Cloudflare Inc
For the period ended Jun 30, 2024. Filed Aug 1, 2024.
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A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Jun 30, 2024 · Filed Aug 1, 2024
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-Q
Period ended 2024-03-31; filed 2024-05-02.
0001477333-24-000050
Item 1A. Risk FactorsUnregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of ProceedsCurrent report: 10-Q
Period ended 2024-06-30; filed 2024-08-01.
0001477333-24-000070
Item 1A. Risk FactorsUnregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of ProceedsThe 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 457 previous paragraphs and 459 current paragraphs.
414 unchanged; 37 reworded; 7 added; 2 removed; 4 previous and 1 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 (7)
Current report
•impacts of the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts and other areas of geopolitical tension around the world or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or geopolitical tensions and impacts of geopolitical events such as elections and other governmental changes.
Current report
In the second quarter of 2024, we initiated a foreign exchange hedging program leveraging derivative instruments to minimize the effects of currency fluctuations on certain non-U.S. Dollar denominated operating exposures. However, such hedging instruments may not successfully mitigate losses caused by currency fluctuations, and our hedging positions may be partial or may not exist at all in the future. In addition, the use of hedging instruments may bring additional risks if we are unable to arrange effective hedges with such instruments or if we are unable to forecast hedged exposures precisely. While we have in the past, and may in the future, choose to enter into transactions to hedge portions of our foreign exchange exposures, it is impossible to predict or eliminate the effects of foreign exchange rate exposure, and if we become more exposed to currency fluctuations and are not able to successfully hedge against the risks associated with currency fluctuations, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Current report
Our credit agreement and any other credit or similar agreements into which we may enter in the future may restrict our operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions regarding our business.
Current report
Our credit agreement, which provides for the Revolving Credit Facility, contains a number of negative covenants that impose operating and financial restrictions on us and limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term interest, including covenants limiting our ability to, among other things, incur debt, grant liens, undergo certain fundamental changes, dispose of assets, make certain restricted payments and prepayments, enter into restrictive agreements, enter into transactions with affiliates, make investments, and amend certain agreements relating to debt, in each case, subject to limitations and exceptions set forth in the credit agreement. The credit agreement also requires us to maintain compliance with a maximum consolidated net leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio, in each case, calculated in accordance with the terms of the credit agreement.
Current report
The credit agreement contains various customary events of default that include, among others, non-payment of principal, interest or fees, breach of covenants, inaccuracy of representations and warranties, cross defaults to certain other indebtedness, bankruptcy and insolvency events, material judgments, and events constituting a change of control, subject to thresholds and cure periods as set forth in the credit agreement. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an event of default, the lenders may terminate their commitments and accelerate our obligations under the credit agreement and may exercise certain other rights and remedies provided for under the credit agreement, the other loan documents and applicable law. In the event that our lenders accelerated the repayment of the borrowings under the credit agreement, we may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness. As a result of these restrictions, we may be limited in how we conduct business, unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to operate during general economic or business downturns, or unable to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business opportunities.
Current report
In addition, we may enter into other credit agreements or other debt arrangements from time to time which contain similar or more extensive negative covenants and events of default, in which case we may face similar or additional limitations as a result of the terms of those credit agreements or other debt arrangements.
Removed paragraphs (2)
Previous report
Moreover, digital assets are currently considered indefinite-lived intangible assets under applicable accounting rules, meaning that any decrease in their fair values below our carrying values for such assets at any time subsequent to their acquisition will require us to recognize impairment charges, whereas we may make no upward revisions for any market price increases until a sale, which may adversely affect our operating results in any period in which such impairment occurs. There is no guarantee that future changes in U.S. GAAP will not require us to change the way we account for digital assets held by us.
Previous report
Risks Related to our Outstanding Convertible Senior Notes
Reworded paragraphs (37)
Previous wording
We have incurred net losses in all periods since we began operations and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future. We experienced net losses of $35.5 million and $38.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and as of March 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $1,059.4 million. Because the markets for our products are rapidly evolving, it is difficult for us to predict our future results of operations. We expect our operating expenses to increase over the next several years as we continue to hire additional personnel, expand our operations and infrastructure both domestically and internationally, and continue to develop our products. If we fail to increase our revenue to offset the increases in our operating expenses, we may not achieve or sustain profitability in the future.
Current wording
We have incurred net losses in all periods since we began operations and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future. We experienced net losses of $15.1 million and $94.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $50.6 million and $132.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and as of June 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $1,074.5 million. Because the markets for our products are rapidly evolving, it is difficult for us to predict our future results of operations. We expect our operating expenses to increase over the next several years as we continue to hire additional personnel, expand our operations and infrastructure both domestically and internationally, and continue to develop our products. If we fail to increase our revenue to offset the increases in our operating expenses, we may not achieve or sustain profitability in the future.
Previous wording
We have experienced rapid revenue growth in recent periods, with revenue of $378.6 million and $290.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. However, our rate of revenue growth has slowed in recent periods and may continue to slow in future periods. You should not consider our recent growth in revenue as indicative of our future performance. In particular, our revenue growth rates may continue to slow or decline in the future and may not be sufficient to achieve and sustain profitability, as we also expect our costs to increase in future periods. We believe that historical comparisons of our revenue may not be meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Accordingly, you should not rely on our revenue and other growth for any prior quarter or year as an indication of our future revenue or revenue growth.
Current wording
We have experienced rapid revenue growth in recent periods, with revenue of $401.0 million and $308.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $779.6 million and $598.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. However, our rate of revenue growth has slowed in recent periods and may continue to slow in future periods. You should not consider our recent growth in revenue as indicative of our future performance. In particular, our revenue growth rates may continue to slow or decline in the future and may not be sufficient to achieve and sustain profitability, as we also expect our costs to increase in future periods. We believe that historical comparisons of our revenue may not be meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Accordingly, you should not rely on our revenue and other growth for any prior quarter or year as an indication of our future revenue or revenue growth.
Previous wording
The Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts, other areas of geopolitical tension around the world, or the worsening or expansion of those conflicts or tensions, and any related challenging macroeconomic conditions globally and in various countries in which we and our customers operate may materially adversely affect our customers, vendors, and partners, and the duration and extent to which these factors may impact our future business and operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows remain uncertain.
Current wording
The Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts and other areas of geopolitical tension around the world or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or tensions, other geopolitical events such as elections and other governmental changes, and any related challenging macroeconomic conditions globally and in various countries in which we and our customers operate may materially adversely affect our customers, vendors, and partners, and the duration and extent to which these factors may impact our future business and operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows remain uncertain.
Previous wording
The Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts, or other areas of geopolitical tension around the world, or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or geopolitical tensions, and any related challenging macroeconomic conditions globally, could decrease the spending of our existing and potential new customers, adversely affect demand for our products, cause one or more of our customers, vendors, and partners to file for bankruptcy protection or go out of business, cause one or more of our customers to fail to renew, terminate, or seek to renegotiate their contracts with us, affect the ability of our sales team to travel to potential customers, impact expected spending from existing and potential new customers, and negatively impact collections of accounts receivable, all of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Current wording
The Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts and other areas of geopolitical tension around the world or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or geopolitical tensions, other geopolitical events such as elections and other governmental changes, and any related challenging macroeconomic conditions globally and in various countries in which we and our customers operate, could decrease the spending of our existing and potential new customers, adversely affect demand for our products, cause one or more of our customers, vendors, and partners to file for bankruptcy protection or go out of business, cause one or more of our customers to fail to renew, terminate, or seek to renegotiate their contracts with us, affect the ability of our sales team to travel to potential customers, impact expected spending from existing and potential new customers, and negatively impact collections of accounts receivable, all of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Previous wording
Any of the negative impacts of the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts, other areas of geopolitical tension around the world, or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or geopolitical tensions, and any related challenging macroeconomic conditions, may have a material adverse effect on our business and operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. Any of these negative impacts, alone or in combination with others, also could exacerbate many of the other risk factors discussed in this Part II, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including volatility in the trading prices of our Class A common stock. The full extent to which these factors will negatively affect our business and operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope, severity, and duration of the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts, other areas of geopolitical tension around the world, and any economic downturns and the actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response.
