Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the information set forth in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, one should also carefully review and consider the information contained in our other reports and periodic filings that we make with the SEC, including, without limitation, the information contained under the caption “Item 1A. Risk factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Those risk factors could materially affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The risks that we describe in our public filings are not the only risks that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we presently deem to be immaterial, also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

There have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed under the caption “Item 1A. Risk factors” to our

annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, except for the following updates:

We may not be able to operate properties successfully and profitably.

Our success depends in large part upon our ability to operate our properties successfully. If we are unable to do so, our business could be adversely affected. The ownership and operation of real estate is subject to many risks that may adversely affect our business and our ability to make payments to our stockholders, including, but not limited to, the following risks:

• Our properties may not perform as we expect;

• We may have to lease space at rates below our expectations;

• We may not be able to obtain financing on acceptable terms;

• We may underestimate the cost of improvements required to maintain or improve space to meet standards established for the market position intended for that property; and

• We may be unable to complete the improvements required to maintain or improve space, due to unanticipated delays, significant cost increases by our vendors, or cancellation of construction resulting from shortages in the supply of necessary construction materials.

The realization of any of the above risks could significantly and adversely affect our ability to meet our financial expectations, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders, the market price of our common stock, and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations.

Failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance would likely adversely affect the market price and volatility of our stock.

Our expected financial results may not be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from our expectations. This may be a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the following:

• The status of the economy;

• The status of capital markets, including availability and cost of capital;

• Changes in financing terms available to us;

• Negative developments in the operating results or financial condition of tenants, including, but not limited to, their ability to pay rent;

• Our ability to re-lease space at similar rates as leases expire;

• Our ability to reinvest sale proceeds in a timely manner at rates similar to the rate at which assets are sold;

• Our ability to successfully complete developments or redevelopments of properties for lease on time and/or within budget;

• Our ability to procure third party suppliers or providers of necessary construction materials for our developments and redevelopments of properties;

• Regulatory approval and market acceptance of the products and technologies of tenants;

• Liability or contract claims by or against tenants;

• Unanticipated difficulties and/or expenditures relating to future acquisitions;

• Environmental laws affecting our properties;

• Changes in rules or practices governing our financial reporting; and

• Other legal and operational matters, including REIT qualification and key management personnel recruitment and retention.

Failure to meet market expectations, particularly with respect to earnings estimates, funds from operations per share,

operating cash flows, and revenues, would likely result in a decline and/or increased volatility in the market price of our common stock or other outstanding securities.

We may face increased risks and costs associated with volatility in commodity and labor prices or as a result of supply chain or procurement disruptions, which may adversely affect the status of our construction projects.

The price of commodities and skilled labor for our construction projects may increase unpredictably due to external factors, including, but not limited to, performance of third-party suppliers and contractors; overall market supply and demand; government regulation; international trade; and changes in general business, economic, or political conditions. As a result, the costs of raw construction materials and skilled labor required for the completion of our development and redevelopment projects may fluctuate significantly from time to time.

We rely on a number of third-party suppliers and contractors to supply raw materials and skilled labor for our construction projects. We have favorable relationships with our suppliers and contractors, and we generally have not encountered significant difficulty obtaining materials and skilled labor, nor experienced significant delays or increases in overall project costs. While we do not rely on any single supplier or vendor for the majority of our materials and skilled labor, we may experience difficulties obtaining necessary materials from suppliers or vendors whose supply chains might become impacted by economic or political changes, or difficulties obtaining adequate skilled labor from third-party contractors in a tightening labor market. It is uncertain whether we would be able to source the essential commodities, supplies, materials, and skilled labor timely or at all without incurring significant costs or delays, particularly during times of economic uncertainty resulting from events outside of our control, including, but not limited to, effects of COVID-19. We may be forced to seek new third-party suppliers or contractors, who we have not worked with in the past, and it is uncertain whether these new suppliers will be able to adequately meet our materials or labor needs. Our dependence on unfamiliar supply chains or relatively small supply partners may adversely affect the cost and timely completion of our construction projects. In addition, we may be unable to compete with entities that may have more favorable relationships with their suppliers and contractors or greater access to the required construction materials and skilled labor.

