ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
We have identified the following risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation. The risks described below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are not material may also significantly affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation. Our business could be harmed by any of these risks. In assessing these risks, you should also refer to the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes.
Risks Related to Our Industry
Competition within the broader entertainment industry is intense and our existing and potential users may be attracted to competing forms of entertainment such as television, movies and sporting events, as well as other entertainment and gaming options on the internet. If our platform and games available through our platform do not continue to be popular, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially adversely affected.
We compete for users’ limited discretionary time and spending against a wide range of traditional and digital entertainment options, many of which are more established and better resourced. Our industry is characterized by rapid technological change, evolving consumer preferences, and intense competition from both large, well-capitalized companies and emerging entrants. Competitors may develop more compelling products, invest more heavily in development and marketing, adopt aggressive pricing or promotional strategies, or establish strategic partnerships that enhance their market position.
Advancements in artificial intelligence may further intensify competition, and our failure to effectively incorporate such technologies into our platform could impair our competitiveness and reduce our market share. In addition, ongoing industry consolidation may result in larger competitors with greater scale, broader offerings, and expanded geographic reach. If we are unable to maintain user engagement or grow our market share, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We are subject to risks associated with competitors that do not follow ethical fairness practices to grow their businesses.
Consistent with our advertising, marketing and branding, each head-to-head match coordinated through our platform is between two real players. However, we believe some of our competitors, despite advertising and marketing to the contrary, deploy algorithmic competitors (“bots”) in games offered on their platforms such that real players are matched against bots instead of other real players. By matching bots against real players, we understand that competitors can engineer the outcome of such matches and make economic gains at the cost of players. As a result, these competitors may be able to build their businesses at a faster rate and with more cost efficiencies than we are able to, which hurts our competitive position amongst “fair play” skill-based gaming platform providers.
We have worked, and will continue to work, towards helping to stop these dishonest practices. In February 2024, we and Big Run Studios, Inc. (“Big Run”) brought suit against AviaGames for false advertising, copyright infringement, and violations of California’s state unfair competition law in relation to AviaGames’ use of bots on its platform. We are currently involved in other ongoing litigation with other defendants in relation to similar claims related to bot misuse. In April 2024, we, Big Run and AviaGames’ entered into a settlement agreement that resolved the bot misuse litigation with respect to AviaGames, but there is no guarantee we will resolve our other ongoing bot misuse litigation on terms. Additionally, although we intend to initiate additional actions to protect our company and players, our ability to bring related to bot depends on our ability to detect bot . It may be to detect bot users who advertise and market themselves as fair play skill-based gaming platform providers. Moreover, it may be or to obtain evidence of bot use in a competitor’s or potential competitor’s products, which would prevent us from bot among our competitors.
Our business model heavily depends upon the proliferation of mobile devices, the continued compatibility between the games featured on our platform and major mobile gaming operating systems, web browsers and upon third-party platforms for the distribution of such games. If such third parties interfere with the distribution of our products or offerings, or if our expectations with respect to mobile devices and our compatibility with third party operating systems are incorrect, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be adversely affected.
The number of people using mobile internet-enabled devices has increased dramatically over time and we expect that this trend will continue. However, the mobile market, particularly the market for mobile games, may not grow in the way we anticipate. Our future success is substantially dependent upon the continued growth of the market for mobile games. If the mobile devices on which our games are available decline in popularity or become obsolete faster than anticipated, we could experience a
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decline in revenue and Gross Marketplace Volume (“GMV”) and may not achieve the anticipated return on our development efforts. Any such decline in the growth of the mobile market or in the use of mobile devices for games could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The substantial majority of users access the games featured on our platform through the direct download on their mobile devices of apps developed by our developer partners. Our business model depends upon the continued compatibility between these apps and the major mobile operating systems, technologies, networks and standards that we do not control, such as the Android and iOS operating systems, and any changes, bugs, security, technical or regulatory issues in such systems, changes to our relationships with mobile manufacturers or carriers, or in their terms of service or policies that degrade our offerings’ functionality, reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute our offerings, give preferential treatment to competitive products, limit our ability to deliver high quality offerings, or impose fees or other charges related to delivering our offerings, could adversely affect our product usage and monetization on mobile devices. Third parties with whom we do not have any formal relationships control the design of mobile devices and operating systems. These parties frequently introduce new devices, and from time to time they may introduce new operating systems or modify existing ones. Network carriers may also impact the ability of users to download apps or access specified content on mobile devices.
In addition, we rely upon third-party platforms, such as the Apple App Store, for distribution of the games featured on our platform. The promotion, distribution and operation of apps are subject to the respective distribution platforms’ standard terms and policies for application developers, which are very broad and subject to frequent changes and differing interpretations. Furthermore, the distribution platforms may not enforce their standard terms and policies for application developers consistently and uniformly across all applications and with all publishers. A platform provider may also change its fee structure, add fees associated with access to and use of its platform and alter how developers and publishers are able to advertise on the platform. Such terms and policy changes may decrease the visibility or availability of the games featured on our platform, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we may be subject to changes in the policies or structures of online platforms for purchase and download mobile applications that may negatively impact the number of organic downloads of our games.
If the growth of high-bandwidth capabilities, particularly for mobile devices, is slower than we expect, end-user growth, retention, and engagement may be seriously harmed. Additionally, to deliver high-quality content over mobile cellular networks, the games offered through our platform must work well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks, regulations, and standards that we do not control. In addition, the adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth, popularity, or use of the Internet, including laws governing Internet neutrality, could decrease the demand for our platform and increase our cost of doing business. Specifically, any laws that would allow mobile providers in the United States or abroad to impede access to content, or otherwise discriminate against our content, such as providing for faster or better access to our competitors, over their data networks, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We are subject to risks associated with disruptive technologies, including AI.
Presently, we employ AI, machine learning technologies, and automated decision-making technologies, including proprietary AI and machine learning algorithms and models (collectively, “AI Technologies”) throughout our business, and are making significant investments in this area. AI technologies present risks related to data quality, bias, cybersecurity, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and market acceptance. If our AI systems are improperly designed, trained on inadequate or biased data, or used without sufficient oversight, our products, operations, and reputation could be adversely affected.
We also rely on third-party AI providers and infrastructure, and any disruption, cost increase, or change in terms could adversely affect our operations.
Historically, a limited number of games have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. If these games were to become less popular or be removed from our platform and we are unable to identify and market suitable replacements, our business and prospects could suffer.
Historically, our top games and related developers have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue earned from the Skillz platform . For the year ended December 31, 2025 , Tether accounted for 51% of our revenue and Big Run accounted for 23% of revenue. These games, and the related developers, have historically been subject to our terms of service, which include, among other things, developer exclusivity for certain periods of time, as modified by negotiated agreements. The negotiated agreements provide Skillz with the discretion, but not the obligation, to provide marketing support for specified games and for
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revenue sharing with the developers that is more favorable to Skillz than our standard terms. These negotiated agreements restrict the removal of the applicable games from our platform for at least 12 months following termination.
As previously disclosed, on August 29, 2025, we received a notice (“Notice”) from Tether indicating that Tether is terminating all of its various agreements with us (the “Tether Agreements”), including our terms or services, effective as of September 1, 2025. Tether’s Notice provides that Tether is terminating the Tether Agreements for convenience, while also asserting grounds for termination for cause (effective as of September 28, 2025) in the event its termination for convenience is not held as effective by a competent tribunal. We believe the termination notice to be invalid and in breach of Tether’s obligations under the Tether Agreements.
Certain of the Tether Agreements restrict the removal of two games covered thereby, Solitaire Cube and 21 Blitz, from the Company’s platform for at least 18 months following termination. During the post-termination period, Skillz has the option, but not the obligation, to host paid competitions for such games on the platform.
Following receipt of the Notice, on September 1, 2025, we filed suit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, seeking injunctive and declaratory relief in relation to Tether’s breach of the Tether Agreements. The Company is also disputing Tether’s allegations with respect to the grounds for termination of the Tether Agreements for cause. We intend to defend our position, but can provide no assurances regarding the outcome of the claim and the impact it may have on our business. See “–We have been and continue to be party to litigation and we may be subject to future litigation in the operation of our business. An adverse outcome in one or more proceedings could adversely affect our business” below for additional information related to risks associated with our litigation.
If we are unable to negotiate new terms with Tether (or, when necessary, with any other top developers) or any new terms are less favorable to us, or if our litigation against Tether is unsuccessful, and games were to be removed from our platform and we are unable to identify and market suitable replacements, there may be a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We rely on our third-party developer partners to develop and update all of the game features on our platform not tied to our SDK. The decision of developers to remove the SDK from their games or changes in the terms of our commercial relationship with third-party developers could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, the failure of developers to provide timely and reliable updates to their games could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We rely significantly on third-party developers to create and maintain the games offered on our platform, and our success depends on our ability to establish and sustain favorable commercial relationships with these developers, including through initiatives such as our Developer Accelerator program. These relationships are generally governed by standard terms of service, and in some cases, negotiated agreements. However, competition for high-quality developers is intense, and there can be no assurance that existing developers will continue to support our platform or provide new content.
If we are unable to attract or retain developers, if the terms of these relationships become less favorable, or if developers remove or fail to update their games, including timely integration of our SDK, our platform performance, user engagement, and financial results could be adversely affected. In addition, we may not realize a return on capital deployed to support developer initiatives.
We may also make strategic investments or adjust developer terms to support long-term relationships, which could adversely impact our short-term operating results. These efforts may not yield the anticipated long-term benefits, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be harmed.
It may become increasingly difficult and more expensive for us to acquire players for our games and we may not achieve a positive return on investment on our user acquisition efforts.
User acquisition is critical to our business and may become more difficult and costly due to increasing competition in mobile and real-money gaming. We rely primarily on digital advertising networks, developers, and affiliate partners, and depend on paid marketing to drive user growth. If new game launches or marketing efforts fail to attract sufficient users, our revenue and operating results could be adversely affected.
