Latest news with #RohanSivaram
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Confluent Announces Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results
Subscription revenue of $271 million, up 21% year over year Confluent Cloud revenue of $151 million, up 28% year over year 1,439 customers with $100,000 or greater in ARR, up 10% year over year MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Confluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: CFLT), the data streaming pioneer, today announced financial results for its second quarter of 2025, ended June 30, 2025. "Confluent delivered a solid quarter, led by 28% year-over-year growth in Confluent Cloud revenue," said Jay Kreps, co-founder and CEO, Confluent. "Our DSP monetization continues to gain traction, with Flink ARR growing approximately 3x over the past two quarters. This reinforces our complete data streaming platform strategy and our strong positioning for a future shaped by agentic, real-time AI." "Our second quarter was highlighted by solid top-line growth and continued margin expansion," said Rohan Sivaram, CFO, Confluent. "Our results underscore the strength and flexibility of our data streaming platform, helping customers unlock the full value of real-time data across cloud, on-premises, and BYOC environments." Second Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights(In millions, except per share data and percentages) Q2 2025 Q2 2024 Y/Y Change Subscription Revenue $270.8 $224.7 21% Total Revenue $282.3 $235.0 20% GAAP Operating Loss $(96.4) $(108.3) $11.9 Non-GAAP Operating Income $17.8 $1.3 $16.5 GAAP Operating Margin (34.2%) (46.1%) 11.9 pts Non-GAAP Operating Margin 6.3% 0.6% 5.7 pts GAAP Net Loss Per Share $(0.24) $(0.28) $0.04 Non-GAAP Net Income Per Diluted Share $0.09 $0.06 $0.03 Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities $18.1 $8.6 $9.5 Adjusted Free Cash Flow $11.0 $2.7 $8.3 Financial OutlookFor the third quarter and fiscal year 2025, Confluent expects: Q3 2025 Outlook FY 2025 Outlook Subscription Revenue $281-$282 million $1.105-$1.11 billion Non-GAAP Operating Margin ~7% ~6% Non-GAAP Net Income Per Diluted Share $0.09-$0.10 ~$0.36 A reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP operating margin, adjusted free cash flow margin and non-GAAP net income per diluted share to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is not available without unreasonable effort, as certain items cannot be reasonably predicted because of their high variability, complexity and low visibility. In particular, the measures and effects of our stock-based compensation-related charges, which include stock-based compensation expenses, employer payroll taxes on employee stock transactions, and amortization of stock-based compensation capitalized in internal-use software, are directly impacted by the timing of employee stock transactions and unpredictable fluctuations in our stock price, which we expect to have a significant impact on our future GAAP financial results. Conference Call Information Confluent will host a video webcast to discuss the company's second quarter 2025 results as well as its financial outlook today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time/1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Open to the public, investors may access the webcast, earnings press release, supplemental financial information, and investor presentation on Confluent's investor relations website at before the commencement of the webcast. A replay of the webcast will also be accessible from Confluent's investor relations website a few hours after the conclusion of the live event. Confluent uses its investor relations website and may use its X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and the earnings call referencing this press release contain forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding (i) our financial outlook, including expected subscription revenue, Confluent Cloud revenue, non-GAAP operating margin, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow margin, non-GAAP net income per share, revenue mix, including Confluent Cloud subscription revenue mix, revenue run rates, Confluent Cloud and data streaming platform growth, adoption and traction, operating margins and margin improvements, targeted or anticipated gross and operating margin levels, earnings per share levels and improvements, in-product optimizations of Confluent Cloud, continued business momentum, and expected revenue, (ii) our market and category leadership position, (iii) our expectations and trends relating to growth of our Data Streaming Platform products, (iv) rates of Confluent Cloud consumption, Confluent Platform growth, and demand for and retention of data streaming platforms like Confluent, (v) customer growth, retention and engagement, and expansion of customers into new use cases, (vi) increased adoption of our offerings and fully managed solutions for data streaming in general, including from customers building generative AI applications, (vii) our expectations regarding the impact of operational improvements, including our sales and go-to-market strategies, (viii) growth in and growth rate of revenue, customers, dollar-based net retention rate, and gross retention rate, (ix) our ability to increase engagement of customers for Confluent and expand customer cohorts, (x) our market opportunity and our ability to capture our market opportunity, (xi) our go-to-market strategy, (xii) our product differentiation and market acceptance of our products, (xiii) our strategy and expected results and market acceptance for our Flink offering, Tableflow, Freight Clusters, and our other Data Streaming Platform offerings, (xiv) our expectations of meeting near-term and mid-term financial targets, (xv) our expectations regarding the generative AI landscape and our offerings, (xvi) our ability to drive long-term growth, (xvii) our expectations regarding the impact of our offerings, including WarpStream and Freight Clusters, (xviii) our expectations regarding our growth strategies and our partner ecosystem, including our Confluent OEM Program, and (xix) our overall future prospects. The words "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "seek," "plan," "project," "target," "looking ahead," "look to," "move into," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements represent our current beliefs, estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and information contained in this press release should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to: (i) our limited operating history, including in uncertain macroeconomic environments, (ii) our ability to sustain and manage our rapid growth, (iii) our ability to increase consumption of our offerings, including by existing customers and through the acquisition of new customers, including by addressing customer consumption preferences, successfully adding new features and functionality to our offerings, and partnering with our customers to help them realize increased value in Confluent in an efficient and sustainable manner, (iv) our ability to successfully execute our go-to-market strategy and initiatives, (v) our ability to attract new customers and successfully ramp their consumption of our offerings, as well as retain and sell additional features and services to our existing customers, (vi) uncertain macroeconomic conditions, including high inflation, high interest rates, bank failures, global tariffs, taxes on multinational companies, geopolitical events, recessionary risks, and exchange rate fluctuations, (vii) the estimated addressable market opportunity for our Data Streaming Platform, and our ability to capture our share of that market opportunity, (viii) shifts in certain customers' data streaming strategies, (ix) our ability to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive market, (x) our ability to attract, ramp, and retain highly qualified personnel, and the impacts of attrition and related challenges, (xi) breaches in our security measures, intentional or accidental cybersecurity incidents or unauthorized access to our platform, our data, or our customers' or other users' personal data, (xii) our reliance on third-party cloud-based infrastructure to host Confluent Cloud, (xiii) public sector budgetary cycles and funding reductions or delays, or shifts in procurement strategies, (xiv) changes in legislation related to the taxation of business entities, and (xv) our ability to accurately forecast our future performance, business and growth. These risks are not exhaustive. Further information on these and other risks that could affect Confluent's results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, and our future reports that we may file from time to time with the