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Workday, Inc. (WDAY) FY 2025 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from Workday, Inc.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2025. Filing date: 2025-03-11. Report date: 2025-01-31. Accession: 0001327811-25-000056.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high.

Company profile: WDAY · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2024 · Next year: FY 2026

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this report, particularly in “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of this report.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations covers fiscal 2025 and 2024 items and year-over-year comparisons between fiscal 2025 and 2024. Discussions of fiscal 2023 items and year-over-year comparisons between fiscal 2024 and 2023 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024, that was filed with the SEC on March 8, 2024.

Overview

Workday is the AI platform that helps organizations manage their most important assets – their people and money. We deliver cloud-based applications for financial management, HCM, planning, spend management, and analytics. Our diverse customer base includes emerging, medium-sized, and large global organizations within numerous industry categories, including professional and business services, financial services, healthcare, education, government, technology, media, retail, and hospitality. With Workday, our customers have an AI-powered platform that can help them deliver better employee experiences, increase productivity, improve operational efficiencies, and provide insights for faster, data-driven decision-making.

We have achieved significant growth since our inception in 2005, when we pioneered HCM in the cloud. As a result of our innovation and commitment to customer success, today we are a Fortune 500 company with more than 11,000 customers around the world. As we continue to grow, we are focused on driving sustainable, long-term subscription revenue growth by adding new customers and expanding our relationships with existing customers through increased adoption of our suite of solutions. Central to this effort is investing in strategic growth areas including leveraging the power of our platform to drive increased adoption of our full suite of applications, expanding internationally, developing innovative AI solutions, growing our partner ecosystem, deepening our industry verticals, and exploring strategic acquisitions to complement our organic innovation. Our investments across these targeted growth areas may require additional costs, but we remain committed to optimizing resource allocation and realizing a return on our investments. Over time, we believe these investments will support revenue growth and a more scalable business.

We are focused on expanding our operating margin by driving scale and building efficiencies across the business through investments in people, processes, and systems. In February 2025, we announced the Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan, which is intended to prioritize our investments and continue advancing our ongoing focus on durable growth. The plan is currently expected to result in the reduction of approximately 8% of our workforce. In connection with this plan, we expect to exit certain owned office space. As a result of our focus on expanding operating margin, we expect our product development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenues will decrease over the longer term as we grow our revenues and invest in a disciplined manner to support our long-term growth objectives.

Impact of Current Economic Conditions

Recent macroeconomic events including increased tariffs, elevated inflation, and fluctuating interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, as well as geopolitical instability, continue to impact the global economy and create uncertainty, volatility, and disruption of financial markets. Despite this, we are confident in the long-term overall health of our business, the strength of our product offerings, and our ability to continue to execute on our strategy and help our customers on their human capital and finance digital transformation journeys. Demand for our products remains strong, we continue to achieve solid new subscription bookings, and our near-term revenues are relatively predictable as a result of our subscription-based business model.

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We have experienced, and may continue to experience, a moderation of revenue growth rates due to deal scrutiny and the lengthening of certain sales cycles, particularly within net new opportunities, and reduced growth in headcount level commitments upon renewals of existing customers. Further, we have provided, and may continue to provide, certain customers with more flexible payment terms. If the economic uncertainty continues, we may also experience additional negative impacts on customer renewals, customer collections, sales and marketing efforts, customer deployments, product development, or other financial metrics. Any of these factors could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results. For further discussion of the potential impacts of recent macroeconomic events on our business, financial condition, and operating results, see “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of this report.

Financial Results Overview

The following table provides an overview of our key metrics (in millions, except percentages, basis points, and headcount data):

As of and for the Years Ended January 31,
20252024Change
Total revenues$8,446$7,25916%
Subscription services revenues$7,718$6,60317%
GAAP operating income$415$183127%
Non-GAAP operating income (1)$2,186$1,74126%
GAAP operating margin4.9%2.5%239 bps
Non-GAAP operating margin (1)25.9%24.0%190 bps
Operating cash flows$2,461$2,14915%
Free cash flows (1)$2,192$1,91714%
Total subscription revenue backlog$25,056$20,92420%
12-month subscription revenue backlog$7,631$6,62315%
Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities$8,017$7,8133%
Headcount20,48218,8249%

(1)See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for further information.

