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Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 03, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Operations Founded in 1982, Adobe is one of the largest and most diversified software companies in the world. We offer a line of products and services used by creative professionals, including photographers, video editors, graphic and experience designers and game developers; communicators, including content creators, students, marketers and knowledge workers; businesses of all sizes; and consumers for creating, managing, delivering, measuring, optimizing, engaging and transacting with compelling content and experiences across personal computers, smartphones, other electronic devices and digital media formats. We market our products and services directly to enterprise customers through our sales force and local field offices. We license our products to end users through app stores and our own website at www.adobe.com. We offer many of our products via a Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) model or a managed services model (both of which are referred to as hosted or cloud-based) as well as through term subscription and pay-per-use models. We also distribute certain products and services through a network of distributors, value-added resellers (“VARs”), systems integrators (“SIs”), independent software vendors (“ISVs”), retailers, software developers and original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). In addition, we license our technology to hardware manufacturers, software developers and service providers for use in their products and solutions. Our products run on desktop and laptop computers, smartphones, tablets, other devices and the web, depending on the product. We have operations in the Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”); and Asia-Pacific (“APAC”). Basis of Presentation The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include those of Adobe and its subsidiaries, after elimination of all intercompany accounts and transactions. We have prepared the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Use of Estimates In preparing Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC, we must make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, sales allowances and programs, bad debts, stock-based compensation, determining the fair value of acquired assets and assumed liabilities, litigation and income taxes. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates. Fiscal Year Our fiscal year is a 52- or 53-week year that ends on the Friday closest to November 30. Our financial results for fiscal 2021 benefited from an extra week in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 due to our 52/53 week financial calendar whereby fiscal 2021 is a 53-week year compared with fiscal 2020 and 2019 which were 52-week years. Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts, which are not material, have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Significant Accounting Policies Revenue Recognition Our revenue is derived from the sale of cloud-enabled software subscriptions, cloud-hosted offerings, term-based, royalty, and perpetual software licenses, associated software maintenance and support plans, consulting services, training and technical support. Most of our enterprise customer arrangements involve multiple promises to our customers. Revenue is recognized when a contract exists between us and a customer and upon transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services. We enter into contracts that can include various combinations of products and services, which may be capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations, or in the case of offerings such as cloud-enabled Creative Cloud and Document Cloud, accounted for as a single performance obligation. Revenue is recognized net of allowances for returns and any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. Subscription, Product and Services Offerings We enter into revenue arrangements in which a customer may purchase a combination of cloud-enabled subscriptions, cloud-hosted offerings, term-based, royalty, and perpetual software licenses, associated software maintenance and support plans, consulting services, training and technical support. Certain revenue arrangements provide customers with unilateral cancellation rights, or options to either renew monthly on-premise term-based licenses or use committed funds to purchase other Adobe products or services. Fully hosted subscription services (SaaS) allow customers to access hosted software during the contractual term without taking possession of the software. Cloud-hosted subscription services may be sold on a fee-per-subscription period basis or based on consumption or usage. We recognize revenue ratably over the contractual service term for hosted services that are priced based on a committed number of transactions where the delivery and consumption of the benefit of the services occur evenly over time, beginning on the date the services associated with the committed transactions are first made available to the customer and continuing through the end of the contractual service term. Over-usage fees and fees based on the actual number of transactions are billed in accordance with contract terms as these fees are incurred and are included in the transaction price of an arrangement as variable consideration. Fees based on a number of transactions, where invoicing is aligned to the pattern of performance, customer benefit and consumption, are typically accounted for utilizing the “as-invoiced” practical expedient. Revenue for subscriptions sold as a fee per period is recognized ratably over the contractual term as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit of the underlying service. When cloud-enabled services are highly integrated and interrelated with on-premise software, such as in our cloud-enabled Creative Cloud and Document Cloud offerings, the individual components are not considered distinct and revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription period for which the cloud-enabled services are provided. The subscription support plans related to those customer arrangements whose revenues we classify as subscription revenues represent stand-ready performance obligations. Revenue from these subscription support plans is recognized ratably over their respective contractual terms and classified as subscription revenue. Licenses for on-premise software may be purchased on a perpetual basis, as a subscription for a fixed period of time or based on usage for certain of our OEM and royalty agreements. Revenue from non-cloud enabled on-premise licenses without unilateral cancellation rights or monthly renewal options is recognized at the point in time the software is available to the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met, and classified as product revenue on our Consolidated Statements of Income. Revenue from on-premise term license or term licensing arrangements with unilateral cancellation rights or monthly renewal options, and any associated maintenance and support, is classified as subscription revenue. Our services and other revenue is comprised primarily of fees related to consulting, training, maintenance and support for certain