SEC. Additional information will be made available in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 that will be filed with the SEC, which should be read in conjunction with this press release and the financial results included herein. Confluent assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release includes the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow margin. We use these non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics internally to facilitate analysis of our financial and business trends and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken collectively, may be helpful to investors because they provide consistency and comparability with past financial performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations, or outlook. However, non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool and are presented for supplemental informational purposes only. They should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In particular, other companies, including companies in our industry, may report non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted free cash flow margin, or similarly titled measures but calculate them differently, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. Further, free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are not substitutes for cash used in operating activities. The utility of free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are limited as such measures do not reflect our future contractual commitments and do not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for any given period. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, as presented below. We define non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, and non-GAAP net income per share as the respective GAAP measures, adjusted for, as applicable, stock-based compensation-related charges which include stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes on employee stock transactions and amortization of stock-based compensation capitalized in internal-use software; amortization of acquired intangibles; acquisition-related expenses; amortization of debt issuance costs; and income tax effects associated with these adjustments as well as the non-recurring income tax expense or benefit associated with acquisitions and income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets. Non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP operating margin are defined as non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP operating income (loss) as a percentage of revenue, respectively. We define free cash flow as net cash used in operating activities less capitalized internal-use software costs and capital expenditures and free cash flow margin as free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We define adjusted free cash flow as free cash flow excluding the non-recurring impact from a change to timing of certain cash compensation payments and adjusted free cash flow margin as adjusted free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We believe that free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow margin are useful indicators of liquidity that provide information to management and investors about the performance of core operations and future ability to generate cash that can be used for strategic opportunities or investing in our business. Definition Customers with $100,000 or greater in annual recurring revenue ("ARR") represent the number of customers that contributed $100,000 or more in ARR as of period end. We define ARR as (1) with respect to Confluent Platform customers, the amount of revenue to which our customers are contractually committed over the following 12 months assuming no increases or reductions in their subscriptions, and (2) with respect to Confluent Cloud and WarpStream customers, the amount of revenue that we expect to recognize from such customers over the following 12 months, calculated by annualizing actual consumption of Confluent Cloud and WarpStream in the last three months of the applicable period, assuming no increases or reductions in usage rate. Services arrangements are excluded from the calculation of ARR. For purposes of determining our customer count, we treat all affiliated entities with the same parent organization as a single customer and include pay-as-you-go customers. Our customer count is subject to adjustments for acquisitions, consolidations, spin-offs, and other market activity. Flink ARR is defined as (1) with respect to Confluent Platform customers, the amount of Confluent Platform for Apache Flink revenue to which our customers are contractually committed over the following 12 months assuming no increases or reductions in their subscriptions, and (2) with respect to Confluent Cloud customers, the amount of Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink revenue that we expect to recognize from such customers over the following 12 months, calculated by annualizing actual consumption of Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink in the last three months of the applicable period, assuming no increases or reductions in usage rate. About Confluent Confluent is the data streaming platform that is pioneering a fundamentally new category of data infrastructure that sets data in motion. Confluent's cloud-native offering is the foundational platform for data in motion – designed to be the intelligent connective tissue enabling real-time data, from multiple sources, to constantly stream across the organization. With Confluent, organizations can meet the new business imperative of delivering rich, digital front-end customer experiences and transitioning to sophisticated, real-time, software-driven backend operations. Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) (unaudited) June 30, 2025 December 31, 2024 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 295,591 $ 385,980 Marketable securities 1,645,032 1,524,583 Accounts receivable, net 357,607 314,306 Deferred contract acquisition costs 47,658 47,271 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 95,606 79,179 Total current assets 2,441,494 2,351,319 Property and equipment, net 86,962 78,680 Operating lease right-of-use assets 6,932 8,818 Goodwill 164,406 164,406 Intangible assets, net 6,997 7,924 Deferred contract acquisition costs, non-current 68,473 71,468 Other assets, non-current 42,144 12,296 Total assets $ 2,817,408 $ 2,694,911 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 11,491 $ 7,531 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 167,839 194,250 Operating lease liabilities 9,251 8,694 Deferred revenue 424,293 378,771 Total current liabilities 612,874 589,246 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 4,454 9,138 Deferred revenue, non-current 31,356 30,430 Convertible senior notes, net 1,094,051 1,092,149 Other liabilities, non-current 11,006 12,722 Total liabilities 1,753,741 1,733,685 Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock — — Class A common stock 2 2 Class B common stock 1 1 Additional paid-in capital 3,192,349 2,953,080 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 10,055 (2,641 ) Accumulated deficit (2,138,740 ) (1,989,216 ) Total stockholders' equity 1,063,667 961,226 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,817,408 $ 2,694,911 Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Revenue: Subscription $ 270,832 $ 224,702 $ 531,742 $ 431,604 Services 11,453 10,284 21,663 20,619 Total revenue 282,285 234,986 553,405 452,223 Cost of revenue: Subscription(1) 61,052 52,863 117,899 101,218 Services(1) 13,118 12,118 25,389 24,984 Total cost of revenue 74,170 64,981 143,288 126,202 Gross profit 208,115 170,005 410,117 326,021 Operating expenses: Research and development(1) 121,221 106,060 238,022 203,631 Sales and marketing(1) 143,631 132,865 289,890 264,217 General and administrative(1) 39,701 39,429 79,821 77,873 Total operating expenses 304,553 278,354 607,733 545,721 Operating loss (96,438 ) (108,349 ) (197,616 ) (219,700 ) Other income, net 21,109 21,853 41,519 42,703 Loss before income taxes (75,329 ) (86,496 ) (156,097 ) (176,997 ) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 6,621 3,404 (6,573 ) 5,870 Net loss $ (81,950 ) $ (89,900 ) $ (149,524 ) $ (182,867 ) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.24 ) $ (0.28 ) $ (0.44 ) $ (0.58 ) Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted 341,208,548 319,415,586 338,491,146 316,809,384 (1) Includes stock-based compensation-related charges as follows: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Cost of revenue - subscription $ 10,382 $ 9,292 $ 19,090 $ 17,197 Cost of revenue - services 2,022 2,338 3,889 5,056 Research and development 48,653 41,866 92,488 83,290 Sales and marketing 