ZoomInfo Technologies Inc

Previous wording

We are subject to various risks that could have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such risks and uncertainties, they may include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed below. The risks described herein are not the only risks we may face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially adversely affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. You should carefully review the information provided in this section before making an investment in our Company.

Current wording

We are subject to various risks that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such risks and uncertainties, they may include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed below. The risks described herein are not the only risks we may face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. You should carefully review the information provided in this section before making an investment in our Company.

Previous wording

Our revenue, results of operations, and cash flows depend on the overall demand for and use of technology and information for sales, marketing, and recruiting, which depends in part on the amount of spending allocated by our customers or potential customers on sales, marketing, and recruiting technology and information. This spending depends on macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions. Accordingly, the effect of significant macroeconomic and geopolitical downturns, including falling demand for a variety of goods and services, inflation (including wage inflation), labor market constraints, higher interest rates, poor liquidity, volatility in credit, equity, and foreign exchange markets, bankruptcies, global pandemics, and wars. Market volatility, decreased consumer confidence, and diminished growth expectations in both the U.S. and global economy as a result of the foregoing events may affect the rate of information technology (“IT”) spending and adversely affect our current and potential customers’ ability or willingness to renew or expand subscriptions or purchase our services, delay prospective customers’ purchasing decisions and thereby elongate our sales cycles, reduce the value or duration of their subscription contracts, or affect attrition rates, all of which could adversely affect our future sales and operating results. Weaker economic conditions can result in customers seeking to utilize free or lower-cost information or services that are available from alternative sources. Prolonged economic slowdowns may result in requests to renegotiate existing contracts on less advantageous terms to us than those currently in place, payment defaults on existing contracts, elongated sales cycles resulting in delays and increased sales costs, or non-renewal at the end of a contract term.

Current wording

Our revenue, results of operations, and cash flows depend on the overall demand for and use of technology and information for sales, marketing, and recruiting professionals, which depends in part on the amount of spending allocated by our customers or potential customers for professionals engaged in such activities. This spending depends on various factors, including, but not limited to, macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions. Accordingly, the effect of significant macroeconomic and geopolitical downturns, including falling demand for a variety of goods and services, inflation (including wage inflation), labor market constraints, higher interest rates, liquidity constraints, volatility in credit, equity, and foreign exchange markets, bankruptcies, global pandemics, wars, trade tensions, and catastrophic events, could impact the demand for and use of our products. Market volatility, decreased consumer confidence, and diminished growth expectations in both the U.S. and global economy as a result of the foregoing events, or other unforeseen events, may affect the rate of information technology (“IT”) spending and adversely affect our current and potential customers’ ability or willingness to renew or expand subscriptions or purchase our services, delay prospective customers’ purchasing decisions and thereby elongate our sales cycles, reduce the value or duration of their subscription contracts, or affect attrition rates, all of which could adversely affect our future sales and operating results. Weaker economic conditions can result in customers seeking to utilize free or lower-cost information or services that are available from alternative sources. Prolonged economic slowdowns may result in requests to renegotiate existing contracts on less advantageous terms to us than those currently in place, payment defaults on existing contracts, elongated sales cycles resulting in delays and increased sales costs, or non-renewal at the end of a contract term.

Previous wording

If we are unable to attract new customers, renew existing subscriptions, expand subscriptions of current customers, and collect revenue from our customers, our revenue growth, cash flows, and profitability will be harmed.

Current wording

We may be unable to attract new customers, renew existing subscriptions, expand subscriptions of current customers, and collect revenue from our customers, which could harm our revenue growth, cash flows, and profitability.

Previous wording

To increase our revenue and cash flows, and to achieve and maintain profitability, we must attract new customers, renew existing subscriptions, grow the subscriptions of existing customers, and collect revenue from our customers. Our go-to-market efforts are intended to identify and attract prospective customers and convert them into paying customers. In addition, we seek to renew existing subscriptions and expand existing customer subscriptions by adding new users, additional data entitlements, or additional products or services, including through expanding the adoption of our platform into other departments within customers. We cannot predict with any certainty whether we will continue to achieve similar client acquisition and customer subscription renewal and growth rates in the future as we have in the past.

Current wording

To increase our revenue and cash flows, and to achieve and maintain profitability, we must attract new customers, renew existing subscriptions, grow the subscriptions of existing customers, and collect revenue from our customers. Our go-to-market efforts are intended to identify and attract prospective customers and convert them into paying customers. In addition, we seek to renew existing subscriptions and expand existing customer subscriptions by adding new users, additional data entitlements, or additional products or services, including through expanding the adoption of our platform into other departments of our existing customers. We cannot predict with any certainty whether we will continue to achieve similar client acquisition and customer subscription renewal and growth rates in the future as we have in the past, in particular as it relates to attracting new, and retaining existing, enterprise customers.

Previous wording

Numerous factors may impede our ability to add new customers, renew and grow existing customer subscriptions, and collect revenue from our customers, including our ability to continually enhance and improve our platform and the features, integrations, and capabilities we offer, and to introduce compelling new features, integrations, and capabilities to our products and services; our customers’ creditworthiness and our ability to timely manage the collection of accounts receivable; our failure to attract and effectively train new sales and marketing personnel despite increasing our sales efforts; our failure to retain and motivate our current sales and marketing personnel; our ability to develop or expand relationships with partners; our failure to provide quality customer experience; customer consolidation or decreases in the number of users at the organization; our pricing or pricing structure; the pricing or capabilities of the products and services offered by our competitors; failure to diversify our customer base across industries and among enterprise, mid-market, and small business customers; failure to expand our sales and operations outside the United States, or if we experience challenges expanding or operating internationally; or our ability to ensure the effectiveness of our go-to-market programs. Additionally, increasing our sales to large organizations (both existing and prospective customers) across various industries requires increasingly sophisticated and costly sales and account management efforts targeted at senior management and other personnel. If our efforts to sell to organizations are not successful or do not generate additional revenue, our business will suffer. If customers do not renew their subscriptions or renew on less favorable terms or fail to add more users, if we fail to expand subscriptions of existing customers, or if we fail to collect on our accounts receivable, our revenue and cash flows may decline or grow less quickly than anticipated, which would harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Current wording