on-premise licenses that are recognized at a point in time and our advertising offerings. We typically sell our consulting contracts on a time-and-materials and fixed-fee basis. These revenues are recognized as the services are performed for time and materials contracts and on a relative performance basis for fixed-fee contracts. Training revenues are recognized as the services are performed. Our maintenance and support offerings, which entitle customers, partners and developers to receive desktop product upgrades and enhancements or technical support, depending on the offering, are generally recognized ratably over the term of the arrangement. Our transaction-based advertising offerings, where fees are based on a number of impressions per month and invoicing is aligned to the pattern of performance, customer benefit and consumption, are typically accounted for utilizing the “as-invoiced” practical expedient. Judgments Our contracts with customers may include multiple goods and services. For example, some of our offerings include both on-premise and/or on-device software licenses and cloud services. Determining whether the software licenses and the cloud services are distinct from each other, and therefore performance obligations to be accounted for separately, or not distinct from each other, and therefore part of a single performance obligation, may require significant judgment. We have concluded that the on-premise/on-device software licenses and cloud services provided in our Creative Cloud and Document Cloud subscription offerings are not distinct from each other such that revenue from each offering should be recognized ratably over the subscription period for which the cloud services are provided. In reaching this conclusion, we considered the nature of our promise to Creative Cloud and Document Cloud customers, which is to provide a complete end-to-end creative design or document workflow solution that operates seamlessly across multiple devices and teams. We fulfill this promise by providing access to a solution that integrates cloud-based and on-premise/on-device features that, together through their integration, provide functionalities, utility and workflow efficiencies that could not be obtained from either the on-premise/on-device software or cloud services on their own. Cloud-based features that are integral to our Creative Cloud and Document Cloud offerings and that work together with the on-premise/on-device software include, but are not limited to: Creative Cloud Libraries, which enable customers to access their work, settings, preferences and other assets seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices and collaborate across teams in real time; shared reviews which enable simultaneous editing and commenting of PDFs across desktop, mobile and web; automatic cloud rendering of a design which enables it to be worked on in multiple mediums; and Sensei, Adobe’s cloud-hosted artificial intelligence and machine learning framework, which enables features such as automated photo-editing, photograph content-awareness, natural language processing, optical character recognition and automated document tagging. Standalone selling price is established by maximizing the amount of observable inputs, primarily actual historical selling prices for performance obligations where available, and includes consideration of factors such as go-to-market model and geography. Individual products may have multiple values for standalone selling price depending on factors such as where they are sold and what channel they are sold through. Where standalone selling price may not be directly observable (e.g., the performance obligation is not sold separately), we maximize the use of observable inputs by using information that may include reviewing pricing practices, performance obligations with similar customers and selling models. Capitalized costs to obtain a contract are amortized over the expected period of benefit, which we have determined, based on analysis, to be 5 years. We evaluated qualitative and quantitative factors to determine the period of amortization, including contract length, renewals, customer life and the useful lives of our products and acquired products. When the expected period of benefit of an asset which would be capitalized is less than one year, we expense the amount as incurred, utilizing the practical expedient. We regularly evaluate whether there have been changes in the underlying assumptions and data used to determine the amortization period. When revenue arrangements include components of third-party goods and services, for example in transactions which involve resale, fulfillment or providing advertising impressions to our end customer, we evaluate whether we are the principal, and report revenues on a gross basis, or an agent, and report revenues on a net basis. In this assessment, we consider if we obtain control of the specified goods or services before they are transferred to the customer by evaluating indicators such as which party is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the goods or services, which party has discretion in establishing price and the underlying terms and conditions between the parties to the transaction. We offer limited rights of return, rebates and price protection of our products under various policies and programs with our distributors, resellers and/or end-user customers. We estimate and record reserves for these programs as variable consideration when estimating transaction price. Returns, rebates and other offsets to transaction price are estimated at contract inception on a portfolio basis and assessed for reasonableness each reporting period when additional information becomes available. General Contract Provisions We maintain revenue reserves for rebates, rights of return and other limited price adjustments. Distributors are allowed limited rights of return of products purchased during the previous quarter. In addition, distributors are allowed to return products that have reached the end of their lives, as defined by us, and for products that are being replaced by new versions. We offer rebates to our distributors, resellers and/or end-user customers. Transaction price is reduced for these amounts based on actual performance against objectives set forth by us for a particular reporting period, such as volume and timely reporting. On a quarterly basis, the amount of revenue that is reserved is calculated based on our historical trends and data specific to each reporting period. The primary method of establishing these reserves is to review historical data from prior periods as a percent of revenue to determine a historical reserve rate. We then apply the historical rate to the current period revenue as a basis for estimating future returns. When necessary, we also provide a specific reserve in excess of portfolio-level estimated requirements. This estimate can be affected by the amount of a particular product in the channel, the rate of sell-through, product plans and other factors. Although our subscription contracts are generally non-cancellable, a limited number of customers have the right to cancel their contracts by providing prior written notice to us of their intent to cancel the remainder of the contract term and consumers have a period of time to terminate