Current wording
Any of the negative impacts of the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts and other areas of geopolitical tension around the world or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or geopolitical tensions, other geopolitical events such as elections and other governmental changes, and any related challenging macroeconomic conditions globally and in various countries in which we and our customers operate, may have a material adverse effect on our business and operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. Any of these negative impacts, alone or in combination with others, also could exacerbate many of the other risk factors discussed in this Part II, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including volatility in the trading prices of our Class A common stock. The full extent to which these factors will negatively affect our business and operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope, severity, and duration of the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts, other areas of geopolitical tension around the world, and any economic downturns and the actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response.
Previous wording
In addition, our sales efforts typically involve educating our prospective large customers about the uses, benefits, and value proposition of our network and products. Our sales force develops relationships directly with our customers and our channel partners through account penetration, account coordination, sales, and overall market development. Potential large customers often view the subscription to our products, including any expansion of those subscriptions, as a significant strategic decision and, as a result, in some cases require considerable time to evaluate, test, and qualify our network and products prior to entering into or expanding a relationship with us. As a result, we spend substantial time and resources on our sales efforts without any assurance that our efforts will produce a sale. Subscriptions to our products, including expanded subscriptions, often are subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals, and unanticipated administrative, processing, and other delays. In addition, some of our subscription agreements with our large customers may have more customer favorable early termination rights, less favorable limitations on liability, indemnification and other legal provisions for us, greater usage-based pricing than is the case with our customary subscription-based agreements with our contracted customers and our pay-as-you-go customers, or generate lower margins than other contracted customers. As a result, it is difficult to predict whether or when a sale to a prospective large customer will be completed, how much incremental revenue or gross profit will result from such sales over the duration of the agreement, and when revenue from a subscription will be recognized or will cease.
Current wording
In addition, our sales efforts typically involve educating our prospective large customers about the uses, benefits, and value proposition of our network and products. Our sales force develops relationships directly with our customers and our channel partners through account penetration, account coordination, sales, and overall market development. Potential large customers often view the subscription to our products, including any expansion of those subscriptions, as a significant strategic decision and, as a result, in some cases require considerable time to evaluate, test, and qualify our network and products prior to entering into or expanding a relationship with us. As a result, we spend substantial time and resources on our sales efforts without any assurance that our efforts will produce a sale. Subscriptions to our products, including expanded subscriptions, often are subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals, and unanticipated administrative, processing, and other delays. In addition, some of our subscription agreements with our large customers may have more customer favorable early termination rights, less favorable limitations on liability, indemnification and other legal provisions for us, greater usage-based pricing than is the case with our customary subscription-based agreements with our contracted customers and our pay-as-you-go customers, or generate lower margins than other contracted customers. For example, subscription agreements with certain of our largest customers are structured on a "pool of funds" model in which the customer commits to spend at least a specified amount on our products during the subscription period. These "pool of funds" arrangements do not require the customer to subscribe for specific products or spend any specific amounts during any month, quarter or, if applicable, year of the subscription period, but the funds must be utilized during the subscription period as they are non-refundable and non-reimbursable. As a result of the foregoing, it is difficult to predict whether or when a sale to a prospective large customer will be completed, how much incremental revenue or gross profit will result from such sales over the duration of the agreement, and when revenue from a subscription will be recognized or will cease.
Previous wording
We have historically offered a free plan for certain of our products. We believe that this strategy is valuable to us and it is an important part of our overall business strategy. However, to the extent that we do not achieve the expected benefits of this strategy, our business may be adversely affected by the costs and detriments of making certain of our products available on a free basis. While we do not receive any revenue from our free customers, we bear incremental expenses and other liabilities as a result of our free customers’ continuing free use of our network and certain of our products. Adverse political, business, and reputational consequences associated with Internet properties we serve that are perceived as hostile, offensive, or inappropriate may also be disproportionately common among our free customers. The vast majority of our customers do not pay for our products. In addition, a substantial majority of our free customers historically have not converted to paying customers and we expect this will continue in the future.
Current wording
We have historically offered a free plan for certain of our products. We believe that this strategy is valuable to us and it is an important part of our overall business strategy. However, to the extent that we do not achieve the expected benefits of this strategy, our business may be adversely affected by the costs and detriments of making certain of our products available on a free basis. While we do not receive any revenue from our free customers, we bear incremental expenses and other liabilities and contingent liabilities, including litigation, as a result of our free customers’ continuing free use of our network and certain of our products. Adverse political, business, and reputational consequences associated with Internet properties we serve that are perceived as hostile, offensive, or inappropriate may also be disproportionately common among our free customers. The vast majority of our customers do not pay for our products. In addition, a substantial majority of our free customers historically have not converted to paying customers and we expect this will continue in the future.
Previous wording
A substantial majority of our revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2024 was from contracted customers that were acquired through our inside and field sales teams, and we expect our sales teams to continue generating the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations are dependent to a significant degree on our ability to effectively attract, train, and retain qualified sales personnel, including senior sales leaders, and the ability of our dedicated sales personnel to acquire new contracted customers and expand our relationships with our existing contracted customers. Our sales representatives typically engage in direct interaction with our prospective contracted customers. Increasing our customer base and achieving broader market acceptance of our network and products will depend, to a significant extent, on our ability to expand and further invest in our sales and marketing operations and activities. There is significant competition for sales personnel with the advanced sales skills and technical knowledge we need. We believe that selling subscriptions to our products requires particularly talented sales personnel that understand a very wide array of highly technical topics, including significant portions of global networking, Internet, enterprise and identity security, and application development for both on-premises and cloud requirements. In addition, as we continue to develop and sell newer types of products and product features, such as our Cloudflare One suite of solutions and our developer suite of products, we will need our sales personnel to be proficient in selling both these newer products and features and our overall broader suite of products to our existing and potential customers. Changes in the senior leadership of our sales team, such as the departure of our former President of Revenue and the hiring of our new President of Revenue in February 2024, also could negatively impact our ability to retain current members of our sales team. If we are unable to effectively attract, train, and retain qualified sales personnel, particularly as our lines of products and product features expand, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be adversely impacted.
Current wording
A substantial majority of our revenue in the six months ended June 30, 2024 was from contracted customers that were acquired through our inside and field sales teams, and we expect our sales teams to continue generating the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations are dependent to a significant degree on our ability to effectively attract, train, and retain qualified sales personnel, including senior sales leaders, and the ability of our dedicated sales personnel to acquire new contracted customers and expand our relationships with our existing contracted customers. Our sales representatives typically engage in direct interaction with our prospective contracted customers. Increasing our customer base and achieving broader market acceptance of our network and products will depend, to a significant extent, on our ability to expand and further invest in our sales and marketing operations and activities. There is significant competition for sales personnel with the advanced sales skills and technical knowledge we need. We believe that selling subscriptions to our products requires particularly talented sales personnel that understand a very wide array of highly technical topics, including significant portions of global networking, Internet, enterprise and identity security, and application development for both on-premises and cloud requirements. In addition, as we continue to develop and sell newer types of products and product features, such as our Cloudflare One suite of solutions and our developer suite of products, we will need our sales personnel to be proficient in selling both these newer products and features and our overall broader suite of products to our existing and potential customers. Changes in the senior leadership of our sales team, such as the departure of our former President of Revenue and the hiring of our new President of Revenue in February 2024, also could negatively impact our ability to retain current members of our sales team. If we are unable to effectively attract, train, and retain qualified sales personnel, particularly as our lines of products and product features expand, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be adversely impacted.
