Gen Digital (GEN) Risk Factor Changes

From time to time, we receive notices that a tax authority in a particular jurisdiction believes that we owe a greater amount of tax than we have reported to such authority and we are consequently subject to tax audits.

•Changes to other tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof in multiple jurisdictions in which we operate.

In connection with the MoneyLion acquisition, we entered into a Contingent Value Rights Agreement dated April 17, 2025 (the “CVR Agreement”) governing the terms of the CVRs.

We may be required to issue shares under our contingent value rights agreement.

As of April 3, 2026, we had an aggregate of $8,275 million of outstanding indebtedness that will mature in calendar years 2027 through 2033, and $1,495 million, net of our letters of credit, available for borrowing un…

These claims could result in litigation and if portions of our proprietary AI models or software are determined to be subject to an open-source license, or if the license terms for the open-source software that we inc…

We license and use software from third parties in our business and generally must rely on those third parties to protect the licensed rights and avoid infringement.

The defense, settlement or resolution of legal proceedings may be costly and divert management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of our business.

In addition to registered intellectual property rights such as trademark registrations, we rely on non-registered proprietary information and technology, such as trade secrets, confidential information, know-how and t…

In our consumer lending business, we have 34 subsidiaries through which we conduct our consumer lending business.

In addition, numerous federal and state regulators have the authority to promulgate or change regulations that could have a similar effect on our third-party partners and service providers and restrict their business…

We cannot determine with any degree of certainty whether any legislative or regulatory changes will be enacted and, if enacted, the ultimate impact that any such potential legislation or implemented regulations, or an…

For a discussion of specific legal and regulatory proceedings, inquiries and investigations to which we are currently subject, see Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual…

U.S.

We maintain a compliance program designed to enable us to comply with all applicable anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism financing and economic sanctions laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), a…

Our solutions are highly regulated, which could impede our ability to market and provide our solutions, increase regulatory scrutiny or adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations and cash…

We are affected by seasonality, which has in the past and may in the future impact our revenue and results of operations.

The evolving focus from regulators, customers, certain investors, employees, and other stakeholders concerning sustainability and governance matters and related disclosures, both in the United States and international…

Furthermore, negative publicity, whether or not justified, including intentional brand misappropriation, relating to events or activities attributed to us, our employees, our strategic partners, our affiliates, or oth…

In some instances, we may not be able to identify the cause or causes of these performance problems within an acceptable period of time.

Because the interpretation and application of many privacy and data protection laws is uncertain, it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our existing data m…

We process personal data relating to individuals in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom and are subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR, which impose significant compli…

Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) and many state attorneys general, are interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards for the online collection, use, dissemination, and…

Finally, the software upon which we rely may contain undetected technical errors or bugs, which may only be discovered after the code has been released for external or internal use.

Techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently, are constantly evolving and generally are difficult to recognize and react to effectively, and are increasingly becoming more sop…

Given the digital nature of our platform, we are an attractive target for attacks designed to impede the performance and availability of our offerings, compromise sensitive information and harm our reputation as a lea…

Information security risks in the financial technology services industry in particular are significant, in part because of new technologies, the increasing digitalization to conduct financial and other business transa…

In addition, there is risk of fraudulent activity associated with our business, including as a result of the service providers and other third parties who handle customer information on our behalf.

Our decisions to provide many of our products and services to customers are based partly on information that they provide to us or authorize us to receive from third party sources.

To attract and retain talent, we must provide competitive pay packages, including cash and equity-based compensation.

Our international operations involve risks that could increase our expenses, adversely affect our operating results and require increased time and attention from management.

Many of Avira’s and Avast’s users are freemium subscribers, meaning they do not pay for its basic services, and our growth strategy for their respective products depends upon attracting and converting Avira’s and Avas…

If our competitors offer deep discounts on certain solutions, provide offerings, or offer free introductory products that compete with ours, we may experience pricing pressure and may be unable to retain current custo…

An important part of our growth strategy involves continued investment in direct marketing efforts, indirect partner distribution channels, expanding partner relationships, freemium channels, our sales force, and infr…

It is important to our cyber and financial technology businesses that we retain existing customers and that our customers expand their use of our solutions and products over time.