During 2021, industry prices for certain construction materials, including steel, copper, lumber, plywood, electrical materials, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) materials, experienced significant increases as a result of low inventories; surging demand fueled by the U.S. economy rebounding from the effects of COVID-19; tariffs imposed on imports of foreign steel, including on products from key competitors in the European Union (“EU”) and China; and significant changes in the U.S. steel production landscape stemming from the consolidation of certain steel-producing companies. Price surges on construction materials may result in corresponding increases in our overall construction costs as our projects undergo construction. Certain increases in the costs of construction materials, however, can often be managed in our development and redevelopment projects through either (i) general budget contingencies built into our overall construction costs estimates for each of our projects or (ii) inflation risk borne by our construction general contractors in the form of Guaranteed Maximum Price construction contracts which stipulate a maximum price for certain construction costs in many of our projects.

In addition, as of October 2021, the U.S. is widely reported to be experiencing serious supply chain disruptions as a result of substantial backlogs of container ships seeking to unload cargo at major ports on both the west and east coasts, with delays caused or exacerbated by port and trucking labor shortages, railway logistics issues and a shortage of warehouse space in close proximity to the affected ports. While we have not been significantly impacted by these backlogs to date, if not resolved, these backlogs and related logistics issues could result in material delays and increased costs for our construction activities and the U.S. economy generally.

The Biden administration and the EU have started discussions to revisit restrictions on steel imports from the EU. However, it is not known whether these discussions will lead to the elimination or easing of tariffs, especially in light of the U.S. steel companies’ demands to keep the tariffs in effect.

Separately, new energy-related initiatives entered into in collaboration with partner countries through global climate agreements may impose stricter requirements for building materials, such as lumber, steel, and concrete, which could significantly increase our construction costs if the manufacturers and suppliers of our materials are burdened with expensive cap and trade or similar energy-related regulations or requirements, and the costs of which are passed onto customers like us. As a result of the factors discussed above, we may be unable to complete our development or redevelopment projects timely and/or within our budget, which may affect our ability to lease space to potential tenants and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If we fail to identify and develop relationships with a sufficient number of qualified suppliers and contractors, the quality and status of our construction projects may be adversely affected.

We believe we have favorable relationships with our existing suppliers and contractors, and we generally have not encountered difficulty collaborating with and obtaining materials and skilled labor, nor experienced significant delays or increases in overall project costs due to disputes, work stoppages, or contractors’ misconduct or failure to perform. However, it is possible we may experience these events in the future, or our existing suppliers and contractors may encounter supply chain disruptions that hinder their ability to supply necessary materials and labor to us. As a result, we may be forced to seek new resources for our construction needs. We may become reliant on unfamiliar supply chains or relatively small supply partners, which may cause uncertainty in the quality, cost, and timely completion of our construction projects.

Our ability to continue to identify and develop relationships with a sufficient network of qualified suppliers who can adequately meet our construction timing and quality standards can be a significant challenge, particularly if global supply chain disruptions materialize and persist. If we fail to identify and develop relationships with a sufficient number of suppliers and contractors who can appropriately address our construction needs, we may experience disruptions in our suppliers’ logistics or supply chain networks or information technology systems, and other factors beyond our or our suppliers’ control. If we are unable to access materials and labor to complete our construction projects within our expected budgets and meet our tenants’ demands and expectations in a timely and efficient manner, our results of operations, cash flows, and reputation may be adversely impacted.

Our tenants may face increased risks and costs associated with volatility in commodity and labor prices or the prices or availability of specialized materials or equipment, or as a result of supply chain or procurement disruptions of such items, which may adversely affect their businesses or financial condition.

Our tenants are generally subject to the same generalized risks of commodity and labor price increases and supply chain or procurement as we and many other companies are. A number of our tenants, however, are also involved in highly specialized research or manufacturing activities that may require unique or custom chemical or biologic materials or sophisticated specialty equipment that is not widely available and, therefore, may be particularly susceptible to supply chain disruption. In addition, these tenants may have complex supply chains due to their specialized activities that are subject to stringent government regulations, which may further hinder their access to necessary materials and equipment. While we are not aware of such issues materially affecting our tenants to date, it is possible that these issues may affect our tenants in the future, and continued supply chain and procurement disruptions could potentially impact such tenants adversely.

We face substantial competition in our target markets.

