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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The Company bases its estimates on various factors and information which may include, but are not limited to, history and prior experience, expected future results, new related events and economic conditions, which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include those related to losses resulting from insurance claims, fair value of financial instruments, goodwill and identifiable intangible assets, leases, indirect tax obligations, legal contingencies, valuation allowance for deferred income taxes, and the valuation of stock-based compensation. The outbreak of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, and has spread throughout the United States, Canada, and globally. The full extent to which the Company's operations will be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will depend largely on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including the duration of the pandemic, new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the pandemic, the availability and efficacy of vaccine distributions and actions by government authorities and private businesses to contain the pandemic or respond to its impact, among other things. The Company has adopted a number of measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including pausing our shared rides offerings, distributing thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer, masks and partitions to drivers, requiring face coverings in all rideshare trips, providing many employees with the option to work from home until September 2021, and restricting non-critical business travel by employees. The Company also made adjustments to its expenses and cash flow to correlate with declines in revenues including headcount reductions, furlough of employees and the implementation of temporary salary reductions. Refer to Note 13 “Restructuring” to the condensed consolidated financial statements for information regarding the 2020 restructuring events. The Company cannot be certain that these actions will mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on our business. As of the date of issuance of the financial statements, the Company is not aware of any material event or circumstance that would require us to update our estimates, judgments or revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities, including the recording of any credit losses. These estimates may change, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and could lead to impairment of long lived assets or goodwill, or credit losses associated with investments or other assets, and the impact of such changes on estimates will be recognized in the condensed consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known. Actual results could differ from those estimates and any such differences may be material to our financial statements. Revenue Recognition The Company generates its revenue from its multimodal transportation networks that offer access to a variety of transportation options through the Lyft Platform and mobile-based applications. Substantially all of the Company’s revenue is generated from its ridesharing marketplace that connects drivers and riders and is recognized in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 (“ASC 606”). The Company also generates rental revenue from Flexdrive, its network of Light Vehicles, and Lyft Rentals, which is recognized in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842 (“ASC 842”). The table below presents the Company's revenues as included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in thousands):
| Three Months Ended March 31,
| 2021 |  | 2020
Revenue from contracts with customers (ASC 606) | $ | 568,790 |  |  | $ | 918,331 |
Rental revenue (ASC 842) | 40,170 |  |  | 37,381 |
Total revenue | $ | 608,960 |  |  | $ | 955,712 |
Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606) The Company recognizes revenue for its rideshare marketplace in accordance with ASC 606. The Company generates revenue from service fees and commissions (collectively, “fees”) paid by drivers for use of the Lyft Platform and related activities to connect drivers with riders to facilitate and successfully complete rides via the Lyft App where the Company operates as a TNC. The Company recognizes revenue upon completion of each ride. Drivers enter into terms of service (“ToS”) with the Company in order to use the Lyft Driver App. Under the ToS, drivers agree that the Company retains the applicable fee as consideration for their use of the Lyft Platform and related activities from the fare and related charges it collects from riders on behalf of drivers. The Company is acting as an agent in facilitating the ability of a driver to provide a transportation service to a rider. The Company reports revenue on a net basis, reflecting the fee owed to the Company from a driver as revenue, and not the gross amount collected from the rider. As the Company’s customary business practice, a contract exists between the driver and the Company when the driver’s ability to cancel the ride lapses, which typically is upon pickup of the rider. The Company’s single performance obligation in the transaction is to connect drivers with riders to facilitate the completion of a successful transportation service for riders. The Company recognizes revenue upon completion of a ride as its performance obligation is satisfied upon the completion of the ride. The Company collects the fare and related charges from riders on behalf of drivers using the rider’s pre-authorized credit card or other payment mechanism and retains its fees before making the remaining disbursement to drivers; thus the driver’s ability and intent to pay is not subject to significant judgment. The Company recognizes revenue from subscription fees paid to access transportation options through the Lyft Platform and mobile-based applications over the applicable subscription period in accordance with ASC 606. Rental Revenue (ASC 842) The Company generates rental revenues primarily from Flexdrive, its network of Light Vehicles, and Lyft Rentals. Rental revenues are recognized for rental and rental related activities where an identified asset is transferred to the customer and the customer has the ability to control that asset in accordance with ASC 842. The Company operates a fleet of rental vehicles through Flexdrive, comprised of both owned vehicles and vehicles leased from third-party leasing companies (“head leases”). The Company either leases or subleases vehicles to drivers and Lyft Rentals renters, and as a result, the Company considers itself to be the accounting lessor or sublessor, as applicable, in these arrangements in accordance with ASC 842. Fleet operating costs include monthly fixed lease payments and other vehicle operating or ownership costs, as applicable. For vehicles that are subleased, sublease income and head lease expense for these transactions are recognized on a gross basis in the condensed consolidated financial statements. Drivers who rent vehicles are charged rental fees, which the Company collects from the driver by deducting such amounts from the driver’s earnings on the Lyft Platform. Due to the short-term nature of the Flexdrive, Lyft Rentals, and Light Vehicle transactions, the Company classifies these rentals as operating leases. Revenue generated from