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Our marketing strategy is designed to generate a positive return on investment, which requires accurate assumptions regarding user engagement and lifetime value. If these assumptions prove inaccurate, or if user acquisition costs exceed the revenue generated from acquired users, our operating results and financial condition could be materially harmed.
Our growth will depend on the ability to attract and retain end-users who participate in paid-entry fee contests, and the loss of such end-users, or failure to attract new end-users in a cost-effective manner, would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our business depends on maintaining a successful platform for third-party developed games that end-users will download and pay entry fees to compete in. As a result, our business relies on our ability to engage with players by consistently and timely making available through our platform games that are engaging, trustworthy and competitive with compelling content, features and events.
The success of the games featured on our platform depends, in part, on unpredictable and volatile factors beyond our control, including consumer preferences, competing games, new mobile platforms and the availability of other entertainment experiences. Our end-users have accounts in which they make deposits and hold prior winnings. If the games offered on our platform do not meet consumer expectations, if they are not marketed in a timely and effective manner, or if end-users decide to withdraw prior winnings rather than apply such winnings as entry fees to enter subsequent paid contests on our platform our revenue cash flow and financial performance will be negatively affected. End-user liability as of December 31, 2025 amounted to $8.2 million and is reflected in our balance sheet within other current liabilities. Typically, these funds are returned to end-users if they choose to withdraw them from their account.
In addition to the market factors noted above and elsewhere in these risk factors, our ability to successfully attract games to our platform and the ability of such games to achieve commercial success will depend on our ability to:
• achieve benefits from player acquisition costs;
• achieve viral organic growth and gain user interest in our featured games through free or paid channels;
• adapt to changing player preferences;
• adapt to new technologies and feature sets for mobile and other devices;
• attract, retain and motivate talented and experienced third-party game developers to our platform;
• partner with mobile platforms and obtain featuring opportunities;
• continue to adapt to an increasingly diverse set of mobile devices, including various operating systems and specifications, limited bandwidth, and varying processing power and screen sizes;
• achieve and maintain successful end-user engagement;
• host games that can build upon or become franchise games;
• accurately forecast the timing and expense of our operations, including costs to secure and retain game developers and end-user adoption;
• minimize and quickly resolve bugs or outages negatively impacting our platform or games on our platform; and
• acquire and successfully integrate high quality mobile game assets, personnel or companies.
These and other uncertainties make it difficult to know whether our platform will succeed in continuing to host successful games and new games and features in accordance with our operating plan. If we do not succeed in doing so, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could suffer.
If users engage in criminal, inappropriate or fraudulent activities that seek to exploit our platform and users, our ability to attract and retain developers and users may be harmed, which could have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results. If we fail to detect fraud or theft, including by end-users and employees, our reputation and brand may suffer, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and can subject us to investigations and litigation.
We have incurred, and may continue to incur, losses from fraudulent activities, including unauthorized payments, use of stolen or invalid payment methods, identity theft, and other financial fraud. We may be held liable for fraudulent transactions, even if approved by financial institutions. Failure to detect or prevent such activity in a timely manner could result in financial losses, operational disruption, and reputational harm.
In addition, third parties may develop “cheating” tools that exploit vulnerabilities in games on our platform, including automating gameplay, enabling collusion, or otherwise undermining fair play. These activities may degrade user experience, reduce player and developer engagement, and result in lost revenue, increased costs, and potential liability.
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Advances in AI may further increase the sophistication and scale of fraud and cheating, as well as the risk of unauthorized access to or misuse of data. Our inability to effectively prevent or mitigate these risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and reputation.
Maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation is critical to our business prospects. Failure to maintain or grow our brand and reputation could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our brand and reputation are critical to attracting, retaining, and growing our developer and user base. If we fail to maintain or enhance the “Skillz” brand, including through adequate trademark protection, our growth and competitiveness could be adversely affected. Our reputation depends in part on our ability to provide high-quality, reliable, and secure games on our platform. Product defects, bugs, security vulnerabilities, unpopular platform changes, or low-quality content may harm user experience, reduce trust, and damage our brand.
Our brand may also be negatively affected by fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity on our platform, including cheating or conduct by users acting under false identities, as well as any failure to respond effectively to such activity or user concerns. In addition, actual or perceived regulatory non-compliance, or governmental, regulatory, or legal inquiries or actions, could harm our reputation regardless of outcome.
We have been and expect to continue to be subject to media, investor, and regulatory scrutiny relating to our platform, business practices, and operations. Any such scrutiny, including relating to game quality, data privacy, intellectual property, employment practices, or litigation, could damage our brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Companies and governmental agencies may restrict access to platforms, our website, mobile applications or the Internet generally, which could lead to the loss or slower growth of players on the Skillz platform.
Players generally need to access the Internet and in particular platforms or our website to play the games available on the Skillz platform. Companies and governmental agencies could block access to any platform, our website, mobile applications or the Internet generally for a number of reasons such as security or confidentiality concerns or regulatory reasons, or they may adopt policies that prohibit employees from accessing Apple or Google and our website or any social platform. If companies or governmental entities block or limit such or otherwise adopt policies restricting players from playing the games available on the Skillz platform, our business could be negatively impacted and could lead to the loss or slower growth of players on the Skillz platform.
We rely on assumptions and estimates to calculate certain of our key metrics, and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.
Certain of our key metrics, including Monthly Active Users (“MAUs”), Paying Monthly Active Users (“Paying MAUs”), Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User (“ARPU”), Average Revenue Per Paying Monthly Active User (“ARPPU”), Gross Marketplace Volume (“GMV”), Average GMV Per Paying Monthly Active User, Average GMV Per Monthly Active User, Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per paying active user, and average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per playing active user, are calculated using data tracked by our internal analytics systems based on tracking activity of user accounts. MAUs means the number of end-users who entered into a paid or free contest hosted on Skillz’s platform at least once in a month, averaged over each month in the period. Paying MAUs means the number of end-users who entered into a paid contest hosted on Skillz’s platform at least once in a month, averaged over each month in the period. ARPU means the average monthly revenue in a given period divided by average monthly MAUs in that period. ARPPU means the average monthly revenue in a given period divided by average monthly Paying MAUs in that period. Average GMV Per Paying Monthly Active User means the average GMV in a given month divided by Paying MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. Average GMV Per Monthly Active User means the average GMV in a given month divided by MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per paying active user reflects the average end-user incentives included in sales and marketing expense in a given month divided by Paying MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per playing active user reflects the average end-user incentives included in sales and marketing expense in a given month divided by MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. The analytics systems for these metrics and the resulting data have not been independently verified. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable calculations for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent in measuring usage and user engagement across the end-user base, and factors relating to user activity and systems may impact these numbers. The calculation of our key metrics and
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examples of how user activity and our systems may impact the calculation of these metrics is described in detail under the heading titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
We regularly review and may adjust our processes for calculating our internal metrics to improve their accuracy. If we determine that we can no longer calculate any of our key metrics with a sufficient degree of accuracy, and we cannot find an adequate replacement for the metric, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be harmed. In addition, if advertisers, platform partners or investors do not perceive end-user metrics to be accurate representations of the end-user base or end-user engagement, or if we discover material inaccuracies in end-user metrics, our reputation may be harmed and advertisers and platform partners may be less willing to allocate their budgets or resources to our products and services, which in either case could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.
Our strategy to expand internationally will be subject to increased challenges and risks; our growth prospects and market potential will depend on our ability to operate in a number of jurisdictions and if we fail to do so our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be impaired.
Our ability to grow our business will depend on our ability to offer our product offerings in a large number of jurisdictions or in heavily populated jurisdictions. If we fail to remain in large jurisdictions or in a greater number of mid-market jurisdictions, this may prevent us from expanding the footprint of our product offerings, increasing the end-user base and/or generating revenues. We cannot be certain that we will be able to conduct our skill-based gaming operations in any particular jurisdiction. Any failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
One of our growth strategies is to expand our business outside the United States. An important part of targeting international markets is developing offerings that are localized and customized for the players in those markets. Our ability to expand our business and to attract talented employees and players in international markets will require considerable management attention and resources and is subject to the particular challenges of supporting a rapidly growing business in an environment of multiple languages, cultures, customs, legal systems, alternative dispute systems, regulatory systems and commercial infrastructures. Expanding our international focus may subject us to risks that we have not faced before or increase risks that we currently face, including risks associated with:
• inability to host certain games in certain foreign countries;
• challenges caused by distance, language and cultural differences;
• developing and customizing games and other offerings that appeal to the tastes and preferences of players in international markets;
• competition from local game makers with significant market share in those markets and with a better understanding of player preferences;
• utilizing, protecting, defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights;
• the inability to extend proprietary rights in our brand, content or technology into new jurisdictions;
• implementing alternative payment methods for virtual items in a manner that complies with local laws and practices and protects us from fraud;
• compliance with applicable foreign laws and regulations, including privacy laws and laws relating to content and consumer protection;
• compliance with anti-bribery laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;
• credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud;
• currency exchange rate fluctuations;
• protectionist laws and business practices that favor local businesses in some countries;
• double taxation of our international earnings and potentially adverse tax consequences due to changes in the tax laws of the U.S. or the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate;
• political, economic and social instability;
• higher costs associated with doing business internationally;
• export or import regulations; and
• trade and tariff restrictions.
If we are unable to manage the complexity of our global operations successfully, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. Additionally, our ability to successfully gain market acceptance in any particular market is uncertain, and the distraction of our senior management team could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
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We rely on information technology (“IT”) and other systems and platforms, and any failures, errors, defects or disruptions in our or our vendors’ or other partners’ systems or platforms could diminish our brand and reputation, subject us to liability, disrupt our business, affect our ability to scale our technical infrastructure and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and growth prospects.