The significant competition for business in our target markets could have an adverse effect on our operations. We compete for investment opportunities with:

• Other REITs;

• Insurance companies;

• Pension and investment funds;

• Private equity entities;

• Partnerships;

• Developers;

• Investment companies;

• Owners/occupants; and

• Foreign investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

Many of these entities have substantially greater financial resources than we do and may be able to pay more than we can or accept more risk than we are willing to accept. These entities may be less sensitive to risks with respect to the creditworthiness of a tenant or the geographic concentration of their investments. These entities may also have more favorable relationships and pricing with suppliers and contractors and may complete construction projects sooner and at lower costs than we are able. We may also face competition with these entities for access to the same or similar raw materials and labor resources from suppliers and contractors, as well as access to the specific suppliers and contractors we use. Competition may also reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us or may increase the bargaining power of property owners seeking to sell. If there is no matching growth in demand, the intensified competition may lead to oversupply of available space comparable to ours and result in the pressure on rental rates and greater incentives awarded to tenants. To maintain our ability to retain current and attract new tenants, we may be forced to reduce the rental rates that our tenants are currently willing to pay or offer greater tenant concessions. Should we encounter intensified competition or oversupply, we cannot be certain that we will be able to compete successfully, maintain our occupancy and rental rates, and continue to expand our business. As a result, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, our ability to pay dividends, and our stock price may be adversely affected.

Improvements to our properties are significantly more costly than improvements to traditional office space.

Many of our properties generally contain infrastructure improvements that are significantly more costly than improvements to other property types. Although we have historically been able to recover the additional investment in infrastructure improvements through higher rental rates, there is the risk that we will not be able to continue to do so in the future. Typical improvements include:

• Reinforced concrete floors;

• Upgraded roof loading capacity;

• Increased floor-to-ceiling heights;

• Heavy-duty HVAC systems;

• Enhanced environmental control technology;

• Significantly upgraded electrical, gas, and plumbing infrastructure; and

• Laboratory benches.

Because many of our infrastructure improvements are specialized and costlier than those of other property types, we may be more significantly impacted by any unanticipated delays or increased costs due to price volatility or supply shortages of construction materials or labor. As a result, we may be unable to complete our improvements as scheduled or within budgeted amounts, which may adversely affect our ability to lease available space to potential tenants.

Most of our costs, such as operating and general and administrative expenses, interest expense, and real estate acquisition and construction costs, are subject to inflation.

A significant portion of our operating expenses is sensitive to inflation. These include expenses for property-related contracted services such as janitorial and engineering services, utilities, repairs and maintenance, and insurance. Property taxes are also impacted by inflationary changes as taxes are regularly reassessed based on changes in the fair value of our properties located outside of California. In California, property taxes are not reassessed based on changes in the fair value of the underlying real estate asset but are instead limited to a maximum 2% annual increase by law. We also have ground lease expenses in certain of our properties. Ground lease costs are contractual, but in some cases, lease payments reset every few years based on changes on consumer price indexes.

Our operating expenses, with the exception of ground lease rental expenses, are typically recoverable through our lease arrangements, which allow us to pass through substantially all expenses associated with property taxes, insurance, utilities, repairs and maintenance, and other operating expenses (including increases thereto) to our tenants. As of September 30, 2021, 92% of our existing leases (on an RSF basis) were triple net leases, which allow us to recover operating expenses, and 94% of our existing leases (on an RSF basis) also provided for the recapture of capital expenditures. Our remaining leases are generally gross leases, which provide for recoveries of operating expenses above the operating expenses from the initial year within each lease. During inflationary periods, we expect to recover increases in operating expenses from our triple net leases and our gross leases. As a result, we do not believe that inflation would result in a significant adverse effect on our net operating income, results of operations, and operating cash flows at the property level.

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation costs, technology services, and professional service fees. Annually, our employee compensation is adjusted to reflect merit increases; however, to maintain our ability to successfully compete for the best talent, rising inflation rates may require us to provide compensation increases beyond historical annual merit increases, which may significantly increase our compensation costs. Similarly, technology services and professional service fees are also subject to the impact of inflation and expected to increase proportionately with increasing market prices for such services. Consequently, inflation is expected to increase our general and administrative expenses over time and may adversely impact our results of operations and operating cash flows.

