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Risk Overview Q1, 2024
Risk Distribution
36% Finance & Corporate
19% Tech & Innovation
19% Legal & Regulatory
14% Ability to Sell
10% Production
3% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
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undefined Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
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No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q1, 2024
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 26 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 26 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
73
+2
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
73
+2
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
2Risks added
0Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Mar 2024
2Risks added
0Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Mar 2024
Number of Risk Changed
2
-4
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
2
-4
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 73
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 26/73 (36%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights8 | 11.0%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
We are required to meet the Nasdaq Global Select Market's continued listing requirements and other Nasdaq rules, or we may risk delisting. Delisting could negatively affect the price of our common stock, which could make it more difficult for us to sell securities in a future financing or for stockholders to sell our common stock.Added
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
If our common stock becomes subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.Added
The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not retain a listing on Nasdaq, and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser's written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore shareholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
The recent significant decline in the market price of our common stock and the impairment of intangible assets and goodwill arising from our acquisitions could continue to negatively impact and affect our net income and shareholders' equity.We review goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually, and more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of goodwill or an indefinite-lived asset below its carrying value. We experienced a significant decline in the market price of our common stock subsequent to February 9, 2022 that resulted in a triggering event for assessing our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset balances. When we acquire a business, a substantial portion of the purchase price of the acquisition may be allocated to goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we recorded impairment charges of $28.8 million and $30.0 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we recorded impairment charges of $50.2 million and $29.3 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we recorded impairment charges of $16.7 million and $117.4 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges of $62.8 million to goodwill.
Future declines in the results of our acquisitions and other factors could cause us to record an impairment of all or a portion of the relevant goodwill in the future. We may not be able to achieve our business targets for businesses we previously acquired or will acquire in the future, which could result in our incurring additional goodwill and other intangible assets impairment charges. Further declines in our market capitalization increase the risk that we may be required to perform another impairment analysis, which could result in an impairment of up to the entire balance of our goodwill and other intangible assets based on the quantitative assessment performed.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
The capped call transactions may affect the value of our common stock.In connection with the 2025 Notes, we entered into capped call transactions with certain option counterparties. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution upon any conversion of the 2025 Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted 2025 Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap.
The option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions from time to time (and are likely to do so following any conversion of the 2025 Notes, any repurchase of the 2025 Notes by us on any fundamental change repurchase date, any redemption date or any other date on which the 2025 Notes are retired by us, in each case, if we exercise our option to terminate the relevant portion of the capped call transactions). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of our common stock.
In addition, if any such capped call transactions are terminated for any reason, the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may unwind their hedge positions with respect to our common stock, which could adversely affect the value of our common stock.
Furthermore, the option counterparties are financial institutions, and we will be subject to the risk that any or all of them might default under the capped call transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties will not be secured by any collateral. Past global economic conditions have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of a number of financial institutions. If an option counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the capped call transactions with such option counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, an increase in our exposure will be correlated to an increase in the market price and in the volatility of our common stock. In addition, upon a default by an option counterparty, we may suffer adverse tax consequences and more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our common stock. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of the option counterparties.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
The trading price of the shares of our common stock may be volatile, and purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial losses.The trading price of the shares of our common stock may be volatile. The stock market in general, and the market for technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the price paid for the shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:
- actual or anticipated variations in our operating results;- variations between our actual operating results and the expectations of securities analysts, investors and the financial community;- changes in financial estimates by us or by any securities analysts who might cover our stock or our failure to meet these financial estimates;- conditions or trends in our industry, the stock market or the economy, including the impact of recessions, inflation, and currency and interest rate fluctuations;- the level of demand for our stock, including the amount of short interest in our stock;- stock market price and volume fluctuations of comparable companies and, in particular, those that operate in the software and information technology industries;- announcements by us or our competitors of new product or service offerings, significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships or divestitures;- announcements of investigations or regulatory scrutiny of our operations or lawsuits filed against us;- capital commitments;- investors' general perception of our company and our business;- actions instituted by activist shareholders or others;- lawsuits threatened or filed against us;- recruitment or departure of key personnel;- sales of our common stock, including sales by our directors and officers or specific stockholders; and - other factors such as political or social unrest, labor strikes or other widespread work stoppages, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, potential public health crises and other hostilities within or beyond areas where we currently have, or may in the future have, international operations, such as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Activist shareholders who disagree with the composition of our board of directors, our strategy or the way we are managed may seek to effect change through various strategies that range from private engagement to publicity campaigns, proxy contests, efforts to force transactions not supported by our board of directors and litigation. Responding to these actions may be costly and time-consuming, disrupt our operations, divert the attention of our board of directors, management and employees and interfere with the execution of our strategic plan. A contested election could also require us to incur substantial legal and public relations fees and proxy solicitation expenses. The perceived uncertainty as to our future direction resulting from activist strategies could also affect the market price and volatility of our common stock.
As described in Part I, Item 3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, certain consumers have initiated class action lawsuits against us. Our defense against this litigation has caused and will continue to cause us to incur additional expenses and continue to divert management's attention and resources from our business.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law may prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to change our management and hinder efforts to acquire a controlling interest in us, and the market price of our common stock may be lower as a result.Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may make it difficult for a third party to acquire, or attempt to acquire, control of our company, even if a change in control is considered favorable by you and other stockholders. For example, our board of directors has the authority to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The board of directors can fix the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the preferred stock without any further vote or action by our stockholders. An issuance of shares of preferred stock may result in the loss of voting control to other stockholders, which could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. As a result, the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of our stockholders may be adversely affected.
Our charter documents also contain other provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect, including:
- our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving three-year staggered terms, until our 2025 annual meeting of shareholders;- stockholders are not entitled to remove directors other than by a 66 2/3% vote and only for cause;- stockholders are not permitted to take actions by written consent;- stockholders are not permitted to call a special meeting of stockholders;- our board of directors is allowed to adopt, amend or repeal our bylaws; and - stockholders are required to give us advance notice of their intention to nominate directors or submit proposals for consideration at stockholder meetings.
In addition, we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law ("DGCL"), which regulates corporate acquisitions by prohibiting Delaware corporations from engaging in specified business combinations with particular stockholders of those companies. These provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. They could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock, including transactions that may be in your best interests. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management or limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware are the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to choose the judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, stockholders, or employees and, in turn, discourage lawsuits against our directors, officers, or employees.Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, another state or federal court in the State of Delaware) will be the sole and exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, stockholders, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders; any action arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or our bylaws; and any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision would not apply to any action brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction.
This exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with us or our current or former directors, officers, stockholders, or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our current and former directors, officers, stockholders, and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur further significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our existing executive officers, directors and large stockholders may prevent smaller stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions.Our executive officers, directors and current beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock and their respective affiliates, in the aggregate, beneficially own a substantial percentage of our outstanding common stock. These persons, acting together, are able to significantly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors, any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other significant corporate transaction. The interests of this group of stockholders may not coincide with our interests or the interests of other stockholders.
Accounting & Financial Operations7 | 9.6%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gains and you may never receive a return on your investment.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired.We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. We are required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our Form 10-K filing for that year, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This may require us to incur substantial additional professional fees and internal costs to further expand our accounting and finance functions and expend significant management efforts.
We may in the future discover material weaknesses in our system of internal financial and accounting controls and procedures that could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements. In addition, our internal control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system's objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to errors or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.
If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, or if we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our common stock is listed, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, or other regulatory authorities.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the Convertible Notes, could have a material effect on our reported financial results.In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2020-06, Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contract in an Entity's Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) ("ASU 2020-06"), which amends the accounting standards for convertible debt instruments that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion. ASU 2020-06 eliminates requirements to separately account for liability and equity components of such convertible debt instruments and eliminates the ability to use the treasury stock method for calculating diluted earnings per share for convertible instruments whose principal amount may be settled using shares. Instead, ASU 2020-06 requires (i) the entire amount of the security to be presented as a liability on the balance sheet and (ii) application of the if-converted method for calculating diluted earnings per share. Under the if-converted method, diluted earnings per share will generally be calculated assuming that all the Convertible Notes were converted solely into shares of common stock at the beginning of the reporting period, unless the result would be anti-dilutive, which could adversely affect our diluted earnings per share.
We adopted ASU 2020-06 in the first quarter of 2022, using the modified retrospective basis, effective as of January 1, 2022. Following adoption of this ASU, we no longer separate the liability and equity components of the Convertible Notes on our balance sheet.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our operating results have fluctuated in the past and may do so in the future, which could cause our stock price to decline.Our operating results have historically fluctuated due to seasonality and changes in our business, and our future operating results may vary significantly due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. You should not rely on period-to-period comparisons of our operating results as an indication of our future performance. Factors that may cause fluctuations in our operating results include, but are not limited to, the following:
- the timing of our costs incurred in connection with the launch of new degree programs and the delay in receiving revenue from these new programs, which delay may last for several years;- seasonal variation driven by the semester schedules for our university clients' degree programs and seasonal engagement patterns of students on the edX marketplace, which may vary from year to year;- changes in the student enrollment and retention levels in our university clients' offerings;- changes in our key metrics or the methods used to calculate our key metrics;- changes in tuition rates;- the timing and amount of our marketing and sales expenses;- costs necessary to improve and maintain our platform;- fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;- the impact of pandemics, including on the global economy, educational institutions and our results of operations;- costs related to any acquisition and integration of business and technology;- our ability to effectively integrate businesses and technologies that we acquire;- impairment of goodwill or intangible assets; and - changes in the prospects of the economy generally, which could alter current or prospective university clients' or students' spending priorities or could increase the time it takes us to launch new offerings.
