(Bloomberg) – A handful of software firms including McAfee have released their earnings ahead of schedule in a bid to convince lenders of their resilience to disruption from artificial intelligence.

Cybersecurity firm McAfee told its debt investors that preliminary fourth-quarter revenue was $626 million, little changed from the prior year, according to people familiar with the matter. The firm, backed by Advent International and Permira Advisers, advanced its earnings to provide clarity during market volatility, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing private information.

Most Read from Bloomberg

A Tunnel to Transform Los Angeles

New Zealand Net Migration Sinks to Lowest Level in More Than a Decade

Texas Airspace Closure Fallout Grows, Senators Seek Answers

NFL’s Houston Texans to Shift HQ to New Suburban Development

Rocket Software, the Bain Capital-backed IT modernization firm, disclosed that 2025 revenue rose 5.2% to about $1.4 billion compared with the year earlier, the people said. Meanwhile, Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners-backed Perforce Software reported a slight decline in annual revenue to $644 million from $654 million in 2024. On a recent call, Perforce management detailed its efforts to drive sales by embedding AI into products, the people said.

The software industry has faced a seismic shift as the rapid advance of AI threatens to turn swaths of corporate debt into a burden. “SaaSpocalypse,” as it’s been dubbed, triggered a major selloff in the industry’s debt over fears the disruption will crush revenue growth of tech companies that relied heavily on borrowing. Many private lenders came out in spirited defense of the sector, arguing there are plenty of borrowers that will benefit from AI.

Representatives for McAfee, Advent, Permira, Clearlake and Bain declined to comment, while representatives for Francisco Partners, Perforce and Rocket Software didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

McAfee, whose business relies on consumer cybersecurity subscriptions, also told lenders that an adjusted measure of earnings fell by 1% to $292 million in the fourth quarter compared with the year before. The firm, which uses AI to detect scams, had reported a 9% year-over-year decline in third-quarter adjusted earnings, driven by a one-time marketing investment and higher PC shipments, the people said.

The company’s roughly $2 billion of unsecured bonds due in 2030 rose to 85 cents on the dollar on Feb. 9, up from a 79.5 cents in the prior week, according to pricing firm Trace. The debt has since dropped to hover around lows for this year, swept up by the continued software selloff.

Story Continues

Rocket Software’s adjusted earnings for the year rose to $850 million, up from $801 million the year before, while annual recurring revenue jumped 6.3% to about $1.1 billion, the people said. The firm released financial results in connection with its recent acquisition of the Vertica analytics database from OpenText, which provides secure information management for AI, according to the people.

Rocket Software’s roughly $2.7 billion term loan due in 2028 was quoted at around 97 cents on Tuesday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Data analytics company Cloudera, backed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and KKR & Co., is usually private about its financials but decided to highlight its recent momentum in a statement on its website, according to a person familiar with the matter. The firm closed the fiscal year 2026 with a strong fourth-quarter, fueled by “over 50% year-over-year growth in new and expansion business, robust annual recurring revenue growth,” it said in the statement.

The company’s $2.19 billion term loan due in 2028 was quoted at about 94 cents, up from 86.5 cents on Jan. 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its $500 million second-lien loan due in 2029 was quoted at nearly 78 cents, up from 74 cents last week.

Representatives for CD&R, Cloudera and KKR declined to comment.

Private Software Companies Release Earnings Early to Calm AI Nerves

Private Software Companies Release Earnings Early to Calm AI Nerves

Trending Topics

GatePreIPOsLaunchesWithSpaceX

Gate13thAnniversaryLive

AltcoinsRallyStrong

AnthropicvsOpenAIHeatsUp

KalshiFacesNevadaRegulatoryClash

Pin