Allegations
According to the complaint, defendants provided overwhelmingly positive statements to investors while, at the same time, disseminating materially false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts concerning GitLab’s ability to develop AI features that would generate code more efficiently and increase market demand for its DevSecOps platform. On March 4, 2024, GitLab issued a press release reporting a strong Q1 in 2024, followed by an announcement lowering full-year guidance for 2025. In pertinent part, defendants announced that the company needed time to build its pipeline and close deals on new products. In addition, provided first quarter 2025 and full year 2025 guidance with growth rates hovering between 30 and 31% and 27%, respectively. Furthermore, GitLab anticipated a Q1 2025 non-GAAP operating loss of $12-$13 million and an operating non-GAAP revenue of $5-$10 million for the full year of 2025.
Investors and analysts reacted immediately to GitLab’s revelation. The price of GitLab’s common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $74.47 per share on March 4, 2024, GitLab’s stock price fell to $58.84 per share on March 5, 2024, a decline of about 21% in the span of just a single day.