32,068 35,332 64,825 71,112 General and administrative 13,796 15,872 28,206 31,030 Total stock-based compensation-related charges $ 106,921 $ 104,700 $ 208,498 $ 207,685 Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (81,950 ) $ (89,900 ) $ (149,524 ) $ (182,867 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by (used in) operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 7,344 5,842 13,949 10,153 Net accretion of discounts on marketable securities (5,952 ) (9,871 ) (12,799 ) (20,267 ) Amortization of debt issuance costs 957 953 1,902 1,906 Amortization of deferred contract acquisition costs 14,323 13,334 28,254 26,096 Non-cash operating lease costs 1,089 969 2,164 1,854 Stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized 101,997 99,107 194,572 194,429 Deferred income taxes 177 (273 ) (17,161 ) 342 Other 1,107 361 1,561 1,210 Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of business combinations: Accounts receivable (60,321 ) (58,018 ) (44,907 ) (28,658 ) Deferred contract acquisition costs (15,236 ) (15,296 ) (25,646 ) (25,028 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (19,988 ) 3,703 (18,473 ) 1,774 Accounts payable 5,356 11,987 4,082 7,055 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 21,149 46,893 (28,679 ) 3,141 Operating lease liabilities (2,205 ) (1,994 ) (4,382 ) (3,929 ) Deferred revenue 50,268 793 46,448 (4,575 ) Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 18,115 8,590 (8,639 ) (17,364 ) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Capitalization of internal-use software costs (6,191 ) (4,776 ) (10,997 ) (10,315 ) Purchases of marketable securities (465,993 ) (455,883 ) (871,228 ) (899,190 ) Sales of marketable securities 6,144 12,744 6,144 12,744 Maturities of marketable securities 458,470 403,489 757,937 835,756 Purchases of investments in privately-held companies — (1,000 ) — (1,000 ) Purchases of property and equipment (919 ) (1,105 ) (2,348 ) (1,291 ) Net cash used in investing activities (8,489 ) (46,531 ) (120,492 ) (63,296 ) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon exercise of vested options 6,062 13,096 22,668 27,497 Proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan — — 14,195 15,603 Net cash provided by financing activities 6,062 13,096 36,863 43,100 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 1,342 (200 ) 1,879 (873 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 17,030 (25,045 ) (90,389 ) (38,433 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 278,561 336,373 385,980 349,761 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 295,591 $ 311,328 $ 295,591 $ 311,328 Confluent, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures (in thousands, except percentages, share and per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Reconciliation of GAAP total gross profit to non-GAAP total gross profit: Total gross profit on a GAAP basis $ 208,115 $ 170,005 $ 410,117 $ 326,021 Total gross margin on a GAAP basis 73.7 % 72.3 % 74.1 % 72.1 % Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 12,404 11,630 22,979 22,253 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 466 501 927 1,003 Non-GAAP total gross profit $ 220,985 $ 182,136 $ 434,023 $ 349,277 Non-GAAP total gross margin 78.3 % 77.5 % 78.4 % 77.2 % Reconciliation of GAAP operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses: Research and development operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 121,221 $ 106,060 $ 238,022 $ 203,631 Research and development operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 42.9 % 45.1 % 43.0 % 45.0 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 48,653 41,866 92,488 83,290 Less: Acquisition-related expenses 7,965 4,472 17,606 8,834 Non-GAAP research and development operating expense $ 64,603 $ 59,722 $ 127,928 $ 111,507 Non-GAAP research and development operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 22.9 % 25.4 % 23.1 % 24.7 % Sales and marketing operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 143,631 $ 132,865 $ 289,890 $ 264,217 Sales and marketing operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 50.9 % 56.5 % 52.4 % 58.4 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 32,068 35,332 64,825 71,112 Less: Acquisition-related expenses (1,076 ) — — — Non-GAAP sales and marketing operating expense $ 112,639 $ 97,533 $ 225,065 $ 193,105 Non-GAAP sales and marketing operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 39.9 % 41.5 % 40.7 % 42.7 % General and administrative operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 39,701 $ 39,429 $ 79,821 $ 77,873 General and administrative operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 14.1 % 16.8 % 14.4 % 17.2 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 13,796 15,872 28,206 31,030 Less: Acquisition-related expenses — 6 14 231 Non-GAAP general and administrative operating expense $ 25,905 $ 23,551 $ 51,601 $ 46,612 Non-GAAP general and administrative operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 9.2 % 10.0 % 9.3 % 10.3 % Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Reconciliation of GAAP operating loss to non-GAAP operating income (loss): Operating loss on a GAAP basis $ (96,438 ) $ (108,349 ) $ (197,616 ) $ (219,700 ) GAAP operating margin (34.2 %) (46.1 %) (35.7 %) (48.6 %) Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 106,921 104,700 208,498 207,685 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 466 501 927 1,003 Add: Acquisition-related expenses 6,889 4,478 17,620 9,065 Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $ 17,838 $ 1,330 $ 29,429 $ (1,947 ) Non-GAAP operating margin 6.3 % 0.6 % 5.3 % (0.4 %) Reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP net income: Net loss on a GAAP basis $ (81,950 ) $ (89,900 ) $ (149,524 ) $ (182,867 ) Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 106,921 104,700 208,498 207,685 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 466 501 927 1,003 Add: Acquisition-related expenses 6,889 4,478 17,620 9,065 Add: Amortization of debt issuance costs 957 953 1,902 1,906 Add: Income tax effects and adjustments(1) 981 (175 ) (16,175 ) (435 ) Non-GAAP net income $ 34,264 $ 20,557 $ 63,248 $ 36,357 Non-GAAP net income per share, basic $ 0.10 $ 0.06 $ 0.19 $ 0.11 Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted $ 0.09 $ 0.06 $ 0.17 $ 0.10 Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share, basic 341,208,548 319,415,586 338,491,146 316,809,384 Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share, diluted 367,293,632 354,236,764 367,556,846 352,216,317 (1) Income tax effects and adjustments for the six months ended June 30, 2025 includes an adjustment for the income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets. The following table presents a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for each of the periods indicated (unaudited, in thousands, except percentages): Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities $ 18,115 $ 8,590 $ (8,639 ) $ (17,364 ) Capitalized internal-use software costs (6,191 ) (4,776 ) (10,997 ) (10,315 ) Capital expenditures (919 ) (1,105 ) (2,348 ) (1,291 ) Free cash flow $ 11,005 $ 2,709 $ (21,984 ) $ (28,970 ) Impact from compensation payments adjustment(1) — — 37,930 — Adjusted free cash flow $ 11,005 $ 2,709 $ 15,946 $ (28,970 ) Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities as a percentage of total revenue 6.4 % 3.7 % (1.6 %) (3.8 %) Free cash flow margin 3.9 % 1.2 % (4.0 %) (6.4 %) Adjusted free cash flow margin 3.9 % 1.2 % 2.9 % (6.4 %) Net cash used in investing activities $ (8,489 ) $ (46,531 ) $ (120,492 ) $ (63,296 ) Net cash provided by financing activities $ 6,062 $ 13,096 $ 36,863 $ 43,100 (1) Represents an adjustment to reflect the non-recurring impact in the first quarter of 2025 from the change to timing of cash compensation payments for most of our non go-to-market employees implemented at the start of 2025. View source version on Contacts Investor Contact Shane Xieinvestors@ Media Contact Justin Dorffpr@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