Components of Results of Operations

Revenues

We derive our revenues from subscription services and professional services. Subscription services revenues primarily consist of fees that give our customers access to our cloud applications, which include related customer support. Professional services revenues include fees for deployment services, optimization services, and training.

Subscription services revenues accounted for approximately 91% of our total revenues for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, and represented 97% of our total unearned revenue as of January 31, 2025. Subscription services revenues are driven primarily by the number of customers, the number of workers at each customer, the specific applications subscribed to by each customer, and the price of our applications.

The mix of applications to which each customer subscribes can affect our financial performance due to price differentials in our applications. Pricing for our applications varies based on many factors, including the complexity and maturity of the application and its acceptance in the marketplace. New products or services offerings by competitors in the future could also impact the mix and pricing of our offerings.

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Subscription services revenues are recognized over time as services are delivered, beginning on the date our service is made available to the customer. Our subscription contracts typically have a term of three years or longer and are generally noncancelable. We generally invoice our customers annually in advance for subscription services. We may provide certain customers flexible payment terms and the timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to our customers.

Our professional services consulting engagements are billed on a time and materials or fixed price basis. We generally invoice our customers in arrears for our professional services. For contracts billed on a time and materials basis, revenues are recognized over time as the professional services are performed. For contracts billed on a fixed price basis, revenues are recognized over time based on the proportion of the professional services performed. In some cases, we supplement our consulting teams by subcontracting resources from our service partners and deploying them on customer engagements. As the Workday-related consulting practices of our partner firms continue to develop, we expect these partners to increasingly contract directly with our subscription customers for services engagements.

Subscription Revenue Backlog

Our subscription revenue backlog, which is also referred to as remaining performance obligations for subscription contracts, represents contracted subscription services revenues that have not yet been recognized and includes billed and unbilled amounts. Subscription revenue backlog may fluctuate from period-to-period due to a number of factors, including the timing of renewals and overall renewal rates, new business growth, average contract duration, business combinations, and seasonality.

Costs and Expenses

Costs of subscription services revenues. Costs of subscription services revenues consist primarily of expenses associated with hosting our applications and providing customer support, including employee-related expenses, expenses related to data center capacity and computing infrastructure operated by third parties, and depreciation of our data center equipment.

Costs of professional services revenues. Costs of professional services revenues consist primarily of employee-related expenses associated with these services, subcontractor expenses, and travel expenses.

Product development expenses. Product development expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses associated with our efforts to add new features and applications, increase functionality, and enhance the ease of use of our cloud applications, as well as expenses related to data center capacity.

Sales and marketing expenses. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, sales commissions, marketing programs, and travel expenses. Marketing programs consist of advertising, events, corporate communications, brand awareness, brand ambassador campaigns, and product marketing activities. Sales commissions are considered incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions for new revenue contracts are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over a period of benefit that we have determined to be five years.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses consist of employee-related expenses for finance and accounting, legal, human resources, information systems personnel, professional fees, and other corporate expenses.

Restructuring expenses. Restructuring expenses are associated with a formal restructuring program and consist of charges related to employee transition, severance payments, employee benefits, and share-based compensation, as well as exit charges associated with the closure of facilities.

Results of Operations

Revenues

Our total revenues were as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Subscription services$7,718$6,603$5,567
Professional services728656649
Total revenues$8,446$7,259$6,216

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Total revenues were $8.4 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $7.3 billion for fiscal 2024, an increase of $1.2 billion, or 16%. Subscription services revenues were $7.7 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $6.6 billion for fiscal 2024, an increase of $1.1 billion, or 17%. Approximately 60% of the increase in subscription services revenues was attributable to expansion of our customers that existed as of the beginning of the prior fiscal year, and the remaining 40% was attributable to customers added after the beginning of the prior fiscal year. Professional services revenues were $728 million for fiscal 2025, compared to $656 million for fiscal 2024, an increase of $72 million, or 11%. The increase in professional services revenues was driven by higher demand for our deployment and integration services.

Gross Revenue Retention Rate

Our growth in subscription services revenues attributable to existing customers is further reflected by our gross revenue retention rate of approximately 98% as of January 31, 2025. Our gross revenue retention rate measures the percentage of recurring revenue retained from existing customers and is calculated by taking total annual recurring revenue (“ARR”) of our customers as of the corresponding prior period-end and comparing that to ARR from that same set of customers as of the current period-end. The metric takes into account recurring revenues lost to product or customer churn but does not account for additional revenue earned from add-ons or net expansions, which include volume and price adjustments. Our high gross revenue retention rate demonstrates our ability to maintain our existing customer base and drive strong overall customer satisfaction.

