> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.kernel.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.kernel.ai/data/firmographics/operational-status.md).

# Operational status

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Operational status answers a practical question: is this company still trading in the market your team cares about?

Kernel does not treat website liveness as a simple active-or-inactive flag. Dead companies can keep websites online, and active companies can have stale, broken, or redirected domains. Acquisitions also need care: one acquired brand may continue selling under its own name, another may be folded into the parent, and another may be shut down.

## How Kernel determines status

Kernel judges the go-to-market reality, not just the legal shell. It checks whether the company sells or supports products today under its own brand, whether the brand has been retired into a parent, and whether operations have stopped.

The research uses company websites, redirects, parked-domain signals, closure news, business registries, insolvency records, and local-language evidence where relevant. When signals conflict or the evidence is not strong enough, Kernel returns `Undetermined` instead of guessing.

Operational status is resolved before headcount and revenue. If an entity is out of business, downstream values should not make it look like a healthy operating company. When configured, an out-of-business account can also route to the [Delete inoperational](/app/actioning/delete.md) review queue.

## Key data points

| Label              | Description                                                               |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Operational status | Whether the entity is active, absorbed, out of business, or undetermined. |
| Reasoning          | Explanation of the evidence behind the status.                            |

There is no separate confidence field for operational status. `Undetermined` is the uncertainty value when the evidence is incomplete, stale, or contradictory.

## Status values

| Status            | Meaning                                                                                                    |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Active`          | The company operates today under its own brand, even if it is owned by another company.                    |
| `Absorbed`        | The original brand is retired, but its operations or capabilities continue under a parent brand.           |
| `Out of business` | Operations have ceased and there is no meaningful continuation under the original brand or a parent brand. |
| `Undetermined`    | Kernel cannot classify the status confidently from the available evidence.                                 |

See the [Kernel Account object reference](/integrations/salesforce-integration/kernel-account-object-reference.md#operational-status) for field types and help text.