Numerous factors may impede our ability to add new customers, renew and grow existing customer subscriptions, and collect revenue from our customers, including, but not limited to, our ability to continually enhance and improve our platform and the features, integrations, and capabilities we offer, and to introduce compelling new features, integrations, and capabilities to our products and services; our customers’ creditworthiness and our ability to timely manage the collection of accounts receivable; our ability to maintain our strong brand recognition and reputation as a leader in modern go-to-market software, data, and intelligence; our failure to attract and effectively train new sales and marketing personnel despite increasing our sales efforts; our failure to retain and motivate our current sales and marketing personnel; our ability to develop or expand relationships with partners; our failure to provide quality customer experience, including our ability to provide effective training and educational support to enable our customers to maximize the utility of our platform; customer consolidation or decreases in the number of users at the organization; our pricing or pricing structure; the pricing or capabilities of the products and services offered by our competitors; failure to diversify our customer base across industries, geographies and among enterprise, mid-market, and small business customers; failure to expand our sales and operations outside the United States, or if we experience challenges expanding or operating internationally; or our ability to ensure the effectiveness of our go-to-market programs. Additionally, during the second quarter of 2024, we deployed a new business risk model to flag and require upfront pre-payment from prospects at the greatest risk of non-payment. While this model is intended to mitigate the risk of non-payment and reduce future write-offs, it could limit our total addressable market by excluding potential customers. If our model inaccurately assesses risk or fails to properly balance risk mitigation with growth opportunities, our financial performance and competitive position may be adversely affected. Additionally, increasing our sales to large organizations (both existing and prospective customers) across various industries requires increasingly sophisticated and costly sales and account management efforts targeted at senior management and other personnel. Further, sales to large organizations often require longer sales cycles. If our efforts to sell to organizations are not successful, do not generate additional revenue, or require longer periods to realize revenue, then our business will suffer. If customers do not renew their subscriptions or renew on less favorable terms, including, but not limited to, price compressions, or fail to add more users, if we fail to expand subscriptions of existing customers, or if we fail to collect on our accounts receivable, our revenue and cash flows may decline or…

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Previous wording

Our success depends on our customers’ confidence in the depth, breadth, and accuracy of our data. The task of establishing and maintaining accurate data is challenging and expensive. The depth, breadth, and accuracy of our data differentiates us from our competitors. Our standard contract with customers includes a quality guarantee pursuant to which a customer would have the right to terminate its subscription and we could be obligated to reimburse certain payments if the accuracy of our data were to fall below a certain threshold. If our data, including the data we obtain from third parties and our data extraction, cleaning, and insights, are not current, accurate, comprehensive, or reliable, it would increase the likelihood of negative customer experiences, which in turn would reduce the likelihood of customers renewing or upgrading their subscriptions and harm our reputation, making it more difficult to obtain new customers. In addition, if we are no longer able to maintain our high level of accuracy, we may face legal claims by our customers which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Current wording

Our success depends on our customers’ confidence in the depth, breadth, and accuracy of our data. The task of establishing and maintaining accurate data is challenging and expensive. The depth, breadth, and accuracy of our data differentiates us from our competitors. Our standard contract with customers includes a quality guarantee pursuant to which a customer would have the right to terminate its subscription and we could be obligated to reimburse certain payments if the accuracy of our data were to fall below a certain threshold. If our data, including the data we obtain from third parties and our data extraction, cleaning, and insights, are not current, accurate, comprehensive, or reliable, or is otherwise actually, or perceived to be, of a lower standard than our competitors, it would increase the likelihood of negative customer experiences, which in turn would reduce the likelihood of customers renewing or upgrading their subscriptions and harm our reputation, making it more difficult to obtain new customers. In addition, if we are no longer able to maintain our high level of accuracy, we may face reimbursement or legal claims by our customers which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Previous wording

We also have a number of sources contributing to the depth, breadth, and accuracy of the data on our platform including our contributory network. We provide a “freemium” product, ZoomInfo Lite, which provides users with a set amount of monthly credits to use to access our contact data and, if the user elects, they may also participate in our contributory network in order to receive additional monthly credits. Similarly, many of our paying customers participate in our contributory network to improve the quality of the data within their CRM and similar systems. ZoomInfo Lite users may cease to participate in our contributory network. Our paying customers, including those who have migrated from ZoomInfo Lite, may elect not to participate for various reasons, including their sensitivity to sharing information within our contributory network or their determination that the benefits from sharing do not outweigh the potential harm from sharing. If we are not able to attract new participants or maintain existing participants in our contributory network, our ability to effectively gather new data and update and maintain the accuracy of our database could be adversely affected. Additionally, the CPRA, other state laws coming into effect in 2024, and other legal and regulatory changes are making, or will make, it easier for individuals to opt-out of having their personal data collected. Although we already honor opt-out requests globally, such legal and regulatory changes could increase public awareness of this option, resulting in higher rates of opting out. Third-party intermediaries have emerged, and may continue to emerge, that offer services involving opting individuals out of their personal data being collected at scale (i.e., from all platforms, including ours). Consequently, our ability to grow our business may be harmed and our results of operations and financial condition could suffer.

Current wording

We also have a number of sources contributing to the depth, breadth, and accuracy of the data on our platform including our contributory network. We provide a “freemium” product, ZoomInfo Lite, which provides users with a set amount of monthly credits to use to access our contact data and, if the user elects, they may also participate in our contributory network in order to receive additional monthly credits. Similarly, many of our paying customers participate in our contributory network to improve the quality of the data within their CRM and similar systems. ZoomInfo Lite users may cease to participate in our contributory network. Our paying customers, including those who have migrated from ZoomInfo Lite, may elect not to participate for various reasons, including their sensitivity to sharing information within our contributory network or their determination that the benefits from sharing do not outweigh the potential harm from sharing. If we are not able to attract new participants or maintain existing participants in our contributory network, our ability to effectively gather new data and update and maintain the accuracy of our database could be adversely affected. Additionally, state laws currently in effect and those coming into effect in 2025, as well as other legal and regulatory changes are making, or will make, it easier for individuals to opt-out of having their personal data collected and processed. Although we already honor opt-out requests globally, such legal and regulatory changes could increase public awareness of this option, resulting in higher rates of opting out. Third-party intermediaries have emerged, and may continue to emerge, that offer services enabling individuals to opt out of their personal data being collected at scale (i.e., from multiple platforms, including ours). Consequently, our ability to grow our business may be harmed and our results of operations and financial condition could suffer.