30-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Confluent Announces Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Confluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: CFLT), the data streaming pioneer, today announced financial results for its second quarter of 2025, ended June 30, 2025. 'Confluent delivered a solid quarter, led by 28% year-over-year growth in Confluent Cloud revenue,' said Jay Kreps, co-founder and CEO, Confluent. 'Our DSP monetization continues to gain traction, with Flink ARR growing approximately 3x over the past two quarters. This reinforces our complete data streaming platform strategy and our strong positioning for a future shaped by agentic, real-time AI.' 'Our second quarter was highlighted by solid top-line growth and continued margin expansion,' said Rohan Sivaram, CFO, Confluent. 'Our results underscore the strength and flexibility of our data streaming platform, helping customers unlock the full value of real-time data across cloud, on-premises, and BYOC environments.' A reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP operating margin, adjusted free cash flow margin and non-GAAP net income per diluted share to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is not available without unreasonable effort, as certain items cannot be reasonably predicted because of their high variability, complexity and low visibility. In particular, the measures and effects of our stock-based compensation-related charges, which include stock-based compensation expenses, employer payroll taxes on employee stock transactions, and amortization of stock-based compensation capitalized in internal-use software, are directly impacted by the timing of employee stock transactions and unpredictable fluctuations in our stock price, which we expect to have a significant impact on our future GAAP financial results. Conference Call Information Confluent will host a video webcast to discuss the company's second quarter 2025 results as well as its financial outlook today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time/1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Open to the public, investors may access the webcast, earnings press release, supplemental financial information, and investor presentation on Confluent's investor relations website at before the commencement of the webcast. A replay of the webcast will also be accessible from Confluent's investor relations website a few hours after the conclusion of the live event. Confluent uses its investor relations website and may use its X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and the earnings call referencing this press release contain forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding (i) our financial outlook, including expected subscription revenue, Confluent Cloud revenue, non-GAAP operating margin, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow margin, non-GAAP net income per share, revenue mix, including Confluent Cloud subscription revenue mix, revenue run rates, Confluent Cloud and data streaming platform growth, adoption and traction, operating margins and margin improvements, targeted or anticipated gross and operating margin levels, earnings per share levels and improvements, in-product optimizations of Confluent Cloud, continued business momentum, and expected revenue, (ii) our market and category leadership position, (iii) our expectations and trends relating to growth of our Data Streaming Platform products, (iv) rates of Confluent Cloud consumption, Confluent Platform growth, and demand for and retention of data streaming platforms like Confluent, (v) customer growth, retention and engagement, and expansion of customers into new use cases, (vi) increased adoption of our offerings and fully managed solutions for data streaming in general, including from customers building generative AI applications, (vii) our expectations regarding the impact of operational improvements, including our sales and go-to-market strategies, (viii) growth in and growth rate of revenue, customers, dollar-based net retention rate, and gross retention rate, (ix) our ability to increase engagement of customers for Confluent and expand customer cohorts, (x) our market opportunity and our ability to capture our market opportunity, (xi) our go-to-market strategy, (xii) our product differentiation and market acceptance of our products, (xiii) our strategy and expected results and market acceptance for our Flink offering, Tableflow, Freight Clusters, and our other Data Streaming Platform offerings, (xiv) our expectations of meeting near-term and mid-term financial targets, (xv) our expectations regarding the generative AI landscape and our offerings, (xvi) our ability to drive long-term growth, (xvii) our expectations regarding the impact of our offerings, including WarpStream and Freight Clusters, (xviii) our expectations regarding our growth strategies and our partner ecosystem, including our Confluent OEM Program, and (xix) our overall future prospects. The words 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'estimate,' 'continue,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'expect,' 'seek,' 'plan,' 'project,' 'target,' 'looking ahead,' 'look to,' 'move into,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements represent our current beliefs, estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and information contained in this press release should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to: (i) our limited operating history, including in uncertain macroeconomic environments, (ii) our ability to sustain and manage our rapid growth, (iii) our ability to increase consumption of our offerings, including by existing customers and through the acquisition of new customers, including by addressing customer consumption preferences, successfully adding new features and functionality to our offerings, and partnering with our customers to help them realize increased value in Confluent in an efficient and sustainable manner, (iv) our ability to successfully execute our go-to-market strategy and initiatives, (v) our ability to attract new customers and successfully ramp their consumption of our offerings, as well as retain and sell additional features and services to our existing customers, (vi) uncertain macroeconomic conditions, including high inflation, high interest rates, bank failures, global tariffs, taxes on multinational companies, geopolitical events, recessionary risks, and exchange rate fluctuations, (vii) the estimated addressable market opportunity for our Data Streaming Platform, and our ability to capture our share of that market opportunity, (viii) shifts in certain customers' data streaming strategies, (ix) our ability to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive market, (x) our ability to attract, ramp, and retain highly qualified personnel, and the impacts of attrition and related challenges, (xi) breaches in our security measures, intentional or accidental cybersecurity incidents or unauthorized access to our platform, our data, or our customers' or other users' personal data, (xii) our reliance on third-party cloud-based infrastructure to host Confluent Cloud, (xiii) public sector budgetary cycles and funding reductions or delays, or shifts in procurement strategies, (xiv) changes in legislation related to the taxation of business entities, and (xv) our ability to accurately forecast our future performance, business and growth. These risks are not exhaustive. Further information on these and other risks that could affect Confluent's results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC'), including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, and our future reports that we may file from time to time with the SEC. Additional information will be made available in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 that will be filed with the SEC, which should be read in conjunction with this press release and the financial results included herein. Confluent assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release includes the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow margin. We use these non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics internally to facilitate analysis of our financial and business trends and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken collectively, may be helpful to investors because they provide consistency and comparability with past financial performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations, or outlook. However, non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool and are presented for supplemental informational purposes only. They should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In particular, other companies, including companies in our industry, may report non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted free cash flow margin, or similarly titled measures but calculate them differently, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. Further, free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are not substitutes for cash used in operating activities. The utility of free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are limited as such measures do not reflect our future contractual commitments and do not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for any given period. