers to manufacture our products. Furthermore, if the cost of production charged by our third-party manufacturers increases, it may affect our margins and ability to lower prices for our products to stay competitive. Labor or geopolitical unrest in locations where components and our products are manufactured may also affect our third-party manufacturers as workers may strike and cause production delays. If our third-party manufacturers fail to maintain good relations with their employees or contractors, and production and manufacturing of our products is affected, then we may be subject to shortages of products and quality of products delivered may be affected. Further, if our manufacturers or warehousing facilities are disrupted or destroyed, we would have no other readily available alternatives for manufacturing and assembling our products and our business would be significantly harmed.

Previous wording

International sales comprise a significant amount of our overall net revenue. International sales were approximately 34% of overall net revenue in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023. We continue to be committed to growing our international sales, and while we have committed resources to expanding our international operations and sales channels, these efforts may not be successful. For example, in fiscal 2022 we experienced the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, which had a meaningful negative impact on our international revenue and our profitability.

Current wording

International sales comprise a significant amount of our overall net revenue. International sales were approximately 34% of overall net revenue in fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2024, respectively. We continue to be committed to growing our international sales, and while we have committed resources to expanding our international operations and sales channels, these efforts may not be successful. For example, in fiscal 2022 we experienced the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, which had a meaningful negative impact on our international revenue and our profitability.

Previous wording

geopolitical and economic tensions, such as in the Middle East, between China/Taiwan, and international terrorism and anti-American sentiment, particularly in emerging markets;

Current wording

geopolitical and economic tensions and international terrorism and anti-American sentiment, particularly in emerging markets;

Previous wording

seasonal shifts in end market demand for our products, particularly in our Connected Home business segment;

Current wording

seasonal shifts in end market demand for our products, particularly in our Consumer segment;

Previous wording

changes in U.S. and international trade policy that adversely affect customs, tax or duty rates;

Current wording

changes in U.S. and international trade policy and/or regulations that adversely affect our operations or supply chain, customs, tax or duty rates as well as tariffs, the threat of new or increased tariffs, and escalating trade tensions;

Previous wording

The transportation network is subject to disruption or congestion from a variety of causes, including labor disputes or port strikes, acts of war, terrorism or other geopolitical conflicts, like the Middle East conflict, natural disasters, effects of climate change, pandemics like COVID-19 and congestion resulting from higher shipping volumes. We are highly dependent upon the transportation systems we use to ship our products, including surface and air freight. Our attempts to closely match our inventory levels to our product demand intensify the need for our transportation systems to function effectively and without delay. On a quarterly basis, our shipping volume also tends to steadily increase as the quarter progresses, which means that any disruption in our transportation network in the latter half of a quarter will likely have a more material effect on our business than at the beginning of a quarter. For example, at times during the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced significant limitations on the availability of key transportation resources and significant increases to the cost of air and ocean freight. When these occur, it has negatively impacted our profitability as we seek to transport an increased number of products from manufacturing locations in Asia to other markets around the world as quickly as possible. Moreover, feeder vessels that move containers to key trans-Pacific terminal locations can be subject to similar impacts due to the timing of container transfers and vessel departure dates. In addition, the global effects of climate change can result in increased frequency and severity of natural disasters that could also disrupt our transportation network. Furthermore, labor disputes among freight carriers and at ports of entry are common. A port worker strike, work slow-down or other transportation disruption in the ports of Singapore, Rotterdam, Los Angeles or Long Beach, California, where we have significant distribution centers, or East coast or Gulf coast of United States due to the volume of imports coming to the U.S. via ports there, could significantly disrupt our business. For example, at times, during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had experienced disruptions at the ports, due to multiple factors, such as supply and demand imbalance, a shortage of warehouse workers, truck drivers, and transport equipment (tractors and trailers), and other causes, and had suffered from heightened congestion, bottleneck and gridlock, leading to abnormally high transportation delays. In addition, as mentioned above in the risk factor "Accurately managing our sales channel inventory and product mix within the current environment is challenging, and we have, and may in the future, incur costs associated with excess inventory, or lose sales from having too few products," many of our retail and service provider customers have and continue to reduce their target inventory levels to more closely match with product demand. This further inte…