Previous wording

In addition, many of our potential competitors, particularly those with greater financial and operating resources, including larger sales and marketing budgets and resources, may have the ability to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, such as AI and ML, standards or customer requirements. Many of our potential competitors may have established relationships with independent software vendors, partners, and customers, greater customer experience resources, greater resources to make acquisitions, lower labor and development costs, larger and more mature intellectual property portfolios, and substantially greater financial, technical, and other resources. New competitors, mergers and acquisitions in the technology industry, or alliances among competitors may emerge and rapidly acquire significant market share due to these or other factors. Companies resulting from these possible consolidations may create more compelling product offerings and be able to offer more attractive pricing options, making it more difficult for us to compete effectively. As a result, even if our products and services are more effective than the products and services that our competitors offer, potential customers might select competitive products and services in lieu of our services.

Current wording

In addition, many of our potential competitors, particularly those with greater financial and operating resources, including larger sales and marketing budgets and resources, as well as small and medium-sized businesses who focus on B2B sales and marketing intelligence, may have the ability to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, such as AI and ML, standards or customer requirements. Many of our potential competitors may have established relationships with independent software vendors, partners, and customers, greater customer experience resources, greater resources to make acquisitions, lower labor and development costs, larger and more mature intellectual property portfolios, and substantially greater financial, technical, and other resources. New competitors, mergers and acquisitions in the technology industry, or alliances among competitors may emerge and rapidly acquire significant market share due to these or other factors. Companies resulting from these possible consolidations may create more compelling product offerings and be able to offer more attractive pricing options, making it more difficult for us to compete effectively. As a result, even if our products and services are more effective than the products and services that our competitors offer, potential customers might select competitive products and services in lieu of our services.

Previous wording

These risks could be exacerbated by weak macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions (including due to global pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or such as those related to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Israel-Hamas war) and lower customer spending on sales and marketing. Weakened macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions could also disproportionately increase the likelihood that any given current or prospective customer would choose a lower-price alternative even if our products or services are superior. Some current and potential customers, particularly large organizations, have elected in the past, and may elect in the future, to rely on internal and homegrown databases, develop, or acquire their own software, programs, tools, and internal data quality teams that would reduce or eliminate the demand for our products and services. If demand for our platform declines for any of these or other reasons, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Current wording

These risks could be exacerbated by weak macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions (including due to global pandemics or such as those related to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including after giving effect to the proposed January 2025 armistice and any uncertainties that may arise during any stage of the three-phase cease-fire proposal, as well as related and other conflicts due to rising tensions in the Middle East) and lower customer spending on sales and marketing. Weakened macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions could also disproportionately increase the likelihood that any given current or prospective customer would choose a lower-price alternative even if our products or services are superior. Some current and potential customers, particularly large organizations, have elected in the past, and may elect in the future, to rely on internal and homegrown databases, develop, or acquire their own software, programs, tools, and internal data quality teams that would reduce or eliminate the demand for our products and services.

Previous wording

If we fail to respond to changes in data technology competitors may be able to develop products and services that will take market share from us, and the demand for our products and services, the delivery of our products and services, or our market reputation could be adversely affected.

Current wording

If we fail to respond to changes in data technology, competitors may be able to develop products and services that will take market share from us, and the demand for our products and services, the delivery of our products and services, or our market reputation could be adversely affected. If demand for our platform declines for any of these or other reasons, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

The markets in which we compete are rapidly evolving, which make it difficult to forecast demand for our services.

Current wording

Our business is, and the markets in which we compete are, rapidly evolving, including with respect to AI and AI-enabled products, which make it difficult to forecast demand for our services.

Previous wording

The markets in which we compete are rapidly evolving, accordingly our future financial performance will depend in large part on the allocation of spending in traditional software as a service (“SaaS”) products and our ability to adapt to new market demands. In recent years, an increasing number of customers have been allocating their spending toward AI, ML, and generative AI capabilities. The SaaS market for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI workloads is expected to be an intensely competitive and rapidly evolving market, and our future financial performance may depend on our ability to adapt to, and capture new spending, in this market. If the markets in which we compete experience a shift in customer demand, or if customers in these markets focus their new spending on, or shift their existing spending to, public cloud solutions or other solutions that do not interoperate with our solutions more quickly or more extensively than expected, our solutions may not compete as effectively, if at all.

Current wording

The markets in which we compete are rapidly evolving, accordingly our future financial performance will depend in large part on the allocation of spending in traditional software as a service (“SaaS”) products and our ability to adapt to new market demands. In recent years, an increasing number of customers have been allocating their spending toward AI, ML, and generative AI capabilities. The SaaS market for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI workloads is expected to be an intensely competitive and rapidly evolving market, and our future financial performance may depend on our ability to adapt to, and capture new spending, in this market. However, our estimates of the market opportunity, including our forecast of the demand for our products and our ability to capture new spending, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. In addition, if the markets in which we compete experience a shift in customer demand, or if customers in these markets focus their new spending on, or shift their existing spending to, public cloud solutions or other solutions that do not interoperate with our solutions more quickly or more extensively than expected, our solutions may not compete as effectively, if at all.

Previous wording

Third-party systems are constantly evolving, and it is difficult to predict with certainty the challenges that we may encounter in developing our platform for use in conjunction with such third-party systems. We may not be able to modify our integrations to assure compatibility with the systems of other third parties following any of their changes to their systems. Some operators of CRM and similar systems may cease to permit our access or the integration of our platform to their systems. If Salesforce were to refuse to permit our integration to access its APIs, for example, this integration would not function, and our customers’ experience would be hampered. Accordingly, this could leave our customers without a convenient way to integrate our products and services with the CRM.

Current wording

Third-party systems are constantly evolving, and it is difficult to predict with certainty the challenges that we may encounter in developing our platform for use in conjunction with such third-party systems, including as it relates to any deficiencies caused by, or originated from, such third-party systems. We may not be able to modify our integrations to assure compatibility with the systems of other third parties following any of their changes to their systems. Some operators of CRM and similar systems may cease to permit our access or the integration of our platform to their systems. For example, if Salesforce were to refuse to permit our integration to access its APIs, this integration would not function, and our customers’ experience would be hampered. Accordingly, this could leave our customers without a convenient way to integrate our products and services with the CRM.

Previous wording

We rely heavily on internet search engines, such as Google, including through the purchase of sales and marketing-related keywords and the indexing of our public-facing directory pages and other web pages, to generate a significant portion of the traffic to our website. Search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our website can be negatively affected. In addition, a significant amount of traffic is directed to our website through participation in pay-per-click and display advertising campaigns on search engines, including Google. Pricing and operating dynamics for these traffic sources can change rapidly, both technically and competitively. Moreover, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its search algorithms or results, which could cause a website to place lower in search query results or inhibit participation in the search query results. If a major search engine changes its algorithms or results in a manner that negatively affects the search engine ranking, paid or unpaid, of our website, or if competitive dynamics impact the costs or effectiveness of search engine optimization, search engine marketing or other traffic-generating arrangements in a negative manner, our business and financial performance would be adversely affected.