Our gross revenue retention rate is based on ARR, which represents the annualized value of active subscription contracts as of the end of each period. Each subscription contract is annualized by dividing the total contract value by the number of days in the contract term and then multiplying by 365. We exclude certain subscription contracts from the calculation, including contracts with terms less than one year that are distinct from our core product offering, such as contracts for tenants which are used for implementation and testing. To the extent that we are negotiating a renewal with a customer after the expiration of the subscription, ARR is only adjusted if the customer churns. We calculate ARR on a constant currency basis using exchange rates set at the beginning of each fiscal year. ARR is a non-GAAP financial measure and should be viewed independently of, and not as a substitute for or combined with, revenue and unearned revenue.

Subscription Revenue Backlog

As of January 31, 2025, our total subscription revenue backlog was $25.1 billion, with $7.6 billion expected to be recognized in revenues over the next 12 months. As of January 31, 2024, our total subscription revenue backlog was $20.9 billion, with $6.6 billion expected to be recognized in revenues over the next 12 months. The increase in subscription revenue backlog was primarily driven by expansion within our existing customer base, sales to new customers, and timing of renewals for existing customers.

Costs and Expenses

Our costs and expenses were as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Costs of subscription services$1,266$1,031$1,007
Costs of professional services803740703
Product development2,6262,4642,247
Sales and marketing2,4322,1391,842
General and administrative820702599
Restructuring84040
Total costs and expenses$8,031$7,076$6,438

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Total costs and expenses were $8.0 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $7.1 billion for fiscal 2024, an increase of $955 million, or 13%. The increase in operating expenses included increases of $555 million in employee-related expenses, including share-based compensation, primarily due to higher average headcount, $84 million in restructuring expenses primarily related to the Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan, $57 million in facilities and IT-related expenses, $56 million in data center capacity expenses, $46 million in subcontractor expenses, $44 million in professional services expenses, $38 million in depreciation, $37 million in amortization of deferred sales commissions due to increased sales, and $31 million related to marketing programs.

Costs of Subscription Services

Costs of subscription services were $1.3 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $1.0 billion for fiscal 2024, an increase of $235 million, or 23%. The increase in costs of subscription services included increases of $132 million in employee-related expenses, including share-based compensation, primarily due to higher average headcount, $44 million in data center capacity expenses, and $39 million in depreciation.

We expect costs of subscription services will continue to increase in absolute dollars as we improve and expand our technical operations infrastructure, including computing infrastructure operated by third parties.

Costs of Professional Services

Costs of professional services were $803 million for fiscal 2025, compared to $740 million for fiscal 2024, an increase of $63 million, or 9%. The increase in costs of professional services included increases of $46 million in subcontractor expenses and $12 million in employee-related expenses.

We expect costs of professional services as a percentage of total revenues to continue to decline as we rely on our service partners to deploy our applications and as our subscription services revenues continue to grow as we expand both our customer base and our footprint within our existing customers.

Product Development

Product development expenses were $2.6 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $2.5 billion for fiscal 2024, an increase of $160 million, or 7%. The increase in product development expenses included an increase of $158 million in employee-related expenses, including share-based compensation, primarily due to higher average headcount.

We expect product development expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars as we improve and extend our applications and develop new technologies, including costs incurred for hardware maintenance, data center capacity, facility costs, and IT-related expenses.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing expenses were $2.4 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $2.1 billion for fiscal 2024, an increase of $294 million, or 14%. The increase in sales and marketing expenses included increases of $180 million in employee-related expenses, including share-based compensation, primarily due to higher average headcount, $37 million in amortization of deferred sales commissions due to increased sales, $30 million related to marketing programs, and $25 million in facilities and IT-related expenses.

We expect sales and marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to invest in our domestic and international selling and marketing activities to expand awareness of our brand and product offerings to attract new and existing customers.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses were $820 million for fiscal 2025, compared to $702 million for fiscal 2024, an increase of $118 million, or 17%. The increase in general and administrative expenses included increases of $73 million in employee-related expenses, including share-based compensation, primarily due to higher average headcount, and $36 million in professional services expenses.