Our technology infrastructure is critical to the performance of our platform and offerings and to the satisfaction of our developer partners and users. We devote significant resources to network and data security that are designed to protect our systems and data, including resources devoted to the rapid evolution and increased adoption of AI technologies. However, cybersecurity incidents, including breaches, computer malware, computer hacking, ransom-related extortion events, system failures, fraud, data loss, and insider threats have become more prevalent in our industry, and our systems may not be adequately designed with the necessary reliability and redundancy to avoid performance delays or outages that could be harmful to our business. We cannot assure you that our current or future infrastructure protection technologies and recovery plans can prevent or mitigate such cybersecurity , any of which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation, and liquidity. Moreover, such could result in of our operations and the services we provide to users, legal or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and regulatory that cannot be estimated or predicted. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to comply with such laws and regulations, incur for , and otherwise be to and regulatory action as a result thereof. We have experienced and will continue to experience hacking attacks and attempted attacks of varying degrees from time to time. Given our prominence in the gaming industry, we believe we are a particularly target for hackers. Additionally, rapidly evolving technology and capabilities (including AI), evolving changes in the sources, capabilities and targets for cybersecurity attacks, as well as the increasing sophistication of cyber increase the risk of material data compromise or business .
Our vendors and other third parties with whom we do business, such as our developer partners, are also subject to the foregoing risks, and we do not have any control over them. We have experienced, and we may in the future experience, system disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors and capacity constraints. Such disruptions have not had a material impact, individually or in the aggregate to date; however, future disruptions from unauthorized access to, fraudulent manipulation of, or tampering with our computer systems and technological infrastructure, or those of third parties, could result in a wide range of negative outcomes, including violations of applicable privacy and other laws which can result in significant fines, governmental investigations and enforcement actions, legal and financial exposure, contractual liability and to our reputation, each of which could materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.
In addition to our proprietary AI Technologies, we use AI Technologies licensed from third parties in our operations and our ability to continue to use such technologies at the scale we need may be dependent on access to specific third-party software and infrastructure. We cannot control the availability or pricing of such third-party AI Technologies, especially in a highly competitive environment, and we may be unable to negotiate favorable economic terms with the applicable providers. If any such third-party AI Technologies become incompatible with our solutions or unavailable for use, or if the providers of such models unfavorably change the terms on which their AI Technologies are offered or terminate their relationship with us, our business will be harmed. In addition, to the extent any third-party AI Technologies are used as a hosted service, any disruption, outage, or loss of information through such hosted services could disrupt our operations or solutions, our reputation, cause a of confidence in our solutions, or result in legal or proceedings, for which we may be to recover from the affected provider.
Furthermore, certain of the data that we use in developing our AI Technologies is licensed from third parties, and we are dependent upon our ability to obtain necessary data licenses within appropriate time frames and on commercially reasonable terms, and such third parties’ assurances that such data was obtained and provided to us lawfully. Our data suppliers may withhold their data from us in certain circumstances, for example: if there is a competitive reason to do so; if we breach our contract with a supplier; if they are acquired by one of our competitors; or if new laws or case law restrict the use or dissemination of the data they provide. Additionally, we could terminate relationships with our data suppliers if they fail to adhere to our data quality, vendor or other standards. If a substantial number of data suppliers were to withdraw or withhold their data from us, or if we sever ties with our data suppliers based on their inability to meet our standards, our ability to develop our AI Technologies could be adversely impacted.
Additionally, the games offered through our platform may contain errors, bugs, flaws or corrupted data, and these defects may only become apparent after their launch. If a particular game is unavailable when users attempt to play it or navigation through our platform is slower than they expect, users may be unable to properly engage in the games we host. Furthermore, programming errors, defects and data corruption could disrupt our operations, adversely affect the experience of end-users, harm our reputation, cause end-users to stop utilizing our platforms, divert our resources and delay market acceptance of our
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offerings, any of which could result in legal liability to us or harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If our developer and the end-user base and engagement continue to grow, and the amount and types of games offered through our platform continue to grow and evolve, we will need an increasing amount of technical infrastructure, including network capacity and computing power, to continue to satisfy end-users’ needs. Such infrastructure expansion may be complex, and unanticipated delays in completing these projects or availability of components may lead to increased project costs, operational inefficiencies, or interruptions in the delivery or degradation of the quality of our platform. In addition, there may be issues related to this infrastructure that are not identified during the testing phases of design and implementation, which may only become evident after we have started to fully use the underlying equipment or software, that could further degrade the user experience or increase our costs. As such, we could fail to continue to effectively scale and grow our technical infrastructure to accommodate increased demands. In addition, our business may be subject to interruptions, or resulting from weather conditions, other natural , power , terrorism, cyber-attacks, public health emergencies or other events.
We believe that if our third-party developers or users have a negative experience with our platform or services, or if our brand or reputation is negatively affected, developers and users may be less inclined to continue or to engage with our platform. As such, a failure or significant interruption in our service would harm our reputation, business and operating results.
In addition, as we expand our business and acquire more users, it is important that we continue to maintain a high level of customer service and satisfaction. As our paying user base continues to grow, we will need to expand our customer service and personnel, which will require more complex management and systems. If we are not able to continue to provide high levels of customer service, we may lose acquired users.
We primarily rely, and expect to continue to rely, on Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) to deliver our offerings to users on our platform and any failure or disruption of or interference with our use of AWS could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our technology infrastructure is critical to the performance of our platform and to the satisfaction of our developer partners and users, as well as our corporate functions. Our platform and company systems run on a complex distributed system, or what is commonly known as cloud computing. We own, operate and maintain elements of this system, but significant elements of this system are operated by third parties that we do not control and which would require significant time and expense to replace. We expect this dependence on third parties to continue. We have suffered interruptions in service in the past, including when releasing new software versions or bug fixes, and we may in the future experience disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors and capacity constraints. If any such interruption were significant and/or prolonged it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, future prospects, results of operations or reputation. Further, if a particular game is when players attempt to access it or navigation through a game is than they expect, players may stop playing the game and may be less likely to return to the game as often, if at all.
In particular, a significant portion of our game traffic, data storage, data processing and other computing services and systems is hosted by AWS. AWS provides us with computing and storage capacity pursuant to an agreement that continues until terminated by either party. The agreement requires AWS to provide us their standard computing and storage capacity and related support in exchange for timely payment by us.
To the extent we or our third-party service providers do not effectively respond to any interruptions, upgrade systems as needed and continually develop technology and network architecture to accommodate traffic, our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. We do not maintain insurance policies covering losses relating to our systems and we do not have business interruption insurance. Furthermore, our disaster recovery systems and those of third parties with which we do business may not function as intended or may fail to adequately protect our critical business information in the event of a significant business interruption, which may cause interruption in service of our games, security breaches or the loss of data or functionality, leading to a effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In addition, in the event that any of our agreements with these third party service providers are terminated, we may experience significant costs or downtime in connection with the transfer to, or the addition of, new hosting or cloud computing providers. Although alternative providers could host our platform on a substantially similar basis, such transition could potentially be disruptive and we could incur significant costs in connection with such transition.
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Our use of third-party open-source software and AI Technologies could negatively affect our ability to offer our products and services through our platform and subject us to possible litigation.
We have incorporated, and may in the future incorporate, third-party open-source software in our technologies. Open source software is generally licensed by its authors or other third parties under open-source licenses. From time to time, companies that use third-party open-source software have faced claims challenging the use of such open-source software and requesting compliance with the open-source software license terms. Accordingly, we may be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open-source software or claiming non-compliance with the applicable open-source licensing terms. Some open-source software licenses require end-users who use, distribute or make available across a network software and services that include open-source software to offer to the public aspects of the technology that incorporates the open-source software for no cost, make publicly available source code (which in some circumstances could include valuable proprietary code) for modifications or derivative works created based upon incorporating or using the open-source software and/or to license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of the particular open-source license. If we combine our proprietary software with open-source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain open-source licenses, be required to release or license the source code of our proprietary software to the public. Additionally, if a third-party software provider has incorporated open-source software into software that we license from such provider, we could be required to any of our source code that incorporates or is a modification of our licensed software. While we have internal processes and use tools designed to help us monitor and comply with the licenses of third-party open-source software and protect our proprietary source code, we may use third-party open-source software in a manner that us to of non-compliance with the terms of their licenses, including of intellectual property rights or for of contract. Furthermore, there exists today an increasing number of types of open-source software licenses, almost none of which have been tested in courts of law to provide guidance of their proper legal interpretations, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes conditions or restrictions on our use of the open-source software. If we were to receive a claim of non-compliance with the terms of any of these open-source licenses, we may be required to publicly release certain portions of our proprietary source code, expend substantial time and resources to re-engineer some of our software, or pay , settlement fees or a royalty to use certain open-source software. Any of the foregoing could and our business.
Additionally, we use certain third-party AI Technologies that are made available under an open source or open weights license. Such freely available open AI Technologies may not always be actively maintained or supported by the provider and as such, may have heightened risks of introducing inaccuracies or vulnerabilities into our business operations or products or services. Further, if the licensor for such open AI Technologies developed their models by training on data that was inaccurate, biased or for which it did not have the appropriate rights, we could be subject to claims or lawsuits arising from our use or modification of such AI Technologies, including for infringement of third-party intellectual property. In addition, our usage of open AI Technologies may limit our ability to protect our intellectual property rights or proprietary data, or subject us to new payment or non-compete obligations for any products or services we seek to commercialize that use such open AI Technologies.
In addition, the use of third-party open-source software or open AI Technologies typically exposes us to greater risks than the use of third-party commercial software as open-source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, controls, indemnification or other contractual protections regarding the functionality or origin of the software. Use of open-source software or open AI Technologies may also present additional security risks as the public availability of such software may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to compromise our platform. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and could help our competitors develop products and services that are similar to or better than ours.
We rely on third-party providers to validate the identity and identify the location of end-users, and if such providers fail to perform adequately, or if we do not maintain business relationships with them, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
There is no guarantee that the third-party geolocation and identity verification systems that we rely on will perform adequately, or be effective. We rely on our geolocation and identity verification systems to ensure we are in compliance with certain laws and regulations, and any service disruption to those systems would prohibit us from operating our platform in compliance with law, or at all, and would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Additionally, incorrect or misleading geolocation and identity verification data with respect to current or potential users received from third-party service providers may result in us inadvertently allowing access to our offerings to individuals who should not be permitted to access them, or otherwise inadvertently deny access to individuals who should be able to access our offerings. Our third-party geolocation services provider relies on its ability to obtain information necessary to determine geolocation from mobile devices, operating systems, and other sources. Changes, or temporary or permanent to access such
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sources by our third-party services providers may result in their inability to accurately determine the location of end-users. Moreover, our inability to maintain our existing contracts with third-party services providers, or to replace them with equivalent third parties, may result in our inability to access geolocation and identity verification data necessary for our day-to-day operations. If any of these risks materializes, we may be subject to disciplinary action, fines, lawsuits, and our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and reputation could be adversely affected.