Current wording

We rely heavily on internet search engines, such as Google, including through the purchase of sales and marketing-related keywords and the indexing of our public-facing directory pages and other web pages, to generate a significant portion of the traffic to our website. Search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user’s search, and our competitors may implement certain search engine optimization efforts, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our website can be negatively affected. In addition, a significant amount of traffic is directed to our website through participation in pay-per-click and display advertising campaigns on search engines, including Google. Pricing and operating dynamics for these traffic sources can change rapidly, both technically and competitively. Moreover, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its search algorithms or results, which could cause a website to place lower in search query results or inhibit participation in the search query results. If a major search engine changes its algorithms or results in a manner that negatively affects the search engine ranking, paid or unpaid, of our website, or if competitive dynamics impact the costs or effectiveness of search engine optimization, search engine marketing or other traffic-generating arrangements in a negative manner, our business and financial performance would be adversely affected.

Previous wording

Our success depends largely upon the continued services of our executive officers and other key employees, including newly hired personnel. We rely on our leadership team in the areas of research and development, operations, security, analytics, marketing, sales, customer experience, and general and administrative functions and on individual contributors in our research and development and operations. Due to the high growth rate of our business and other factors, from time to time, there have been, and may continue to be, changes in our executive management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives, which could disrupt our business. The loss of one or more of our executive officers or key employees could harm our business. Changes in our executive management team, or failure or delay in integrating new members of the executive management team and other key employees into our business, may also cause disruptions in, and harm to, our business.

Current wording

Our success depends largely upon the continued services of our executive officers and other key employees, including newly hired personnel. We rely on our leadership team in the areas of research and development, operations, security, analytics, marketing, sales, customer experience, and general and administrative functions and on individual contributors in our research and development and operations. From time to time, there have been, and may continue to be, changes in our executive management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives, which could disrupt our business. The loss of one or more of our executive officers or key employees could harm our business. Changes in our executive management team, or failure or delay in integrating new members of the executive management team and other key employees into our business, may also cause disruptions in, and harm to, our business.

Previous wording

In addition, to execute our growth plan, we must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for highly skilled personnel in our industry can be intense. Competitors for technical and sales talent increasingly seek to hire our employees, and the availability of flexible, hybrid, or work-from-home arrangements has both intensified and expanded competition.

Current wording

In addition, to execute our growth plan, we must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for highly skilled personnel in our industry can be intense. Competitors for technical and sales talent increasingly seek to hire our employees, and the availability of flexible, hybrid, or work-from-home arrangements has both intensified and expanded competition. Our increased emphasis on in-office work and associated hiring plans may reduce the talent pools from which we recruit and can increase the difficulty of hiring the highest quality personnel in efficient timeframes.

Previous wording

Also, as we continue to grow, we face challenges of integrating, developing, training, and motivating a rapidly growing employee base, and maintaining our company culture around the world. If we fail to hire and retain highly skilled employees or fail to manage organizational change in a manner that preserves the key aspects of our corporate culture, the quality of our products and services may suffer, which could negatively affect our brand and reputation and harm our ability to attract users, employees, and organizations.

Current wording

Also, as we continue to grow, we face challenges of integrating, developing, training, and motivating our employee base, and maintaining our company culture around the world. If we fail to hire and retain highly skilled employees or fail to manage organizational change in a manner that preserves our efficacy and the key aspects of our corporate culture, the quality of our products and services may suffer, which could negatively affect our brand and reputation and harm our ability to attract users, employees, and organizations.

Previous wording

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, rapid growth, which has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. One area of significant growth has been in the number of customers using our products and services and in the amount of data in our databases. In addition, our organizational structure has become more complex as we have scaled our operational, financial, and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures, and expanded internationally.

Current wording

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, growth, which has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. One area of growth has been in the number of customers using our products and services and in the amount of data in our databases. In addition, our organizational structure has become more complex as we have scaled our operational, financial, and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures, and expanded internationally.

Previous wording

We also depend on IT systems to operate our business, and issues with maintaining, upgrading or implementing these systems could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our business has grown and continues to grow in size and complexity, which places significant demands on our IT systems. To effectively manage this growth, our information systems and applications require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect, enhance and upgrade existing systems and develop and implement new systems to keep pace with changing technology and our business needs.

Current wording

We also depend on IT systems to operate our business, and issues with maintaining, upgrading or implementing these systems could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our business has grown and continues to grow in size and complexity, which places significant demands on our IT systems. To effectively manage this growth and to ensure interoperability of our IT systems, our information systems and applications require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect, enhance and upgrade existing systems and develop and implement new systems, some of which may be costly, to keep pace with changing technology and our business needs.

Previous wording

•potential challenges by governmental authorities, including the Department of Justice, for anti-competitive or other reasons.

Current wording

•potential challenges by governmental authorities, including the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) and the Department of Justice, for anti-competitive or other reasons.

Previous wording

Privacy, Technology, and Security Risk Factors

Current wording

Risks Related to Privacy, Technology, and Security

Previous wording

The business contact information and other data we collect and process are an integral part of our products and services. Regulators around the world have adopted or proposed requirements regarding the collection, use, transfer, security, storage, destruction, and other processing of personal data. Our products and services rely heavily on the collection and use of information to provide effective insights to our customers and users. In recent years, there has been an increase in attention to and regulation of data protection and data privacy across the globe, including the FTC’s increasingly active approach to enforcing data privacy in the United States, as well as the enactment of GDPR, the United Kingdom’s transposition of GDPR into its domestic laws following Brexit in January 2021, CCPA, as amended by the CPRA, and similar comprehensive privacy laws adopted in other states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and Utah. Additionally, new state privacy laws are expected to become effective in 2024, including privacy laws in Oregon, Texas, and Montana, and additional states are expected to follow in future years. At the federal level, efforts have been made to establish a comprehensive privacy regime including many of the concepts found in other state and federal privacy bills and laws, such as consent requirements for entities providing services to the public that collect, store, process, use, or otherwise control sensitive personal information, and it is possible such a federal law could be enacted in the future. Meanwhile, around the world data privacy and protection laws continue to evolve, including new laws, such as India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act passed in August 2023 and the Saudi Arabia Personal Data Protection Law, which became effective in September 2023. There are also ongoing discussions about how best to revise and modernize existing laws in jurisdictions such as Canada and Australia. Laws such as these give rise to an increasingly complex set of compliance obligations on us, as well as on many of our customers. These laws are not always uniform in the way they define and treat certain data types, including business-to-business data, biometric data or so called “sensitive” data and we must often update our consumer notices and adapt our compliance programs to account for the differences between applicable laws. These laws impose restrictions on our ability to gather personal data and provide such personal data to our customers, provide individuals with additional rights around their personal data, and place downstream obligations on our customers relating to their use of the information we provide.

