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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation |
(a) | Basis of Presentation
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements of MicroStrategy Incorporated (“MicroStrategy” or the “Company”) are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of financial position and results of operations have been included. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature, unless otherwise disclosed. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. Certain amounts in the prior year’s Consolidated Financial Statements have been restated upon the adoption of Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) and its subsequent amendments (“ASU 2014-09”), as discussed in Note 2, Recent Accounting Standards, to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are presented as required by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and do not contain certain information included in the Company’s annual financial statements and notes. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and the notes thereto filed with the SEC in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. There have been no significant changes in the Company’s accounting policies since December 31, 2017, except as discussed below with respect to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2014-09. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company is not aware of any subsequent event which would require recognition or disclosure.
Revenue Recognition | (b) Revenue Recognition The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 effective as of January 1, 2018 and has adjusted its prior period consolidated financial statements to reflect full retrospective adoption. Refer to Note 2, Recent Accounting Standards, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a summary of the significant changes in accounting principles and the impact to the Company’s previously reported consolidated financial statements. Under ASU 2014-09, the Company recognizes revenue using a five-step model:
| (i) | Identifying the contract(s) with a customer,
| (ii) | Identifying the performance obligation,
| (iii) | Determining the transaction price,
| (iv) | Allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and
| (v) | Recognizing revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation.
The Company has elected to exclude taxes assessed by government authorities in determining the transaction price, and therefore revenue is recognized net of taxes collected from customers. Performance Obligations and Timing of Revenue Recognition The Company primarily sells goods and services that fall into the categories discussed below. Each category contains one or more performance obligations that are either (i) capable of being distinct (i.e., the customer can benefit from the good or service on its own or together with readily available resources, including those purchased separately from the Company) and distinct within the context of the contract (i.e., separately identifiable from other promises in the contract), or (ii) a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. Aside from the Company’s term and perpetual software licenses, which are delivered at a point in time, the majority of the Company’s other services are delivered over time. Product Licenses The Company sells different types of on-premise business intelligence software, licensed on a term or perpetual basis. Although license arrangements are sold with product support, the software is fully functional at the outset of the arrangement and is considered a distinct performance obligation. Revenue from product license sales is recognized when control of the software license has transferred to the customer, which is the later of delivery or commencement of the license term. The Company may also sell through resellers and original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) who purchase the Company’s products for resale. In reseller arrangements, revenue is recognized when control of the product is transferred to the end user. In OEM arrangements, revenue is recognized upon delivery to the OEM. Subscription Services The Company also sells access to its software through a subscription-based cloud offering, wherein customers access the software through a third-party hosting service. Control of the software itself does not transfer to the customer under this arrangement and is not considered a separate performance obligation. Subscription services are regularly sold on a standalone basis with telephone support only. Revenue related to this subscription service is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract period, which is the period over which the customer has continuous access to the software. Product Support In all license arrangements, customers are required to purchase a standard product support package and may also purchase a premium product support package for a fixed annual fee. All product support packages include both technical support and when-and-if-available software upgrades, which are treated as a single performance obligation as they are considered a series of distinct services that are substantially the same and have the same duration and measure of progress. Revenue from product support is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract period, which is the period over which the customer has continuous access to product support. Consulting Services The Company sells consulting services to help customers plan and execute deployment of the Company’s software. Customers are not required to use consulting services to fully benefit from the software license. Consulting services are regularly sold on a standalone basis and either (i) prepaid upfront or (ii) sold on a time and materials basis. Consulting arrangements are each considered separate performance obligations because they do not integrate with each other or with other products and services to deliver a combined output to the customer, do not modify or customize (or are not modified or customized by) each other or other products and services, and do not affect the customer’s ability to use the other consulting offerings or other products and services. Revenue under consulting arrangements is recognized over time as services are delivered. For time and materials-based consulting arrangements, the Company has elected the practical expedient of recognizing revenue upon invoicing since the invoiced amount corresponds directly to the value of the Company’s service to date. Education Services The Company sells various education and training services to its customers. Education services are sold on a standalone basis under three different arrangements: (i) prepaid bulk training units that may be redeemed on training courses based on standard redemption rates, (ii) an annual subscription to unlimited training courses, and (iii) individual courses purchased a la carte. Education arrangements are each considered separate performance obligations because they do not integrate with each other or with other products and services to deliver a combined output to the customer, do not modify or customize (or are not modified or customized by) each other or other products and services, and do not affect the customer’s ability