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Current wording

The transportation network is subject to disruption or congestion from a variety of causes, including labor disputes or port strikes, acts of war, terrorism or other geopolitical conflicts, like the Middle East conflict, natural disasters, effects of climate change, pandemics like COVID-19 and congestion resulting from higher shipping volumes. We are highly dependent upon the transportation systems we use to ship our products, including surface and air freight. Our attempts to closely match our inventory levels to our product demand intensify the need for our transportation systems to function effectively and without delay. On a quarterly basis, our shipping volume also tends to steadily increase as the quarter progresses, which means that any disruption in our transportation network in the latter half of a quarter will likely have a more material effect on our business than at the beginning of a quarter. For example, at times during the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced significant limitations on the availability of key transportation resources and significant increases to the cost of air and ocean freight. When these occur, it has negatively impacted our profitability as we seek to transport an increased number of products from manufacturing locations in Asia to other markets around the world as quickly as possible. Moreover, feeder vessels that move containers to key trans-Pacific terminal locations can be subject to similar impacts due to the timing of container transfers and vessel departure dates. In addition, the global effects of climate change can result in increased frequency and severity of natural disasters that could also disrupt our transportation network. Furthermore, labor disputes among freight carriers and at ports of entry are common. A port worker strike, work slow-down or other transportation disruption in the ports of Singapore, Rotterdam, Los Angeles or Long Beach, California, where we have significant distribution centers, or East coast or Gulf coast of United States due to the volume of imports coming to the U.S. via ports there, could significantly disrupt our business. For example, at times, during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had experienced disruptions at the ports, due to multiple factors, such as supply and demand imbalance, a shortage of warehouse workers, truck drivers, and transport equipment (tractors and trailers), and other causes, and had suffered from heightened congestion, bottleneck and gridlock, leading to abnormally high transportation delays. In addition, as mentioned above in the risk factor "Optimizing our channel partners' inventory levels and product mix within the current environment is challenging, and we have, and may in the future, incur costs associated with excess inventory, or lose sales from having too few products," many of our retail and service provider customers have and continue to reduce their target inventory levels to more closely match with product demand. This further in…

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Previous wording

As part of the terms of acquisition, we may commit to pay additional contingent consideration if certain revenue or other performance milestones are met. We are required to evaluate the fair value of such commitments at each reporting date and adjust the amount recorded if there are changes to the fair value. Additionally, future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could also expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems or products could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies.

Current wording

As part of the terms of acquisition, we may commit to pay additional contingent consideration if certain revenue or other performance milestones are met. We are required to evaluate the fair value of such commitments at each reporting date and adjust the amount recorded if there are changes to the fair value. Additionally, future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could also expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems or products could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies and our diligence may not have discovered such security issues.

Previous wording

We have made, and continue to seek to make, investments in companies around the world to further our strategic objectives and support our key business initiatives. These investments may include equity or debt instruments of public or private companies, and may be non-marketable at the time of our initial investment. We do not restrict the types of companies in which we seek to invest. These companies may range from early-stage companies that are often still defining their strategic direction to more mature companies with established revenue streams and business models. If any company in which we invest fails, we could lose all or part of our investment in that company. If we determine that an other-than-temporary decline in the fair value exists for an equity or debt investment in a public or private company in which we have invested, we will have to write down the investment to its fair value and recognize the related write-down as an investment loss. The performance of any of these investments could result in significant impairment charges and gains (losses) on investments. We must also analyze accounting and legal issues when making these investments. If we do not structure these investments properly, we may be subject to certain adverse accounting issues, such as potential consolidation of financial results.

Current wording

We have made investments in companies around the world to further our strategic objectives and support our key business initiatives. These investments have included equity or debt instruments of public or private companies, and may be non-marketable at the time of our initial investment. If any company in which we invest fails, we could lose all or part of our investment in that company. If we determine that an other-than-temporary decline in the fair value exists for an equity or debt investment in a public or private company in which we have invested, we will have to write down the investment to its fair value and recognize the related write-down as an investment loss. The performance of any of these investments could result in significant impairment charges and gains (losses) on investments. We must also analyze accounting and legal issues when making these investments. If we do not structure these investments properly, we may be subject to certain adverse accounting issues, such as potential consolidation of financial results.

Previous wording

We rely upon third parties for technology that is critical to our products, and if we are unable to continue to use this technology and future technology, our ability to develop, sell, maintain and support technologically innovative products would be limited.

Current wording

We rely upon third parties for certain technology that is critical to our products, and if we are unable to continue to use this technology and future technology, our ability to develop, sell, maintain and support technologically innovative products would be limited.

Previous wording

Product security vulnerabilities, system security risks, data protection breaches, cyber-attacks, improper use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools, and other threats and risks, could disrupt or otherwise compromise our products, services, internal operations or information technology systems, or those of third parties with whom we work. Actual or perceived non-compliance with our privacy and security obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions, litigation, fines and penalties, business operation disruption, reputational harm, loss of revenue or profits, loss of customers or sales, and other adverse business consequences.

Current wording

Product security vulnerabilities, system security risks, data breaches, cyber-attacks, improper use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools, and other threats and risks, could disrupt or otherwise compromise our products, services, internal operations or information technology systems, or those of third parties with whom we work. Actual or perceived non-compliance with our privacy and security obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions, litigation, fines and penalties, business operation disruption, reputational harm, loss of revenue or profits, loss of customers or sales, and other adverse business consequences.

