
The initial surge in DocuSign's market performance during the COVID-19 pandemic can be attributed to the increased demand for its electronic signature platform. As the pandemic forced businesses to shift to remote work, the need for digital solutions to handle document signatures grew significantly. DocuSign's eSignature business thrived as organizations across various sectors adopted the platform to manage paperwork remotely. The company added more customers during the first half of 2020 than all of 2019, and its billings spiked 61% during the second quarter. This surge in demand and growth led to a significant increase in DocuSign's stock price, making it one of the tech industry's beneficiaries during the pandemic.

DocuSign has faced challenges from competitors like Microsoft and Adobe in the e-signature market, as these tech giants offer their own e-signature solutions, such as Microsoft's SharePoint eSignature and Adobe's Acrobat Sign. These competitors have strong brand recognition and established user bases, making it difficult for DocuSign to gain market share. Additionally, Microsoft and Adobe have the ability to integrate their e-signature solutions into their existing product suites, providing a more seamless experience for users. DocuSign has been trying to differentiate itself by focusing on AI integration and expanding its offerings beyond just e-signatures, but the competition remains intense.

DocuSign's stock performance has been lagging compared to large-cap tech stocks in 2023 and the first half of 2024. While large-cap tech stocks generally rebounded during that period, DocuSign shares have been stuck in a frustrating range. The company got left behind while investors piled into the "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks, which appeared to be relative safe havens amid a series of interest rate hikes. Despite reasonable performance in fiscal 2024 with 10% year-over-year revenue growth and flipping from a net loss to net income, DocuSign's 10% sales growth failed to impress investors who were looking for triple-digit growth, similar to Nvidia1.