Workday, Inc.
For the period ended Jan 31, 2026. Filed Mar 6, 2026.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2026 · Filed Mar 6, 2026
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-K
Period ended 2025-01-31; filed 2025-03-11.
0001327811-25-000056
Item 1A. Risk FactorsCurrent report: 10-K
Period ended 2026-01-31; filed 2026-03-06.
0001327811-26-000014
Item 1A. Risk FactorsThe baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.
Compared 235 previous paragraphs and 232 current paragraphs.
150 unchanged; 72 reworded; 8 added; 11 removed; 2 previous and 2 current paragraphs rearranged.
Tables are not compared: 0 previous and 0 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.
A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.
Added paragraphs (8)
Current report
•the technical, legal, and regulatory environment in connection with our use of new and evolving technologies in our offerings, such as AI;
Current report
•increased travel, real estate, infrastructure, and legal and regulatory compliance costs associated with international operations;
Current report
•the impact on stockholder dilution and our operating results from the additional stock-based compensation issued in connection with the acquisition;
Current report
Additionally, a final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Justice establishing a “Data Security Program” came into effect on April 8, 2025. The rule prohibits or restricts certain transactions that could result in access to bulk U.S. sensitive personal data or U.S. government-related data by countries of concern, including China (which includes Hong Kong and Macau). The rule imposes certain diligence, security, audit and record-keeping requirements, and may adversely impact certain of our global business operations, including by restricting or conditioning certain data access or transfers involving subsidiaries, affiliates, and vendors.
Current report
In addition, as AI technologies are increasingly used across the industry, including in connection with data analytics, automation, customer service, and decision-support features, the speed, scale, and complexity of data processing may increase, which may heighten data privacy risks. AI-enabled or agentic AI features may be targeted, misused, or produce outputs or inferences that implicate personal data in ways that are difficult to anticipate or control, potentially resulting in regulatory scrutiny, litigation, or reputational harm, even in the absence of a data breach.
Current report
Beyond licensing compliance, our use of and investment in open source AI models and platforms create distinct and significant risks. Open source AI models may be trained on data of unknown or uncertain provenance, which could include copyrighted or otherwise proprietary, confidential, or private information. If our applications or the agents our customers build using our platforms incorporate such models, we could face claims for copyright infringement and other violations. Open source AI components may also be subject to “data poisoning” and other security vulnerabilities. Many of the risks associated with usage of open source software, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of AI, cannot be eliminated and could negatively affect our business.
Current report
Our contracts with federal, state, local, and foreign government entities are subject to various procurement regulations and other requirements relating to their formation, award, administration, and performance, which present certain risks and challenges not present in private commercial agreements. These risks and challenges include varying governmental budgeting processes and appropriations, contracting policies and requirements, changes in governmental administrations and policies, fluctuations due to government spending cuts and shutdowns, pressure to reduce deficits through spending reductions, highly competitive and lengthy bidding processes, and adherence to complex regulatory requirements and executive orders, and may impact government spending or result in termination of government contracts or delays in contract awards, which could adversely affect our business and operating results. Further, we have experienced and may in the future experience challenges by third parties to contracts awarded with government entities, and our contracting with certain government entities may result in negative publicity or reputational harm.
Current report
•actions instituted by activist shareholders or others, and our response to such actions;
Removed paragraphs (11)
Previous report
In February 2025, we announced the Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan, which is intended to prioritize our investments and advance our growth and is currently expected to result in the reduction of approximately 8% of our workforce. We expect this plan to be substantially complete by the second quarter of fiscal 2026, subject to local law and consultation requirements. The Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan could negatively impact our ability to attract, retain, and motivate employees.
Previous report
Our ability to achieve any ESG objective is subject to numerous risks, many of which are outside of our control. Examples of such risks include:
Previous report
•the availability and cost of low- or non-carbon-based energy sources;
Previous report
•the evolving regulatory requirements affecting ESG standards or disclosures;
Previous report
•the ability of suppliers to meet our sustainability and other ESG standards;
Previous report
•our ability to recruit, develop, and retain diverse talent in our global labor markets;
Previous report
•the availability and cost of high-quality verified emissions reductions and renewable energy credits; and
Previous report
•the ability to renew existing or execute on new virtual power purchase agreements.
Previous report
Standards for tracking and reporting ESG matters continue to evolve. In addition, our processes and controls may not always comply with evolving standards for identifying, measuring, and reporting ESG metrics, including ESG-related disclosures that may be required of public companies by the SEC or other regulatory bodies, and such standards may change over time, which could result in significant revisions to our current goals, reported progress in achieving such goals, or ability to achieve such goals in the future. It is likely that increasing regulatory requirements and regulatory scrutiny related to ESG matters will continue to expand globally and result in higher associated compliance costs. Further, we may rely on data and calculations provided by third parties to measure and report our ESG metrics and if the data input or calculations are incorrect or incomplete, our brand, reputation, and financial performance may be adversely affected.
Previous report
We have a history of cumulative losses, and we may not sustain profitability on a GAAP basis in the future.