Also, during inflationary periods, interest rates have historically increased, which would have a direct effect on the interest expense of our borrowings. Our exposure to increases in interest rates in the short term is limited to our variable-rate borrowings, which consist of borrowings under our unsecured senior line of credit and commercial paper program. As of September 30, 2021, our commitments under our unsecured senior line of credit and commercial paper program aggregated $3.0 billion, of which only $750.0 million was outstanding, and our unhedged variable-rate debt as a percentage of our total debt was 8%. Therefore, we do not expect that the effect of inflation on our interest expense would have a material adverse impact on our financing costs in the short term, but it could increase our financing costs over time as we refinance our existing long-term borrowings.

As of September 30, 2021, approximately 95% of our leases (on an RSF basis) contained effective annual rent escalations that were either fixed (generally ranging from 3.0% to 3.5%) or indexed based on a consumer price index or other index. We have long term lease agreements with our tenants, of which 2% to 10% expire each year. We believe these annual lease expirations allow us to reset these leases to market rents upon renewal or re-leasing and that annual rent escalations within our long-term leases are generally sufficient to offset the effect of inflation on non-recoverable costs, such as general and administrative expenses and interest expense. However, it is possible that during higher inflationary periods the impact of inflation will not be adequately offset by the resetting of rents from our renewal and re-leasing activities or our annual rent

escalations. As a result, during inflationary periods in which the inflation rate exceeds the annual rent escalation percentages within our lease contracts, we may not adequately mitigate the impact of inflation, which may adversely affect to our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Additionally, inflationary pricing may have a negative effect on the real estate acquisitions and construction costs necessary to complete our development and redevelopment projects, including, but not limited to, costs of construction materials, labor, and services from third-party contractors and suppliers. Higher acquisition and construction costs could adversely impact our net investments in real estate and expected yields in our development and redevelopment projects, which may make otherwise lucrative investment opportunities less profitable to us. As a result, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, we well as our ability to pay dividends, could be adversely affected over time.

Security incidents through cyber attacks, cyber intrusions, or other methods could disrupt our information technology networks and related systems, cause a loss of assets or loss of data, give rise to remediation or other expenses, expose us to liability under federal and state laws, and subject us to litigation and investigations, which could result in substantial reputational damage and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, and the market price of our common stock.

Information technology, communication networks, and related systems are essential to the operation of our business. We use these systems to manage our tenant and vendor relationships, internal communications, accounting and record-keeping systems, and many other key aspects of our business. Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage, and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer systems and networks, which also depend on the strength of our procedures and the effectiveness of our internal controls.

A security incident may occur through physical break-ins, disruptions due to power outages or catastrophic events, such as fires, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes, breaches of our secure network by an unauthorized party, software vulnerabilities, malware, computer viruses, attachments to emails, employee theft or misuse, social engineering, or inadequate use of security controls. Outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce our employees to disclose sensitive information or transfer funds via illegal electronic spamming, phishing, spoofing, or other tactics. Additionally, cyber attackers can develop and deploy malware, credential theft or guessing tools, and other malicious software programs to gain access to sensitive data or fraudulently obtain assets we hold.

We have implemented security measures to safeguard our systems and data and to manage cybersecurity risk. We monitor and develop our information technology networks and infrastructure, and invest in the development and enhancement of our controls designed to prevent, detect, respond, and mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, and other events that could have a security impact. We conduct periodic security awareness trainings of our employees to educate them on how to identify and alert management to phishing emails, spoofed or manipulated electronic communications, and other critical security threats. We have implemented periodic phishing tests using a variety of scenarios, including those obtained from phishing samples and intelligence sources. Additionally, we have an internal team and external partners with well-defined processes devoted to responding to threats, including reports of phishing, in real time. We have implemented internal controls around our treasury function, including enhanced payment authorization procedures, verification requirements for new vendor setup and vendor information changes, and bolstered outgoing payment notification process and account reconciliation procedures. Finally, we have policies and procedures in place in order to identify cybersecurity incidents and elevate such incidents to senior management in order to appropriately address and remediate any cyber attack.

