Salesforce Inc

Previous wording

These risks are mitigated, to the extent possible, by our ability to maintain and improve business and data governance policies, enhanced processes and internal security controls, including our ability to escalate and respond to known and potential risks. Our Board of Directors (“Board”), Cybersecurity and Privacy Committee and executive management are regularly briefed on our cybersecurity policies and practices and ongoing efforts to improve security, as well as updates on cybersecurity events. We can provide no assurances that our security measures, including implemented systems and processes designed to protect our customers’ and our customers’ customers’ proprietary and other sensitive data, will provide absolute security or otherwise be effective or that a material breach will not occur. For example, our ability to mitigate these risks may be impacted by the following:

Current wording

These risks are mitigated, to the extent possible, by our ability to maintain and improve business and data governance policies and enhance processes and internal security controls, including our ability to escalate and respond to known and potential risks. Our Board of Directors (“Board”), Cybersecurity and Privacy Committee and executive management are regularly briefed on our cybersecurity policies and practices and ongoing efforts to improve security, as well as updates on cybersecurity events. We can provide no assurances that our security measures, including implemented systems and processes designed to protect our customers’ and our customers’ customers’ proprietary and other sensitive data, will provide absolute security or otherwise be effective or that a material breach will not occur. For example, our ability to mitigate these risks may be impacted by the following:

Previous wording

Since our customers use our services for important aspects of their business, any errors, defects, disruptions in service or other performance problems could hurt our reputation and may damage our customers’ businesses. As a result, customers could elect to not renew our services or delay or withhold payment to us. We could also lose future sales or customers may make warranty or other claims against us, which could result in an increase in our allowance for doubtful accounts, an increase in collection cycles for accounts receivable or the expense and risk of litigation.

Current wording

Since our customers use our services for important aspects of their business, errors, defects, disruptions in service or other performance problems have in the past adversely impacted our customers’ businesses and could do so in the future. As a result, customers could elect to not renew our services or delay or withhold payment to us. We could also lose future sales or customers may make warranty or other claims against us, which could result in an increase in our allowance for doubtful accounts, an increase in collection cycles for accounts receivable or the expense and risk of litigation.

Previous wording

Our success will depend in part upon the ability of our senior management to plan and manage our projected growth effectively. To do so, we must continue to increase the productivity of our existing employees and to hire, train and manage new employees as needed. Additionally, recent changes in our work environment and workforce, including those arising from our Restructuring Plan or other restructuring actions or our return to office and remote work policies, may not meet the needs and expectations of our workforce or may create operational and workplace culture challenges, which could negatively impact our ability to increase employee productivity or attract and retain our employees and could adversely affect our operations. Further, reductions in our real estate portfolio resulting from our Restructuring Plan may impede our ability to adequately accommodate employees returning to the office or future headcount growth. To manage the expected domestic and international growth of our operations and personnel, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, our reporting systems and procedures and our utilization of real estate. If we fail to successfully scale our operations and increase productivity, we may be unable to execute our business plan and the value of our common stock could decline.

Current wording

Our success will depend in part upon the ability of our senior management to plan and manage our projected growth effectively. To do so, we must continue to increase the productivity of our existing employees and to hire, train and manage new employees as needed. Additionally, changes in our work environment and workforce, including those arising from our Restructuring Plan or other restructuring actions or our return to office and remote work policies, may not meet the needs and expectations of our workforce or may create operational and workplace culture challenges, which could negatively impact our ability to increase employee productivity or attract and retain our employees and could adversely affect our operations. Further, reductions in our real estate portfolio resulting from our Restructuring Plan may impede our ability to adequately accommodate employees returning to the office or future headcount growth. To manage the expected domestic and international growth of our operations and personnel, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, our reporting systems and procedures and our utilization of real estate. If we fail to successfully scale our operations and increase productivity, we may be unable to execute our business plan and the value of our common stock could decline.

Previous wording

•uncertainty regarding the imposition of and changes in the United States’ and other governments’ trade regulations, trade wars, tariffs, other restrictions or other geopolitical events, including the evolving relations between the United States and China, the United States and Russia, and ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war;

Current wording

•uncertainty regarding the imposition of and changes in the United States’ and other governments’ trade regulations, trade wars, tariffs, other restrictions or other geopolitical events, including the evolving relations between the United States and China, the United States and Russia, and ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East;

Previous wording

Pricing and packaging strategies for enterprise and other customers for subscriptions to our existing and future service offerings, including for our AI offerings, may not be widely accepted by new or existing customers. Our adoption of or failure to adopt, as well as the manner and time of, changes to our pricing and packaging models and strategies may harm our business.

Current wording

Pricing and packaging strategies for enterprise and other customers for subscriptions to our existing and future service offerings, including for our AI offerings such as Agentforce, may not be widely accepted by new or existing customers. Our adoption of or failure to adopt, as well as the manner and time of, changes to our pricing and packaging models and strategies may harm our business.