Our operating results may fall below the expectations of market analysts and investors in some future periods, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline substantially.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
We might not be able to utilize a portion of our net operating loss carryforwards, which could adversely affect our profitability.As of December 31, 2023, we had federal net operating loss carryforwards due to prior period losses, which, if not utilized, will begin to expire in 2029. Our gross state net operating loss carryforwards are equal to or less than the federal net operating loss carryforwards and expire over various periods based on individual state tax laws. These net operating loss carryforwards could expire unused and be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities, which could adversely affect our profitability. In addition, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if a corporation undergoes an "ownership change," which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation's ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. During the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, we determined that such an ownership change occurred. Absent a subsequent ownership change, however, all of our historical net operating losses should be available. Therefore, the occurrence of the ownership change during the three-year period ended December 31, 2016 is not expected to limit our ability to carry forward historical net operating losses before expiration. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership. If a future ownership change occurs and limits our ability to use our historical net operating loss carryforwards, it would harm our future financial statement results by increasing our future tax obligations. We also have net operating loss carryforwards in South Africa and the United Kingdom and there is no guarantee that entities in these countries will generate enough taxable income to fully utilize them.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
The evolving scope of our offerings and changes to our operating model make it difficult to predict our future financial and operating results, and we may not achieve our expected financial and operating results in the future.From 2008 to 2017, our offerings generally only consisted of graduate degree programs. In July 2017, we expanded our offerings to include premium online executive education programs and in May 2019, we further expanded our offerings to include skills-based boot camps. In 2020 we launched our first undergraduate degree program and in November 2021 we expanded our offerings to include open courses and added a consumer facing marketplace. In addition, from time to time, we have entered into and we may in the future enter into agreements to strategically exit certain of our clients' programs to better align with our evolving scope of offerings and our business. Given the significant evolution of our current scope of offerings and changes to our operating model, our ability to forecast our future operating results, including revenue, cash flows and profitability, is limited and subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. For example, a decline in our revenue due to a mutually agreed strategic exit from a program may not be apparent in our financial results until a few quarters later. We may also experience a temporary increase in our revenue because of certain payments we receive upon the termination of these programs. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties are incorrect or change, or if we do not manage these risks successfully, our operating and financial results may differ materially from our expectations and our business may suffer.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
We have incurred significant net losses since inception and may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future.We incurred net losses of $317.6 million, $322.2 million and $194.8 million during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $54.6 million and $54.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We will need to generate and sustain increased revenue levels and/or reduce operating expenditures in future periods to become profitable, and, even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase our profitability. We have invested, and expect to continue to invest, substantial financial and other resources in developing our platform, including expanding our platform offerings, developing or acquiring new platform features and services, expanding into new markets and geographies, developing new content, and on our sales and marketing efforts. Our efforts to grow our business may be more costly than we expect, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability or to increase our revenue enough to offset our operating expenses. We may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown events. As a result, we may be unable to achieve and maintain profitability, and the value of our company and our common stock could decline significantly.
Debt & Financing8 | 11.0%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
To service or refinance our indebtedness, we will require a significant amount of cash, and our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.Changed
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
The Second Amended Credit Agreement contains financial covenants that may limit our operational flexibility and with which we may be unable to comply from time to time.Changed
The Second Amended Credit Agreement requires us to comply with several financial covenants and other restrictive covenants, such as maintaining minimum recurring revenues, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, a maximum consolidated senior secured net leverage ratio and a maximum consolidated total net leverage ratio, maintaining insurance coverage, and restricting our ability to make certain investments. In addition, the 2030 Notes also contain certain covenants consistent with and that prevent us from amending or obtaining waivers for certain financial covenants in the Second Amended Credit Agreement. Compliance with these covenants may limit our ability to engage in new lines of business, make certain investments, pay dividends, or enter into various transactions.
These covenants may limit the flexibility of our operations, and lack of compliance, or inability to obtain a waiver related to those covenants, could result in a default under the Second Amended Credit Agreement. Specifically, the Second Amended Credit Agreement includes a financial covenant that requires us to maintain $900 million minimum Recurring Revenues (as defined by the Second Amended Credit Agreement) as of the last day of any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters. Although as of both March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with the covenants under the Second Amended Credit Agreement, we cannot provide any assurance that we will achieve minimum Recurring Revenues in any future periods. If we are unable to comply with this financial covenant (or any other financial covenant thereunder) and are unable to cure or obtain a waiver with respect thereto, we would be in default under the Second Amended Credit Agreement and the obligations thereunder could be accelerated, and potentially result in a cross-acceleration under the Convertible Notes, as further described below. Based on our current outlook, we believe Recurring Revenues for the four consecutive quarters ending June 30, 2024 will be less than $900 million. If such a default were to occur, the lenders would have the right to terminate their commitments to provide loans under the Second Amended Credit Agreement and declare any and all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable. In addition, the lenders would have the right to proceed against the collateral in which we granted a first priority security interest to them, which consists of substantially all our assets. If the debt under the Second Amended Credit Agreement were to be accelerated, we currently do not have sufficient cash to repay such indebtedness and we may be unable to borrow sufficient funds to refinance the debt or sell sufficient assets to repay the debt, including the Convertible Notes, which have cross-acceleration provisions to material debt, including the Second Amended Credit Agreement and the Convertible Notes, which would immediately materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations and raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Additionally, the scheduled maturity date of the loans under the Second Amended Credit Agreement may be accelerated to (i) in the case of the term loan facility, January 30, 2025 in the event more than $40 million of 2025 Notes remain outstanding on such date and (ii) in the case of the revolving facility, January 1, 2025, in the event more than $50 million of 2025 Notes remain outstanding on such date. See Note 8 to the accompanying financial statements.
Furthermore, the Second Amended Credit Agreement restricts, and any future indebtedness may similarly restrict or prohibit, us from making any cash payments to settle a conversion, repurchase, mandatory redemption or maturity payment in respect of the Convertible Notes. Our inability to make cash payments upon the conversion or repurchase of the Convertible Notes could result in dilution to our stockholders and limit our operational flexibility, respectively, and, in respect of a payment in connection with a mandatory redemption or maturity, would permit holders of the Convertible Notes to accelerate our obligations under the Convertible Notes. In addition, any future indebtedness that we may incur may contain financial and other restrictive covenants that limit our ability to operate our business, raise capital or make payments under our other indebtedness. If we fail to comply with such covenants, to obtain waivers related to those covenants, if available, or to make payments under our indebtedness when due, then we would be in default under that indebtedness, which could, in turn, result in that indebtedness becoming immediately payable in full.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk and prevent us from meeting our obligations with respect to our indebtedness.As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had approximately $947.0 million and $948.4 million, respectively, of indebtedness on a consolidated basis, including $380 million of 2.25% Senior Unsecured Convertible Notes due 2025 (the "2025 Notes") issued pursuant to an indenture between the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association (the "2025 Indenture"). Additionally, on January 11, 2023, we issued $147 million of 4.50% Senior Unsecured Convertible Notes due 2030 (the "2030 Notes" and together with the 2025 Notes, the "Convertible Notes") pursuant to an indenture between the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association (the "2030 Indenture" and together with the 2025 Indenture, the "Indentures"), and amended, extended and paid down the Term Loan Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of June 28, 2021, by entering into the Extension Amendment, Second Amendment and First Incremental Agreement to Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of January 9, 2023 (the "Second Amended Credit Agreement") reducing the amount of term loans outstanding under such instrument to $380 million and adding a revolving credit facility in an amount not to exceed $40 million. See Note 10 in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences. For example, it could:
- limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, investments and other general corporate purposes;- require a substantial portion of our cash from operating activities to be dedicated to debt service payments and reduce the amount of cash available for working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;- place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to certain of our competitors who have less debt;- hinder our ability to adjust rapidly to changing market conditions;- subject us to additional scrutiny from regulators;- limit our ability to secure adequate bank financing in the future with reasonable terms and conditions; and - increase our vulnerability to, and limit our flexibility in planning for or reacting to, a potential downturn in general economic conditions or in one or more of our businesses.
