Snowflake Inc
For the period ended Apr 30, 2025. Filed May 30, 2025.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
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.
Apr 30, 2025 · Filed May 30, 2025
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-Q
Period ended 2024-10-31; filed 2024-11-27.
0001640147-24-000250
ITEM 1A. Risk FactorsCurrent report: 10-Q
Period ended 2025-04-30; filed 2025-05-30.
0001640147-25-000110
ITEM 1A. Risk FactorsThe baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.
Compared 264 previous paragraphs and 272 current paragraphs.
192 unchanged; 69 reworded; 11 added; 2 removed; 1 previous and 0 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 (11)
Current report
The markets in which we operate are rapidly evolving and highly competitive. In recent years, we have adopted open data formats like Apache Iceberg tables to allow customers to use our platform to process data stored in external customer-controlled environments outside of Snowflake, and we have introduced a significant number of new features and expanded into new product categories like artificial intelligence. These changes are driving increased competition, both because there is less customer “lock in” when our products are used in external environments, and also because we are competing across more product categories, each of which is subject to distinct customer requirements and preferences. Our success depends on our ability to continue to innovate in response to changing market dynamics.
Current report
We sell to the U.S. government, state and local governments, foreign governments, and heavily regulated organizations directly and through our partners. Selling to government and regulated customers involves significant costs and operational efforts that arise from special laws, regulations, certification or clearance requirements, procurement processes, contract terms, and customer requirements. We may fail to win sufficient government or regulated business to justify our investments. For the government and regulated business that we do win, performing under the contracts involves higher ongoing cost to meet the special requirements as well as heightened civil and criminal liability for noncompliance for us, our officers, and directors.
Current report
If we are unable to maintain and enhance our brand and reputation, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Current report
We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand identity and reputation is critical to our relationships with, and to our ability to attract and retain, customers, partners, investors, and employees. The successful promotion of our brand depends on a number of factors, including our ability to continue to develop and deliver reliable, high-quality, and cost-effective products and services that meet the needs of our customers; our sales and marketing efforts, including effectiveness at developing a positive presence within our industry through participation in industry events and key media coverage; the influence of customer testimonials and use cases on the perception of our brand; effective integration into our platform of products and services we acquire or invest in; and our ability to differentiate our products from those of our competitors.
Current report
The promotion of our brand requires us to make substantial expenditures, which we anticipate will increase as our market becomes more competitive. Our brand promotion activities may not be successful or generate the awareness or increased revenue we expect, and even if they do, any increase in revenue may not offset the significant expenses we incur in the efforts to build our brand. In addition, independent industry or financial analysts often provide reviews of our platform, as well as products and services of our competitors, and perception of our platform in the marketplace may be significantly influenced by these reviews. If these reviews are negative, or less positive as compared to those of our competitors’ products and services, our brand may be adversely affected. Negative media coverage could also adversely affect our brand and reputation. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brand, our business may not grow, we may have reduced pricing power relative to competitors and we could lose customers or fail to attract potential customers, or fail to hire and retain employees, all of which would materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Current report
•compliance with requirements to hire local employees to perform certain specific functions, such as Saudi Arabia’s Regional Headquarters Program, which may not align with how we would otherwise operate our business;
Current report
•The EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which became effective as of January 17, 2025, applies to financial entities, such as banks, insurance companies, and investment firms, as well as their information and communication technology third-party service providers. DORA aims to promote resiliency against operational disruptions in the financial sector.
Current report
At the same time, anti-ESG sentiment has gained momentum across the United States, and both the federal and state governments have enacted or proposed “anti-ESG” policies or legislation or have issued related legal opinions. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down race-based affirmative action in higher education has increased scrutiny of private sector employment practices and activist groups and state attorneys general have begun to analogize the outcome of that case to private employment matters, asserting that certain corporate practices, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), are discriminatory and unlawful. Such anti-ESG and anti-DEI related policies, legislation, initiatives and scrutiny could expose any ESG, DEI or other practices we adopt to the risk of litigation, antitrust investigations or challenges by federal or state authorities, result in injunctions, penalties, and reputational harm.
Current report
•the effects of acquisitions, divestitures, and restructurings.
Removed paragraphs (2)
Previous report
Our go-to-market strategy is focused on acquiring new customers and driving increased use of our platform by existing customers. The markets in which we operate are rapidly evolving and highly competitive, and the competition we face in such markets continues to increase with our investments in AI Technology, new workloads types, and new product capabilities, such as our increased support for open data formats that allow customers to use our platform for compute services without requiring storage (for example, Iceberg tables, which became generally available to our customers in June 2024). As these markets continue to mature and new technologies and competitors enter such markets, we expect competition to intensify. Our current competitors include:
Reworded paragraphs (69)
Previous wording
Our revenue was $942.1 million and $734.2 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $2.6 billion and $2.0 billion for the nine months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As a result of our historical rapid growth, limited operating history, large number of new product features, including those including artificial intelligence and machine learning technology (AI Technology), and unstable macroeconomic conditions, our ability to accurately forecast our future results of operations, including revenue, gross margin, remaining performance obligations (RPO), and the percentage of RPO we expect to recognize as revenue in future periods, is limited and subject to a number of uncertainties, including our ability to plan for and model future growth and platform consumption. Our historical revenue growth should not be considered indicative of our future performance.
Current wording
Our revenue was $1.0 billion and $828.7 million for the three months ended April 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As a result of our historical rapid growth, limited operating history, large number of new product features, including those incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning technology (AI Technology), and unstable macroeconomic conditions, our ability to accurately forecast our future results of operations, including revenue, gross margin, remaining performance obligations (RPO), and the percentage of RPO we expect to recognize as revenue in future periods, is limited and subject to a number of uncertainties, including our ability to plan for and model future growth and platform consumption. Our historical revenue growth should not be considered indicative of our future performance.
Previous wording
Customers generally consume our platform by using compute, storage, and/or data transfer resources. Unlike a subscription-based business model, in which revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the subscription, we generally recognize revenue on consumption. Because our customers have flexibility in the timing of their consumption, we do not have the visibility into the timing of revenue recognition that a typical subscription-based software company has. Customer consumption fluctuates, and there is a risk that customers will consume our platform at lower levels than we expect, including in response to new software releases or hardware improvements that may make our platform more efficient or adverse macroeconomic conditions or holidays. Unexpected fluctuations in customer consumption may cause actual results to differ from our forecasts. As a result, our results of operations in a given period should not be relied upon as indicative of future performance.
Current wording
Customers generally consume our platform by using compute, storage, and/or data transfer resources. Unlike a subscription-based business model, in which revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the subscription, we generally recognize revenue on consumption. Because our customers have flexibility in the timing of their consumption, we do not have the visibility into the timing of revenue recognition that a typical subscription-based software company has. Customer consumption fluctuates from time to time, and there is a risk that customers will consume our platform at lower levels than we expect, including in response to new software releases or hardware improvements that may make our platform more efficient, adverse macroeconomic conditions or holidays. Unexpected fluctuations in customer consumption may cause actual results to differ from our forecasts. As a result, our results of operations in a given period should not be relied upon as indicative of future performance.
Previous wording
We have experienced net losses in each period since inception. We generated net losses of $327.9 million and $214.7 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $963.5 million and $668.1 million for the nine months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of October 31, 2024 and January 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $7.0 billion and $4.1 billion, respectively. We expect our costs and expenses to increase in future periods. In particular, we intend to continue to invest significant resources to further develop our platform, expand our research and development teams, retain our employees, and acquire other businesses, including in the areas of data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. In addition, our platform currently operates on public cloud infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure (Azure), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and our costs and gross margins are significantly influenced by the prices we are able to negotiate with these public cloud providers, which in certain cases are also our competitors. If we fail to meet any minimum commitments under our third-party cloud infrastructure agreements, we may be required to pay the difference, and our results of operations could be negatively impacted. We will also incur increased general and administrative expenses associated with our growth, including costs related to internal systems, operating as a public company, and targeting regulated industries or markets. Our efforts to grow our business have been and may continue to be costlier than we expect, or our revenue growth rate may be slower than we expect, and we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to offset the increase in operating expenses resulting from these investments. If we are unable to achieve and sustain profitability, or if we are unable to achieve the revenue growth that we expect from these investments, the value of our business and common stock may significantly decrease.