We rely on third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by end-users on the platform, and if we cannot manage our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Further, we may have difficulty accessing the services of banks, credit card issuers and payment processing services providers, which may make it difficult to sell our products and services.
We rely on a limited number of third-party payment processors to handle deposits and withdrawals on our platform. If these providers terminate or fail to renew their agreements on acceptable terms, experience outages, errors, or security incidents, or are unable to support our needs, we may lose the ability to process payments or timely pay users, which could damage trust in our platform and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain players.
Nearly all of our payments are made by credit card, debit card or through other third-party payment services, which subjects us to certain regulations and to the risk of fraud. We may in the future offer new payment options to users that may be subject to additional regulations and risks. We are also subject to a number of other laws and regulations relating to the payments we accept from end-users, including with respect to money laundering, money transfers, privacy and information security. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties, fines and/or higher transaction fees and may lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment card transactions, which could make our offerings less convenient and attractive to end-users. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected.
Additionally, our payment processors require us to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or reinterpret existing rules in ways that might prohibit us from providing certain offerings to some users, be costly to implement or difficult to follow. We have agreed to reimburse our payment processors for fines they are assessed by payment card networks if we or the users on our platform violate these rules.
Our payment activities are subject to extensive card-network rules and laws governing money transmission, fraud prevention, and data security. Noncompliance, new or reinterpreted network rules, or reluctance by banks and processors to serve gaming businesses could increase our costs, limit payment options, or restrict our operations. If we were unable to maintain Skillz’s bank accounts or end-users were unable to use their credit cards, bank accounts or e-wallets to make deposits and withdrawals from our platforms it would make it difficult for us to operate our business, increase our operating costs, and pose additional operational, logistical and security challenges which could result in an inability to implement our business plan. Any disruption in our payment processing capabilities could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We rely on other third-party service providers and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our success depends in part on our relationships with our third-party service providers. If those providers do not perform adequately, end-users may experience issues or interruptions with their experiences on our platform. Furthermore, if any of our partners terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we would need to find an alternate provider, and we may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such providers in an acceptable time frame. We also rely on software and services supplied by third parties, such as game content, and our business may be adversely affected to the extent such game content does not meet our expectations, contains errors or vulnerabilities, is compromised or experiences outages. Any of these risks could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Further, any publicity related to any of our third-party partners, including any publicity related to regulatory , could affect our reputation and brand, and could potentially lead to increased regulatory or exposure.
We incorporate technology from third parties into our platform. We cannot be certain that our licensors are not infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others or that our suppliers and licensors have sufficient rights to such technology in all jurisdictions in which we may operate. In addition, some of our license agreements
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may be terminated by our licensors for convenience. If we are unable to obtain or maintain rights to any of this technology as a result of intellectual property infringement claims brought by third parties against our suppliers and licensors or against us, or if we are unable to continue to obtain such technology or enter into new agreements on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to develop our platform could be severely limited and our business could be harmed. Additionally, if we are unable to obtain necessary technology from third parties, we may be forced to acquire or develop alternate technology, which may require significant time and effort and may be of lower quality or performance standards. This would limit and delay our ability to provide new or competitive offerings and increase our costs. If alternate technology cannot be obtained or developed, we may not be to offer certain functionality as part of our offerings, which could affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and prospects.
Our workforce and operations have fluctuated substantially since our inception. If we are unable to effectively manage future expected growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected.
We have experienced rapid growth since our inception, which has increased the complexity of our operations and placed significant demands on our management, personnel, systems, and internal controls. Continued expansion may strain our resources, and our existing infrastructure, procedures, and controls may not be sufficient to support future growth. Failure to effectively manage operational scaling, upgrade our technology and financial systems, or hire and retain qualified personnel could result in inefficiencies, service disruptions, or loss of users, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
In addition, maintaining an engaged, diverse, and inclusive workforce is critical to our innovation and long-term success. Misalignment between organizational values and employee expectations, or failure to effectively manage evolving social, cultural, or diversity priorities, could harm morale, productivity, and retention, and damage our reputation. As our organizational structure becomes more complex, we strive to implement consistent policies and controls across regions. If we fail to do so, or if future restructuring or reductions in force produce unintended attrition, lower morale, or reputational harm, our ability to attract and retain talent and achieve operational objectives could be materially and adversely affected.
The growth and success of our business will depend on the performance of the current and future employees of Skillz, including certain key employees. Recruitment and retention of these individuals is vital to growing our business and meeting our business plans. The loss of any of our key executives or other key employees could harm our business.
Our ability to compete and grow depends heavily on the efforts and talents of our employees and senior management, including our Co-Founder and CEO, Andrew Paradise. The loss of Mr. Paradise or other key members of our leadership team could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We do not maintain key-person insurance or long-term employment agreements with our senior executives. We have recently experienced several management transitions, including changes in our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Corporate Controller, and General Counsel roles, and we continue to recruit for certain key positions. Executive transitions and related succession activities may result in operational disruption, loss of institutional knowledge, and difficulty attracting or retaining other key personnel.
Our success also depends on our ability to attract, develop, and retain highly skilled employees in a competitive labor market, particularly engineers, product managers, and data scientists. Ongoing turnover, competition for talent, and market uncertainty have placed significant demands on our organization. If we fail to attract or retain qualified personnel, our ability to execute our strategic and operational objectives could be impaired. Additionally, volatility in our stock price or changes in equity compensation practices may reduce the effectiveness of our incentive programs and increase employee attrition. Any failure to effectively recruit, retain, and motivate key executives and employees could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Economic downturns and political and market conditions beyond our control could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our games and contests are discretionary purchases, and demand for our platform is sensitive to changes in global and domestic economic conditions. Inflation, rising interest rates, reduced consumer confidence, higher unemployment, constrained consumer credit, and downturns in financial markets may reduce users’ disposable income and spending on our platform. Ongoing economic uncertainty may also make consumer spending patterns more volatile and difficult to predict.
In addition, geopolitical conflicts and related sanctions, trade restrictions, or supply chain disruptions—including those involving Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan, Israel and Gaza, Israel, and the United States and Iran—may further disrupt
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global markets and economic conditions. Any sustained economic weakness or geopolitical instability could adversely affect our user engagement, revenue, and overall business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Global climate change, the occurrence of an earthquake, other natural disaster or other significant business interruption at or near any of our facilities could cause damage to our facilities and equipment and interfere with our operations.
There is evidence of global climate change, which could present risks to our future operations from natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires or flooding. Such extreme weather conditions could pose physical risks to our facilities and disrupt operation of our third-party developer partners, service providers and our game players and may increase operational costs. Any new climate-related rules, as well as other changes the government might implement, could impose significant new burdens on us and our third-party developer partners and service providers, with significant costs and operational impacts, and adversely impact our ability to maintain our platform and operate successfully.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), may strain our resources and divert management’s attention, the increases in legal, accounting and compliance expenses may be greater than we anticipate, and there can be no assurance that we will continue to satisfy these obligations.
In December 2020, we became a public company, and as such, have incurred, and will continue to incur (and particularly now that we are no longer an “emerging growth company”), significant legal, accounting and other expenses that Skillz did not incur as a private company. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as the rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC and the listing standards of the NYSE, including changes in corporate governance practices and the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. Compliance with these rules and regulations can be burdensome. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. In addition, these rules and regulations have and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. We have incurred and expect to incur in the future significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward the remediation of material weaknesses. We will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff, and engage outside consultants, all with appropriate experience and technical accounting knowledge and maintain an internal audit function, which will increase our operating expenses.
Further, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. We must invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and such investment may result in further increased general and administrative expenses. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
Our international business exposes us to risks relating to regulation, currency fluctuations and political or economic instability in foreign markets, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
We conduct business internationally, including engaging a significant portion of our workforce in Bangalore, and we intend to continue to do so in the future. International operations are subject to certain risks, such as unexpected changes in laws, policies and regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to, regulations related to trade controls; increased cost of localizing systems in foreign countries; increased sales and marketing and research and development expenses; availability of suitable export financing; timing and availability of export licenses; imposition or increases of taxes, tariffs, embargoes and other trade barriers; political and economic instability; issues related to the political relationship between the United States and other countries; effects of austerity programs or similar significant budget reduction programs; potential preferences by prospective customers to purchase from local (non-U.S.) sources; and fluctuations in currency exchange rates, foreign exchange controls and restrictions on cash repatriation; compliance with international laws and U.S. laws affecting the activities of U.S. companies abroad; challenges in staffing and managing foreign operations; difficulties in managing distributors; requirements for additional liquidity to fund our international operations; difficulties in obtaining or enforcing judgments in foreign jurisdictions; legal protection of our intellectual property rights in certain countries; potentially tax consequences; potential in making adequate payment arrangements; and potential in collecting accounts receivable. As a result of these and other risks, we may be in implementing our business plan or we may not be to the revenues that we expect.
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Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters
We are subject to laws and regulations concerning privacy, information security, data protection, consumer protection and protection of minors, and these laws and regulations are continually evolving. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with these laws and regulations could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects.
We receive, store and process personal information and other data relating to our employees and business contacts, as well as player data, and we enable our players to share their personal information with each other and with third parties, including on the Internet and mobile platforms. There are numerous federal, state and local laws around the world regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal information and other player data on the Internet and mobile platforms, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent between countries or conflict with other rules. A number of these laws, rules and regulations require us to provide notification to players, investors, regulators and other affected parties in the event of a security breach of certain personal data, or require the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to practically implement.