Previous wording

In addition, we may face more competition as we expand our product offerings. Some of our current and potential competitors may have competitive advantages, such as greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more significant installed bases, broader geographic scope, broader suites of service offerings and larger marketing budgets, as well as substantially greater financial, technical, personnel and other resources. In addition, many of our current and potential competitors have established marketing relationships and access to larger customer bases, and have major distribution agreements with consultants, system integrators and resellers. We also experience competition from smaller, younger competitors that may be more agile in responding to customers’ demands and offer more targeted and simplified solutions. Our competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or customer requirements, or provide competitive pricing, more flexible contracts or faster implementations. Additionally, we are building AI into many of our offerings, and we expect to face increased competition as AI technologies are integrated into the markets in which we compete. Our competitors may be able to develop new AI offerings that disrupt workforce needs and negatively impact demand for our offerings, or incorporate AI into their offerings more successfully than we do and achieve greater and faster adoption. As a result, even if our services are more effective than the products and services that our competitors offer, potential customers might select competitive products and services in lieu of purchasing our services. For all of these reasons, we may not be able to compete successfully against our current and future competitors, which could negatively impact our future sales and harm our business.

Current wording

In addition, we may face more competition as we expand our product offerings. Some of our current and potential competitors may have competitive advantages, such as greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more significant installed bases, broader geographic scope, broader suites of service offerings and larger marketing budgets, as well as substantially greater financial, technical, personnel and other resources. In addition, many of our current and potential competitors have established marketing relationships and access to larger customer bases, and have major distribution agreements with consultants, system integrators and resellers. We also experience competition from smaller, younger competitors that may be more agile in responding to customers’ demands and offer more targeted and simplified solutions. Our competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or customer requirements, or provide competitive pricing, more flexible contracts or faster implementations. Additionally, we are building AI into many of our offerings, and we are facing increased competition as AI technologies are integrated into the markets in which we compete. Our competitors may be able to develop new AI offerings that disrupt workforce needs and negatively impact demand for our offerings, or incorporate AI into their offerings more successfully than we do and achieve greater and faster adoption. As a result, even if our services are more effective than the products and services that our competitors offer, potential customers might select competitive products and services in lieu of purchasing our services. For all of these reasons, we may not be able to compete successfully against our current and future competitors, which could negatively impact our future sales and harm our business.

Previous wording

We derive a majority of our revenue from subscriptions to our CRM enterprise cloud computing application services, and we expect this will continue for the foreseeable future. Our efforts to expand our current service offerings may not succeed and may reduce our revenue growth rate. In addition, the markets and monetization strategies for certain offerings, including our AI offerings, remain relatively new and uncertain and as a result our expansion into such offerings, and related investments, may present additional risks and challenges. For example, we may increase the number of products that use a consumption-based business model. Due to customer flexibility in the timing of their consumption, we could have less visibility into the timing of revenue recognition for consumption-based offerings than we do for our subscription-based offerings, and there is a risk that customers could consume our products at lower levels than we expect. Further, the introduction of future platform changes and upgrades may not result in long term revenue growth.

Current wording

We derive a majority of our revenue from subscriptions to our CRM enterprise cloud computing application services, and we expect this will continue for the foreseeable future. Our efforts to expand our current service offerings may not succeed and may reduce our revenue growth rate. In addition, the markets and monetization strategies for certain offerings, including Agentforce, remain relatively new and uncertain and as a result our expansion into such offerings, and related investments, may present additional risks and challenges. For example, we may increase the number of products that use a consumption-based business model. Due to customer flexibility in the timing of their consumption, we could have less visibility into the timing of revenue recognition for consumption-based offerings than we do for our subscription-based offerings, and there is a risk that customers could consume our products at lower levels than we expect. Further, the introduction of future platform changes and upgrades may not result in long term revenue growth.

Previous wording

We are subject to risks associated with our strategic investments, including partial or complete loss of invested capital. Significant changes in the fair value of this portfolio, including changes in the valuation of our investments in publicly traded and privately held companies, could negatively impact our financial results.

Current wording

We are subject to risks associated with our strategic investments, including partial or complete loss of invested capital. Significant changes in the fair value of this portfolio could negatively impact our financial results.

Previous wording

We manage a portfolio of strategic investments in both privately held and publicly traded companies focused primarily on enterprise cloud companies, technology startups and system integrators. While we invest in companies that we believe are digitally transforming their industries, advancing responsible generative AI, improving customer experiences, helping us expand our solution ecosystem or supporting other corporate initiatives, we may still experience unforeseen brand or reputational harm associated with our investments. Our investments range from early to late stage companies, including investments made concurrent with a company’s initial public offering. Investments in early stage companies are inherently speculative, as these companies may not yet be revenue-generating and could still be in the process of developing their products and services at the time of our investment. The financial success of our investment in any company is typically dependent on a liquidity event, such as a public offering, acquisition or other favorable market event reflecting appreciation to the cost of our initial investment. We may also experience challenges from regulatory authorities in connection with our investments, including from antitrust authorities who are increasingly scrutinizing technology investments and acquisitions, and which may lead to unforeseen expenditures or which may block, delay or impose undesirable conditions on transactions involving our investment portfolio. In certain cases, our ability to sell these investments may be impacted by contractual obligations to hold the securities for a set period of time after a public offering. All of our investments are subject to a risk of partial or total loss of invested capital.

