Arista Networks 10-Q 2024-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024

or

For the transition period from to

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ý

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.0001 par value, as of November 4, 2024 was 314,939,883.

ARISTA NETWORKS, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ARISTA NETWORKS, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except par value)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

ARISTA NETWORKS, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Income Statements

(Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

ARISTA NETWORKS, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited, in thousands)

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You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes that are included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 12, 2024. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans, expectations and beliefs that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Overview

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client to cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. Arista's platforms deliver availability, agility, automation, analytics and security through an advanced network operating stack. Since Arista’s inception, our founders have reimagined cloud networks for performance, scale and programmability with a focus on differentiating in three ways: uncompromising quality, advanced open and standards-based technology and a robust quality assurance capability built on a suite of automated diagnostics. At the core of Arista’s platform is Arista’s EOS, a modernized publish-subscribe state-sharing networking operating system. Arista EOS, combined with a set of network applications and our Ethernet switching and routing platforms using best of breed merchant silicon, provides customers with a highly competitive and diversified portfolio of products with improved price/performance and time to market.

We generate revenue primarily from sales of our switching and routing platforms, which incorporate Arista's EOS software, and related network applications. We also generate revenue from post-contract support ("PCS"), which customers

typically purchase in conjunction with our products, and renewals of PCS. We sell our products through both our direct sales force and our channel partners. Our customers span a range of industries and geographies including large cloud customers or hyperscalers, other internet providers, service providers, financial services organizations, government agencies and a cross section of enterprise customers. Over time, we have diversified the types of enterprise customers we sell to and have continued to expand our presence across a wide spectrum of industries including media and entertainment, healthcare, oil and gas, education, manufacturing, industrial, and more.

Historically, large purchases by a relatively limited number of customers have accounted for a significant portion of our revenue. We have experienced unpredictability in the timing of orders from these large customers primarily due to the time it takes these customers to evaluate, test, qualify and accept our newer products, the overall complexity of these large orders and changes in demand patterns specific to these customers, including reductions in capital expenditures by these customers and the impact of cost reduction and other efficiency efforts by these customers. For example, sales to our end customers Microsoft and Meta Platforms represented 18% and 21% of our total revenue, respectively, in fiscal 2023, 16% and 26% of our total revenue, respectively, in fiscal 2022 and, 15% and less than 10% of our total revenue, respectively in fiscal 2021. This variability in customer concentration has been linked to the timing of new product deployments and spending cycles with these customers, and we expect continued variability in our customer concentration and timing of sales on a quarterly and annual basis. In addition, we typically provide pricing discounts to large customers, which reduces gross margins for the period in which such sales occur.

We believe an increased focus on the deployment of AI enabled solutions by our large customers has accelerated the need for advanced technology offerings including some offerings from potential new market entrants. This prioritization of AI related infrastructure investment has at times come in conjunction with the announcement of various cost reduction measures, including optimization and increased efficiency in non-AI related capital expenditures. In some instances, such measures have had, and may continue to have, an impact on certain current or future projects and have reduced our visibility to customer demand and may result in a reduction or uncertainty in the timing of orders from these large customers and increase the risk of excess and obsolescence charges on our products. In addition, fiscal 2024 continues to be a year of new product introductions and expanded use cases, particularly in the AI Ethernet market, resulting in increased customer trials and contracts with acceptance periods, and an increase in the volatility and magnitude of our product deferred revenue balances, which in turn may create variability in our revenue results on a quarterly and annual basis. In addition, if we are not able to satisfy the requirements under customer trials and contracts with acceptance periods, we may be required to accept product returns from our customers, which would reduce our deferred revenue balances and prevent us from recognizing revenue on such transactions and may result in the write-down of inventory.

We believe that cloud computing represents a fundamental shift from traditional legacy network architectures. As organizations of all sizes have moved workloads to the cloud, spending on cloud and next-generation data centers has increased rapidly, while traditional legacy IT spending has grown at a slower rate. Our cloud networking platforms are well positioned to address the growing cloud networking market, and to address increasing performance requirements driven by the growing number of connected devices, as well as the need for constant connectivity and access to data and applications.