We expect general and administrative expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to grow our business and invest in our people, processes, and systems to support our global operations.

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Restructuring

Restructuring expenses were $84 million for fiscal 2025, with no comparable expense in the prior year. We recorded expenses of $65 million for employee transition, severance payments, employee benefits, and share-based compensation under the Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan and exit charges of $19 million associated with office space reductions under a separate restructuring plan.

We estimate that we will incur approximately $230 million to $250 million in total charges in connection with the Fiscal 2026 Restructuring Plan, which consists of approximately $200 million to $210 million related to employee transition, severance payments, employee benefits, and share-based compensation, with the balance related to an impairment of office space. The activities associated with this plan are expected to be substantially complete by the second quarter of fiscal 2026, subject to local law and consultation requirements.

Share-based compensation

Costs and expenses include share-based compensation expense as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Costs of subscription services$145$120$105
Costs of professional services114116111
Product development670653616
Sales and marketing310282248
General and administrative272245210
Restructuring805
Total share-based compensation expense$1,519$1,416$1,295
Percentage of total revenues18.0%19.5%20.8%

Share-based compensation expense increased by $103 million during fiscal 2025, primarily due to additional grants to new and existing employees.

Equity compensation is an important element of our compensation philosophy. While we expect share-based compensation expense to grow in absolute dollars as we expand our global workforce, we expect it to continue to decline as a percentage of total revenues.

Operating Income (Loss) and Operating Margin

GAAP operating income was $415 million, or 4.9% of revenues, in fiscal 2025, compared to $183 million, or 2.5% of revenues in fiscal 2024. The improvement was primarily due to our revenue growth outpacing headcount growth and moderation of operating expenses, including share-based compensation, partially offset by restructuring expenses recognized in the current fiscal year.

Non-GAAP operating income was $2.2 billion, or 25.9% of revenues, in fiscal 2025, compared to $1.7 billion, or 24.0% of revenues in fiscal 2024. The increase was primarily due to our revenue growth outpacing headcount growth and moderation of operating expenses.

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Reconciliations of our GAAP to non-GAAP operating income (loss) and operating margin were as follows (in millions, except percentages). See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for further information.

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Operating income (loss)$415$183$(222)
Share-based compensation expense (1)1,5111,4161,290
Employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions766650
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets797586
Acquisition-related costs2113
Restructuring costs84040
Non-GAAP operating income$2,186$1,741$1,247
Operating margin4.9%2.5%(3.6)%
Share-based compensation expense (1)17.9%19.5%20.8%
Employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions0.9%0.9%0.8%
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets0.9%1.1%1.5%
Acquisition-related costs0.2%0.0%0.0%
Restructuring costs1.1%0.0%0.6%
Non-GAAP operating margin25.9%24.0%20.1%

(1)The Share-based compensation expense lines in the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation tables above exclude share-based compensation expense of $8 million in fiscal 2025 related to restructuring initiatives. This expense is included in the Restructuring costs lines.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense), net was as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Total other income (expense), net$223$173$(38)

Other income, net increased by $50 million for fiscal 2025, primarily due to increases in interest income earned from higher investment balances and increased average interest rates.

Provision For (Benefit From) Income Taxes

The provision for (benefit from) income taxes was as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes$112$(1,025)$107

The income tax provision for fiscal 2025 was primarily attributable to an increase in our U.S. pretax income and income tax expenses in profitable foreign jurisdictions.

The income tax benefit for fiscal 2024 was primarily attributable to the $1.1 billion release of our valuation allowance related to all U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets, excluding certain state tax credits.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) released Pillar Two model rules defining a 15% global minimum tax for large multinational corporations. The OECD continues to release additional guidance and countries are implementing legislation, with widespread adoption of the Pillar Two Framework expected in the near future. Pillar Two rules are at varying stages of adoption across the jurisdictions where we operate. The specific rules and timeline to implement these rules vary by jurisdiction. The adoption of Pillar Two rules may affect our effective tax rate and current tax obligations and liabilities. While we do not currently anticipate Pillar Two rules to have a material impact on our consolidated financial results, we are monitoring developments from the OECD, governmental bodies, such as the EU, and intergovernmental economic organizations, to evaluate the impact of changing global tax laws.

