ADT · Read the filing

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

In addition to risks and uncertainties in the ordinary course of business that are common to all businesses, important factors that are specific to our industry and the Company could have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. You should carefully consider the risks described below and in our subsequent periodic filings with the SEC. The following risk factors should be read in conjunction with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in this Annual Report.

Risks Related to Our Products and Services

Our future growth is dependent upon our ability to keep pace with rapid technological and industry changes through a combination of partnerships with third parties, our own internal development, and by acquisition, in order to obtain and maintain new technologies for our products and service introductions that achieve market acceptance with acceptable margins.

Our business operates in markets that are characterized by rapidly changing technologies, evolving industry standards, potential new entrants, and changes in customer needs and expectations. For example, a number of cable and other telecommunications companies and large technology companies with home automation solutions offer interactive and security services that are competitive with our products and services. If these services gain greater market acceptance and traction, our ability to grow our business could be materially and adversely affected. Accordingly, our future success depends in part on our ability to accomplish the following: identify emerging technological trends in our target end-markets; develop, acquire, and maintain competitive products and services that capitalize on existing and emerging trends; enhance our existing products and services by adding innovative features on a timely and cost-effective basis that differentiates us from our competitors; incorporate popular third-party interactive products and services into our product and service offerings; sufficiently capture intellectual property rights in new inventions and other innovations; and develop or acquire and bring products and services, including enhancements, to market quickly and cost-effectively. Our ability to develop, alone or with third parties, or to acquire new products and services that are technologically innovative requires the investment of significant resources and can affect our competitive position. These acquisition and development efforts divert resources from other potential investments in our businesses, and they may not lead to the development of new commercially successful technologies, products, or services on a timely basis.

For example, in July 2020, we entered into the Commercial Agreement with Google pursuant to which Google has agreed to supply us with certain Google devices as well as certain Google video and analytics services and we have agreed, with certain exceptions, to exclusively provide Google end-user video and sensing analytics services and smart-home, security and safety devices to our customers. If Google fails to perform or to provide products that continually meet the demands of our customers, or if we fail to develop products and services that our customers find desirable and in a timely manner, our business will be materially, adversely impacted. In addition, while we are required to use Google exclusively for certain of our product supply, Google can sell the same or similar devices to our competitors who may more successfully commercialize products or services that are competitive to ours, thereby materially harming our business.

In addition, in November 2020, we announced the ongoing development of our ADT-owned next-generation professional security and automation technology platform, which is currently being developed in coordination with Google. Our comprehensive interactive platform is expected to provide customers with a seamless experience across security, life safety, automation, and analytics through a common application. Additionally, our platform is expected to integrate the customer experience, the customer service experience, and back-end support. We may not achieve a successful platform build in a timely manner, within budget, or in a manner that enables the commercialization of products and services that meet the continually evolving demands of our customers. The failure to successfully build a platform will significantly impact our ability to provide commercially viable products and services, and will result in the loss of a substantial amount of investment dollars. In addition, the development of this platform will take management’s time and attention away from other opportunities. A failure to successfully develop this platform could result in a material adverse impact on our business.

Any new or enhanced products and services developed in these manners may not satisfy customer preferences, and potential product failures may cause customers to reject our products and services. As a result, these products and services may not achieve market acceptance, and our brand image could suffer. In addition, our competitors may introduce superior products or business strategies, impairing our brand and the desirability of our products and services, which may cause customers to defer or forego purchases of our products and services, and impacting our ability to charge monthly service fees. If our competitors implement new technologies before we are able to implement them, those competitors may be able to provide more effective products than ours, possibly at lower prices and experience higher adoption rates and popularity. Any delay or failure in the introduction of new or enhanced solutions could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the markets for our products and services may not develop or grow as we anticipate. The failure of our technology, products, or

services to gain market acceptance, the potential for product defects, or the obsolescence of our products and services could significantly reduce our revenue, increase our operating costs, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

In addition to developing and acquiring new technologies and introducing new offerings, we may need, from time to time, to phase out outdated and unsuitable technologies and services. If we are unable to do so on a cost-effective basis, we could experience reduced profits.

We sell our products and services in highly competitive markets, including the home security and automation markets and the commercial fire and security markets, which may result in pressure on our profit margins and limit our ability to maintain or increase the market share of our products and services.

The monitored security industry is highly fragmented and subject to significant competition and pricing pressures. We experience significant competitive pricing pressures on installation, monitoring, and service fees. Several competitors offer installation fees and monitoring fees that match or are lower than ours. Other competitors may charge significantly more for installation, but in many cases, less for monitoring. In addition, cable and telecommunications companies have expanded into the home automation and monitored security industry and are bundling their existing offerings with monitored security services, often at lower monthly monitoring rates.

In many cases, we face competition for direct sales from our independent, third-party authorized dealers, who may offer installation for considerably less than we do in particular markets. We face competition from other providers such as technology and cable and telecommunications companies that may have existing access to and relationships with subscribers and highly recognized brands, which may drive increased awareness of their security/automation offerings relative to ours, have access to greater capital and resources than us, and may spend significantly more on advertising, marketing, and promotional resources, as well as the acquisition of other companies with home automation solution offerings, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to drive awareness and demand for our products and services. In particular, these companies may be able to offer subscribers a lower price by bundling their services. We also face potential competition from DIY products such as SimpliSafe, Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Ring, which enable customers to self-monitor and control their environments without third-party involvement through the Internet, text messages, emails, or similar communications, but with the disadvantage that alarm events may go unnoticed. Some DIY providers may also offer professional monitoring with the purchase of their systems and equipment without a contractual commitment, which may be attractive to some customers and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Other DIY providers may offer new internet of things (“IoT”) devices and services with automated features and capabilities that may be appealing to customers. In addition, certain DIY providers have a significantly broader customer base and product offering than us, allowing them to cross-sell interactive and security solutions that are competitive with our offerings to customers who are loyal to the competitor’s brand. Shifts in customer preferences toward DIY systems could increase our attrition rates over time and the risk of accelerated amortization of customer contracts resulting from a declining customer base. In November 2020, we announced our intention to launch a co-branded ADT | Google core professionally installed DIFM offering during the second half of 2021 and a co-branded ADT | Google DIY solution in 2021 having new distribution channels, including retail sales directly to prospective customers. We cannot be certain that either offering will launch successfully, or occur at all, or whether any such co-branded product will be commercially viable. Notwithstanding our new partnership with Google, it is possible that one or more of our competitors could develop a significant technological advantage over us that allows them to provide additional service or better-quality service or to lower their price, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Continued pricing pressure, improvements in technology, competitor brand loyalty, and shifts in customer preferences toward self-monitoring and DIY could adversely impact our customer base and/or pricing structure and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We also face competition in the commercial fire and security markets where many of our competitors are large, global industrial companies as well as smaller regional and local companies, which may be positioned to offer products and services at lower cost than us or which may benefit from pre-existing or highly localized relationships and knowledge. Our ability to compete in the commercial fire and security business is also dependent on our ability to acquire and resell third-party products and services demanded by commercial customers, some of which we may not be able to provide. If we fail to build relationships with commercial customers or obtain the rights to resell third-party products and services required by commercial customers, our profitability, business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

The retirement of older telecommunications technology such as 3G and CDMA by telecommunications providers and shifts in our customers’ choice of telecommunications services and equipment could materially adversely affect our business, increase customer attrition, and require significant capital expenditures.

Certain elements of our operating model have historically relied on our customers’ continued selection and use of traditional copper wireline telecommunications service to transmit alarm signals to our monitoring centers. There is a growing trend for

customers to switch to the exclusive use of cellular, or IP based technology in their homes and businesses, as telecommunication providers discontinue their copper wireline services in favor of IP-based technology. Many of our customers also have security systems that rely on technology that is not operable with newer cellular networks or IP-based networks, and as such, will not be able to transmit alarm signals on these networks. The discontinuation of copper landline service, older cellular technologies, and other services by telecommunications providers, as well as the switch by customers to the exclusive use of cellular or IP technology, may require system upgrades to alternative, and potentially more expensive, alarm systems to transmit alarm signals and function properly. This could increase our customer revenue attrition, as was the case when we sought to migrate certain customers off of the earlier 2G networks, and slow new customer generation.

We have received notice from the providers of 3G and Code-Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) cellular networks that they will be retiring their 3G and CDMA networks by the first quarter of 2022. One carrier that sunset CDMA in 2019 has agreed to continue to provide such service only until the end of 2022. As of December 31, 2020, we provided services to approximately 1.9 million customer sites that transmit signals via 3G or CDMA networks. A failure to effectively transition these customers away from retiring networks would result in a loss of signal to the systems and services we provide, which may result in a loss of related recurring monthly revenue. Implementation of additional service charges in connection with our transition plans, may cause customers to view such charges unfavorably, which could cause customer attrition to increase. If we are unable to upgrade cellular equipment at customer sites to meet new network standards prior to the retirement of 3G and CDMA networks, or to respond to other changes carriers are or may make to their networks in a timely and cost-effective manner, whether due to an insufficient supply of electronic components or parts, an insufficient skilled labor force, or due to any other reason, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, could be materially adversely affected.

During November 2020, we acquired Cell Bounce, a technology company with proprietary radio conversion technology in the form of a user-installable device, which is expected to allow for the transition of customers on 3G networks in a cost efficient and timely manner. The Cell Bounce technology is unproven on a large commercial scale and any long term failure in the technology or inability to install the technology in a cost effective and timely manner, including as a result of the unwillingness of customers to self-install the device, or their prolonged delay in doing so, would result in a loss of our investment to date to acquire and integrate Cell Bounce into our operations and could have a material, adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In November 2017, as part of the FCC’s efforts to facilitate the transition from traditional copper-based wireline networks to IP-based fiber broadband networks, the FCC repealed its rules requiring telecommunications carriers to provide direct advanced public notice to consumers of the retirement of copper-based wireline networks. Many of our customers rely solely on copper-based telephone networks to transmit alarm signals from their premises to our monitoring stations. Since some customer alarm systems are not compatible with IP-based communication paths, we will be required to upgrade or install new technologies, which may include the need to subsidize the replacement of the customers’ outdated systems at our expense. The carrier’s ability to retire copper-based wireline networks without advanced notice could lead to customer confusion and impede our ability to timely transfer customers to new network technologies. Any technology upgrades or implementations could require significant capital expenditures, may increase our attrition rates, and may also divert management and other resource attention away from customer service and sales efforts for new customers. In the future, we may not be able to successfully implement new technologies or adapt existing technologies to changing market demands. If we are unable to adapt in a timely manner to changing technologies, market conditions or customer preferences, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, we use broadband Internet access service to support our product offerings, such as video monitoring and surveillance, and as a communications option for alarm monitoring and other services. Video monitoring and surveillance services use significantly more bandwidth than non-video Internet activity. As utilization rates and penetration of these services increase, the need for increased network capacity will necessitate our incurring significant capital expenditures to avoid service disruptions as well as ensure a seamless video experience for our customers, which could materially, adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Police departments could refuse to respond to calls from monitored security service companies.