The Indentures and the Second Amended Credit Agreement contain, and the agreements governing indebtedness we may incur in the future may contain, affirmative and negative covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. For example, the scheduled maturity date of the loans under the Second Amended Credit Agreement may be accelerated to: (i) in the case of the term loan facility, January 30, 2025 in the event more than $40 million of 2025 Notes remain outstanding on such date and (ii) in the case of the revolving facility, January 1, 2025, in the event more than $50 million of 2025 Notes remain outstanding on such date. The 2030 Indenture also restricts the ability to refinance the 2025 Notes with any debt that is secured, structurally senior or matures prior to the 2030 Notes. If the debt under the Second Amended Credit Agreement were to be accelerated, we may not have sufficient cash or be able to borrow sufficient funds to refinance the debt or sell sufficient assets to repay the debt, including the Convertible Notes which have cross-acceleration provisions to material debt, including the Second Amended Credit Agreement and the Convertible Notes, which could immediately materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. See below also "Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Indebtedness and Capital Structure – The Second Amended Credit Agreement contains financial covenants that may limit our operational flexibility." Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our debt, which may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations and raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. In addition, the perception that we may not be able to continue as a going concern may cause customers and other business partners to choose not to conduct business with us due to concerns about our ability to meet our contractual obligations and continue operating our business without interruption.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
Despite current indebtedness levels and existing restrictive covenants, we may still incur additional indebtedness that could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial financial leverage.We may incur significant additional indebtedness in the future under the agreements governing our indebtedness. We are subject to limited restriction under the terms of the Indentures from incurring additional unsecured debt. Although the Second Amended Credit Agreement contains, and any future indebtedness may contain, restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of thresholds, qualifications and exceptions, and the additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. Additionally, these restrictions could permit us to incur obligations that, although preferential to our common stock in terms of payment, do not constitute indebtedness.
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
We may be unable to raise the funds necessary to repurchase the Convertible Notes for cash following a "fundamental change," or to pay any cash amounts due upon conversion, and our other indebtedness may limit our ability to repurchase the Convertible Notes or pay cash upon their conversion.Holders of the Convertible Notes may, subject to certain exceptions, require us to repurchase their Convertible Notes following a "fundamental change" (as defined in the applicable Indenture) at a cash repurchase price generally equal to the principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, upon conversion, we will satisfy part or all of our conversion obligations in cash unless we elect to settle conversions solely in shares of our common stock. We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to repurchase the Convertible Notes or pay the cash amounts due upon conversion. In addition, applicable law, regulatory authorities and the agreements governing our other indebtedness may restrict our ability to repurchase the Convertible Notes or pay the cash amounts due upon conversion. Our failure to repurchase Convertible Notes or to pay the cash amounts due upon conversion when required will constitute a default under the Indentures. A default under the Indentures or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our other indebtedness, which may result in that other indebtedness becoming immediately payable in full. We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy all amounts due under the other indebtedness and the Convertible Notes.
Debt & Financing - Risk 6
Conversion of the Convertible Notes may dilute the ownership interest of existing stockholders or may otherwise depress the price of our common stock.The conversion of some or all of the Convertible Notes may dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders to the extent we deliver shares upon any conversion of the Convertible Notes. The make-whole conversion provisions under the Indentures governing the Convertible Notes may also further dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders. In addition, the Indentures governing the Convertible Notes provide for customary anti-dilution provisions, which may result in the issuance of additional shares of our common stock. Any sales in the public market of the common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Convertible Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Convertible Notes could be used to satisfy short positions. The anticipated conversion of the Convertible Notes into shares of our common stock could also depress the price of our common stock.
Debt & Financing - Risk 7
Provisions in the Convertible Notes, Indentures and in the Second Amended Credit Agreement could delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial takeover of us.Certain provisions in the Convertible Notes and in the Indentures could make a third-party attempt to acquire us more difficult or expensive. For example, if a takeover constitutes a "fundamental change" (as defined in the applicable Indenture), then noteholders will have the right to require us to repurchase their Convertible Notes for cash. In addition, if a takeover constitutes a "make-whole fundamental change" (as defined in the applicable Indenture), then we may be required to temporarily increase the conversion rate. In either case, and in other cases, our obligations under the Convertible Notes and the Indentures, as well as the Second Amended Credit Agreement, under which a "change of control" is an event of default resulting in acceleration of all indebtedness thereunder, could increase the cost of acquiring us or otherwise discourage a third party from acquiring us or removing incumbent management, including in a transaction that noteholders or holders of our common stock may view as favorable.
Debt & Financing - Risk 8
We may need additional capital in the future to pursue our business objectives. Additional capital may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, which could compromise our ability to grow our business.We may need to raise additional funds to respond to business challenges or opportunities, accelerate our growth, develop new offerings or enhance our platform. Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors, including global economic conditions, the condition of global financial markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing and our operating performance, all of which may be impacted by inflation and currency and interest rate fluctuations. If we seek to raise additional capital, it may not be available on favorable terms or may not be available at all. In addition, under our Second Amended Credit Agreement, we may be restricted from using the net proceeds of financing transactions for our operating objectives. Lack of sufficient capital resources could significantly limit our ability to manage our business and to take advantage of business and strategic opportunities and raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our Second Amended Credit Agreement includes a financial covenant that requires the Company to maintain $900 million minimum Recurring Revenues (as defined by the Second Amended Credit Agreement) as of the last day of any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters, commencing with the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2021 through the maturity date. Although as of both March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with the covenants under the Second Amended Credit Agreement, we cannot provide assurance that we will achieve minimum Recurring Revenues in any future periods. Based on our current outlook, we believe Recurring Revenues for the four consecutive quarters ending June 30, 2024 will be less than $900 million. If we are unable to comply with this financial covenant and are unable to cure or obtain a waiver related to this covenant, we would be in default under our term loan and revolving financing facilities and the obligations under the Second Amended Credit Agreement could accelerate Additionally, if we fail to refinance our 2025 Notes (i) prior to January 30, 2025, then the maturity on the term loan facility under the Second Amended Credit Agreement will be accelerated, and (ii) prior to January 1, 2025, then the maturity on the revolving facility under the Second Amended Credit Agreement will be accelerated. The 2030 Indenture also restricts the ability to refinance the 2025 Notes with any debt that is secured, structurally senior or matures prior to the 2030 Notes. See below also "Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Indebtedness and Capital Structure – The Second Amended Credit Agreement contains financial covenants that may limit our operational flexibility."
As of March 31, 2024, we had $380 million and $147.0 million outstanding under the 2025 Notes and the 2030 Notes, and $124.7 million in cash and cash equivalents. Accordingly, without additional funding, we do not expect to have sufficient funds to meet our obligations, including our upcoming maturities. Moreover, any additional capital raised through the sale of equity or debt securities with an equity component would dilute our stock ownership. If adequate additional funds are not available if and when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate material parts of our business strategy or may be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. See Note 2 to the accompanying financial statements.
Corporate Activity and Growth3 | 4.1%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
Implementation of our 2022 Strategic Realignment Plan or similar plans may not be successful, which could affect our ability to increase our profitability.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We may expand by acquiring or investing in other companies or technologies, which may divert our management's attention, result in dilution to our shareholders and consume resources that are necessary to sustain our business.We have in the past acquired and may in the future acquire complementary products, services, technologies or businesses. Negotiating these transactions can be time-consuming, difficult and expensive, and our ability to complete these transactions may be subject to conditions or approvals that are beyond our control. In addition, we may not be able to identify desirable acquisition targets, may incorrectly estimate the value of an acquisition target or may not be successful in entering into an agreement with any particular target. Consequently, these transactions, even if undertaken and announced, may not close.
An acquisition, investment, or new business relationship may result in unforeseen operating difficulties, expenditures and integration challenges including the following:
- diversion of management's attention from ongoing business concerns and performance;- managing a larger combined company;- maintaining employee morale and retaining key management and other employees;- retaining existing business and operational relationships and attracting new business and operational relationships;- consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures and eliminating duplicative operations and inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies;- coordinating geographically separate organizations;- unanticipated issues in integrating information technology, communications and other systems;- undetected errors or unauthorized use of a third party's code in the products of the acquired companies or in the technology acquired;- breaches of our cybersecurity measures if there are cybersecurity issues we are not aware of at the time of the acquisition;- entry into highly competitive markets in which we have no or limited direct prior experience and where competitors have stronger market positions; and - exposure to unknown liabilities, including claims and disputes by third parties against the companies we acquire.
Many of these factors will be outside of the combined company's control and any one of them could result in delays, increased costs, decreased revenue and diversion of management's time and energy, which could materially affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
If we experience difficulties with the integration process following an acquisition, the anticipated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected. Moreover, the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, investment, or business relationship may not be realized.
In addition, in connection with an acquisition, investment or new business relationship we may:
- issue additional equity securities that would dilute current shareholders;- use cash that we may need in the future to operate our business;- incur debt on terms unfavorable to us or that we are unable to repay or that may place burdensome restrictions on our operations;- incur large charges or substantial liabilities; or - become subject to adverse tax consequences.
Any of these outcomes could harm our business and operating results. In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we have acquired and may acquire in the future may be allocated to goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, which must be assessed for impairment at least annually. If our acquisitions do not ultimately yield expected returns, we may be required to make changes to our operating results based on our impairment assessment process. For example, during the three months ended March 31, 2022, we recorded impairment charges of $28.8 million and $30.0 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we recorded impairment charges of $50.2 million and $29.3 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we recorded impairment charges of $16.7 million and $117.4 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges of $62.8 million to goodwill. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, our goodwill balances were $650.0 million and $651.5 million, respectively. In 2023, the Company concluded that due to changes in facts and circumstances, the edX trade name should be classified as a finite-lived intangible asset rather than an indefinite-lived asset. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the net carrying value of the edX trade name was $76.0 million and $76.7 million, respectively.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We have undergone recent changes to our senior management team and organizational structure, and if we are unable to successfully implement our new organizational structure, or if we lose the services of any of our senior management, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.In November 2023, Christopher "Chip" Paucek, our former Chief Executive Officer resigned and the Board of Directors appointed Paul Lalljie as our Chief Executive Officer. In addition, over the last twelve months, we have had several senior management changes and we have changed our organizational structure to appoint a leader of each business segment.
