Dan Bergstrom

Dan Bergstrom asked about the key drivers behind the momentum in upselling customers to higher-tier Norton 360 memberships, beyond the impact of scam protection. He also inquired about the factors contributing to the strong customer addition number, specifically the 400,000 sequential increase in direct cybersafety customers.

Answer

Vincent Pilette (CEO) attributed the momentum in Norton 360 upsells to the integration of Norton Genie (AI cybersafety assistant), its expansion to 40 countries/languages, and the launch of Norton Genie Pro for enhanced features. He also mentioned Norton Money as an alternative path to higher plans. For customer additions, Pilette noted the 400K adds were at the upper end of the historical range, reflecting progress across increased engagement, more acquisition channels, and improved retention.

Dan Bergstrom asked about the key drivers behind the momentum in upselling customers to higher-tier Norton 360 memberships. He also inquired about the factors contributing to the strong customer addition number of 400,000 sequentially in the direct cybersafety segment.

Answer

Vincent Pilette, CEO, attributed Norton 360 momentum to the integration of Norton Genie (AI cybersafety assistant) and Norton Genie Pro, along with the upcoming Norton Money platform. He explained that the 400,000 customer additions were at the upper end of the historical range, driven by increased engagement, expanded acquisition channels, and improved retention across various customer categories.

Dan Bergstrom of RBC Capital Markets requested details on MoneyLion's planned transition to a subscription-based model and asked what has been a pleasant surprise or key learning since acquiring the asset.

Answer

CEO Vincent Pilette explained the transition to a membership model is a natural evolution to increase customer engagement, retention, and long-term value (LTV), even if it means a short-term trade-off in quarterly bookings. Pilette highlighted that the most pleasant surprise has been the unique potential of MoneyLion's 'NGIN' marketplace, an ecosystem engine that can be embedded in other platforms, which he believes will be a game-changer for Gen's future.

Dan Bergstrom of RBC Capital Markets asked for more details on the planned transition of MoneyLion's business to a subscription model and inquired about any pleasant surprises from the acquisition.

Answer

CEO Vincent Pilette explained that transitioning MoneyLion to a membership model is a natural evolution to increase customer engagement, retention, and long-term value, leveraging Gen's expertise. He highlighted that the most pleasant surprise has been the power of MoneyLion's marketplace 'engine' to build a unique financial ecosystem, which can be embedded in other platforms and provides valuable data for future innovation, positioning Gen to define the future of financial wellness.

Dan Bergstrom asked about potential new KPIs for the trust-based solutions segment beyond bookings and operating margin, and requested more detail on the drivers of stronger growth in the U.S. market.

Answer

CEO Vincent Pilette confirmed that while bookings and margin are the primary metrics for the new segments, supplemental KPIs are being refined and will be shared with Q1 results. CFO Natalie Derse attributed the strong mid-single-digit U.S. growth to heightened LifeLock awareness following the NPD breach and the successful scaling of identity offerings and membership adoption.

Dan Bergstrom of RBC Capital Markets asked for more detail on the successful adoption of Norton 360 by mobile customers and inquired about the impact and progress of the company's product customization and personalization initiatives.

Answer

CEO Vincent Pilette explained that launching Norton 360 on mobile, followed by new products on the unified Gen Stack architecture, has been key. This new stack includes an in-product messaging tool that provides real-time feedback, improving engagement and all key metrics like ARPU and retention. He added that the company is now focused on developing advanced models on the new stack to enable 'hyper personalization' across all brands once the migration is complete.

Dan Bergstrom of RBC Capital Markets inquired about the broader macro environment's impact on CSG and the historical effects of customer consolidation, referencing the potential Charter and Cox transaction.

Answer

CEO Brian Shepherd responded that the macro environment remains consistent with previous quarters, characterized by cautiousness in discretionary spending, which has led to revenue growth at the lower end of the 2-3% range. Regarding customer M&A, he noted that consolidation has historically been a positive trend for CSG as the incumbent provider, citing the successful displacement of a competitor at Charter as a past example.

Dan Bergstrom asked about customer sentiment and deal flow at the end of the quarter, as well as the company's philosophy on continuous cost optimization and margin expansion.

Answer

CEO Brian Shepherd responded that while general macroeconomic uncertainty is causing customers to be more thoughtful, deals with a clear and short ROI are still progressing. On margins, he emphasized a deep commitment to operating discipline, which involves eliminating non-value-add activities, reinvesting savings into innovation like R&D, and benefiting from a revenue mix shift towards higher-margin SaaS products. He noted this discipline is improving profitability and free cash flow conversion.

Dan Bergstrom inquired about the health and composition of CSG's sales pipeline at the start of 2025 compared to the previous year, and asked about the dynamics of the quarter, including linearity and any year-end budget flush.

Answer

CEO Brian Shepherd and CFO Hai Tran described the pipeline as healthier and more evenly distributed than a year ago, without being skewed by large deals. Shepherd noted that CSG's backlog entering 2025 is higher than it was for 2024, providing confidence despite a tough market. Tran added that while some deals may shift between quarters, nothing was out of the ordinary in Q4.

Dan Bergstrom asked about the timing of the Comcast contract renewal, questioning what factors led to its announcement now, and also inquired about international business trends, noting relative strength in Europe and softness in APAC.

Answer

CEO Brian Shepherd stated the Comcast renewal was finalized now due to CSG's strong performance, significant investments bringing value, and a mutual desire to focus on co-innovation. He also noted CSG offered concessions like no day-one price increase. On international trends, Shepherd and CFO Hai Tran described an inflection point towards cloud-native Ascendon deals, which is transitioning the business to a higher-margin SaaS model. This creates near-term services revenue headwinds but builds higher-quality recurring revenue for the long term.