Previous wording

We and the third parties with whom we work process personal data and other sensitive information, and we disclose certain such sensitive information to relevant third parties as reasonably necessary to operate our business while maintaining measures designed to protect such information. Among other products and services, we offer comprehensive online cloud management services paired with a number of our products. Our products and services could be compromised due to a variety of evolving threats and security vulnerabilities. We have in the past experienced, and expect to continue to be the target of, cyber attacks (including by highly sophisticated nation-state actors) or other sources of compromise, and given the increasingly sophisticated and evolving threat landscape, we could experience a cyber incident that would materially affect our business operations. We devote considerable time and resources to uncovering and remedying these threats and vulnerabilities, using both internal and external resources, but the threats to network and data security are increasingly diverse and sophisticated and we continue to implement additional protections and increase our monitoring and threat intelligence. Despite our efforts and processes to prevent breaches, our systems and products are vulnerable to cybersecurity risks, including cyber-attacks such as viruses and worms, vulnerabilities such as command injection, cross site scripting, credential stuffing attacks, authentication and session management, and stack-based buffer overflow, social-engineering attacks (including through deep fakes, which may be increasingly difficult to identify as fake and phishing attacks), supply-chain attacks, malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), and other sophisticated attacks or exploits. These threats can come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through error or malfeasance), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors. Additionally, our systems and products may be disrupted for reasons other than a cyberattack, such as software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, telecommunications failures, earthquakes, fires, and floods. It is also possible that an attacker could compromise our internal code repository or those of our partners and insert a ‘backdoor’ that would give them easy access to any of our devices using this code. Severe ransomware attacks are also becoming increasingly prevalent and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations, ability to provide our products or services, loss of sensitive data and income, reputational harm, and diversion of funds. Further, most of our major offices worldwide operate under a hybrid work model, allowing personnel the flexibility to work from home and at the workplace. …

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Current wording

We and the third parties with whom we work process personal data and other sensitive information, and we disclose certain such sensitive information to relevant third parties as reasonably necessary to operate our business while maintaining measures designed to protect such information. Among other products and services, we offer comprehensive online cloud management services paired with a number of our products. Our products and services could be compromised due to a variety of evolving threats and security vulnerabilities. We have in the past experienced, and expect to continue to be the target of, cyber attacks (including by highly sophisticated nation-state actors) or other sources of compromise, and given the increasingly sophisticated and evolving threat landscape, we could experience a cyber incident that would materially affect our business operations. We devote considerable time and resources to uncovering and remedying these threats and vulnerabilities, using both internal and external resources, but the threats to network and data security are increasingly diverse and sophisticated and we continue to implement additional protections and increase our monitoring and threat intelligence. Despite our efforts and processes to prevent breaches, our systems and products are vulnerable to cybersecurity risks, including cyber-attacks such as viruses and worms, vulnerabilities such as command injection, cross site scripting, credential stuffing attacks, authentication and session management, and stack-based buffer overflow, social-engineering attacks (including through deep fakes, which may be increasingly difficult to identify as fake and phishing attacks), supply-chain attacks, malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), and other sophisticated attacks or exploits. These threats can come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through error or malfeasance), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors. Additionally, our systems and products may be disrupted for reasons other than a cyberattack, such as software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, telecommunications failures, earthquakes, fires, and floods. Threat actors may also gain access to other networks and systems after a compromise of our networks and systems. For example, threat actors may use an initial compromise of one part of our environment to gain access to other parts of our environment, or leverage a compromise of our networks or systems to gain access to the networks or systems of third parties with whom we work, such as through phishing or supply chain attacks. It is also possible that an attacker could compromise our internal code repository or those of our partners and insert a ‘backdoor’ that would give them easy access to any of our …

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Previous wording

We have not in the past and may not in the future be able to discover and protect against these threats and vulnerabilities, and our inability to remedy compromises of our products, services or data in a timely manner, or at all, may impact our brand and reputation and otherwise harm our business. For example, with respect to our making available patches or information for vulnerabilities in our products or services, our customers may be unwilling or unable to deploy such patches and use such information effectively and in a timely manner. In the past, we have experienced attempted exploitation of such vulnerabilities and anticipate continuing to experience similar attempts in the future. Such attacks against and other compromises of us, our customers or third parties with whom we work could lead to material interruptions, delays or loss of data, unauthorized access to data, and loss of consumer confidence. Successful attacks or actual compromises could materially adversely affect our business, be expensive to remedy, damage our reputation, result in negative publicity, adversely affect our brand, decrease demand for our products and services, and otherwise materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Applicable data privacy and security obligations may require us, or we may voluntarily choose to, notify relevant stakeholders, including affected individuals, customers, regulators, investors and others of security breaches. Such disclosures and related actions can be costly and the disclosure or the failure to comply with such applicable requirements could lead to adverse consequences. Further, under certain circumstances, we may need to prioritize fixing vulnerabilities or responding to security breaches over new product development, which may impact our revenues and adversely affect our business.