Any significant leadership change, senior management transition or change to our organizational structure involves inherent risk and any failure to ensure a smooth transition could hinder our strategic planning, business execution and future performance. In particular, this or any future leadership transition or organizational change may result in a loss of personnel with deep institutional or technical knowledge and changes in business strategy or objectives, and has the potential to disrupt our operations and relationships with employees and partners due to added costs, operational inefficiencies, changes in strategy, decreased employee morale and productivity and increased turnover. We must successfully implement our new organizational structure to achieve our operating objectives.
Our future success depends in large part on the continued service of certain senior management. Our senior management team is critical to the development of our technology, platform, university client relationships, and overall financial and strategic direction and members of senior management are all employed on an at-will basis, which means that they could terminate their employment with us at any time, for any reason and without notice. From time to time, there may be changes in our senior management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives. If we lose the services of senior management, or if our senior management team cannot work together effectively, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected. We do not maintain key-person insurance on any of our employees, including our senior management team. The loss of the services of any key member of our senior management team, or failure to find a suitable successor, could make it more difficult to successfully operate our business and achieve our business goals.
In addition, as a result of business acquisitions and our recent organizational changes, our current and prospective employees and employees of any acquired company may experience uncertainty about their future roles. If our employees or the employees of any acquired company depart because of issues relating to uncertainty or perceived difficulties of integration, our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition could be adversely impacted.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 14/73 (19%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D3 | 4.1%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
If students do not expand beyond the free offerings available on our platform, our ability to grow our business and improve our results of operations may be adversely affected.Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
To launch a new degree program, we generally incur significant expense in technology and content development, as well as in marketing and sales to identify and attract prospective students, and it may be several years, if ever, before we generate revenue from a new program sufficient to recover our costs.To launch a new degree program, we generally integrate components of our platform with the various student information and other operating systems our university clients use to manage functions within their institutions and we must commence student acquisition activities. In addition, for university clients that have elected to purchase our content development services for a degree program, we provide content development staff that work closely with the university client's faculty members to produce engaging online coursework and content. This process can be time-consuming and costly and, under our agreements with our university clients, we are primarily responsible for the significant costs of this effort for most of our degree programs, even before we generate any revenue and there is no guarantee we will ever recoup these costs.
In exchange for the upfront investments we make in our university clients' degree programs and to align our incentives with those of our university clients, our university client agreements generally provide that we receive a fixed percentage of the tuition that the university clients receive from the students enrolled in their degree programs. We only begin to recover these upfront costs once students are enrolled and our university clients begin billing students for tuition and fees. The time that it takes for us to recover our investment in a new degree program depends on a variety of factors, primarily our content development costs, student acquisition costs, the rate of growth in student enrollment in the program, and the tuition of the program. We estimate that, on average, it takes approximately three years after signing an agreement with a university client to fully recover our investment in that university client's new degree program. Because of the lengthy period that may be required to recoup our investment in these new degree programs, unexpected developments beyond our control could occur that result in the university client ceasing or significantly curtailing a degree program before we are able to fully recoup our investment. As a result, we may ultimately be unable to recover the full investment that we make in a new degree program or achieve our expected level of profitability for the degree program.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
If new offerings do not launch and scale efficiently and in the time frames we expect, our reputation and our revenue will suffer.Our continued growth and ability to achieve profitability depends on our and our university clients' ability to successfully launch and scale new offerings. The number of offerings we launch in a year has varied over time and we expect the number of newly launched programs to increase significantly in 2024. Our ability to launch and scale new offerings in the time frame we expect has varied over time and from offering to offering. If we are not successful in launching an offering in the planned timeframe or recruiting potential students for our offerings, it would adversely impact our ability to generate revenue, and our university clients and the students in their offerings could lose confidence in the knowledge and capability of our employees. If we cannot quickly and efficiently scale our technology to handle growing student enrollment and new offerings, our university clients' and their students' experiences may suffer, which could damage our reputation among colleges and universities and their faculty and students and impact our ability to acquire new university clients.
In addition, in our Degree Program Segment, if our university clients cannot quickly develop the infrastructure and hire sufficient faculty and administrators to handle growing student enrollments, our university clients' and their students' experiences with our platform may suffer, which could damage our reputation among colleges and universities and their faculty and students.
Our ability to efficiently scale new offerings may depend on a number of factors, including our ability to:
- satisfy existing students in, and attract and enroll new students for, our offerings;- assist our university clients in their development and production of an increased volume of course content;- successfully introduce new features and enhancements and maintain a high level of functionality in our platform; and - deliver high-quality support to our university clients and their faculty and students.
If student enrollments in our offerings do not increase, if we are unable to launch new offerings timely and in a cost-effective manner or if we are otherwise unable to manage new offerings effectively, our ability to grow our business and achieve profitability would be impaired, and the quality of our platform and the satisfaction of our university clients and their students could suffer.
Trade Secrets3 | 4.1%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
Individuals that appear in content hosted on our online learning platform may claim violation of their rights.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
We operate in an industry with extensive intellectual property litigation. Claims of infringement against us may hurt our business.Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to avoid infringing intellectual property rights owned by others and being able to resolve claims of intellectual property infringement without major financial expenditures or adverse consequences. The technology and software fields generally are characterized by extensive intellectual property litigation and many companies that own, or claim to own, intellectual property have aggressively asserted their rights. In addition, we face potential copyright and trademark infringement from the content we produce in connection with our marketing activities, including in websites related to our offerings. From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others, and we expect that third parties will assert intellectual property claims against us, particularly as we expand the complexity and scope of our business. In addition, our university client agreements require us to indemnify our university clients against claims that our platform infringes the intellectual property rights of third parties.
Future litigation may be necessary to defend ourselves or our university clients from intellectual property infringement claims or to establish our proprietary rights. Some of our competitors have substantially greater resources than we do and would be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation to a greater degree and for longer periods of time than we could. In addition, patent holding companies that focus solely on extracting royalties and settlements by enforcing patent rights may target us. Regardless of whether claims that we are infringing patents or other intellectual property rights have any merit, these claims are time-consuming and costly to evaluate and defend and could:
- hurt our reputation;- adversely affect our relationships with our current or future university clients;- cause delays or stoppages in providing our platform;- divert management's attention and resources;- require technology changes to our software that could cause us to incur substantial cost;- subject us to significant liabilities; and - require us to cease some or all of our activities.
In addition to liability for monetary damages against us, which may include attorneys' fees, treble damages in the event of a finding of willful infringement, or, in some circumstances, damages against our university clients, we may be prohibited from developing, commercializing or continuing to provide some or all of our bundled technology-enabled platform unless we obtain licenses from, and pay royalties to, the holders of the patents or other intellectual property rights, which may not be available on commercially favorable terms, or at all.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish the value of our platform, weaken our competitive position and reduce our revenue.We regard the protection of our intellectual property, which includes trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks and domain names, as critical to our success. We protect our proprietary information from unauthorized use and disclosure by entering into confidentiality agreements with any party that may come in contact with such information. We also seek to ensure that we own intellectual property created for us by signing agreements with employees, independent contractors, consultants, companies and any other third party that may create intellectual property for us that assigns any copyright and patent rights to us. However, these arrangements and the other steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not prevent the misappropriation of our proprietary information or deter independent development of similar technologies by others.
We pursue the registration of our domain names, trademarks and service marks in the United States and in jurisdictions outside the United States. However, third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe on our trademark or service mark rights, third parties may challenge our trademark or service mark rights, and pending or future trademark or service mark applications may not be approved. In addition, effective trademark protection may not be available in every country in which we operate or intend to operate. In any or all cases, we may be required to expend significant time and expense to prevent infringement or enforce our rights.
Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly. Our efforts to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to prevent misappropriation of our intellectual property. Further, we may not be able to detect unauthorized use of, or take appropriate steps to enforce, our intellectual property rights. Our competitors may also independently develop similar technology. In addition, the laws of many countries may not protect our proprietary rights to as great an extent as do the laws of the United States. Further, the laws in the United States and elsewhere change rapidly, and any future changes could adversely affect us and our intellectual property rights. Our failure to meaningfully protect our intellectual property could result in competitors offering services that incorporate our most technologically advanced features, which could seriously reduce demand for our platform. In addition, we may in the future need to initiate litigation such as infringement or administrative proceedings, to protect our intellectual property rights. Litigation, whether we are a plaintiff or a defendant, can be expensive, time-consuming and may divert the efforts of our technical staff and managerial personnel, whether or not such litigation results in a determination that is unfavorable to us. In addition, litigation is inherently uncertain, and thus we may not be able to stop our competitors from infringing upon our intellectual property rights.