Our revenue and operating results depend significantly on our ability to retain our existing customers and increase their adoption of our offerings, convert existing non-paying customers to paying customers, and add n…

•Difficulty entering into or expanding into new markets or geographies;

As part of our business strategy, we may acquire or divest businesses or assets.

Furthermore, because AI technology itself is highly complex and rapidly developing, it is not possible to predict all of the legal, operational or technological risks that may arise relating to the use of AI, includin…

In addition, regulation of Gen AI is rapidly evolving worldwide as legislators and regulators are increasingly focused on these powerful emerging technologies.

We operate in intensely competitive and dynamic markets characterized by rapid technological developments, evolving industry and regulatory standards and market trends, changing customer requirements and preferences,…

If we fail to manage these risks effectively, or if our new or improved solutions or products are not technologically competitive or do not achieve market acceptance, our business and operating results could be advers…

In addition, third parties, including, but not limited to, operating systems and internet browser companies, have in the past and may in the future limit the interoperability of our solutions with their own products a…

Our future success depends on our ability to effectively respond to evolving consumer threats, technological advancements, competitive developments and industry changes, by developing or introducing new and enhanced s…

From time to time, we receive notices that a tax authority in a particular jurisdiction believes that we owe a greater amount of tax than we have reported to such authority and we are consequently subject to tax audits.

•Changes to the U.S.

Increased interest rates, which often lead to higher payment obligations, may adversely impact the spending level of consumers and their willingness and ability to borrow money, resulting in decreased borrower demand…

In addition, sustained high levels of unemployment may increase the non-repayment rate on our MoneyLion loans and cash advance products, increase the rate of customers declaring bankruptcy or decrease our customers’ u…

Many new customers on our MoneyLion platform have limited or no credit history and limited financial resources.

which may include continuing to raise interest rate benchmarks or maintaining interest rate benchmarks at elevated levels.

We operate globally and as a result our business and revenues are impacted by global macroeconomic conditions.

Adverse macroeconomic conditions and government efforts to combat inflation, along with other interest rate pressures arising from an inflationary economic environment, have led to and may continue to lead to higher f…

Any hedging activity we engage in may adversely affect our earnings, which could adversely affect cash available for distributions.

•We may purchase a hedge that turns out not to be necessary (i.e., a hedge that is out of the money).

•The party owing money in the hedging transaction may default on its obligation to pay; and

•The credit quality of the party owing money on the hedge may be downgraded to such an extent that it impairs our ability to sell or assign our side of the hedging transaction;

•The duration of the hedge may not match the duration of the related liability or asset;

•Available interest rate hedging may not correspond directly with the interest rate risk for which protection is sought;

•Interest rate hedging can be expensive, particularly during periods of rising and volatile interest rates;

Our future hedging activity will vary in scope based on the level of interest rates, the type and expected duration of portfolio investments held, and other changing market conditions.

We have previously and may in the future enter into interest rate swap agreements or pursue other interest rate hedging strategies.

Hedging or other mitigation actions to mitigate against interest rate exposure may adversely affect our earnings, limit our gains or result in losses, which could adversely affect cash available for distributions.

There are risks associated with our outstanding and future indebtedness that could adversely affect our financial condition.

additional security risks because the public availability of such software may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to breach our website and systems that rely on open-source software.

This liability, or our inability to use any of this third-party software, could result in delivery delays or other disruptions in our business that could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

Finally, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain insurance on acceptable terms in the future, if at all, or that any such insurance will provide adequate protection against potential liabilities.