Current wording

We have not in the past and may not in the future successfully discover, get ahead of and/or protect against these threats and vulnerabilities, and if unable to remedy compromises of our products, services or data in a timely manner, or at all, it may impact our brand and reputation and otherwise harm our business. For example, with respect to our making available patches or information for vulnerabilities in our products or services, our customers may be unwilling or unable to deploy such patches and use such information effectively and in a timely manner. In the past, we have experienced attempted exploitation of such vulnerabilities and anticipate continuing to experience similar attempts in the future. Such attacks against and other compromises of us, our customers or third parties with whom we work could lead to material interruptions, delays or loss of data, unauthorized access to data, and loss of consumer confidence. Successful attacks or compromises of us, our customers or third parties with whom we work could materially adversely affect our business, be expensive to remedy, damage our reputation, result in negative publicity, adversely affect our brand, decrease demand for our products and services, and otherwise materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Applicable data privacy and security obligations may require us, or we may voluntarily choose to, notify relevant stakeholders, including affected individuals, customers, regulators, investors and others of security breaches. Such disclosures and related actions can be costly and the disclosure or the failure to comply with such applicable requirements could lead to adverse consequences. Further, under certain circumstances, we may need to prioritize fixing vulnerabilities or responding to security breaches over new product development, which may impact our revenues and adversely affect our business.

Previous wording

With respect to certain of our products and services, we employ a shared responsibility model where our customers are responsible for using, configuring and otherwise implementing security measures related to our products and services in a manner that addresses their information security risks. As part of this shared responsibility security model, we make certain security features available to our customers that can be implemented at our customers’ discretion or identify security areas or measures for which our customers are responsible. For example, customers may choose not to enable two-factor authentication for their NETGEAR account (which would likely increase the risk of compromise) or they could choose to disable automatic updates (which would likely delay or prevent entirely, important security updates). In certain cases, where our customers choose not to implement or incorrectly implement those features or measures, misuse our products or services, or otherwise experience their own vulnerabilities or other compromises, even if we are not the cause of a resulting customer security issue or incident, our customer relationships, reputation and revenue could be adversely impacted. If our products or services are compromised, a significant number or, in some instances, all of our customers and their data could be simultaneously affected. The potential liability and associated consequences we could suffer as a result of such a large-scale event could result in irreparable harm.

Current wording

With respect to certain of our products and services, we employ a shared responsibility model where our customers are responsible for using, configuring and otherwise implementing security measures related to our products and services in a manner that addresses their information security risks. As part of this shared responsibility security model, we make certain security features available to our customers that can be implemented at our customers’ discretion or identify security areas or measures for which our customers are responsible. For example, customers may choose not to enable two-factor authentication for their NETGEAR account (which would likely increase the risk of compromise) or they could choose to disable automatic updates (which would likely delay or prevent entirely, important security updates). In certain cases, where our customers choose not to implement or incorrectly implement such or similar features or measures, misuse our products or services, continue to use deprecated NETGEAR equipment no longer receiving security updates or otherwise experience their own vulnerabilities or other compromises, even if we are not the cause of a resulting customer security issue or incident, our customer relationships, reputation and revenue could be adversely impacted. If our products or services are compromised, a significant number or, in some instances, all of our customers could be simultaneously affected. The potential liability and associated consequences we could suffer as a result of such a large-scale event could result in irreparable harm.

Previous wording

Maintaining the security of our information systems, communication systems and data is a critical issue for us and our customers. Malicious actors may develop and deploy malware that is designed to manipulate our products and systems, including our internal network, or those of our vendors or customers. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce our personnel to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our information systems, our data or our customers’ data. We have established a crisis management plan, business continuity program, information security incident response plan and Generative AI policy. While we test and update these plans, policies and programs, there can be no assurance that the plans, policies and programs can withstand an actual or serious disruption in our business, including a data protection breach or cyber-attack. While we have established infrastructure and geographic redundancy for our critical systems, our ability to utilize these redundant systems requires further testing and we cannot be assured that such systems are fully functional. For example, much of our order fulfillment process is automated and the order information is stored on our servers. A significant business interruption could result in losses or damages and harm our business. If our information systems become unavailable, our ability to recognize revenue may be delayed until we are able to utilize back-up systems and continue to process and ship our orders, which could cause our stock price to decline significantly.