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, as presented below. We define non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, and non-GAAP net income per share as the respective GAAP measures, adjusted for, as applicable, stock-based compensation-related charges which include stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes on employee stock transactions and amortization of stock-based compensation capitalized in internal-use software; amortization of acquired intangibles; acquisition-related expenses; amortization of debt issuance costs; and income tax effects associated with these adjustments as well as the non-recurring income tax expense or benefit associated with acquisitions and income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets. Non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP operating margin are defined as non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP operating income (loss) as a percentage of revenue, respectively. We define free cash flow as net cash used in operating activities less capitalized internal-use software costs and capital expenditures and free cash flow margin as free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We define adjusted free cash flow as free cash flow excluding the non-recurring impact from a change to timing of certain cash compensation payments and adjusted free cash flow margin as adjusted free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We believe that free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow margin are useful indicators of liquidity that provide information to management and investors about the performance of core operations and future ability to generate cash that can be used for strategic opportunities or investing in our business. Definition Customers with $100,000 or greater in annual recurring revenue ('ARR') represent the number of customers that contributed $100,000 or more in ARR as of period end. We define ARR as (1) with respect to Confluent Platform customers, the amount of revenue to which our customers are contractually committed over the following 12 months assuming no increases or reductions in their subscriptions, and (2) with respect to Confluent Cloud and WarpStream customers, the amount of revenue that we expect to recognize from such customers over the following 12 months, calculated by annualizing actual consumption of Confluent Cloud and WarpStream in the last three months of the applicable period, assuming no increases or reductions in usage rate. Services arrangements are excluded from the calculation of ARR. For purposes of determining our customer count, we treat all affiliated entities with the same parent organization as a single customer and include pay-as-you-go customers. Our customer count is subject to adjustments for acquisitions, consolidations, spin-offs, and other market activity. Flink ARR is defined as (1) with respect to Confluent Platform customers, the amount of Confluent Platform for Apache Flink revenue to which our customers are contractually committed over the following 12 months assuming no increases or reductions in their subscriptions, and (2) with respect to Confluent Cloud customers, the amount of Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink revenue that we expect to recognize from such customers over the following 12 months, calculated by annualizing actual consumption of Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink in the last three months of the applicable period, assuming no increases or reductions in usage rate. About Confluent Confluent is the data streaming platform that is pioneering a fundamentally new category of data infrastructure that sets data in motion. Confluent's cloud-native offering is the foundational platform for data in motion – designed to be the intelligent connective tissue enabling real-time data, from multiple sources, to constantly stream across the organization. With Confluent, organizations can meet the new business imperative of delivering rich, digital front-end customer experiences and transitioning to sophisticated, real-time, software-driven backend operations. Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Revenue: Subscription $ 270,832 $ 224,702 $ 531,742 $ 431,604 Services 11,453 10,284 21,663 20,619 Total revenue 282,285 234,986 553,405 452,223 Cost of revenue: Subscription (1) 61,052 52,863 117,899 101,218 Services (1) 13,118 12,118 25,389 24,984 Total cost of revenue 74,170 64,981 143,288 126,202 Gross profit 208,115 170,005 410,117 326,021 Operating expenses: Research and development (1) 121,221 106,060 238,022 203,631 Sales and marketing (1) 143,631 132,865 289,890 264,217 General and administrative (1) 39,701 39,429 79,821 77,873 Total operating expenses 304,553 278,354 607,733 545,721 Operating loss (96,438 ) (108,349 ) (197,616 ) (219,700 ) Other income, net 21,109 21,853 41,519 42,703 Loss before income taxes (75,329 ) (86,496 ) (156,097 ) (176,997 ) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 6,621 3,404 (6,573 ) 5,870 Net loss $ (81,950 ) $ (89,900 ) $ (149,524 ) $ (182,867 ) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.24 ) $ (0.28 ) $ (0.44 ) $ (0.58 ) Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted 341,208,548 319,415,586 338,491,146 316,809,384 Expand (1) Includes stock-based compensation-related charges as follows: Expand Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Cost of revenue - subscription $ 10,382 $ 9,292 $ 19,090 $ 17,197 Cost of revenue - services 2,022 2,338 3,889 5,056 Research and development 48,653 41,866 92,488 83,290 Sales and marketing 32,068 35,332 64,825 71,112 General and administrative 13,796 15,872 28,206 31,030 Total stock-based compensation-related charges $ 106,921 $ 104,700 $ 208,498 $ 207,685 Expand Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (81,950 ) $ (89,900 ) $ (149,524 ) $ (182,867 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by (used in) operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 7,344 5,842 13,949 10,153 Net accretion of discounts on marketable securities (5,952 ) (9,871 ) (12,799 ) (20,267 ) Amortization of debt issuance costs 957 953 1,902 1,906 Amortization of deferred contract acquisition costs 14,323 13,334 28,254 26,096 Non-cash operating lease costs 1,089 969 2,164 1,854 Stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized 101,997 99,107 194,572 194,429 Deferred income taxes 177 (273 ) (17,161 ) 342 Other 1,107 361 1,561 1,210 Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of business combinations: Accounts receivable (60,321 ) (58,018 ) (44,907 ) (28,658 ) Deferred contract acquisition costs (15,236 ) (15,296 ) (25,646 ) (25,028 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (19,988 ) 3,703 (18,473 ) 1,774 Accounts payable 5,356 11,987 4,082 7,055 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 21,149 46,893 (28,679 ) 3,141 Operating lease liabilities (2,205 ) (1,994 ) (4,382 ) (3,929 ) Deferred revenue 50,268 793 46,448 (4,575 ) Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 18,115 8,590 (8,639 ) (17,364 ) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Capitalization of internal-use software costs (6,191 ) (4,776 ) (10,997 ) (10,315 ) Purchases of marketable securities (465,993 ) (455,883 ) (871,228 ) (899,190 ) Sales of marketable securities 6,144 12,744 6,144 12,744 Maturities of marketable securities 458,470 403,489 757,937 835,756 Purchases of investments in privately-held companies — (1,000 ) — (1,000 ) Purchases of property and equipment (919 ) (1,105 ) (2,348 ) (1,291 ) Net cash used in investing activities (8,489 ) (46,531 ) (120,492 ) (63,296 ) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon exercise of vested options 6,062 13,096 22,668 27,497 Proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan — — 14,195 15,603 Net cash provided by financing activities 6,062 13,096 36,863 43,100 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 1,342 (200 ) 1,879 (873 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 17,030 (25,045 ) (90,389 ) (38,433 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 278,561 336,373 385,980 349,761 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 295,591 $ 311,328 $ 295,591 $ 311,328 Expand Confluent, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures (in thousands, except percentages, share and per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Reconciliation of GAAP total gross profit to non-GAAP total gross profit: Total gross profit on a GAAP basis $ 208,115 $ 170,005 $ 410,117 $ 326,021 Total gross margin on a GAAP basis 73.7 % 72.3 % 74.1 % 72.1 % Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 12,404 11,630 22,979 22,253 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 466 501 927 1,003 Non-GAAP total gross profit $ 220,985 $ 182,136 $ 434,023 $ 349,277 Non-GAAP