Police departments in certain jurisdictions do not respond to calls from monitored security service companies unless certain conditions are met, such as video or other verification or eyewitness accounts of suspicious activities, either as a matter of policy or by local ordinance. We offer video verification in certain jurisdictions which increases costs of some security systems, which may increase costs to customers. As an alternative to video cameras in some jurisdictions, we have offered affected customers the option of receiving response from private guard companies, at least as an initial means to verify suspicious activities. In most cases this is accomplished through contracts with private guard companies, which increases the overall cost to customers. If more police departments were to refuse to respond or be prohibited from responding to calls from monitored security service companies unless certain conditions are met, such as video or other verification or eyewitness accounts of

suspicious activities, our ability to attract and retain customers could be negatively impacted and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

Our reputation as a service provider of high-quality security offerings may be materially adversely affected by product defects or shortfalls in customer service.

Our business depends on our reputation and ability to maintain good relationships with our subscribers, dealers, suppliers, and local regulators, among others. Our reputation may be harmed either through product defects, such as the failure of one or more of our subscribers’ alarm systems, or shortfalls in customer service. Subscribers generally judge our performance through their interactions with the staff at the monitoring and customer care centers, dealers, and technicians who perform on-site installation and maintenance services, as well as their day to day interactions with the product and the mobile application. Any failure to meet subscribers’ expectations in such customer service areas could cause an increase in attrition rates or make it difficult to recruit new subscribers. Any harm to our reputation or subscriber relationships caused by the actions of our dealers, personnel, or third-party product or service providers or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If the insurance industry changes its practice of providing incentives to homeowners for the use of alarm monitoring services, we may experience a reduction in new customer growth or an increase in our subscriber attrition rate.

It has been common practice in the insurance industry to provide a reduction in rates for policies written on homes that have monitored alarm systems. There can be no assurance that insurance companies will continue to offer these rate reductions. If these incentives were reduced or eliminated, new homeowners who otherwise might not feel the need for alarm monitoring services would be removed from our potential customer pool, which could hinder the growth of our business, and existing subscribers may choose to disconnect or not renew their service contracts, which could increase our attrition rates. In either case, our growth prospects and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

We have invested and will continue to invest in new businesses, services, and technologies outside the traditional security and interactive services market, which is inherently risky and could disrupt our current operations.

We have invested and will continue to invest in new businesses, products, services, and technologies beyond traditional security and interactive services. Our investments may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including capital loss on some or all of our investments, insufficient revenue from such investments to offset any new liabilities assumed and expenses associated with these new investments, distraction of management from current operations, and issues not identified during pre-investment planning and due diligence that could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of such investments and incur unanticipated liabilities. Since these investments are inherently risky, these new businesses, products, services, and technologies may not be successful and as a result, may materially adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Unauthorized use of our brand names by third parties, and the expenses incurred in developing and preserving the value of our brand names, may materially adversely affect our business.

Our brand names are critical to our success. Unauthorized use of our brand names by third parties may materially adversely affect our business and reputation, including the perceived quality and reliability of our products and services. We rely on trademark law, company brand name protection policies, and agreements with our employees, customers, business partners, and others to protect the value of our brand names. Despite our precautions, we cannot provide assurance that those procedures are sufficiently effective to protect against unauthorized third-party use of our brand names. In particular, in recent years, various third parties have used our brand names to engage in fraudulent activities, including unauthorized telemarketing conducted in our names to induce our existing customers to switch to competing monitoring service providers, lead generation activities for competitors, and obtaining personally identifiable or personal financial information. Third parties sometimes use our names and trademarks, or other confusingly similar variances thereof, in other contexts that may impact our brands. We may not be successful in detecting, investigating, preventing, or prosecuting all unauthorized third-party use of our brand names. Future litigation with respect to such unauthorized use could also result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources. These factors could materially adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Third parties hold rights to certain of our key brand names outside of the U.S.

Our success depends in part on our continued ability to use trademarks to capitalize on our brands’ name-recognition and to further develop our brands in the U.S, as well as in other international markets should we choose to expand and continue to grow our business outside of the U.S. in the future. Not all of the trademarks that are used by our brands have been registered in

all of the countries in which we may do business in the future, and some trademarks may never be registered in any or all of these countries. Rights in trademarks are generally territorial in nature and are obtained on a country-by-country basis by the first person to obtain protection through use or registration in that country in connection with specified products and services. Some countries’ laws do not protect unregistered trademarks at all, or make them more difficult to enforce, and third parties may have filed for “ADT,” “PROTECTION ONE,” or similar marks in countries where we have not registered these brands as trademarks. Accordingly, we may not be able to adequately protect our brands everywhere in the world and use of such brands may result in liability for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, or unfair competition.

In particular, certain trademarks associated with the ADT brand, including “ADT” and the blue octagon, are owned in all territories outside of the U.S and Canada by Johnson Controls, which acquired and merged with and into Tyco. In certain instances, such trademarks are licensed in certain territories outside the U.S. and Canada by Johnson Controls to third parties. Pursuant to a trademark agreement entered into between The ADT Corporation and Tyco (the “Tyco Trademark Agreement”) in connection with the separation of The ADT Corporation from Tyco in 2012, which endures in perpetuity, we are prohibited from ever registering, attempting to register or using such trademarks outside the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) and Canada, and we may not challenge Tyco’s rights in such trademarks outside the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, under the Tyco Trademark Agreement, we and Tyco each has the right to propose new secondary source indicators (e.g., “Pulse”) to become designated source indicators of such party. To qualify as a designated source indicator, certain specified criteria must be met, including that the indicator has not been used as a material indicator by the non-proposing party or its affiliates over the previous seven years. If we are unable to object to Tyco’s proposal for a new designated source indicator by successfully asserting that the new indicator did not meet the requisite criteria, we would subsequently be precluded from using, registering, or attempting to register such indicator in any jurisdiction, including the U.S. and Canada, whether alone or in connection with an ADT brand. While we and Tyco are each required to (i) adhere to specified quality control standards with respect to the use of the subject trademarks in their respective jurisdictions, (ii) cooperate with respect to enforcement in their respective territories, and (iii) cooperate to avoid and correct any potential or actual customer confusion over the proper ownership of the ADT brand in any particular territory, it is nonetheless possible that dilution, infringement, or customer confusion may result from the arrangement, which could materially adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

In addition, in November 2019, we sold all of our shares of ADT Canada to TELUS. In connection with the sale of ADT Canada, we and TELUS, among other things, entered into a non-competition and non-solicitation agreement pursuant to which we agreed not to directly or indirectly engage in a business competitive with ADT Canada, subject to limited exceptions for cross-border commercial customers and mobile safety applications, for a period of seven years. In connection with our sale of ADT Canada, we also entered into a patent and trademark license agreement with TELUS granting them (i) the use of our patents in Canada for a period of seven years and (ii) the exclusive rights to use our trademarks in Canada for a period of five years followed by non-exclusive use of our trademarks for an additional two years. Any violation by TELUS of our agreements with them, or their misuse of our intellectual property or behavior by TELUS in a manner that incorrectly reflects poorly on us because of TELUS’s use of our intellectual property could damage our brand and reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Operations

The COVID-19 Pandemic has had and could continue to have a significant negative impact on our employees, our customers, our suppliers, and our ability to carry on our normal operations given its impact on the economy generally, as well as the resulting “shelter in place” and other operational requirements we have or must continue to adhere to, or which could be reinstituted upon a re-emergence of COVID-19 in a particular jurisdiction, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on all aspects of our business. This includes the health of our employees, the protection of our customers, and our ability to continue to operate all aspects of our operations. Our employees are susceptible to COVID-19 in the ordinary course of their work. While we seek to protect our employees’ health through various initiatives, we cannot be certain that our employees will not contract COVID-19, be required to quarantine as a result of coming in contact with others who have the disease, or be unable to work in order to care for someone with the disease. Any such instances, whether on a large scale basis or concentrated in any one area of the business could result in legal claims and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. The health and safety of our customers is also a top priority and we similarly take precautions to protect their health and well-being. The refusal of customers to allow us to enter their residences or businesses due to the fear of COVID-19 could have a material impact on our business, and the spreading of the disease between our customers and our employees could interrupt our operations, result in legal claims and damage our brand. Any such result could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We rely on monitoring centers and customer care centers as an integral part of our ongoing business operations. While we have taken steps to enable the majority of the employees who staff these operations to conduct their jobs from home, the closure of any such site or the widespread illness of the employees remaining in any such site could result in a material disruption to our business. Similarly, our work from home environment could subject us to the failure of the communications networks serving our employees which we no longer control and who may not have sufficient back up capabilities. In addition, this work from home environment results in more home access points that are susceptible to cybersecurity attacks, such as computer hacking, computer viruses, worms or other malicious software or malicious activities. In addition, our monitoring centers are listed by U.L. and must meet certain requirements to maintain that listing. Permitting some of our monitoring center or customer care center employees to work from home during the duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic or for any period of time or permanently thereafter may impact our U.L. listing and our ability to provide our services in situations where a U.L. listing is required or otherwise negatively impact the customer experience. Our employees who work from home may also experience a decrease in the quality of job performance, whether immediate or over time. Any such impact with respect to our employees who are working from home could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Any continued widespread growth in infections could also result in additional, or the re-institution of prior, travel restrictions or “shelter-in-place” mandates that further impact the ability of our employees to reach our operations, be available to install new or repair existing systems within residential homes or commercial operations, or to enter such homes or commercial operations. Such inability to access residences, or any unwillingness of customers to allow us to enter their sites, to proactively continue our program to replace the 3G and CDMA cellular equipment used in many of our security systems could also negatively impact the pace of our 3G and CDMA radio replacement program, which could impair our ability to convert all of those radios across our system by the applicable technology sunset dates. In addition, the continuation of infections has resulted, and could continue to result, in a change in policy of emergency responders in certain jurisdictions who have declined, and may continue temporarily or permanently to decline, to respond to certain verified or non-verified burglar alarm calls from our monitoring centers or from our employees who are working from home, and restrictions on business operations may continue, or be re-instituted, or expand in certain jurisdictions with only limited exceptions. Such restrictions, which could impact us directly should we fail to fall within a permissible exception, and which could also result in future sustained business closures among our customer and potential customer bases, would magnify the negative impact already experienced across our operations and, most significantly, within our commercial operations. Any of the foregoing impacts on our employees, first responders, customers, operations, or business generally, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Our dealers and suppliers may be similarly impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our indirect channel customers are generated mainly through our network of agreements with third-party independent alarm dealers who sell alarm equipment and ADT Authorized Dealer-branded monitoring and interactive services to end users. These dealers face many of the same challenges we face due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the impact on their respective employees, customers and operations generally. These dealers may not have sufficient financial strength or operational diversity to enable them to maintain their operations throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. We may also find that it is difficult or impossible to receive equipment from our suppliers or that we have an impaired ability to deliver products and services to customers, or to even make repairs, on a timely basis. If we experience such disruptions, we may experience customer dissatisfaction and potential loss of confidence, and liabilities to customers or other third parties, each of which could harm our reputation and impact future revenues from these customers. We could also be subject to claims or litigation with respect to losses caused by such disruptions. Our property and business interruption insurance and our cyber liability insurance may not be sufficient to fully cover these losses, or any of the other losses we may experience as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of which we may not even be able to contemplate or quantify at this time, and such insurance may not cover a particular event at all. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has also caused significant disruption to and volatility within the financial markets. A long-term refusal of residential or commercial customers to allow us to access their premises, significant cancellations or non-payment of accounts, or an inability to obtain new customers, could impact our liquidity. We may not be able to timely access the financial markets or be able to do so on terms that are favorable to us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We are also concerned with the impacts that have and could continue to result as cases of COVID-19 re-emerge in jurisdictions which have and will continue to reopen for business and / or no longer require social distancing. COVID-19 cases have increased significantly in many jurisdictions that have re-opened, prompting new restrictions. Even if current containment efforts or a successful vaccine lead to dramatic reductions in COVID-19 cases, we are also concerned with the uncertainty around the subsequent re-emergence or mutation of COVID-19. If individuals cease to undertake appropriate protective measures or if any vaccine proves ineffective in the long term or is not commercially available to the entire population, a re-emergence of COVID-19 could cause additional significant disruptions in the economy continuing into the future, which could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The COVID-19 Pandemic may also exacerbate the other risks noted in this Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” including, but not limited to: our ability to comply with the terms of our indebtedness, our ability to generate revenues, earn profits and maintain adequate liquidity, our ability to service existing and attract new customers, our ability to maintain our overall competitiveness in the market, the potential for significant fluctuations in demand for our services, overall industry trends impacting our business, as well as potential volatility in our stock price.