Current wording

Maintaining the security of our information systems, communication systems and data is a critical issue for us and our customers. Malicious actors may develop and deploy malware that is designed to manipulate our products and systems, including our internal network, or those of our vendors or customers. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce our personnel to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our information systems, our data or our customers’ data. We have established a crisis management plan, business continuity program, information security incident response plan and Generative AI policy. While we test and update these plans, policies and programs, there can be no assurance that the plans, policies and programs can withstand an actual or serious disruption in our business, including a data protection breach or cyber-attack. For example, much of our order fulfillment process is automated and the order information is stored on our servers. A significant business interruption could result in losses or damages and harm our business. If our information systems become unavailable, our ability to recognize revenue may be delayed until we are able to utilize back-up systems and continue to process and ship our orders, which could cause our stock price to decline significantly.

Previous wording

We devote considerable internal and external resources to network security, data encryption and other security measures to protect our information systems and customer data, but our efforts cannot provide an absolute guarantee of security. In addition, U.S. and foreign regulators have increased their focus on cybersecurity (including imposing specific security measures related to the products and services we sell) and data protection and many states, countries and jurisdictions have laws and regulations that may impose significant penalties and fines for failure to comply with these requirements. Compliance with laws, regulations, industry standards, contracts, policies and other obligations concerning artificial intelligence, privacy, cybersecurity, data governance and data protection is a rigorous and time-intensive process, that continuously evolves and develops, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with such obligations and incur substantial expenditures. Many of these laws are new, in the nascent stages of applicability, untested in terms of scope by applicable courts, regulators and/or administrative bodies, and technically complex. As such, their interpretation remains inherently uncertain. If we fail to properly interpret or otherwise comply with any such obligations, we may face significant fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, obligations (including laws and regulations) are not consistent and compliance remains costly.

Current wording

We devote considerable internal and external resources to network security, data encryption and other security measures to protect our information systems and data (including customer data), but our efforts cannot provide an absolute guarantee of security. In addition, U.S. and foreign regulators have increased their focus on cybersecurity (including imposing specific security measures related to the products and services we sell) and data protection and many states, countries and other jurisdictions have laws and regulations that may impose significant penalties and fines for failure to comply with these requirements. Compliance with laws, regulations, industry standards, contracts, policies and other obligations concerning artificial intelligence, privacy, cybersecurity, data governance and data protection is a rigorous and time-intensive process, that continuously evolves and develops, and we have in the past and may in the future be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with such obligations and incur substantial expenditures. Many of these laws are new, in the nascent stages of applicability, untested in terms of scope by applicable courts, regulators and/or administrative bodies, and technically complex. As such, their interpretation remains inherently uncertain. If we fail to properly interpret or otherwise comply with any such obligations, we may face significant fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, obligations (including laws and regulations) are not consistent (and may not be interpreted in a consistent manner) and compliance remains costly.

Previous wording

Actual and potential breaches of our security measures as well as the loss, disclosure or dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our personnel or our customers, including the potential loss or disclosure of such information or data as a result of improper use of AI tools, personnel error or other personnel actions, hacking, fraud, social engineering or other forms of deception, could expose us, our customers or the individuals affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and potential liability for us, subject us to significant governmental fines and penalties (as well as other enforcement and remediation actions), damage our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business. Security incidents and attendant material consequences may prevent or cause customers to stop using our products and services, deter new customers from using our products and services, and otherwise negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business. In particular, because our product and service offerings involve protecting the information or systems of our customers, a security incident could heighten the impact of these material adverse consequences because of the nature of our business and our customers’ expectations. It may be difficult and/or costly to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain and remediate security breaches and our efforts to do so may not be successful. Actions taken by us or third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain and remediate a security breach could result in outages, data losses, disruptions to our business and otherwise harm our business. Unauthorized parties may also gain access to other networks, systems and products after a compromise of our networks, systems, and products. For example, threat actors (including those sponsored by nation states) have, in the past, attacked or otherwise sought to compromise our products and other hardware nearing end of life and/or running on outdated firmware without the latest security updates.

Current wording

Actual and potential breaches of our security measures as well as the loss, disclosure, dissemination or other compromise of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our personnel or our customers, including the potential loss or disclosure of such information or data as a result of improper use of AI tools, personnel error or other personnel actions, hacking, fraud, social engineering or other forms of deception, could expose us, our customers or the individuals affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and potential liability for us, subject us to significant governmental fines and penalties (as well as other enforcement and remediation actions), damage our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business. Security incidents and attendant material consequences may prevent or cause customers to stop using our products and services, deter new customers from using our products and services, and otherwise negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business. In particular, because our product and service offerings involve protecting the information or systems of our customers, a security incident could heighten the impact of these material adverse consequences because of the nature of our business and our customers’ expectations. It may be difficult and/or costly to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain and remediate security breaches and our efforts to do so may not be successful. Actions taken by us or third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain and remediate a security breach could result in outages, data losses, disruptions to our business and otherwise harm our business. Unauthorized parties may also gain access to other networks, systems and products after a compromise of our networks, systems, and products. For example, threat actors (including those sponsored by nation states) have, in the past, attacked or otherwise sought to compromise our products and other hardware nearing end of life and/or running on outdated firmware without the latest security updates.

