Christopher Quintero • Morgan Stanley

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CEO Tom Shea positioned the ESG solution as a prime example of the platform's 'infinite extensibility.' He noted it addresses new statutory and compliance requirements, is fully integrated with the core platform, and can serve as an entry point for new customers. The product was recently made generally available, and the company continues to invest in it.

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Co-Founder and CEO Tom Shea clarified that the new packaging is an evolution, not a complete reset, designed to support a multi-product strategy that includes offerings like Sensible Machine Learning (SML) and Sales Performance Management (SPM). He explained the goal is to provide an efficient and understandable mechanism for customers to purchase new innovations, noting it was officially launched at the company's sales kickoff.

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CEO Tom Shea explained that OneStream's platform acts as a flexible management layer above ERP systems, which record the physical view of a business. He stated this flexibility is critical for customers with either single or multiple ERPs, as it helps them model how they run their business and amplifies the value of their core ERP investments.

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CEO David DeStefano stated that the business remains resilient due to its alignment with SAP's cloud migration activity, the rising strategic priority of tax compliance, and a diverse set of customer wins. Regarding Kintsugi, he explained its technology is applicable both commercially, for addressing low-end customer churn and serving smaller marketplace sellers, and through an IP sharing agreement to enhance Vertex's own AI roadmap.

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CFO John Schwab attributed the gross margin improvement to business leverage but cautioned that recent results were boosted by high-margin revenue true-ups and should not be extrapolated. CEO David DeStefano added that services revenue is expected to be 'pretty flat' in 2025, aligning with the strategy to prioritize durable ARR growth by enabling alliance partners.

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CEO David DeStefano explained that Vertex is typically brought into ERP projects a few quarters after they begin but well before go-live. He highlighted 'smart categorization' as a key AI use case, offering a compelling ROI by helping clients map products to tax categories and minimize audit risk. He also noted the importance of using customers as design partners to build trust in the AI solutions.

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Co-CEO Owen Ryan stated that while the new model can help in closing deals, the primary value proposition remains the platform's quality, breadth, and reliability. CFO Patrick Villanova added that the pricing model is a competitive advantage, but it is a derivative of the superior value BlackLine delivers compared to competitors.

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Co-CEO Owen Ryan stated he was generally pleased with Q4 execution, attributing deal slowdowns to customer timing decisions rather than BlackLine's performance, noting some deals closed in January. CFO Mark Partin added that gross margins should see slight expansion but remain fairly consistent, with some drag from FedRAMP investments offset by the future decommissioning of older service centers.

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Co-CEO Owen Ryan described the SAP partnership as having "untapped potential" and noted that alignment with SAP's leadership has never been stronger, particularly around the cloud, the Office of the CFO, and AI. Competitively, Ryan expressed high confidence, citing "remarkable" takeaways from a larger traditional competitor. He also outlined a strategy to win customers from smaller competitors once those customers mature and require BlackLine's scale and capabilities.

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Chief Financial Officer Dominic Phillips attributed international success to sustained investments in go-to-market and product, leading to key customer wins and referenceability. Chief Executive Officer Sanjit Biswas stated that hiring is strong across the board, particularly in go-to-market to add capacity and in engineering to develop the product platform, while emphasizing a focus on scaling the company culture alongside headcount.

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CFO Dominic Phillips explained that for telematics, many non-adopters are being convinced as they subscribe to Samsara's other products. For safety, adoption is newer and growing rapidly with technology shifts. CEO Sanjit Biswas added that telematics is expanding beyond traditional trucking into new industries. On improvements, both executives highlighted focusing on execution, hiring, R&D allocation, and spending more time with customers to drive long-term growth.

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CFO John Rettig explained that Q2 monetization was slightly below expectations due to seasonal TPV trends favoring lower-monetizing check and ACH payments, as well as negative impacts from foreign exchange volatility. Rettig noted that while ad valorem volume grew, it was at a slower pace than flat-rate payment types, but he affirmed that the company's strategic initiatives are still expected to drive monetization expansion going forward.

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