We rely on a significant number of our customers remaining with us as customers for long periods of time.

We operate our business with the goal of retaining customers for long periods of time to recoup our initial investment in new customers, generally achieving revenue break-even in less than two and a half years. Accordingly, our long-term profitability is dependent on long customer tenure. This requires that we minimize our rate of customer disconnects, or attrition. Factors that can increase disconnects include customer relocations, problems experienced with our product or service quality, customer service, customer non-pay, unfavorable general economic conditions, and the preference for lower pricing of competitors’ products and services over ours. If we fail to keep our customers for a sufficiently long period of time, our profitability, business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In addition, if attrition rates were to rise significantly, we may be required to accelerate the depreciation and amortization expense for, or to impair, certain of our assets, which would cause a material adverse effect on our financial condition, and results of operations.

Failure to successfully upgrade, integrate, and maintain the security of our information and technology networks, including personally identifiable information and other data, could materially adversely affect us.

We are dependent on information technology networks and systems, including Internet and Internet-based or “cloud” computing services, to collect, process, transmit, and store electronic information. We have completed a significant number of acquisitions of companies that operate different technology platforms and systems. We are currently implementing modifications and upgrades to our information technology systems and also integrating systems from our various acquisitions, including making changes to legacy systems, replacing legacy systems with successor systems with new functionality, and implementing new systems. Any delay in making such changes or replacements or in purchasing new systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. There are inherent costs and risks associated with integrating, replacing and changing these systems and implementing new systems, including potential disruption of our sales, operations and customer service functions, potential disruption of our internal control structure, substantial capital expenditures, additional administration and operating expenses, retention of sufficiently skilled personnel to integrate, implement and operate the new systems, demands on management time, and other risks and costs of delays or difficulties in transitioning to new systems or of integrating new systems into our current systems. In addition, our information technology system implementations may not result in productivity improvements at a level that outweighs the costs of implementation, or at all. The implementation of or delay in implementing new information technology systems may also cause disruptions in our business operations, impede our ability to comply with constantly evolving laws, regulations and industry standards addressing information and technology networks, privacy and data security, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Due to the ever-changing threat landscape, our products may be subject to potential vulnerabilities of wireless and IoT devices, and our services may be subject to certain risks, including hacking or other unauthorized access to control or view systems and obtain private information.

Companies that collect and retain sensitive and confidential information are under increasing attack by cybercriminals and other actors around the world. While we implement security measures within our products, services, operations, and other actors’ systems, those measures may not prevent cybersecurity breaches; the access, capture, or alteration of information by criminals; the exposure or exploitation of potential security vulnerabilities; distributed denial of service attacks; the installation of malware or ransomware; acts of vandalism; computer viruses; or misplaced data or data loss that could be detrimental to our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Third parties, including our partners and vendors, could also be a source of security risk to us in the event of a failure of their own products, components, networks, security systems, and infrastructure. In addition, we cannot be certain that advances in criminal capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology protecting the networks that access our products and services.

A significant actual or perceived (whether or not valid) theft, loss, fraudulent use or misuse of customer, employee, or other personally identifiable data, whether by us, our partners and vendors, or other third parties, or as a result of employee error or malfeasance or otherwise, non-compliance with applicable industry standards or our contractual or other legal obligations regarding such data, or a violation of our privacy and information security policies with respect to such data, could result in costs, fines, litigation, or regulatory actions against us. Such an event could additionally result in unfavorable publicity and therefore materially and adversely affect the market’s perception of the security and reliability of our services and our

credibility and reputation with our customers, which may lead to customer dissatisfaction and could result in lost sales and increased customer revenue attrition.

In addition, we depend on our information technology infrastructure for business-to-business and business-to-consumer electronic commerce. Security breaches of, or sustained attacks against, this infrastructure could create system disruptions and shutdowns that could negatively impact our operations. Increasingly, our products and services are accessed through the Internet, and security breaches in connection with the delivery of our services via the Internet may affect us and could be detrimental to our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We continue to invest in new and emerging technology and other solutions to protect our network and information systems, but there can be no assurance that these investments and solutions will prevent any of the risks described above. In addition, any delay in making such investments due to conflicting budget priorities or otherwise could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. While we maintain cyber liability insurance that provides both third-party liability and first-party insurance coverages, our insurance may not be sufficient to protect against all of our losses from any future disruptions or breaches of our systems or other event as described above.

We depend on third-party providers and suppliers for components of our security and automation systems, third-party software licenses for our products and services, and third-party providers to transmit signals to our monitoring facilities and provide other services to our subscribers. Any failure or interruption in products or services provided by these third parties could harm our ability to operate our business.

The components for the security and automation systems that we install are manufactured by third parties. We are therefore susceptible to interruptions in supply and to the receipt of components that do not meet our standards. Our suppliers may be susceptible to disruptions from fire, natural disasters, weather and the effects of climate change (such as sea level rise, drought, flooding, wildfires, and increased storm severity), pandemics, malicious acts, terrorism, government action, or other concerns impacting their local workforce, all of which are beyond our and their control. Any financial or other difficulties our providers face may have negative effects on our business. We exercise no control over our suppliers, which increases our vulnerability to problems with the products and services they provide or to their choice of which companies they will allow to sell their products. We are also aware that there exists a worldwide shortage of electronic components, that lead times for such components is increasing, and that existing commitments by certain manufacturers are being extended and, in certain cases, allocations are being made. While a single cause of the shortages has not been identified, it is believed that among other reasons, there has been a surge in demand for such components and exponential growth in certain sectors which rely on such components, and these trends may continue and increase. Certain of our key suppliers have begun to see the impact on their ability to obtain certain components which could present challenges to our ability to obtain the inventory necessary to meet the demands of our new and existing customers, and to complete crucial initiatives such as the upgrading of cellular equipment at customer sites to meet new network standards prior to the retirement of 3G and CDMA networks. While we strive to utilize dual-sourcing methods to allow similar hardware components for our security systems to be interchangeable to minimize the risk of a disruption from a single supplier, any interruption in supply could cause delays in installations and repairs and the loss of current and potential customers. Also, if a previously installed component were found to be defective, we might not be able to recover the costs associated with its repair or replacement across our installed customer base, and these costs, or the diversion of technical personnel to address the defect could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In the event of a product recall or litigation against our suppliers or us, we could experience a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We rely on third-party software for key automation features in certain of our offerings and on the interoperation of that software with our own, such as our mobile applications and related platform. We could experience service disruptions if customer usage patterns for such offerings exceed, or are otherwise outside of, design parameters for the system and the ability for us or our third-party provider to make corrections. Such interruptions in the provision of services could result in our inability to meet customer demand, damage our reputation and customer relationships, and materially and adversely affect our business. We also rely on certain software technology that we license from third parties and use in our products and services to perform key functions and provide critical functionality. For example, we license the software platform for our monitoring operations from third parties. Because a number of our products and services incorporate technology developed and maintained by third parties, we are, to a certain extent, dependent upon such third parties’ ability to update, maintain, or enhance their current products and services; to ensure that their products are free of defects or security vulnerabilities; to develop new products and services on a timely and cost-effective basis; and to respond to emerging industry standards, customer preferences, and other technological changes. Further, these third-party technology licenses may not always be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If our agreements with third-party vendors are not renewed or the third-party software becomes obsolete, is incompatible with future versions of our products or services, or otherwise fails to address our needs, we cannot provide assurance that we would be able to replace the functionality provided by the third-party software with technology from alternative providers. Furthermore, even if we obtain licenses to alternative software products or services that provide the functionality we need, we may be required to replace hardware installed at our monitoring centers and at our customers’ sites, including security system

control panels and peripherals, in order to execute our integration of or migration to alternative software products. Any of these factors could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We also rely on various third-party telecommunications providers and signal processing centers to transmit and communicate signals to our monitoring facility in a timely and consistent manner. These telecommunications providers and signal processing centers could deprioritize or fail to transmit or communicate these signals to the monitoring facility for many reasons, including disruptions from fire, natural disasters, weather and the effects of climate change (such as flooding, wildfires, and increased storm severity), transmission interruption, malicious acts, provider preference, government action, or terrorism. The failure of one or more of these telecommunications providers or signal processing centers to transmit and communicate signals to the monitoring facility in a timely manner could affect our ability to provide alarm monitoring, home automation, and interactive services to our subscribers. We also rely on third-party technology companies to provide automation and interactive services to our customers. These technology companies could fail to provide these services consistently, or at all, which could result in our inability to meet customer demand and damage our reputation. There can be no assurance that third-party telecommunications providers, signal processing centers, and other technology companies will continue to transmit and communicate signals to the monitoring facility or provide home automation and interactive services to subscribers without disruption. Any such failure or disruption, particularly one of a prolonged duration, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

In addition, the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic could impact any or all of the third party providers and suppliers on whom we rely. While the full impact of this disease and worldwide reaction to it are not fully known, any disruption of such providers and suppliers caused by this disease could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

An event causing a disruption in the ability of our monitoring facilities or customer care resources to operate could materially adversely affect our business.

A disruption in our ability to provide security monitoring services and otherwise serve our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business. A disruption could occur for many reasons, including fire, natural disasters, weather and the effects of climate change (such as sea level rise, drought, flooding, wildfires, and increased storm severity), health epidemics or pandemics, transportation interruption, extended power outages, human or other error, war, terrorism, sabotage, or other conflicts, or as a result of disruptions to internal and external networks or third-party transmission lines. Monitoring and customer care could also be disrupted by information systems and network-related events or cybersecurity attacks, such as computer hacking, computer viruses, worms or other malicious software, distributed denial of service attacks, malicious social engineering, or other destructive or disruptive activities that could also cause damage to our properties, equipment, and data. While our monitoring centers are redundant, a failure of our back-up procedures or a disruption affecting multiple monitoring facilities could disrupt our ability to provide security monitoring services to our customers. These events could also make it difficult or impossible to receive equipment from suppliers or impair our ability to deliver products and services to customers on a timely basis. If we experience such disruptions, we may experience customer dissatisfaction and potential loss of confidence, and liabilities to customers or other third parties, each of which could harm our reputation and impact future revenues from these customers. We could also be subject to claims or litigation with respect to losses caused by such disruptions. Our property and business interruption insurance and our cyber liability insurance may not be sufficient to fully cover our losses or may not cover a particular event at all. During 2020, in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, we took steps to enable the majority of the employees who staff our monitoring and customer care facilities to conduct their jobs remotely, which could subject us to the failure of the communications networks serving our employees which we no longer control and who may not have sufficient back up capabilities. In addition, this remote working environment results in more home access points that are susceptible to cybersecurity attacks, such as computer hacking, computer viruses, worms or other malicious software or malicious activities. In addition, the COVID-19 Pandemic could lead to disruptions in our supply chain, causing shortages or unavailability of equipment necessary to install or repair systems and to maintain our monitoring and customer care facilities. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Our independent, third-party authorized dealers may not be able to mitigate certain risks such as information technology breaches, data security breaches, product liability, errors and omissions, and marketing compliance.

