Optimization System or result in reductions in the demand for internet-based platforms such as ours. In addition, the use of the internet as a business tool could be harmed due to delays in the development or adoption of new standards and protocols to handle increased demands of internet activity, security, reliability, cost, ease-of-use, accessibility, and quality of service. The performance of the internet and its acceptance as a business tool has been harmed by “viruses,” “worms” and similar malicious programs, and the internet has experienced a variety of outages and other delays as a result of damage to portions of its infrastructure. If the use of the internet is adversely affected by these issues, demand for our Digital Optimization System could decline.
The estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.
Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts included in this prospectus, including those we have generated ourselves, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The variables that go into the calculation of our market opportunity are subject to change over time, and there is no guarantee that any particular number or percentage of companies covered by our market opportunity estimates will purchase our Digital Optimization System or generate any particular level of revenue for us. Any expansion in our markets depends on a number of factors, including the cost, performance, and perceived value associated with our Digital Optimization System and the products of our competitors. Even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.
Acquisitions, mergers, strategic investments, partnerships, or alliances could be difficult to identify, pose integration challenges, divert the attention of management, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value, and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have in the past and intend in the future to seek to acquire or invest in businesses, joint ventures, and platform technologies that we believe could complement or expand our Digital Optimization System, enhance our technology, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. Any such acquisitions or investments may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating, and pursuing suitable opportunities, whether or not the transactions are completed, and may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. In particular, we may encounter difficulties assimilating or integrating the businesses, technologies, products, personnel, or operations of any acquired companies, particularly if the key personnel of an acquired company choose not to work for us, the acquired company’s software is not easily adapted to work with our platform, or we have difficulty retaining the customers of any acquired business due to changes in ownership, management, or otherwise. Any such transactions that we are able to complete may not result in the synergies or other benefits we expect to achieve, which could result in substantial impairment charges. These transactions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt or adverse tax consequences, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business could be disrupted by catastrophic occurrences and similar events.
Natural disasters or other catastrophic events may cause damage or disruption to our operations, international commerce and the global economy, and could harm our business. We have a large employee presence in San Francisco, California. In the event of a major earthquake, fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, cyber-attack, war, terrorist attack, sabotage, other intentional acts of vandalism or misconduct, geopolitical event, disease or other catastrophic occurrence, we may be unable to continue our operations and may endure system interruptions, reputational harm, delays in our application development, lengthy interruptions in our products, breaches of data security and loss of critical data, all of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Additionally, we rely on our network and third-party infrastructure and applications, internal technology systems, and our websites for our development, marketing, operational support, hosted services and sales
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