total gross margin 78.3 % 77.5 % 78.4 % 77.2 % Reconciliation of GAAP operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses: Research and development operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 121,221 $ 106,060 $ 238,022 $ 203,631 Research and development operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 42.9 % 45.1 % 43.0 % 45.0 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 48,653 41,866 92,488 83,290 Less: Acquisition-related expenses 7,965 4,472 17,606 8,834 Non-GAAP research and development operating expense $ 64,603 $ 59,722 $ 127,928 $ 111,507 Non-GAAP research and development operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 22.9 % 25.4 % 23.1 % 24.7 % Sales and marketing operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 143,631 $ 132,865 $ 289,890 $ 264,217 Sales and marketing operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 50.9 % 56.5 % 52.4 % 58.4 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 32,068 35,332 64,825 71,112 Less: Acquisition-related expenses (1,076 ) — — — Non-GAAP sales and marketing operating expense $ 112,639 $ 97,533 $ 225,065 $ 193,105 Non-GAAP sales and marketing operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 39.9 % 41.5 % 40.7 % 42.7 % General and administrative operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 39,701 $ 39,429 $ 79,821 $ 77,873 General and administrative operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 14.1 % 16.8 % 14.4 % 17.2 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 13,796 15,872 28,206 31,030 Less: Acquisition-related expenses — 6 14 231 Non-GAAP general and administrative operating expense $ 25,905 $ 23,551 $ 51,601 $ 46,612 Non-GAAP general and administrative operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 9.2 % 10.0 % 9.3 % 10.3 % Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Reconciliation of GAAP operating loss to non-GAAP operating income (loss): Operating loss on a GAAP basis $ (96,438 ) $ (108,349 ) $ (197,616 ) $ (219,700 ) GAAP operating margin (34.2 %) (46.1 %) (35.7 %) (48.6 %) Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 106,921 104,700 208,498 207,685 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 466 501 927 1,003 Add: Acquisition-related expenses 6,889 4,478 17,620 9,065 Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $ 17,838 $ 1,330 $ 29,429 $ (1,947 ) Non-GAAP operating margin 6.3 % 0.6 % 5.3 % (0.4 %) Reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP net income: Net loss on a GAAP basis $ (81,950 ) $ (89,900 ) $ (149,524 ) $ (182,867 ) Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 106,921 104,700 208,498 207,685 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 466 501 927 1,003 Add: Acquisition-related expenses 6,889 4,478 17,620 9,065 Add: Amortization of debt issuance costs 957 953 1,902 1,906 Add: Income tax effects and adjustments (1) 981 (175 ) (16,175 ) (435 ) Non-GAAP net income $ 34,264 $ 20,557 $ 63,248 $ 36,357 Non-GAAP net income per share, basic $ 0.10 $ 0.06 $ 0.19 $ 0.11 Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted $ 0.09 $ 0.06 $ 0.17 $ 0.10 Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share, basic 341,208,548 319,415,586 338,491,146 316,809,384 Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share, diluted 367,293,632 354,236,764 367,556,846 352,216,317 Expand (1) Income tax effects and adjustments for the six months ended June 30, 2025 includes an adjustment for the income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets. Expand The following table presents a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for each of the periods indicated (unaudited, in thousands, except percentages): Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities $ 18,115 $ 8,590 $ (8,639 ) $ (17,364 ) Capitalized internal-use software costs (6,191 ) (4,776 ) (10,997 ) (10,315 ) Capital expenditures (919 ) (1,105 ) (2,348 ) (1,291 ) Free cash flow $ 11,005 $ 2,709 $ (21,984 ) $ (28,970 ) Impact from compensation payments adjustment (1) — — 37,930 — Adjusted free cash flow $ 11,005 $ 2,709 $ 15,946 $ (28,970 ) Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities as a percentage of total revenue 6.4 % 3.7 % (1.6 %) (3.8 %) Free cash flow margin 3.9 % 1.2 % (4.0 %) (6.4 %) Adjusted free cash flow margin 3.9 % 1.2 % 2.9 % (6.4 %) Net cash used in investing activities $ (8,489 ) $ (46,531 ) $ (120,492 ) $ (63,296 ) Net cash provided by financing activities $ 6,062 $ 13,096 $ 36,863 $ 43,100 Expand (1) Represents an adjustment to reflect the non-recurring impact in the first quarter of 2025 from the change to timing of cash compensation payments for most of our non go-to-market employees implemented at the start of 2025. Expand
Business Wire
30-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Confluent Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Confluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: CFLT), the data streaming pioneer, today announced financial results for its first quarter of 2025, ended March 31, 2025. 'Confluent started the year with solid momentum, achieving subscription revenue growth of 26% year over year,' said Jay Kreps, co-founder and CEO, Confluent. 'Our growth at scale amid heightened macroeconomic uncertainty demonstrates the mission-critical nature of data streaming and our significant product leadership. We remain laser-focused on enabling our customers to cost-efficiently build next-generation applications and win in the age of AI.' 'We are pleased with our robust first quarter results, demonstrating the resilience of our business and our ability to capture our market opportunity,' said Rohan Sivaram, CFO, Confluent. 'These results underscore the strength of our data streaming platform, the strategic value of our multi-cloud, multi-data destination, and multi-deployment approach, as well as the flexibility of our well-diversified growth strategy.' A reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP operating margin, adjusted free cash flow margin and non-GAAP net income per diluted share to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is not available without unreasonable effort, as certain items cannot be reasonably predicted because of their high variability, complexity and low visibility. In particular, the measures and effects of our stock-based compensation-related charges, which include stock-based compensation expenses, employer payroll taxes on employee stock transactions, and amortization of stock-based compensation capitalized in internal-use software, are directly impacted by the timing of employee stock transactions and unpredictable fluctuations in our stock price, which we expect to have a significant impact on our future GAAP financial results. Conference Call Information Confluent will host a video webcast to discuss the company's first quarter 2025 results as well as its financial outlook today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time/1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Open to the public, investors may access the webcast, earnings press release, supplemental financial information, and investor presentation on Confluent's investor relations website at before the commencement of the webcast. A replay of the webcast will also be accessible from Confluent's investor relations website a few hours after the conclusion of the live event. Confluent uses its investor relations website and may use its X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and the earnings call referencing this press release contain forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding (i) our financial outlook, including expected subscription revenue, Confluent Cloud revenue, non-GAAP operating margin, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow margin, non-GAAP net income per share, revenue mix, including Confluent Cloud subscription revenue mix, revenue run rates, Confluent Cloud and data streaming platform growth, adoption and traction, operating margins and margin improvements, targeted or anticipated gross and operating margin levels, earnings per share levels and improvements, in-product optimizations of Confluent Cloud, continued business momentum, and expected revenue, (ii) our market and category leadership position, (iii) our expectations and trends relating to growth of our Data Streaming Platform products, (iv) rates of Confluent Cloud consumption and demand for and retention of data streaming platforms like Confluent, (v) customer growth, retention and engagement, and expansion of customers into new use cases, (vi) ability for Confluent Cloud to provide cost savings for users and customers, including lower total cost of ownership, and our ability to drive return-on-investment-based expansions for our