We generate a portion of our new customers through our authorized dealer network. We rely on independent, third-party authorized dealers to implement mitigation plans for certain risks they may experience, including, but not limited to, information technology breaches, data security breaches, product liability, errors and omissions, and marketing compliance. If our authorized dealers experience any of these risks, or fail to implement mitigation plans for their risks, or if such implemented mitigation plans are inadequate or fail, we may be susceptible to business, legal, or reputational risks associated with our authorized dealers on which we rely to generate customers. Any interruption or permanent disruption in the generation of customer accounts or services provided by our authorized dealers could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We may pursue business opportunities that diverge from our current business model, which may materially adversely affect our business results.

We may pursue business opportunities that diverge from our current business model, including expanding our products or service offerings, investing in new and unproven technologies, adding customer acquisition channels, and forming new alliances with companies to market our services. We can provide no assurance that any such business opportunities will prove to be successful. Among other negative effects, our pursuit of such business opportunities could cause our cost of investment in new customers to grow at a faster rate than our recurring revenue and fees collected at the time of installation. In addition, any new business partner may not agree to the terms and conditions or limitations on liability that we typically impose upon third parties. Acquisitions in recent years have also significantly expanded our risk profile. We have acquired companies which provide cybersecurity services for business customers and as companies are under increasing attack by cybercriminals around the world, a breach by such cybercriminals of our customers’ systems or operations could result in claims and lawsuits against us and result in damage to our brand and reputation. We have also acquired several companies that sell and service fire and integrated security systems to business customers, which significantly expanded our commercial fire and security capabilities, reach, and customer base. In addition, as we expand our products and services to larger commercial installations, we may have customers who experience large commercial losses that result in claims and lawsuits against us and result in damage to our brand and reputation. In January 2020, we acquired Defenders, which was our largest authorized dealer in 2019. While this acquisition expands our direct go-to-market operations, we cannot be certain that we can maintain the level of new account generation through Defenders as was achieved through Defenders prior to the acquisition or that we can maintain as effective a third-party dealer model, having removed our largest dealer from this sales channel. We are also currently exploring the option of offering certain of our monitoring and cybersecurity services under non-ADT brands to international markets outside of the U.S. Additionally, any new alliances or customer acquisition channels could require developmental investments or have higher cost structures than our current arrangements, which could reduce operating margins and require more working capital. In the event that working capital requirements exceed operating cash flow, we could be required to draw on our revolving credit facility, or pursue other external financing, which may not be readily available. Any of these factors could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We continue to integrate our acquisitions, which may divert management’s attention from our ongoing operations. We may not achieve all of the anticipated benefits, synergies, or cost savings from our acquisitions.

Our acquisitions require the integration of many separate companies that have previously operated independently. While the integration of our acquisitions with our business and systems is ongoing, the anticipated financial and operational benefits, including increased revenues, synergies, and cost savings depends in part on our ability to successfully combine and integrate our acquisitions with our other business. There can be no assurance regarding the extent to which we will be able to realize increased revenues, synergies, cost savings, or other benefits from our acquisitions. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame and we may not realize all of these anticipated benefits.

The continued integration of operations, products, and personnel from our acquisitions will continue to require the attention of our management and place demands on other internal resources. The diversion of management’s attention, and any difficulties encountered in the transition and integration process, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, the overall continued integration of our acquired businesses may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, and loss of customer relationships. The difficulties of combining the operations of the companies may generally include, among others:

•difficulties in achieving anticipated cost savings, synergies, business opportunities, and growth prospects from the combination;

•difficulties in the integration of operations and systems;

•difficulties in replacing numerous systems, including those involving management information, purchasing, accounting and finance, sales, billing, employee benefits, payroll, data privacy, physical security, cyber security, and regulatory compliance, many of which may be dissimilar;

•conforming standards, controls, procedures, accounting and other policies, equipment ownership models, business cultures, and compensation structures;

•difficulties in establishing a SOX compliant control environment across all companies;

•difficulties which may arise from matters not revealed or understood in the pre-acquisition diligence process such as external and internal threats and vulnerabilities in systems, websites or products and other cyber-related concerns, theft of data or other assets of the acquired company, legacy claims in tax, litigation or otherwise of the acquired company;

•difficulties in the assimilation of employees, including possible culture conflicts and different opinions on technical decisions and product roadmaps;

•difficulties in managing the expanded operations of a significantly larger and more complex company;

•challenges in keeping existing customers and obtaining new customers;

•challenges in gaining acceptance of the acquisition within the investment community;

•challenges in attracting and retaining key personnel, particularly with acquired businesses having rates of employee attrition that are significantly higher than our own;

•challenges in ensuring the sales practices of acquired businesses conform to the regulatory environment within which we operate, including, among others, with respect to marketing and sales practices;

•coordinating a geographically dispersed organization; and

•challenges with ensuring that environmental, social and governance or corporate social responsibility policies of acquired companies are in compliance with ADT’s policies and practices.

In addition, we continue to integrate the financial reporting systems and processes of various companies we have acquired. Successfully implementing our business plan and complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations requires us to be able to prepare timely and accurate consolidated financial statements. Any delay in this implementation of, or disruption in, the transition to new or enhanced systems, procedures, or controls, may cause us to present restatements or cause our operations to suffer, and we may be unable to conclude that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective and to obtain an unqualified report on internal controls from our independent registered public accounting firm.

While we have not experienced any material difficulties to date in connection with integrating our acquisitions, many of these factors are outside our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues, and further diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our customer generation strategies through third parties, including our authorized dealer and affinity marketing programs, and our use of celebrities and social media influencers, and the competitive market for customer accounts may expose us to risk and affect our future profitability.

An element of our business strategy is the generation of new customer accounts through third parties, including our authorized dealers, which authorized dealers accounted for approximately one-fourth of our new customer accounts for 2020. Our future operating results will depend in large part on our ability to continue to manage this business generation strategy effectively. We currently generate accounts through hundreds of independent third parties, including authorized dealers, and a significant portion of our accounts originate from a smaller number of such third parties. We experience loss of third-party sales partnerships, including authorized dealers from our authorized dealer program, due to various factors, such as dealers and third parties becoming inactive or discontinuing their electronic security business, non-renewal of our dealer and sales generation contracts, and competition from other alarm monitoring companies. If we experience a loss of authorized dealers or third-party sellers representing a significant portion of our customer account generation, or if we are unable to replace or recruit authorized dealers, other third-party sellers, or alternate distribution channel partners in accordance with our business strategy, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, we are subject to reputational risks that may arise from the actions of our dealers and their employees, independent contractors, and other agents that are wholly or partially beyond our control, such as violations of our marketing policies and procedures as well as any failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations. If our dealers engage in marketing practices

that are not in compliance with local laws and regulations, we may be in breach of such laws and regulations, which may result in regulatory proceedings and potential penalties that could materially impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, unauthorized activities in connection with sales efforts by employees, independent contractors, and other agents or our dealers, including calling consumers in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and predatory door-to-door sales tactics and fraudulent misrepresentations, could subject us to governmental investigations and class action lawsuits for, among others, false advertising and deceptive trade practice damage claims, against which we will be required to defend. Such defense efforts will be costly and time-consuming, and there can be no assurance that such defense efforts will be successful, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The successful promotion of our brands also depends on the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and on our ability to offer member discounts and special offers for our products and services to our partners. We have actively pursued affinity marketing programs, which provide members of participating organizations with special offers on our products and services. The organizations with which we have affinity marketing programs typically closely monitor their relationships with us, as well as their members’ satisfaction with our products and services. These organizations may require us to pay higher fees to them, decrease our pricing for their members, introduce additional competitive options, or otherwise alter the terms of our participation in their marketing programs in ways that are unfavorable to us. These organizations may also terminate their relationships with us if we fail to meet contract service levels and/ or member satisfaction standards, among other things. If any of our affinity or marketing relationships is terminated or altered in an unfavorable manner, we may lose a source of sales leads, and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

We also rely on marketing by social media influencers and celebrity spokespersons that represent the ADT brand to generate new customers. The promotion of our brand, products and services by social media influencers and celebrities is subject to FTC regulations, including the requirement to disclose any compensatory arrangements between ADT and the influencer in any reviews or public statements by the influencer about ADT or our products and services. These social media influencers and celebrities, with whom we maintain relationships, could also engage in activities or behaviors or use their platforms to communicate directly with our customers in a manner that violates applicable regulations or reflects poorly on our brand and may be attributed to us or otherwise adversely affect us, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In connection with the promotion of ADT’s brand by influences and celebrities, ADT is also subject to an FTC consent decree from 2014 which requires adherence to a robust internal compliance process. Any failure to adhere to such compliance process could result in financial penalties.

We face risks in acquiring and integrating customer accounts.

An element of our business strategy may involve the bulk acquisition of customer accounts. Acquisitions of customer accounts involve a number of special risks, including the possibility of unexpectedly high rates of attrition and unanticipated deficiencies in the accounts and systems acquired despite our investigations prior to acquisition. We face competition from other alarm monitoring companies, including companies that may offer higher prices and more favorable terms for customer accounts purchased, and/or lower minimum financial or operational qualification or requirements for purchased accounts. This competition could reduce the acquisition opportunities available to us, slowing our rate of growth, and/or increase the price we pay for such account acquisitions, thus reducing our return on investment and negatively impacting our revenue and results of operations. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to purchase customer accounts on favorable terms in the future.

The purchase price we pay for customer accounts is affected by the recurring revenue historically generated by such accounts, as well as several other factors, including the level of competition, our prior experience with accounts purchased in bulk from specific sellers, the geographic location of accounts, the number of accounts purchased, the customers’ credit scores, and the type of security or automation equipment or platform used by the customers. In purchasing accounts, we have relied on management’s knowledge of the industry, due diligence procedures, and representations and warranties of bulk account sellers. We can provide no assurance that in all instances the representations and warranties made by bulk account sellers are true and complete or, if the representations and warranties are inaccurate, that we will be able to recover damages from bulk account sellers in an amount sufficient to fully compensate us for any resulting losses. In addition, we may need to incorporate and maintain specialized equipment and knowledge in order to service customer accounts purchased, or pay to upgrade such customers to ADT equipment. If any of these risks materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

If we are unable to recruit and retain key personnel, our ability to manage our business could be materially and adversely affected.