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For further information, see Note 17, Income Taxes, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of January 31, 2025, our principal sources of liquidity were cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaling $8.0 billion, which were primarily held for working capital and general corporate purposes. Our cash equivalents and marketable securities are primarily composed of, in order from largest to smallest, corporate bonds, U.S. treasury securities, money market funds, U.S. agency obligations, commercial paper, and asset-backed securities. We have financed our operations primarily through customer payments, issuance of debt, and sales of our common stock.

We believe our existing cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, cash provided by operating activities, unbilled amounts related to the remaining term of contracted noncancelable subscription agreements, which are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and, if necessary, our borrowing capacity under our 2022 Credit Agreement that provides for $1.0 billion of unsecured financing, are sufficient to meet our working capital, capital expenditure, share repurchase, and debt repayment needs over the next 12 months and beyond.

Our long-term future capital requirements depend on many factors, including the effects of macroeconomic trends, customer growth rates, subscription renewal activity, headcount growth, the timing and extent of development efforts, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, the introduction of new and enhanced services offerings, infrastructure development, and our investment and acquisition activities. As part of our strategy, we may choose to seek additional debt or equity financing.

Our cash flows were as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$2,461$2,149$1,657
Investing activities(1,781)(1,751)(2,506)
Financing activities(1,150)(268)1,204
Effect of exchange rate changes0(1)(1)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash$(470)$129$354

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $2.5 billion and $2.1 billion for fiscal 2025 and 2024, respectively. In fiscal 2025, the improvement in cash flow provided by operating activities was primarily the result of higher cash collections of $868 million due to increased sales and additional interest income received of $112 million from marketable debt securities, offset by increased employee-related payments of $465 million primarily due to higher average headcount and increased supplier payments of $171 million to support our continued growth.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2025 was $1.8 billion, which primarily resulted from a net cash outflow of $667 million related to marketable debt securities activities, cash consideration, net of cash acquired, of $522 million and $303 million for the acquisitions of HiredScore and Evisort, respectively, and capital expenditures of $269 million for data center and office space projects.

Cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2024 was $1.8 billion, which primarily resulted from a net cash outflow of $1.6 billion from the timing of purchases and maturities of marketable securities and capital expenditures of $232 million for data center and office space projects, offset by proceeds of $144 million from sales of marketable securities.

We expect capital expenditures will be approximately $250 million in fiscal 2026. This primarily includes investments in our office facilities to support our continued growth.

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Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities for fiscal 2025 was $1.2 billion, which was due to repurchases of common stock of $700 million under our share repurchase programs and taxes paid of $636 million related to net share settlement of equity awards, offset by proceeds of $186 million from the issuance of common stock from employee equity plans.

Cash used in financing activities for fiscal 2024 was $268 million, which was due to repurchases of common stock of $423 million under our share repurchase programs, offset by proceeds of $155 million from the issuance of common stock from employee equity plans.

Free Cash Flows

In evaluating our performance internally, we focus on long-term, sustainable growth in free cash flows. We define free cash flows, a non-GAAP financial measure, as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for further information.

Free cash flows were $2.2 billion for fiscal 2025, compared to $1.9 billion for the prior year period. The improvement was primarily the result of higher cash collections of $868 million due to increased sales and additional interest income received of $112 million from marketable debt securities, offset by increased employee-related payments of $465 million primarily due to higher average headcount, increased supplier payments of $171 million to support our continued growth, and increased capital expenditures of $37 million.

Reconciliation of our GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to non-GAAP free cash flows is as follows (in millions):

Year Ended January 31,
202520242023
Net cash provided by operating activities$2,461$2,149$1,657
Less: Capital expenditures(269)(232)(364)
Free cash flows$2,192$1,917$1,293

Share Repurchase Programs

In August 2024, our Board of Directors authorized the August 2024 Share Repurchase Program, under which we may repurchase up to $1.0 billion of our outstanding shares of our Class A common stock. Prior to the August 2024 Share Repurchase Program, our Board of Directors authorized a $500 million share repurchase program in February 2024, which we completed in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, and a $500 million share repurchase program in November 2022, which we completed in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. For further information, see Note 14, Stockholders’ Equity, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.