certain agreements without penalty. In the event a customer cancels their contract, they are generally not entitled to a refund for prior services we have provided to them. Contracts that include termination rights without substantive penalty are accounted for as contracts only for the committed period. Periods of time after the right of termination are accounted for as optional purchases when they do not represent material rights. For certain of our usage-based license agreements, typically in our royalty and OEM businesses, reporting may be received after the end of a fiscal period. In such instances, we estimate and accrue license revenue. We base our estimates on multiple factors, including historical sales information, seasonality and other business information which may impact our estimates. We do not estimate variable consideration for our sales and usage-based license royalty agreements, consistent with the associated exception for sales and usage-based royalties for the license of intellectual property under the revenue recognition standard. Property and Equipment We record property and equipment at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Property and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives ranging from 1 to 20 years for computers and other equipment, which includes our corporate jet, 1 to 6 years for furniture and fixtures, 5 to 20 years for building improvements and up to 40 years for buildings. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the lesser of the remaining respective lease term or estimated useful lives ranging from 1 to 15 years. Leases We determine if an arrangement is or contains a lease at contract inception. In certain of our lease arrangements, primarily those related to our data center arrangements, judgment is required in determining if a contract contains a lease. For these arrangements, there is judgment in evaluating if the arrangement involves an identified asset that is physically distinct or whether we have the right to substantially all of the capacity of an identified asset that is not physically distinct. In arrangements that involve an identified asset, there is also judgment in evaluating if we have the right to direct the use of that asset. We do not have any finance leases. Operating leases are recorded in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities are measured at the lease commencement date based on the present value of the remaining lease payments over the lease term, determined using the discount rate for the lease at the commencement date. Because the rate implicit in our leases is not readily determinable, we use our incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate, which approximates the interest rate at which we could borrow on a collateralized basis with similar terms and payments and in similar economic environments. As of December 3, 2021, our leases had remaining lease terms of up to 10 years, some of which included options to extend the lease for up to 14 years and options to terminate the lease within 1 year. Optional periods to extend the lease, including by not exercising a termination option, are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised. We also have one land lease that expires in 2091. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We account for lease and non-lease components, principally common area maintenance for our facilities leases, as a single lease component for our facilities and data center leases. In accordance with accounting requirements, leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are recorded on the balance sheet, with lease expense for these leases recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Goodwill, Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets Goodwill is assigned to one or more reporting segments on the date of acquisition. We review our goodwill for impairment annually during our second quarter of each fiscal year and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of any one of our reporting units below its respective carrying amount. In performing our goodwill impairment test, we first perform a qualitative assessment, which requires that we consider events or circumstances including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance, changes in management or key personnel, changes in strategy, changes in customers, changes in the composition or carrying amount of a reporting segment’s net assets and changes in our stock price. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting segments are greater than the carrying amounts, then the quantitative goodwill impairment test is not performed. If the qualitative assessment indicates that the quantitative analysis should be performed, we then evaluate goodwill for impairment by comparing the fair value of each of our reporting segments to its carrying value, including the associated goodwill. To determine the fair values, we use the equal weighting of the market approach based on comparable publicly traded companies in similar lines of businesses and the income approach based on estimated discounted future cash flows. Our cash flow assumptions consider historical and forecasted revenue, operating costs and other relevant factors. We completed our annual goodwill impairment test in the second quarter of fiscal 2021. We determined, after performing a qualitative review of each reporting segment, that it is more likely than not that the fair value of each of our reporting segments substantially exceeds the respective carrying amounts. Accordingly, there was no indication of impairment and the quantitative goodwill impairment test was not performed. We did not identify any events or changes in circumstances since the performance of our annual goodwill impairment test that would require us to perform another goodwill impairment test during the fiscal year. We amortize intangible assets with finite lives over their estimated useful lives and review them for impairment whenever an impairment indicator exists. We continually monitor events and changes in circumstances that could indicate that the carrying amounts of our long-lived assets, including our intangible assets, may not be recoverable. When such events or changes in circumstances occur, we assess recoverability by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through the undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying amount of these assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on any excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. We did not recognize any intangible asset impairment charges for all periods presented. During fiscal 2021, our intangible assets were amortized over their estimated useful lives ranging from 2 to 15 years. Amortization is based on the pattern in which the economic benefits of the intangible asset will be consumed or on a straight-line basis when the consumption pattern is not apparent. The weighted average useful lives of our intangible assets were as follows:
| Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
Customer contracts and relationships | 10
Purchased technology | 5
Trademarks | 9
Other | 4