Current wording
We have experienced net losses in each period since inception. We generated net losses of $430.0 million and $317.8 million for the three months ended April 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As of April 30, 2025 and January 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $8.2 billion and $7.3 billion, respectively. We expect our costs and expenses to increase in future periods. In particular, we intend to continue to invest significant resources to further develop our platform, expand our research and development teams, retain our employees, and acquire other businesses, including in the areas of data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. In addition, our platform currently operates on public cloud infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure (Azure), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and our costs and gross margins are significantly influenced by the prices we are able to negotiate with these public cloud providers, which in certain cases are also our competitors. If we fail to meet any minimum commitments under our third-party cloud infrastructure agreements, we may be required to pay the difference, and our results of operations could be negatively impacted. We will also incur increased general and administrative expenses associated with our growth, including costs related to internal systems, operating as a public company, and targeting regulated industries or markets. Our efforts to grow our business have been and may continue to be costlier than we expect, or our revenue growth rate may be slower than we expect, and we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to offset the increase in operating expenses resulting from these investments. If we are unable to achieve and sustain profitability, or if we are unable to achieve the revenue growth that we expect from these investments, the value of our business and common stock may significantly decrease.
Previous wording
•less-established public and private cloud companies with products that compete in some of our markets;
Current wording
•less-established public and private cloud companies with products that compete in some or all of our markets;
Previous wording
We compete based on various factors, including price, performance, product features, breadth of use cases, multi-cloud availability, brand recognition and reputation, customer support, and differentiated capabilities, including ease of implementation and data migration, ease of administration and use, scalability and reliability, data governance, security and compatibility with existing standards, programming languages, and third-party products. Many of our competitors have substantially greater brand recognition, customer relationships, and financial, technical, and other resources than we do, and may be able to respond more effectively than us to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, customer requirements, and buying practices. In addition, we may not be able to respond to market opportunities as quickly as smaller companies. Our support of open data formats may also reduce switching costs between us and our competitors.
Current wording
We compete based on various factors, including price, performance, product features, breadth of use cases, multi-cloud availability, brand recognition and reputation, customer support, technical services, and differentiated capabilities, including ease of implementation and data migration, ease of administration and use, scalability and reliability, data governance, security and compatibility with existing standards, programming languages, third-party products, and the ability to operate in hybrid environments. Many of our competitors have substantially greater brand recognition, customer relationships, and financial, technical, and other resources than we do, and may be able to respond more effectively than us to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, customer requirements, and buying practices. In addition, we may not be able to respond to market opportunities as quickly as smaller companies or offer as many discounts or free services as our competitors. Our support of open data formats may also reduce switching costs between us and our competitors.
Previous wording
We currently only offer our platform on the public clouds provided by AWS, Azure, and GCP, which are also some of our primary competitors. Currently, a substantial majority of our business is run on the AWS public cloud. There is risk that one or more of these public cloud providers could use its respective control of its public clouds to embed innovations or privileged interoperating capabilities in competing products, bundle competing products, provide us unfavorable pricing, leverage its public cloud customer relationships to exclude us from opportunities, and treat us and our customers differently with respect to terms and conditions or regulatory requirements than it would treat its similarly situated customers. Further, they have the resources to acquire, invest in, or partner with existing and emerging providers of competing technologies and thereby accelerate adoption of those competing technologies. All of the foregoing could make it difficult or impossible for us to provide products and services that compete favorably with those of the public cloud providers.
Current wording
We currently offer our platform on the public clouds provided by AWS, Azure, and GCP, which are also some of our primary competitors. Currently, a substantial majority of our business is run on the AWS public cloud. There is risk that one or more of these public cloud providers could use its respective control of its public clouds to embed innovations or privileged interoperating capabilities in competing products, bundle competing products, provide us unfavorable pricing, leverage its public cloud customer relationships to exclude us from opportunities, and treat us and our customers differently with respect to terms and conditions or regulatory requirements than it would treat its similarly situated customers. Further, they have the resources to acquire, invest in, or partner with existing and emerging providers of competing technologies and thereby accelerate adoption of those competing technologies. All of the foregoing could make it difficult or impossible for us to provide products and services that compete favorably with those of the public cloud providers.
Previous wording
For all of these reasons, competition may negatively impact our ability to acquire new customers and maintain and grow use of our platform, or it may put downward pressure on our prices and gross margins, any of which could materially harm our business, reputation, results of operations, revenue retention rate, and financial condition.
Current wording
For all of these reasons, competition may negatively impact our ability to acquire new customers and maintain and grow use of our platform, put downward pressure on our prices and gross margins, or lead us to take greater risks, any of which could materially harm our business, reputation, results of operations, revenue retention rate, and financial condition.
Previous wording
We compete in markets that evolve rapidly. We believe that the pace of innovation will continue to accelerate as customers increasingly base their purchases of cloud data platforms on a broad range of factors, including performance and scale, markets addressed, types of data processed, ease of data ingress and egress, user experience and programming languages, use of artificial intelligence, and data governance, security, and regulatory compliance. We introduced data warehousing on our platform in 2014 as our core use case, and our customers subsequently began using our platform for additional workloads, including data lake, data engineering, AI/ML, applications, collaboration, cybersecurity, and Unistore. Our future success depends on our ability to continue to innovate rapidly and effectively and increase customer adoption of our platform and the AI Data Cloud, including the Snowflake Marketplace and Snowpark.
Current wording
We compete in markets that evolve rapidly. We believe that the pace of innovation will continue to accelerate as customers increasingly base their purchases of cloud data platforms on a broad range of factors, including performance and scale, markets addressed, types of data processed, ease of data ingress and egress, support of open data formats, user experience and programming languages, use of artificial intelligence, and data governance, security, and regulatory compliance. We introduced data warehousing on our platform in 2014 as our core use case, and our customers subsequently began using our platform for additional product categories, including analytics, data engineering, artificial intelligence, and applications and collaboration. Our future success depends on our ability to continue to innovate rapidly and effectively and increase customer adoption of our platform and the AI Data Cloud, including the Snowflake Marketplace and Snowpark.
Previous wording
Further, the value of our platform to customers is increased to the extent they are able to use it to process and access all types of data. We need to continue to invest in technologies, services, and partnerships that increase the types of data available and processed on our platform and the ease with which customers can ingest data into our platform. We must also continue to enhance our data sharing and marketplace capabilities so customers can share their data with internal business units, customers, and other third parties, acquire additional third-party data and data products to combine with their own data to gain additional business insights, and develop and monetize applications on our platform. As we develop, acquire, and introduce new services and technologies, including those that may incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning, we may be subject to new or heightened legal, ethical, and other challenges. In addition, our platform requires third-party public cloud infrastructure to operate. Currently, we use public cloud offerings provided by AWS, Azure, and GCP. We will need to continue to innovate to optimize our offerings for these and other public clouds that our customers require, particularly as we expand internationally. Further, the markets in which we compete are subject to evolving industry standards and regulations, resulting in increasing data governance and compliance requirements for us and our customers and partners. To the extent we expand further into the public sector and highly regulated countries and industries, our platform and operations may need to address additional requirements specific to those markets, including data sovereignty requirements.
Current wording
Further, the value of our platform to customers increases to the extent they are able to use it to process and access all types of data. We need to continue to invest in technologies, services, and partnerships that increase the types of data available and processed on our platform, the ease with which customers can ingest data into our platform, and the types of environments that our platform supports, including hybrid offerings that extend into customer-managed environments. We must also continue to enhance our data sharing and marketplace capabilities so customers can share their data with internal business units, customers, and other third parties, acquire additional third-party data and data products to combine with their own data to gain additional business insights, and develop and monetize applications on our platform. As we develop, acquire, and introduce new services and technologies, including those that may incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning, we may be subject to new or heightened legal, ethical, and other challenges. In addition, our platform requires third-party public cloud infrastructure to operate. Currently, we use public cloud offerings provided by AWS, Azure, and GCP. We will need to continue to innovate to optimize our offerings for these and other public clouds that our customers require, particularly as we expand internationally. Further, the markets in which we compete are subject to evolving industry standards and regulations, resulting in increasing data governance and compliance requirements for us and our customers and partners. As we expand further into the public sector and highly regulated countries and industries, our platform and operations will need to address additional requirements specific to those markets, including data sovereignty requirements.