to use the other education offerings or other products and services. Revenue on prepaid bulk training units and individual course purchases are recognized when the courses are delivered. Revenue on the annual subscription is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract period, which is the period over which the customer has continuous access to unlimited training courses. Refer to Note 10, Segment Information, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding total revenues by geographic region. Significant Judgments and Estimates The adoption of ASU 2014-09 requires the Company to make significant judgments to determine the transaction price of a contract and subsequently allocate the transaction price based on an estimated standalone selling price (“SSP”). The Company is also required to make significant judgements with respect to capitalizing incremental costs to obtain a customer contract and determining the subsequent amortization period. These significant judgments and estimates are discussed further below. Determining the Transaction Price The transaction price includes both fixed and variable consideration. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal will not occur. The amount of variable consideration excluded from the transaction price was not material for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The Company’s estimates of variable consideration are also subject to subsequent true-up adjustments and may result in changes to its transaction prices, but such true-up adjustments are not expected to be material. The Company has the following sources of variable consideration:
| (i) | Performance penalties – Subscription services and product support arrangements generally contain performance response time guarantees. For subscription services arrangements, the Company estimates variable consideration using a portfolio approach because performance penalties are tied to standard up-time requirements. For product support arrangements, the Company estimates variable consideration on a contract basis because such arrangements are customer-specific. For both subscription services and product support arrangements, the Company uses an expected value approach to estimate variable consideration based on historical business practices and current and future performance expectations to determine the likelihood of incurring penalties.
| (ii) | Extended payment terms – The Company’s standard payment terms are generally within 180 days of invoicing. If extended payment terms are granted to customers, those terms generally do not exceed one year. For contracts with extended payment terms, the Company estimates variable consideration on a contract basis because such estimates are customer-specific, and uses an expected value approach to analyze historical business experience on a customer-by-customer basis to determine the likelihood that extended payment terms lead to an implied price concession.
| (iii) | Sales and usage-based royalties – Certain product license arrangements include sales or usage-based royalties, covering both the software license and product support. In these arrangements, the Company uses an expected value approach to estimate and recognize revenue for royalty sales each period, utilizing historical data on a contract-by-contract basis. True-up adjustments are recorded in subsequent periods when royalty reporting is received from the OEM partners.
The Company provides a standard software assurance warranty to repair, replace, or refund software that does not perform in accordance with documentation. The standard software assurance warranty period is generally less than one year. Assurance warranty claims were not material for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The Company does not adjust the transaction price for significant financing components where the time period between cash payment and performance is one year or less. However, there are circumstances where the timing between cash payment and performance may exceed one year. These circumstances generally involve prepaid multi-year product support and subscription services arrangements where the customer determines when the service is utilized (e.g., when to request on-call support services or when to use and access the software on the cloud). In these circumstances, the Company has determined no significant financing component exists because the customer controls when to utilize the service and because there are significant business purposes behind the timing difference between payment and performance (e.g., maximizing profit in the case of product support services and ensuring collectability in the case of subscription services). Allocating the Transaction Price Based on Standalone Selling Prices The Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation in a contract based on its relative SSP. The SSP is the price at which the Company sells the product or service on a standalone basis at contract inception. In circumstances where SSP is not directly observable, the Company estimates SSP using the following methodologies:
| (i) | Product licenses – Product licenses are not sold on a standalone basis and pricing is highly variable. The Company establishes SSP of product licenses using a residual approach after first establishing the SSP of standard product support. Standard product support is sold on a standalone basis within a narrow range of the net license fee, and because an economic relationship exists between product licenses and standard product support, the Company has concluded that the residual method to estimate SSP of product licenses sold on both a perpetual and term basis is a fair allocation of the transaction price.
| (ii) | Subscription services – Given the highly variable selling price of subscription services, the Company establishes the SSP of its subscription services arrangements using a similar residual approach after first establishing the SSP of consulting and education services. The Company has concluded that the residual method to estimate SSP of its subscription services is a fair allocation of the transaction price.
| (iii) | Standard product support – The Company establishes SSP of standard product support as a percentage of the stated net license fee, given such pricing is consistent with its normal pricing practices and there exists sufficient history of customers renewing at similar percentages. Each quarter, the Company tracks renewal rates negotiated when standard product support is initially sold with a perpetual license in order to determine the SSP of standard product support within each geographic region for the upcoming quarter. If the stated standard product support fee falls within the SSP range, the specific rate in the contract will be used to estimate SSP. If the stated fee is above or below SSP, the highest or lowest end of the range, respectively, will generally be used to estimate SSP of standard product support.
| (iv) | Premium product support, consulting services, and education services –SSP of premium product support, consulting services, and education services is established by using a bell-shaped curve approach to define a narrow range within each geographic region in which the services are discounted off of the list price on a standalone basis.