Income Taxes We use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, income tax expense is recognized for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year. In addition, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and for operating losses and tax credit carryforwards. We record a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount for which realization is more likely than not. Taxes Collected from Customers We net taxes collected from customers against those remitted to government authorities in our financial statements. Accordingly, taxes collected from customers are not reported as revenue. Treasury Stock Prepayments made for repurchases of our common stock are classified as treasury stock on our Consolidated Balance Sheets and only shares physically delivered to us at period ends are excluded from the computation of earnings per share. We account for treasury stock under the cost method. When treasury stock is re-issued at a price higher than its cost, the difference is recorded as a component of additional paid-in-capital in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. When treasury stock is re-issued at a price lower than its cost, the difference is recorded as a component of additional paid-in-capital to the extent that there are previously recorded gains to offset the losses. If there are no treasury stock gains in additional paid-in-capital, the losses upon re-issuance of treasury stock are recorded as a reduction of retained earnings in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Advertising Expenses Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expenses for fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $540 million, $362 million and $221 million, respectively. Foreign Currency Translation We translate assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries, whose functional currency is their local currency, at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. We translate revenue and expenses at the monthly average exchange rates. We include accumulated net translation adjustments in stockholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Derivative Financial Instruments In countries outside the United States, we transact business in U.S. Dollars and in various other currencies. We may use foreign exchange option contracts or forward contracts to hedge a portion of our forecasted foreign currency denominated revenue primarily in Euros, British Pounds, Japanese Yen and Australian Dollars. Additionally, we hedge our net recognized foreign currency monetary assets and liabilities with foreign exchange forward contracts to reduce the risk that our earnings and cash flows will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates. We recognize all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets and measure them at fair value. Gains and losses resulting from changes in fair value are accounted for depending on the use of the derivative and whether it is designated and qualifies for hedge accounting. Contracts that do not qualify for hedge accounting are adjusted to fair value through earnings. Gains and losses related to changes in the fair value of interest rate swaps and foreign exchange forward contracts which hedge certain balance sheet positions are recorded each period as a component of other income (expense), net in our Consolidated Statements of Income. Foreign exchange option contracts hedging forecasted foreign currency revenue and Treasury lock agreements are designated as cash flow hedges with gains and losses recorded net of tax as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in our Consolidated Balance Sheets until the forecasted transaction occurs. When the forecasted transaction affects earnings, we reclassify the related gain or loss on the foreign currency and Treasury lock cash flow hedges to revenue and interest expense, respectively. Concentration of Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk are short-term fixed-income investments, structured repurchase transactions, foreign currency and interest rate hedge contracts and trade receivables. Our investment portfolio consists of investment-grade securities diversified among security types, industries and issuers. Our cash and investments are held and primarily managed by recognized financial institutions that follow our investment policy. Our policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one security issue or issuer and we believe no significant concentration of credit risk exists with respect to these investments. We enter into master netting arrangements to mitigate credit risk in derivative transactions by permitting net settlement of transactions with the same counterparty. We also enter into collateral security agreements with certain of our counterparties to exchange cash collateral when the net fair value of certain derivative instruments fluctuates from contractually established thresholds. Credit risk in receivables is limited to OEMs, dealers and distributors of hardware and software products to the retail market, customers to whom we license software directly and our SaaS offerings. A credit review is completed for our new distributors, dealers and OEMs. We also perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition and require letters of credit or other guarantees, whenever deemed necessary. The credit limit given to the customer is based on our risk assessment of their ability to pay, country risk and other factors and is not contingent on the resale of the product or on the collection of payments from their customers. Certain contracts with advertising agencies contain sequential liability provisions, under which the agency is not required to pay until payment is received from the agency’s customers. In these circumstances, we evaluate the credit-worthiness of the agency’s customers in addition to the agency itself. If we license our software or provide SaaS services to a customer where we have a reason to believe the customer’s ability and intention to pay is not probable, the arrangement is not considered to be a revenue contract. Accordingly, we will not recognize any consideration received as revenue until termination or substantive completion of the services. Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance On June 16, 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326). The FASB subsequently issued ASU No. 2019-04, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments. These updates require the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost, which include our trade receivables and contract assets. The standard also requires that we recognize credit impairment losses related to our available-for-sale debt securities through an allowance for credit losses instead of a reduction in the cost basis. On November 28, 2020, the beginning of our fiscal year 2021, we adopted the accounting requirements of the updated standard utilizing the modified retrospective method of transition. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures. There have been no other new accounting pronouncements made effective during fiscal 2021 that have significance, or potential significance, to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Effective To date, there have been no recent accounting pronouncements not yet effective that have significance, or potential significance, to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

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