Previous wording
There can be no assurance that security measures designed to protect against security incidents will be effective, and our efforts to investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate any security incidents that do occur may not be successful. Even though we may not control the security measures of third-party providers, we may incur liability or suffer reputational harm if such measures are breached. Actions taken by us, third-party cloud providers, or the other third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate security incidents could result in outages, data losses, and disruptions of our business. We may be unable to detect, mitigate, or remediate vulnerabilities in our information security systems (such as our hardware and software, including that of third parties upon which we rely) on a timely basis. We may be unwilling or unable to make ransom payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments, the negative precedent such payments would set, or uncertainty over whether such payments would result in the threat actor deleting stolen data or otherwise delivering on their promised course of action. In general, cybersecurity incidents or security vulnerabilities could lead to significant interruptions in our operations, loss of data and income, reputational harm, diversion of funds, increased insurance costs, and other harm to our business, reputation, and competitive position. In addition, customers’ use of our platform in violation of our terms of service, including by granting access to a single Snowflake account to various third-party entities, could amplify the impact of any cybersecurity or product incidents. Security incidents and their resulting consequences, including negative publicity, may also cause customers to stop using our platform, deter existing or prospective customers from using our platform, and negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business.
Current wording
There can be no assurance that security measures designed to protect against security incidents will be effective, and our efforts to investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate any security incidents that do occur may not be successful. Even though we may not control the security measures of third-party providers or environments, we may incur liability or suffer reputational harm if such measures are breached. Actions taken by us, third-party cloud providers, or the other third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate security incidents could result in outages, data losses, and disruptions of our business. We may be unable to detect, mitigate, or remediate vulnerabilities in our information security systems (such as our hardware and software, including that of third parties upon which we rely) on a timely basis. We may be unwilling or unable to make ransom payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments, the negative precedent such payments would set, or uncertainty over whether such payments would result in the threat actor deleting stolen data or otherwise delivering on their promised course of action. In general, cybersecurity incidents or security vulnerabilities could lead to significant interruptions in our operations, loss of data and income, reputational harm, diversion of funds, increased insurance costs, and other harm to our business, reputation, and competitive position. In addition, customers’ use of our platform in violation of our terms of service, including by granting access to a single Snowflake account to various third-party entities, could amplify the impact of any cybersecurity or product incidents. Security incidents and their resulting consequences, including negative publicity, may also cause customers to stop using our platform, deter existing or prospective customers from using our platform, and negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business.
Previous wording
Our customers have experienced and may in the future experience security incidents in connection with their use of our platform that harm our customer relationships and our reputation, even when such incidents are due to vulnerabilities, policy violations, inadequate security controls, or credential exposures that we do not cause. We operate under a shared responsibility cybersecurity model where we are responsible for the security of our platform and underlying cloud infrastructure, while our customers are responsible for selecting, enabling, and configuring security controls for their individual environments in a manner that meets applicable cybersecurity standards and effectively reduces their information security risk. To assist customers in meeting their responsibilities, we offer and support a range of tools and features for access control, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), network access policies, and unified role-based access controls and policies. Customers may also use third-party external authentication tools, in which case we do not have visibility into whether adequate access controls (such as MFA or network restrictions) are being enforced. Regardless of whether customers use our authentication tools or external tools, if customers allow static access credentials, they are responsible for ensuring that the credentials remain private and are rotated on a regular basis. If our customers do not implement, or incorrectly implement, these features or otherwise fail to fulfill their responsibilities under our shared responsibility model, there is a higher risk that they will be the victim of cybersecurity incidents, which may harm our customer relationships, our reputation, and our business, which has occurred in the past and may happen again in the future.
Current wording
Our customers have experienced, and may in the future experience, security incidents in connection with their use of our platform that harm our customer relationships and our reputation, even when such incidents are due to vulnerabilities, policy violations, inadequate security controls, or credential exposures that we do not cause. We operate under a shared responsibility cybersecurity model where we are responsible for the security of our platform and underlying cloud infrastructure, while our customers are responsible for selecting, enabling, and configuring security controls for their individual environments in a manner that meets applicable cybersecurity standards and effectively reduces their information security risk. To assist customers in meeting their responsibilities, we offer and support a range of tools and features within our platform for access control, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), network access policies, and unified role-based access controls and policies. Some customers also use third-party external authentication tools, in which case we do not have visibility into whether adequate access controls (such as MFA or network restrictions) are being enforced. Regardless of whether customers use our authentication tools or external tools, if customers allow static access credentials, they are responsible for ensuring that the credentials remain private and are rotated on a regular basis. If our customers do not implement, or incorrectly implement, these features or otherwise fail to fulfill their responsibilities under our shared responsibility cybersecurity model, there is a higher risk that they will be the victim of cybersecurity incidents, which may harm our customer relationships, our reputation, and our business, which has occurred in the past and may happen again in the future.
Previous wording
Any security breach of our platform, our operational systems, our software (including open-source software), our physical facilities, or the systems of our third-party service providers or sub-processors, or the perception that one has occurred, or unauthorized access to our customers’ or partners’ systems, data, or technology, could result in claims that we have breached customer contracts or other legal obligations, including as described below. In addition, we may be subject to, and have received in the past, requests by regulators (including members of Congress) for information about our security practices, our public statements about our security program, experiences, and issues. Alleged failures, problems, or issues related to our information security or our customers’ use of our platform, including following such information requests, could result in additional investigations; actions from a variety of regulators, including state attorneys general, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the SEC; litigation; indemnity obligations; fines; penalties; mitigation and remediation costs; reputational harm; diversion of management’s attention; friction with customers; and other liabilities and damage to our business. Further, cybersecurity incidents may lead customers or prospective customers to attempt to negotiate contractual terms that are less favorable to us, such as broader indemnification obligations and higher limitations of liability.
Current wording
Any security breach of our platform, our operational systems, our software (including open-source software), our physical facilities, or the systems of our third-party service providers or sub-processors, or the perception that one has occurred, or unauthorized access to our customers’ or partners’ systems, data, or technology, could result in claims that we have breached customer contracts or other legal obligations, including as described below. In addition, we may be subject to, and have received in the past, requests by regulators (including members of Congress) for information about our security practices, our public statements about our security program, experiences, and issues. Alleged failures, problems, or issues related to our information security or our customers’ use of our platform, including following such information requests, could result in additional investigations; actions from a variety of regulators, including state attorneys general, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the SEC; litigation; indemnity obligations; fines; penalties; mitigation and remediation costs; reputational harm; diversion of management’s attention; customer relationship issues; and other liabilities and damage to our business. Further, cybersecurity incidents have in the past and may in the future lead customers or prospective customers to attempt to negotiate contractual terms that are less favorable to us, such as broader indemnification obligations, more stringent cybersecurity requirements, and higher limitations of liability.
Previous wording
Our insurance coverage may not be adequate for liability arising from data security breaches involving us or our customers or other third parties, indemnification obligations, or other liabilities. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceeds our available insurance coverage or results in changes to our insurance policies (including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements) could have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, we cannot be sure that our existing insurance coverage and coverage for errors and omissions will continue to be available on acceptable terms or that our insurers will not deny coverage as to any future claim. Risks related to our systems and security breaches are likely to increase as we continue to expand our platform and geographic footprint, grow our customer and partner base, acquire operating companies, and process, store, and transmit increasingly large amounts of data.
Current wording
Our insurance coverage may not be adequate for liability arising from data security breaches involving us or our customers or other third parties, indemnification obligations, or other liabilities. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceeds our available insurance coverage or results in changes to our insurance policies (including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements) could have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, we cannot be sure that our existing insurance coverage and coverage for errors and omissions will continue to be available on acceptable terms or that our insurers will not deny coverage as to any future claim. Risks related to our systems and security breaches are likely to increase as we continue to expand our platform and geographic footprint, grow our customer and partner base, acquire operating companies, begin to operate in environments outside of our platform and over which we exercise significantly less or no control, and process, store, and transmit increasingly large amounts of data.