The markets for cloud networking solutions are highly competitive and characterized by rapidly changing technology, changing end-customer needs, evolving industry standards, frequent introductions of new products and services, and industry consolidation. We expect competition to intensify in the future as the market for cloud networking expands and existing competitors and new market entrants introduce new products or enhance existing products. Our future success is dependent upon our ability to continue to evolve and adapt to our rapidly changing environment. We must also continue to develop market-leading products and software features that address the changing needs of our existing and new customers, and increase sales in the cloud, AI and enterprise data center switching, and campus workspace markets. We intend to continue expanding our sales force and marketing activities in key geographies, as well as our relationships with channel, technology and system-level partners in order to reach new customers more effectively, increase sales to existing customers, and provide services and support. In addition, we intend to continue to invest in our research and development organization to enhance the functionality of our existing cloud networking platform, introduce new products and features, and build upon our technology leadership. We believe one of our greatest strengths lies in our ability to rapidly develop new features and applications.

Our development model is focused on the development of new products based on our EOS software and enhancements to EOS. We engineer our products to be agnostic with respect to the underlying merchant silicon architecture. The programmability of EOS has allowed us to expand our software applications to address the ever-increasing demands of cloud networking, including workflow automation, network visibility, analytics and network detection and response, and has further allowed us to integrate rapidly with a wide range of third-party applications for virtualization, management, automation, orchestration and network services. This enables us to focus our research and development resources on our software core competencies and to leverage the investments made by merchant silicon vendors to achieve cost-effective solutions. We work closely with third-party contract manufacturers to manufacture our products. Our contract manufacturers deliver our products to

our third-party direct fulfillment facilities. We and our fulfillment partners then perform labeling, final configuration, quality assurance testing and shipment to our customers.

Macroeconomic Update

Global economic and business activities continue to face widespread macroeconomic uncertainties, including the effects of, among other things, inflation, monetary policy shifts, recession risks, potential supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical pressures.

Our business is emerging from a period of unprecedented global supply chain disruptions. Throughout this period, we made significant supply chain investments, including funding additional working capital and incremental purchase commitments in response to extended visibility to deployment plans from our customers. We have worked closely with our contract manufacturers and supply chain partners to ramp production following a period of delayed component sourcing and workforce disruptions. Increased capacity has allowed us to ship products against previously committed demand/deployment plans and accelerate some deployments where needed, while trying to minimize building customer inventory, and to some extent balancing customer lead times with those currently experienced from our key suppliers. As a result, some shipments against these previously committed demand/deployment plans have extended into 2024.

As the global supply chain has experienced some improvements and as customer lead times have been reduced from their peak, we have seen and expect to continue to see a commensurate reduction in visibility to customer demand and a gradual return to shorter demand-planning horizons. Given these shipment and order patterns, near term revenue trends may not be solely reflective of current demand levels, but as discussed above will benefit from demand/deployment plans that had been previously committed. We expect that our inventory and purchase commitments will remain volatile as we ramp new product introductions. The magnitude of these balances, combined with a reduction in customer demand-planning horizons and shifting customer product priorities, has resulted in increased risk that we may not be able to sell all of this inventory, which in turn has resulted in additional excess and obsolete inventory and supplier liability charges. In addition, inflation pressure in our supply chain and scarcity of some materials needed to build our products have increased our cost of revenue and have impacted, and may continue to negatively impact our gross margin. While we have seen improvements in our supply chain and manufacturing operations, any remaining or new supply chain and manufacturing related constraints could negatively impact our business in future periods.