Previous report
Until recently, we had incurred significant net losses on a GAAP basis since our inception in 2005 and our quarterly operating results may fluctuate in the future. We expect our operating expenses to increase in the future due to substantial investments we have made and continue to make to acquire new customers and develop our applications, anticipated increases in sales and marketing expenses, product development expenses, operations costs, and general and administrative costs. If our revenue growth does not meet estimates, we may not be able to adjust our spending quickly enough to avoid an adverse impact on our financial results, and therefore we may incur losses on a GAAP basis in the future. Furthermore, to the extent we are successful in increasing our customer base, we may incur net losses in the acquisition period because some costs associated with acquiring customers are incurred up front, while subscription services revenues are generally recognized ratably over the terms of the agreements, which are typically three years or longer. You should not consider any prior period GAAP-profitability and growth in revenues as indicative of our future performance. We cannot ensure that we will continue to achieve or sustain GAAP profitability in the future.
Reworded paragraphs (72)
Previous wording
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this report, including the consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that materially and adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business operations, financial condition, operating results, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. The market price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of these or any other risks, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Current wording
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this report, including the consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties described below reflect our beliefs and opinions as to the factors and events that could materially and adversely affect our business or the market price of our securities in the future. References to past events are provided by way of example only and are not intended to be a complete listing or a representation as to whether or not any of the risks, events, or uncertainties described below have occurred in the past. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that materially and adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business operations, financial condition, operating results, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. The market price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of these or any other risks, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Previous wording
•any slowdown or failure of our technical operations infrastructure, including our data centers and computing infrastructure operated by third parties, or the impact of service outages or delays in the deployment of our applications, or the failure of our applications to perform properly;
Current wording
•any slowdown or failure of our technical operations infrastructure, including data centers operated by third parties, or the impact of service outages or delays in the deployment of our applications, or the failure of our applications to perform properly;
Previous wording
•our ability to compete effectively in the intensely competitive markets in which we participate;
Current wording
•our ability to compete effectively in the intensely competitive markets in which we participate, including against non-specialist AI-native solutions;
Previous wording
•our ability to realize a return on our current development efforts or offer new features, enhancements, and modifications to our products and services, and our ability to realize a return on the investments we have made toward entering new markets and new lines of business;
Current wording
•our ability to realize a return on our current development efforts or offer new features, such as those involving AI, enhancements, and modifications to our products and services, and our ability to realize a return on the investments we have made toward entering new markets and new lines of business;
Previous wording
•exposure to risks inherent to sales to customers outside the United States or with international operations;
Current wording
•exposure to risks inherent to international expansion and sales to customers outside the U.S. or with international operations;
Previous wording
We have experienced significant growth in the number of users, transactions, and data that our operations infrastructure supports. If we do not accurately predict our infrastructure requirements or fail to adapt and scale, we may experience service outages or delays, or significant increases in operating costs, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.
Current wording
We have experienced significant growth in the number of users, transactions, and data that our operations infrastructure supports. If we do not accurately predict our infrastructure requirements or fail to adapt and scale, we may see an increase in service outages or delays, or significant increases in operating costs, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.
Previous wording
We have experienced, and may in the future experience, defects, system disruptions, outages, and other performance problems, including the failure of our applications to perform properly. These problems may be caused by a variety of factors, including infrastructure and software or code changes, vendor issues, software and system defects, human error, viruses, worms, security attacks (internal and external), fraud, spikes in customer usage, and denial of service issues. All of these issues may result in increased operational costs, delays in new feature rollouts, customer loss, reputational damage, and legal or regulatory liability, including liability under customer contracts.
Current wording
We have experienced, and may in the future experience, defects, system disruptions, outages, and other performance problems, including the failure of our applications to perform properly. These problems may be caused by a variety of factors, including infrastructure and software or code changes, vendor issues, software and system defects, human error, viruses, worms, security attacks (internal and external), fraud, spikes in customer usage, and denial of service issues. For example, in July 2025, we identified and subsequently remediated an issue impacting reporting from high-volume data sources in the tenants of certain customers that may have yielded incomplete queries without displaying an error message. In addition, we may also encounter difficulties integrating acquired technologies, which may result in the failure of our applications to perform properly. All of these issues may result in increased operational costs, delays in new feature rollouts, customer loss, reputational damage, and legal or regulatory liability, including liability under customer contracts.
Previous wording
We host our applications and serve our customers and users globally from data centers operated by third parties and rely upon third-party partners to operate certain aspects of our services. We control our applications and data, but we do not control the facilities, operations, and physical security of these locations. Disruption of or interference at these locations has and could in the future impact our operations and our business could be adversely impacted. For example, we have experienced disruptions at certain of our data centers in the U.S. due to high temperatures and power outages that resulted in a brief temporary outage of our services for a subset of our customers. These facilities may also be subject to cybersecurity breaches, capacity constraints, financial difficulties, break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and similar misconduct, natural catastrophic events, as well as local administrative actions, changes to legal or permitting requirements, and litigation to stop, limit, or delay operations, and our disaster recovery planning may not account for all eventualities.
Current wording
We host our applications and serve our customers and users globally from data centers operated by third parties and rely upon third-party vendors to operate certain aspects of our services. We control our applications and data, but we do not control the facilities, operations, and physical security of these locations. Disruption of or interference at these locations has and could in the future impact our operations and our business could be adversely impacted. For example, we have experienced disruptions at certain of our co-location data centers in the U.S. due to high temperatures and power outages that resulted in a brief temporary outage of our services for a subset of our customers. These facilities may also be subject to cybersecurity breaches, capacity constraints, financial difficulties, break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and similar misconduct, natural catastrophic events, as well as local administrative actions, changes to legal or permitting requirements, and litigation to stop, limit, or delay operations, and our disaster recovery planning may not account for all eventualities.