Contractual Obligations

Our contractual obligations primarily consist of borrowings under our Senior Notes, agreements for third-party hosted infrastructure platforms for business operations, leases for office space and co-location facilities for data center capacity, and other purchase obligations entered into in the ordinary course of business. The table below includes our material contractual obligations, excluding imputed interest, as of January 31, 2025 (in millions). For further information, see the associated Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report referenced in the table below.

Payments Due by Period
TotalShort-termLong-termReference
Senior Notes (1)$3,568$110$3,458Note 11
Third-party hosted infrastructure platform obligations1,5933061,287Note 13
Operating leases433115318Note 12
Other purchase obligations550161389Note 13
Total$6,144$692$5,452

(1)Consists of principal and interest payments on the Senior Notes.

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Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Regulation S-K Item 10(e), “Use of non-GAAP financial measures in Commission filings,” defines and prescribes the conditions for use of non-GAAP financial information. Our measures of non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, and free cash flows meet the definition of non-GAAP financial measures.

Change in Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Effective beginning fiscal 2025, we exclude certain acquisition-related costs and restructuring costs from our non-GAAP results as they may vary from period-to-period independent of the operating performance of our business. Prior period amounts have been recast to conform to this presentation.

Non-GAAP Operating Income and Non-GAAP Operating Margin

We use the non-GAAP financial measures of non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short- and long-term operating plans, and to evaluate our financial performance. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures reflect our ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in our business.

Our non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin exclude the components listed below. For the reasons set forth below, we believe that excluding these components provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results and prospects in the same manner as management, in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies, and to better understand the long-term performance of our core business.

•Share-based compensation expense. Share-based compensation primarily consists of non-cash expenses for employee RSUs and our employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”). Although share-based compensation is an important aspect of the compensation of our employees and executives, this expense is determined using a number of factors, including our stock price, volatility, and forfeiture rates, that are beyond our control and generally unrelated to operational decisions and performance in any particular period. Further, share-based compensation expense is not reflective of the value ultimately received by the grant recipients.

•Employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions. We exclude the employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions in order to show the full effect that excluding share-based compensation expense has on our operating results. Similar to share-based compensation expense, this tax expense is dependent on our stock price and other factors that are beyond our control and do not correlate to the operation of our business.

•Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. For business combinations, we generally allocate a portion of the purchase price to intangible assets. The amount of the allocation is based on estimates and assumptions made by management and is subject to amortization. The amount of purchase price allocated to intangible assets and the term of the related amortization can vary significantly and are unique to each acquisition and thus we do not believe it is reflective of our ongoing operations. Although we exclude the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, we believe that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase accounting and contribute to revenue generation.

•Acquisition-related costs. Acquisition-related costs include direct transaction costs, such as due diligence and advisory fees, and certain compensation and integration-related expenses. We exclude the effects of acquisition-related costs as we believe these transaction-specific expenses are inconsistent in amount and frequency and do not correlate to the operation of our business.

•Restructuring costs. Restructuring costs are associated with a formal restructuring plan and are primarily related to employee severance, the closure of facilities, and cancellation of certain contracts. We exclude these expenses because they are not reflective of ongoing business and operating results.

Free Cash Flows

We define free cash flows as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures. We use free cash flows as a measure of financial progress in our business, as it balances operating results, cash management, and capital efficiency. We believe information regarding free cash flows provides investors and others with an enhanced view of cash flow generation from the ongoing operations of our business.

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Limitations on the Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

A limitation of our non-GAAP financial measures of non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, and free cash flows is that they do not have uniform definitions. Our definitions will likely differ from the definitions used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. Further, these non-GAAP financial measures have certain limitations as they do not reflect all items of expense or cash that affect our operations and are reflected in the corresponding GAAP financial measures. In the case of share-based compensation, if we did not pay out a portion of compensation in the form of share-based compensation, the cash salary expense included in operating expenses would be higher, which would affect our cash position.

We compensate for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety, not to rely on any single financial measure, and to view our non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with the most comparable GAAP financial measures.

See “Results of Operations—Operating Income (Loss) and Operating Margin” for reconciliations from the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures of GAAP operating income (loss) and GAAP operating margin, to the non-GAAP financial measures of non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin, for fiscal 2025, 2024, and 2023.