Management continues to actively monitor the impact of macroeconomic factors on the Company's financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. The extent of the impact of these factors on our operational and financial performance, including our ability to execute our business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, will depend on future developments, the impact on our customers, partners, employees, contract manufacturers and supply chain, all of which continue to evolve and are unpredictable. In addition, any continued or renewed disruption in manufacturing and supply resulting from these factors could negatively impact our business. Recent technologies, such as generative AI models, have emerged, and while they have driven increased demand for networking, the long-term trajectory is unknown. As such, demand estimates for our new products may be inaccurate and create volatility in our revenue, inventory and purchase commitment levels. Furthermore, any prolonged economic disruptions or further deterioration in the global economy could have a negative impact on demand from our customers in future periods, particularly in the enterprise market where we are continuing to expand our penetration. Accordingly, current results and financial conditions discussed herein may not be indicative of future operating results and trends.

Results of Operations

Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 Compared to Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023

Revenue, Cost of Revenue and Gross Margin (in thousands, except percentages)

Revenue by Geography (in thousands, except percentages)

Revenue

Product revenue primarily consists of sales of our switching and routing products, and related network applications. Service revenue is primarily derived from sales of PCS contracts, which are typically purchased in conjunction with our products, and subsequent renewals of those contracts. We expect our revenue may vary from period to period based on, among other things, the timing, size, and complexity of orders, especially with respect to our large customers.

Product revenue increased by $238.3 million, or 18.5%, and $556.7 million, or 15.0% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023. This increase reflects healthy customer demand and higher shipments of our switching and routing platforms, in particular strong contributions from our large cloud and enterprise customers. In addition, service revenue increased by $63.2 million, or 28.2%, and $196.2 million, or 32.7% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023, as a result of continued growth in initial and renewal support contracts as our customer installed base has continued to expand. International revenue represented 18.3% and 19.0% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, changing from 21.5% and 20.1% for the same periods in the prior year, which was primarily driven by changes in the geographic mix of sales to our large global customers.

Cost of Revenue and Gross Margin

Cost of product revenue primarily consists of amounts paid for inventory to our third-party contract manufacturers and merchant silicon vendors, overhead costs of our manufacturing operations, including freight, and other costs associated with manufacturing our products and managing our inventory and supply chain. Cost of service revenue primarily consists of personnel and other costs associated with our global customer support and services organizations.

Cost of revenue increased by $82.2 million, or 14.5%, and $123.7 million, or 7.3% for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023. These increases were driven by a corresponding increase in product and service revenues, partially offset by reductions of $40.3 million and $111.4 million in net excess/obsolete inventory and supplier liability charges for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023 respectively.

Gross margin, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue, has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, including pricing pressure on our products and services due to competition, the mix of sales to large end customers who generally receive lower pricing, the mix of products sold, manufacturing-related costs, including costs associated with supply chain sourcing activities, merchant silicon costs, and excess/obsolete inventory charges, including charges for excess/obsolete component inventory held by our contract manufacturers and suppliers. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate over time, depending on the factors described above.

Gross margin increased from 62.4% to 64.2% for the three months ended September 30, 2024, and increased from 60.9% to 64.3% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023. These changes reflect an improvement in product margins of 61.1% compared to 59.3%, and 61.3% compared to 57.9%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023 respectively. The improvement in product margins was driven largely by a reduction of $40.3 million and $111.4 million in net excess/obsolete inventory and supplier liability charges for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023 respectively.

Operating Expenses (in thousands, except percentages)

Our operating expenses consist of research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses. The largest component of our operating expenses is personnel costs. Personnel costs consist of wages, benefits, bonuses and, with respect to sales and marketing expenses, sales commissions. Personnel costs also include stock-based compensation and travel-related expenses.

Research and development

Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, prototype expenses, third-party engineering costs, and an allocated portion of facility and IT costs. Our research and development efforts are focused on new product development and maintaining and developing additional functionality for our existing products, including new releases and upgrades to our EOS software and applications. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to invest in software development in order to expand the capabilities of our cloud networking platform, introduce new products and features, and continue to invest in our technology.

Research and development expenses increased by $23.5 million, or 11.1%, and $68.3 million, or 10.6% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023. The increase was mainly driven by an increase in personnel costs due to headcount growth.

Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, marketing, trade shows, and other promotional activities, and an allocated portion of facility and IT costs. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to expand our sales and marketing efforts worldwide.

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $4.8 million, or 4.7%, and $22.8 million, or 7.8% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in 2023.

General and administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs and professional services costs for our finance, human resources, legal and certain executive functions. Our professional services costs are primarily related to external legal, accounting and tax services.

General and administrative expenses increased by $8.5 million, or 33.4% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and increased by $10.5 million, or 13.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same periods in

Other Income (Expense), Net (in thousands, except percentages)

Other income (expense), net consists primarily of interest income from our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, gains and losses on our strategic investments, and foreign currency transaction gains and losses. We expect other income (expense), net may fluctuate in the future as a result of the re-measurement of our equity investments upon the occurrence of either observable price changes or impairments, changes in interest rates or returns on our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities, and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.

The improvement in other income during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the same periods in 2023 was primarily driven by increased interest income of $41.7 million and $122.3 million due to an increase in our cash and investment balances coupled with higher investment yields.

Provision for Income Taxes (in thousands, except percentages)

We operate in a number of tax jurisdictions and are subject to taxes in each country or jurisdiction in which we conduct business. Earnings from our non-U.S. activities are subject to local country income tax and may also be subject to U.S. income tax. Generally, our U.S. tax obligations are reduced by a credit for foreign income taxes paid on these foreign earnings, which avoids double taxation. Our tax expense to date consists of federal, state and foreign current and deferred income taxes.

The decrease in the effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the same periods in 2023, was due to a change in the jurisdictional mix of earnings.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, and cash generated from operations. As of September 30, 2024, our total balance of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities was approximately $7.4 billion, of which approximately $1.1 billion was held outside the U.S. in our foreign subsidiaries.

Our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities are held for general business purposes, including the funding of working capital. Our marketable securities investment portfolio is primarily invested in highly-rated securities, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss. We plan to continue to invest for long-term growth. We believe that our existing balances of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, together with cash generated from operations, will be sufficient to meet our working capital requirements and our growth strategies for at least the next 12 months. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our growth rate, the timing and extent of our spending to support research and development activities, the timing and cost of establishing additional sales and marketing capabilities, the introduction of new and enhanced product and service offerings, our costs associated with supply chain activities, including access to outsourced manufacturing, our costs related to investing in or acquiring complementary or strategic businesses and technologies, the continued market acceptance of our products, stock repurchases, and capital expenditures, including the planned construction of an office and lab space. If we require or elect to seek additional capital through debt or equity financing

in the future, we may not be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are required and unable to raise additional capital when desired, our business, operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Cash Flows (in thousands)

