A recent news article reported that a popular tech start-up has not yet reached profitability...

Cash flow from operations reflects the cash generated (or consumed) by a firm’s core business activities. When CFO is consistently negative, it indicates that operating expenses and working capital needs exceed cash inflows from sales. For start-ups, this is common during early growth phases, as firms spend heavily on marketing, technology, and customer acquisition to build scale and future revenue potential. However, from a financial management perspective, negative CFO also signals cash burn. Unless offset by financing inflows (equity or debt) or expected future positive cash flows, continued operating losses can threaten liquidity and solvency. Analysts closely monitor burn rate, funding runway, and the firm’s ability to transition to sustainable operations. Option C accurately captures this risk-focused interpretation, whereas the other options either mischaracterize negative CFO or contradict its fundamental meaning.