C3.ai dropped preliminary Q1 2026 earnings. Revenue hit $70.2M-$70.4M. Loss from operations soared: GAAP loss at roughly $125M, non-GAAP loss at $57.7M-$57.9M. Cash on hand is strong at $711.9M as of July 31, 2025.
The company flagged these as unaudited, preliminary figures. Final Q1 results and FY 2026 guidance updates land September 3.
C3.ai’s non-GAAP loss excludes stock-based comp and payroll taxes tied to that comp. The company says this helps investors see operating performance clearer. 
C3.ai statement on non-GAAP measures:
Our non-GAAP loss from operations excludes the effect of stock-based compensation expense-related charges and employer payroll tax expense related to employee stock-based compensation. We believe the presentation of operating results that exclude these non-cash items provides useful supplemental information to investors and facilitates the analysis of our operating results and comparison of operating results across reporting periods.
We use this non-GAAP financial measure internally for financial and operational decision-making purposes and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP financial measures and should be read only in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies.
The preliminary numbers are subject to change post audit.
C3.ai is known for its enterprise AI software suite, including the C3 Agentic AI Platform and domain-specific generative AI tools.
Source: BusinessWire