See “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Free Cash Flows” for a reconciliation from the most comparable GAAP financial measure, net cash provided by operating activities, to the non-GAAP financial measure, free cash flows, for fiscal 2025, 2024, and 2023.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, judgments, and assumptions. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe that of our significant accounting policies, which are described in Note 2, Accounting Standards and Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report, the following accounting policies and specific estimates involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, these are the policies and estimates we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and operating results.

Revenue Recognition

We derive our revenues from subscription services and professional services. Revenues are recognized when control of these services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for services rendered.

We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:

•Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;

•Identification of the performance obligations in the contract;

•Determination of the transaction price;

•Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and

•Recognition of revenues when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation.

We believe the area we apply the most critical judgment when determining revenue recognition relates to the identification of distinct performance obligations.

Identification of Performance Obligations

A performance obligation is a promise in a contract with a customer to transfer products or services that are distinct. Our contracts with customers may include multiple promises to transfer services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately or combined as a single performance obligation may require significant judgment that requires us to assess the nature of the promise and the value delivered to the customer.

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Our primary performance obligations consist of subscription services and professional services. We satisfy these performance obligations over time as we transfer the promised services to our customers. Subscription services are made up of a daily requirement to deliver the service to the customer. Each day the delivery of the service provides value to the customer and each day represents a measure toward completion of the service. As such, subscription services meet the criteria to be a series of distinct services. In determining whether professional services are distinct, we consider the following factors for each professional services agreement: availability of the services from other vendors, the nature of the professional services, the timing of when the professional services contract was signed in comparison to the subscription start date, and the contractual dependence of the service on the customer’s satisfaction with the professional services work. To date, we have concluded that professional services included in contracts with multiple performance obligations are generally distinct as the professional services are not interrelated with subscription services nor do they result in significant customization of the subscription service. As such, we view professional services as a performance obligation to the customer.

At contract inception, we evaluate whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the combined or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. We combine contracts entered into at or near the same time with the same customer if we determine that the contracts are negotiated as a package with a single commercial objective; the amount of consideration to be paid in one contract depends on the price or performance of the other contract; or the services promised in the contracts are a single performance obligation. For contracts that contain multiple performance obligations, we assess each promise separately and allocate the transaction price on a relative standalone selling price (“SSP”) basis. We apply significant judgment in identifying and evaluating any terms and conditions in contracts which may impact revenue recognition.

Deferred Commissions

Sales commissions earned by our sales force are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions for new revenue contracts are capitalized and then amortized on a straight-line basis over a period of benefit that we have determined to be five years. We determined the period of benefit by exercising judgment, taking into consideration our customer contracts, our technology, and other factors.

Periodically, we review whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could impact the period of benefit. Any future changes in circumstances around the terms of our initial and renewal contracts, customer attrition, underlying technology life, and certain other factors may materially change the period of benefit and therefore the amortization amounts recognized on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. There was no change to the period of benefit during the periods presented.

Income Taxes

We record a provision for, or benefit from, income taxes for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Under this method, we recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, as well as for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the net amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Significant judgment is required in determining any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, including past operating results, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of tax planning strategies. In the event that we change our determination as to the amount of deferred tax assets that can be realized, we will adjust our valuation allowance with a corresponding impact to the provision for (benefit from) income taxes in the period in which such determination is made.

We recognize the tax benefit of an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the position is sustainable upon examination by the taxing authority, based on the technical merits. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit which is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon settlement with the taxing authority. Significant judgment is required to evaluate uncertain tax positions. Our evaluations are based upon a number of factors, including changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law or guidance, correspondence with tax authorities during the course of audits, and effective settlement of audit issues. Changes in the recognition or measurement of uncertain tax positions could result in material increases or decreases in our provision for (benefit from) income taxes in the period in which we make the change.

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Business Combinations, Goodwill, and Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets

We allocate the purchase consideration of acquired companies to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the acquisition date, with the excess recorded to goodwill. The purchase price allocation process requires us to make significant estimates and assumptions related to the fair value of identifiable intangible assets. Critical estimates used in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from acquired customer contracts, expected life cycle and innovation timelines for acquired technologies, forecasted customer attrition rates and revenue growth, the fair value of pre-existing relationships, royalty rates for comparable market technologies, and discount rates. The amounts and estimated useful lives assigned to acquisition-related intangible assets impact the amount and timing of future amortization expense.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2, Accounting Standards and Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements.

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