Various government and consumer agencies have called for new regulation and changes in industry practices and are continuing to review the need for greater regulation for the collection of information concerning consumer behavior on the Internet, including regulation aimed at restricting certain targeted advertising practices. In the United States, there are numerous federal and state privacy laws, data breach notification laws, and consumer protection laws. For example, the State of California’s passage of the CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, created new privacy rights for consumers residing in the state. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA allows for the California Attorney General to impose civil penalties and also provides a privacy right of action for certain data breaches. California voters also recently passed the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which went into effect on January 1, 2023. The CPRA significantly modifies the CCPA, including by imposing additional obligations on covered companies and expanding California consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information, potentially resulting in further uncertainty and requiring us to incur additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply. Other states such as Virginia have also adopted similar privacy laws that became enforceable in 2023, or are considering adopting similar data protection laws, which may go into effect throughout 2025 and beyond. In addition, laws in all 50 states require businesses to provide notice to consumers whose personal information has been as a result of a data . There is also increased attention being given to the collection of data from minors. For instance, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) requires companies to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13.
We are also subject to international laws, regulations and standards in many jurisdictions, which apply broadly to the collection, use, retention, security, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information. For example, the GDPR, which became effective in May 2018, greatly increased the European Commission’s jurisdictional reach of its laws and added a broad array of requirements for handling personal data. The European Union (“EU”) member states are tasked under the GDPR to enact, and have enacted, certain implementing legislation that adds to and/or further interprets the GDPR requirements and potentially extends our obligations and potential liability for failing to meet such obligations. The GDPR, together with national legislation, regulations and guidelines of the EU member states and the United Kingdom governing the processing of personal data, impose strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to collect, use, retain, protect, disclose, transfer and otherwise process personal data. In particular, the GDPR includes obligations and restrictions concerning data transparency and consent, the overall rights of individuals to whom the personal international data relates, the transfer of personal data out of the European Economic Area ("EEA") or the United Kingdom, security breach notifications restrictions and the security and confidentiality of personal data. The GDPR authorizes for certain of up to 4% of global annual revenue or €20 million, whichever is . Recent legal developments in Europe have created further complexity and uncertainty regarding transfers of personal data from the EEA and the United Kingdom to the United States. In July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework (“Privacy Shield”) under which personal data could be transferred from the EEA to the United States. While the CJEU upheld the adequacy of standard contractual clauses, a standard form of contract approved by the European Commission as an adequate personal data transfer mechanism and potential alternative to the Privacy Shield, it made clear that reliance on them alone may not necessarily be sufficient in all circumstances. Further, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. As of January 1, 2021, we are also subject to the UK GDPR and UK Data Protection Act of 2018, which retain the GDPR in the United Kingdom’s national law. These laws require us to review and amend the legal mechanisms by which we make and/or receive personal data transfers. Additionally, on August 1, 2024, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (the “EU AI Act”) entered into , and establishes a comprehensive, risk-based governance framework for AI in the EU market. The majority of the substantive requirements are expected to apply from August 2, 2026, though the European Commission has proposed an extension to December 2, 2027 (such extension is not yet finalized or ). The
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EU AI Act applies to companies that develop, use and/or provide AI in the EU and authorizes fines for certain breaches of up to 7% of worldwide annual turnover. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data export mechanisms, including circumstances where the standard contractual clauses and other mechanisms cannot be used, and/or start taking enforcement action, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we do business, the geographical location or segregation of our relevant operations, and could adversely affect our financial results.
Additionally, the regulatory framework for AI Technologies is rapidly evolving. Already, certain existing legal regimes (e.g., relating to data privacy) regulate certain aspects of AI Technologies, and many federal, state and foreign government bodies and agencies have enacted or are currently considering additional laws and regulations governing AI. The impact of these emerging AI laws and regulations is still uncertain. Existing laws and regulations may be enjoined in judicial proceedings, or may be interpreted or enforced in ways that would affect the operation of our AI Technologies, or could be rescinded or amended as new administrations take differing approaches to evolving AI Technologies. As a result, implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, and we cannot predict the impact future laws, regulations, or standards, or the market perception of their requirements, may have on our business or how we will respond to these laws or regulations.
In the United States, the regulatory framework for AI Technologies faces significant uncertainty. At the federal level, Congress has yet to enact comprehensive AI legislation. Instead, federal policy on AI has been shaped by a series of executive orders that have shifted priorities and requirements substantially depending on the administration in power.
In the absence of comprehensive federal AI legislation, states have enacted laws regulating different aspects of AI Technologies creating a patchwork of regulations and a complex compliance challenge. For example, California has enacted several laws and regulations related to AI safety protocols, reporting and transparency, among other AI-related topics. In addition, Colorado’s Artificial Intelligence Act will require developers and deployers of “high-risk” AI systems to implement certain safeguards against algorithmic discrimination (among other requirements), Utah’s Artificial Intelligence Policy Act establishes disclosure requirements and accountability measures for the use of generative AI in certain consumer interaction, and the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act prohibits the development and deployment of AI systems for certain purposes while establishing a regulatory sandbox. Moreover, state AI laws such as Colorado’s Artificial Intelligence Act and various comprehensive state privacy laws, including the CCPA, regulate the use of automated decision making technology that results in legal or similarly significant effects on individuals, and provide rights to individuals with respect to that automated decision making. Many states have also enacted sector-specific AI laws, including related to the use of AI for health-related purposes and financial services.
The durability of these state AI laws and the potential of additional state-level legislative activity faces uncertainty following President Trump’s December 2025 Executive Order “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence.” This Executive Order establishes a federal policy favoring a uniform national AI regulatory framework designed to promote innovation and U.S. global competitiveness. The order directs federal agencies to identify, challenge, and potentially pre-empt state and local AI laws that are viewed as inconsistent with or burdensome to this national approach. It remains to be seen how agencies will effectuate this directive, and how states will approach AI legislation moving forward. Any or all of the foregoing regulatory developments could affect our use of AI and our ability to provide, improve or commercialize our services, require changes to our operations and processes, and materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with existing or newly enacted laws, regulations and other requirements relating to AI Technologies could result in legal or proceedings (including class actions), regulatory or enforcement actions.
Compliance with GDPR, CCPA, COPPA and similar legal requirements adopted in the United States and in other non-U.S. jurisdictions has required us to devote significant operational resources and incur significant expenses. We expect the number of jurisdictions adopting their own data privacy laws to increase, which will require us to devote additional significant operational resources and incur additional significant expenses related to our compliance, monitoring, and control obligations and will also increase our exposure to risks of claims by our players that we have not complied with all applicable data privacy laws.
We strive to comply with applicable laws, policies, legal and contractual obligations and certain industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection, to the extent reasonably attainable. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. It is also possible that new laws, policies, legal obligations or industry codes of conduct may be passed, or existing laws, policies, legal obligations or industry codes of conduct may be interpreted in such a way that could require us to take
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further compliance steps and/or could prevent us from being able to offer services to citizens of a certain jurisdiction or may make it costlier or more difficult for us to do so. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policy and terms of service, our privacy-related obligations to players or other third parties, or our privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other player data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, investigations, litigation or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause our players to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects. Additionally, if third parties we work with, such as players, vendors or developers violate applicable laws or our policies, such may also put our players’ information at risk and could in turn have an effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects.
Our data practices are subject to a complex and evolving framework of federal, state, and international privacy, data protection, and security laws, including the GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, COPPA, and similar laws in other jurisdictions. Failure, or perceived failure, to comply with applicable privacy and data protection laws, contractual commitments, or our own policies—or any actual or suspected data breach or misuse of personal information—could result in regulatory investigations, litigation, fines, penalties, loss of player trust, and reputational harm. In particular, international data transfer restrictions and heightened enforcement of data protection requirements in the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom could increase our compliance burden, limit our ability to operate efficiently across markets, and materially and affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and reputation.
Our business is subject to a variety of U.S. and foreign laws, many of which are unsettled and still developing and which could subject us to claims or otherwise harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Any change in existing laws, or their interpretation, or the regulatory climate applicable to our platform and services, or changes in tax laws or interpretation thereof related to our platform and services, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as currently conducted or as we seek to operate in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
We are subject to a variety of laws in the U.S. and abroad that affect our business, including state and federal laws regarding skill-based gaming, consumer protection, electronic marketing, data protection and privacy, competition, taxation, intellectual property, AI, export and national security, which are continuously evolving and developing. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly outside the U.S. In 2022, the Australian Taxation Office completed a comprehensive review of the Company’s tax obligations and determined the Company was required to register for the Goods and Service Tax in Australia. The Company then conducted a review of other foreign jurisdictions and determined it was liable for indirect taxation in various countries. See Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for further details. There is a risk that existing or future laws may be interpreted in a manner that is not consistent with our current practices, and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. It is also likely that as our business grows and evolves, particularly if we expand to other countries, we will become subject to laws in additional jurisdictions or other jurisdictions may claim that we are required to comply with their laws.
State and federal laws in the U.S. distinguish generally between games of skill and games of chance. We only enable games for paid entry-fee contests in states in which skill-based gaming is permitted and not required to be licensed as gambling under applicable state law. We use proprietary algorithms and data science tools designed to ensure that the degree of skill involved in affecting the outcome of a contest is sufficient to comply with applicable state laws. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to the determination as to whether a contest is skill-based, and therefore beyond the scope of a state’s gambling laws and licensing requirements, are subject to interpretation and evolving. There is a risk that existing or future laws in the states in which we operate may be interpreted in a manner that is not consistent with our current practices, and could have an adverse impact on our business and prospects. Additionally, existing and future laws that permit skill-based gaming may be accompanied in the future by restrictions, licensing requirements or taxes that make it impractical or less feasible to operate in these jurisdictions.