Cyber Security1 | 1.4%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
If our security measures or those of our third-party service providers are breached or fail and result in unauthorized disclosure of data, we could lose clients, fail to attract new clients and be exposed to protracted and costly litigation.Technology7 | 9.6%
Technology - Risk 1
Disruption to or failures of our online learning platforms could reduce university client and student satisfaction with our offerings and could harm our reputation.Technology - Risk 2
We are working to incorporate generative artificial intelligence, or AI, into some of our products. This technology is new and developing and may present operational and reputational risks, competitive harm, legal and regulatory risk, and additional costs, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and result of operations.We use AI technologies in our platform and offerings, and we are making investments in expanding the use of AI throughout our business. This new and emerging technology, which is in its early stages of commercial use, presents a number of inherent risks. For example, AI technologies can create accuracy issues, unintended biases, and discriminatory outcomes and create other perceived or actual technical, legal, compliance, privacy, security, and ethical risks which could slow our partners' and customers' adoption of our products and services that use AI. The use of AI technologies may in the future result in cybersecurity incidents that implicate the personal data of end users of AI applications. Such cybersecurity incidents may be more complicated to discover due to the nature of AI and the limited ability to track its reasoning mechanism when producing results. To the extent we experience cybersecurity incidents in connection with our use of AI technology, it could similarly adversely affect our reputation and expose us to legal liability or regulatory risk. Further, our competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI into their products more quickly or more successfully than us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively.
In addition, litigation or government regulation related to the use of AI (including the use of generative AI) may also adversely impact our ability to develop and offer products that use AI, as well as increase the cost and complexity of doing so. For example, the publication of the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights signals that compliance requirements on operators of AI systems in the U.S. may be significant. In addition, developing, testing and deploying AI in our platform, offerings and services involves significant technical complexity and requires specialized expertise. Any disruption or failure in our AI systems or infrastructure could result in delays or errors in our operations, which could harm our business and financial results. Further, market demand and acceptance of AI technologies are uncertain, and we may be unsuccessful in our efforts related to deploying AI in our business.
Technology - Risk 3
If internet search engines' methodologies are modified, our search engine optimization capability in connection with our student recruiting efforts could be harmed.Our search engine optimization capability in connection with our student acquisition efforts substantially depends on various internet search engines, such as Google, to direct a significant amount of traffic to our marketplace at edX.org and other websites related to our offerings. Our ability to influence the number of visitors directed to these websites through search engines is not entirely within our control. For example, search engines frequently revise their algorithms in an attempt to optimize their search result listings. In this respect, we have experienced fluctuations in our search result listings and website traffic based on changes to search engine algorithms, and future algorithm changes by Google or any other search engines could cause edX.org and other websites for our offerings to receive less favorable placements, which could reduce the number of prospective students who visit these websites and impact our ability to effectively utilize search engine optimization as part of our student acquisition strategies in the long-term. Further, if our competitors' search engine optimization efforts are more successful than ours, fewer prospective students may be directed to our websites.
The U.S. Department of Justice brought several antitrust lawsuits against Google claiming, among other things, that Google improperly uses its monopoly over internet search to impede competition and harm consumers. Certain of these lawsuits are ongoing and we cannot predict the impact that these lawsuits may have on advertising costs or Google's future operations. Any reduction in the number of prospective students directed to our websites could negatively affect our ability to generate prospective students, and ultimately revenue, through our student acquisition activities.
Technology - Risk 4
Our internal information technology systems are critical to our business. System integration and implementation issues could disrupt our operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our business or result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal controls.We rely on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of complex information technology systems, including systems for billing, human resources, enterprise resource planning, and customer relationship management. As our business has grown in size and complexity, the growth has placed, and will continue to place, significant demands on our internal information technology systems. To effectively manage the volume of our business, we must commit significant financial resources and personnel to maintain and enhance existing systems and develop or acquire new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in our business and information-processing technology as well as evolving industry, regulatory, and accounting standards. If the information we rely upon to run our businesses is determined to be inaccurate or unreliable, or if we fail to properly maintain or enhance our internal information technology systems, we could have operational disruptions, significant deficiencies, or material weaknesses in our internal controls, incur increased operating and administrative expenses, lose our ability to produce timely and accurate financial reports, or suffer other adverse consequences.
Technology - Risk 5
If the mobile solutions available to our students and clients are not effective, the use of our platform could decline.Students have been increasingly accessing our offerings and marketplace on mobile devices through our mobile applications in recent years. The smaller screen size and reduced functionality associated with some mobile devices may make the use of our platform more difficult or our clients may believe that online learning through such mobile devices is not effective. If we are not able to provide our clients with the functionality to deliver a rewarding experience on mobile devices, our ability to attract students to our offerings may be harmed and, consequently, our business may suffer.
As new mobile devices and mobile features are released, we may encounter problems in developing or supporting apps for them. In addition, supporting new devices and mobile device operating systems may require substantial time and resources.
The success of our mobile apps could also be harmed by factors outside our control, such as:
- actions taken by mobile app distributors;- unfavorable treatment received by our mobile apps, especially as compared to competing apps, such as the placement of our mobile apps in a mobile app download store;- increased costs in the distribution and use of our mobile apps; or - changes in mobile operating systems, such as iOS and Android, that degrade functionality of our mobile website or mobile apps or that give preferential treatment to competitive offerings.
If our clients or students encounter difficulty accessing or using, or if they choose not to use, our mobile platform, our growth prospects and our business may be adversely affected.
Technology - Risk 6
The use of "open source" software in our platform could negatively affect our ability to offer our platform and subject us to possible litigation.A portion of our platform incorporates so-called "open source" software, and we may incorporate additional open source software in the future. Certain open source licenses may, in certain circumstances, require us to offer our platform that incorporates the open source software for no cost, to make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon, incorporating or using the open source software and to license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of the particular open source license. Our efforts to monitor the use of open source software in our platform to ensure that no open source software is used in such a way as to require us to disclose our source code when we do not wish to do so, may be unable to prevent such use from occurring. In addition, if a third-party software provider has incorporated certain types of open source software into software we license from such third party without our knowledge, we could, under certain circumstances, be required to comply with the foregoing conditions. If an author or other third party that distributes open source software that we use were to allege that we had not complied with the conditions of one or more of these licenses, we could be required to incur significant legal expenses defending against such allegations and could be subject to significant damages, including being enjoined from offering the component of our platform that contained the open source software and being required to comply with the foregoing conditions, which could disrupt our ability to offer certain components of our platform.
We could also be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software. The terms of many open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts. Accordingly, there is a risk that those licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to offer our platform. Litigation could be costly for us to defend, have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition and require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our products.
Technology - Risk 7
We do not control and may be unable to predict the future path of the Open edX Platform.Certain of our offerings are hosted on the Open edX Platform that is owned by the non-profit entity that survived the edX Acquisition. We do not own the Open edX Platform and we do not control and may be unable to predict the future path of open source technology development of the Open edX Platform, including the ongoing development of open source components used in the Open edX Platform, which could reduce the appeal of our offerings hosted on the Open edX Platform and damage our reputation. If open source software programmers, many of whom we do not employ, or our own internal programmers do not continue to develop and enhance the Open edX Platform, we may be unable to meet student or university requirements.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 14/73 (19%)Above Sector Average
Regulation8 | 11.0%
Regulation - Risk 1
Our business model relies on university client institutions complying with federal and state laws and regulations.Regulation - Risk 2
Our activities are subject to federal and state laws and regulations and other requirements.Although we are not an institution of higher education, we are required to comply with certain education laws, regulations and accreditation standards as a result of our role as a service provider to higher education institutions, either directly or indirectly through our contractual arrangements with university clients. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations and standards could result in breach of contract and indemnification claims and could cause damage to our reputation and impair our ability to grow our business and achieve profitability.
Regulation - Risk 3
Activities of the U.S. Congress or Department of Education could result in adverse legislation, regulations, guidance, actions or investigations.The process of reauthorization of the HEA is expected to continue until the HEA is updated. Congressional hearings may be scheduled by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce and other Congressional committees regarding various aspects of the education industry, including Title IV programs, accreditation matters, student debt, student recruiting, cost of tuition, distance learning, competency-based learning, student success and outcomes and other matters. Future hearings may include a discussion of the role of online program management companies.
The increased scrutiny and results-based accountability initiatives in the education sector, as well as ongoing policy differences in Congress regarding spending levels and other issues, including funding legislation for the government's next fiscal year, could lead to significant changes in connection with the reauthorization of the HEA or otherwise. These changes may result in new or additional regulatory burdens on postsecondary schools generally, and specific initiatives may be targeted at or have an impact on companies like us that serve higher education. The adoption of any laws or regulations that limit our ability to provide our services to our university clients could compromise our ability to drive revenue through their programs or make our platform less attractive to them. Congress could also enact laws, authorize regulations or revise guidance that requires us to modify our practices in ways that could increase our costs or decrease our revenues.
In addition, ongoing regulatory activities and initiatives of the DOE may have similar consequences for our business even in the absence of Congressional action. For example, there is a DOE rulemaking process underway in 2024 that includes agenda topics related to accreditation, state authorization, and distance education that could impact our institutional partners and our business. The DOE has also indicated that it may consider additional rulemaking agenda topics and guidance changes in 2024. We cannot predict with certainty what these future changes will be, or whether they will lead to any additional reports that may impact our business in the future.