Current wording

We manage a portfolio of strategic investments in both privately held and publicly traded companies focused primarily on enterprise cloud companies, technology startups and system integrators. While we invest in companies that we believe are digitally transforming their industries, advancing responsible generative AI, improving customer experiences, helping us expand our solution ecosystem or supporting other corporate initiatives, we may still experience unforeseen brand or reputational harm associated with our investments. Our investments range from early to late stage companies, including investments made concurrent with a company’s initial public offering. Investments in early stage companies are inherently speculative, as these companies may not yet be revenue-generating and could still be in the process of developing their products and services at the time of our investment. The financial success of our investment in any company is typically dependent on a liquidity event, such as a public offering, acquisition or other favorable market event reflecting appreciation to the cost of our initial investment. Our investments may face challenges from regulatory authorities, including from antitrust authorities who are increasingly scrutinizing technology investments and acquisitions, potentially resulting in unexpected costs, delays, or unfavorable conditions imposed on transactions involving our investment portfolio. In certain cases, our ability to sell these investments may be impacted by contractual obligations to hold the securities for a set period of time after a public offering. All of our investments are subject to a risk of partial or total loss of invested capital.

Previous wording

We anticipate future volatility in our condensed consolidated statements of operations due to changes in market prices, observable price changes and impairments of our strategic investments. The resulting gains or losses could be material depending on market conditions and events, particularly in periods with economic uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical conflict, volatile public equity markets or unsettled global market conditions.

Current wording

We are exposed to volatility in our condensed consolidated statements of operations due to changes in market prices, observable price changes and impairments of our strategic investments. The measurement of our non-marketable equity and debt securities at fair value is inherently subjective and requires management judgment and estimation. The resulting gains or losses could be material depending on market conditions and events, particularly in periods with economic uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical conflict, volatile public equity markets or unsettled global market conditions.

Previous wording

We are increasingly building AI into many of our offerings, including generative AI. As with many innovations, AI and our Customer 360 platform present additional risks and challenges that could affect their adoption and therefore our business. For example, the development of AI and Customer 360, the latter of which provides information regarding our customers’ customers, presents emerging ethical issues. If we enable or offer solutions that draw controversy due to their perceived or actual impact on human rights, privacy, employment, or in other social contexts, we may experience new or enhanced governmental or regulatory scrutiny, brand or reputational harm, competitive harm or legal liability, especially as geopolitical turmoil creates increasingly volatile political and market conditions. Data practices by us or others that result in controversy could also impair the acceptance of AI solutions. This in turn could undermine confidence in the decisions, predictions, analysis or other content that our AI applications produce, subjecting us to competitive harm, legal liability and brand or reputational harm. The rapid evolution of AI will require the application of resources to develop, test and maintain our products and services to help ensure that AI is implemented ethically in order to minimize unintended, harmful impact. Uncertainty around new and emerging AI applications such as generative AI content creation will require additional investment in the licensing or development of proprietary datasets, machine learning models and systems to test for accuracy, bias and other variables, which are often complex, may be costly and could impact our profit margin. Moreover, the move from AI content classification to AI content generation through our development of Einstein Copilot and other generative AI products brings additional risks and responsibility. Known risks of generative AI currently include risks related to accuracy, bias, toxicity, privacy and security and data provenance. For example, AI technologies, including generative AI, may create content that appears correct but is factually inaccurate or flawed, or contains copyrighted or other protected material, and if our customers or others use this flawed or protected content to their detriment, or the owners of such copyrighted material seek to enforce their rights, we may be exposed to brand or reputational harm, competitive harm and/or legal liability. Developing, testing and deploying AI systems may also increase the cost profile of our offerings due to the nature of the computing costs involved in such systems. If we are unable to mitigate these risks, or if we incur excessive expenses in our efforts to do so, our reputation, business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed.

Current wording

We are increasingly building AI into many of our offerings, including generative and agentic AI. As with many innovations, AI offerings, such as Agentforce, and our Salesforce platform present additional risks and challenges that could affect their adoption and therefore our business. For example, the development of our AI offerings, such as Agentforce, and the Salesforce platform, which provides information regarding our customers’ customers, present emerging ethical issues. If we enable or offer solutions that draw controversy due to their perceived or actual impact on human rights, privacy, employment, or in other social contexts, we may experience new or enhanced governmental or regulatory scrutiny, brand or reputational harm, competitive harm or legal liability, especially as geopolitical turmoil creates increasingly volatile political and market conditions. Data practices by us or others that result in controversy could also impair the acceptance of AI solutions. This in turn could undermine confidence in the decisions, predictions, analysis or other content that our AI applications produce, subjecting us to competitive harm, legal liability and brand or reputational harm. The rapid evolution of AI will require the application of resources to develop, test and maintain our products and services to help ensure that AI is implemented ethically in order to minimize unintended, harmful impact. Uncertainty around new and emerging AI applications such as generative AI content creation and AI agents will require additional investment in the licensing or development of proprietary datasets, machine learning models and systems to test for accuracy, bias and other variables, which are often complex, may be costly and could impact our profit margin. Moreover, the move from AI content classification to AI content generation through our development of Agentforce and other generative AI products brings additional risks and responsibility. Known risks of generative AI currently include risks related to accuracy, bias, toxicity, privacy and security and data provenance. For example, AI technologies, including generative AI, may create content that appears correct but is factually inaccurate or flawed, or contains copyrighted or other protected material, and if our customers or others use this flawed or protected content to their detriment, or the owners of such copyrighted material seek to enforce their rights, we may be exposed to brand or reputational harm, competitive harm and/or legal liability. Developing, testing and deploying AI systems may also increase the cost profile of our offerings due to the nature of the computing costs involved in such systems. If we are unable to mitigate these risks, or if we incur excessive expenses in our efforts to do so, our reputation, business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed.