Previous wording
For example, in May 2024, we became aware that a cybersecurity threat actor had accessed a number of our customers’ Snowflake accounts as a result of such customers’ failure to fulfill certain of their obligations under our shared responsibility cybersecurity model (e.g., implementing MFA and network access policies). Even though we did not identify any evidence suggesting this activity was caused by or otherwise related to any vulnerability or misconfiguration of our systems, or a breach of our platform’s security or our environment, we have been the subject of multiple lawsuits, regulatory investigations, and lawmaker inquiries relating to these customer incidents. Since May 2024, we have been made aware of additional cyberattacks on customers’ Snowflake accounts using similar methods to take advantage of customers’ failures to implement MFA and network access policies. We are unable to predict the outcome or timeline of these matters or if any additional requests, inquiries, lawsuits, investigations or other government actions may arise. We have suffered and may continue to suffer negative publicity and reputational damage, including due to the misperception that our customers’ incidents resulted from a vulnerability, misconfiguration or breach of our platform’s security or systems and malicious activity within our environment. In addition, we may experience customer churn or face claims by customers, and it is possible that we are not able to fully recover any losses relating to these matters through any applicable insurance coverage or we may be required to seek indemnification from breached customers to mitigate our damages. These matters, together with any additional inquiries, regulatory or governmental investigations or other disputes that result from these customer security incidents, will require us to divert resources and may harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Current wording
For example, in May 2024, we became aware that a cybersecurity threat actor had accessed a number of our customers’ Snowflake accounts as a result of such customers’ failure to fulfill certain of their obligations under our shared responsibility cybersecurity model (e.g., implementing MFA and network access policies). Even though we did not identify any evidence suggesting this activity was caused by or otherwise related to any vulnerability or misconfiguration of our systems, or a breach of our platform’s security or our environment, we have been the subject of numerous lawsuits, regulatory investigations, and lawmaker inquiries relating to these customer incidents. Since May 2024, we have been made aware of additional cyberattacks on customers’ Snowflake accounts using similar methods to take advantage of customers’ failures to implement appropriate security safeguards (e.g., MFA and network access policies). We are unable to predict the outcome or timeline of these matters or if any additional requests, inquiries, lawsuits, investigations or other government actions may arise. We have suffered and may continue to suffer negative publicity and reputational damage, including due to the misperception that our customers’ incidents resulted from a vulnerability, misconfiguration or breach of our platform’s security or systems and malicious activity within our environment. In addition, we may experience a loss of existing customers or face claims by customers, and it is possible that we are not able to fully recover any losses relating to these matters through any applicable insurance coverage or we may be required to seek indemnification from breached customers to mitigate our damages, which may be unsuccessful or impractical. These matters, together with any additional inquiries, regulatory or governmental investigations, or other disputes that result from these customer security incidents, will require us to divert resources and may harm our reputation, business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Previous wording
From time to time, we may become subject to legal proceedings and claims, such as claims brought by our customers in connection with commercial disputes, employment claims, including claims related to the loss of employee equity grants upon termination, intellectual property claims, or securities class actions or other claims related to volatility in the trading price of our common stock. For example, we are named in a securities class action lawsuit in federal court alleging federal securities law violations, as well as several class action lawsuits alleging common law and statutory claims in connection with security matters. See the section titled “Legal Proceedings” for more information. Litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources, which might seriously harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Our existing insurance might not cover such claims, provide sufficient payments to cover all the costs to resolve one or more such claims, or continue to be available on terms acceptable to us (including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements). A claim brought against us that is uninsured or underinsured could result in unanticipated costs, potentially harming our business, financial position, and results of operations.
Current wording
From time to time, we may become subject to legal proceedings and claims, such as claims brought by our customers in connection with commercial disputes, cybersecurity incidents, employment claims, including claims related to the loss of employee equity grants upon termination, intellectual property claims, or securities class actions or other claims related to volatility in the trading price of our common stock. For example, we are named in a securities class action lawsuit in federal court alleging federal securities law violations, as well as numerous class action lawsuits alleging common law and statutory claims in connection with cybersecurity matters. See the section titled “Legal Proceedings” for more information. Litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources, which might seriously harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Our existing insurance might not cover such claims, provide sufficient payments to cover all the costs to resolve one or more such claims, or continue to be available on terms acceptable to us (including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements). A claim brought against us that is uninsured or underinsured could result in unanticipated costs, potentially harming our business, financial position, and results of operations.
Previous wording
•fluctuations in demand for our platform or changes in our pricing model;
Current wording
•fluctuations in demand for our platform or changes in our pricing model, including in response to significant price discounts by our competitors;
Previous wording
•fluctuations in consumption resulting from the introduction of new features, technologies, or capabilities to our software, systems, or to underlying cloud infrastructure, including features or capabilities that may increase or decrease the consumption required to execute existing or future workloads, like better storage compression and cloud infrastructure processor improvements, or that allow customers to use our platform for compute services without requiring storage;
Current wording
•fluctuations in consumption resulting from the introduction of new features, technologies, or capabilities to our software, systems, or to underlying cloud infrastructure, including features or capabilities that may increase or decrease the consumption required to execute existing or future workloads, like better storage compression, cloud infrastructure processor improvements, or compute optimization, or that allow customers to use our platform for compute services without requiring storage;
Previous wording
•our ability to execute on our business strategy, including our strategies related to the AI Data Cloud, such as Snowpark, the Snowflake Marketplace, and Snowflake Cortex;
Current wording
•our ability to execute on our business strategy, including our strategies related to the AI Data Cloud, such as Snowpark, the Snowflake Marketplace, and Snowflake Cortex AI;
Previous wording
•the speed with which customers are able to migrate data onto our platform;
Current wording
•the speed and ease with which customers are able to migrate data onto our platform;
Previous wording
•the amount and timing of operating expenses, particularly research and development expenses, including with respect to GPUs to develop AI Technology, and sales and marketing expenses, including commissions;
Current wording
•the amount and timing of operating expenses, particularly research and development expenses, including those related to GPUs to develop AI Technology, and sales and marketing expenses, including commissions;
Previous wording
•significant security breaches affecting our platform or customers’ accounts; and
Current wording
•significant security breaches affecting our platform or customers’ accounts, external systems, or data;
Previous wording
We must increase the size and productivity of our sales and marketing organization to increase our sales to new and existing customers. It requires significant time and resources to hire and effectively onboard new sales and marketing personnel and to train and manage new and existing personnel so they are able to successfully sell our product. We also plan to continue to dedicate significant resources to sales and marketing programs that are industry-specific and focused on large organizations. Once a new customer begins using our platform, our sales team needs to focus on expanding consumption with that customer. All these efforts require us to invest significant financial and other resources, including in industries and sales channels in which we have limited experience to date. In addition, our sales compensation plans must be structured in a way that properly incentivizes our sales and marketing personnel to drive increased consumption and new capacity arrangements. Our business and results of operations will be harmed if our sales and marketing efforts generate increases in revenue that are smaller than anticipated. We may not achieve anticipated revenue growth from our sales force if we are unable to attract, hire, develop, integrate, and retain talented and effective sales personnel, if our sales personnel are unable to achieve desired productivity levels, or if our sales and marketing programs, including our sales compensation plans, are not effective.
Current wording
We must continue to increase the size and productivity of our sales and marketing organization to increase our sales to new and existing customers. It requires significant time and resources to hire and effectively onboard new sales and marketing personnel and to train and manage new and existing personnel so they are able to successfully sell our product. We also plan to continue to dedicate significant resources to sales and marketing programs that are industry-specific and focused on large organizations. Once a new customer begins using our platform, our sales team needs to focus on expanding consumption with that customer. All these efforts require us to invest significant financial and other resources, including in industries and sales channels in which we have limited experience to date. In addition, our sales compensation plans must be structured in a way that properly incentivizes our sales and marketing personnel to drive increased consumption and new capacity arrangements on favorable terms. Our business and results of operations will be harmed if our sales and marketing efforts generate increases in revenue that are smaller than anticipated. We may not achieve anticipated revenue growth from our sales force if we are unable to attract, hire, develop, integrate, and retain talented and effective sales personnel, if our sales personnel are unable to achieve desired productivity levels, or if our sales and marketing programs, including our sales compensation plans, are not effective.