Regulation - Risk 4
Our business model, which depends on our ability to receive a share of tuition revenue as payment from our university clients, has been validated by a DOE "dear colleague" letter, but such validation is not codified by statute or regulation and may be subject to change.Each institution of higher education that participates in Title IV programs agrees it will not "provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based in any part, directly or indirectly, upon success in securing enrollments or the award of financial aid, to any person or entity who is engaged in any student recruitment or admission activity, or in making decisions regarding the award of Title IV, HEA program funds." Virtually all of our university clients participate in Title IV programs.
Although this rule, referred to as the incentive compensation rule, generally prohibits entities or individuals from receiving incentive-based compensation payments for the successful recruitment, admission or enrollment of students, the DOE provided official policy guidance in 2011 permitting tuition revenue-sharing arrangements known as the "bundled services rule." Our current business model relies in part on the bundled services rule to enter into tuition revenue-sharing agreements with our university clients.
Because the bundled services rule was promulgated in the form of agency guidance issued by the DOE in the form of a "dear colleague" letter, or DCL, and is not codified by statute or regulation, there is risk that the rule could be altered or removed without customary administrative procedural requirements, such as adequate prior notice and an opportunity to comment, that accompany formal agency rulemaking. Although the DCL remains the longstanding policy, in March 2023, the DOE provided notice that it intends to review the bundled services rule, with the intent to improve the guidance on the incentive compensation rule with respect to bundled services. Following this notice, DOE held listening sessions and accepted written feedback from the public on questions it posed. DOE has not indicated if or when it will issue revised guidance on the DCL, and we are unable to determine the impact that any such guidance would have on our business model or results of operations.
In addition, the legal weight the DCL would carry in any litigation over the propriety of any specific compensation or revenue sharing arrangements under the HEA or the incentive compensation rule is uncertain. We can offer no assurances as to how the DCL would be interpreted by a court. The revision, removal or invalidation of the bundled services rule by Congress, the DOE or a court, whether in an action involving our company or our university clients, or in an action that does not involve us, could require us to change our business model and renegotiate the terms of many of our university client contracts and could compromise our ability to generate revenue or otherwise adversely impact our business.
Regulation - Risk 5
If our university clients fail to maintain their state authorizations, or we or our university clients violate other state laws and regulations, students in their offerings could be adversely affected and we could lose our ability to operate in that state and provide services to these university clients.Our university clients must be authorized in certain states to offer online educational offerings, engage in recruiting and operate externships, internships, clinical training or other forms of field experience, depending on state law. The loss of or failure to obtain state authorization would, among other things, limit the ability of a university client to enroll students in that state, render the university client and its students ineligible to participate in Title IV programs or receive other aid in that state, diminish the attractiveness of the university client's offering and ultimately compromise our ability to generate revenue and become profitable.
In addition, if we or any of our university clients fail to comply with any state agency's rules, regulations or standards beyond authorizations, the state agency or state attorney general could limit the ability of the university client to offer educational offerings in that state or limit our ability to perform our contractual obligations to our university client in that state.
Regulation - Risk 6
If more state agencies require specialized approval of our university clients' offerings, our operating costs could increase significantly, approval times could lag, or we could be prohibited from operating in certain states.In addition to state licensing agencies, our university clients may be required to obtain approval from professional licensing boards in certain states to offer specialized programs in specific fields of study. Currently, relatively few states require institutions to obtain professional board approval for their online educational offerings. However, more states could pass laws requiring our university clients' offerings, such as graduate programs in teaching or nursing, to obtain approval from state professional boards. If a significant number of states pass additional laws requiring schools to obtain professional board approval, the cost of obtaining all necessary state approvals could dramatically increase, which could make our platform less attractive to university clients, and these university clients could be barred from operating in some states entirely.
Regulation - Risk 7
In our Alternative Credential Segment, we are subject to risks and compliance rules and regulations related to the third-party credit card payment processing platform integrated within our websites or otherwise used by our business.Students typically use a credit or debit card to pay application and enrollment fees and to make tuition payments for the offerings in our Alternative Credential Segment that are not free. We are subject to payment card association operating rules, certification requirements and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. We believe that we and the payment processing service providers we use are compliant in all material respects with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. However, there is no guarantee that such compliance will be maintained or that compliance will prevent illegal or improper use of our systems that are integrated with our payment processing providers. If we or any of the third-party payment processors we use fail to be in compliance with applicable credit card rules and regulations, we may be required to migrate to an alternate payment processor which could result in transaction downtime during the migration and/or a loss of students and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 8
We are subject to governmental export, import and sanctions controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets and subject us to liability if we are not in full compliance with applicable laws.Our business activities are subject to various restrictions under U.S. export and similar laws and regulations, including the U.S. Department of Commerce's Export Administration Regulations and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Controls. The U.S. export control laws and U.S. economic sanctions laws include restrictions or prohibitions on the sale of certain services to U.S. embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments, persons, and entities. In addition, various countries regulate the import of certain technology and have enacted or could enact laws that could limit our ability to provide students access to our platform or could limit our students' ability to access or use our services in those countries.
Changes in our platform, or future changes in export and import regulations, may prevent our international students from utilizing our platform or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our platform to certain countries, governments, or persons altogether. Any change in export or import regulations, economic sanctions, or related legislation or changes in the countries, governments, persons, or technologies targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our platform by, or in our decreased ability to export or sell subscriptions to our platform to, existing or potential students internationally. Any decreased use of our platform or limitation on our ability to export or sell our platform would adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial results.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 2.7%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
If we or our university clients fail to meet the DOE's third party servicer requirements, we may incur liabilities, or be fined, limited, suspended or terminated from participating as a Third-Party Servicer of Title IV programs.Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We may incur liability, or our reputation may be harmed, as a result of the activities of our university clients and students or the content in our online learning platforms.We may be subject to potential liability for the activities of our university clients or students in connection with the data they post or store in our online learning platforms. For example, university personnel or students, or our employees or independent contractors, may post to our online learning platforms various articles or other third-party content for use in class discussions or within asynchronous lessons.
Various U.S. federal statutes may apply to us with respect to these activities. For example, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, or DMCA and the Communications Decency Act, or CDA, have provisions that limit our liability for certain content posted by third parties on our platforms.
Although statutes and case law in the U.S. have generally shielded us from liability for these activities to date, court rulings in pending or future litigation may narrow the scope of protection afforded us under these laws. In addition, laws governing these activities are unsettled in many international jurisdictions. As a result, we could incur liability to third parties for the unauthorized duplication, distribution or other use of third-party content. Any such claims could subject us to costly litigation and impose a significant strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether the claims have merit. Our various liability insurance coverages may not cover potential claims of this type adequately or at all, and we may be required to alter or cease our uses of such material, which may include changing or removing content from courses or altering the functionality of our online learning platform, or to pay monetary damages.
Additionally, university personnel or students, or our employees or independent contractors could use our online learning platform to store or process regulated personal information without our knowledge. In the event that our systems experience a data security incident, or an individual or entity accesses information without, or in excess of, proper authorization, we could be subject to data security incident notification laws, as described elsewhere, which may require prompt remediation and notification to individuals. If we are unaware of the data and information stored on our systems, we may be unable to appropriately comply with all legal obligations, and we may be exposed to governmental enforcement or prosecution actions, private litigation, fines and penalties or adverse publicity and these incidents could harm our reputation and business.
Taxation & Government Incentives1 | 1.4%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
If we or our subcontractors or agents violate the incentive compensation rule, we could be liable to our university clients for substantial fines, sanctions or other liabilities.Environmental / Social3 | 4.1%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Evolving regulations and legal obligations related to data privacy, data protection and information security, and our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations, could have an adverse effect on our business.Environmental / Social - Risk 2
We are required to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, and failure to do so could harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.FERPA generally prohibits an institution of higher education participating in Title IV programs from disclosing personally identifiable information from a student's education records without the student's consent. Our university clients and their students disclose to us certain information that originates from or comprises a student education record under FERPA. As an entity that provides services to institutions participating in Title IV programs, we are indirectly subject to FERPA, and we may not transfer or otherwise disclose any personally identifiable information from a student record to another party other than in a manner permitted under the statute. If we violate FERPA, it could result in a material breach of contract with one or more of our university clients and could harm our reputation. Further, in the event that we disclose student information in violation of FERPA, the DOE could require a university client to suspend our access to its student information for at least five years.