Previous wording

Regulation related to the provision of services over the Internet is evolving, as federal, state and foreign governments continue to adopt new, or modify existing, laws and regulations addressing data privacy, cybersecurity, data protection, data sovereignty and the collection, processing, storage, hosting, transfer and use of data, generally. In some cases, data privacy laws and regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), impose obligations directly on Salesforce as both a data controller and a data processor, as well as on many of our customers. In addition, domestic data privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), and laws that have recently passed and/or gone into effect in many other states similarly impose new obligations on us and many of our customers, potentially as both a covered business and service provider. These laws continue to evolve, including most recently with India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and as various jurisdictions introduce similar proposals, which often include subsequent rules and regulation, we and our customers become subject to additional regulatory burdens. New EU laws related to the use of data, including in the DSA, the Data Act and AI Act, may impose additional rules and restrictions on the use of the data in our products and services.

Current wording

Regulation related to the provision of services over the Internet is evolving, as federal, state and foreign governments continue to adopt new, or modify existing, laws and regulations addressing data privacy, cybersecurity, data protection, data sovereignty and the collection, processing, storage, hosting, transfer and use of data, generally. In some cases, data privacy laws and regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), impose obligations directly on us as both a data controller and a data processor, as well as on many of our customers. In addition, domestic data privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), and laws that have recently passed and/or gone into effect in many other states similarly impose new obligations on us and many of our customers, potentially as both a covered business and service provider. These laws continue to evolve, including, for example, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and as various jurisdictions introduce similar proposals, which often include subsequent rules and regulation, we and our customers become subject to additional regulatory burdens. New EU laws related to the use of data, including in the DSA, the Data Act and AI Act, may impose additional rules and restrictions on the use of the data in our products and services.

Previous wording

Although we monitor the regulatory, judicial and legislative environment and have invested in addressing these developments, these laws may require us to make additional changes to our practices and services to enable us or our customers to meet the new legal requirements, and may also increase our potential liability exposure through new or higher potential penalties for noncompliance, including as a result of penalties, fines and lawsuits related to data breaches. Furthermore, privacy laws and regulations are subject to differing interpretations and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions. These and other requirements are causing increased scrutiny among customers, particularly in the public sector and highly regulated industries, and may be perceived differently from customer to customer. These developments could reduce demand for our services, require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, restrict our ability to store, transfer and process data or, in some cases, 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 customer data globally. For example, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, one of the mechanisms that allowed companies, including Salesforce, to transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (“EEA”) to the United States. Even though the CJEU decision upheld the Standard Contractual Clauses (“SCCs”) as an adequate transfer mechanism, the decision created uncertainty around the validity of all EU-to-U.S. data transfers. While the EU and U.S. governments have since adopted the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework to foster EU-to-U.S. data transfers and address the concerns raised in the aforementioned CJEU decision, it is uncertain whether this framework will be overturned in court like the previous two EU-U.S. bilateral cross-border transfer frameworks. As a result, regulators may continue to be inclined to interpret the CJEU’s decision, and the logic behind it, as significantly restricting certain cross-border transfers and the cost and complexity of providing our services in certain markets may increase. Certain countries outside of the EEA have also passed or are considering passing laws requiring varying degrees of local data residency. By way of further example, statutory damages available through a private right of action for certain data breaches under the CPRA and potentially other states’ laws, may increase our and our customers’ potential liability and the demands our customers place on us.

Current wording

Although we monitor the regulatory, judicial and legislative environment and have invested in addressing these developments, these laws may require us to make additional changes to our practices and services to enable us or our customers to meet the new legal requirements, and may also increase our potential liability exposure through new or higher potential penalties for noncompliance, including as a result of penalties, fines and lawsuits related to data breaches. Furthermore, privacy laws and regulations are subject to differing interpretations and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions. These and other requirements are causing increased scrutiny among customers, particularly in the public sector and highly regulated industries, and may be perceived differently from customer to customer. These developments could reduce demand for our services, require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, restrict our ability to store, transfer and process data or, in some cases, 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 customer data globally. For example, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, one of the mechanisms that allowed companies, including us, to transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (“EEA”) to the United States. Even though the CJEU decision upheld the Standard Contractual Clauses (“SCCs”) as an adequate transfer mechanism, the decision created uncertainty around the validity of all EU-to-U.S. data transfers. While the EU and U.S. governments have since adopted the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework to foster EU-to-U.S. data transfers and address the concerns raised in the aforementioned CJEU decision, it is uncertain whether this framework will be overturned in court like the previous two EU-U.S. bilateral cross-border transfer frameworks. As a result, regulators may continue to be inclined to interpret the CJEU’s decision, and the logic behind it, as significantly restricting certain cross-border transfers and the cost and complexity of providing our services in certain markets may increase. Certain countries outside of the EEA have also passed or are considering passing laws requiring varying degrees of local data residency. By way of further example, statutory damages available through a private right of action for certain data breaches under the CPRA and potentially other states’ laws, may increase our and our customers’ potential liability and the demands our customers place on us.

Previous wording

The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, privacy laws, regulations and standards may limit the use and adoption of our services, reduce overall demand for our services, make it more difficult to meet expectations from our commitments to customers and our customers’ customers, lead to significant fines, penalties or liabilities for noncompliance, impact our reputation, or slow the pace at which we close sales transactions, in particular where customers request specific warranties and unlimited indemnity for noncompliance with privacy laws, any of which could harm our business. In March 2023, Salesforce launched the Hyperforce EU Operating Zone, which is designed to enable storage and processing of customer data solely within the EU. This EU service may enhance our ability to attract and retain customers operating in the EU, but may also increase the cost and complexity of supporting those customers, and our customers may demand similar offerings in other territories.