It is possible that a number of laws may be adopted or construed to apply to us that could restrict the online and mobile gaming industries, including player privacy, taxation, content suitability, copyright, distribution and antitrust. Furthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on companies such as ours conducting business through the Internet and mobile devices. We anticipate that scrutiny and regulation of our industry will increase and we will be required to devote legal and other resources to addressing such regulation. For example, existing laws or new laws regarding the marketing of in-app purchases, or regulation of currency, banking institutions, unclaimed property or money transmission may be interpreted to cover the games and contests featured on our platform and the entry fees paid in respect of such contests. If that were to occur, we may be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and
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other requirements and we may become subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could be time consuming and significantly increase our operating costs. Any delays in obtaining or difficulty in maintaining regulatory approvals needed for expansion within existing jurisdictions or into new jurisdictions may negatively affect our opportunities for growth, including the growth of our customer base, or delay our ability to recognize revenue from our offerings in any such jurisdictions. Regulatory authorities may have broad powers with respect to the regulation and licensing of skill- based gaming operations and may revoke, suspend, condition or limit such licenses, impose substantial fines on us or take other actions, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We will strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our business. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may with other rules. Non-compliance with any such law or regulations could us to , proceedings, and by private parties and government authorities, as well as substantial and publicity, each of which may materially and affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, growth prospects and reputation.
Governmental authorities could view us as having violated applicable laws, despite our efforts to comply. There is also a risk that civil and criminal proceedings, brought by or on behalf of prosecutors or public entities or incumbent providers of entertainment and gaming services, or private individuals, including class actions, could be initiated against us, Internet service providers, credit card and other payment processors, advertisers and others involved in the skill-based gaming industries. Such potential proceedings could involve substantial litigation expense, penalties, fines, seizure of assets, injunctions or other restrictions being imposed upon us or our business partners, while diverting the attention of key executives. Such proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as impact our reputation.
There can be no assurance that legally enforceable legislation will not be proposed and passed in jurisdictions relevant or potentially relevant to our business to prohibit, restrict, or regulate various aspects of the skill-based gaming industry (or that existing laws in those jurisdictions will not be interpreted negatively by governmental authorities). Compliance with any such legislation may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition results of operations and prospects, either as a result of our determination that a jurisdiction should be blocked, or that a local license or approval may be costly for us or our business partners to obtain and/or such licenses or approvals may contain other commercially undesirable conditions.
Changes in tax laws or tax rulings could materially affect our effective tax rates, financial position and results of operations.
Currently, Skillz is subject to indirect taxation and reporting in various domestic and international jurisdictions. The tax regimes we are subject to or operate under are unsettled and may be subject to significant change. In the course of our business, there will be many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Changes in tax laws or tax rulings, or changes in interpretations of existing laws, could cause us to be subject to additional income-based taxes and non-income taxes (such as payroll, sales, use, value-added, digital tax, net worth, property, and goods and services taxes), which in turn could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. For example, in July 2025, the U.S Congress enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes significant provisions, including tax cut extensions and modifications to the international tax framework. While Skillz continues to evaluate the impact of these legislative changes as additional guidance becomes available, uncertainty remains regarding the timing and interpretation by tax authorities in affected jurisdictions. These legislative changes could have an adverse impact on Skillz’s future effective tax rate, tax liabilities, and cash tax.
Additionally, there is no guarantee that the tax regime to which we are subject in the U.S. and abroad will not change to our detriment. In addition, from time to time, various legislators and other government officials have proposed and adopted changes in tax laws, or in the administration or interpretation of such laws, affecting the gaming industry. For example, many countries in the European Union, as well as a number of other countries, including India, and organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, have recently proposed or recommended changes to existing tax laws or have enacted new laws that could impact our tax obligations. Any significant changes to our future effective tax rate may result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any worsening of economic conditions and the large number of jurisdictions with significant current or projected budget deficits could intensify the efforts of governments to raise revenues through increases in gaming taxes and/or other taxes. It is not possible to determine with certainty the likelihood of changes in tax laws or in the administration or interpretation or enforcement of such laws. Any material increase, or the adoption of additional taxes or fees, could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Additionally, tax authorities may impose indirect taxes on internet-related commercial activity based on existing statutes and regulations which, in some cases, were established prior to the advent of the Internet. Tax authorities may interpret laws originally enacted for mature industries and apply it to newer industries, such as the skill-based gaming industry. The application of such laws may be from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
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We have been and continue to be party to litigation and we may be subject to future litigation in the operation of our business. An adverse outcome in one or more proceedings could adversely affect our business.
We are, and in the future may again become, involved in claims, suits, government investigations, and proceedings with various plaintiffs arising in the ordinary course of our business, including actions with respect to intellectual property claims, privacy, data protection or law enforcement matters, tax matters, labor and employment claims, commercial and acquisition-related claims and other matters. Such claims, suits, government investigations, and proceedings are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted. Regardless of their outcomes, such legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on us in light of legal costs, diversion of management and other personnel, and other factors. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in liability, penalties, or sanctions, as well as judgments, consent decrees, or orders preventing us from offering certain features, functionalities, products, or services, or requiring a change in our business practices, products or technologies, which could in the future materially and affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Additionally, we are, and in the future, may again become, involved in claims, suits and proceedings with various parties. As a result of such litigation, we are, and into the future may again become party to various settlement agreements pursuant to which the parties agree we have the right to recover cash settlement amounts. However, we may not be able to collect such settlement amounts on a timely basis or at all, especially during periods of macroeconomic uncertainty. Difficulties in enforcing settlement agreements and collecting settlement amounts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims.
We believe that we maintain insurance customary for businesses of our size and type. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on any of our officers or employees. Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to us may not be made on a timely basis. Such losses could adversely affect our business prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Relating to Data Security and Intellectual Property
Failure to obtain, maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our intellectual property, including our proprietary technology, content, brand, and know-how. We rely on a combination of copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secret laws, and contractual protections, but these measures may be insufficient to prevent unauthorized use, infringement, misappropriation, or disclosure of our intellectual property. We may not be able to detect or effectively enforce against all violations, and any litigation to protect our rights could be costly, time-consuming, and uncertain in outcome. Intellectual property laws may offer less protection in certain jurisdictions, and our existing or future applications may not result in enforceable rights.
We may also face claims that our products, technologies, or content infringe or misappropriate the rights of others, which could result in costly disputes, damages, injunctions, or requirements to modify our offerings or obtain licenses on unfavorable terms. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property or to avoid infringement claims could harm our competitive position, reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
While we take precautions designed to protect our intellectual property, it may still be possible for competitors and other unauthorized third parties to copy our technology and use our proprietary brand, content and information to create or enhance competing solutions and services, which could adversely affect our competitive position in our rapidly evolving and highly competitive industry. Effective protection of intellectual property rights is expensive and difficult to maintain, both in terms of applications and registration costs as well as the costs of defending and enforcing these rights. We may fail to maintain or be unable to obtain adequate protections for certain of our intellectual property rights in certain foreign countries because effective intellectual property protection may not be available to us in every country in which our services are available, and our intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the United States because of the differences in foreign patent, trademark, copyright, and other laws concerning intellectual property and proprietary rights.
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We enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and enter into confidentiality agreements with our third-party providers and strategic partners. However, we cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party who has developed intellectual property on our behalf of each party that has or may have had access to our confidential information, know-how and trade secrets and cannot assure you that these agreements will be effective in controlling access to, and use and distribution of, our platform and proprietary information. Further, these agreements do not prevent our competitors from independently developing technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our offerings. Moreover, these agreements may not provide an adequate remedy for breaches or in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information or technology or infringement of our intellectual property. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret or know-how is , expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is . In addition, trade secrets and know-how can be to protect and some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or to protect trade secrets and know-how. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us, which could our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
We have filed, and may continue in the future to file, copyright, trademark and patent applications to protect certain of our innovations and intellectual property. This process can be expensive and time-consuming, and we do not know whether any of our applications will result in the issuance of a patent, trademark or copyright, as applicable, or whether the examination process will require us to narrow the claims in our patent applications. In addition, we may not receive competitive advantages from the rights granted under our intellectual property. Our existing intellectual property, and any intellectual property granted to us or that we otherwise acquire in the future, may be contested, circumvented, invalidated, or declared unenforceable through administrative processes or litigation, and we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our rights to our intellectual property. Therefore, the exact effect of our efforts to protect our intellectual property cannot be predicted with certainty. In addition, given the costs, effort, risks and downside of obtaining patent protection, including the requirement to ultimately the to the public, we may choose not to seek patent protection for certain . Any to obtain such patent protection, or other intellectual property protection, could later prove to impact our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.
Additionally, a number of aspects of intellectual property protection in the field of AI and machine learning are currently under development, and there is uncertainty and ongoing litigation in different jurisdictions as to the degree and extent of protection warranted for AI and machine learning systems and relevant system input and outputs. The law is also uncertain across jurisdictions regarding the copyright ownership of content that is produced in whole or in part by generative AI tools. If we fail to obtain protection for the intellectual property rights concerning our AI Technologies, or later have our intellectual property rights invalidated or otherwise diminished, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our research and development efforts to develop competing products which could adversely affect our business, reputation and financial condition.
We may use AI Technologies, including tools provided by third parties, to develop or assist in the development of our own software code. While use of such tools makes our development process more efficient, AI Technologies have sometimes generated content that is “substantially similar” to proprietary or open source code on which the AI tool was trained. If the AI Technologies we use generate code that is too similar to other proprietary code, or to software processes that are protected by patent, we could be subject to intellectual property infringement claims. We may also not be able to anticipate and detect security vulnerabilities in such AI generated software code. If our tools generate code that is too similar to open source code, we risk losing protection of our own proprietary code that is commingled with such code. Finally, to the extent we use third-party AI Technologies to develop software code, the terms of use of these tools may state that the third-party provider retains rights in the generated code.
We currently hold various domain names relating to our brand, including Skillz.com. Failure to protect our domain names could adversely affect our reputation and brand and make it more difficult for users to find our website and our online app. We may be unable, without significant cost or at all, to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights.
We may be required to spend significant resources in order to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, and some violations may be difficult or impossible to detect. Litigation to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and counter suits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, as well as any costly litigation or diversion of our management’s attention and resources, could the functionality of our platform, introductions of to our platform, result in our substituting
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inferior or costlier technologies into our platform or harm our reputation or brand and business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be required to license additional technology from third parties to develop and market new offerings or platform features, which may not be on commercially reasonable terms or at all and could adversely affect our ability to compete.