Our success will depend in part upon the continued services of key talent, including, our management team, sales representatives, installation and service technicians and call center talent. Our ability to recruit and retain key talent for management, sales, technician and call center positions could be impacted adversely by the competitive labor environment and

require us to pay wages and incur other costs in excess of our planned expenditure. In addition, we may acquire businesses from time to time that have rates of employee attrition significantly higher than our own and we may experience difficulty or delay in hiring to fill positions at these higher rates or in bringing the employee attrition rate of such acquired businesses to a level consistent with our own. The loss, incapacity, or unavailability for any reason of key members of our management team, higher than expected payroll and other costs associated with the hiring and retention of key talent and the inability or delay in hiring new key employees, such as, sales, technician and call center personnel, could materially adversely affect our ability to manage our business and our future operational and financial results.

The loss of or changes to our senior management could disrupt our business.

Our senior management is important to the success of our business and there is significant competition for executive talent with experience in the security and home automation industry. As a result, we may not be able to retain our existing senior management. Our future success will partly depend on our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. James D. DeVries’ ability, along with the ability of other senior management and key employees, to effectively implement our business strategies. In addition, we may not be able to fill new positions or vacancies created by expansion or turnover. The loss of any member of our senior management team or changes in strategy or execution as a result of their replacement (either from inside or outside our existing management team) could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Adverse developments in our relationship with our employees could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

As of December 31, 2020, approximately 1,490 of our employees at various sites, or approximately 7% of our total workforce, were represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. We are currently a party to approximately 28 collective bargaining agreements. Almost one-third of these agreements are up for renewal in any given year. We cannot predict the outcome of negotiations of the collective bargaining agreements covering our employees. If we are unable to reach new agreements or renew existing agreements, employees subject to collective bargaining agreements may engage in strikes, work slowdowns, or other labor actions, which could materially disrupt our ability to provide services. New labor agreements or the renewal of existing agreements may impose significant new costs on us, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in the future.

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations, investor confidence in our business and the trading prices of our securities.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. If material weaknesses in our internal controls are discovered, they may adversely affect our ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information timely and accurately and, as a result, our financial statements may contain material misstatements or omissions.

In addition, it is possible that control deficiencies could be identified by our management or by our independent registered public accounting firm in the future or may occur without being identified. Such a failure could result in regulatory scrutiny, and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial condition, lead to a default under our indebtedness and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flow or results of operations.

Risks Related to Regulations and Litigation

If we fail to comply with constantly evolving laws, regulations, and industry standards addressing information and technology networks, privacy, and data security, we could face substantial penalties, liability, and reputational harm, and our business, operations, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Along with our own confidential data and information retained in the normal course of our business, we or our partners collect and retain significant volumes of third party data, some of which is subject to certain laws and regulations. Our ability to analyze this data to present the subscriber with an improved user experience is a valuable component of our services, but we cannot ensure you that the data we require will be available from these sources in the future or that the cost of such data will not increase. If the data that we require is not available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we may not be able to provide certain parts of our current or planned products and services, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, we may also collect and retain other sensitive types of data, including, among other things, audio recordings of telephone calls and video images of customer sites. We must comply with applicable federal and state laws and regulations governing the collection, retention, processing, storage, disclosure, access, use, security, and privacy of such information in addition to our own posted information security and privacy policies and applicable industry standards, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. The legal, regulatory, and contractual environment surrounding the foregoing continues to evolve, and there has been an increasing amount of focus on privacy and data security issues with the potential to affect our business. These privacy and data security laws, regulations, and standards, as well as contractual requirements, could increase our cost of doing business, and failure to comply with these laws, regulations, standards, and contractual requirements could result in government enforcement actions (which could include civil or criminal penalties), private litigation, and/or adverse publicity. In the event of a breach of personal information that we hold or that is held by third parties on our behalf, we may be subject to governmental fines, individual and class action claims, remediation expenses, and/or harm to our reputation. In 2020, we disclosed that a Company technician had secured unauthorized personal access to certain customers’ in-home security systems, resulting in legal claims against us, which have and may continue to arise either as individual claims or as class actions. We could incur significant legal costs in defending existing or new claims or in the ultimate resolution of such claims, and we may suffer reputational harm and damage to our brand as a result of such claims or any related publicity. Further, if we fail to comply with applicable privacy and security laws, regulations, policies, and standards; properly protect the integrity and security of our facilities and systems and the data located within them; or defend against cybersecurity attacks; or if our third-party service providers, partners, or vendors fail to do any of the foregoing with respect to data and information assessed, used, stored, or collected on our behalf; or if we fail to successfully defend against any matters that may arise as a result of the rogue conduct of the technician as described above or should we fail to prevent future rogue actors from undertaking similar actions, our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

For example, the data that we collect and retain includes personally identifiable information related to our customers and employees and may be protected health information subject to certain requirements under the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) and its implementing regulations, which regulate the use, storage, and disclosure of personally identifiable health information. We may change our processes or modify our product and service offerings in a manner that requires us to adopt additional or different policies and procedures to meet our obligations under HIPAA. Becoming fully HIPAA-compliant involves adopting and implementing privacy and security policies and procedures as well as administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. Additionally, HIPAA compliance requires certain agreements with contracting partners to be in place. Endeavoring to become fully HIPAA-compliant may be costly both financially and in terms of administrative resources. It may take substantial time and require the assistance of external resources, such as attorneys, information technology, and/or other consultants. We would have to be HIPAA-compliant to provide services pursuant to which we are required to collect or manage patient information for or on behalf of a health care provider or health plan. Thus, if we do not become fully HIPAA-compliant, our expansion opportunities may be limited. Furthermore, it is possible that HIPAA may be expanded in the future to apply to certain of our current products or services.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which became effective in 2020, gives California residents certain rights in relation to their personal information, requires that companies take certain actions, and applies to activities regarding personal information that is collected by us, directly or indirectly, from California residents. The CCPA creates and may continue to create, as its interpretation and enforcement evolves, a range of new compliance obligations, which could cause us to change our business practices, with the possibility for significant financial penalties for noncompliance that may materially adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In addition, in November of 2020, California voters passed Proposition 24, also known as the California Privacy Rights Act, which will impose additional requirements on businesses with regard to the collection, use, and sharing of data beginning in 2023 and which could materially impact our business.

The General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) applies to our activities regarding personal data of which we may come in to possession, directly or indirectly through vendors and subcontractors, from persons or businesses in the European Union. As interpretation and enforcement of the GDPR evolves, it will create a range of new compliance obligations, which could cause us to change our business practices, with the possibility for significant financial penalties for noncompliance. The European Commission in July 2016 and the Swiss Government in January 2017 approved the EU-U.S. and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield frameworks, respectively, which are designed to allow U.S. companies that self-certify to the U.S. Department of Commerce and publicly commit to comply with the Privacy Shield requirements to freely import personal data from the EU and Switzerland. However, these frameworks face a number of legal challenges and their validity remains subject to legal, regulatory, and political developments in both Europe and the U.S. This has resulted in some uncertainty, and compliance obligations could cause us to incur costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner adverse to our business and failure to comply could result in significant penalties that may materially adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Infringement of our intellectual property rights could negatively affect us.

We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality provisions, and licensing arrangements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. We cannot guarantee, however, that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent infringement of our rights or misappropriation of our intellectual property or technology. Adverse events affecting the use of our trademarks could affect our use of those trademarks and negatively impact our brands. In addition, if we expand our business outside of the U.S. in the future, effective patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in some jurisdictions. Furthermore, while we enter into confidentiality agreements with certain of our employees and third parties to protect our intellectual property, such confidentiality agreements could be breached or otherwise may not provide meaningful protection for our confidential information, trade secrets, and know-how related to the design, manufacture, or operation of our products and services. If it becomes necessary for us to resort to litigation to protect our intellectual property rights, any proceedings could be burdensome and costly, and we may not prevail. Further, adequate remedies may not be available in the event of an unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, trade secrets, or know-how. If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Allegations that we have infringed upon the intellectual property rights of third parties could negatively affect us.

We may be subject to claims of intellectual property infringement by third parties. In particular, as our services have expanded, we have become subject to claims alleging infringement of intellectual property, including litigation brought by special purpose or so-called “non-practicing” entities that focus solely on extracting royalties and settlements by alleging infringement and threatening enforcement of patent rights. These companies typically have little or no business or operations, and there are few effective deterrents available to prevent such companies from filing patent infringement lawsuits against us. Our exposure to intellectual property infringement claims may increase as we continue to build our new proprietary platform announced in November 2020 or expand upon our existing intellectual property in the future. In addition, we rely on licenses and other arrangements with third parties covering intellectual property related to many of the products and services that we market. Notwithstanding these arrangements, we could be at risk for infringement claims from third parties. Additionally, while we are party to a patent agreement with Tyco, which generally includes a covenant by Tyco not to bring an action against us alleging that the manufacture, use, or sale of any products or services in existence as of the date of our separation from Tyco infringes any patents owned or controlled by Tyco and used by us on or prior to such date, such agreement does not protect us from infringement claims for future product or service expansions. In general, if a court determines that one or more of our services infringes on intellectual property rights owned by others, we may be required to cease marketing those services, to obtain licenses from the holders of the intellectual property at a material cost or on unfavorable terms, or to take other potentially costly or burdensome actions to avoid infringing third-party intellectual property rights. The litigation process is costly and subject to inherent uncertainties, and we may not prevail in litigation matters regardless of the merits of our position. Intellectual property lawsuits or claims may become extremely disruptive if the plaintiffs succeed in blocking the trade of our products and services and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We may be subject to class actions and other lawsuits which may harm our business and results of operations.

We have and we may continue to be subject to class action litigation involving alleged violations of privacy, consumer protection laws, employment laws or other matters. In addition, we have previously been subject to securities class actions relating to our IPO and we may in the future be subject to additional securities litigation in connection with our IPO, in connection with issues arising subsequent to the IPO or in connection with issues that may have arisen prior to the acquisition of what was then The ADT Corporation. This type of litigation may be lengthy and may result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources. Results cannot be predicted with certainty and an adverse outcome in such litigation could result in monetary damages or injunctive relief that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In addition, we are currently and may in the future become subject to legal proceedings and commercial or contractual disputes other than class actions. These are typically claims that arise in the normal course of business including, without limitation, commercial or contractual disputes with our suppliers, intellectual property matters, third-party liability matters, which may include product liability claims, automobile negligence claims and property/casualty claims, and employment law matters. There is a possibility that such claims may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows that is greater than we anticipate and/or negatively affect our reputation.

Increasing government regulation of telemarketing, email marketing, door-to-door sales, and other marketing methods may increase our costs and restrict the operation and growth of our business.