Current wording

The business contact information and other data we collect and process are an integral part of our products and services. Regulators around the world have adopted or proposed requirements regarding the collection, use, transfer, security, storage, destruction, and other processing of personal data. Our products and services rely heavily on the collection and use of information to provide effective insights to our customers and users. In recent years, there has been an increase in attention to and regulation of data protection and data privacy across the globe, including the enactment of the GDPR, the United Kingdom’s transposition of GDPR into its domestic laws following Brexit in January 2021, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act passed in August 2023, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, and similar comprehensive privacy laws adopted in eighteen other states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and Utah. Meanwhile, around the world there are ongoing discussions about how best to revise and modernize existing laws in jurisdictions such as Canada and Australia. Laws such as these give rise to an increasingly complex set of compliance obligations on us, as well as on many of our customers. These laws are not always uniform in the way they define and treat certain data types, including business-to-business data, biometric data or so called “sensitive” data, and we must often update our consumer notices and adapt our compliance programs to account for the differences between applicable laws. These laws can impose restrictions on our ability to gather personal data and provide such personal data to our customers, provide individuals with additional rights around their personal data, and place downstream obligations on our customers relating to their use of the information we provide.

Previous wording

These and other legal requirements could reduce our ability to gather personal data used in our products and services. They could reduce demand for our services, require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, add new provisions in DPA related to the processing of personal information, and restrict our ability to store, transfer and process personal data. In some cases, it may impact our ability or our customers’ ability to offer our services in certain locations, to deploy our solutions, to reach current and prospective customers, or to derive insights from data globally. One area of particular risk remains data transfers between the United States and the European Union. On July 10, 2023, the European Commission adopted its adequacy decision for the EU-US DPF, 18 months after its predecessor, the EU-US Privacy Shield, was invalidated. While this does, for the time, assert that entities operating in the United States who have certified to the DPF ensure an adequate level of protection for transferring personal data from the European Union to the United States, future challenges seem imminent. The privacy advocacy organization NOYB, which previously challenged and facilitated the demise of both the Safe Harbor (Schrems I) and Privacy Shield (Schrems II) has already criticized the DPF for not doing enough to provide non-US citizens with reasonable privacy protections afforded to US citizens under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. ZoomInfo is certified under the DPF, but still utilizes Standard Contractual Clauses as its cross-border transfer mechanism due to the uncertain future of the DPF. In the event any court blocks personal data transfers to or from a particular jurisdiction on the basis that certain or all such transfer mechanisms are not legally adequate, this could give rise to operational interruption in the performance of services for customers and internal processing of employee information, greater costs to implement alternative data transfer mechanisms that are still permitted, regulatory liabilities, or reputational harm.

Current wording

These and other legal requirements could reduce our ability to gather personal data used in our products and services. They could reduce demand for our services, require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, require us to add new provisions in our customer contracts related to the processing of personal information, and restrict our ability to store, transfer and process personal data. In some cases, it may impact our ability or our customers’ ability to offer our services in certain locations, to deploy our solutions, to reach current and prospective customers, or to derive insights from data globally. One area of particular risk remains data transfers between the United States and the European Union. On July 10, 2023, the European Commission adopted its adequacy decision for the EU-US DPF, 18 months after its predecessor, the EU-US Privacy Shield, was invalidated. While this does, for the time, assert that entities operating in the United States who have certified to the DPF ensure an adequate level of protection for transferring personal data from the European Union to the United States, future challenges seem imminent. The privacy advocacy organization NOYB, which previously challenged and facilitated the demise of both the Safe Harbor (Schrems I) and Privacy Shield (Schrems II) has already criticized the DPF for not doing enough to provide non-US citizens with reasonable privacy protections afforded to US citizens. The NOYB has more recently called the validity of the DPF into question in light of changes the White House is making to the members of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which is tasked with overseeing U.S. surveillance practices and addressing complaints from EU citizens under the DPF. ZoomInfo is certified under the DPF, but still utilizes Standard Contractual Clauses as its cross-border transfer mechanism due to the uncertain future of the DPF. In the event any court blocks personal data transfers to or from a particular jurisdiction on the basis that certain or all such transfer mechanisms are not legally adequate, this could give rise to operational interruption in the performance of services for customers and internal processing of employee information, greater costs to implement alternative data transfer mechanisms that are still permitted, regulatory liabilities, or reputational harm.

Previous wording

We may be subject to litigation for any of a variety of claims, which could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Current wording

We may be subject to litigation for any variety of claims, which could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Previous wording

In the ordinary course of business, we may be involved in and subject to litigation for a variety of claims or disputes and receive regulatory inquiries. These claims, lawsuits, and proceedings could include labor and employment, wage and hour, commercial, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, antitrust, alleged securities law violations or other investor claims, and other matters. The number and significance of these potential claims and disputes may increase as our business expands. Any claim against us, regardless of its merit, could be costly, divert management’s attention and operational resources, and harm our reputation. As litigation is inherently unpredictable, we cannot assure you that any potential claims or disputes will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could make it more difficult to compete effectively or to obtain adequate insurance in the future.

Current wording

In the ordinary course of business, we may be involved in and subject to litigation for a variety of claims or disputes and receive regulatory inquiries. These claims, lawsuits, and proceedings could include labor and employment, wage and hour, commercial, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, antitrust, alleged securities law violations or other investor claims, and other matters. The number and significance of these potential claims and disputes may increase as our business expands. Any claim against us, regardless of its merit, could be costly, divert management’s attention and operational resources, and harm our reputation. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers, pursuant to which we have agreed to indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. As a result, any claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us. As litigation is inherently unpredictable, we cannot assure you that any potential claims or disputes will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could make it more difficult to compete effectively or to obtain adequate insurance in the future.