Current wording

The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, privacy laws, regulations and standards may limit the use and adoption of our services, reduce overall demand for our services, make it more difficult to meet expectations from our commitments to customers and our customers’ customers, lead to significant fines, penalties or liabilities for noncompliance, impact our reputation, or slow the pace at which we close sales transactions, in particular where customers request specific warranties and unlimited indemnity for noncompliance with privacy laws, any of which could harm our business. In March 2023, we launched the Hyperforce EU Operating Zone, which is designed to enable storage and processing of customer data solely within the EU. This EU service may enhance our ability to attract and retain customers operating in the EU, but may also increase the cost and complexity of supporting those customers, and our customers may demand similar offerings in other territories.

Previous wording

Further, countries are applying their data and consumer protection laws to AI, and particularly generative AI, and/or are considering legal frameworks on AI. Any failure or perceived failure by Salesforce to comply with such requirements could have an adverse impact on our business.

Current wording

Further, countries are applying their data and consumer protection laws to AI, and particularly generative AI, and/or are considering legal frameworks on AI. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with such requirements could have an adverse impact on our business.

Previous wording

Our solutions are subject to export and import controls where we conduct our business activities, including the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, U.S. supply chain regulations and various economic and trade sanctions regulations established by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. If we fail to comply with applicable trade laws, we and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of trade privileges; fines, which may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers; and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers. Obtaining necessary authorizations, including any required licenses, may be time-consuming, requires expenditure of corporate resources, is not guaranteed, and may result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities or the ability to realize value from certain acquisitions or engagements. Acquisitions may also subject us to successor liability and other integration compliance risks. Furthermore, export control laws and economic sanctions may prohibit or limit the transfer of certain products and services to embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments and parties. We can provide no assurance that any of the precautions we take to prevent our solutions from being provisioned or provided to sanctions targets in violation of applicable regulations will be effective, and, accordingly, our solutions could be provisioned or provided to those targets, including by our resellers or other third parties, which could have negative consequences for our business, including government investigations, penalties and reputational harm. Changes in our solutions or trade regulations may create delays in the introduction, sale and deployment of our solutions in international markets or prevent the export or import of our solutions to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any decreased use of our solutions or limitation on our ability to export or sell our solutions may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Sanctions and import and export control regulations in the United States and other countries are subject to change and uncertainty, including as a result of rapidly evolving technology, increased government regulation over AI and cloud service solutions, and geopolitical developments such as events affecting relations between the United States and China, multi-jurisdictional sanctions on Russia, war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. Regulators in the United States and elsewhere have signaled an increased emphasis on sanctions and export control enforcement, including efforts to combat diversion of services to sanctioned countries and parties, several recent high-profile enforcement actions and increased pressure for companies to self-disclose potential violations.

Current wording

Our solutions are subject to export and import controls where we conduct our business activities, including the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, U.S. supply chain regulations and various economic and trade sanctions regulations established by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. If we fail to comply with applicable trade laws, we and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of trade privileges; fines, which may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers; and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers. Obtaining necessary authorizations, including any required licenses, may be time-consuming, requires expenditure of corporate resources, is not guaranteed, and may result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities or the ability to realize value from certain acquisitions or engagements. Acquisitions may also subject us to successor liability and other integration compliance risks. Furthermore, export control laws and economic sanctions may prohibit or limit the transfer of certain products and services to embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments and parties. We can provide no assurance that any of the precautions we take to prevent our solutions from being provisioned or provided to sanctions targets in violation of applicable regulations will be effective, and, accordingly, our solutions could be provisioned or provided to those targets, including by our resellers or other third parties, which could have negative consequences for our business, including government investigations, penalties and reputational harm. Changes in our solutions or trade regulations may create delays in the introduction, sale and deployment of our solutions in international markets or prevent the export or import of our solutions to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any decreased use of our solutions or limitation on our ability to export or sell our solutions may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Sanctions and import and export control regulations in the United States and other countries are subject to change and uncertainty, including as a result of rapidly evolving technology, increased government regulation over AI and cloud service solutions, and geopolitical developments such as events affecting relations between the United States and China, multi-jurisdictional sanctions on Russia, war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East. Regulators in the United States and elsewhere have signaled an increased emphasis on sanctions and export control enforcement, including efforts to combat diversion of services to sanctioned countries and parties, several recent high-profile enforcement actions and increased pressure for companies to self-disclose potential violations.

Previous wording

Due to the unpredictability of future general economic and financial market conditions, including from the global economic impact of ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, the pace of change and innovation in enterprise cloud computing services, the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, the growing complexity of our business, including the use of multiple pricing and packaging models and the increasing amount of revenue from term software license sales, and our increasing focus on enterprise cloud computing services, we may not be able to realize our projected revenue growth plans. We plan our expense and investment levels based on estimates of future revenue and future anticipated rate of growth. We may not be able to adjust our spending appropriately if the addition of new subscriptions or the renewals of existing subscriptions fall short of our expectations, and unanticipated events may cause us to incur expenses beyond what we anticipated. A portion of our expenses may also be fixed in nature for some minimum amount of time, such as with costs capitalized to obtain revenue contracts, data center and infrastructure service contracts or office leases, so it may not be possible to reduce costs in a timely manner, or at all, without the payment of fees to exit certain obligations early. Additionally, if sales through indirect channels or for consumption-based product offerings increase, this may lead to greater difficulty in forecasting revenue and anticipated rate of growth. As a result, our revenues, operating results and cash flows may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and revenue growth rates may not be sustainable and may decline in the future. If we are not able to provide continued operating margin expansion, our business could be harmed and the market price of our common stock could decline.