Previous wording

In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have enacted numerous data privacy and security laws, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, consumer protection laws and other similar laws (such as wiretapping laws). Certain US states have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy laws that impose significant and costly obligations on covered businesses. Outside the United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations and industry standards govern data privacy and security. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”) and the United Kingdom’s GDPR (“UK GDPR”) (collectively, “GDPR”), Australia’s Privacy Act, and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) (as well as various related provincial laws) impose strict requirements for processing personal data. For example, under the GDPR, companies may face temporary or definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions; fines of up to 20 million Euros under the EU GDPR, 17.5 million pounds sterling under the UK GDPR or, in each case, 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater; or private litigation related to processing of personal data brought by classes of data subjects or consumer protection organizations authorized at law to represent their interests. In Europe, the Network and Information Security Directive (“NIS2”) regulates resilience and incident response capabilities of entities operating in a number of sectors. Non-compliance with NIS2 may lead up to administrative fines of a maximum of 10 million Euros or up to 2% of the total worldwide revenue of the preceding fiscal year.

Current wording

In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have enacted numerous data privacy and security laws, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, consumer protection laws and other similar laws (such as wiretapping laws). Certain US states have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy laws that impose significant and costly obligations on covered businesses, including providing specific disclosures in privacy notices and affording residents with certain rights concerning their personal data. As applicable, such rights may include the right to access, correct, or delete certain personal data, and to opt-out of certain data processing activities, such as targeted advertising, profiling, and automated decision-making. The exercise of these rights may impact our business and ability to provide our products and services. Certain states also impose stricter requirements for processing certain personal data, including sensitive information, such as conducting data privacy impact assessments. These state laws allow for statutory fines for noncompliance. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) applies to personal data of consumers, business representatives, and employees who are California residents, and requires businesses subject to the law to provide specific disclosures in privacy notices and respond to requests of such individuals to exercise certain privacy rights. The CCPA provides for fines and allows private litigants affected by certain data breaches to recover significant statutory damages. Outside the United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations and industry standards govern data privacy and security. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”) and the United Kingdom’s GDPR (“UK GDPR”) (collectively, “GDPR”), Australia’s Privacy Act, and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) (as well as various related provincial laws) impose strict requirements for processing personal data. For example, under the GDPR, companies may face temporary or definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions; fines of up to 20 million Euros under the EU GDPR, 17.5 million pounds sterling under the UK GDPR or, in each case, 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater; or private litigation related to processing of personal data brought by classes of data subjects or consumer protection organizations authorized at law to represent their interests. In Europe, the Network and Information Security Directive (“NIS2”) regulates resilience and incident response capabilities of entities operating in a number of sectors. Non-compliance with NIS2 may lead up to administrative fines of a maximum of 10 million Euros or up to 2% of the total worldwide revenue of the preceding fiscal year.

Previous wording

In the ordinary course of business, we transfer personal data from Europe and other jurisdictions to the United States and other countries. Europe and other jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal data to other countries. These data localization and cross-border data transfer laws could lead to adverse consequences such as interruption of our operations, increased exposure to regulatory actions, and difficulty transferring data to partners, vendors and other third parties with whom we work.

Current wording

In the ordinary course of business, we transfer personal data from Europe and other jurisdictions to the United States and other countries. Europe and other jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal data to other countries. These data localization and cross-border data transfer laws have led to additional compliance efforts and non-compliance with such obligations could lead to adverse consequences such as interruption of our operations, increased exposure to regulatory actions, and difficulty transferring data to partners, vendors and other third parties with whom we work.

Previous wording

We are currently involved in numerous litigation matters in the ordinary course and may in the future become involved in additional litigation, including litigation regarding intellectual property rights, consumer class actions and securities class actions, any of which could be costly and subject us to significant liability.

Current wording

We are currently involved in several litigation matters in the ordinary course and may in the future become involved in additional litigation which could be costly and subject us to significant liability.