Previous wording

New or changing laws and regulations may diminish the demand for our platform, restrict access to our platform or require us to disclose or provide access to information in our possession, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Current wording

New or changing laws and regulations may diminish the demand for our platform, restrict access to our platform, constrain the range of services we can provide, or require us to disclose or provide access to information in our possession, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Previous wording

New laws and regulations in the area of artificial intelligence (“AI”) may also impact our business. For example, the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”), which achieved a consensus between the European Parliament and Council on December 9, 2023, introduces a regulatory landscape that businesses will need to navigate with caution. The AI Act's stringent measures against certain AI applications may impact businesses in our sector. Such measures include prohibitions on AI technologies that utilize sensitive personal attributes for biometric categorization, restrictions on indiscriminate collection of facial images for recognition databases, and limitations on emotion recognition systems that could be employed in consumer analysis or employee monitoring. Businesses must also be aware of the comprehensive transparency requirements mandated for general-purpose AI systems. This entails maintaining detailed technical documentation and ensuring compliance with EU copyright laws, with even more rigorous standards for high-impact general AI models. These models require exhaustive evaluations, risk assessments related to systemic impacts, adversarial testing, and reporting on aspects like energy efficiency, indicating a significant compliance burden for businesses. The scale of penalties for non-compliance range up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover, underscoring the importance of adherence to the new regulations where applicable. The AI Act demands a proactive approach to regulatory compliance, risk management, and an investment in infrastructure to align with the EU’s vision of a safe and ethical AI environment.

Current wording

New laws and regulations in the area of AI may also impact our business. For example, the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”), which achieved a consensus between the European Parliament and Council on December 9, 2023, introduces a regulatory landscape that businesses will need to navigate with caution. The AI Act's stringent measures against certain AI applications may impact businesses in our sector. Such measures include prohibitions on AI technologies that utilize sensitive personal attributes for biometric categorization, restrictions on indiscriminate collection of facial images for recognition databases, and limitations on emotion recognition systems that could be employed in consumer analysis or employee monitoring. Businesses must also be aware of the comprehensive transparency requirements mandated for general-purpose AI systems. This entails maintaining detailed technical documentation and ensuring compliance with EU copyright laws, with even more rigorous standards for high-impact general AI models. These models require exhaustive evaluations, risk assessments related to systemic impacts, adversarial testing, and reporting on aspects like energy efficiency, indicating a significant compliance burden for businesses. The scale of penalties for non-compliance range up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover, underscoring the importance of adherence to the new regulations where applicable. The AI Act demands a proactive approach to regulatory compliance, risk management, and an investment in infrastructure to align with the EU’s vision of a safe and ethical AI environment.

Previous wording

To monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, we may be required to spend significant resources, and we may or may not be able to detect infringement by our customers or third parties. Litigation has been and may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights and to protect our trade secrets. Such litigation could be costly, time consuming, and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims, and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, as well as any costly litigation or diversion of our management’s attention and resources, could delay further sales or the implementation of our platform, impair the functionality of our platform, delay introductions of new features, integrations, and capabilities, result in our substituting inferior or more costly technologies into our platform, or injure our reputation. In addition, we may be required to license additional technology from third parties to develop and market new features, integrations, and capabilities, if available on commercially reasonable terms or at all; our inability to license this technology could harm our ability to compete.

Current wording

To monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, we may be required to spend significant resources, and we may or may not be able to detect infringement by our customers or third parties. Litigation has been and may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights and to protect our trade secrets. Such litigation could be costly, time consuming, and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims, and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, as well as any costly litigation or diversion of our management’s attention and resources, could delay further sales or the implementation of our platform, impair the functionality of our platform, delay introductions of new features, integrations, and capabilities, result in our substituting inferior or more costly technologies into our platform, or injure our reputation. In addition, we may be required to license additional technology from third parties to develop and market new features, integrations, and capabilities, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and our inability to license this technology could harm our ability to compete.

Previous wording

We have in the past been the target of attempts to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities and/or penetrate or bypass our security measures in order to gain unauthorized access to our systems, including to use our platform and data for purposes other than its intended purpose or to create products that compete with our platform. We employ multiple methods at different layers of our systems designed to defend against intrusion and attack, to protect our systems and to resolve and mitigate the impact of any incidents. Despite our efforts to keep our systems secure and to remedy identified vulnerabilities, future attacks could be successful and could result in substantial liability or business risk. We expect that third parties will continue to attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or facilities through various means, including hacking into our systems or facilities, or those of our customers or vendors, or attempting to fraudulently induce our employees, customers, vendors or other users of our systems into disclosing sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access our IT systems. Our cybersecurity programs and efforts to protect our systems and data, and to prevent, detect and respond to data security incidents, may not prevent these threats or provide adequate security. We may experience breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, system errors or vulnerabilities, or other irregularities including attempts by former, current or future employees to misuse their authorized access and/or gain unauthorized access to our systems.

Current wording

We have in the past been the target of attempts, and experienced incidents of attempts, to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities and/or penetrate or bypass our security measures in order to gain unauthorized access to our systems, including to use our platform and data for purposes other than its intended purpose or to create products that compete with our platform. We employ multiple methods at different layers of our systems designed to defend against intrusion and attack, to protect our systems and to resolve and mitigate the impact of any incidents. Despite our efforts to keep our systems secure and to remedy identified vulnerabilities, future attacks could be successful and could result in substantial liability or business risk. We expect that third parties will continue to attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or facilities through various means, including hacking into our systems or facilities, or those of our customers or vendors, or attempting to fraudulently induce our employees, customers, vendors or other users of our systems into disclosing sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access our IT systems. Our cybersecurity programs and efforts to protect our systems and data, and to prevent, detect and respond to data security incidents, may not prevent these threats or provide adequate security. We may experience breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, system errors or vulnerabilities, or other irregularities including attempts by former, current or future employees to misuse their authorized access and/or gain unauthorized access to our systems.

Previous wording

Technical problems or disruptions that affect either our customers’ ability to access our services, or the software, internal applications, database, and network systems underlying our services, could damage our reputation and brands and lead to reduced demand for our products and services, lower revenues, and increased costs.

Current wording

Technical problems or disruptions that affect our customers’ ability to access our services, or the software, internal applications, database, and network systems underlying our services, could damage our reputation and brands and lead to reduced demand for our products and services, lower revenues, and increased costs.

Previous wording

Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, power loss, security breaches, computer viruses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war, electronic and physical break-ins, earthquakes, and similar events. The occurrence of any of the foregoing events could result in damage to or failure of our systems and hardware. These risks may be increased with respect to operations housed at facilities outside of our direct control, and the majority of the communications, network, and computer hardware used to operate the cloud for our platform are located at facilities maintained by Google or Amazon, which we do not own or control.