Current wording

Due to the unpredictability of future general economic and financial market conditions, including from the global economic impact of ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East, the pace of change and innovation in enterprise cloud computing services, the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, the growing complexity of our business, including the use of multiple pricing and packaging models and the increasing amount of revenue from term software license sales, and our increasing focus on enterprise cloud computing services, we may not be able to realize our projected revenue growth plans. We plan our expense and investment levels based on estimates of future revenue and future anticipated rate of growth. We may not be able to adjust our spending appropriately if the addition of new subscriptions or the renewals of existing subscriptions fall short of our expectations, and unanticipated events may cause us to incur expenses beyond what we anticipated. A portion of our expenses may also be fixed in nature for some minimum amount of time, such as with costs capitalized to obtain revenue contracts, data center and infrastructure service contracts or office leases, so it may not be possible to reduce costs in a timely manner, or at all, without the payment of fees to exit certain obligations early. Additionally, if sales through indirect channels or for consumption-based product offerings increase, this may lead to greater difficulty in forecasting revenue and anticipated rate of growth. As a result, our revenues, operating results and cash flows may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and revenue growth rates may not be sustainable and may decline in the future. If we are not able to provide continued operating margin expansion, our business could be harmed and the market price of our common stock could decline.

Previous wording

Global tax developments applicable to multinational businesses may have a material impact to our business, cash flows, or financial results. Such developments, for example, may include certain new provisions introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act, certain Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s proposals including the implementation of the global minimum tax under the Pillar Two model rules, and the European Commission’s and certain major jurisdictions’ heightened interest in and taxation of companies participating in the digital economy. Furthermore, governments’ responses to macroeconomic factors and tax revenue needs may lead to tax rule changes that could materially and adversely affect our cash flows and financial results.

Current wording

Global tax developments applicable to multinational businesses may have a material impact to our business, cash flows, or financial results. Such developments, for example, may include certain provisions introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act, certain Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s proposals including the implementation of the global minimum tax under the Pillar Two model rules, and the European Commission’s and certain major jurisdictions’ heightened interest in and taxation of companies participating in the digital economy. Furthermore, governments’ responses to macroeconomic factors and tax revenue needs may lead to tax rule changes that could materially and adversely affect our cash flows and financial results.

Previous wording

Additionally, global events as well as geopolitical developments, including war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, fluctuating commodity prices, trade tariff developments and inflation have caused, and may in the future cause, global economic uncertainty and uncertainty about the interest rate environment, which has and could in the future amplify the volatility of currency fluctuations. Although we attempt to mitigate some of this volatility and related risks through foreign currency hedging, our hedging activities are limited in scope and may not effectively offset the adverse financial impacts that may result from unfavorable movements in foreign currency exchange rates, which could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.

Current wording

Additionally, global events as well as geopolitical developments, including war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East, fluctuating commodity prices, trade tariff developments and inflation have caused, and may in the future cause, global economic uncertainty and uncertainty about the interest rate environment, which has and could in the future amplify the volatility of currency fluctuations. Although we attempt to mitigate some of this volatility and related risks through foreign currency hedging, our hedging activities are limited in scope and may not effectively offset the adverse financial impacts that may result from unfavorable movements in foreign currency exchange rates, which could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.

Previous wording

As of July 31, 2024, we had a substantial level of outstanding debt, including our Senior Notes. We are also party to the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, which provides for our $3.0 billion Credit Facility. Although there were no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility as of July 31, 2024, we may use the proceeds of future borrowings under the Credit Facility for general corporate purposes, which may include, without limitation, the consideration, fees, costs and expenses related to any acquisition.

Current wording

As of October 31, 2024, we had a substantial level of outstanding debt, including our Senior Notes. We are also party to the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, which provides for our $5.0 billion Credit Facility. Although there were no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility as of October 31, 2024, we may use the proceeds of future borrowings under the Credit Facility for general corporate purposes.

Previous wording

We regularly monitor our compliance with applicable financial and nonfinancial reporting standards and review new pronouncements and interpretations that are relevant to us. As a result of new financial or nonfinancial standards or pronouncements, changes to existing standards or pronouncements and changes in their interpretation, we may be required to change our accounting policies, to alter our operational policies, to implement new or enhance existing systems so that they reflect new or amended financial reporting standards, and to adjust our published financial statements. For example, new and proposed reporting requirements may require us to change our accounting policies, to alter our operational policies, to implement new or enhance existing systems so that they reflect new or amended financial reporting standards, or to restate our published financial statements. Such changes may have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and operating results, or cause an adverse deviation from our revenue and operating profit targets, which may negatively impact our financial results.

Current wording

We regularly monitor our compliance with applicable financial and nonfinancial reporting standards and review new pronouncements and interpretations that are relevant to us. As a result of new financial or nonfinancial standards or pronouncements, changes to existing standards or pronouncements and changes in their interpretation, we may be required to change our accounting policies, to alter our operational policies, to implement new or enhance existing systems so that they reflect new or amended financial reporting standards, or to restate our published financial statements. Such changes may have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and operating results, or cause an adverse deviation from our revenue and operating profit targets, which may negatively impact our financial results.