Previous wording
We have experienced, and may in the future experience, periods of rapid growth. For example, our headcount grew from 3,394 employees as of March 31, 2023 to 3,704 employees as of March 31, 2024. We also have expanded the locations where we have employees to a number of new locations around the world during the past several years. The number of customers, users, and requests on our network also has increased rapidly in recent years. While we expect to continue to expand our operations, network, and products significantly in the future, both domestically and internationally, our growth may not be sustainable. Our growth has placed, and future growth will continue to place, a significant strain on our management and our administrative, operational, and financial infrastructure. Our success will depend in part on our ability to manage this growth effectively, which will require that we continue to improve our administrative, operational, financial, and management systems and controls by, among other things:
Current wording
We have experienced, and may in the future experience, periods of rapid growth. For example, our headcount grew from 3,389 employees as of June 30, 2023 to 3,902 employees as of June 30, 2024. We also have expanded the locations where we have employees to a number of new locations around the world during the past several years. The number of customers, users, and requests on our network also has increased rapidly in recent years. While we expect to continue to expand our operations, network, and products significantly in the future, both domestically and internationally, our growth may not be sustainable. Our growth has placed, and future growth will continue to place, a significant strain on our management and our administrative, operational, and financial infrastructure. Our success will depend in part on our ability to manage this growth effectively, which will require that we continue to improve our administrative, operational, financial, and management systems and controls by, among other things:
Previous wording
From time to time, there may be changes in our management team as a result of the hiring, departure or realignment of our senior management and other key personnel, and such changes may impact our business. Additionally, as our business grows in scale and complexity, other changes to our management team may be necessary. For example, during 2023, we hired several new members of our senior management team, including our Senior Vice President, Engineering; Senior Vice President, Chief Security Officer; and Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer, and our Chief Product Officer left the Company. In addition, in February 2024, our former President of Revenue departed and we hired our new President of Revenue, and in April 2024, we hired our first Chief Strategy Officer. Any significant leadership change or senior management transition, such as these, involves inherent risks and any failure to ensure timely and suitable replacements and smooth transitions could hinder our strategic planning, business execution, and future performance. In particular, these or any future leadership transitions may result in a loss of personnel with deep institutional or technical knowledge and changes in business strategy or objectives and have the potential to disrupt our operations and relationships with existing employees and customers due to added costs, operational inefficiencies, changes in strategy, decreased employee morale and productivity, and increased turnover. We must successfully integrate our new leadership team members within our organization to achieve our operating objectives. If we lose one or more of our senior management or other key employees and are unable to find adequate replacements, or if we fail to successfully attract, integrate, retain and motivate members of our senior management team and key employees, our business could be harmed.
Current wording
From time to time, there may be changes in our management team as a result of the hiring, departure or realignment of our senior management and other key personnel, and such changes may impact our business. Additionally, as our business grows in scale and complexity, other changes to our management team may be necessary. For example, we have hired several new members of our senior management team in the past two years, including our new President of Revenue and our Chief Strategy Officer in February and April 2024, respectively. Any significant leadership change or senior management transition, such as these, involves inherent risks and any failure to ensure timely and suitable replacements and smooth transitions could hinder our strategic planning, business execution, and future performance. In particular, these or any future leadership transitions may result in, and in some cases have resulted in, a loss of personnel with deep institutional or technical knowledge and changes in business strategy or objectives and disruptions in our operations and relationships with existing employees and customers due to added costs, operational inefficiencies, changes in strategy, decreased employee morale and productivity, and increased turnover. We must successfully integrate our new leadership team members within our organization to achieve our operating objectives. If we lose one or more of our senior management or other key employees and are unable to find adequate replacements, or if we fail to successfully attract, integrate, retain and motivate members of our senior management team and key employees, our business could be harmed.
Previous wording
We generate revenue primarily from subscriptions to our products. We offer subscription plans that provide varying degrees of functionality, and also offer separate subscriptions to various add-on products and network functionality. We have limited experience with respect to determining the optimal prices and pricing models for some of our newer subscription plans and products, as well as our bundled sales of products and solutions and our recently-introduced professional services to assist some of our large customers in their migration from existing vendors and otherwise with the configuration and use of our products. As the markets for our products mature, as we enter into newer product markets for our business, as we shift the way in which we sell our products and solutions, or as new competitors introduce new products or services that compete with ours, we may be unable to attract new customers or retain existing customers at the same price or based on the same pricing model as we have used historically. Moreover, our increasing focus on larger customers may lead to greater price concessions in the future or have a more significant impact period to period on our revenue and results of operations. As a result, in the future we may be required to reduce our prices, which could adversely affect our revenue, gross margin, profitability, financial condition, and cash flow.
Current wording
We generate revenue primarily from subscriptions to our products. We offer subscription plans that provide varying degrees of functionality, and also offer separate subscriptions to various add-on products and network functionality. We have limited experience with respect to determining the optimal prices and pricing models for some of our newer subscription plans and products, as well as our bundled sales of products and solutions and our professional services to assist some of our large customers in their migration from existing vendors and otherwise with the configuration and use of our products. As the markets for our products mature, as we enter into newer product markets for our business, as we shift the way in which we sell our products and solutions, or as new competitors introduce new products or services that compete with ours, we may be unable to attract new customers or retain existing customers at the same price or based on the same pricing model as we have used historically. Moreover, our increasing focus on larger customers may lead to greater price concessions in the future or have a more significant impact period to period on our revenue and results of operations. As a result, in the future we may be required to reduce our prices, which could adversely affect our revenue, gross margin, profitability, financial condition, and cash flow.
Previous wording
We believe that the successful adoption and usage of our network and products requires a high level of support and engagement for many of our customers, particularly our large customers. In order to deliver appropriate customer support and engagement, we must successfully assist our customers in deploying and continuing to use our network and products, migrating from their existing vendors, resolving performance issues, addressing interoperability challenges with the customers’ existing IT infrastructure, and responding to security threats and cyber attacks and performance and reliability problems that may arise from time to time. The IT architecture of our contracted customers, particularly the larger organizations, is very complex and may require high levels of focused technical support to effectively migrate from each customer's existing vendors and to utilize our network and products. Because our network and products are designed to be highly configurable and to rapidly implement customers’ reconfigurations, customer errors in configuring our network and products can result in significant disruption to our customers. Our support organization faces additional challenges associated with large customers in highly regulated industries, as well as our international operations, including those associated with delivering support, training, and documentation in languages other than English. Increased demand for customer support, without corresponding increases in revenue, could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, we have recently begun providing professional services to assist some of our large customers in their migration from existing vendors and otherwise with the configuration and use of our products. We do not have significant experience in providing professional services or determining the pricing for such services, and our failure to provide such services effectively or at pricing that appropriately reflects our costs of providing such services could negatively impact our customer satisfaction and retention and our results of operations.
Current wording
We believe that the successful adoption and usage of our network and products requires a high level of support and engagement for many of our customers, particularly our large customers. In order to deliver appropriate customer support and engagement, we must successfully assist our customers in deploying and continuing to use our network and products, migrating from their existing vendors, resolving performance issues, addressing interoperability challenges with the customers’ existing IT infrastructure, and responding to security threats and cyber attacks and performance and reliability problems that may arise from time to time. The IT architecture of our contracted customers, particularly the larger organizations, is very complex and may require high levels of focused technical support to effectively migrate from each customer's existing vendors and to utilize our network and products. Because our network and products are designed to be highly configurable and to rapidly implement customers’ reconfigurations, customer errors in configuring our network and products can result in significant disruption to our customers. Our support organization faces additional challenges associated with large customers in highly regulated industries, as well as our international operations, including those associated with delivering support, training, and documentation in languages other than English. Increased demand for customer support, without corresponding increases in revenue, could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, we began providing professional services to assist some of our large customers in their migration from existing vendors and otherwise with the configuration and use of our products. We do not have significant experience in providing professional services or determining the pricing for such services, and our failure to provide such services effectively or at pricing that appropriately reflects our costs of providing such services could negatively impact our customer satisfaction and retention and our results of operations.