Previous wording
Any changes in third-party service levels at our hosted infrastructure providers, or any errors, defects, disruptions, or other performance problems with our applications or the infrastructure on which they run, including internet infrastructure, could adversely affect our reputation and may damage our customers’ or other users’ stored files or result in lengthy interruptions in our services. Interruptions in our services might adversely affect our reputation and operating results, cause us to issue refunds or service credits to customers, subject us to potential liabilities, result in contract terminations, or adversely affect our renewal rates.
Current wording
Any changes in service levels with our infrastructure providers, or any errors, defects, disruptions, or other performance problems with our applications or the infrastructure on which they run, including internet infrastructure, could adversely affect our reputation and may damage our customers’ or other users’ data or result in lengthy interruptions in our services. Interruptions in our services might adversely affect our reputation and operating results, cause us to issue refunds or service credits to customers, subject us to potential liabilities, result in contract terminations, or adversely affect our renewal rates.
Previous wording
The markets for enterprise cloud applications, including AI-powered solutions, are highly competitive, with relatively low barriers to entry for some applications or services. Some of our competitors are larger and have greater name recognition, significantly longer operating histories, access to larger customer bases, larger marketing budgets, and significantly greater resources to devote to the development, promotion, and sale of their products and services than we do. This may allow our competitors to respond more effectively than us to new or emerging technologies and changes in market conditions.
Current wording
The markets for enterprise cloud applications, including AI-powered solutions, are highly competitive, with relatively low barriers to entry for some applications or services. Some of our competitors are larger and have greater name recognition, significantly longer operating histories, access to larger customer bases, larger marketing budgets, and significantly greater resources to devote to the research, development, promotion, and sale of their products and services than we do. This may allow our competitors to respond more effectively than us to new or emerging technologies and changes in market conditions.
Previous wording
Our primary competitors are Oracle and SAP, well-established providers of financial management and HCM applications, which have long-standing relationships with customers and partners. Some customers may be hesitant to switch vendors or to adopt cloud applications such as ours and may prefer to maintain their existing relationships with competitors. We also face competition from other enterprise software vendors, from regional competitors that only operate in certain geographic markets, and from vendors of specific applications that address only one or a portion of our applications, some of which offer cloud-based or AI-powered solutions. These vendors include, without limitation: Anaplan, Inc., ADP, Coupa Software Inc., Dayforce, Inc., Infor, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and UKG Inc. In order to take advantage of customer demand for cloud and AI-powered applications, legacy vendors are expanding their cloud or AI-powered applications through acquisitions, strategic alliances, and organic development. In addition, other cloud or AI platform companies that provide services in different target markets or industries may develop applications or acquire companies that operate in our target markets or industries, and some potential customers may elect to develop their own internal applications. As the market matures and as existing and new market participants introduce new types of technologies, such as generative and agentic AI, and different approaches that enable organizations to address their HCM and financial needs, we expect this competition to intensify in the future.
Current wording
Our primary competitors are Oracle and SAP, well-established providers of financial management and HCM applications, which have long-standing relationships with customers and partners. Some customers may be hesitant to switch vendors or to adopt cloud applications such as ours and may prefer to maintain their existing relationships with competitors. We also face competition from other enterprise software vendors, from regional competitors that only operate in certain geographic markets, and from vendors of specific applications that address only one or a portion of our applications, some of which offer cloud-based or AI-powered solutions. These vendors include, without limitation: Anaplan, Inc., ADP, Coupa Software Inc., Dayforce, Inc., Microsoft, ServiceNow, Inc., and UKG Inc. We may also face greater competition from non-specialist solutions relying on generic large language models (“LLMs”), generative AI, and general-purpose agents to address a broad range of business needs. In order to take advantage of customer demand for cloud and AI-powered applications, legacy vendors are expanding their cloud or AI-powered applications through acquisitions, strategic alliances, and organic development. In addition, other cloud or AI platform companies that provide services in different target markets or industries may develop applications or acquire companies that operate in our target markets or industries, and some potential customers may elect to develop their own internal applications. As the market evolves and as existing and new market participants introduce new types of technologies, such as generative and agentic AI, and different approaches that enable organizations to address their HCM and financial needs, our ability to maintain market differentiation may affect our competitive position.