We rely on telemarketing, email marketing, door-to-door sales, and other marketing channels, including social media conducted internally and through third parties to generate a substantial number of leads for our business, all of which is subject to federal, state and local regulation. Telemarketing and email marketing activities are subject to an increasing amount of regulation in the U.S. Regulations have been issued by the FTC and the FCC that place restrictions on unsolicited telephone calls to residential and wireless telephone subscribers, whether direct dial or by means of automatic telephone dialing systems, prerecorded, or artificial voice messages and telephone fax machines, and require us to maintain a “do not call” list and to train our personnel to comply with these restrictions. The FTC regulates sales practices generally and email marketing and telemarketing specifically, including through their consent decree on ADT that regulates our use of social media influencers and celebrities, and has broad authority to prohibit a variety of advertising or marketing practices that may constitute “unfair or deceptive acts or practices.” Most of the statutes and regulations in the U.S. applicable to telemarketing and email marketing allow a private right of action for the recovery of damages or provide for enforcement by the FTC and FCC, state attorneys general, or state agencies permitting the recovery of significant civil or criminal penalties, costs and attorneys’ fees if regulations are violated. We strive to comply with all such applicable regulations, but can provide no assurance that we, our authorized dealers or third parties that we rely on for telemarketing, email marketing, and other lead generation activities will be in compliance with all applicable regulations at all times. Although our contractual arrangements with our authorized dealers, affinity marketing partners, and other third parties generally require them to comply with all such regulations and to indemnify us for damages arising from their failure to do so, we can provide no assurance that the FTC and FCC, private litigants, or others will not attempt to hold us responsible for any unlawful acts conducted by our authorized dealers, affinity marketing partners and other third parties or that we could successfully enforce or collect upon any indemnities. Additionally, certain FCC rulings and FTC enforcement actions may support the legal position that we may be held vicariously liable for the actions of third parties, including any telemarketing violations by our independent, third-party authorized dealers that are performed without our authorization or that are otherwise prohibited by our policies. The FCC and FTC have relied on certain actions to support the notion of vicarious liability, including, but not limited to, the use of our brand or trademark, the authorization or approval of telemarketing scripts, or the sharing of consumer prospect lists. Changes in such regulations or the interpretation thereof that further restrict such activities could result in a material reduction in the number of leads for our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Our business operates in a regulated industry.

Our operations and employees are subject to various federal, state, and local laws and regulations in such areas as consumer protection, occupational licensing, environmental protection (including climate change regulations), labor and employment, tax, and other laws and regulations. Most states in which we operate have licensing laws directed specifically toward the sale, installation, monitoring and maintenance of fire and security devices. Our business relies heavily upon the use of both wireline and wireless telecommunications to communicate signals, and telecommunications companies are regulated by federal, state, and local governments.

Increased public awareness and concern regarding global climate change may result in more international, regional and/or federal or other requirements or expectations that could mandate more restrictive or expansive standards than existing regulations. There continues to be a lack of consistent climate legislation, which creates economic and regulatory uncertainty. If environmental laws or regulations are either changed or adopted and impose significant operational restrictions and compliance requirements upon our business or products, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

In certain jurisdictions, we are required to obtain licenses or permits to comply with standards governing employee selection and training and to meet certain standards in the conduct of our business. The loss of such licenses or permits or the imposition of conditions to the granting or retention of such licenses or permits could have a material adverse effect on us. Furthermore, in certain jurisdictions, certain security systems must meet fire and building codes to be installed, and it is possible that our current or future products and service offerings will fail to meet such codes, which could require us to make costly modifications to our products and services or to forego operating in certain jurisdictions.

We must also comply with numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations that govern matters relating to our interactions with residential customers, including those pertaining to privacy and data security, consumer financial and credit transactions, home improvement contracts, warranties, and door-to-door solicitation. These laws and regulations are dynamic and subject to potentially differing interpretations, and various federal, state, and local legislative and regulatory bodies may initiate investigations, expand current laws or regulations, or enact new laws and regulations, regarding these matters. As we expand our product and service offerings and enter into new jurisdictions, we may be subject to more expansive regulation and oversight. For example, as a result of internal growth and through our acquisition of various commercial businesses, we are expanding commercial offerings and exploring markets outside of the U.S, and we will need to identify and comply with laws

and regulations that apply to such services and our operations generally in the relevant jurisdictions. In addition, any financing or lending activity will subject us to various rules and regulations, such as the U.S. federal Truth in Lending Act and analogous state legislation. Also, as we continue to expand our sales to government entities, we will be subject to additional contracting regulations, disclosure obligations, and various civil and criminal penalties, among other things, in a significant manner that we are not subject to today.

Changes in these laws or regulations or their interpretation could dramatically affect how we do business, acquire customers, and manage and use information we collect from and about current and prospective customers and the costs associated therewith. We strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our interactions with all customers. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices.

Changes in laws or regulations could require us to change the way we operate or to utilize resources to maintain compliance, which could increase costs or otherwise disrupt operations. In addition, failure to comply with any applicable laws or regulations could result in substantial fines or revocation of our operating permits and licenses. If laws and regulations were to change or if we or our products failed to comply with them, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

We could be assessed penalties for false alarms.

Some local governments impose assessments, fines, penalties, and limitations on either customers or the alarm companies for false alarms. Certain municipalities have adopted ordinances under which both permit and alarm dispatch fees are charged directly to the alarm companies. Our alarm service contracts generally allow us to pass these charges on to customers, but we may not be able to collect these charges if customers are unwilling or unable to pay them and such outcome may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Furthermore, our customers may elect to terminate or not renew our services if assessments, fines, or penalties for false alarms become significant. If more local governments were to impose assessments, fines, or penalties, our customer base, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

Adoption of statutes and governmental policies purporting to characterize certain of our charges as unlawful may adversely affect our business.

Generally, if a customer cancels their contract with us prior to the end of the initial contract term, other than in accordance with the contract, we may charge the customer an early cancellation fee. Consumer protection policies or legal precedents could be proposed or adopted to restrict the charges we can impose upon contract cancellation. Such initiatives could compel us to increase our prices during the initial term of our contracts and consequently lead to less demand for our services and increased customer attrition. Adverse judicial determinations regarding these matters could cause us to incur legal exposure to customers against whom such charges have been imposed and expose us to the risk that certain of our customers may seek to recover such charges through litigation, including class action lawsuits. Any such loss in demand for our services, increase in attrition, or the costs of defending such litigation and enforcement actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

In the absence of net neutrality or similar regulation, certain providers of Internet access may block our services or charge their customers more for using our services, or government regulations relating to the Internet could change, which could materially adversely affect our revenue and growth.

Our interactive and home automation services are primarily accessed through the Internet and our security monitoring services, including those utilizing video streaming, are increasingly delivered using Internet technologies. Users who access our services through mobile devices, such as smart phones, laptops, and tablet computers must have a high-speed Internet connection, such as broadband, 3G, CDMA, 4G/LTE, or 5G, to use our services. Currently, this access is provided by telecommunications companies and Internet access service providers that have significant and increasing market power in the broadband and Internet access marketplace. In the absence of government regulation, these providers could take measures that affect their customers’ ability to use our products and services, such as degrading the quality of the data packets we transmit over their lines, giving our packets low priority, giving other packets higher priority than ours, blocking our packets entirely, or attempting to charge their customers more for using our products and services. To the extent that Internet service providers implement usage-based pricing, including meaningful bandwidth caps, or otherwise try to monetize access to their networks, we could incur greater operating expenses and customer acquisition and retention could be negatively impacted, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Furthermore, to the extent network operators were to create tiers of Internet access service and either charge us for or prohibit our services from being available to our customers through these tiers, our business could be negatively impacted. Some of these providers also offer products and services that directly compete with our own offerings, which could potentially give them a competitive

advantage. In addition, the FCC recently rolled back net neutrality protections in the U.S. as described below and most other countries have not adopted formal net neutrality or open Internet rules.

On February 26, 2015, the FCC reclassified broadband Internet access services in the U.S. as a telecommunications service subject to some elements of common carrier regulation, including the obligation to provide service on just and reasonable terms, and adopted specific net neutrality rules prohibiting the blocking, throttling, or “paid prioritization” of content or services. However, in December 2017, the FCC re-classified broadband Internet access service as an unregulated information service and repealed the specific rules against blocking, throttling, or “paid prioritization” of content or services. It retained a rule requiring Internet service providers to disclose their practices to consumers, entrepreneurs and the FCC. A number of parties appealed this order, and on October 1, 2019, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit upheld a portion of the FCC’s 2017 ruling, while invalidating the portion that preempted states and local governments from enacting their own net neutrality rules. On December 13, 2019, the plaintiffs asked the full DC Circuit to rehear their case. The petition was denied on February 6, 2020. It is possible Congress may adopt legislation establishing clear net neutrality requirements at some point, or the FCC under the Biden Administration could reverse the current FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order. The elimination of net neutrality rules and any changes to the rules could affect the market for broadband Internet access service in a way that impacts our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We are exposed to greater risks of liability for employee acts or omissions or system failures than may be inherent in other businesses.

If a customer or third-party believes that it has suffered harm to person or property due to an actual or alleged act or omission of one of our authorized dealers, independent contractors, employees or other agents, or due to a security or interactive system failure, they (or their insurers) may pursue legal action against us, and the cost of defending the legal action and of any judgment against us could be substantial. In particular, because our products and services are intended to help protect lives and real and personal property, we may have greater exposure to litigation risks than businesses that provide other commercial, consumer, and small business products and services. Our standard customer contracts contain a series of risk-mitigation provisions that serve to limit our liability and/or limit a claimant’s ability to pursue legal action. However, in the event of litigation with respect to such matters, it is possible that these risk-mitigation provisions may be deemed not applicable or unenforceable and, regardless of the ultimate outcome, we may incur significant costs of defense that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, and there can be no assurance that any such defense efforts will be successful.

We may be required to make indemnification payments relating to the sale of our Canadian business to Telus Corporation.

In connection with the sale of ADT Canada, we entered into an agreement with TELUS which provides that we are liable for all taxes of the Canadian business for all pre-closing tax periods. We are liable to indemnify TELUS for any tax liabilities assessed by the Canadian tax authorities in the future that are related to pre-closing tax years. We have no assurance that adjustments that would affect our pre-disposition tax liabilities will not be proposed by the tax authorities, as there is a potential for adverse determinations to be made on tax years that remain subject to audit. Our agreement with TELUS provides that we manage all tax audits relating to the pre-closing tax years. As of December 31, 2020, ADT Canada has resolved all income tax audits through the 2015 tax year.

We may be subject to liability for obligations of The Brink’s Company under the Coal Act or other coal-related liabilities of The Brink’s Company.

On May 14, 2010, The ADT Corporation acquired Broadview Security, a business formerly owned by The Brink’s Company. Under the Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act of 1992, as amended (“Coal Act”), The Brink’s Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries as of July 20, 1992 (including certain legal entities acquired in the Broadview Security acquisition) are jointly and severally liable with certain of The Brink’s Company’s other current and former subsidiaries for health care coverage obligations provided for by the Coal Act. A Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (“VEBA”) trust has been established by The Brink’s Company to pay for these liabilities, although the trust may have insufficient funds to satisfy all future obligations. We cannot rule out the possibility that certain legal entities acquired in the Broadview Security acquisition may also be liable for other liabilities in connection with The Brink’s Company’s former coal operations. At the time of the separation of Broadview Security from The Brink’s Company in 2008, Broadview Security entered into an agreement pursuant to which The Brink’s Company agreed to indemnify it for any and all liabilities and expenses related to The Brink’s Company’s former coal operations, including any health care coverage obligations. The Brink’s Company has agreed that this indemnification survives The ADT Corporation’s acquisition of Broadview Security. We in turn agreed to indemnify Tyco for such liabilities in our separation from it. If The Brink’s Company and the VEBA are unable to satisfy all such obligations, we could be held liable, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our use of independent contractors for certain functions may expose us to additional risks.