Environmental / Social - Risk 3
Increased scrutiny and changing expectations from investors, customers, employees, and others regarding our environmental, social and governance practices and reporting could cause us to incur additional costs, devote additional resources and expose us to additional risks, which could adversely impact our reputation, customer acquisition and retention, access to capital and employee retention.Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny related to their environmental, social and governance, or ESG, practices and reporting. Investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders have focused increasingly on ESG practices and placed increasing importance on the implications and social cost of their investments, purchases and other interactions with companies. For example, many investment funds focus on positive ESG business practices and sustainability scores when making investments and may consider a company's ESG or sustainability scores as a reputational or other factor in making an investment decision. In addition, investors, particularly institutional investors, use these scores to benchmark companies against their peers and if a company is perceived as lagging, these investors may engage with such company to improve ESG disclosure or performance and may also make voting decisions on this basis. With this increased focus and demand, public reporting regarding ESG practices is becoming more broadly expected. If our ESG practices and reporting do not meet investor, customer, or employee expectations, which continue to evolve, our brand and reputation may be negatively impacted. Any disclosure we make may include our policies and practices on a variety of ESG matters, including corporate governance, environmental compliance, employee health and safety practices, human capital management, and workforce inclusion and diversity. It is possible that stakeholders may not be satisfied with our ESG reporting, our ESG practices or our speed of adoption. We could also incur additional costs and devote additional resources to monitor, report and implement various ESG practices, including resources required to comply with any final SEC rulemaking related to climate disclosures, the proposed rule for which was published by the SEC on March 21, 2022. If we fail, or are perceived to be failing, to meet the standards included in any sustainability disclosure or the expectations of our various stakeholders, it could negatively impact our reputation, access to capital and employee retention.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 10/73 (14%)Above Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.4%
Competition - Risk 1
We face competition from established and emerging companies, which could divert clients or students to our competitors, result in pricing pressure and significantly reduce our revenue.Demand3 | 4.1%
Demand - Risk 1
Our business depends heavily on the adoption by colleges and universities of online delivery of their educational offerings. If we fail to attract new university clients, or if new leadership at existing university clients does not have an interest in continuing or expanding online delivery of their educational offerings, our revenue growth and profitability may suffer.Demand - Risk 2
If our university clients fail to maintain institutional or programmatic accreditation for their offerings, our revenue could be materially affected.The loss or suspension of a university client's accreditation or other adverse action by the university client's institutional or programmatic accreditor could render the institution or its offerings ineligible to participate in Title IV programs, could prevent the university client from offering certain educational offerings and, for certain degree-granting programs, could make it impossible for the graduates of the university client's program to obtain employment in the profession for which they trained. If any of these results occurs, it could hurt our ability to generate revenue from that offering.
Demand - Risk 3
Our future growth could be negatively impacted if our university clients fail to obtain timely approval from applicable regulatory agencies to offer new programs, make substantive changes to existing programs or expand their programs into or within certain states.Our university clients are required to obtain the appropriate approvals from the DOE and applicable state and accrediting regulatory agencies for new programs or locations, which may be conditioned, delayed or denied in a manner that could impair our strategic plans and future growth. Regulatory constraints have resulted in delays to various approvals our university clients are requesting, and such delays could in turn delay the timing of our ability to generate revenue from our university clients' programs. In addition, changes to accrediting agency standards, policies and procedures could also delay university program approvals and negatively impact our ability to generate revenue from our university clients' programs.
Sales & Marketing5 | 6.8%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
If we or our subcontractors or agents violate the misrepresentation rule, or similar international, federal and state regulatory requirements, we could face fines, sanctions and other liabilities.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
The market for our offerings may be limited due to exclusivity provisions in certain of our contracts with university clients. We have agreed to incur, and we may incur in the future, costs to terminate some or all of the exclusivity obligations in certain of our university client contracts.Certain of our contracts with our university clients limit our ability to enable competitive offerings with other schools. In our Degree Program Segment, we have determined that enabling some of these contractually prohibited competitive programs may be part of our business strategy. We have in the past agreed and may in the future agree with certain university clients to do some or all of the following to reduce or eliminate certain exclusivity obligations: make fixed and contingent cash payments over time, reduce our revenue share over time, and/or make minimum investments in marketing under certain conditions.
In addition, in order to maintain good relations with our university clients, we may decide not to approach certain institutions that our university clients regard as their direct competitors to offer similar programs or courses, even if we are allowed to do so under our contracts. A limited number of our contracts with our university clients include provisions that may result in pricing adjustments in limited circumstances. If we need to incur contingent costs in connection with enabling competitive offerings or if we determine not to approach certain institutions, or if we have to adjust our pricing provisions, our ability to grow our business and achieve profitability would be impaired.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
The loss, or material underperformance, of any one of our offerings could harm our reputation, which could in turn affect our future revenue growth.We rely on our reputation for delivering high-quality online educational offerings and recommendations from existing university clients to attract potential new university clients. Therefore, the loss of any single offering, whether due to a mutual decision between us and a university client to terminate an agreement or the failure of any university client to renew its agreement with us upon expiration, or otherwise, could harm our reputation and impair our ability to pursue our growth strategy and ultimately to become profitable.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 4
If we fail to increase sales of our enterprise offerings, or if we need to change the contract terms associated therewith, including with respect to pricing or contract length, it could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.In addition to our offerings for individual learners, we sell our enterprise offerings to businesses, academic institutions, and governmental organizations. These customers utilize our platform to provide relevant training, skills, and credentialing programs to current and potential employees through our online platform. To maintain and expand our relationships with these entities, we must demonstrate the value, benefits, and return on investment of providing education, training, skills, and credentialing through our online platform and achieve acceptance from both employees and these entities of the merits and legitimacy of our offerings.
Our growth strategy is dependent upon increasing sales of our enterprise offerings to these entities, which we offer on a subscription basis. We have a limited history with our enterprise models and changes in our models could adversely affect our revenue and financial condition. In addition, as new competitors introduce competitive applications or services, or as we enter into new international markets, we may be unable to attract new customers at the same price or based on the same pricing models we have historically used, or for contract lengths consistent with our historical averages. Changes to our pricing models or contract lengths could negatively impact our revenue and financial position, and we may have increased difficulty achieving growth or profitability. As we drive a greater portion of our revenue through our enterprise offerings, this may also result in reduced margins in the future.
As we seek to increase sales of our enterprise offerings, we face upfront sales costs, higher customer acquisition costs, more complex customer requirements, and discount requirements. If we are unable to maintain or increase the number of enterprise customers offerings, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be negatively impacted.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 5
If for-profit postsecondary institutions, which offer online education alternatives different from ours, or online program management providers perform poorly or continue to attract negative publicity, it could tarnish our reputation or the reputation of online education as a whole, which could impair our ability to grow our business.For-profit postsecondary institutions, many of which provide course offerings predominantly online, remain under intense regulatory and other scrutiny, which has led to media attention that has portrayed that sector in an unflattering light. Some for-profit online school operators have been subject to governmental investigations alleging the misuse of public funds, financial irregularities, false or exaggerated promises to students, and failure to achieve positive outcomes for students, including the inability to obtain employment in their fields. These allegations have attracted significant adverse media coverage and have prompted ongoing legislative hearings and actions as well as regulatory responses at both the state and federal level. These investigations have focused on specific companies and individuals, and the entire industry in the case of marketing and recruiting practices by for-profit higher education companies. Even though we do not market our platform to for-profit institutions, and have a different business model from them, this negative media attention has nevertheless fostered skepticism about online program management companies, online higher education generally and our company specifically. Allegations of abuse of federal financial aid funds and other statutory and regulatory violations against higher education companies, even if unfounded, could negatively impact our opportunity to succeed due to increased regulation or decreased demand for our offerings. Our company has been the subject of articles and inquiries by critics of for-profit education models generally, and such critics continue to advocate for changes in law and regulation at the state and federal level that would be adverse to our business model and have sought information and increased oversight regarding the business practices of online program management companies. For example, such critics have sometimes compared our business to that of entities that were formally for-profit institutions and that subsequently converted to non-profit status, and the conflation of these newer business models with our own likely increased scrutiny of our business by Congress, the DOE or other regulatory agencies. Any of these factors could negatively impact our ability to increase our university client base and grow our offerings and our revenue, which would make it difficult to continue to grow our business.
Brand / Reputation1 | 1.4%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
If we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, our reputation and business may suffer.Production
Total Risks: 7/73 (10%)Above Sector Average
Employment / Personnel4 | 5.5%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
We have employees outside of the United States, have international residents that apply to and enroll in our offerings and plan to expand our international business, which exposes us to risks inherent in international operations.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
We engage some individuals classified as independent contractors, not employees, and if U.S. or international regulatory authorities mandate that they be classified as employees, our business would be adversely impacted.We engage independent contractors and are subject to U.S. and international regulations and guidelines regarding independent contractor classification. These regulations and guidelines are subject to judicial and agency interpretation, and it could be determined that our current or former independent contractor classifications are inapplicable. Further, if legal standards for classification of independent contractors change, it may be necessary to modify our compensation structure for these personnel, including by paying additional compensation or reimbursing expenses. In addition, if our independent contractors are determined to have been misclassified as independent contractors, we would incur additional exposure under U.S. and international law, workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, employment and tort laws, including for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee benefits and tax withholdings. Any of these outcomes could result in substantial costs to us, could significantly impair our financial condition and our ability to conduct our business as we choose, and could damage our reputation and our ability to attract and retain other personnel.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
Our financial performance depends heavily on student retention within our offerings, and factors influencing student retention may be out of our control.Once a student is enrolled in an offering, we and our university client must retain the student over the life of the offering to generate ongoing revenue. Our strategy involves offering high-quality support to students enrolled in these offerings to support their retention. If we are unable to help students quickly resolve any educational, technological or logistical issues they encounter, otherwise provide effective ongoing support to students or deliver high-quality, engaging educational content, students may withdraw from the offering, which would negatively impact our revenue.