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, cash provided by operating activities was $2.7 billion, consisting of net income of $2.1 billion along with a net decrease in working capital requirements of $744.3 million, offset partially by non-cash adjustments to net income of $118.1 million. The decrease in working capital requirements primarily consisted of an increase in deferred revenue of $1,001.1 million resulting from an increase in customer PCS contracts and an increase in product deferred revenue related to customer contracts with acceptance terms, a $175.2 million decrease in inventory resulting from strong product shipments, and a $59.8 million increase in income tax payables, net related to timing of payments. These cash inflows were partially offset by a $226.6 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities primarily due to timing of inventory-related receipts and payments, as well as a reduction in supplier liabilities, an increase in accounts receivable of $96.5 million due to increased product and service billings, and a $173.1 million increase in other assets driven by increased deferred cost of sales associated with higher product revenue deferrals. The non-cash adjustments to net income were driven by a $376.7 million increase in deferred taxes primarily due to the increase in deferred revenue and the capitalization of research and development costs under Section 174 of the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC"), largely offset by stock-based compensation of $254.6 million and depreciation and amortization.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, cash provided by operating activities was $1,507.6 million, primarily from net income of $1,473.7 million, non-cash adjustments to net income of $26.7 million and a net decrease of $7.2 million in working capital requirements. The non-cash adjustments to net income were driven by stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization, largely offset by an increase in deferred taxes primarily due to the capitalization of research and development costs under Section 174 of the IRC. This decrease in working capital requirements primarily consisted of a $346.2 million increase in income tax payables largely related to the tax relief issued by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") to extend the due date for the 2022 tax return filing, and 2023 estimated tax payments to October 16, 2023, a $151.2 million increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities due to an increase in business volume and timing of payments, a decrease in accounts receivable of $84.4 million driven by strong collections, and an increase in deferred revenue of $153.5 million primarily resulting from an increase in customer PCS contracts. These operating cash inflows were largely offset by a $603.8 million increase in inventory and a $118.6 million increase in prepaid and other assets.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, cash used in investing activities was $1.1 billion, consisting of purchases of available-for-sale securities of $2.6 billion, partially offset by proceeds from maturities and sales of marketable securities of $1.5 billion.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, cash used in investing activities was $350.5 million, consisting of purchases of available-for-sale securities of $1,934.2 million, and purchases of property and equipment of $28.4 million. These amounts were partially offset by proceeds from maturities and sales of marketable securities of $1,614.5 million.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, cash used in financing activities was $291.8 million, consisting of payments for repurchases of our common stock from the open market of $299.8 million, and employee taxes withheld and paid of $47.5 million upon vesting of restricted stock units, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of common stock under employee equity incentive plans of $55.5 million.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, cash used in financing activities was $82.4 million, consisting of payments for repurchases of our common stock from the open market of $112.3 million, and employee taxes withheld and paid of $23.9 million upon vesting of restricted stock units, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of common stock under employee equity incentive plans of $53.8 million.

Stock Repurchase Programs

From time to time, we repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to the Repurchase Programs that are funded from working capital. The New Repurchase Program allows for repurchases of $1.2 billion through May 2027, but does not obligate us to acquire any of our common stock and may be suspended or discontinued by the company at any time without prior notice. During the three months ended September 30, 2024, we repurchased a total of $65.2 million worth of shares under our New Repurchase Program. As of September 30, 2024, the remaining authorized amount for repurchases under the New Repurchase Program was $1.0 billion. Refer to Note 6. Stockholders' Equity and Stock-based Compensation of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1, of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further discussion.

Common Stock Split

Arista’s board of directors has approved a four-for-one forward stock split to make Arista’s common stock more accessible to a broader base of investors.

The four-for-one forward stock split will be effected through the filing of an amendment to Arista’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that will proportionately increase the authorized shares of common stock.

Our stockholders will receive an additional three shares of common stock for each share held as of the effective time of the filing of the amendment on December 3, 2024. Prior to market open on December 4, 2024, trading is expected to commence on a split-adjusted basis.

Material Cash Requirements

Our material cash requirements will have an impact on our future liquidity. Our material cash requirements represent material expected or contractually committed future payment obligations. We believe that we will be able to fund these obligations through cash generated from operations and from our existing balances of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

Our material cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations:

Purchase Obligations

Purchase obligations not recorded on our balance sheet represent an estimate of all non-cancellable open purchase orders and contractual obligations, made either directly by Arista or by our contract manufacturers on our behalf, in the ordinary course of business for which we have not received the goods or services. As of September 30, 2024, we had $2.4 billion of such purchase obligations, of which $2.0 billion are expected to be received within one year, and $0.4 billion are expected to be received after one year. These open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding, and while we may have some limited ability to reschedule and adjust our requirements based on our business needs prior to the delivery of goods or performance of services, this can only occur with the agreement of the related supplier.

Leases

We have operating lease arrangements for office space, data center, equipment and other corporate assets. As of September 30, 2024, we had lease payment obligations, net of immaterial sublease income, of $69.8 million, with $24.1 million payable within one year.

Property project

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we purchased land and the improvements thereon in Santa Clara, California to construct a building for office and lab space. The estimated capital expenditures related to this project is estimated to be approximately $15.0 million for the remainder of 2024, and $227.0 million to $252.0 million for the next two years, with construction expected to commence at the end of 2024.