Previous wording
Sales to large customers involve risks that may not be present or that are present to a lesser extent with sales to smaller organizations, such as longer sales cycles, stronger customer leverage in negotiating pricing and other terms, more complex customer requirements, including in response to evolving industry regulations, the additional need to partner with third parties that advise such customers or help them integrate their IT solutions, substantial upfront sales costs, less predictability in completing some of our sales, and higher customer support expectations. For example, large customers may require considerable time to evaluate and test our platform or new features prior to making a purchase decision. In addition, large customers may be switching from legacy on-premises solutions when purchasing our products, and may rely on third parties with whom we do not have relationships when making purchasing decisions. Furthermore, large customers may have more extensive compliance and vendor diligence programs with respect to new products and services, which may increase both the time and resources needed to sell to them and also result in the inability to sell to them if we do not meet their compliance standards. A number of factors also influence the length and variability of our sales cycle, including the need to educate potential customers about the uses and benefits of our platform, the renegotiation of existing agreements to cover additional workloads, changing laws, the discretionary nature of purchasing and budget cycles, and the competitive nature of evaluation and purchasing approval processes. As a result, the length of our sales cycle, from identification of the opportunity to deal closure, may vary significantly from customer to customer, with sales to large enterprises typically taking longer to complete. We have also historically seen consumption growth from large enterprises take longer than when compared to smaller enterprises. Moreover, large customers often begin to deploy our products on a limited basis but nevertheless demand implementation services and negotiate pricing discounts, which increase our upfront investment in the sales effort with no guarantee that sales to these customers will justify our substantial upfront investment. If we fail to effectively manage these risks associated with sales cycles and sales to large customers, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be affected.
Current wording
Sales to large customers involve risks that may not be present or that are present to a lesser extent with sales to smaller organizations, such as longer sales cycles, stronger customer leverage in negotiating pricing and other terms, more cumbersome customer requirements, the additional need to partner with third parties that advise such customers or help them integrate their IT solutions, substantial upfront sales costs, less predictability in completing some of our sales, and higher customer support expectations. For example, large customers may require considerable time to evaluate and test our platform or new features prior to making a purchase decision. In addition, large customers may be switching from legacy on-premises solutions when purchasing our products, and may rely on third parties with whom we do not have relationships when making purchasing decisions. When we accept non-standard customer requirements that deviate from our standard offerings, we typically need to change our standard operating model, which increases both the cost of compliance as well as the likelihood of noncompliance. Further, large customers typically have more extensive compliance and vendor diligence programs with respect to new products and services, which can increase both the time and resources needed to sell to them and also result in the inability to sell to them if we do not meet their compliance standards. A number of factors also influence the length and variability of our sales cycle, including the need to educate potential customers about the uses and benefits of our platform, the renegotiation of existing agreements to cover additional product categories, changing laws, the discretionary nature of purchasing and budget cycles, and the competitive nature of evaluation and purchasing approval processes. As a result, the length of our sales cycle, from identification of the opportunity to deal closure, may vary significantly from customer to customer, with sales to large enterprises typically taking longer to complete. We have also historically seen consumption growth from large enterprises take longer than when compared to smaller enterprises. Moreover, large customers often begin to deploy our products on a limited basis but nevertheless demand implementation services and negotiate pricing discounts, which increase our upfront investment in the sales effort with no guarantee that sales to these customers will justify our substantial upfront investment. If we fail to effectively manage these risks associated with sales cycles and sales to large customers, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be affected.
Previous wording
We provide our platform to the U.S. government, state and local governments, foreign governments, and heavily regulated organizations directly and through our partners. We have made, and may continue to make, significant investments to support future sales opportunities in the government sector, including obtaining government certifications or clearances. We may be unable to achieve or sustain one or more required government certifications or clearances, or we may be required to make unexpected changes to our business, operations or products to obtain or sustain such certifications or clearances. As a result, our ability to sell into the government sector could be restricted until we satisfy the requirements of such certifications or clearances.
Current wording
We have obtained various government certifications and authorizations that are required to support sales opportunities to the government, including FedRAMP High and DOD Impact Level 5. We may be unable to achieve government certifications or facility security clearances with certain government agencies, or we may be required to make unexpected changes to our business, operations or products to obtain or sustain such certifications or facility clearances. As a result, our ability to sell into the government sector could be restricted until we satisfy the requirements of such certifications or facility clearances. In addition, we plan to continue to pursue additional authorizations, including personnel security clearances that allow us to support the U.S. national security community. Obtaining and maintaining national security clearances within a global enterprise will require significant operational investments and the successful implementation of new processes and controls. In addition, unlike our standard commercial offering, we anticipate delivering our platform and other offerings into customer environments, which presents risks and challenges arising from having less visibility into and control over the operation and security of our platform and other offerings.
Previous wording
A substantial majority of our sales to government entities have been made indirectly through our distribution and reseller partners. Doing business with government entities, whether directly or indirectly, presents a variety of risks. Many government entities need significant education regarding our business model, as well as the uses and benefits of our platform. The procurement process for governments and their agencies is highly competitive and time-consuming, and government decisions about their procurement needs may, in certain circumstances, be subject to political influence. To pursue these opportunities, we incur significant up-front time and expense, which subjects us to additional compliance risks and costs, without any assurance that we (or a third-party distributor or reseller) will win a contract. Beyond this, demand for our platform may be adversely impacted by public sector budgetary cycles, and funding availability that in any given fiscal cycle may be reduced or delayed, including in connection with an extended federal government shutdown. Further, if we or our partners are successful in receiving a competitive contract award, that award could be challenged by one or more competitive bidders in a legal action known as a “bid protest.” Bid protests may result in an increase in expenses related to obtaining or preserving contract awards or an unfavorable modification or loss of an award. In the event a bid protest is unsuccessful, the resulting delay in the startup and funding of the work under these contracts may cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated. As a result of these lengthy and uncertain sales cycles, it is difficult for us to predict the timing of entering into customer agreements with government entities or with our distribution and reseller partners in the government market.
Current wording
A substantial majority of our sales to government entities have been made indirectly through our distribution and reseller partners. Doing business with government entities, whether directly or indirectly, presents a variety of risks. Many government entities need significant education regarding our business model, as well as the uses and benefits of our platform. The procurement process for governments and their agencies is highly competitive and time-consuming, and government decisions about their procurement needs may, in certain circumstances, be subject to political influence. Beyond this, demand for our platform may be adversely impacted by public sector budgetary cycles, and funding availability that in any given fiscal cycle may be reduced or delayed, including in connection with an extended federal government shutdown. Further, if we or our partners are successful in receiving a competitive contract award, that award could be challenged by one or more competitive bidders in a legal action known as a “bid protest.” Bid protests may result in an increase in expenses related to obtaining or preserving contract awards or an unfavorable modification or loss of an award. In the event a bid protest is unsuccessful, the resulting delay in the startup and funding of the work under these contracts may cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated. As a result of these lengthy and uncertain sales cycles, it is difficult for us to predict the timing of entering into customer agreements with government entities or with our distribution and reseller partners in the government market.
Previous wording
In addition, public sector customers may have contractual, statutory, or regulatory rights to terminate current contracts with us or our third-party distributors or resellers for convenience or default. If a contract is terminated for convenience, we may only be able to collect fees for platform consumption prior to termination and settlement expenses. If a contract is terminated due to a default, we may be liable for excess costs incurred by the customer for procuring alternative products or services or be precluded from doing further business with government entities. Further, entities providing products or services to governments, whether directly or indirectly, are required to comply with a variety of complex laws, regulations, and contractual provisions relating to the formation, administration, and performance of government contracts. Such laws, regulations, and contractual provisions impose compliance obligations that are more burdensome than those typically encountered in commercial contracts, and they often give customers in the government market substantial rights and remedies, many of which are not typically found in commercial contracts. These rights and remedies may relate to intellectual property, price protection, the accuracy of information provided to the government, incident notification, and termination rights. In addition, governments may use procurement requirements as an alternative to lawmaking, and impose stricter requirements than would apply to the commercial sector in areas that are not directly related to the purchase. For example, in October 2024, the White House Office of Management and Budget released Memorandum M-24-18, Advancing the Responsible Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government, providing detailed new guidance and requirements for federal agency procurement of artificial intelligence. These rules and requirements may apply to us or third-party resellers or distributors whose practices we may not control. Such parties’ non-compliance could result in repercussions for us with respect to contractual and customer satisfaction issues.