Previous wording
•governments often require contract terms that differ from our standard customer arrangements, including terms that can lead to those customers obtaining broader rights in our products than would be expected under a standard commercial contract and terms that can allow for early termination or subject us to more onerous obligations and requirements than our standard customer arrangements;
Current wording
•governments often require contract terms that differ from our standard customer arrangements, including terms that can lead to those customers obtaining broader rights in our products than would be expected under a standard commercial contract and terms that can allow for early termination or subject us to more onerous obligations and requirements than our standard customer arrangements, such as supply chain restrictions, restrictions on employees' ability to manage their accounts, and additional reporting obligations;
Previous wording
We rely on third-party software to provide many essential financial and operational services to support our business, including NetSuite, Salesforce, Atlassian, Stripe, and Workday among others. Many of these vendors are less established and have shorter operating histories than traditional software vendors. Moreover, these vendors provide their services to us via a cloud-based model instead of software that is installed on our premises. As a result, we depend upon these vendors to provide us with services that are always available and are free of errors or defects that could cause disruptions in our business processes. Any failure by these vendors to do so, or any disruption in our ability to access the Internet, would materially and adversely affect our ability to manage our operations.
Current wording
We rely on third-party software to provide many essential financial and operational services to support our business. Some of these vendors are less established and have shorter operating histories than traditional software vendors. Moreover, these vendors provide their services to us via a cloud-based model instead of software that is installed on our premises. As a result, we depend upon these vendors to provide us with services that are always available and are free of errors or defects that could cause disruptions in our business processes. Any failure by these vendors to do so, or any disruption in our ability to access the Internet, would materially and adversely affect our ability to manage our operations.
Previous wording
We generally recognize revenue from customers ratably over the term of their subscription, which in the case of our contracted customers typically range from one to three years and in the case of our pay-as-you-go customers is typically monthly. Consequently, any increase or decline in new sales or renewals to these customers in any one period may not be immediately reflected in our revenue for that period. Any such change, however, may affect our revenue in future periods. Accordingly, the effect of downturns or upturns in new sales and potential changes in our rate of renewals may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods. We may also be unable to reduce our cost structure in line with a significant deterioration in sales or renewals. Our subscription model also makes it difficult for us to rapidly increase our revenue through additional sales in any period, as revenue from new customers must be recognized over the applicable subscription term.
Current wording
We generally recognize revenue from customers ratably over the term of their subscription, which in the case of our contracted customers typically range from one to three years and in the case of our pay-as-you-go customers is typically monthly. In addition, our subscription agreements with certain of our largest customers are structured on a "pool of funds" model in which the customer commits to spend at least a specified amount on our products during the subscription period. These “pool of funds” arrangements do not require the customer to subscribe for specific products or spend any specific amounts during any month, quarter or, if applicable, year of the subscription period, but the funds must be utilized during the subscription period as they are non-refundable and non-reimbursable. Consequently, any increase or decline in new sales or renewals to these customers in any one period may not be immediately reflected in our revenue for that period. Any such change, however, may affect our revenue in future periods. Accordingly, the effect of downturns or upturns in new sales and potential changes in our rate of renewals may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods. We may also be unable to reduce our cost structure in line with a significant deterioration in sales or renewals. Our subscription model also makes it difficult for us to rapidly increase our revenue through additional sales in any period, as it is difficult to predict when revenue from new customers will be recognized over the applicable subscription term.
Previous wording
Part of our business strategy is to make acquisitions of other companies, products, and technologies. To date, our acquisitions typically have consisted of companies that have developed technology that is complementary to our business but have small numbers of employees and little, if any, customers and revenue. We have limited experience in making acquisitions and integrating acquired businesses into our company, particularly companies with large numbers of employees and customers. However, we expect the number of acquisitions that we undertake to increase and some of the businesses we acquire will have significantly larger numbers of employees and customers and more global operations. For example, in April 2022, we acquired Area 1 Security, Inc., a company that has developed cloud-native email security technology and has a significantly greater number of employees and customers than our prior acquisitions.
Current wording
Part of our business strategy is to make acquisitions of other companies, products, and technologies. To date, our acquisitions typically have consisted of companies that have developed technology that is complementary to our business but have small numbers of employees and little, if any, customers and revenue. We have limited experience in making acquisitions and integrating acquired businesses into our company, particularly companies with large numbers of employees and customers. However, we expect the number of acquisitions that we undertake to increase and some of the businesses we acquire will have significantly larger numbers of employees and customers and more global operations. For example, in April 2022, we acquired Area 1 Security, Inc., a company that developed cloud-native email security technology and has a significantly greater number of employees and customers than our other acquisitions.
Previous wording
Historically, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of our equity and equity-linked securities as well as payments received from customers using our global cloud network and products. For example, we received substantial proceeds from the issuance and sale of our Class A common stock in our initial public offering and in the issuances and sales of our 0.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025 (the 2025 Notes) and 0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the 2026 Notes, and together with the 2025 Notes, the Notes). Although we currently anticipate that our existing cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale securities, and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next 12 months, we may require additional financing. We evaluate financing opportunities from time to time, and our ability to obtain financing will depend, among other things, on our development efforts, business plans, and operating performance, and the condition of the capital markets at the time we seek financing. We cannot assure you that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all. For example, volatility in equity capital markets has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect market prices of our shares of Class A common stock. This may materially and adversely affect our ability to fund our business through the sale of our equity and equity-linked securities if such funding were to become necessary. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our Class A common stock, and, in the case of equity or equity-linked securities, our stockholders may experience dilution.
Current wording
Historically, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of our equity and equity-linked securities as well as payments received from customers using our global cloud network and products. For example, we received substantial proceeds from the issuance and sale of our Class A common stock in our initial public offering and in the issuances and sales of our 0.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025 (the 2025 Notes) and 0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the 2026 Notes, and together with the 2025 Notes, the Notes). We also entered into a senior secured credit agreement in May 2024 that includes a $400 million revolving credit facility (the Revolving Credit Facility). Although we currently anticipate that our existing cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities, available borrowing under the Revolving Credit Facility, and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next 12 months, we may require additional financing. We evaluate financing opportunities from time to time, and our ability to obtain financing will depend, among other things, on our development efforts, business plans, and operating performance, and the condition of the capital markets at the time we seek financing. We cannot assure you that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all. For example, volatility in equity capital markets has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect market prices of our shares of Class A common stock. This may materially and adversely affect our ability to fund our business through the sale of our equity and equity-linked securities if such funding were to become necessary. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our Class A common stock, and, in the case of equity or equity-linked securities, our stockholders may experience dilution.