In addition, student retention could be compromised by the following factors, many of which are largely outside of our control:
- Lack of support from faculty members in our university clients' degree programs. It takes a significant time commitment and dedication from our university clients' faculty members to work with us to develop or to independently develop course content for their degree programs and other courses designed for an online learning environment. Our university clients' faculty may be unfamiliar with the development and production process, may not understand the time commitment involved, or may otherwise be resistant to changing the ways in which they present the same content in an on-campus class. Our ability to maintain high student retention will depend in part on our ability to convince our university clients' faculty of the value in the time and effort they will spend developing the course content. Lack of support from faculty could cause the quality of our degree programs to decline, which could contribute to decreased student satisfaction and retention in our Degree Program Segment.
- Student dissatisfaction. Enrolled students may drop out of our offerings based on their individual perceptions of the value they are getting from the offering. For example, we may face retention challenges as a result of students' dissatisfaction with our university clients' faculty, changing views of the value of our offerings and perceptions of employment prospects following completion of the offering.
- Personal factors. Personal factors, such as ability to continue to pay tuition, ability to meet the rigorous demands of the offering, and lack of time to continue classes, all of which are generally beyond our control, may impact a student's willingness and ability to stay enrolled in an offering.
If student retention is compromised by any of these factors, it could significantly reduce the revenue that we generate from our offerings, which would negatively impact our return on investment for the particular offering and could compromise our ability to grow our business and achieve profitability.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 4
Our financial performance depends heavily on our ability to recruit potential students for our offerings, and our ability to do so may be affected by circumstances beyond our control.Building awareness of our offerings is critical to our ability to recruit prospective students for our university clients' offerings and generate revenue. A substantial portion of our expenses is attributable to marketing and sales efforts dedicated to attracting potential students to our offerings. Because we generate revenue based on a portion of the tuition and fees that students pay, it is critical to our success that we identify prospective students for our offerings in a cost-effective manner, and that enrolled students remain active in our offerings until graduation or completion.
We have experienced, and may in the future experience, fluctuations in our student enrollments based on a variety of factors. For example, student enrollments have declined, and may decline in the future, due to our university clients changing their admissions standards and the COVID-19 pandemic and macroeconomic conditions have each contributed to significant fluctuations in student enrollment across our offerings.
The following factors, many of which are largely outside of our control, may prevent us from successfully driving and maintaining student enrollment in our offerings in a cost-effective manner or at all, which would adversely affect our revenue and ability to achieve profitability:
- Negative perceptions about online learning programs. Online offerings that we or our competitors provide may not be successful, operate efficiently, or perform well. Any such underperformance could create the perception that online offerings in general are not an effective way to educate students, whether or not our offerings achieve satisfactory performance. In addition, special interest groups have in the past and may in the future take actions to create negative perceptions about online learning programs through the media, litigation or other tactics.
- Unsuccessful marketing efforts. We invest substantial resources in developing and implementing data-driven marketing strategies that focus on identifying the right potential student at the right time. In connection with our platform-based and product-level marketing efforts, we make substantial use of search engine optimization, paid search, social media and custom website development and deployment and we rely on a small number of internet search engines and marketing partners. The effectiveness and cost of our marketing efforts has varied over time and from offering to offering based on economic conditions, competition, advertising prices, offerings type, university client reputation and other factors, including the effectiveness of our marketing partners to identify students and learners.
- Damage to university client reputation. Because we often use a university client's brand in connection with our marketing efforts for their offerings, our university clients' reputations are critical to our ability to enroll students. Many factors affecting our university clients' reputations are beyond our control, including ranking among nonprofit educational institutions, internal university matters, changes in university leadership positions and other matters that impact the public perception of our university clients.
- Lack of interest in an offering. We may encounter difficulties attracting students for offerings that are not highly desired or that are relatively new within their fields. Macroeconomic conditions beyond our control may diminish interest in employment in a field, which could contribute to a lack of interest in offerings related to that field.
- Reduced support from our university clients. Our ability to grow our revenue from a particular offering depends on the growth of enrollment in that offering. Our university clients could limit enrollment in certain offerings, cease providing the offerings altogether or significantly curtail or inhibit our ability to promote their offerings, any of which would negatively impact our revenue.
- Our lack of control over our university clients' admissions standards and admissions decisions for degree programs. Even if we identify prospective students for a degree program, there is no guarantee that our university clients will admit these students to that program. Our university clients retain complete discretion over setting admissions standards and making admissions decisions, and university clients may change admissions standards or inconsistently apply admissions standards.
- Our lack of control over our university clients' tuition decisions, particularly for our degree programs. We do not control tuition decisions for our offerings and, in particular, for our degree programs, our university clients retain complete control over tuition decisions. If we are not able to effectively recruit and retain students for a program because the tuition is too high, or perceived as being too high, it could negatively impact our business.
- Inability to maintain sufficient high-quality content from our clients. Our success depends on our ability to provide students with high-quality learning experiences. For certain of our offerings, including many of our degree programs, while our clients are primarily responsible for curriculum development, we provide learning design and development experts that collaborate with faculty to ensure the final course content is engaging and digestible in an online format. For other offerings, including our open course offerings, our clients are solely responsible for curriculum development and we provide limited self-help resources. If the course content in our offerings is not high-quality and students are dissatisfied with their experience in an offering on our platform or do not find the content of our offerings appealing, they may stop accessing our content. In turn, if clients perceive that our platform lacks an adequate learner audience, clients may be less willing to provide content to offer on our platform, and the experience of students could be further negatively impacted.
- Inability of students to secure funding. Like on-campus college and university students, many of the students in our university clients' offerings, in particular degree programs and boot camps, rely on the availability of third-party financing to pay for tuition and other costs of their education. This may include federal, state or private student loans, scholarships and grants, or benefits or reimbursement provided by an employer. Any developments that reduce the availability or increase the cost of financial aid for higher education generally, or for our university clients' offerings, such as a government shutdown as a result of failure to enact funding legislation for the government's fiscal year, could impair students' abilities to meet their financial obligations and could negatively impact future enrollment in our offerings.
- General economic conditions. Student enrollment in our offerings may be affected by changes in global economic conditions. An improvement in economic conditions and, in particular, an improvement in the economic conditions in the U.S. and the U.S. unemployment rate, may reduce demand among potential students for educational services, as they may find adequate employment without additional education. Conversely, a worsening of economic and employment conditions may reduce the willingness of employers to sponsor educational opportunities for their employees or discourage existing or potential students from pursuing additional education due to a perception that there are insufficient job opportunities, increased economic uncertainty or other factors.
Supply Chain3 | 4.1%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
Our student acquisition efforts depend in large part upon a limited number of third-party advertising platforms.Supply Chain - Risk 2
We rely upon Amazon Web Services to host certain aspects of our platform and any disruption of or interference with our use of Amazon Web Services could impair our ability to deliver our platform to clients and students, resulting in client and student dissatisfaction, damage to our reputation, and harm to our business.Our online learning platform and certain of our other technology and services are hosted on data centers provided by Amazon Web Services, or AWS. Given this, along with the fact that we cannot easily switch our AWS operations to another cloud provider, any disruption of, or interference with our use of, AWS would impact our operations and our business would be adversely impacted. AWS may terminate its agreement with us upon 30 days' notice. Additionally, AWS has the right to terminate the agreement immediately with notice to us in certain scenarios, such as if AWS believes providing the services could create a substantial economic or technical burden or material security risk for AWS, or in order to comply with the law or requests of governmental entities. If any of our arrangements with AWS is terminated, we could experience interruptions in our platform as well as delays and additional expenses in arranging new facilities and services.
Our operations depend, in part, on AWS's abilities to protect their data center hosting facilities against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, criminal acts and similar events. The occurrence of spikes in usage volume, a natural disaster, an act of terrorism, vandalism or sabotage, a decision to close a facility without adequate notice, lack of network connectivity in one or more regions, or other unanticipated problems at a facility could result in lengthy interruptions in the availability of our platform, which would result in harm to our business. In the event of a system failure, the backup systems and disaster recovery services provided by AWS may be insufficient or fail. Also, in the event of damage or interruption, our insurance policies may not adequately compensate us for any losses that we may incur. These factors in turn could further reduce our revenue, subject us to liability or cause our clients to fail to renew or terminate their contracts, any of which could harm our business.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
We rely on certain third-party providers of software and services integral to the operations of our business.We rely on software that we license from third parties and services provided by third parties to offer certain components of our technology and services. In addition, we may need to obtain future licenses or services from third parties necessary for the continued provision of our technology and services, which might not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If our agreements with third-party software or services vendors are not renewed or the third-party software or services become obsolete, fail to function properly, are defective or otherwise fail to provide quality service or address our or our clients' needs, there is no assurance that we would be able to replace the functionality provided by the third-party software or service provider with software or services from alternative providers. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 2/73 (3%)Above Sector Average
International Operations1 | 1.4%
International Operations - Risk 1
Our operations in South Africa expose us to risks that could have an adverse effect on our business.Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.4%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Our results of operations could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises, political or geopolitical crises, the physical effects of climate changes or other catastrophic events.See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
- Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
- Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
- Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
- Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
- Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
- Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
- Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
- Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
- Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
- Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
- Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
- Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
- Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
- Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
- Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
- Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
- Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
- Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
- Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
- Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
- Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
- International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
- Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.