Previous wording
Furthermore, our current or potential competitors may be acquired by, or merge with, third parties with greater available resources and the ability to initiate or withstand substantial price competition. Our competitors may also establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their offerings or resources. Many of our competitors also have major distribution agreements with consultants, system integrators, and resellers and such partners may prefer to maintain their existing relationships with competitors. With the introduction of new technologies, such as generative AI, we expect competition to intensify in the future. If our competitors’ products, services, or technologies become more accepted than our products, if they are successful in bringing their products or services to market earlier than ours, or if their products or services are more technologically capable than ours, then our revenues could be adversely affected. In addition, our competitors may offer their products and services at a lower price, or may offer price concessions, delayed payment terms, financing terms, or other terms and conditions that are more enticing to potential customers. Due to the complex nature of implementing financial management solutions, the lifecycle of the contracts for such solutions tends to be long. Therefore, if we lose a current customer to a competitor or fail to secure a prospective customer for financials management solutions, there is a long duration before we will be able to approach that customer again with our sales efforts for such solutions. Pricing pressures and increased competition could result in reduced sales, reduced margins, losses, or a failure to maintain or improve our competitive market position, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Current wording
Furthermore, our current or potential competitors may be acquired by, or merge with, third parties with greater available resources and the ability to initiate or withstand substantial price competition. Our competitors may also establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their offerings, integrations, or resources. Many of our competitors also have major distribution agreements with consultants, system integrators, and resellers and such partners may prefer to maintain their existing relationships with competitors. With the introduction of new technologies, such as generative AI, we expect competition to intensify in the future. As we attempt to sell our products and solutions to potential and current customers, we must demonstrate that our products and solutions are superior to other solutions available to their organizations, including generic LLMs, software created using natural language prompts and generative AI (referred to as vibe coding) and other emerging technologies. If our competitors’ products, services, or technologies, including generative and agentic AI capabilities, become more accepted than our products, if their customer support efforts are preferred by customers, if they are successful in bringing their products or services to market earlier than ours, if they scale at a faster rate, or if their products or services are more technologically capable or resonate more with the market than ours, including having more or easier to use integrations for software solutions used and preferred by our customers, then our revenues could be adversely affected. In addition, our competitors may offer their products and services at a lower price, or may offer price concessions, delayed payment terms, financing terms, or other terms and conditions that are more enticing to potential customers. Due to the complex nature of implementing financial management solutions, the lifecycle of the contracts for such solutions tends to be long. Therefore, if we lose a current customer to a competitor or fail to secure a prospective customer for financial management solutions, there is a long duration before we will be able to approach that customer again with our sales efforts for such solutions. Pricing pressures and increased competition could result in reduced sales, reduced margins, losses, or a failure to maintain or improve our competitive market position, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Previous wording
Our success and future growth depend largely upon the continued services of our executive officers, other members of senior management, and other key employees. Effective February 1, 2024, the start of our fiscal 2025, in accordance with an established succession plan, Aneel Bhusri stepped down from his role as Co-CEO and assumed the role of Executive Chair, and Carl Eschenbach, formerly Co-CEO alongside Mr. Bhusri, assumed the role of sole CEO. We do not have employment agreements with our executive officers or other key employees that require them to continue to work for us for any specified period, and they could terminate their employment with us at any time. Key employee changes have the potential to disrupt our business, impact our ability to preserve our culture, negatively affect our ability to attract and retain talent, or otherwise have a serious adverse effect on our business and operating results.
Current wording
Our success and future growth depend largely upon the continued services of our executive officers, other members of senior management, and other key employees. We do not have employment agreements with our executive officers or other key employees that require them to continue to work for us for any specified period, and they could terminate their employment with us at any time. We have and may continue to execute our growth plan through strategic investments to attract and retain executive officers, senior management, or other key employees that may not be offset by increased performance or revenues. In February 2026, Aneel Bhusri, formerly Executive Chair, assumed the role of CEO and Carl Eschenbach ceased to serve as CEO. Key employee and executive leadership changes have the potential to disrupt our business, impact our ability to preserve our culture, negatively affect our ability to attract and retain talent, or otherwise have a serious adverse effect on our business and operating results.
Previous wording
To execute our growth plan, we must attract, enable, develop, and retain highly qualified talent. Our ability to compete and succeed in a highly competitive environment is directly correlated to our ability to recruit and retain highly skilled employees, especially in the areas of product development, cybersecurity, senior sales executives, and engineers with significant experience in designing and developing software and internet-related services, including in AI. The expansion of our sales infrastructure, both domestically and internationally, is necessary to grow our customer base and business. Our business may be adversely affected if our efforts to attract and enable new members of our direct sales force do not generate a corresponding increase in revenues. We have experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, significant competition in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications.
Current wording
To execute our growth plan, we must attract, enable, develop, and retain highly qualified talent. Our ability to compete and succeed in a highly competitive environment is directly correlated to our ability to recruit and retain highly skilled and experienced employees, especially in the areas of product development, cybersecurity, senior sales executives, and engineers with significant experience in designing and developing software and internet-related services, especially in AI and emerging technologies. The expansion of our sales infrastructure, both domestically and internationally, is necessary to grow our customer base and business. Our business may be adversely affected if our efforts to attract and enable new members of our direct sales force do not generate a corresponding increase in revenues. We have experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, significant competition in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications.
Previous wording
We must also continue to retain, develop, and motivate existing employees through our compensation practices, company culture, and career development opportunities. Further, our current and future office environments and our current hybrid work policy may not meet the expectations of our employees or prospective employees, and may amplify challenges in recruiting and retention. We believe that a critical component of our success has been our corporate culture and our core values. As we continue to grow and change, we may find it difficult to maintain our corporate culture among a larger number of employees who are dispersed throughout various geographic regions, including managing the complexities of communicating with all employees. Efforts to restructure our workforce, such as the Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan, may be disruptive and adversely impact employee morale or our corporate culture. Failure to maintain or adapt our culture could negatively affect our ability to attract new employees or to retain our current employees and our business and future growth prospects could be adversely affected.
Current wording
We must also continue to retain, develop, and motivate existing employees through our compensation practices, company culture, and career development opportunities. The compensation and incentives we have available to attract, retain, and motivate employees may not meet the expectations of current and prospective employees as the competition for talent intensifies. For example, our equity awards may become less effective if our stock price decreases or increases at a slower rate than our talent competitors. Further, our current and future office environments and our current hybrid work policy may not meet the expectations of our employees or prospective employees, and may amplify challenges in recruiting and retention. We believe that a critical component of our success has been our corporate culture and our core values. As we continue to grow and change, we may find it difficult to maintain our corporate culture among a larger number of employees who are dispersed throughout various geographic regions, including difficulties due to managing the complexities of communicating with all employees. Efforts to restructure our workforce may be disruptive and adversely impact employee morale or our corporate culture. Failure to maintain or adapt our culture could negatively affect our ability to attract new employees or to retain our current employees and our business and future growth prospects could be adversely affected.