customers and capture the open-source conversion opportunity, (vii) increased adoption of our offerings and fully managed solutions for data streaming in general, including from customers building generative AI applications, (viii) dependence of businesses on data in motion, (ix) growth in and growth rate of revenue, customers, dollar-based net retention rate, and gross retention rate, (x) our ability to increase engagement of customers for Confluent and expand customer cohorts, (xi) our market opportunity and our ability to capture our market opportunity, (xii) the resilience of our business, (xiii) our go-to-market strategy, (xiv) our product differentiation and market acceptance of our products, (xv) our strategy and expected results and market acceptance for our Flink offering, Tableflow, Freight Clusters, and our other Data Streaming Platform offerings, (xvi) our expectations for market acceptance, direction and growth of stream processing, its potential to accelerate adoption of our platform and growth of our business, and our ability and positioning to capture this market, (xvii) our expectations of meeting near-term and mid-term financial targets, (xviii) our expectations regarding the generative AI landscape and our offerings, (xix) our expectations of relevance of certain key financial and operating metrics, (xx) our ability to drive long-term growth, (xxi) our expectations regarding the impact of our offerings, including WarpStream and Freight Clusters, (xxii) our expectations regarding our growth strategies and our partner ecosystem, including our Confluent OEM Program, (xxiii) our ability to offer pricing and packaging that fit the full range of Kafka use cases, and (xxiv) our overall future prospects. The words 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'estimate,' 'continue,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'expect,' 'seek,' 'plan,' 'project,' 'target,' 'looking ahead,' 'look to,' 'move into,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements represent our current beliefs, estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and information contained in this press release should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to: (i) our limited operating history, including in uncertain macroeconomic environments, (ii) our ability to sustain and manage our rapid growth, (iii) our ability to increase consumption of our offerings, including by existing customers and through the acquisition of new customers, including by addressing customer consumption preferences, successfully adding new features and functionality to our offerings, and partnering with our customers to help them realize increased value in Confluent in an efficient and sustainable manner, (iv) our ability to successfully execute our go-to-market strategy and initiatives, (v) our ability to attract new customers and successfully ramp their consumption of our offerings, as well as retain and sell additional features and services to our existing customers, (vi) uncertain macroeconomic conditions, including high inflation, high interest rates, bank failures, global tariffs, taxes on multinational companies, geopolitical events, recessionary risks, and exchange rate fluctuations, (vii) our ability to achieve profitability and improve margins annually, by our expected timelines or at all, (viii) the estimated addressable market opportunity for our Data Streaming Platform, and our ability to capture our share of that market opportunity, (ix) shifts in certain customers' data streaming strategies, (x) our ability to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive market, (xi) our ability to attract, ramp, and retain highly qualified personnel, and the impacts of attrition and related challenges, (xii) breaches in our security measures, intentional or accidental cybersecurity incidents or unauthorized access to our platform, our data, or our customers' or other users' personal data, (xiii) our reliance on third-party cloud-based infrastructure to host Confluent Cloud, (xiv) public sector budgetary cycles and funding reductions or delays, or shifts in procurement strategies, (xv) our ability to accurately forecast our future performance, business and growth, and (xvi) general market, political, economic, and business conditions. These risks are not exhaustive. Further information on these and other risks that could affect Confluent's results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC'), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and our future reports that we may file from time to time with the SEC. Additional information will be made available in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 that will be filed with the SEC, which should be read in conjunction with this press release and the financial results included herein. Confluent assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release includes the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow margin. We use these non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics internally to facilitate analysis of our financial and business trends and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken collectively, may be helpful to investors because they provide consistency and comparability with past financial performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations, or outlook. However, non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool and are presented for supplemental informational purposes only. They should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In particular, other companies, including companies in our industry, may report non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted free cash flow margin, or similarly titled measures but calculate them differently, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. Further, free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are not substitutes for cash used in operating activities. The utility of free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are limited as such measures do not reflect our future contractual commitments and do not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for any given period. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, as presented below. We define non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses (research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative), non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, and non-GAAP net income per share as the respective GAAP measures, adjusted for, as applicable, stock-based compensation-related charges which include stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes on employee stock transactions and amortization of stock-based compensation capitalized in internal-use software; amortization of acquired intangibles; acquisition-related expenses; amortization of debt issuance costs; and income tax effects associated with these adjustments as well as the non-recurring income tax expense or benefit associated with acquisitions and income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets. Non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP operating margin are defined as non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP operating income (loss) as a percentage of revenue, respectively. We define free cash flow as net cash used in operating activities less capitalized internal-use software costs and capital expenditures and free cash flow margin as free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We define adjusted free cash flow as free cash flow excluding the non-recurring impact from a change to timing of certain cash compensation payments and adjusted free cash flow margin as adjusted free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We believe that free cash flow, free cash flow margin, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow margin are useful indicators of liquidity that provide information to management and investors about the performance of core operations and future ability to generate cash that can be used for strategic opportunities or investing in our business. Definition Customers with $100,000 or greater in annual recurring revenue ('ARR') represent the number of customers that contributed $100,000 or more in ARR as of period end. We define ARR as (1) with respect to Confluent Platform customers, the amount of revenue to which our customers are contractually committed over the following 12 months assuming no increases or reductions in their subscriptions, and (2) with respect to Confluent Cloud and WarpStream customers, the amount of revenue that we expect to recognize from such customers over the following 12 months, calculated by annualizing actual consumption of Confluent Cloud and WarpStream in the last three months of the applicable period, assuming no increases or reductions in usage rate. Services arrangements are excluded from the calculation of ARR. For purposes of determining our customer count, we treat all affiliated entities with the same parent organization as a single customer and include pay-as-you-go customers. Our customer count is subject to adjustments for acquisitions, consolidations, spin-offs, and other market activity. About Confluent Confluent is the data streaming platform that is pioneering a fundamentally new category of data infrastructure that sets data in motion. Confluent's cloud-native offering is the foundational platform for data in motion – designed to be the intelligent connective tissue enabling real-time data, from multiple sources, to constantly stream across the organization. With Confluent, organizations can meet the new business imperative of delivering rich, digital front-end customer experiences and transitioning to sophisticated, real-time, software-driven backend operations. Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 2024 Revenue: Subscription $ 260,910 $ 206,902 Services 10,210 10,335 Total revenue 271,120 217,237 Cost of revenue: Subscription (1) 56,847 48,355 Services (1) 12,271 12,866 Total cost of revenue 69,118 61,221 Gross profit 202,002 156,016 Operating expenses: Research and development (1) 116,801 97,571 Sales and marketing (1) 146,259 131,352 General and administrative (1) 40,120 38,444 Total operating expenses 303,180 267,367 Operating loss (101,178 ) (111,351 ) Other income, net 20,410 20,850 Loss before income taxes (80,768 ) (90,501 ) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes (13,194 ) 2,466 Net loss $ (67,574 ) $ (92,967 ) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.20 ) $ (0.30 ) Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted 335,755,902 314,203,181 (1) Includes stock-based compensation-related charges as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 2024 Cost of revenue - subscription $ 8,708 $ 7,905 Cost of revenue - services 1,867 2,718 Research and development 43,835 41,424 Sales and marketing 32,757 35,780 General and administrative 14,410 15,158 Total stock-based compensation-related charges $ 101,577 $ 102,985 Expand Confluent, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) (unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 2024 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (67,574 ) $ (92,967 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 6,605 4,311 Net accretion of discounts on marketable securities (6,847 ) (10,396 ) Amortization of debt issuance costs 945 953 Amortization of deferred contract acquisition costs 13,931 12,762 Non-cash operating lease costs 1,075 885 Stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized 92,575 95,322 Deferred income taxes (17,338 ) 615 Other 454 849 Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of business combinations: Accounts receivable 15,414 29,360 Deferred contract acquisition costs (10,410 ) (9,732 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,515 (1,929 ) Accounts payable (1,274 ) (4,932 ) Accrued expenses and other liabilities (49,828 ) (43,752 ) Operating lease liabilities (2,177 ) (1,935 ) Deferred revenue (3,820 ) (5,368 ) Net cash used in operating activities (26,754 ) (25,954 ) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Capitalization of internal-use software costs (4,806 ) (5,539 ) Purchases of marketable securities (405,235 ) (443,307 ) Maturities of marketable securities 299,467 432,267 Purchases of property and equipment (1,429 ) (186 ) Net cash used in investing activities (112,003 ) (16,765 ) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon exercise of vested options 16,606 14,401 Proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan 14,195 15,603 Net cash provided by financing activities 30,801 30,004 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 537 (673 ) Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (107,419 ) (13,388 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 385,980 349,761 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 278,561 $ 336,373 Expand Confluent, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures (in thousands, except percentages, share and per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 2024 Reconciliation of GAAP total gross profit to non-GAAP total gross profit: Total gross profit on a GAAP basis $ 202,002 $ 156,016 Total gross margin on a GAAP basis 74.5 % 71.8 % Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 10,575 10,623 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 461 502 Non-GAAP total gross profit $ 213,038 $ 167,141 Non-GAAP total gross margin 78.6 % 76.9 % Reconciliation of GAAP operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses: Research and development operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 116,801 $ 97,571 Research and development operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 43.1 % 44.9 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 43,835 41,424 Less: Acquisition-related expenses 9,641 4,362 Non-GAAP research and development operating expense $ 63,325 $ 51,785 Non-GAAP research and development operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 23.4 % 23.8 % Sales and marketing operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 146,259 $ 131,352 Sales and marketing operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 53.9 % 60.5 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 32,757 35,780 Less: Acquisition-related expenses 1,076 - Non-GAAP sales and marketing operating expense $ 112,426 $ 95,572 Non-GAAP sales and marketing operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 41.5 % 44.0 % General and administrative operating expense on a GAAP basis $ 40,120 $ 38,444 General and administrative operating expense as a percentage of total revenue on a GAAP basis 14.8 % 17.7 % Less: Stock-based compensation-related charges 14,410 15,158 Less: Acquisition-related expenses 14 225 Non-GAAP general and administrative operating expense $ 25,696 $ 23,061 Non-GAAP general and administrative operating expense as a percentage of total revenue 9.5 % 10.6 % Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 2024 Reconciliation of GAAP operating loss to non-GAAP operating income (loss): Operating loss on a GAAP basis $ (101,178 ) $ (111,351 ) GAAP operating margin (37.3 %) (51.3 %) Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 101,577 102,985 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 461 502 Add: Acquisition-related expenses 10,731 4,587 Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $ 11,591 $ (3,277 ) Non-GAAP operating margin 4.3 % (1.5 %) Reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP net income: Net loss on a GAAP basis $ (67,574 ) $ (92,967 ) Add: Stock-based compensation-related charges 101,577 102,985 Add: Amortization of acquired intangibles 461 502 Add: Acquisition-related expenses 10,731 4,587 Add: Amortization of debt issuance costs 945 953 Add: Income tax effects and adjustments (1) (17,156 ) (260 ) Non-GAAP net income $ 28,984 $ 15,800 Non-GAAP net income per share, basic $ 0.09 $ 0.05 Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted $ 0.08 $ 0.05 Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share, basic 335,755,902 314,203,181 Weighted-average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share, diluted 367,802,218 350,195,868 (1) Income tax effects and adjustments for the three months ended March 31, 2025 includes an adjustment for the income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets. Expand The following table presents a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash used in operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for each of the periods indicated (unaudited, in thousands, except percentages): Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 2024 Net cash used in operating activities $ (26,754 ) $ (25,954 ) Capitalized internal-use software costs (4,806 ) (5,539 ) Capital expenditures (1,429 ) (186 ) Free cash flow $ (32,989 ) $ (31,679 ) Impact from compensation payments adjustment (1) 37,930 - Adjusted free cash flow $ 4,941 $ (31,679 ) Net cash used in operating activities as a percentage of total revenue (9.9 %) (11.9 %) Free cash flow margin (12.2 %) (14.6 %) Adjusted free cash flow margin 1.8 % (14.6 %) Net cash used in investing activities $ (112,003 ) $ (16,765 ) Net cash provided by financing activities $ 30,801 $ 30,004 (1) Represents an adjustment to reflect the non-recurring impact in the first quarter of 2025 from the change to timing of cash compensation payments for most of our non go-to-market employees implemented at the start of 2025. Expand