Previous wording
While we have implemented security measures internally and have integrated security measures into our network and products, these measures have not always functioned as expected and have not always detected or prevented all unauthorized activity, prevented all security breaches or incidents, mitigated all security breaches or incidents, or protected against all attacks or incidents and these types of security failures could occur again in the future. For example, we have experienced multiple social engineering attacks where third parties have attempted, and in limited cases succeeded, in breaching our network perimeter security. While these attacks did not effectively get beyond our network perimeter security and we have not suffered any material consequences as a result of these breaches, we cannot be certain that future breaches will be avoided or, if future breaches are successful, that we will not experience material detrimental impacts, particularly if those breaches involve third party access to decrypted or other sensitive data. In addition, there is risk that the vendors we use may be attacked and the controls we have in place are bypassed and our data accessed as a result. For example, one of the IT tools our employees used internally until the first quarter of 2023 was the subject of a large security incident in December 2022, which resulted in unauthorized parties stealing large amounts of the IT tools' customers’ data, including our data. We are not aware of any of our systems having been compromised as a result of this security incident due to additional required authorization and authentication events we have in place, particularly when accessing sensitive systems and resources, and we have since changed to using a new IT tool internally. In addition, in March 2022 and October
Current wording
While we have implemented security measures internally and have integrated security measures into our network and products, these measures have not always functioned as expected and have not always detected or prevented all unauthorized activity, prevented all security breaches or incidents, mitigated all security breaches or incidents, or protected against all attacks or incidents and these types of security failures could occur again in the future. For example, we have experienced multiple social engineering attacks where third parties have attempted, and in limited cases succeeded, in breaching our network perimeter security. While these attacks did not effectively get beyond our network perimeter security and we have not suffered any material consequences as a result of these breaches, we cannot be certain that future breaches will be avoided or, if future breaches are successful, that we will not experience material detrimental impacts, particularly if those breaches involve third party access to decrypted or other sensitive data. In addition, there is risk that the vendors we use may be attacked and the controls we have in place are bypassed and our data accessed as a result. For example, one of the IT tools our employees used internally until the first quarter of 2023 was the subject of a large security incident in December 2022, which resulted in unauthorized parties stealing large amounts of the IT tools' customers’ data, including our data. We are not aware of any of our systems having been compromised as a result of this security incident due to additional required authorization and authentication events we have in place, particularly when accessing sensitive systems and resources, and we have since changed to using a new IT tool internally. In addition, in March 2022 and October 2023, breaches of the systems of our identity access management vendor resulted in attacks on our systems. While we quickly discovered these resulting attacks on our systems and believed we had fully contained their impact on our systems and data, the October 2023 breach of our systems contributed to the November 2023 intrusion of our systems by a likely nation-state threat actor. While none of these incidents had a material impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition, we cannot be certain that compromises of our systems will not happen in the future as a result of these incidents or other similar incidents with third party vendors that we use to help secure our internal systems and that such incidents will not have a material impact on our results of operations or financial condition. Such incidents, whether or not successful, could result in our incurring significant costs related to, among other things, changes to our internal systems, remediating or replacing equipment within our global network, implementing additional threat protection measures, making modifications to our products and our global network, defending against litigat…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Previous wording
The global network that we use to provide our products to our customers is made up of equipment at co-location facilities located in more than 320 cities and over 120 countries worldwide and we expect to continue to increase the size of our network in the future. As we grow the size and scope of our network, the number of our employees and third party contractors that have access to our equipment at these facilities will continue to increase, which will also increase the risk of potential errors or malfeasance such as potential equipment theft or potential attempts to interfere with, or intercept, network and customer data that is held in, or flows through, this equipment. In addition, local government officials may attempt to, or successfully take control of, our equipment in an attempt to interfere with our services or intercept data. Because the equipment in our network co-location facilities is designed to run all of our products, any insertion of ransomware or other malicious code on, unauthorized access to, or other security breach or incident with respect to, any of this equipment at any of these locations around the world could potentially impact all of our products running on this equipment around the world. We may also experience security breaches and other incidents that may remain undetected for an extended period and, therefore, may have a greater impact on our products and the networks and systems used in our business, the proprietary and other confidential data contained on our network or otherwise stored or processed in our operations, and ultimately our business. We expect to incur significant costs in our efforts to detect and prevent security breaches and other security-related incidents, and we have in the past faced, including in connection with the November 2023 intrusion of our systems, and may in the future face, increased costs in the event of actual or perceived security breaches or other security-related incidents. Our internal systems are exposed to the same cybersecurity risks and consequences of a breach as the systems of our customers and other enterprises, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business or reputation. These cybersecurity risks pose a particularly significant risk to a business like ours that is focused on providing highly secure products to customers. With the increase in remote work during recent years, we and our customers face increased risks to the security of infrastructure and data, and geopolitical tensions or events such as the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts also may increase these risks. We cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent security breaches or incidents. We also may face increased costs relating to maintaining and securing our infrastructure and data that we maintain and otherwise process.
Current wording
The global network that we use to provide our products to our customers is made up of equipment at co-location facilities located in more than 330 cities and over 120 countries worldwide and we expect to continue to increase the size of our network in the future. As we grow the size and scope of our network, the number of our employees and third party contractors that have access to our equipment at these facilities will continue to increase, which will also increase the risk of potential errors or malfeasance such as potential equipment theft or potential attempts to interfere with, or intercept, network and customer data that is held in, or flows through, this equipment. In addition, local government officials may attempt to, or successfully take control of, our equipment in an attempt to interfere with our services or intercept data. Because the equipment in our network co-location facilities is designed to run all of our products, any insertion of ransomware or other malicious code on, unauthorized access to, or other security breach or incident with respect to, any of this equipment at any of these locations around the world could potentially impact all of our products running on this equipment around the world. We may also experience security breaches and other incidents that may remain undetected for an extended period and, therefore, may have a greater impact on our products and the networks and systems used in our business, the proprietary and other confidential data contained on our network or otherwise stored or processed in our operations, and ultimately our business. We expect to incur significant costs in our efforts to detect and prevent security breaches and other security-related incidents, and we have in the past faced, including in connection with the November 2023 intrusion of our systems, and may in the future face, increased costs in the event of actual or perceived security breaches or other security-related incidents. Our internal systems are exposed to the same cybersecurity risks and consequences of a breach as the systems of our customers and other enterprises, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business or reputation. These cybersecurity risks pose a particularly significant risk to a business like ours that is focused on providing highly secure products to customers. With the increase in remote work during recent years, we and our customers face increased risks to the security of infrastructure and data, and geopolitical tensions or events such as the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts also may increase these risks. We cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent security breaches or incidents. We also may face increased costs relating to maintaining and securing our infrastructure and data that we maintain and otherwise process.
Previous wording
As of March 31, 2024, we hosted our global network and served our customers from co-location and Internet Service Provider (ISP) partner facilities located in more than 320 cities and over 120 countries worldwide. In addition to these global facilities, much of the infrastructure for our global network and for our business and operations is maintained through a core co-location facility located in the greater Portland, Oregon area, a second core co-location facility located in Luxembourg that provides certain redundancy to the U.S. core facility, and through a limited number of other U.S. co-location facilities that provide limited subsets of our network support. While we have electronic and, to a lesser extent, physical access to the components and infrastructure of our network and co-location facilities that are hosted by third parties — including ISP-partner facilities — we do not control the operation of these third-party facilities. Consequently, we may be subject to service disruptions as well as failures to provide adequate support for reasons that are outside of our direct control. All of our co-location and ISP-partner facilities and network infrastructure are vulnerable to damage or interruption from a variety of sources including earthquakes; weather events; floods; fires; power loss; system failures; computer viruses; physical or electronic break-ins; human error; malfeasance; or interference, including by disgruntled employees, former employees, or contractors; military conflicts; terrorism; and other catastrophic events. For example, in November 2023, our control plane and analytics services experienced an outage triggered by a power failure at one of our core data centers in the greater Portland, Oregon area, which impacted certain customers' access to some of our products and services for several days and the loss of certain customer logs. In March 2024, a subsequent power failure occurred at the same core data center in the greater Portland, Oregon area, which impacted certain customers’ access to some of our products for minutes and to our analytics services for several hours. In addition, we have experienced a route leak and a limited number of network outages involving our core and network co-location facilities over the past five years due to a variety of causes. Co-location facilities housing our network infrastructure may also be subject to local governmental or other administrative actions, changes to legal or permitting requirements, labor disputes, and litigation to stop, limit, or delay operations. Despite precautions taken at these facilities, such as disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements, the occurrence of a natural disaster or an act of war or terrorism, a decision to close the co-location facilities without adequate notice, interference with, or sabotage of, our equipment at these facilities, or other unanticipated problems at these facilities could result in interruptions or delays in the availabil…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Current wording
As of June 30, 2024, we hosted our global network and served our customers from co-location and Internet Service Provider (ISP) partner facilities located in more than 330 cities and over 120 countries worldwide. In addition to these global facilities, much of the infrastructure for our global network and for our business and operations is maintained through a core co-location facility located in the greater Portland, Oregon area, a second core co-location facility located in Amsterdam that provides certain redundancy to the U.S. core facility, and through a limited number of other U.S. co-location facilities that provide limited subsets of our network support. While we have electronic and, to a lesser extent, physical access to the components and infrastructure of our network and co-location facilities that are hosted by third parties — including ISP-partner facilities — we do not control the operation of these third-party facilities. Consequently, we may be subject to service disruptions as well as failures to provide adequate support for reasons that are outside of our direct control. All of our co-location and ISP-partner facilities and network infrastructure are vulnerable to damage or interruption from a variety of sources including earthquakes; weather events; floods; fires; power loss; system failures; computer viruses; physical or electronic break-ins; human error; malfeasance; or interference, including by disgruntled employees, former employees, or contractors; military conflicts; terrorism; and other catastrophic events. For example, in November 2023, our control plane and analytics services experienced an outage triggered by a power failure at one of our core data centers in the greater Portland, Oregon area, which impacted certain customers' access to some of our products and services for several days and the loss of certain customer logs. In March 2024, a subsequent power failure occurred at the same core data center in the greater Portland, Oregon area, which impacted certain customers’ access to some of our products for minutes and to our analytics services for several hours. In addition, we have experienced a route leak and a limited number of network outages involving our core and network co-location facilities over the past five years due to a variety of causes. Co-location facilities housing our network infrastructure may also be subject to local governmental or other administrative actions, changes to legal or permitting requirements, labor disputes, and litigation to stop, limit, or delay operations. Despite precautions taken at these facilities, such as disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements, the occurrence of a natural disaster or an act of war or terrorism, a decision to close the co-location facilities without adequate notice, interference with, or sabotage of, our equipment at these facilities, or other unanticipated problems at these facilities could result in interruptions or delays in the availabilit…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Previous wording
In connection with our Web3 suite of products and our potential future participation in various Web3 protocol governance activities, we expect to hold certain types of cryptocurrency and similar types of digital assets that may be subject to unique regulatory and accounting risks, volatile market prices, and risks of loss, which could harm our business and reputation.