Previous wording

Our quarterly results are likely to fluctuate. Fluctuations have occurred due to known and unknown risks, such as the global economic impact of ongoing conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, and uncertainty about the interest rate environment. In addition, our fiscal fourth quarter has historically been our strongest quarter for new business and renewals, and the year-over-year compounding effect of this seasonality in billing patterns and overall new business and renewal activity causes the value of invoices that we generate in the fourth quarter to continually increase in proportion to our billings in the other three quarters of our fiscal year. As a result, our fiscal first quarter has typically in the past been our largest collections and operating cash flow quarter.

Current wording

Our quarterly results are likely to fluctuate. Fluctuations have occurred due to known and unknown risks, such as the global economic impact of ongoing conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East, and uncertainty about the interest rate environment. In addition, our fiscal fourth quarter has historically been our strongest quarter for new business and renewals, and the year-over-year compounding effect of this seasonality in billing patterns and overall new business and renewal activity causes the value of invoices that we generate in the fourth quarter to continually increase in proportion to our billings in the other three quarters of our fiscal year. As a result, our fiscal first quarter has typically in the past been our largest collections and operating cash flow quarter.

Previous wording

•general economic or geopolitical conditions, including the impacts of the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, financial market conditions, increasing costs of operation and foreign currency exchange rates, any of which can adversely affect either our customers’ ability or willingness to purchase additional subscriptions or upgrade their services, or delay prospective customers’ purchasing decisions, reduce the value of new subscription contracts, or affect attrition rates;

Current wording

•general economic or geopolitical conditions, including the impacts of the war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East, financial market conditions, increasing costs of operation and foreign currency exchange rates, any of which can adversely affect either our customers’ ability or willingness to purchase additional subscriptions or upgrade their services, or delay prospective customers’ purchasing decisions, reduce the value of new subscription contracts, or affect attrition rates;

Previous wording

•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates such as with respect to the U.S. Dollar against the Euro and British Pound Sterling;

Current wording

•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, such as the U.S. Dollar against the Euro and British Pound Sterling;

Previous wording

•evolving regulations of cloud computing and cross-border data transfer restrictions and similar regulations;

Current wording

•evolving regulations of cloud computing and cross-border data transfer restrictions and similar regulations; and

Previous wording

•regulatory compliance and acquisition costs; and

Current wording

•regulatory compliance and acquisition costs.

Previous wording

In addition, if the market for technology stocks or the greater securities market in general experience uneven investor confidence, the market price of our common stock has and could in the future decline for reasons unrelated to our business, operating results or financial condition, including as a reaction to events that affect other companies within, or outside, our industry. Some companies that have experienced volatility in the trading price of their stock have been the subject of securities class action litigation, such as the securities litigation against Slack that was brought before our acquisition. Such litigation, whether against Salesforce or an acquired subsidiary, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources and any liability resulting from or the settlement of such litigation could result in material adverse impacts to our operating cash flows or results of operations for a given period.

Current wording

In addition, if the market for technology stocks or the greater securities market in general experience uneven investor confidence, the market price of our common stock has and could in the future decline for reasons unrelated to our business, operating results or financial condition, including as a reaction to events that affect other companies within, or outside, our industry. Some companies that have experienced volatility in the trading price of their stock have been the subject of securities class action litigation, such as the securities litigation against Slack that was brought before our acquisition. Such litigation, whether against us or an acquired subsidiary, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources and any liability resulting from or the settlement of such litigation could result in material adverse impacts to our operating cash flows or results of operations for a given period.

Previous wording

Our overall performance depends in part on worldwide economic and geopolitical conditions. The United States and other key international economies have experienced significant economic and market downturns in the past, and are likely to experience additional cyclical downturns from time to time in which economic activity is impacted by falling demand for a variety of goods and services, restricted credit, poor liquidity, reduced corporate profitability, volatility in credit, equity and foreign exchange markets, inflation, bankruptcies and overall uncertainty with respect to the economy. These economic conditions can arise suddenly and the full impact of such conditions can be difficult to predict. In addition, geopolitical and domestic political developments, such as existing and potential trade wars and other events beyond our control, such as war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, have increased and may continue to increase levels of political and economic unpredictability globally and the volatility of global financial markets. Moreover, these conditions have affected and may continue to affect the rate of IT spending; could adversely affect our customers’ ability or willingness to attend our events or to purchase our enterprise cloud computing services; have delayed and may delay customer purchasing decisions; and have reduced and may in the future reduce the value and duration of customer subscription contracts or cause our customers to seek to modify their existing subscription contracts. All of these risks and conditions could materially adversely affect our future sales, attrition rates and operating results.