In order to meet our evolving customer needs, we rely on third-party independent contractors in addition to our existing workforce to perform certain tasks including installation and service of our customer alarm systems. From time to time, we are involved in lawsuits and claims that assert that certain independent contractors should be treated as our employees. The state of the law regarding independent contractor status varies from state to state and is subject to change based on court decisions, legislation, and regulation. For example, on April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court adopted a new standard, the “ABC” test, for determining whether a company “employs” or is the “employer” for purposes of the California Wage Orders in its decision in the Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court case. The California legislature adopted this standard as the test not only for purposes of the California Wage Order, but also for all provisions of the California Labor Code and Unemployment Insurance Code. The “ABC” test alters the analysis of whether an individual, who is classified by a hiring entity as an independent contractor in California, has been properly classified as an independent contractor. Under the new test, an individual is considered an employee unless the hiring entity establishes three criteria: (i) the worker is free from the control and direction of the hirer in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of such work and in fact; (ii) the worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business; and (iii) the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed for the hiring entity.

Adverse determinations regarding the independent contractor status of any of our subcontractors could, among other things, entitle such individuals to the reimbursement of certain expenses and to the benefit of wage-and-hour laws, result in ADT being liable for employment and withholding tax and benefits for such individuals, and result in ADT being liable to such individuals for violations of other laws protecting employees. Any such adverse determination could result in a material reduction of the number of subcontractors we can use for our business or significantly increase our costs to serve our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

New tariffs and other trade restrictions imposed on imports from China or other countries where our end-user equipment is manufactured, or any counter-measures taken in response, may harm our business and results of operations.

New tariffs imposed on imports from China, where certain components included in our end-user equipment are manufactured, and any counter-measures taken in response to such new tariffs, may harm our business and results of operations. In 2018 and 2019, the U.S. federal government imposed tariffs on certain alarm equipment components manufactured in China, and on other categories of electronic equipment manufactured in China that we install in our customers’ premises, such as batteries and thermostats. Certain of these tariffs are as high as 25% and such tariffs have increased our costs for such equipment as a result of some or all of such new tariffs being passed on to us by the sellers of such equipment. If any or all of the costs of these tariffs continue to be passed on to us by the sellers of our end-user equipment, we may be required to raise our prices, which could result in the loss of customers and harm our business and results of operations. Alternatively, we may seek to find new sources of end-user products, which may result in higher costs and disruption to our business. In addition, the U.S. federal government’s 2018 National Defense Authorization Act imposed a ban on the use of certain surveillance, telecommunications, and other equipment manufactured by certain of our suppliers based in China, to help protect critical infrastructure and other sites deemed to be sensitive for national security purposes in the U.S. This federal government ban implemented in August 2019, and the ban on use of certain covered equipment by federal contractors implemented in August 2020, has required us to find new sources of end-user products, which may result in higher costs and disruption to our business. In addition to the current tariffs, it is possible further tariffs will be imposed on imports of equipment that we install in end-user premises, or that our business will be impacted by retaliatory trade measures taken by China or other countries, causing us to raise our prices or make changes to our business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Risks Related to Macroeconomic and Related Factors

General economic conditions can affect our business, and we are susceptible to changes in the business economy, in the housing market, and in business and consumer discretionary income, which may inhibit our ability to grow our customer base and impact our results of operations.

Demand for our products and services is affected by the general economy, the business environment, and the turnover in the housing market, among other things. Downturns in the general economy, the business environment, and the housing market would reduce opportunities to make sales of our products and services. Downturns in the rate of the sale of new and existing homes, which we believe drives a substantial portion of our new customer volume in any given year, and downturns in the rate of commercial property development, which drives demand for our commercial offerings, would reduce opportunities to make sales of new security, fire, and home automation systems and services and reduce opportunities to take over existing security,

fire, and home automation systems. Recoveries in the housing market increase the occurrence of relocations, which may lead to customers disconnecting service and not contracting with us in their new homes.

The demand for our products and services is also dependent, in part, on national, regional, and local economic conditions, as well as our customers’ level of discretionary income. When our customers’ disposable income available for discretionary spending is reduced (such as by higher housing, energy, interest, operating or other costs, or where the actual or perceived wealth of customers has decreased as a result of circumstances such as lower real estate values, increased foreclosure rates, inflation, increased tax rates, or other economic disruptions), we could experience increased attrition rates and reduced customer demand. Where levels of business activity decline, the commercial fire and security business could experience increased attrition rates and reduced demand. No assurance can be given that we will be able to continue acquiring quality customers or that we will not experience higher attrition rates. Our long-term revenue growth rate primarily depends on installations and new contracts exceeding disconnects. If customer disconnects and defaults increase, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

We are subject to credit risk and other risks associated with our subscribers and dealers.

A substantial part of our revenue is derived from the recurring monthly revenue due from subscribers under alarm monitoring contracts. Therefore, we are dependent on the ability and willingness of subscribers to pay amounts due under the alarm monitoring contracts on a monthly basis in a timely manner. Although subscribers are contractually obligated to pay amounts due under an alarm monitoring contract and are generally contractually obligated to pay early cancellation fees if they prematurely cancel the alarm monitoring contract during the initial term of the alarm monitoring contract (typically between two and five years), subscribers’ payment obligations are unsecured, which could impair our ability to collect any unpaid amounts from our subscribers. To the extent payment defaults by subscribers under the alarm monitoring contracts are greater than anticipated, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

We have introduced and will continue to explore different commercial terms for our products and services, such as increasing or otherwise changing the amount of up-front payments, providing different financing options, such as retail installment contracts for the amount of up-front payments associated with our transactions, or offering longer or shorter contract term options. These options could increase the credit risks associated with our subscribers, and the introduction of, or transition to, different options could result in quarterly revenue and expense fluctuations that are significantly greater than our historic patterns. While we intend to manage such credit risk by evaluating the credit quality of customers eligible for our financing options and non-standard term lengths, our efforts to mitigate risk may not be sufficient to prevent an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Some of these customer financing options may be supported by financing arrangements with third parties. During March 2020, we entered into an uncommitted receivables securitization financing agreement (the “Receivables Facility”). Under the terms of the Receivables Facility, we may receive up to $200 million of financing secured by retail installment contract receivables. Third-party financing arrangements such as the Receivables Facility may impose or result in limitations on the products and services we offer customers that are financed under such arrangements, may adversely affect our relationships with customers, and may subject us to risk with respect to our ability to generate current levels of cash flow should, for example, the Receivables Facility be terminated, any of which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Offering more commercial term and financing options, and transitions between such options, may introduce operational complexity, require the devotion of resources that could otherwise be deployed elsewhere, and may increase market valuation risks due to differences in the financial treatment of different offerings. Such increased offerings or transitions between different offerings or equipment ownership models could also result in customer confusion or dissatisfaction, limit or remove our ability to offer “free device” promotions or other customer satisfaction programs, and may provide competitors with the opportunity to target our existing and potential clients by offering such “free device” or other promotions that we may be unable to offer under our own programs. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Under the standard alarm monitoring contract acquisition agreements that we enter into with our dealers, if a subscriber terminates his or her service with us during the first thirteen months after we have acquired the alarm monitoring contract, the dealer is typically required to substitute with a compatible alarm monitoring contract or compensate us in an amount based on the original acquisition cost of the terminating alarm monitoring contract. We are subject to the risk that dealers will breach these obligations. Although we generally withhold specified amounts from the acquisition cost paid to dealers for alarm monitoring contracts (“holdback”), which may be used to satisfy or offset these and other applicable dealer obligations under the alarm monitoring contract acquisition agreements, there can be no guarantee that these amounts will be sufficient to satisfy or offset the full extent of the default by a dealer of its obligations under its agreement. If the holdback proves insufficient to cover dealer obligations, we are also subject to the credit risk that the dealers may not have sufficient funds to compensate us or

that any such dealer will otherwise breach its obligation to compensate us for a terminating alarm monitoring contract. To the extent defaults by dealers of the obligations under their agreements are greater than anticipated, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

Goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets represent a significant portion of our total assets, and we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets.

As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $11 billion of goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets. We review such assets for impairment at least annually. Impairment may result from, among other things, deterioration in performance; adverse market conditions; adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including changes that restrict the activities of or affect the products and services we offer; challenges to the validity of certain registered intellectual property; reduced sales of certain products or services incorporating registered intellectual property; increased attrition; and a variety of other factors. Depending on future circumstances, it is possible that we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets. Any future determination of impairment of goodwill or other identifiable intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We have significant deferred tax assets, and any impairments of or valuation allowances against these deferred tax assets in the future could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in Canada up to the time of sale of ADT Canada and for back years as per the sale agreement with respect to the sale of ADT Canada, and in various state, territorial, provincial, and local jurisdictions. The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to our interpretation and application of tax laws in jurisdictions in which we file. Changes in current or future laws or regulations, the imposition of new or changed tax laws or regulations, or new related interpretations by taxing authorities in the jurisdictions in which we file could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Our future consolidated federal and state income tax liability may be significantly reduced by tax credits and tax net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards available to us under the applicable tax codes. Certain of the entities we have acquired had material NOL carryforwards prior to our acquisition. Our ability to fully utilize these deferred tax assets, however, may be limited for various reasons, including whether projected future taxable income becomes insufficient to recognize the full benefit of our NOL carryforwards prior to their expirations. If a corporation experiences an “ownership change,” Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) provide annual limitations with respect to the ability of a corporation to utilize its NOL (as well as certain built-in losses) and tax credit carryforwards against future U.S. taxable income. In general, an ownership change may result from transactions increasing the ownership of certain stockholders in the stock of the corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year testing period.

The Formation Transactions and the ADT Acquisition resulted in an ownership change of each of the entities involved. Our ability to fully utilize the NOL carryforwards of those entities is subject to the limitations under Section 382 of the IRC. It is also possible that future changes in the direct or indirect ownership in our equity might result in additional ownership changes that may trigger the imposition of additional limitations under Section 382 of the IRC with respect to these tax attributes.

In addition, audits by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as well as state, territorial, provincial, and local tax authorities could reduce our tax attributes and/or subject us to tax liabilities if tax authorities make adverse determinations with respect to our NOL or tax credits carryforwards. Any future disallowance of some or all of our tax credits or NOL carryforwards as a result of legislative change could materially adversely affect our tax obligations. Any increase in taxation or limitation of benefits could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

In connection with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Reform”), a new limitation under IRC Section 163(j) was imposed on the amount of interest expense allowed as a deduction in our tax returns each year. The amounts disallowed each year can be carried forward indefinitely and used in subsequent years if an excess limitation exists. We have begun to accumulate a significant deferred tax asset related to this disallowed interest carryforward. However, there is a risk that we will not recognize the benefit of this deferred tax asset in the foreseeable future due to our annual interest expense exceeding the imposed limitation. We may need to record a valuation allowance against this deferred tax asset in the future as the deferred tax asset grows, which may have adverse effects on our future financial condition and results of operations. We expect to have NOLs available for another three to five years, after which there is a risk that the interest disallowance will have an adverse impact on our financial condition and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our substantial indebtedness, which we can significantly increase, could materially adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and prevent us from making debt service payments.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $9.7 billion face value of outstanding indebtedness, excluding finance leases.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, our cash flow used for debt service, excluding finance leases and including interest rate swap contracts, totaled $575 million, which included scheduled quarterly principal payments on our debt of $23 million, payments on our Receivables Facility of $7 million, interest payments on our debt of $507 million, and $38 million related to payments on interest rate swap contracts that included an other-than-insignificant financing element at inception.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, our cash flows from operating activities totaled $1.4 billion, which included interest paid on our debt of $507 million. As such, our cash flows from operating activities before giving effect to the payment of interest amounted to $1.9 billion. Cash payments used to service our debt represented approximately 31% of our net cash flows from operating activities before giving effect to the payment of interest.