Current wording
In connection with our Web3 suite of products and our potential future participation in various Web3 protocol governance activities, we expect to hold certain types of cryptocurrency and similar types of digital assets that may be subject to unique regulatory risks, volatile market prices, and risks of loss, which could harm our business and reputation.
Previous wording
Through our network, we provide a wide variety of products that enable our customers and our customers’ users to exchange information, conduct business, and engage in various online activities both domestically and internationally. Our customers and our customers’ users may use our network and products in violation of applicable law or in violation of our terms of service or the customer’s own policies. The existing laws relating to the liability of providers of online products and services for activities of their users are highly unsettled and in flux both within the United States and internationally. We are currently, and in the future may be, subject to lawsuits and/or liability arising from the conduct of our customers and our customers’ users. Additionally, the conduct of our customers and our customers’ users may subject us to regulatory enforcement actions and/or liability. We are a defendant in lawsuits, both in the United States and abroad, seeking injunctive relief and/or damages against us based on content that is made available through our customers’ websites and other Internet properties. A number of these lawsuits involve copyright infringement claims, and courts in Italy and Germany have at times directed us to take action by removing access to content of certain websites and other Internet properties on our network. There can be no assurance that we will not face similar litigation in the future or that we will prevail in any litigation we are facing or may face. An adverse decision in one or more of these lawsuits could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Current wording
Through our network, we provide a wide variety of products that enable our customers and our customers’ users to exchange information, conduct business, and engage in various online activities both domestically and internationally. Our customers and our customers’ users may use our network and products in violation of applicable law or in violation of our terms of service or the customer’s own policies. The existing laws relating to the liability of providers of online products and services for activities of their users are highly unsettled and in flux both within the United States and internationally. We are currently, and in the future may be, subject to lawsuits and/or liability arising from the conduct of our customers and our customers’ users. Additionally, the conduct of our customers and our customers’ users may subject us to regulatory enforcement actions and/or liability. We are a defendant in lawsuits, both in the United States and abroad, seeking injunctive relief and/or damages against us based on content that is made available through our customers’ websites and other Internet properties. A number of these lawsuits involve copyright infringement claims, and courts in some countries have found that we may be held liable in certain circumstances for damages arising from infringement on a customer’s website, or directed us to take action by removing access to content of certain websites and other Internet properties on our network. There can be no assurance that we will not face similar litigation in the future or that we will prevail in any litigation we are facing or may face. An adverse decision in one or more of these lawsuits could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Previous wording
In addition, many countries are considering expanding or have expanded regulatory requirements for services such as ours, with potential requirements such as collection and verification of customer data, limitations on the use of non-personal data, cybersecurity incident reporting obligations, expanded registration requirements, or requirements to have personnel in the country. The rapid expansion of proposed regulations, as well as possible conflicting requirements, may make it challenging for us to identify and comply with all new global regulations that may apply to our services.
Current wording
In addition, the United States and other countries are considering expanding or have expanded regulatory requirements for services such as ours, with potential requirements such as collection and verification of customer data, limitations on the use of non-personal data, cybersecurity incident reporting obligations, expanded registration requirements, or requirements to have personnel in the country. The rapid expansion of proposed regulations, as well as possible conflicting requirements, may make it challenging for us to identify and comply with all new global regulations that may apply to our services.
Previous wording
In addition, the interpretation of existing privacy, data protection, and information security laws and regulations by governmental entities and the courts may change significantly over time in a manner that can have a significantly adverse impact on both our business and our customers’ businesses. For example, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the "Schrems II" case invalidated the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield that was widely used by us and other companies to allow for the lawful transfer of personal data of European Economic Area (EEA) residents to the United States for processing under the GDPR and placed additional requirements on the use of the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (EU SCCs) as a mechanism for transferring EEA personal data to the United States. We incurred substantial costs and needed to engage in additional contract negotiations with some of our customers and vendors in connection with updated EU SCCs and the United Kingdom addendum to the EU SCCs or other appropriate contractual provisions that we sought to put in place with our customers and vendors.
Current wording
In addition, the interpretation of existing privacy, data protection, and information security laws and regulations by governmental entities and the courts may change significantly over time in a manner that can have a significantly adverse impact on both our business and our customers’ businesses. For example, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the "Schrems II" case invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield that was widely used by us and other companies to allow for the lawful transfer of personal data of European Economic Area (EEA) residents to the United States for processing under the GDPR and placed additional requirements on the use of the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (EU SCCs) as a mechanism for transferring EEA personal data to the United States. We incurred substantial costs and needed to engage in additional contract negotiations with some of our customers and vendors in connection with updated EU SCCs and the United Kingdom addendum to the EU SCCs or other appropriate contractual provisions that we sought to put in place with our customers and vendors.
Previous wording
In July 2023, the European Commission adopted an adequacy decision for the new EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which is designed to address the concerns raised in the Schrems II case. However, the European Commission’s adequacy decision regarding this framework will be subject to future reviews and may be subject to suspension, amendment, repeal, or limitations to its scope by the European Commission. While this new framework may serve as a means for cloud service providers like our company to freely transfer EU personal data to the United States, many aspects of this new framework remain uncertain. It has already been subject to legal challenge, and some customers and vendors are unwilling to rely on the new framework due to this uncertainty. In addition, in January 2023, the European Data Protection Board issued its 2022 Coordinated Enforcement Action on the use of cloud-based services by the public sector, in which it expressed concerns that EU public sector entities may not be able to use U.S.-based cloud service providers consistently with GDPR due to their concerns about the ability of U.S. government agencies to access EU personal data. More recently, the European Data Protection Supervisor’s finding in March 2024 that the European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 violates the GDPR in part due to EU personal data being transferred to countries that do not have adequacy with the EU suggests that EU regulators are continuing to subject data transfers outside the EU to careful scrutiny.