Previous wording

The networking industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and related litigation regarding infringement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights. In particular, leading companies in the data communications markets, some of which are our competitors, have extensive patent portfolios with respect to networking technology. From time to time, third parties, including these leading companies, have asserted and may continue to assert exclusive patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights against us demanding license or royalty payments or seeking payment for damages, injunctive relief and other available legal remedies through litigation. These also include third-party non-practicing entities who claim to own patents or other intellectual property that cover industry standards that our products comply with. If we are unable to resolve these matters or obtain licenses on acceptable or commercially reasonable terms, we could be sued or we may be forced to initiate litigation to protect our rights. The cost of any necessary licenses or cost to defend litigation could significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition. We may also choose to join defensive patent aggregation services in order to prevent or settle litigation and avoid the associated significant costs and uncertainties of litigation. These patent aggregation services may obtain, or have previously obtained, licenses for the alleged patent infringement claims against us and other patent assets that could be used offensively against us. The costs of such defensive patent aggregation services, while potentially lower than the costs of litigation, may be significant as well. At any time, any of these non-practicing entities, or any other third-party could initiate litigation against us, or we may be forced to initiate litigation against them, which could divert management attention, be costly to defend or prosecute, prevent us from using or selling the challenged technology, require us to design around the challenged technology and cause the price of our stock to decline. For example, in the past, various third parties have initiated litigation against us in Europe, China and the United States that carried the threat of an injunction on the importation of our products into certain European territories, the United States and China, as well as a significant increase in time and resources to defend against. In addition, third parties, some of whom are potential competitors, have initiated and may continue to initiate litigation against us, our manufacturers, suppliers, members of our sales channels or our service provider customers or even end user customers, alleging infringement of their proprietary rights with respect to existing or future products. In the event successful claims of infringement are brought by third parties, and we are unable to obtain licenses or independently …

Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.

Current wording

The networking industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and related litigation regarding infringement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights. In particular, leading companies in the data communications markets, some of which are our competitors, have extensive patent portfolios with respect to networking technology. From time to time, third parties, including these leading companies, have asserted and may continue to assert exclusive patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights against us demanding license or royalty payments or seeking payment for damages, injunctive relief and other available legal remedies through litigation. These also include third-party non-practicing entities who claim to own patents or other intellectual property that cover industry standards that our products comply with. If we are unable to resolve these matters or obtain licenses on acceptable or commercially reasonable terms, we could be sued or we may be forced to initiate litigation to protect our rights. The cost of any necessary licenses or cost to defend litigation could significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition. We may also choose to join defensive patent aggregation services in order to prevent or settle litigation and avoid the associated significant costs and uncertainties of litigation. These patent aggregation services may obtain, or have previously obtained, licenses for the alleged patent infringement claims against us and other patent assets that could be used offensively against us. The costs of such defensive patent aggregation services, while potentially lower than the costs of litigation, may be significant as well. At any time, any of these non-practicing entities, or any other third-party could initiate litigation against us, or we may be forced to initiate litigation against them, which could divert management attention, be costly to defend or prosecute, prevent us from using or selling the challenged technology, require us to design around the challenged technology and cause the price of our stock to decline. For example, in the past, various third parties have initiated litigation against us in Europe, China and the United States that carried the threat of an injunction on the importation of our products into certain territories, as well as a significant increase in time and resources to defend against. In addition, third parties, some of whom are potential competitors, have initiated and may continue to initiate litigation against us, our manufacturers, suppliers, members of our sales channels or our service provider customers or even end user customers, alleging infringement of their proprietary rights with respect to existing or future products. In the event successful claims of infringement are brought by third parties, and we are unable to obtain licenses or independently develop alternative technology on a ti…

Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.

Previous wording

Changes in tax laws or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could affect our future profitability.

Current wording

Changes in applicable direct or indirect tax laws, and failure to comply with the same, or exposure to additional income tax liabilities, could result in liability and/or affect our future profitability.

Previous wording

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate has fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future. Future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the composition of earnings in countries with differing tax rates, changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws. Foreign jurisdictions have increased the volume of tax audits of multinational corporations. Further, many countries continue to consider changes in their tax laws by implementing new taxes such as the digital service tax and initiatives such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Pillar II global minimum tax. More than 140 countries agreed to enact the Pillar II global minimum tax. While the OECD issued a framework model, each country will enact its own laws to incorporate Pillar II. While Pillar II is a global model, the country by country enactment of different laws to incorporate the framework is complex and there is uncertainty as to how the enactment of these laws will impact the Company. These changes could increase our total tax burden in the future. In addition, the acceleration of employee mobility as a result of the pandemic potentially increases the jurisdictional tax risk of our workforce. Changes in tax laws could affect the distribution of our earnings, result in double taxation and adversely affect our results.

Current wording

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate has fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future. Future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the composition of earnings in countries with differing tax rates, changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws. Foreign jurisdictions have increased the volume of tax audits of multinational corporations. Further, many countries continue to consider changes in their tax laws by implementing new taxes such as the digital service tax and initiatives such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Pillar II global minimum tax. More than 140 countries agreed to enact the Pillar II global minimum tax. While the OECD issued a framework model, many countries have enacted their own laws to incorporate Pillar II while certain countries, most notably the United States have not incorporated Pillar II into law. While Pillar II is a global model, the country by country enactment of different laws to incorporate the framework is complex and there is uncertainty as to how the enactment of these laws will impact the Company. These changes could increase our total tax burden in the future. In addition, the acceleration of employee mobility as a result of the pandemic potentially increases the jurisdictional tax risk of our workforce. Changes in tax laws could affect the distribution of our earnings, result in double taxation and adversely affect our results.