In addition, our cash flows included net repayments on our long-term borrowings of $387 million, payments on our finance leases of $28 million (excluding $3 million of interest payments on our finance leases), and payments on interest rate swap contracts that included an other-than-insignificant financing element at inception of $38 million, partially offset by net proceeds under the Receivables Facility of $76 million,

Our substantial indebtedness and the restrictive covenants under the agreements governing such indebtedness could:

•limit our ability to borrow money for our working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, strategic initiatives, or other purposes;

•make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, and any failure to comply with the obligations of any of our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants and borrowing conditions, could result in an event of default under the agreements governing our indebtedness;

•require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to the repayment of our indebtedness, thereby reducing funds available to us for other purposes;

•limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our operations or business;

•make us more highly leveraged than some of our competitors, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage;

•make us more vulnerable to downturns in our business or the economy;

•restrict us from making strategic acquisitions, engaging in development activities, introducing new technologies, or exploiting business opportunities;

•cause us to make non-strategic divestitures;

•limit, along with the financial and other restrictive covenants in our indebtedness, among other things, our ability to borrow additional funds or dispose of assets;

•expose us to the risk of increased interest rates, as certain of our borrowings are at variable rates of interest; or

•expose us to risk of refinancing periodically at increased interest rates for both fixed rates and variable rate borrowings.

We and our subsidiaries also may be able to incur substantially more indebtedness in the future. Although the terms of the agreements governing our indebtedness contain certain restrictions on our and our subsidiaries’ ability to incur additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of important qualifications and exceptions, and the indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. These restrictions also will not prevent us from incurring obligations that do not constitute indebtedness. Additionally, the covenants under any future debt instruments could allow us to incur a significant amount of additional indebtedness. The more leveraged we become, the more we, and in turn our security holders, will be exposed to certain risks described above.

In addition, the agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictive covenants that may limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interest. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of substantially all of our indebtedness.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and to fund our working capital and capital expenditures, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness that may not be successful.

Our ability to satisfy our debt obligations (including any payments of principal upon the maturity of such obligations) depends upon, among other things:

•our future financial and operating performance (including the realization of any cost savings described herein), which will be affected by prevailing economic, industry, and competitive conditions and financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control;

•our future ability to refinance or restructure our existing debt obligations, which depends on, among other things, the condition of the capital markets, our financial condition, and the terms of existing or future debt agreements; and

•our future ability to borrow under our revolving credit facility, the availability of which depends on, among other things, our complying with the covenants in the credit agreement governing such facility.

We can provide no assurance that our business will generate cash flow from operations, or that we will be able to draw under our revolving credit facility or otherwise, in an amount sufficient to fund our liquidity needs.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to service our indebtedness, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. In addition, the terms of existing or future debt agreements may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions for fair market value or at all. Furthermore, any proceeds that we could realize from any such dispositions may not be adequate to meet our debt service obligations then due. Our shareholders, including our Sponsor and its affiliates, and Google, have no continuing obligation to provide us with debt or equity financing. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all, could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could negatively impact our ability to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness.

If we cannot make scheduled payments on our indebtedness, we will be in default and lenders of our indebtedness could (a) declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, (b) terminate commitments to loan money under our revolving credit facility, (c) foreclose against the assets securing our indebtedness, and (d) force us into bankruptcy or liquidation.

If our indebtedness is accelerated, we may need to repay or refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness before maturity. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain sufficient funds to enable us to repay or refinance our debt obligations on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility.

Our debt agreements contain, and any future indebtedness of ours would likely contain, a number of covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions on our and our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things:

•incur additional debt, guarantee indebtedness, or issue certain preferred equity interests;

•pay dividends on or make distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem, our capital stock, or make other restricted payments;

•prepay, redeem, or repurchase certain debt;

•make loans or certain investments;

•sell certain assets;

•create liens on certain assets;

•consolidate, merge, sell, or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets;

•enter into certain transactions with our affiliates;

•alter the businesses we conduct;

•enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; and

•designate our subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

As a result of these covenants, we will continue to be limited in the manner in which we conduct our business, and we may be unable to engage in favorable business activities or finance future operations or capital needs.

We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under our debt agreements. If any of the holders of our indebtedness accelerate the repayment of such indebtedness upon an event of default, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient assets to repay our indebtedness.

A failure to comply with the covenants under our debt agreements or any future indebtedness could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In the event of any such default, the lenders thereunder:

•will not be required to lend any additional amounts to us;

•could elect to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable; or

•could require us to apply all of our available cash to repay these borrowings.

Such actions by the lenders could cause cross-defaults under our other indebtedness. If we are unable to repay those amounts, our secured lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness.

If any of our outstanding indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full.

Our variable-rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Certain of our borrowings are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on certain of our variable-rate indebtedness will increase even though the amount borrowed remains the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will correspondingly decrease. In addition, in July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that it intends to no longer compel or persuade participating banks to submit London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) quotations and would phase out LIBOR as a benchmark by the end of 2021. More recently, in November 2020, the ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”) announced a consultation on the extension of most tenors of USD LIBOR until June 30, 2023. The proposed extension would not apply to the rate’s other denominations - euro, sterling, Swiss franc and Japanese yen. The final announcement regarding the dates for cessation of all USD LIBOR tenors is not expected until early 2021, when IBA’s consultation period ends. However, U.S. banking regulators have made clear that USD LIBOR originations should end by no later than December 30, 2021, and that new LIBOR originations prior to that date must provide for an alternative reference rate or a hardwired fallback. In accordance with recommendations from the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), USD LIBOR is expected to be replaced with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a new index calculated on a daily basis by reference to short-term repurchase agreements for U.S. Treasury securities. Although there have been a few issuances utilizing SOFR or the Sterling Over Night Index Average, an alternative reference rate that is based on transactions, it is unknown whether SOFR or any of the other alternative reference rates will attain market acceptance as replacements for LIBOR. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. recently announced fallback language for LIBOR-referencing derivatives contracts that provides for SOFR as the primary replacement rate in the event of a LIBOR cessation. There is currently no definitive successor reference rate to LIBOR and various industry organizations are still working to develop workable transition mechanisms. Such changes, reforms or replacements relating to LIBOR could have an adverse impact on the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities,

loans, derivatives or other financial instruments or extensions of credit held by us. As such, LIBOR-related changes could affect our overall results of operations and financial condition.

We have interest rate swap contracts to hedge our interest rate exposure on our variable-rate debt. However, certain of our variable-rate debt instruments are subject to a 1.00% floor on interest payments while our interest rate swap contracts do not include a floor. If current LIBOR increases above 1.00%, the increase in our debt service obligations on most of our variable-rate indebtedness will be neutralized as we have entered into interest rate swaps that hedge any increase in current LIBOR above 1.00%. If current LIBOR is below 1.00%, even though the amount borrowed remains the same, our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will decrease by the impact of the difference between 1.00% and current LIBOR because certain of our variable-rate debt has an interest floor of 1.00% while the corresponding interest rate swap contracts do not have a LIBOR floor. Additionally, we may not maintain interest rate swaps with respect to all of our variable-rate indebtedness, and any such swaps may not fully mitigate our interest rate risk, may prove disadvantageous, or may create additional risks. As of December 31, 2020, any 0.125% decrease in LIBOR below 1.0% would result in an increase of approximately $4 million in annualized interest expense on our variable-rate debt, including the impact of our interest rate swaps. In January 2021, we amended our variable-rate debt and reduced the floor from 1.00% to 0.75%.

Until a successor rate is more firmly determined, we cannot implement the transition away from LIBOR for our variable-rate indebtedness and interest rate swaps. As such, we are unable to predict the effect of any changes to LIBOR, the establishment and success of any alternative reference rates, or any other reforms to LIBOR or any replacement of LIBOR that may be enacted in the United States or elsewhere.

Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our stock price may fluctuate significantly.

The market price of our common stock could vary significantly as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our common stock, you could lose a substantial part or all of your investment in our common stock. Among others, the following factors could affect our stock price:

•sales of our common stock by us or by our stockholders, including our controlling stockholder or Google, or the perception that such sales may occur;

•our operating and financial performance and prospects, including the success of our partnership with Google;

•quarterly variations in the rate of growth (if any) of our financial indicators, such as net income per share, net income and revenues;

•the public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;

•strategic actions by our competitors;

•changes in operating performance and the stock market valuations of other companies;

•announcements related to litigation;

•our failure to meet revenue or earnings estimates made by research analysts or other investors;

•changes in revenue or earnings estimates, or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage, by equity research analysts;

•speculation in the press or investment community;

•changes in accounting principles, policies, guidance, interpretations, or standards;

•additions or departures of key management personnel;

•actions by our stockholders;

•general market conditions;

•domestic and international economic, legal, and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance;

•material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting; and

•the realization of any risks described under this “Risk Factors” section, or other risks that may materialize in the future.

The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources, and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market, or the perception in the public market that such sales may occur, could reduce our stock price.

The number of outstanding shares of common stock includes shares beneficially owned by Apollo and certain of our employees that are “restricted securities,” as defined under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) (“Rule 144”), and eligible for sale in the public market subject to the requirements of Rule 144. All of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Apollo and certain of our employees prior to the IPO are now eligible for sale, subject to the applicable volume, manner of sale, holding periods, and other limitations of Rule 144. In addition, each of Apollo, Google and certain other equity holders has certain rights to require us to register the sale of common stock they hold, including in connection with underwritten offerings. For example, in September 2020, Apollo and certain employees and other stockholders sold shares in a registered offering pursuant to a demand registration request from Apollo. Sales of significant amounts of stock in the public market or the perception that such sales may occur could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock or make it more difficult for stockholders to sell their shares of common stock at a time and price that they deem appropriate.

We continue to be controlled by Apollo, and Apollo’s interests may conflict with our interests and the interests of other stockholders.

Apollo has the power to elect a majority of our directors. Therefore, individuals affiliated with Apollo will have effective control over the outcome of votes on all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including entering into significant corporate transactions such as mergers, tender offers, and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and issuance of additional debt or equity. The interests of Apollo and its affiliates, including funds affiliated with Apollo, could conflict with or differ from our interests or the interests of our other stockholders. For example, the concentration of ownership held by funds affiliated with Apollo could delay, defer, or prevent a change in control of our company or impede a merger, takeover, or other business combination which may otherwise be favorable for us. Additionally, Apollo and its affiliates are in the business of making investments in companies and may, from time to time, acquire and hold interests in or provide advice to businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us, or are suppliers or customers of ours. Apollo and its affiliates may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. Any such investment may increase the potential for the conflicts of interest discussed in this risk factor. So long as funds affiliated with Apollo continue to directly or indirectly own a significant amount of our equity, even if such amount is less than 50%, Apollo and its affiliates will continue to be able to substantially influence or effectively control our ability to enter into corporate transactions. In addition, we have an executive committee that serves at the discretion of our board of directors and is composed of two Apollo designees and our CEO, who are authorized to exercise all of the powers of our board of directors (subject to certain exceptions) when the board of directors is not in session that the executive committee reasonably determines are appropriate.

ADT US Equity

ADT · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

ADT US Equity☆

ADT · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

ADT US Equity