Current wording
In addition, public sector customers may have contractual, statutory, or regulatory rights to terminate current contracts with us or our third-party distributors or resellers for convenience or default. If a contract is terminated for convenience, we may only be able to collect fees for platform consumption prior to termination and settlement expenses. If a contract is terminated due to a default, we may be liable for excess costs incurred by the customer for procuring alternative products or services or be precluded from doing further business with government entities. Further, entities providing products or services to governments, whether directly or indirectly, are required to comply with a variety of complex laws, regulations, and contractual provisions relating to the formation, administration, and performance of government contracts. Such laws, regulations, and contractual provisions impose compliance obligations that are more burdensome than those typically encountered in commercial contracts, and they often give customers in the government market substantial rights and remedies, many of which are not typically found in commercial contracts. These rights and remedies may relate to intellectual property, price protection, the accuracy of information provided to the government, incident notification, termination rights, and prohibition against any government indemnification obligations. For example, the government or other people on behalf of the government can bring civil actions under the False Claims Act where a contractor presents a false or fraudulent claim to the government for payment or approval, which can result in substantial civil penalties and/or prohibition from doing business with the government. In addition, governments may use procurement requirements as an alternative to lawmaking and impose stricter requirements than would apply to the commercial sector in areas that are not directly related to the purchase. These rules and requirements may apply to us or third-party resellers or distributors whose practices we may not control. Such parties’ non-compliance could result in repercussions for us with respect to contractual and customer satisfaction issues.
Previous wording
In addition, federal, state, and local governments and regulators routinely investigate and audit contractors for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contractual provisions. If, as a result of an audit or investigation, it is determined that we have failed to comply with applicable requirements, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits or payments we have received, costs associated with the triggering of price reduction clauses, fines, loss of a government certification or clearance, and suspensions or debarment from future government business, and we may suffer reputational harm.
Current wording
Further, federal, state, and local governments and regulators routinely investigate and audit contractors for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contractual provisions, and changes in government policies may affect the level of oversight of government contractors and areas of focus (such as recent executive orders that affect compliance with nondiscrimination plans). If, as a result of an audit or investigation, it is determined that we have failed to comply with applicable requirements, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits or payments we have received, costs associated with the triggering of price reduction clauses, fines, loss of a government certification or clearance, and suspensions or debarment from future government business, and we may suffer reputational harm.
Previous wording
Our customers also include a number of non-U.S. governments, to which similar procurement, budgetary, contract, and audit risks of U.S. government contracting also apply, particularly in certain emerging markets where our customer base is less established. Such sales may also heighten our exposure to liabilities under anti-corruption laws. In addition, compliance with complex regulations, security certifications, and contracting provisions in a variety of jurisdictions can be expensive and consume significant financial and management resources. In certain jurisdictions, our ability to win business may be constrained by political and other factors unrelated to our competitive position in the market. Further, our business and results of operations could be harmed if our efforts to do business with governments and heavily regulated organizations do not generate the anticipated increases in revenue. Each of these difficulties could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Current wording
Our customers include a number of non-U.S. governments, to which similar procurement, budgetary, contract, and audit risks of U.S. government contracting also apply, particularly in certain emerging markets where our customer base is less established. Such sales may also heighten our exposure to liabilities under anti-corruption laws. In addition, compliance with complex regulations, security certifications, and contracting provisions in a variety of jurisdictions can be expensive and consume significant financial and management resources. In certain jurisdictions, our ability to win business may be constrained by political and other factors unrelated to our competitive position in the market. Further, our business and results of operations could be harmed if our efforts to do business with governments and heavily regulated organizations do not generate the anticipated increases in revenue. Each of these difficulties could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Previous wording
Further, we are increasingly investing in doing business with customers and partners in heavily regulated commercial industries, such as the financial services and health care industries. Existing and prospective customers, such as those in these industries, may be required to comply with more stringent regulations in connection with using and implementing our platform or services or particular regulations regarding third-party vendors that may be interpreted differently by different customers. In addition, regulatory agencies may impose requirements toward third-party vendors of regulated entities generally, or our company in particular, that we may not be able to, or may choose not to, meet. We may make special compliance commitments that are more expensive to satisfy than we anticipate, or that we are unable to satisfy. In addition, customers in these heavily regulated areas and their regulators often have a right to conduct audits of our systems, products, and practices. In the event that one or more customers or their regulators determine that some aspect of our business does not meet regulatory requirements, we may be limited in our ability to continue or expand our business.
Current wording
Finally, we are increasingly investing in doing business with customers and partners in heavily regulated commercial industries, such as the financial services and health care industries. Existing and prospective customers, such as those in these industries, may be required to comply with more stringent regulations in connection with using and implementing our platform or services or particular regulations regarding third-party vendors that may be interpreted differently by different customers and partners. In addition, regulatory agencies may impose requirements toward third-party vendors of regulated entities generally, or our company in particular, that we may not be able to, or may choose not to, meet. We may make special compliance commitments that are more expensive to satisfy than we anticipate, or that we are unable to satisfy. In addition, customers in these heavily regulated areas and their regulators often have a right to conduct audits of our systems, products, and practices. In the event that one or more customers or their regulators determine that some aspect of our business does not meet regulatory requirements, we may be limited in our ability to continue or expand our business.
Previous wording
From time to time, there may be changes in our executive management team or other key employees resulting from the hiring or departure of these personnel. Our executive officers and other key employees are employed on an at-will basis, which means that these personnel could terminate their employment with us at any time. For example, in February 2024, Frank Slootman retired as Chief Executive Officer and Sridhar Ramaswamy was appointed to replace him. In July 2024, Grzegorz Czajkowski, our former EVP, Engineering and Support, resigned and left Snowflake to pursue another opportunity, and in September 2024, Vivek Raghunathan was appointed as SVP, Engineering and Support to replace him. The loss of additional executive officers or any significant change in executive leadership could harm morale, cause additional personnel to depart, or introduce operational delays or risks as successor executives learn our business, each of which could harm our operating results.
Current wording
From time to time, there may be changes in our executive management team or other key employees resulting from the hiring or departure of these personnel. Our executive officers and other key employees are employed on an at-will basis, which means that these personnel could terminate their employment with us at any time. For example, in February 2024, Frank Slootman retired as Chief Executive Officer and Sridhar Ramaswamy was appointed to replace him; in July 2024, Grzegorz Czajkowski, our former EVP, Engineering and Support, resigned and left Snowflake to pursue another opportunity, and in September 2024, Vivek Raghunathan was appointed as SVP, Engineering and Support to replace him; in February 2025, Michael P. Scarpelli notified us of his intention to retire as Chief Financial Officer once his successor is appointed, after which he will transition into an advisory role to support continuity and a smooth transition; and in March 2025, Christopher W. Degnan notified us of his intention to retire as Chief Revenue Officer and Michael Gannon was appointed to replace him. The loss of additional executive officers or any significant change in key leadership could harm morale, cause additional personnel to depart, introduce operational delays or risks as departing employees are replaced and successors learn our business, or disrupt operations and implementation of business strategy as result of any changes such successors may make, each of which could harm our operating results.