The Company often provides options to purchase future products or services at a discount. The Company analyzes the option price against the previously established SSP of the goods or services to determine if the options represent material rights that should be accounted for as separate performance obligations. In general, options sold at or above SSP are not considered separate performance obligations because the customer could have received that right without entering into the contract. If a material right exists, revenue associated with the option is recognized when the future goods or services are transferred, or when the option expires. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, rights arising from future purchase options have not been material.
Incremental Costs to Obtain Customer Contracts | Incremental Costs to Obtain Customer Contracts Incremental costs incurred to obtain contracts with customers include certain variable compensation (e.g., commissions and bonuses) paid to the Company’s sales team. Although the Company may bundle its goods and services into one contract, commissions are individually determined on each distinct good or service in the contract. The Company expenses as incurred those amounts earned on consulting and education services, which are generally performed within a one-year period and primarily sold on a standalone basis. The Company also expenses as incurred those amounts earned on product license sales, since the amount is earned when the license is delivered. The Company capitalizes those amounts earned on product support and amortizes the costs over a period of time that is consistent with the pattern of transfer of the product support to the customer, which the Company has determined to be a period of three years. Although the Company typically sells product support for a period of one year, a majority of customers renew their product support arrangements. Three years is generally the period after which platforms are no longer supported by the Company's support team and when customers generally choose to upgrade their software platform. The Company does not pay variable compensation on product support renewals. Variable compensation earned on subscription cloud services are expensed as incurred due to their immaterial nature. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, capitalized costs to obtain customer contracts, net of accumulated amortization, were $3.9 million and $4.5 million, respectively, and are presented within “Deposits and other assets” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, amortization expense related to these capitalized costs were $0.6 million and $1.6 million, and $0.8 million and $2.2 million, respectively, and are reflected within “Sales and marketing” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Short-term Investments | The Company periodically invests a portion of its excess cash in short-term investment instruments. Substantially all of the Company’s short-term investments are in U.S. Treasury securities, and the Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments to maturity. The stated maturity dates of these investments are between three months and one year from the purchase date. These held-to-maturity investments are recorded at amortized cost and included within “Short-term investments” on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair value of held-to-maturity investments is determined based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical securities (Level 1 inputs).
Income Taxes | The Company recognizes estimated accrued interest related to unrecognized income tax benefits in the (benefit from) provision for income tax accounts. GAAP allows the Company to either: (i) treat taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”); or (ii) factor such amounts into its measurement of deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). The Company has elected the period cost method. The Tax Act allows a U.S. corporation a deduction equal to a certain percentage of its foreign-derived intangible income (“FDII”). The Company estimated the impact of the GILTI tax and FDII deduction in determining its 2018 annual effective tax rate that is reflected in its benefit from income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. The Company will continue to refine its calculation for the GILTI tax and FDII deduction in future quarters. The Tax Act also imposes a Transition Tax on previously untaxed accumulated and current earnings and profits (“E&P”) of certain foreign subsidiaries of the Company. In determining the Company’s benefit from or provision for income taxes, net deferred tax assets, liabilities, and valuation allowances, management is required to make judgments and estimates related to projections of domestic and foreign profitability, the timing and extent of the utilization of NOL carryforwards, applicable tax rates, transfer pricing methods, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. As a multinational company, the Company is required to calculate and provide for estimated income tax liabilities for each of the tax jurisdictions in which it operates. This process involves estimating current tax obligations and exposures in each jurisdiction, as well as making judgments regarding the future recoverability of deferred tax assets. Changes in the estimated level of annual pre-tax income, changes in tax laws, particularly changes related to the utilization of NOLs in various jurisdictions, and changes resulting from tax audits can all affect the overall effective income tax rate which, in turn, impacts the overall level of income tax expense or benefit and net income. Judgments and estimates related to the Company’s projections and assumptions are inherently uncertain. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from projections. Currently, the Company expects to use its deferred tax assets, subject to Internal Revenue Code limitations, within the carryforward periods. Valuation allowances have been established where the Company has concluded that it is more likely than not that such deferred tax assets are not realizable. If the Company is unable to sustain profitability in future periods, it may be required to increase the valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets, which could result in a charge that would materially adversely affect net income in the period in which the charge is incurred.
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share | Potential shares of common stock are included in the diluted earnings per share calculation when dilutive. Potential shares of common stock, consisting of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options, are calculated using the treasury stock method.

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