There can be no assurance that our actions, security measures, and controls designed to prevent, detect, or respond to intrusion; to limit access to data; to prevent loss, destruction, alteration, or exfiltration of business information; or to limit the negative impact from such attacks can provide absolute security against a security incident. A significant security incident involving our information systems or those of our tenants, vendors, software creators, cloud providers, cybersecurity service providers, or other third parties with whom we do business could lead to, among other things, the following:

• Theft of our cash, cash equivalents, or other liquid assets, including publicly traded securities;

• Interruption in the operation of our systems, which may result in operational inefficiencies and a loss of profits;

• Unauthorized access to, and destruction, loss, theft, misappropriation, or release of, proprietary, confidential, sensitive, or otherwise valuable information of ours or our tenants, and other business partners, which could be used to compete against us or for disruptive, destructive, or otherwise harmful purposes and outcomes;

• Inability to produce financial and operational data necessary to comply with rules and regulations from the SEC, the IRS, or other state and federal regulatory agencies;

• Our inability to properly monitor our compliance with the rules and regulations regarding our qualification as a REIT;

• Significant management attention and resources required to remedy any damages that result;

• Significant exposure to litigation and regulatory fines, penalties, or other sanctions;

• Violation of our lease agreements or other agreements;

• Damage to our reputation among our tenants, business partners, and investors;

• Loss of business opportunities;

• Difficulties in employee retention and recruitment;

• Unauthorized access to, and destruction, loss, or denial of service to, the computing systems that manage our buildings;

• Increase in the cost of proactive defensive measures to prevent future cyber incidents, including hiring personnel and consultants or investing in additional technologies;

• Increase in our cybersecurity insurance premiums; and

• The wide breadth of software required to run our business, and the increase in supply chain attacks by advanced persistent threats.

A principal reason that we cannot provide absolute protection from security incidents is that it may not always be possible to anticipate, detect, or recognize threats to our systems, or to implement effective preventive measures against all security incidents. We may not be able to immediately address the consequences of a security incident. A successful breach of our computer systems, software, networks, or other technology assets could occur and persist for an extended period of time before being detected due to, among other things:

• The breadth of our operations and the high volume of transactions that our systems process;

• The large number of our business partners;

• The frequency and wide variety of sources from which a cyber attack can originate;

• The severity of cyber attacks; and

• The proliferation and increasing sophistication and types of cyber attacks.

The extent of a particular cyber attack and the steps that we may need to take to investigate the attack may not be immediately clear. Therefore, in the event of an attack, it may take a significant amount of time before such an investigation can be completed. During an investigation, we may not necessarily know the extent of the damage incurred or how best to remediate it, and certain errors or actions could be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and remediated, which could further increase the costs and consequences of a cyber attack.

Even if we are not targeted directly, cyber attacks on the U.S. government, financial markets, financial institutions, or other businesses, including our tenants, vendors, software creators, cloud providers, cybersecurity service providers, and other third parties with whom we do business, may occur and such events could disrupt our normal business operations and networks in the future. In December 2020, hackers reportedly linked to the Russian government engaged in a massive cyber attack on the U.S. government and major U.S.-based private companies through malware planted in third-party software. The full extent of the hack to these entities remains unknown, and there is no evidence that we have been impacted by this hack, though a significant number of governmental agencies and companies in the private sector, most of which are U.S.-based, have confirmed breaches.

We have not experienced any material breach of cybersecurity. However, our computer systems will likely be subject to cyber attacks, unauthorized access, computer viruses, or other computer-related penetrations. Our administrative and technical controls as well as other preventive actions we take to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our information technology may be insufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, cyber attacks, or other security breaches to our computer systems.

In response to recent cyber attacks, the Biden administration issued an executive order, “Improving the nation’s cybersecurity” in May 2021, which established a reporting requirement for government contractors and encouraged coordination between the public and private sectors to better protect against cybersecurity incidents. In addition, in June 2021, the SEC increased its focus on the failure of some public companies to disclose that they had been affected by the aforementioned December 2020 cyber attack, by sending investigative letters seeking voluntary information regarding the attack and questions around companies’ disclosures and internal controls. The SEC also communicated that cyber risks would be included on the SEC rulemaking agenda. We expect the federal government and regulatory agencies to continue to focus on ways to increase protection against and oversight and disclosure of cyber attack incidents.

We maintain insurance to protect ourselves against certain losses incurred in the event of a security incident or disruption of our information systems. However, we cannot be certain that the coverage is adequate to compensate for all damages that may arise. In addition, we cannot be certain that such insurance options will remain available to us in the future on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Any or all of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, or the market price of our common stock. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we presently deem to be immaterial, may also have potential to materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.