Current wording

Our systems and operations, and those of vendors critical to our services, are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, earthquakes, power loss, security breaches, computer viruses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war, electronic and physical break-ins and similar events. The occurrence of any of the foregoing events could result in damage to or failure of our systems and hardware. These risks may be increased with respect to operations housed at facilities outside of our direct control, and the majority of the communications, network, and computer hardware used to operate the cloud for our platform are located at facilities maintained by Google or Amazon, which we do not own or control.

Previous wording

For the year ended December 31, 2023 we derived substantially all of our revenue from subscription services and expect to continue to generate revenue from the sale of subscriptions to our platform and data. As a result, the continued use of telephones and email as a primary means of B2B sales, marketing, and recruiting, and the continued use of internet cloud-based platforms to access telephone, email, and related information for such purposes, is critical to our future growth and success. If the sales and marketing information market fails to grow, or grows more slowly than we currently anticipate, or if there is a decrease in the use of telephones and email as primary means of B2B communication, demand for our platform and data would be negatively affected.

Current wording

We have historically derived substantially all of our revenue from subscription services and expect to continue to generate revenue from the sale of subscriptions to our platform and data. As a result, the continued use of telephones and email as a primary means of B2B sales, marketing, and recruiting, and the continued use of internet cloud-based platforms to access telephone, email, and related information for such purposes, is critical to our future growth and success. If the sales and marketing information market fails to grow, or grows more slowly than we currently anticipate, or if there is a decrease in the use of telephones and email as primary means of B2B communication, demand for our platform and data would be negatively affected.

Previous wording

We may require additional financing, and we may not be able to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise equity financing to fund operations or on an opportunistic basis, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests. Our existing secured credit facilities restrict our ability to or the terms on which we may incur additional indebtedness. See “We have a substantial amount of debt, which could adversely affect our financial position and our ability to raise additional capital and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations” below. The terms of any additional debt financing may be similar or more restrictive.

Current wording

We may require additional financing, and we may not be able to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise equity financing to fund operations or on an opportunistic basis, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests. Our existing secured credit facilities restrict our ability to, and the terms on which we may, incur additional indebtedness, and our ability to, and the terms on which we may, make certain restricted payments, including investments. See “We have a substantial amount of debt, which could adversely affect our financial position and our ability to raise additional capital and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations” below. The terms of any additional debt financing may be similar or more restrictive.

Previous wording

We recognize revenue from subscriptions to our platform on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract subscription period beginning on the date access to the platform is granted, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Our subscription arrangements generally have contractual terms requiring advance payment for annual or quarterly periods. As a result, much of the revenue we report each quarter is the recognition of deferred revenue from recurring subscriptions entered into during previous quarters. Consequently, a decline in new or renewed recurring subscription contracts in any one quarter will not be fully reflected in revenue in that quarter but will negatively affect our revenue in future quarters. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns in new or renewed sales of our recurring subscriptions are not reflected in full in our results of operations until future periods. Our subscription model also makes it difficult for us to rapidly increase our revenue through additional sales in any period, as revenue from new customers is typically recognized over the applicable subscription term. By contrast, a majority of our costs are expensed as incurred, which could result in our recognition of more costs than revenue in the earlier portion of the subscription term, and we may not attain profitability in any given period.

Current wording

We recognize revenue from subscriptions to our platform on a ratable basis over the term of the contract subscription period beginning on the date access to the platform is granted, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Our subscription arrangements generally have contractual terms requiring advance payment for annual or quarterly periods. As a result, much of the revenue we report each quarter is the recognition of deferred revenue from recurring subscriptions entered into during previous quarters. Consequently, a decline in new or renewed recurring subscription contracts in any one quarter will not be fully reflected in revenue in that quarter but will negatively affect our revenue in future quarters. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns in new or renewed sales of our recurring subscriptions are not reflected in full in our results of operations until future periods. Our subscription model also makes it difficult for us to rapidly increase our revenue through additional sales in any period, as revenue from new customers is typically recognized over the applicable subscription term. By contrast, a majority of our costs are expensed as incurred, which could result in our recognition of more costs than revenue in the earlier portion of the subscription term and result in our inability to attain profitability in any given period.

Previous wording

We may not continue to achieve or maintain profitability in the future. Because the market for our platform is rapidly evolving, it is difficult for us to predict our future results of operations or the limits of our market opportunity. We expect our operating expenses to increase over the next several years as we continue to hire additional personnel, particularly in sales and marketing and research and development, expand our partnerships, operations and infrastructure, both domestically and internationally, continue to enhance our platform and develop and expand its features, integrations, and capabilities, and expand and improve our platform. We also intend to continue to build and enhance our platform through both internal research and development and selectively pursuing acquisitions that can contribute to the capabilities of our platform. In addition, as we grow, we will incur additional significant legal, accounting, and other expenses. If our revenue does not increase to offset the expected increases in our operating expenses, we may not be profitable in future periods. In future periods, our revenue growth could slow or our revenue could decline for a number of reasons, including any failure to increase the number of organizations on our platform, any failure to increase our number of paying customers, a decrease in the growth of our overall market, our failure, for any reason, to continue to capitalize on growth opportunities, slowing demand for our platform, additional regulatory burdens, or increasing competition. As a result, our past financial performance may not be indicative of our future performance. Any failure by us to sustain profitability on a consistent basis could cause the value of our common stock to decline.

Current wording

We may not continue to achieve or maintain profitability in the future. Because the market for our platform is rapidly evolving, it is difficult for us to predict our future results of operations or the limits of our market opportunity. We expect our operating expenses to increase over the next several years as we aim to hire additional personnel, expand our partnerships, operations and infrastructure, both domestically and internationally, continue to enhance our platform and develop and expand its features, integrations, and capabilities, and expand and improve our platform. We also intend to continue to build and enhance our platform through both internal research and development and selectively pursuing acquisitions that can contribute to the capabilities of our platform. In addition, as we grow, we will incur additional significant legal, accounting, and other expenses. If our revenue does not increase to offset the expected increases in our operating expenses, we may not be profitable in future periods. In future periods, our revenue growth could slow or our revenue could decline for a number of reasons, including any failure to increase the number of organizations on our platform, any failure to increase our number of paying customers, a decrease in the growth of our overall market, our failure, for any reason, to continue to capitalize on growth opportunities, slowing demand for our platform, additional regulatory burdens, or increasing competition. As a result, our past financial performance may not be indicative of our future performance. Any failure by us to sustain profitability on a consistent basis could cause the value of our common stock to decline.