Previous wording
Our strategy for additional growth depends, in part, on sales generated through our network of partners and professional services provided by our partners. If the operations of these partners are disrupted, including as a direct or indirect result of recent macroeconomic conditions, our own operations may suffer, which could adversely impact our operating results. Identifying partners, and negotiating and documenting relationships with them, requires significant time and resources, and we cannot ensure that these partnerships will result in increased customer adoption or usage of our applications or increased revenue. We may be at a disadvantage if our competitors are effective in providing incentives to our current or potential partners to favor their products or services or to prevent or reduce subscriptions to our services, or in negotiating better rates or terms with such partners, particularly in international markets where our potential partners may have existing relationships with our competitors. In addition, acquisitions of our partners by our competitors could end our strategic relationship with such acquired partner and result in a decrease in the number of our current and potential customers.
Current wording
Our strategy for additional growth depends, in part, on sales generated through our network of partners and professional services provided by our partners. If the operations of these partners are disrupted, including as a direct or indirect result of recent macroeconomic conditions, our own operations may suffer, which could adversely impact our operating results. Identifying partners, negotiating and documenting relationships with them, and marketing and promoting partnerships requires significant time and resources, and we cannot ensure that these partnerships will result in increased customer adoption or usage of our applications or increased revenue. We may be at a disadvantage if our competitors are effective in providing incentives to our current or potential partners to favor their products or services or to prevent or reduce subscriptions to our services, or in negotiating better rates or terms with such partners, particularly in international markets where our potential partners may have existing relationships with our competitors. In addition, acquisitions of our partners by our competitors could end our strategic relationship with such acquired partner and result in a decrease in the number of our current and potential customers.
Previous wording
Our partner training and educational programs may not be effective or utilized consistently by partners. New partners may require extensive training and/or may require significant time and resources to achieve productivity. Changes to our direct go-to-market models may cause friction with our partners and may increase the risk in our partner ecosystem. The actions of our partners may subject us to lawsuits, potential liability, and reputational harm if, for example, any of our partners misrepresent the functionality of our products to customers, fail to perform services to our customers’ expectations, or violate laws or our corporate policies. In addition, our partners may utilize our platform to develop products and services that could potentially compete with products and services that we offer currently or in the future. Concerns over competitive matters or intellectual property ownership could constrain these partnerships. If we fail to effectively manage and grow our network of partners, maintain good relationships with our partners, or properly monitor the quality and efficacy of their service delivery, or if our partners do not effectively market and sell our subscription services, use greater efforts to market and sell their own products or services or those of our competitors, or fail to meet the needs or expectations of our customers, our ability to sell our products and efficiently provide our services may be impacted, and our operating results and growth rate may be harmed.
Current wording
Our partner training and educational programs may not be effective or utilized consistently by partners. New partners may require extensive training and/or may require significant time and resources to achieve productivity, and such requirements may deter potential partners due to the significant time and financial investment required. Changes to our direct go-to-market models and expanded product and service offerings may cause friction with our partners, require increased time and financial investment, and may increase the risk in our partner ecosystem. The actions of our partners may subject us to lawsuits, potential liability, and reputational harm if, for example, any of our partners misrepresent the functionality of our products to prospective or current customers, fail to perform services to our customers’ expectations, or violate laws or our corporate policies, such as laws and policies around privacy, cybersecurity, and responsible AI. In addition, we resell certain products and services offered by our partners and could incur potential liability and reputational harm if our partners fail to provide such products and services as represented to customers. Our partners may utilize our platform to develop products and services that could potentially compete with products and services that we offer currently or in the future. Concerns over competitive matters or intellectual property ownership could constrain these partnerships. If we fail to effectively manage and grow our network of partners, maintain good relationships with our partners, or properly monitor the quality and efficacy of their service delivery, or if our partners do not effectively market and sell our subscription services, use greater efforts to market and sell their own products or services or those of our competitors, or fail to meet the needs or expectations of our customers, our ability to sell our products and efficiently provide our services may be impacted, and our operating results and growth rate may be harmed.
Previous wording
If we are not able to realize a return on our current development efforts or offer new features, enhancements, and modifications to our services that are desired by current or potential customers, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Current wording
If we are not able to realize a return on our current development efforts or offer new features, enhancements, and modifications to our products and services that are desired by current or potential customers, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Previous wording
Developing software applications and related enhancements, features, and modifications, including those involving AI, is expensive, and the investment in product development often involves a long return on investment cycle. Accelerated application introductions and short application life cycles require high levels of expenditures that could adversely affect our operating results if not offset by revenue increases, and we believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our development efforts to maintain our competitive position. However, we may not receive significant revenues from these investments for several years, if at all. If we are unable to provide new features, enhancements to user experience, and modifications in a timely and cost-effective manner that achieve market acceptance, align with customer expectations, and that keep pace with rapid technological developments and changing regulatory landscapes, it may negatively impact our customer renewal rates, limit the market for our solutions, or impair our ability to attract new customers and our business and operating results could be adversely affected. For example, AI is propelling advancements in technology, but if we fail to innovate and keep up with advancements in AI technology, if Workday Illuminate solutions fail to be delivered as planned or at all, fail to operate as expected or to meet customer expectations, or if we do not have sufficient access to development resources and the technologies required to build and improve our applications, our business and reputation may be harmed.