Accrued Income Taxes

As of September 30, 2024, we have recorded long-term tax liabilities of $116.6 million related to uncertain tax positions; however, we are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate of the timing of settlement, if any, of these future payments.

In connection with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”), effective January 1, 2022, the TCJA eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures currently and requires taxpayers to capitalize and amortize them over five or fifteen years pursuant to IRC Section 174. We estimate the full year incremental cash tax impact resulting from these regulations to be approximately $210.0 million for 2024. It is anticipated that IRC Section 174 will result in cash tax outlays exceeding our income tax expense over the next two years unless the current legislation is changed. There has been no material change to our effective tax rate as a result of this legislation.

Off-balance Sheet Arrangements

As of September 30, 2024, we did not have any relationships with any unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and our actual results, our future financial statements will be affected. We believe the critical accounting estimates in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 12, 2024 reflect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements. There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting estimates as disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to the subheading titled “Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 1. Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1, of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

We are exposed to financial market risks, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates, and equity investment risk. Our exposure to market risk has not changed materially since December 31, 2023. For quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk, refer to Part II, Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and our Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2024, our CEO and CFO concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures are designed at a reasonable assurance level and are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act, that occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2024 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitations of Internal Controls

Our management, including our CEO and CFO, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all

potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

The information set forth under the “Legal Proceedings” subheading in Note 5. Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1, of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is incorporated herein by reference.

You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The risks described below are not the only risks facing us. Risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Risk Factors Summary

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

• large purchases by a limited number of customers represent a substantial portion of our revenue;

• adverse economic conditions, continuing uncertain economic conditions or reduced information technology and network infrastructure spending may adversely affect our business;

• some key components in our products come from sole or limited sources of supply and increases the risk of supply shortages, extended lead times or supply changes;

• our revenue and revenue growth rates are volatile and may decline or not meet our or our investor's expectations;

• our results of operations may vary significantly from period to period and can be unpredictable;

• the networking market is rapidly evolving;

• failure to successfully carry out new product and service offerings and expand into adjacent markets could adversely impact our business;

• we expect our gross margins to vary over time and may be adversely affected by numerous factors;

• we face intense competition and industry consolidation;

• we are subject to risks associated with the expansion of our international sales and operations;

• we face risks associated with the investments in and acquisitions of complementary companies, products or technologies;

• seasonality and industry cyclicality may cause fluctuations in our revenue;

• fluctuations in currency exchange rates could adversely affect our business;

• failure to raise additional capital on favorable terms could harm our business.

Risks Related to Customers and Sales

• inability to attract new large customers or sell additional products and services to our existing customers could adversely affect our revenue growth;

• sales of our switches generate most of our product revenue;

• large customers require more favorable terms;

• inability to increase market awareness or acceptance of our new products and services may adversely affect our revenue;

• sales prices of our products and services may decrease;

• sales cycles can be long and unpredictable;

• inability to offer high quality support and services could adversely affect our business;

• declines in maintenance renewals by customers could harm our business;

• indemnification provisions under our standard sales contracts could expose us to losses;

• we rely on distributors, systems integrators and value-added resellers to sell our products;

• sales to government entities are subject to a number of challenges and risks;

• we are exposed to the credit risk of our channel partners and some of our end customers.

Risks Related to Products and Services

• product quality problems, defects, errors or vulnerabilities could harm our business;

• failure to anticipate technological shifts could harm our business;

• our products must interoperate with operating systems, software applications and hardware that is developed by others.

Risks Related to Supply Chain and Manufacturing

• managing the supply of our products and product components is complex;

• we depend on third-party manufacturers to build our products;

• future sales forecasts may be materially inaccurate which could result in incorrect levels of inventory and purchase commitments;

• shipment interruptions or delays could cause our revenue to fall.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Other Proprietary Rights

• assertions by third parties of intellectual property rights infringement, misappropriation or other violation could harm our business;

• failure or inability to protect or assert our intellectual property rights could harm our competitive position;

• we rely on the availability of licenses to third-party software and other intellectual property;

• failure to comply with licenses to software and other technology could restrict our ability to sell our products;

• our competitors could develop products that are similar to or better than ours because we provide access to our software and selected source code to certain partners.