Although we take measures to protect our intellectual property, if we are unable to prevent the unauthorized use or exploitation of our intellectual property, the value of our brand, content, and other intangible assets may be diminished, competitors may be able to more effectively mimic our service and methods of operations, the perception of our business and service to our third party developer partners, potential developer partners and end game users may become confused, and our ability to attract new developers and users may be adversely affected. Any inability or failure to protect our intellectual property could adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, reputation and prospects.
Our commercial success also depends in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others. We may face allegations that we have infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated the trademarks, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property rights of third parties, including from our competitors and non-practicing entities. We may also be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or other advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Intellectual property litigation may be protracted and expensive, and the results are to predict. As the result of any court judgment or settlement, we may be obligated to stop offering certain features of our platform in a particular geographic region or worldwide, pay significant royalties, settlement costs or (including treble and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have intellectual property rights), obtain licenses (which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all), modify our platform and features, or develop substitutes. Even if we were to obtain a license, it could be non-, thereby giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same technologies licensed to us. Furthermore, even if intellectual property do not result in , the time and resources necessary to them could our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation.
Risks Related to Financial Matters
Our operating history and our history of operating losses make it difficult to evaluate our current business and prospects and may increase the risks associated with your investment.
Our operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our current business and our future prospects, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. We have encountered and will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growth companies in constantly evolving industries, including companies in the technology sector. If we do not address these risks successfully, our business may be harmed.
We have experienced net losses in each period since inception. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $1,091.7 million . The industry in which we operate is highly competitive, rapidly changing (including changes with respect to advancements in AI), and relies heavily on continually introducing compelling content, products and services. As such, if we, in combination with our third-party developers, fail to deliver such content, products and services, do not execute our strategy successfully or if our new content launches are delayed, our revenue growth, overall revenue or user metrics may decline, and our operating results will suffer.
In addition, our operating margin may experience downward pressure as a result of increasing competition, increased user acquisition costs and the other risks discussed in this Annual Report. We expect to continue to expend substantial financial and other resources on expanding our developer and consumer base, our technology, the expansion of our platform, and marketing. Our operating costs will increase and our operating margins may decline if we do not effectively manage costs, launch new products on schedule that monetize successfully and enhance the games featured on our platform. We rely primarily on digital advertising networks to acquire new users to the platform. Increases in digital advertising costs, including on a per user basis, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including on our ability to achieve profitability. Neither our user acquisition costs nor our lifetime customer value are assured, and thus we cannot assure you that this ratio will not further decline over time. In addition, we cannot you that digital advertising costs will not continue to increase in 2026 or any other future period.
If our revenue does not increase to offset any additional expenses, if we fail to manage or experience unexpected increases in operating expenses or if we are required to take additional charges related to impairments or restructurings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially adversely affected.
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Our results of operations may fluctuate due to seasonality and other factors and, therefore, our periodic operating results will not be guarantees of future performance.
Our financial results and operations in any given period may be influenced by numerous factors, many of which we are unable to predict or are outside of our control, including the impact of seasonality, and the other risks and uncertainties set forth herein, and therefore may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. Consumer engagement with our gaming platform may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including the popularity of the underlying games, the user’s level of satisfaction with our platform, the ability of our developer partners to improve and innovate games, our ability to adapt our platform, outages and disruptions of online services, the availability of alternative live events or entertainment, the services offered by our competitors, our marketing and advertising efforts or declines in consumer activity generally as a result of economic downturns, among others. Any decline or fluctuation in the recurring portion of our business may have a impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
We may invest in or acquire other businesses, and our business may suffer if we miscalculate the value or benefits of such acquired businesses, if we are unable to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our company or otherwise manage the growth associated with multiple acquisitions.
We intend to evaluate and pursue acquisitions and strategic investments. Each of these acquisitions will require unique approaches to integration due to, among other factors, the structure of the acquisitions, their locations and cultural differences among their teams and ours. If we are unable to obtain the anticipated benefits from these acquisitions and strategic investments, or we encounter difficulties in integrating their operations with ours, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially harmed. Challenges and risks from such investments and acquisitions include:
• negative effects on business initiatives and strategies from the changes and potential disruption that may follow the acquisition;
• diversion of our management’s attention;
• declining employee morale and retention issues resulting from changes in compensation, or changes in management, reporting relationships, or future prospects;
• the need to integrate the operations, systems, technologies, products and personnel of each acquired company, the inefficiencies and lack of control that may result if such integration is delayed or not implemented, and unforeseen difficulties and expenditures that may arise in connection with integration;
• the difficulty in determining the appropriate purchase price of acquired companies may lead to the overpayment for certain acquisitions and the potential impairment of intangible assets and goodwill acquired in the acquisitions;
• the difficulty in successfully evaluating and utilizing the acquired products, technology or personnel;
• the potential incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses or restructuring charges in connection with any acquisition;
• the need to implement controls, procedures and policies appropriate for a larger, U.S.-based public company at companies that prior to acquisition may not have as robust controls, procedures and policies, in particular, with respect to the effectiveness of cyber and information security practices and incident response plans, compliance with privacy and other regulations protecting the rights of developers and users, and compliance with U.S.-based economic policies and sanctions which may not have previously been applicable to the acquired company’s operations;
• the difficulty in accurately forecasting and accounting for the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges and integrating and reporting results for acquired companies that have not historically followed generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”);
• the fact that we may be required to pay contingent consideration in excess of the initial fair value, and contingent consideration may become payable at a time when we do not have sufficient cash available to pay such consideration;
• under purchase accounting, we may be required to write off deferred revenue which may impair our ability to recognize revenue that would have otherwise been recognizable which may impact our financial performance or that of the acquired company;
• risks associated with our expansion into new international markets and doing business internationally, including those described under the risk factor caption “Our strategy to expand internationally will be subject to increased challenges and risks”;
• in the case of foreign acquisitions, the need to integrate operations across different cultures and languages and to address the particular economic, currency, political and regulatory risks associated with specific countries;
• the need to transition operations, third-party developers and players onto our existing or new platforms and the potential loss of, or harm to, our relationships with employees, third-party developers, players and other suppliers as a result of integration of new businesses;
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• the implications of our management team balancing levels of oversight over acquired businesses which continue their operations under contingent consideration provisions in acquisition agreements;
• our dependence on the accuracy and completeness of statements and disclosures made or actions taken by the companies we acquire or their representatives, when conducting due diligence and evaluating the results of such due diligence; and
• liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, including intellectual property and other litigation claims or disputes, cyber and information security vulnerabilities, violations of laws, rules and regulations, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities.
The benefits of an acquisition or investment may also take considerable time to develop, and we cannot be certain that any particular acquisition or investment will produce the intended benefits, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects or reputation. Our ability to grow through future acquisitions will depend on the availability of suitable acquisition and investment candidates at an acceptable cost, our ability to compete effectively to attract these candidates and the availability of financing to complete larger acquisitions. Acquisitions could result in potential dilutive issuances of equity securities, use of significant cash balances or incurrence of debt (and increased interest expense), contingent liabilities or amortization expenses related to intangible assets or write-offs of goodwill and/or intangible assets, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and dilute the economic and voting rights of our stockholders.
We may require additional capital to support our growth plans or refinance our existing indebtedness, and such capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. This could hamper our growth and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We intend to continue to make significant investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new games and features or enhance our existing games, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire complementary businesses, personnel and technologies. If we raise additional funds through future issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our Class A common stock. Our outstanding debt, which matures in December 2026, is secured by substantially all of our assets and includes restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Additionally, if we seek to access additional capital or increase our borrowing, there can be no assurance that financing and credit may be available on favorable terms, if at all. If we are to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business could be significantly , and our business, financial condition or results of operations may be .
Our investment portfolio and our ability to access cash and cash equivalents may become impaired by deterioration of the financial markets.
Our cash equivalent and investment portfolio is invested with a goal of preserving our access to capital, and generally consists of money market funds, corporate debt securities, U.S. government and government agency debt securities, mutual funds, certificates of deposit and time deposits. We follow an established investment policy and set of guidelines to monitor and help mitigate our exposure to interest rate and credit risk. The policy sets forth credit quality standards, permissible allocations of certain sectors and limits our exposure to specific investment types, and we believe our current investment portfolio has a low risk of material impairment. However, volatility in the global financial markets can negatively impact the value of our investments. Investments in some financial instruments may pose risks arising from market liquidity and credit concerns. Lastly, changing circumstances and market conditions, some of which may be beyond our control, could impair our ability to access our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments and to timely pay key vendors and others. If banks and financial institutions with whom we have banking relationships enter receivership or become insolvent in the future in response to financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, we may be to access, and we may , some or all of our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments to the extent those funds are not insured or otherwise protected by the FDIC.
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Risks Related to Our Indebtedness
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and our ability to execute our business strategy.
As of December 31, 2025, the aggregate indebtedness under our senior secured notes was $129.7 million, which matures in December 2026 . We expect to maintain significant levels of indebtedness going forward. Our indebtedness could have important consequences including:
• making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt, and any failure to comply with the obligations under our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants, could result in an event of default under the indenture governing our senior secured notes or agreements governing future indebtedness;
• increasing our vulnerability to adverse general economic and industry conditions;
• limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the economy and our industry;
• placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors with less indebtedness;
• making it more difficult to borrow additional funds in the future to fund growth, acquisitions, working capital, capital expenditures and other purposes; and
• potentially requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund our other business needs.
The instruments governing our indebtedness impose certain restrictions on our business, and future such instruments could impose new restrictions on our business.