Current wording
Developing software applications and related enhancements, features, and modifications, including those involving AI, including generative and agentic AI or other emerging technologies, is expensive, and the investment in product development often involves a long return on investment cycle. We believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our development efforts to maintain our competitive position. Accelerated application introductions and short application life cycles require high levels of expenditures that could adversely affect our operating results if not offset by revenue increases. However, we may not receive significant revenues from these investments for several years, if at all. If we are unable to provide new features, enhancements to user experience, and modifications in a timely and cost-effective manner that achieve market acceptance, align with customer expectations, and that keep pace with rapid technological developments and changing regulatory landscapes, it may negatively impact our customer renewal rates, limit the market for our solutions, or impair our ability to attract new customers and our business and operating results could be adversely affected. For example, AI is propelling advancements in technology, but if we fail to innovate and keep up with advancements in AI technology, if Workday’s AI-powered solutions, including our current and planned agentic AI solutions, fail to be delivered as planned or at all, fail to operate as expected or to meet customer expectations, if we fail to successfully monetize our AI-powered solutions, or if we do not have sufficient access to development resources and the technologies required to build and improve our applications, our business and reputation may be harmed.
Previous wording
We continue to seek opportunities to enter into new markets and/or new lines of business, some of which we may have very limited or no experience in. As an entrant to new markets and new lines of business, we may not be effective in convincing prospective customers that our solutions will address their needs, and we may not accurately estimate our infrastructure needs, human resource requirements, or operating expenses with regard to these new markets and new lines of business. We may also fail to accurately anticipate adoption rates of these new lines of business or their underlying technology. Also, we may not be able to properly price our solutions in these new markets, which could negatively affect our ability to sell to customers. Furthermore, customers in these new markets or of the new lines of business may demand more features and professional services, which may require us to devote even greater research and development, sales, support, and professional services resources to such customers. If we fail to generate adequate revenues from these new markets and lines of business, or if we fail to do so within the envisioned timeframe, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Current wording
We continue to seek opportunities to enter into new markets and/or new lines of business, some of which we may have very limited or no experience in. For example, we have and continue to make significant targeted investments in entering the medium-enterprise and U.S. federal government markets and see our success in these markets as key contributors to our future growth. Additionally, we have made and continue to make significant investments in platform offerings and AI, including generative AI and agentic capabilities. As an entrant to new markets and new lines of business, we may not be effective in convincing prospective customers that our solutions will address their needs, and we may not accurately estimate our infrastructure needs, human resource requirements, or operating expenses with regard to these new markets and new lines of business. We may also fail to accurately anticipate adoption rates of these new lines of business or their underlying technology. Also, we may not be able to properly price our solutions in these new markets, which could negatively affect our ability to sell to customers. Furthermore, customers in these new markets or of the new lines of business may demand more or different features and professional services, which may require us to devote even greater research and development, sales, support, and professional services resources to such customers. If we fail to generate adequate revenues from these new markets and lines of business, or if we fail to do so within the envisioned timeframe, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Previous wording
Sales to customers outside the United States or with international operations expose us to risks inherent in global operations.
Current wording
Our international presence, continued expansion, and sales to customers outside the U.S. or with international operations expose us to risks inherent in global operations.
Previous wording
The growth of our business and future prospects depends on our ability to increase our sales outside of the United States as a percentage of our total revenues. Operating globally requires significant resources and management attention and subjects us to regulatory, economic, and political risks that are different from those in the United States. Our investments and efforts to further expand internationally may not be successful in creating additional demand for our applications outside of the United States or in effectively selling subscriptions to our applications in all of the markets we enter. Risks associated with doing business on a global scale that could adversely affect our business, include:
Current wording
The growth of our business and future prospects depends on our ability to further expand our operations and increase our sales outside of the U.S. as a percentage of our total revenues. Operating globally requires significant resources and management attention and subjects us to regulatory, economic, and political risks that are different from those in the U.S. Our investments and efforts to further expand internationally may not be successful in creating additional demand for our applications outside of the U.S. or in effectively selling subscriptions to our applications in all of the markets we enter. Risks associated with doing business on a global scale that could adversely affect our business, include:
Previous wording
•the need to adhere to local laws and regulations, including those related to data localization, privacy, and anti-corruption;
Current wording
•the need to adhere to local laws and regulations, including those related to data localization, privacy, and anti-corruption, which may make it more difficult to penetrate certain international market segments with highly specialized compliance, contracting, and data sovereignty requirements;
Previous wording
•difficulties in appropriately staffing and managing foreign operations and providing appropriate compensation for local markets;
Current wording
•difficulties in appropriately staffing and managing foreign operations and providing appropriate compensation and benefits for local markets;
Previous wording
•difficulties in leveraging executive presence and maintaining company culture globally;
Current wording
•difficulties in leveraging executive presence, maintaining company culture globally, and conforming with local cultural contexts and customs;
Previous wording
•potentially weaker protection for intellectual property and other legal rights than in the United States and practical difficulties in enforcing intellectual property and other rights;
Current wording
•potentially weaker protection for intellectual property and other legal rights than in the U.S. and practical difficulties in enforcing intellectual property and other rights;
Previous wording
•laws, customs, and business practices favoring local competitors;
Current wording
•laws, contracting approaches, customs, and business practices favoring local vendors over U.S.-based companies, which may be increased by geopolitical tensions;
Previous wording