Current wording
Commission’s adequacy decision regarding this framework will be subject to future reviews and may be subject to suspension, amendment, repeal, or limitations to its scope by the European Commission. While this new framework may serve as a means for cloud service providers like our company to freely transfer EU personal data to the United States, many aspects of this new framework remain uncertain. It may be subject to future legal challenge, and some customers and vendors are unwilling to rely on the new framework due to this uncertainty. In addition, in January 2023, the European Data Protection Board issued its 2022 Coordinated Enforcement Action on the use of cloud-based services by the public sector, in which it expressed concerns that EU public sector entities may not be able to use U.S.-based cloud service providers consistently with GDPR due to their concerns about the ability of U.S. government agencies to access EU personal data. More recently, the European Data Protection Supervisor’s finding in March 2024 that the European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 violates the GDPR in part due to EU personal data being transferred to countries that do not have adequacy with the EU suggests that EU regulators are continuing to subject data transfers outside the EU to careful scrutiny.
Previous wording
Historically, we have derived a significant portion of our revenue from outside the United States. We derived 48% and 47% of our revenue from our international customers for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We are continuing to adapt to and develop strategies to address international markets and our growth strategy includes expansion into geographies around the world, but there is no guarantee that such efforts will be successful. In addition, our global network includes co-location facilities located in more than 320 cities and over 120 countries worldwide as of March 31, 2024. We expect that our international sales and network activities will continue to grow in the future, as we continue to pursue opportunities in international markets and further grow our network around the world. These international operations will require significant management attention and financial resources and are subject to substantial risks, including:
Current wording
Historically, we have derived a significant portion of our revenue from outside the United States. We derived 49% and 47% of our revenue from our international customers for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and 48% and 47% of our revenue from our international customers for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We are continuing to adapt to and develop strategies to address international markets and our growth strategy includes expansion into geographies around the world, but there is no guarantee that such efforts will be successful. In addition, our global network includes co-location facilities located in more than 330 cities and over 120 countries worldwide as of June 30, 2024. We expect that our international sales and network activities will continue to grow in the future, as we continue to pursue opportunities in international markets and further grow our network around the world. These international operations will require significant management attention and financial resources and are subject to substantial risks, including:
Previous wording
•changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic conditions;
Current wording
•changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic conditions, including the impact of elections and other changes in governments;
Previous wording
As our international operations expand, an increasing portion of our operating expenses is incurred outside the United States and is denominated in foreign currencies, such as the British Pound, Euro, and Singapore Dollar. In addition, in the future we may begin to generally allow customers in some countries outside the United States to pay us for our products in the currencies of those countries. Accordingly, our revenue and operating expenses may be increasingly subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As we continue to expand our international operations, we may become more exposed to foreign currency risk or remeasurement risk. If we become more exposed to currency fluctuations and are not able to successfully hedge against the risks associated with currency fluctuations, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Current wording
As our international operations expand, an increasing portion of our operating expenses is incurred outside the United States and is denominated in foreign currencies, such as the British Pound, Euro, and Singapore Dollar. In addition, in the future we may begin to generally allow customers in some countries outside the United States to pay us for our products in the currencies of those countries. Accordingly, our revenue and operating expenses may be increasingly subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As we continue to expand our international operations, we may become more exposed to foreign currency risk or remeasurement risk.
Previous wording
We own a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks, domain names, and trade secrets and, from time to time, are subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, or other violations of intellectual property or other rights. As we face increasing competition and gain an increasingly high profile, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims, commercial claims, and other assertions against us grows. In addition, a number of companies in our industry hold a large number of patents and also protect their copyright, trade secret, trademark, and other intellectual property rights, and companies in the networking and security industry frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of patent infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We have in the past been, are currently, and may from time to time in the future become, a party to litigation and disputes related to intellectual property, our business practices, and our products. For example, we are a defendant in lawsuits, both in the United States and abroad, seeking injunctive relief and/or damages against us based on claims of alleged patent infringement and claims of alleged copyright infringement through content on our customers’ websites. We may also be subject to governmental and other regulatory investigations from time to time.
Current wording
We own a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks, domain names, and trade secrets and, from time to time, are subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, or other violations of intellectual property or other rights. As we face increasing competition and gain an increasingly high profile, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims, commercial claims, and other assertions against us grows. In addition, a number of companies in our industry hold a large number of patents and also protect their copyright, trade secret, trademark, and other intellectual property rights, and companies in the networking and security industry frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of patent infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We have in the past been, are currently, and may from time to time in the future become, a party to litigation and disputes related to intellectual property, our business practices, and our products. For example, we are a defendant in lawsuits, both in the United States and abroad, seeking injunctive relief and/or damages against us based on claims of alleged patent infringement and claims of alleged copyright infringement through content on our customers’ websites. Courts in some countries have found that we may be held liable in certain circumstances for damages arising from infringement on a customer’s website or directed us to take action by removing access to content of certain websites and other Internet properties on our network. We may also be subject to governmental and other regulatory investigations from time to time. The costs of supporting litigation and dispute resolution proceedings are considerable, and there can be no assurances that a favorable outcome will be obtained. Disputes, whether or not favorably resolved, also may generate negative publicity and damage our reputation. We may need to settle litigation and disputes on terms that are unfavorable to us, or we may be subject to an unfavorable judgment that may not be reversible upon appeal. The terms of any settlement or judgment may require us to cease some or all of our operations or pay substantial amounts to the other party. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim, we may have to seek a license to continue practices found to be in violation of third-party rights, which may not be available on reasonable terms and may significantly increase our operating expenses. A license to continue such practices may not be available to us at all, and we may be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology or practices or discontinue the practices. The development of alternative, non-infringing technology or practices could require significant effort and expense. Our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected as a result.
Previous wording
We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of patent, patent licenses, trade secret, domain name protection, trademarks, copyrights, and confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, consultants, and third parties in order to protect our intellectual property rights and proprietary information. As of March 31, 2024, we had 308 issued patents and 69 pending patent applications in the United States and abroad. However, third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe our intellectual property rights. Third parties may challenge our intellectual property rights, pending and future patent, trademark, and copyright applications may not be approved, and we may not be able to prevent infringement, misappropriation, or violations of our intellectual property rights without incurring substantial expense. We have also devoted substantial resources to the development of our proprietary technologies and related processes, and we provide access to these technologies and processes to certain of our vendors and partners, including JD Cloud with respect to the facilities included within our network in China. We must protect this proprietary information in order to realize commercial benefit from our investment.
Current wording
We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of patent, patent licenses, trade secret, domain name protection, trademarks, copyrights, and confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, consultants, and third parties in order to protect our intellectual property rights and proprietary information. As of June 30, 2024, we had 320 issued patents and 78 pending patent applications in the United States and abroad. However, third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe our intellectual property rights. Third parties may challenge our intellectual property rights, pending and future patent, trademark, and copyright applications may not be approved, and we may not be able to prevent infringement, misappropriation, or violations of our intellectual property rights without incurring substantial expense. We have also devoted substantial resources to the development of our proprietary technologies and related processes, and we provide access to these technologies and processes to certain of our vendors and partners, including JD Cloud with respect to the facilities included within our network in China. We must protect this proprietary information in order to realize commercial benefit from our investment.
Previous wording
Our Class B common stock has 10 votes per share and our Class A common stock has one vote per share. As of March 31, 2024, our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, and their respective affiliates, held in the aggregate 74.7% of the voting power of our capital stock, with our co-founders together holding approximately 54.2% of the voting power of our capital stock. Because of the ten-to-one voting ratio between our Class B and Class A common stock, the holders of our Class B common stock collectively continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our common stock and therefore are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval. This concentrated control will limit or preclude the ability of holders of Class A common stock to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other major corporate transaction requiring stockholder approval. In addition, this may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our capital stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.
Current wording
Our Class B common stock has 10 votes per share and our Class A common stock has one vote per share. As of June 30, 2024, our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, and their respective affiliates, held in the aggregate 75.1% of the voting power of our capital stock, with our co-founders together holding approximately 53.7% of the voting power of our capital stock. Because of the ten-to-one voting ratio between our Class B and Class A common stock, the holders of our Class B common stock collectively continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our common stock and therefore are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval. This concentrated control will limit or preclude the ability of holders of Class A common stock to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other major corporate transaction requiring stockholder approval. In addition, this may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our capital stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.