Risks Related to Litigation

• we may become involved in litigation that may materially adversely affect us.

Risks Related to Cybersecurity and Data Privacy

• defects, errors or vulnerabilities in our products, failure of our products to detect security breaches or incidents, misuse of our products or risks of product liability could harm our business;

• breaches of our cybersecurity systems or other security breaches could degrade our ability to conduct our business operations and deliver products and services to our customers, cause vulnerabilities in our products and services or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions and or fines or liabilities for damages incurred by our customers or partners.

Risks Related to Accounting, Compliance, Regulation and Tax

• failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting;

• if our critical accounting policies are based on incorrect assumptions, our results of operations could fall below analyst and investor expectations and result in a decline in the market price of our common stock;

• enhanced U.S. tax, tariff, import/export restrictions, Chinese regulations or other trade barriers may negatively affect our business;

• changes in our income taxes, effective tax rate or new tax laws could adversely affect our results;

• failure to comply with government laws and regulations could harm our business;

• issues in the development and use of artificial intelligence, combined with an uncertain regulatory environment, may result in reputational harm, liability, or other adverse consequences to our business operations;

• we are subject to governmental export and import controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets or subject us to liability for violations.

• failure to comply with anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and anti-money laundering laws, and similar laws, could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

• the trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile and the value of your investment could decline;

• any future decisions to reduce or discontinue repurchasing our common stock pursuant to our stock repurchase program could cause the market price of our common stock to decline;

• sales of substantial amounts of our common stock could reduce the market price of our common stock;

• insiders have substantial control over us;

• our charter documents and Delaware law could discourage takeover attempts and lead to management entrenchment.

General Risks

• inability to hire, retain, train and motivate qualified personnel and senior management could cause our business to suffer;

• earthquakes, fire, power outages, floods, health epidemics and other catastrophic events could harm our business;

• we have not paid dividends in the past and do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

**We expect large purchases by a limited number of customers to continue to represent a substantial p****ortion of our revenue, and any loss, delay, decline or other change in expected purchases could result in material quarter-to-qu

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Securities Trading Plans of Directors and Executive Officers

During our last fiscal quarter, the following director and officers, as defined in Rule 16a-1(f), adopted a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as defined in Regulation S-K Item 408, as follows:

On September 13, 2024, Yvonne Wassenaar, a member of our Board of Directors, adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement providing for the sale from time to time of an aggregate of 126 shares of our common stock. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). The duration of the trading arrangement is until January 22, 2026, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement are completed.

On September 5, 2024, John McCool, our Chief Platform Officer, and Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations, adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement providing for the sale from time to time of an aggregate of up to: (i) 9,479 shares of common stock; (ii) a number of shares of our common stock that may be earned in connection with grants of performance-based restricted stock units, which cannot be determined at this time; and (iii) a number of shares of our common stock that will be purchased under the 2014 ESPP during the term of the trading arrangement, which cannot be determined at this time. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). The duration of the trading arrangement is until December 8, 2025, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement are completed.

On September 11, 2024, Marc Taxay, our Senior Vice President and General Counsel, adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement providing for the sale from time to time of an aggregate of up to (i) 15,129 shares of common stock; and (ii) a number of shares of our common stock that may be earned in connection with grants of performance-based restricted stock units, which cannot be determined at this time. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). The duration of the trading arrangement is until December 31, 2025, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement are completed.

No other officers or directors, as defined in Rule 16a-1(f), adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or a “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as defined in Regulation S-K Item 408, during the last fiscal quarter.

______________________

***** The certifications attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Arista Networks, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

† Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.