Previous wording

Our Consolidated Balance Sheets reflect significant amounts of goodwill and intangible assets. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are not amortized but are subject to a periodic impairment evaluation. Goodwill and acquired intangible assets with an indefinite life are tested for impairment at least annually or when events and circumstances indicate that fair value of a reporting unit may be below their carrying value. Acquired intangible assets with definite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated period over which we expect to realize economic value related to the intangible asset. In addition, we review long-lived assets, including operating lease right-of-use assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset might not be recoverable. If indicators of impairment are present, we evaluate the carrying value in relation to estimates of future undiscounted cash flows. Our ability to realize the value of the goodwill and intangible assets will depend on the future cash flows of the businesses we have acquired, which in turn depend in part on how well we have integrated these businesses into our own business. Judgments made by management relate to the expected useful lives of long-lived assets and our ability to realize undiscounted cash flows of the carrying amounts of such assets. The accuracy of these judgments may be adversely affected by several factors, including significant:

Current wording

Our Consolidated Balance Sheets reflect significant amounts of goodwill and intangible assets. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are not amortized but are subject to a periodic impairment evaluation. Goodwill and acquired intangible assets with an indefinite life are tested for impairment at least annually or when events and circumstances indicate that fair value of a reporting unit may be below their carrying value. Acquired intangible assets with definite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated period over which we expect to realize economic value related to the intangible asset. In addition, we review long-lived assets, including operating lease right-of-use assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset might not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or group of assets. Our ability to realize the value of the goodwill and intangible assets will depend on the future cash flows of the businesses we have acquired, which in turn depend in part on how well we have integrated these businesses into our own business. Judgments made by management relate to the expected useful lives of long-lived assets and our ability to realize undiscounted cash flows of the carrying amounts of such assets. The accuracy of these judgments may be adversely affected by several factors, including significant:

Previous wording

As of December 31, 2023, we had total outstanding indebtedness of $1,244.0 million consisting of outstanding borrowings under our first lien credit facilities and senior notes. Additionally, we had $250.0 million of availability under our first lien revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2023. Our substantial indebtedness may:

Current wording

As of December 31, 2024, we had total outstanding indebtedness of $1,238.1 million consisting of outstanding borrowings under our first lien credit facilities and senior notes. Additionally, we had $250.0 million of availability under our first lien revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2024. Our substantial indebtedness may:

Previous wording

Because a substantial portion of our debt is variable-rate debt, fluctuations in interest rates could have a material effect on our business. During 2022 and 2023, the United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates significantly in an attempt to combat historically high inflation. As a result, we may incur higher interest costs if interest rates continue to increase. We currently utilize, and may in the future utilize, derivative financial instruments such as interest rate swaps to hedge some of our exposure to interest rate fluctuations, but such instruments may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest fluctuations, and we may discontinue utilizing them at any time. Further, there can be no assurance that the United States Federal Reserve will not raise rates in the future, and any such increase in interest costs could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and the levels of cash we maintain for working capital.

Current wording

Because a substantial portion of our debt is variable-rate debt, fluctuations in interest rates could have a material effect on our business. During 2022 and 2023, the United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates significantly, and maintained such increased interest rates through the third quarter of 2024, in an attempt to combat historically high inflation. While the U.S. Federal Reserve has started to, and signaled its intention to continue to, lower interest rates, macroeconomic circumstances may change, resulting in delays or reversal of such actions, including by central banks around the world, which may result in a prolonged high-interest rate environment. As a result, we may incur higher interest costs if interest rates were to increase again in the future or if high interest rates continue to be maintained. We currently utilize, and may in the future utilize, derivative financial instruments such as interest rate swaps to hedge some of our exposure to interest rate fluctuations, but such instruments may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest fluctuations, and we may discontinue utilizing them at any time. Further, there can be no assurance that the United States Federal Reserve will not raise rates in the future, and any such increase in interest costs could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and the levels of cash we maintain for working capital.

Previous wording

As a multinational organization, we may be subject to taxation in several jurisdictions around the world with increasingly complex tax laws, the application of which can be uncertain. The amount of taxes we pay in these jurisdictions could increase substantially as a result of changes in the applicable tax principles, including increased tax rates, new tax laws or revised interpretations of existing tax laws and precedents, which could harm our liquidity and results of operations. In addition, the authorities in these jurisdictions could review our tax returns and impose additional tax, interest, and penalties, and the authorities could claim that various withholding requirements apply to us or assert that benefits of tax treaties are not available to us, any of which could harm us and our results of operations.

Current wording

As a multinational organization, we may be subject to taxation in several jurisdictions around the world with increasingly complex tax laws, the application of which can be uncertain. The amount of taxes we pay in these jurisdictions could increase substantially as a result of changes in the applicable tax principles, including increased tax rates, new tax laws or revised interpretations of existing tax laws and precedents, or challenges to our tax positions by tax authorities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or operating results. In addition, the authorities in these jurisdictions could review our tax returns and impose additional tax, interest and penalties, and the authorities could claim that various withholding requirements apply to us or our subsidiaries or assert that benefits of tax treaties are not available to us or our subsidiaries, or assert that we are subject to tax in a jurisdiction where we believe we have not established a taxable nexus, often referred to as a “permanent establishment” under international tax treaties, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or cash flows.

Previous wording

In addition, recent global tax developments applicable to multinational businesses, including certain approaches of addressing taxation of digital economy recently proposed or enacted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission or certain major jurisdictions where we operate or might in the future operate, might have a material impact to our business and future cash flow from operating activities, or future financial results. We are also subject to tax examinations in multiple jurisdictions. While we regularly evaluate new information that may change our judgment resulting in recognition, derecognition, or changes in measurement of a tax position taken, there can be no assurance that the final determination of any examinations will not have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial position. In addition, our operations may change, which may impact our tax liabilities. As our brand becomes increasingly recognizable both domestically and internationally, our tax planning structure and corresponding profile may be subject to increased scrutiny and if we are perceived negatively, we may experience brand or reputational harm.

Current wording

We are also subject to tax examinations in multiple jurisdictions. While we regularly evaluate new information that may change our judgment resulting in recognition, derecognition, or changes in measurement of a tax position taken, there can be no assurance that the final determination of any examinations will not have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial position. As our brand becomes increasingly recognizable both domestically and internationally, our tax planning structure and corresponding profile may be subject to increased scrutiny and if we are perceived negatively, we may experience brand or reputational harm.