•restrictive governmental actions focused on cross-border trade, such as import and export restrictions, duties, quotas, tariffs, trade disputes, and barriers or sanctions, that may prevent us from offering certain portions of our products or services to a particular market, may increase our operating costs or may subject us to monetary fines or penalties;
Current wording
•restrictive governmental actions focused on cross-border trade, such as import and export restrictions, duties, quotas, potential or imposed tariffs, trade disputes, and barriers or sanctions, as well as any retaliatory actions, that may prevent us from offering certain portions of our products or services to a particular market, may increase our operating costs, or may subject us to monetary fines or penalties;
Previous wording
•compliance challenges related to the complexity of multiple, conflicting, and changing governmental laws and regulations, including employment, tax, privacy, intellectual property, financial services, AI, and data protection laws and regulations;
Current wording
•compliance challenges related to the complexity of multiple, conflicting, and changing governmental laws and regulations, including employment, tax, privacy, intellectual property, financial services, AI, and data protection laws and regulations, as well as challenges with differing legal, alternative dispute, and regulatory systems;
Previous wording
•increased compliance costs related to government regulatory reviews or audits, including those related to international cybersecurity and environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) requirements;
Current wording
•increased compliance costs related to government regulatory reviews or audits, including those related to international cybersecurity and sustainability requirements;
Previous wording
These impacts may continue through integration activities. Moreover, we may be unable to complete proposed transactions timely or at all due to a failure to obtain any necessary funding to complete an acquisition in a timely manner or on favorable terms, the failure to obtain required regulatory or other approvals, litigation, or other disputes, which may obligate us to pay a termination fee. We also may not achieve the anticipated benefits from an acquisition due to a number of factors, including:
Current wording
These impacts may continue through integration activities. Moreover, we may be unable to complete proposed transactions timely or at all for a variety of reasons, such as our failure to obtain any necessary funding, the failure to obtain required regulatory or other approvals, or the impact of litigation or other disputes. We also may not achieve the anticipated benefits from an acquisition due to a number of factors, including:
Previous wording
•inability or difficulty integrating the intellectual property, technology infrastructure, and operations of the acquired business, including difficulty in addressing security risks of the acquired business;
Current wording
•inability or difficulty integrating the intellectual property, technology infrastructure, and operations of the acquired business, including difficulty in addressing potential identified or unknown security risks or vulnerabilities of the acquired business or product;
Previous wording
•a failure to maintain the information systems of an acquired business, which could increase the risk of a security breach of such system;
Current wording
•a failure to maintain the information systems of an acquired business, including difficulties in increasing or maintaining the security standards for acquired technology, which could increase the risk of a security breach of such system;
Previous wording
•unknown liabilities or risks associated with the acquired businesses, including those arising from existing contractual obligations or litigation matters;
Current wording
•known and unknown liabilities or risks associated with the acquired businesses, including those arising from existing contractual obligations or litigation matters;
Previous wording
•adverse effects on our brand or existing business relationships with business partners and customers as a result of the acquisition, including integrating acquired technologies and a delay in market acceptance of and difficulty in transitioning new and existing customers to acquired product lines or services;
Current wording
•adverse effects on our brand, reputation, or existing business relationships with business partners and customers as a result of the acquisition, including integrating acquired technologies and a delay in market acceptance of and difficulty in transitioning new and existing customers to acquired product lines or services;
Previous wording
Acquisitions could also result in use of substantial portions of our available cash, which may limit other potential uses of cash, and dilutive issuances of equity securities or the issuance of debt, which could adversely affect our operating results. If we finance acquisitions by issuing debt, we could face constraints related to the terms of and repayment obligation related to the incurrence of such indebtedness. In addition, if an acquired business fails to meet our expectations, our business, financial condition, and operating results may suffer.
Current wording
In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire has been and may in the future be allocated to acquired goodwill and other intangible assets, which must be assessed for impairment at least annually. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take charges to our operating results based on this impairment assessment process, which could adversely affect our operating results. Acquisitions could also result in use of substantial portions of our available cash, which may limit other potential uses of cash, and dilutive issuances of equity securities or the issuance of debt, which could adversely affect our operating results. If we finance acquisitions by issuing debt, we could face constraints related to the terms of and repayment obligation related to the incurrence of such indebtedness. In addition, if an acquired business fails to meet our expectations, our business, financial condition, and operating results may suffer.
Previous wording
Implementation of our applications may be technically complicated because they are designed to enable complex and varied business processes across large organizations, integrate data from a broad and complex range of workflows and systems, and may involve deployment in a variety of environments. Incorrect or improper implementation or use of our applications could result in customer and user dissatisfaction and harm our business and operating results.
Current wording
Implementation of our applications may be technically complicated because they are designed to enable complex and varied business processes across large organizations, integrate data from a broad and complex range of workflows and systems, and manage, develop, and build AI-powered solutions and agents, and may involve deployment in a variety of environments. Incorrect or improper implementation or use of our applications, including generative and agentic AI capabilities, could result in customer and user dissatisfaction and harm our business and operating results.
Previous wording
In order for our customers to successfully implement our applications, they need access to highly skilled and trained service professionals. Third parties provide a majority of deployment services for our customers, but professional services may also be performed by our own staff or by a combination of the two. If customers are not satisfied with the quality and timing of work performed by us or a third party or with the type of professional services or applications delivered, or if we or a third party have not delivered on commitments made to our customers, then we could incur additional costs to address the situation, the revenue recognition of the contract could be impacted, and the dissatisfaction with our services could damage our ability to expand the applications subscribed to by our customers. Negative publicity related to our customer relationships, regardless of its accuracy, may further damage our business by affecting our ability to compete for new business with current and prospective customers both domestic and abroad.