Previous wording

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 included provisions effective for the 2022 tax year that eliminate the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and requires taxpayers to amortize such expenditures over five years for domestic payments and 15 years for payments to foreign parties. These provisions have not been deferred, modified, or repealed by Congress as was previously anticipated might occur. In years where we are profitable, these provisions have a material impact on our cash taxes which will continue in the future if these provisions are not modified, or repealed by Congress.

Current wording

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 included provisions effective for the 2022 tax year that eliminate the option to deduct research and development (R&D) expenditures immediately in the year incurred and required taxpayers to amortize such expenditures over five years for domestic payments and 15 years for payments to foreign parties. These provisions were recently modified under The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OB3A”) which was enacted into law on July 4, 2025. Under OB3A U.S. domestic R&D expenses are retroactively deductible as of January 1, 2025. Under prior law, in years where we are profitable, these provisions had a material impact on our cash taxes. While changes to the treatment of domestic R&D expenses is favorable, there is continuing risk that foreign R&D expenses that are still required to be capitalized could have adverse consequences on both cash taxes and tax expense since the company has a full valuation allowance on its US deferred tax assets.

Previous wording

We have been audited by the Italy Tax Authority (“ITA”) for the 2004 through 2012 tax years. The ITA examination included an audit of income, gross receipts and value-added taxes. We have been in litigation with the ITA for the 2004 through 2012 years. This litigation was appealed by the ITA to the Italian Supreme Court. Our hearing on all years at the Italian Supreme Court was held on March 6, 2024. Decisions were issued in the Company’s favor for the 2006 through 2012 tax years. Decisions on the 2004 through 2006 tax years were reverted back to the lower court for re-hearing. If we are unsuccessful in defending our tax positions for the remaining years, our profitability will be reduced.

Current wording

We have been audited by the Italy Tax Authority (“ITA”) for the 2004 through 2012 tax years. The ITA examination included an audit of income, gross receipts and value-added taxes. We have been in litigation with the ITA for the 2004 through 2012 years. This litigation was appealed by the ITA to the Italian Supreme Court. Our hearing on all years at the Italian Supreme Court was held on March 6, 2024. Decisions were issued in the Company’s favor for the 2007 through 2012 tax years. In Q4 2025, the Italian Tax Court upheld the Company’s appeal with respect to the 2004 through 2006 tax years and annulled the related ITA tax assessments. The ITA retains the right to appeal this decision to the Italian Supreme Court and, accordingly, the 2004 through 2006 tax years remain subject to ongoing litigation. If we are unsuccessful in defending our tax positions for the remaining years, our profitability will be reduced.

Previous wording

We are also subject to examination by other tax authorities, including state revenue agencies and other foreign governments. While we regularly assess the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable outcomes resulting from examinations by the IRS and other tax authorities to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes, there can be no assurance that the actual outcome resulting from these examinations will not materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. Additionally, the IRS and several foreign tax authorities have increasingly focused attention on intercompany transfer pricing with respect to sales of products and services and the use of intangibles. Tax authorities could disagree with our intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing or other matters and assess additional taxes. If we do not prevail in any such disagreements, our profitability may be affected.

Current wording

We are also subject to examination by other tax authorities, including state revenue agencies and other foreign governments. While we regularly assess the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable outcomes resulting from examinations by the IRS and other tax authorities to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes, there can be no assurance that the actual outcome resulting from these examinations will not materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. Additionally, the IRS and several foreign tax authorities have increasingly focused attention on intercompany transfer pricing with respect to sales of products and services and the use of intangible assets. Tax authorities could disagree with our intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing or other matters and assess additional taxes. If we do not prevail in any such disagreements, our profitability may be affected.

Previous wording

Historically the computation of our tax provision assumes that we will have sufficient profitability in the respective jurisdictions to continue to record deferred tax assets without a valuation allowance. As of the period ended October 1, 2023, we determined that it was no longer more likely than not that we would have sufficient profitability to realize the U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets. Accordingly, we recorded a full valuation allowance to impair U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets. Future benefit of these deferred tax assets will be realized in the period they are utilized.

Current wording

Historically the computation of our tax provision assumes that we will have sufficient profitability in the respective jurisdictions to continue to record deferred tax assets without a valuation allowance. As of the period ended October 1, 2023, we determined that it was no longer more likely than not that we would have sufficient profitability to realize the U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets. Accordingly, we recorded a full valuation allowance to impair U.S.