We are, and may in the future become, subject to litigation, claims, examinations, investigations, legal and administrative cases and proceedings, whether civil or criminal, or lawsuits by governmental agencies or pri…

In addition to registered intellectual property rights such as trademark registrations, we rely on non-registered proprietary information and technology, such as trade secrets, confidential information, know-how and t…

Other states, such as Louisiana and California, have and may in future adopt similar statutes and regulations which will require us or our partners to obtain a license to conduct digital asset activities.

In the case of virtual currencies, state regulators such as the NYSDFS have created regulatory frameworks.

Zero Hash is the custodian of all customer digital assets.

Hash relies upon licensing exemptions; and (ii) Montana, which does not currently have a money transmitter licensing requirement.

Under the terms of our agreement with Zero Hash, we are not directly involved in any digital asset transactions or the exchange of fiat funds for digital asset at or through Zero Hash, and therefore, we do not current…

States may require that we obtain licenses that apply to blockchain technologies and digital assets.

Foreign, federal, state and local regulators revisit and update their laws and policies on blockchain technologies and digital assets and can be expected to continue to do so in the future.

We currently offer certain digital assets-related products and services available to our customers through Zero Hash.

The regulatory regime governing blockchain technologies and digital assets is uncertain, and new laws, regulations or policies may alter our business practices with respect to digital assets.

The legal and regulatory regimes governing certain of our products and services are uncertain and evolving.

If we fail to manage our legal and regulatory risk in the jurisdictions in which we operate, our business could suffer, our reputation could be harmed and we would be subject to additional legal and regulatory risks.

Additionally, the highly regulated environment in which our third-party financial institution partners operate may subject us to regulation and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, result…

We must comply with various federal and state consumer protection regimes, both as a result of the financial products and services we provide directly or facilitate and as a service provider to our bank partner, Pathw…

We have in the past, and may again in the future, enter into settlements, consent decrees and similar arrangements with the FTC, state attorney generals, and the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

In some instances, we may not be able to identify the cause or causes of these performance problems within an acceptable period of time.

In connection with the operation of our business, particularly in relation to our identity and information protection service and financial technology offerings, we collect, use, process, store, transmit or disclose (…

Finally, the software upon which we rely may from time to time contain undetected technical errors or bugs, which may only be discovered after the code has been released for external or internal use.

unqualified applicants through our platform or accurately analyze credit data, which may adversely impact our business and negatively impact our reputation.

Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success.

•Multiple and possibly overlapping tax regimes.

In the event that such a third party for any reason fails to comply with legal or regulatory requirements or otherwise to perform its functions properly, our ability to conduct our business and perform other operation…

In our MoneyLion business, our success also depends in part on the delivery of qualified consumer lead inquiries and conversions to completed transactions for various financial products to Product Partners.

•Sales through our partners are subject to changes in general economic conditions, strategic direction, competitive risks, and other issues that could result in fewer sales, or cause our partners to suffer financial d…

•The consolidation of online sales through a small number of larger channels has been increasing, which could reduce the channels available for online distribution of our solutions; and

•Any consolidation of electronics retailers can increase their negotiating power with respect to software providers such as us and any decline in the number of physical retailers could decrease the channels of distrib…

•Our resellers and distributors frequently market and distribute competing solutions and may, from time to time, place greater emphasis on the sale of competing solutions due to pricing, promotions and other terms off…

•Our resellers and distributors may encounter issues or have violations of applicable law or regulatory requirements or otherwise cause damage to our reputation through their actions;

•Our reseller and distributor agreements are generally nonexclusive and may be terminated at any time without cause and our partners may terminate or renegotiate their arrangements with us and new terms may be less fa…

•Our resellers, distributors and telecom service providers are generally not subject to minimum sales requirements or any obligation to market our solutions to their customers;

A portion of our revenues is derived from sales through indirect channels, including, but not limited to, distributors that sell our products to end-users and other resellers, and partners that incorporate our product…

Additionally, changes in the macroeconomic environment have previously and may continue to affect our business.

The intense competition we face, in addition to general and economic business conditions (including rising government debt levels, potential government policy shifts, changing U.S.