Previous wording
In order to support our growing business, we will need to continue to hire in new locations around the world and manage return to work and remote working policies, which may add to the complexity and costs of our business operations. From time to time, we have experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we have and can provide more competitive compensation and benefits. In addition, we require the majority of our employees to work from a physical office, while certain of our competitors allow remote work environments. In addition, prospective and existing employees often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. Since the beginning of fiscal 2025, our stock price has declined significantly. If the actual or perceived value of our equity awards continues to decline or undergoes significant volatility, or if our existing employees receive significant proceeds from liquidating their previously vested equity awards, it may adversely affect our ability to recruit and retain key employees. Furthermore, current and prospective employees may believe that their equity award offers have limited upside, and our competitors may be able to offer more appealing compensation packages. In order to retain our existing employees and manage potential attrition, including as a result of any stock price decreases and market volatility that impact the actual or perceived value of our equity awards, we may issue additional equity awards or provide our employees with increased cash compensation, which could negatively impact our results of operations and be dilutive to stockholders. Finally, if we hire employees from competitors or other companies, their former employers may attempt to assert that we or these employees have breached our or their legal obligations, resulting in a diversion of our time and resources.
Current wording
In order to support our growing business, we will need to continue to hire in new locations around the world and manage remote/hybrid working policies in certain areas, which may add to the complexity and costs of our business operations. From time to time, we have experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we have and can provide more competitive compensation and benefits. In addition, we require the majority of our employees to work from a physical office, while certain of our competitors allow remote work environments. In addition, prospective and existing employees often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. Our stock price declined significantly during portions of fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026. If the actual or perceived value of our equity awards declines or undergoes significant volatility, or if our existing employees receive significant proceeds from liquidating their previously vested equity awards, it may adversely affect our ability to recruit and retain key employees. Furthermore, current and prospective employees may believe that their equity award offers have limited upside, and our competitors may be able to offer more appealing compensation packages. In order to retain our existing employees and manage potential attrition, including as a result of any stock price decreases and market volatility that impact the actual or perceived value of our equity awards, we may issue additional equity awards or provide our employees with increased cash compensation, which could negatively impact our results of operations and be dilutive to stockholders. For example, our stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized, represented 41% of our revenue for fiscal 2025 and 42% for fiscal 2024, and we expect stock-based compensation to remain substantial even if we are successful in reducing it as a percentage of our revenue. Finally, if we hire employees from competitors or other companies, their former employers may attempt to assert that we or these employees have breached our or their legal obligations, resulting in a diversion of our time and resources.
Previous wording
We also believe our culture has been a key contributor to our success to date and that the critical nature of the platform that we provide promotes a sense of greater purpose and fulfillment in our employees. As our workforce becomes larger and more distributed around the world, we may not be able to maintain important aspects of our culture. Any failure to preserve our culture could negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit personnel. If we fail to attract and recruit new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects would be harmed.
Current wording
We also believe our culture has been a key contributor to our success to date and that the critical nature of the platform that we provide promotes a sense of greater purpose and fulfillment in our employees. As our workforce becomes larger and more distributed around the world or as our executive management team changes, we may not be able to maintain important aspects of our culture. Any failure to preserve our culture could negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit personnel. If we fail to attract and recruit new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects would be harmed.
Previous wording
Our results of operations may vary based on the impact of changes in our industry or the global economy on us or our customers and potential customers. Negative conditions or volatility in the general economy both in the United States and abroad, including conditions resulting from changes in gross domestic product growth, financial and credit market fluctuations, bank failures, international trade relations, inflation, and interest rate fluctuations, or the existence of epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), political turmoil and geopolitical conflicts, natural catastrophes, warfare, or terrorist attacks on the United States, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Japan, or elsewhere, could cause a decrease in business investments, including spending on cloud technologies, and negatively affect the growth of our business. For example, the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, as well as the rising tensions between China and Taiwan have created volatility in the global capital markets and could have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global supply chain. In addition, unfavorable conditions in the general economy may negatively impact our customers’ budgets or cash flow, which could impact the contract terms, including payment terms, our customers demand from us. Competitors, many of whom are larger and have greater financial resources than we do, may respond to challenging market conditions by lowering prices in an attempt to attract our customers. We cannot predict the timing, strength, or duration of any economic slowdown, instability, or recovery, generally or within any particular industry.
Current wording
Our results of operations may vary based on the impact of changes in our industry or the global economy on us or our customers and potential customers. Negative conditions or volatility in the general economy both in the United States and abroad, including conditions resulting from changes in gross domestic product growth, financial and credit market fluctuations, bank failures, international trade relations, inflation, tariffs and trade wars, and interest rate fluctuations, or the existence of epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, political turmoil and geopolitical conflicts, natural catastrophes, warfare, or terrorist attacks on the United States, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Japan, or elsewhere, could cause a decrease in business investments, including spending on cloud technologies, and negatively affect the growth of our business. For example, the existing tariffs and continued threats of new or increased tariffs, sanctions, trades restrictions and trade barriers, ongoing changes in the United States and foreign government trade policies, the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, as well as the rising tensions between China and Taiwan, have created volatility in the global capital markets, have had and may continue to have disruptive impact on the global economy, and could have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global supply chain. Tariffs may also increase the costs for AWS, Azure, and/or GCP to provide cloud infrastructure services, which may in turn increase the costs for us to use such services when we renew our agreements with them. In addition, unfavorable conditions in the general economy, including tariffs and trade wars, may negatively impact our customers’ budgets or cash flow, which could impact the contract terms, including payment terms, our customers demand from us. Competitors, many of whom are larger and have greater financial resources than we do, may respond to challenging market conditions by lowering prices in an attempt to attract our customers. We cannot predict the timing, strength, or duration of any economic slowdown, instability, or recovery, generally or within any particular industry.
Previous wording
As part of our vision for the AI Data Cloud, we will need to grow and maintain a network of data providers, data consumers, and data application developers. The relationships we have with these partners, and that our partners have with our customers, provide our customers with enhanced value from our platform and the AI Data Cloud, including the Snowflake Marketplace. Our future growth will be increasingly dependent on the success of these relationships, and if we are unsuccessful in growing and maintaining these relationships or the types and quality of data and data applications supported by or available for consumption on our platform, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Current wording
As part of our vision for the AI Data Cloud, we will need to grow and maintain a network of partners, including data and technology providers, data consumers, and data application developers. The relationships we have with these partners, and that our partners have with our customers, provide our customers with enhanced value from our platform and the AI Data Cloud, including Snowflake Cortex AI and the Snowflake Marketplace. Our future growth will be increasingly dependent on the success of these relationships, and if we are unsuccessful in growing and maintaining these relationships or the types and quality of data and data applications supported by or available for consumption on our platform, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Previous wording
If the availability of our platform does not meet our service-level commitments to our customers, our current and future revenue may be negatively impacted.
Current wording
If the availability of our platform does not meet our service-level commitments to our customers, our revenue may be negatively impacted.
Previous wording
We assume liability for data breaches, intellectual property infringement, and other claims, which exposes us to substantial potential liability.
Current wording
We assume liability for data breaches, intellectual property infringement, violation of applicable laws, and other claims, which exposes us to substantial potential liability.