Current wording
In order for our customers to successfully implement our applications, they need access to highly skilled and trained service professionals. Third parties provide a majority of deployment services for our customers, but professional services may also be performed by our own staff or by a combination of the two. If customers are not satisfied with the quality, timing, and cost of work performed by us or a third party or with the type of professional services or applications delivered, or if we or a third party have not delivered on commitments made to our customers, then we could incur additional costs to address the situation, the revenue recognition of the contract could be impacted, and the dissatisfaction with our services could damage our ability to expand the applications subscribed to by our customers. Negative publicity related to our customer relationships, regardless of its accuracy, may further damage our business by affecting our ability to compete for new business with current and prospective customers both domestic and abroad.
Previous wording
Our customers have no obligation to renew their subscriptions for our applications after the expiration of either the initial or renewed subscription period. Our customers’ renewal rates fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including their level of satisfaction with our applications and pricing, their awareness and adoption of the benefits and features of our applications, their ability to continue their operations and spending levels, reductions in their headcount, and the evolution of their business. If our customers do not renew their subscriptions for our applications on similar pricing terms or renew for fewer elements of our applications, our revenues may decline, and we may not be able to meet our revenue projections, which could negatively impact our business and the market price of our Class A common stock.
Current wording
Our customers have no obligation to renew their subscriptions for our applications after the expiration of either the initial or renewed subscription period and it is difficult to predict attrition rates given our varied customer base and the number of multi-year subscription contracts. Our customers’ renewal rates fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including our mix of customer base and their level of satisfaction with our offerings and pricing, their awareness and adoption of the benefits and features of our applications, their ability to continue their operations and spending levels, reductions in their headcount, the evolution of their business, and the macroeconomic environment. Acquisitions of our customers by other companies have led, and could continue to lead, to cancellation of our contracts with those customers, thereby reducing the number of our existing and potential customers. If our customers do not renew their subscriptions for our applications on similar pricing terms or renew for fewer elements of our offerings or for a lower headcount, our revenues may decline, and we may not be able to meet our revenue projections, which could negatively impact our business and the market price of our Class A common stock.
Previous wording
Our future success also depends, in part, on our ability to sell additional products to our current customers, and the success rate of such endeavors is difficult to predict, especially with regard to any new lines of business that we may introduce from time to time. This has and may continue to require increasingly costly marketing and sales efforts that are targeted at senior management, and if these efforts are not successful, our business and operating results may suffer. Additionally, acquisitions of our customers by other companies have led, and could continue to lead, to cancellation of our contracts with those customers, thereby reducing the number of our existing and potential customers.
Current wording
Our future success also depends, in part, on our ability to sell additional products to our current customers, and the success rate of such endeavors is difficult to predict, especially with regard to any new lines of business that we may introduce from time to time. This has and may continue to require increasingly costly marketing and sales efforts that are targeted at senior management, and if these efforts are not successful, our business and operating results may suffer. Similarly, the rate at which our customers purchase new or enhanced services depends on a number of factors, including general economic conditions and customer receptiveness to any price changes related to these additional features and services. The markets and monetization strategies for certain of our offerings, including our agentic AI solutions and Workday Data Cloud, remain relatively new and uncertain and as a result, our expansion into such offerings, and related investments, may present additional risks and challenges. For example, we offer certain capabilities, including our AI agents, through Flex Credits, our new subscription-based flexible pricing model for certain AI solutions and platform capabilities, and may increase the number of products through which we do so. We have limited experience with determining optimal pricing for Flex Credits-based contracts and may face customer resistance to new pricing models or have lower levels of customer adoption of our AI solutions than we expect, which could negatively impact our business and operating results.
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Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
Regulatory developments in the U.S. present additional risks. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) took effect on January 1, 2020, and the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which expands upon the CCPA, came into effect on January 1, 2023. The CCPA and CPRA give California consumers, including employees, certain rights similar to those provided by the GDPR, and also provide for statutory damages or fines on a per violation basis that could be very large depending on the severity of the violation. In addition, numerous states have enacted, or are considering, comprehensive privacy laws and other laws that touch on the processing of personal data in specific contexts, including in connection with artificial intelligence and automated systems, further contributing to a fragmented and evolving regulatory landscape that has and may continue to create compliance challenges.
Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
Furthermore, the U.S. Congress is considering numerous privacy bills, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission continues to bring enforcement actions for unfair or deceptive data protection practices and may undertake its own privacy-related rulemaking. In addition to government activity, privacy advocacy and other industry groups have established or may establish various new, additional, or different self-regulatory standards that customers may require us to adhere to, which may place additional burdens on us. Increasing sensitivity of individuals to the unauthorized processing of personal data, whether real or perceived, and an increasingly uncertain trust climate has and may continue to create negative public reaction to technologies, products, and services such as ours or otherwise expose us to liability.
Rearranged previous paragraphs (2)
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
•new and evolving technologies such as AI;
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire may be allocated to acquired goodwill and other intangible assets, which must be assessed for impairment at least annually. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take charges to our operating results based on this impairment assessment process, which could adversely affect our operating results. Moreover, we may experience additional or unexpected changes in how we are required to account for our acquisitions pursuant to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), including arrangements that we may assume in an acquisition.