Previous wording
Repaying and servicing our existing and future debt, including our 2026 Notes, may require a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our indebtedness.
Current wording
Repaying and servicing our existing and future debt, including our 2026 Notes and our Revolving Credit Facility, may require a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our indebtedness.
Previous wording
In August 2021, we issued $1,293.8 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Notes. As of March 31, 2024, the remaining aggregate principal amount was $1,293.8 million of the 2026 Notes. Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, or to refinance our indebtedness, including the 2026 Notes, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive, and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt, or obtaining additional debt financing or equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance any future indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations. In addition, any of our future debt agreements may contain restrictive covenants that may prohibit us from adopting any of these alternatives. Our failure to comply with these covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of our debt.
Current wording
In August 2021, we issued $1,293.8 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Notes. As of June 30, 2024, the remaining aggregate principal amount was $1,293.8 million of the 2026 Notes. In addition, in May 2024, we entered into a senior secured credit agreement with a $400 million Revolving Credit Facility. Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, or to refinance our indebtedness, including the 2026 Notes and any borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive, and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt, or obtaining additional debt financing or equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance any future indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations. In addition, the credit agreement for our Revolving Credit Facility contains restrictive covenants that limit us, and any of our future debt agreements may contain restrictive covenants that may limit or prohibit us, in each case from adopting any of these alternatives. Our failure to comply with these covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of our debt.
Previous wording
Holders of the 2026 Notes have the right to require us to repurchase their 2026 Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (which is defined in the 2026 Indenture) at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such 2026 Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date for such series of 2026 Notes. In addition, upon conversion of the 2026
Current wording
Holders of the 2026 Notes have the right to require us to repurchase their 2026 Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (which is defined in the 2026 Indenture) at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such 2026 Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date for such series of 2026 Notes. In addition, upon conversion of the 2026 Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our Class A common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the
Previous wording
Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our Class A common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the 2026 Notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of the 2026 Notes surrendered or 2026 Notes being converted. In addition, our ability to repurchase the 2026 Notes or to pay cash upon conversions of the 2026 Notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase the 2026 Notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the 2026 Indenture or to pay any cash payable on future conversions of the 2026 Notes as required by the 2026 Indenture would constitute a default. A default under the 2026 Indenture or the occurrence of a fundamental change under the 2026 Notes could also lead to a default under agreements governing our future indebtedness. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the 2026 Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof in accordance with the terms of the 2026 Indenture. Any failure by us to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the 2026 Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof, in each case, when required to do so pursuant to the terms of the 2026 Indenture could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Current wording
2026 Notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of the 2026 Notes surrendered or 2026 Notes being converted. In addition, our ability to repurchase the 2026 Notes or to pay cash upon conversions of the 2026 Notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase the 2026 Notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the 2026 Indenture or to pay any cash payable on future conversions of the 2026 Notes as required by the 2026 Indenture would constitute a default. A default under the 2026 Indenture or the occurrence of a fundamental change under the 2026 Notes could also lead to a default under agreements governing our future indebtedness. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the 2026 Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof in accordance with the terms of the 2026 Indenture. Any failure by us to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the 2026 Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof, in each case, when required to do so pursuant to the terms of the 2026 Indenture could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Previous wording
The occurrence of any catastrophic event, including an earthquake, volcanic event, fire, flood, tsunami, the effects of climate change, or other weather event, power loss, telecommunications failure, software or hardware malfunction, epidemic or pandemic disease (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), cyber attack, military conflict or war, or terrorist attack, could result in lengthy interruptions in our service. Our corporate headquarters is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of our core co-location facilities is located in the greater Portland, Oregon area, both regions known for seismic and/or volcanic activity, and we also have a second core co-location facility in Luxembourg. Our insurance coverage may not compensate us in full or at all for losses that may occur in the event of any of these potential future catastrophic events. In addition, any of these catastrophic events could cause disruptions to the Internet or the economy as a whole. Even with our disaster recovery arrangements, our service could be interrupted. If our systems were to fail or be negatively impacted as a result of a natural disaster or other event, our ability to deliver products to our customers would be impaired or we could lose critical data.
Current wording
The occurrence of any catastrophic event, including an earthquake, volcanic event, fire, flood, tsunami, the effects of climate change, or other weather event, power loss, telecommunications failure, software or hardware malfunction, epidemic or pandemic disease (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), cyber attack, military conflict or war, or terrorist attack, could result in lengthy interruptions in our service. Our corporate headquarters is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of our core co-location facilities is located in the greater Portland, Oregon area, both regions known for seismic and/or volcanic activity, and we also have a second core co-location facility in Amsterdam. Our insurance coverage may not compensate us in full or at all for losses that may occur in the event of any of these potential future catastrophic events. In addition, any of these catastrophic events could cause disruptions to the Internet or the economy as a whole. Even with our disaster recovery arrangements, our service could be interrupted. If our systems were to fail or be negatively impacted as a result of a natural disaster or other event, our ability to deliver products to our customers would be impaired or we could lose critical data.
Previous wording
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight is required. We are required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis and to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm is required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. As a result of the complexity involved in complying with the rules and regulations applicable to public companies, our management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Current wording
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight is required. We are required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis and to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm is required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. As a result of the complexity involved in complying with the rules and regulations applicable to public companies, our management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Although we have already hired additional employees and have engaged outside consultants to assist us in complying with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future or engage additional outside consultants, which will increase our operating expenses.
Rearranged current paragraphs (1)
Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
In July 2023, the European Commission adopted an adequacy decision for the new EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which is designed to address the concerns raised in the Schrems II case. However, the European
Rearranged previous paragraphs (4)
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
•impacts of the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts or other areas of geopolitical tension around the world, or any worsening or expansion of those conflicts or geopolitical tensions.
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
2023, breaches of the systems of our identity access management vendor resulted in attacks on our systems. While we quickly discovered these resulting attacks on our systems and believed we had fully contained their impact on our systems and data, the October 2023 breach of our systems contributed to the November 2023 intrusion of our systems by a likely nation-state threat actor. While none of these incidents had a material impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition, we cannot be certain that compromises of our systems will not happen in the future as a result of these incidents or other similar incidents with third party vendors that we use to help secure our internal systems and that such incidents will not have a material impact on our results of operations or financial condition. Such incidents, whether or not successful, could result in our incurring significant costs related to, among other things, changes to our internal systems, remediating or replacing equipment within our global network, implementing additional threat protection measures, making modifications to our products and our global network, defending against litigation, responding to regulatory inquiries or actions, paying damages, providing customers with credits under our agreements with them or other incentives to maintain a business relationship with us, or taking other remedial steps with respect to third parties, as well as incurring significant reputational harm. Because these threats are constantly evolving, we believe successfully defending against them or implementing adequate preventative measures will become increasingly challenging.
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
The costs of supporting litigation and dispute resolution proceedings are considerable, and there can be no assurances that a favorable outcome will be obtained. Disputes, whether or not favorably resolved, also may generate negative publicity and damage our reputation. We may need to settle litigation and disputes on terms that are unfavorable to us, or we may be subject to an unfavorable judgment that may not be reversible upon appeal. The terms of any settlement or judgment may require us to cease some or all of our operations or pay substantial amounts to the other party. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim, we may have to seek a license to continue practices found to be in violation of third-party rights, which may not be available on reasonable terms and may significantly increase our operating expenses. A license to continue such practices may not be available to us at all, and we may be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology or practices or discontinue the practices. The development of alternative, non-infringing technology or practices could require significant effort and expense. Our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected as a result.
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
Although we have already hired additional employees and have engaged outside consultants to assist us in complying with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future or engage additional outside consultants, which will increase our operating expenses.