Previous wording
In our customer contracts and certain strategic partnership agreements, we assume liability for certain security breaches and data protection claims caused by us and by certain third parties on which we rely. Our contracts with customers, partners, investors, and other third parties may also include indemnification provisions under which we agree to defend and indemnify them against claims and losses arising from alleged infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of intellectual property rights and for other matters. We may not be successful in our attempt to limit our liability and indemnity obligations and obtain corresponding liability and indemnification obligations from vendors and partners that would require them to contribute to our obligations, and an event triggering our liability or indemnity obligations could give rise to multiple claims involving multiple customers or other third parties. In addition, there have been instances where our customers or other business partners attempt to claim indemnification even if indemnification obligations have not been triggered, and defending against such claims can be time-consuming and expensive. There is no assurance that our applicable insurance coverage, if any, would cover, in whole or in part, any such liability or indemnity obligations. We may be liable for up to the full amount of the contractual claims, which could result in substantial liability or material disruption to our business or could negatively impact our relationships with customers or other third parties, reduce demand for our platform, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Current wording
In our customer contracts and certain strategic partnership agreements, we assume liability for certain security breaches and data protection claims caused by us and by certain third parties on which we rely. Our contracts with customers, partners, investors, and other third parties may also include indemnification provisions under which we agree to defend and indemnify them against claims and losses arising from alleged infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of intellectual property rights, violation of applicable laws, and for other matters. Such claims may arise more often (and if they arise, may be more complex to litigate) as we begin to extend our platform and other offerings into customer environments over which we exercise significantly less or no control. We may not be successful in our attempt to limit our liability and indemnity obligations and obtain corresponding liability and indemnification obligations from vendors and partners that would require them to contribute to our obligations, and an event triggering our liability or indemnity obligations could give rise to multiple claims involving multiple customers or other third parties. In addition, there have been instances where our customers or other business partners attempt to claim indemnification even if indemnification obligations have not been triggered, and defending against such claims can be time-consuming and expensive. There is no assurance that our applicable insurance coverage, if any, would cover, in whole or in part, any such liability or indemnity obligations. We may be liable for up to the full amount of the contractual claims, which could result in substantial liability or material disruption to our business or could negatively impact our relationships with customers or other third parties, reduce demand for our platform, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Previous wording
We have in the past and may in the future seek to acquire or invest in businesses, joint ventures, and platform technologies that we believe could complement or expand our platform, enhance our technology, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. For example, since the beginning of fiscal 2024, we have acquired several companies, including Samooha, Inc., a privately-held company which developed data clean room technology; Neeva Inc., a privately-held internet search company which leveraged generative artificial intelligence; Mountain US Corporation (f/k/a Mobilize.net Corporation), a privately-held company which provided a suite of tools for efficiently migrating databases to the AI Data Cloud; LeapYear Technologies, Inc., a privately-held company which provided a differential privacy platform; and Night Shift Development, Inc. (Night Shift), a privately-held data analytics firm focused on the U.S. public sector. Any such acquisitions or investments may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating, financing, and pursuing suitable opportunities, whether or not the transactions are completed, and may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. In particular, we may encounter difficulties or unexpected costs assimilating or integrating the businesses, technologies, products, personnel, contracts or operations of any acquired companies, particularly if the key personnel of an acquired company choose not to work for us, their software is not easily adapted to work with our platform, or we have difficulty retaining the customers, suppliers, or partners of any acquired business due to changes in ownership, management, or otherwise. Any such transactions that we are able to complete may not result in the synergies or other benefits we expect to achieve, which could result in substantial impairment charges. These transactions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, we may inherit commitments, risks, and liabilities of companies that we acquire that we are unable to successfully mitigate and that may be amplified by our existing business. Finally, disputes or litigation can arise out of our acquisitions or investments from time to time, including in connection with the achievement of earnouts.
Current wording
We have in the past and may in the future seek to acquire or invest in businesses, joint ventures, and platform technologies that we believe could complement or expand our platform, enhance our technology, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. For example, since the beginning of fiscal 2024, we have acquired several companies, including Samooha, Inc., a privately-held company which developed data clean room technology; Neeva Inc. (Neeva), a privately-held internet search company which leveraged generative AI Technology; Mountain US Corporation (f/k/a Mobilize.net Corporation), a privately-held company which provided a suite of tools for efficiently migrating databases to the AI Data Cloud; LeapYear Technologies, Inc., a privately-held company which provided a differential privacy platform; Night Shift Development, Inc., a privately-held data analytics firm focused on the U.S. public sector; and Datavolo, Inc., a privately-held company that built a dataflow infrastructure to support the creation, management, and observability of multimodal data pipelines for enterprise AI. Any such acquisitions or investments may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating, financing, and pursuing suitable opportunities, whether or not the transactions are completed, and may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. In particular, we may encounter difficulties or unexpected costs assimilating or integrating the businesses, technologies, products, personnel, contracts or operations of any acquired companies, particularly if the key personnel of an acquired company choose not to work for us, their software is not easily adapted to work with our platform, or we have difficulty retaining the customers, suppliers, or partners of any acquired business due to changes in ownership, management, or otherwise. Any such transactions that we are able to complete may not result in the synergies or other benefits we expect to achieve, which could result in substantial impairment charges. These transactions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, we may inherit commitments, risks, and liabilities of companies that we acquire that we are unable to successfully mitigate and that may be amplified by our existing business. Finally, disputes or litigation can arise out of our acquisitions or investments from time to time, including in connection with the achievement of earnouts.
Previous wording
As part of our corporate development program, we invest in companies to support our key business initiatives. These companies range from early, growth stage companies to mature companies with established revenue streams. Our strategic investments are subject to risk of inability to achieve the desired strategic synergies and partial or total loss of investment capital. Furthermore, our competitors may invest in these companies alongside us, and may obtain information about our corporate development program or other business plans. The financial success of our investment is typically dependent on an exit in favorable market conditions. To the extent any of the companies in which we invest are not successful, which can include failure to achieve strategic business objectives as well as failure to achieve a favorable exit, we could recognize an impairment or loss on all or part of our investment, which we have done in the past. In addition, in certain cases we are required to consolidate one or more of our strategic investee’s financial results into ours. Fluctuations in any such investee’s financial results, due to general market conditions, bank failures, or otherwise, could negatively affect our condensed consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, or the price of our common stock. If one or more of such investees fails to timely provide us with information necessary for the preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements and disclosures, we may be unable to report our financial results in a timely manner, which would negatively affect our business and the price of our common stock.
Current wording
As part of our corporate development program, we invest in companies to support our key business initiatives. These companies range from early, growth stage companies to mature companies with established revenue streams. Our strategic investments are subject to risk of inability to achieve the desired strategic synergies and partial or total loss of investment capital. Furthermore, our competitors may invest in these companies alongside us, and may obtain information about our corporate development program or other business plans. The financial success of our investment is typically dependent on an exit in favorable market conditions. To the extent any of the companies in which we invest are not successful, which can include failure to achieve strategic business objectives as well as failure to achieve a favorable exit, we could recognize an impairment or loss on all or part of our investment, which we have done in the past. In addition, in certain cases we are required to consolidate one or more of our strategic investee’s financial results into ours. Fluctuations in any such investee’s financial results, due to general market conditions, bank failures, or otherwise, can negatively affect our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, or the price of our common stock. If one or more of such investees fails to timely provide us with information necessary for the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and disclosures, we may be unable to report our financial results in a timely manner, which would negatively affect our business and the price of our common stock.
Previous wording
Historically, we have received a higher volume of orders from new and existing customers in the fourth fiscal quarter of each year. As a result, we have historically seen higher non-GAAP free cash flow in the first and fourth fiscal quarters of each year, and our sequential growth in remaining performance obligations has historically been the highest in the fourth fiscal quarter of each year. We may not be successful in our attempt to align our cash outflows with our cash receipts, particularly since we expect this seasonality to become more pronounced as we continue to target large enterprise customers based on their procurement, budgeting, and deployment cycles. In addition, while consumption is typically lower during holidays, the magnitude of any decrease is difficult to predict and that may result in inaccurate financial guidance. For more information about non-GAAP free cash flow, including a definition of non-GAAP free cash flow and a reconciliation of free cash flow to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Current wording
Historically, we have received a higher volume of orders from new and existing customers in the fourth fiscal quarter of each year. As a result, we have historically seen higher non-GAAP free cash flow in the first and fourth fiscal quarters of each year, and our sequential growth in remaining performance obligations has historically been the highest in the fourth fiscal quarter of each year. We may not be successful in our attempt to align our cash outflows with our cash receipts, particularly since we expect this seasonality to become more pronounced as we continue to target large enterprise customers based on their procurement, budgeting, and deployment cycles. In addition, while consumption is typically lower during holidays, the magnitude of any decrease is difficult to predict and that may result in inaccurate financial guidance. For more information about non-GAAP free cash flow, including a definition of non-GAAP free cash flow and a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities, which is the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), to free cash flow, see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
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Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
For example, as part of our pursuit of business from the U.S. public sector, we acquired Night Shift, a data analytics firm that services the U.S. national security community, in September 2024. Obtaining and maintaining national security clearances within a global enterprise will require significant operational investments and the successful implementation of new processes and controls. In addition, unlike our standard commercial offering, we anticipate delivering our platform and other offerings, including Night Shift’s legacy offering, into customer environments, which presents risks and challenges arising from having less visibility into and control over the operation and security of our platform.