The indenture governing our senior secured notes, contains certain covenants imposing restrictions on our business. These restrictions may affect our ability to operate our business, to plan for, or react to, changes in the market conditions or our capital needs and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise. The credit facility and the indenture governing the senior secured notes include covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to do the following under certain circumstances:
• incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue certain disqualified or preferred stock;
• pay dividends or make other distributions on, or redeem or purchase any equity interests or make other restricted payments;
• make certain acquisitions or investments;
• create or incur liens;
• transfer or sell assets;
• incur restrictions on the payment of dividends or other distributions from our restricted subsidiaries;
• alter the business that we conduct;
• enter into transactions with affiliates;
• conduct buy-back or share repurchase programs; and
• consummate a merger or consolidation or sell, assign, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all our assets.
In addition, the instruments contain customary events of default upon the occurrence of which, after any applicable grace period, the indebtedness could be declared immediately due and payable.
Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to service or repay our substantial debt.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on, and to refinance our debt, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to satisfy our obligations under our current indebtedness and any future indebtedness we may incur and to make necessary capital expenditures. Our ability to refinance our outstanding indebtedness or future indebtedness will depend on market conditions and our financial position at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms when needed, which could result in a default on our indebtedness.
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Risks Related to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
The trading price of our Class A common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile, and the value of our Class A common stock may decline.
The market price of our Class A common stock has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
• actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;
• changes in projected operational and financial results;
• changes in laws or regulations applicable to our offerings;
• the commencement or conclusion of legal proceedings that involve us;
• actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;
• announcements of new offerings by us or our competitors;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital-raising activities or commitments;
• additions or departures of key personnel;
• issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;
• the use by investors or analysts of third-party data regarding our business that may not reflect our financial performance;
• fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;
• sales of our Class A common stock;
• repurchases of our Class A common stock, including both repurchases as part of publicly announced programs and outside of such programs;
• share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;
• impact of the recent elections in the United States; and
• general economic and global market conditions.
Furthermore, the stock markets frequently experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, elections, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of our Class A common stock. As a result of such fluctuations, you may not realize any return on your investment in us and may lose some or all of your investment. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We are currently the target of this type of litigation, and may continue to be such a target in the future, which could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns.
Furthermore, the trading price of our Class A common stock may be adversely affected by third-parties trying to drive down the market price. Short sellers and others, some of whom post anonymously on social media, may be positioned to profit if our stock declines and their activities can negatively affect our stock price. These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our operating performance.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to remain in compliance with the continued listing standards of the NYSE.
The NYSE considers a listed company to be out of compliance with its continued listing standards if, among other things, the average closing price of the company’s stock is less than $1.00 over a period of 30 consecutive trading days. If the listed company does not regain compliance within the NYSE’s six-month cure period, it will be subject to delisting.
Our Class A common stock could also be delisted if (i) our average market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading-day period is less than $15 million, or (ii) our Class A common stock trades at an “abnormally low” price. In either case, our Class A common stock would be suspended from trading on the NYSE immediately, and the NYSE would begin the process to delist our Class A common stock, subject to our right to appeal under NYSE rules. Additionally, the NYSE considers a listed company to be out of compliance with its continued listing standards if the company’s average global market capitalization over a 30 consecutive trading-day period is less than $50.0 million and, at the same time, the company’s stockholders’ equity is less than $50.0 million. If any of these were to occur, there is no assurance that any appeal we undertake in these or other circumstances would be successful, nor is there any assurance that we will remain in compliance with the other NYSE continued listing standards.
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If we fail to satisfy the NYSE’s continued listing standards, our Class A common stock will be subject to delisting. Delisting from the NYSE would likely have a negative effect on the liquidity and market price of our Class A common stock, reduce the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our Class A common stock, limit or reduce the amount of analyst coverage we receive, and impair your ability to sell or purchase our Class A common stock when you wish to do so. In addition, a delisting from the NYSE might negatively impact our reputation and, as a consequence, our business. Additionally, if we were delisted from the NYSE and we are not able to list our Class A common stock on another national exchange we will not be eligible to use Form S-3 registration statements, which would delay our ability to raise funds in the future, limit the type of offerings of Class A common stock we could undertake, and increase the expenses of any offering.
In the event of a delisting of our Class A common stock, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us to restore compliance with listing requirements would allow our securities to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our Class A common stock, prevent our Class A common stock from dropping below the NYSE minimum share price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with the NYSE’s listing standards. Additionally, if our Class A common stock is not listed on, or becomes delisted from, the NYSE for any reason, and is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, the liquidity and price of our Class A common stock may be more limited than if we were quoted or listed on the NYSE or another national securities exchange. You may be unable to sell your Class A common stock unless a market can be established or sustained.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and our stockholders do not have certain corporate governance protections that are available to stockholders of companies that are not controlled companies.
So long as more than 50% of the voting power for the election of our directors is held by an individual, a group or another company, we will qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. As of December 31, 2025, Mr. Paradise controlled 87% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. As a result, we are presently a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards and will not be subject to the requirements that would otherwise require us to have: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors; (iii) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent directors or a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors; and (iv) director nominees selected, or recommended for the Board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors.
Mr. Paradise’s equity interest in us may be diluted due to future equity issuances by us or his own actions in selling shares of Class B common stock in each case, which could result in a loss of the “controlled company” exemption under the NYSE listing rules. We would then be required to comply with corporate governance protections of the NYSE listing requirements described above.
We cannot predict the impact our dual class structure may have on our stock price of our Class A common stock; the dual class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting power with our CEO and Co-Founder, which will limit an investor’s ability to influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change in control.
Our dual class common stock structure concentrates significant voting power with our CEO and Co-Founder, Andrew Paradise, which limits other stockholders’ ability to influence key corporate decisions. Shares of our Class B common stock carry 20 votes per share, compared to one vote per share for our Class A common stock.
As a result, Mr. Paradise can control the outcome of matters submitted to stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our charter documents, and approval of mergers or other significant transactions. His interests may not always align with those of other stockholders, and this concentration of control could delay, deter, or prevent a change in control, limit the opportunity for stockholders to receive a premium in connection with a sale of the Company, or otherwise affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
In addition, our dual class structure may result in a lower or more volatile trading price for our Class A common stock or negative investor perception. Certain stock indices exclude companies with multi-class share structures, and funds tracking those indices may be unable to invest in our stock, which could further reduce demand and adversely affect our Class A share price.
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Delaware law and provisions in our Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (our “Charter”) and Amended and Restated Bylaws (our “Bylaws”) could make a takeover proposal more difficult.
Our organizational documents are governed by Delaware law. Certain provisions of Delaware law and of our Charter and Bylaws could discourage, delay, defer or prevent a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of Class A common stock held by our stockholders. These provisions provide for, among other things:
• the ability of our Board to issue one or more series of preferred stock and assign the terms of such preferred stock, without stockholder approval;
• stockholder action by written consent only until the first time when Mr. Paradise ceases to beneficially own a majority of the voting power of our capital stock;
• certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings;
• advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at our annual meetings;
• amendment of certain provisions of the organizational documents only by the affirmative vote of (i) a majority of the voting power of our capital stock so long as Mr. Paradise beneficially owns shares representing a majority of the voting power of our capital stock and (ii) at least two-thirds of the voting power of the capital stock from and after the time that Mr. Paradise ceases to beneficially own shares representing a majority of the voting power of our voting stock; and
• a dual-class common stock structure with 20 votes per share of our Class B common stock, the result of which is that Mr. Paradise has the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even though Mr. Paradise owns less than a majority of the outstanding shares of our capital stock.
These anti-takeover provisions as well as certain provisions of Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. If prospective takeovers are not consummated for any reason, we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on the price of our common stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions that our stockholders desire.
Our Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings and the federal district courts as the sole and exclusive forum for other types of actions and proceedings, in each case, that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain what such stockholders believe to be a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees.
Our Charter provides that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of ours to us or our stockholders; (iii) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or our Charter or Bylaws; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of any provisions in our Charter or Bylaws; or (v) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of ours governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware. Subject to the foregoing, the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum for the resolution of any action, suit or proceeding asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act. The exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring an interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our Charter. These choice-of-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that he, she or it believes to be for with us or our or directors, officers or other employees, which may such lawsuits. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce these provisions and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our Charter inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and can result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and Board.
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We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board.
We may identify misstatements to our previously issued financial statements, which could create additional risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
We may become subject to legal proceedings brought by regulatory or governmental authorities, or subject to other legal proceedings, as a result of errors or restatements, which could result in a loss of investor confidence or other reputational harm, the loss of key employees, additional defense and other costs. Any of the foregoing impacts, individually or in aggregate, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and stock price.
As discussed in Part II, Item 9A, Controls and Procedures, of this Annual Report, our management concluded that material weaknesses existed as of December 31, 2025.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting, our business and operating results could be harmed.
If we are unable to remediate the material weaknesses timely and sufficiently or if we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such a case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements (and covenants under our debt instruments) regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting, our ability to obtain additional financing may be impaired and our stock price may decline as a result. For example, the identified material weaknesses may impede the Company’s ability to timely file annual and quarterly reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We could also become subject to investigations or sanctions by the SEC, the stock exchange on which our securities are listed or other regulatory authorities. Likewise, to timely file our financial statements could cause us to be to utilize short form registration statements, which could our ability to obtain capital in a timely fashion to execute our business strategies or issue shares to effect an acquisition. We cannot you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material .
We are a smaller reporting company and a non-accelerated filer, and we benefit from certain reduced governance and disclosure requirements, but we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements make our common stock less attractive to investors.
Currently, we are a "smaller reporting company," meaning that our outstanding common stock held by nonaffiliates had a value of less than $250 million at the end of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. We are also a non-accelerated filer because we had a public float of less than $75 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second quarter. As a non-accelerated filer, we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, meaning our auditors are not required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
As a result, investors and others may be less comfortable with the effectiveness of our internal controls and the risk that material weaknesses or other deficiencies in internal controls go undetected may increase. In addition, as a smaller reporting company, we take advantage of our ability to provide certain other less comprehensive disclosures in our SEC filings, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements in annual reports and simplified executive compensation disclosures. Consequently, it may be more challenging for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects, as the information we provide to investors is less robust than the disclosure investors receive from public companies that are not a smaller reporting company.
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