Current wording

Our overall performance depends in part on worldwide economic and geopolitical conditions. The United States and other key international economies have experienced significant economic and market downturns in the past, and are likely to experience additional cyclical downturns from time to time in which economic activity is impacted by falling demand for a variety of goods and services, restricted credit, poor liquidity, reduced corporate profitability, volatility in credit, equity and foreign exchange markets, inflation, bankruptcies and overall uncertainty with respect to the economy. These economic conditions can arise suddenly and the full impact of such conditions can be difficult to predict. In addition, geopolitical and domestic political developments, such as existing and potential trade wars and other events beyond our control, such as war in Ukraine and the regional conflict in the Middle East, have increased and may continue to increase levels of political and economic unpredictability globally and the volatility of global financial markets. Moreover, these conditions have affected and may continue to affect the rate of IT spending; could adversely affect our customers’ ability or willingness to attend our events or to purchase our enterprise cloud computing services; have delayed and may delay customer purchasing decisions; and have reduced and may in the future reduce the value and duration of customer subscription contracts or cause our customers to seek to modify their existing subscription contracts. All of these risks and conditions could materially adversely affect our future sales, attrition rates and operating results.

Previous wording

Natural disasters or other catastrophic events have in the past and may in the future cause damage or disruption to our operations, international commerce and the global economy, and thus could have a strong negative effect on us. Our business operations, the business operations of third-party providers or suppliers that we rely on to conduct our business and the business operations of our customers are subject to interruption by natural disasters, fire, power shutoffs or shortages, actual or threatened public health emergencies and other events beyond our control. For example, the occurrence of regional conflicts, epidemics or a global pandemic, such as COVID-19, have in the past and may in the future materially affect how we and our customers operate our businesses, as well as our operating results and cash flows. Although we maintain crisis management and disaster response plans, such events could make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver our services to our customers, and could decrease demand for our services. Our corporate headquarters, and a significant portion of our personnel, research and development activities and other critical business operations, are located near major seismic faults in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because we do not carry earthquake insurance for direct earthquake-related losses and significant recovery time could be required to resume operations, our financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected in the event of a major earthquake or catastrophic event, and the adverse effects of any such catastrophic event would be exacerbated if experienced at the same time as another unexpected and adverse event.

Current wording

Natural disasters or other catastrophic events have in the past and may in the future cause damage or disruption to our people, operations, international commerce and the global economy, and thus could have a strong negative effect on us. Our business operations, the business operations of third-party providers or suppliers that we rely on to conduct our business and the business operations of our customers are subject to interruption by natural disasters, fire, power shutoffs or shortages, actual or threatened public health emergencies and other events beyond our control. For example, the occurrence of regional conflicts, epidemics or a global pandemic, such as COVID-19, have in the past and may in the future materially affect how we and our customers operate our businesses, as well as our operating results and cash flows. Although we maintain crisis management and disaster response plans, such events could make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver our services to our customers, and could decrease demand for our services. Our corporate headquarters, and a significant portion of our personnel, research and development activities and other critical business operations, are located near major seismic faults in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because we do not carry earthquake insurance for direct earthquake-related losses and significant recovery time could be required to resume operations, our financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected in the event of a major earthquake or catastrophic event, and the adverse effects of any such catastrophic event would be exacerbated if experienced at the same time as another unexpected and adverse event.

Previous wording

While we seek to mitigate our business risks associated with climate change by establishing robust environmental programs and partnering with organizations who are also focused on mitigating their own climate-related risks, we recognize that there are inherent climate-related risks wherever business is conducted. Any of our primary locations may be vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. For example, our offices globally have historically experienced, and are projected to continue to experience, climate-related events at an increasing frequency, including drought, water scarcity, heat waves, cold waves, flooding, wildfires and resultant air quality impacts and power shutoffs associated with climate-related events. These events in turn have impacts on inflation risks, food security, water security (including for water availability for data center cooling), energy security and on our employees’ health and well-being. Furthermore, it is more difficult to mitigate the impact of these events on our employees working remotely or at client sites. Changing market dynamics, global policy developments and the increasing frequency and impact of extreme weather events on critical infrastructure in the United States and elsewhere have the potential to disrupt our business, the business of companies we invest in, the business of third-party providers or suppliers that we rely on to conduct our business and the business of our customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, losses and additional costs to maintain or resume operations. In particular, climate-related events, energy market volatility, and power grid disruptions may increase the operational costs of data centers for Salesforce or our third-party providers. Additionally, failure to uphold, meet or make timely forward progress against our public commitments and goals related to climate action could adversely affect our reputation with investors, suppliers and customers, our financial performance or our ability to recruit and retain talent.

Current wording

While we seek to mitigate our business risks associated with climate change by establishing robust environmental programs and partnering with organizations who are also focused on mitigating their own climate-related risks, we recognize that there are inherent climate-related risks wherever business is conducted. Any of our primary locations may be vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. For example, our offices globally have historically experienced, and are projected to continue to experience, climate-related events at an increasing frequency, including drought, water scarcity, heat waves, cold waves, flooding, wildfires and resultant air quality impacts and power shutoffs associated with climate-related events. These events in turn have impacts on inflation risks, food security, water security (including for water availability for data center cooling), energy security and on our employees’ health and well-being. Furthermore, it is more difficult to mitigate the impact of these events on our employees working remotely or at client sites. Changing market dynamics, global policy developments and the increasing frequency and impact of extreme weather events on critical infrastructure in the United States and elsewhere have the potential to disrupt our business, the business of companies we invest in, the business of third-party providers or suppliers that we rely on to conduct our business and the business of our customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, losses and additional costs to maintain or resume operations. In particular, climate-related events, energy market volatility, and power grid disruptions may increase the operational costs of data centers for us or our third-party providers. Additionally, failure to uphold, meet or make timely forward progress against our public commitments and goals related to climate action could adversely affect our reputation with investors, suppliers and customers, our financial performance or our ability to recruit and retain talent.