single-use ride fees paid by Light Vehicle riders is recognized upon completion of each related ride. Revenue generated from Flexdrive and Lyft Rentals is recognized evenly over the rental period, which is typically seven days or less. Enterprise and Trade Receivables The Company collects any fees owed for completed transactions on the Lyft Platform primarily from the rider’s authorized payment method. Uncollected fees are included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and represent receivables from (i) participants in the Company’s enterprise programs (“Enterprise Users”), where the transactions have been completed and the amounts owed from the Enterprise Users have either been invoiced or are unbilled as of the reporting date; and (ii) riders where the authorized payment method is a credit card but the fare amounts have not yet settled with third-party payment processors. Under the ToS, drivers agree that the Company retains the applicable fee as consideration for their use of the Lyft Platform and related activities from the fare and related charges it collects from riders on behalf of drivers. Accordingly, the Company has no trade receivables from drivers. The portion of the fare receivable to be remitted to drivers is included in accrued and other current liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company records an allowance for credit losses for fees owed for completed transactions that may never settle or be collected. As a result of the adoption of Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13 “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses" (“ASC 326”), the Company’s measurement of the allowance for credit losses has been augmented to reflect the change from the incurred loss model to the expected credit loss model. The allowance for credit losses reflects the Company’s current estimate of expected credit losses inherent in the enterprise and trade receivables balance. In determining the expected credit losses, the Company considers its historical loss experience, the aging of its receivable balance, current economic and business conditions, and anticipated future economic events that may impact collectability. The Company reviews its allowance for credit losses periodically and as needed, and amounts are written off when determined to be uncollectible. The Company’s receivable balance, which consists primarily of amounts due from Enterprise Users, was $133.9 million and $104.7 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The Company's allowance for credit losses was $14.6 million and $15.2 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. There were no write-offs for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The change in the allowance for credit losses for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 were not material. Incentive Programs The Company offers incentives to attract drivers, riders, Light Vehicle riders and Lyft Rentals renters to use the Lyft Platform. Drivers generally receive cash incentives while riders, Light Vehicle riders and Lyft Rentals renters generally receive free or discounted rides under such incentive programs. Incentives provided to drivers, Light Vehicle riders and Lyft Rental renters, the customers of the Company, are accounted for as a reduction of the transaction price. As the riders are not the Company’s customers, incentives provided to riders are generally recognized as sales and marketing expense except for certain pricing programs described below. Driver Incentives The Company offers various incentive programs to drivers, including minimum guaranteed payments, volume-based discounts and performance-based bonus payments. These driver incentives are similar to retrospective volume-based rebates and represent variable consideration that is typically settled within a week. The Company reduces the transaction price by the estimated amount of the incentives expected to be paid upon completion of the performance criteria by applying the most likely outcome method. Therefore, such driver incentives are recorded as a reduction to revenue. Driver incentives are recorded as a reduction to revenue if the Company does not receive a distinct good or service in exchange for the payment or cannot reasonably estimate the fair value of the good or service received. Driver incentives for referring new drivers or riders are accounted for as sales and marketing expense. The amount recorded as an expense is the lesser of the amount of the payment or the established fair value of the benefit received. The fair value of the benefit is established using amounts paid to third parties for similar services. Rideshare Rider Incentives The Company has several rideshare rider incentive programs, which are offered to encourage rider activity on the Lyft Platform. Generally, the rider incentive programs are as follows: (i)Market-wide marketing promotions. Market-wide promotions reduce the fare charged by drivers to riders for all or substantially all rides in a specific market. This type of incentive effectively reduces the overall pricing of the service provided by drivers for that specific market and the gross fare charged by the driver to the rider, and thereby results in a lower fee earned by the Company. Accordingly, the Company records this type of incentive as a reduction to revenue at the date it records the corresponding revenue transaction. (ii)Targeted marketing promotions. Targeted marketing promotions are used to promote the use of the Lyft Platform to a targeted group of riders. An example is a promotion where the Company offers a number of discounted rides (capped at a given number of rides) which are valid only during a limited period of time to a targeted group of riders. The Company believes that the incentives that provide consideration to riders to be applied to a limited number of rides are similar to marketing coupons. These incentives differ from the market-wide marketing promotions because they do not reduce the overall pricing of the service provided by drivers for a specific market. During the promotion period, riders not utilizing an incentive would be charged the full fare. These incentives represent marketing costs. When a rider redeems the incentive, the Company recognizes revenue equal to the transaction price and the cost of the incentive is recorded as sales and marketing expense. (iii)Rider referral programs. Under the rider referral program, the referring rider (the referrer) earns referral coupons when a new rider (the referee) completes their first ride on the Lyft Platform. The Company records the incentive as a liability at the time the incentive is earned by the referrer with the corresponding charge recorded to sales and marketing expense. Referral coupons typically expire within one year. The Company estimates breakage using its historical experience. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the rider referral coupon liability was not material. Light Vehicle Rider and Lyft Rentals Renter Incentives Incentives offered to Light Vehicle riders and Lyft Rentals renters were not material for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, in relation to the driver, rider, Light Vehicle riders, and Lyft Rentals renters incentive programs, the Company recorded $196.2 million and $112.2 million as a reduction to revenue and $13.1 million and $100.1 million as sales and marketing expense, respectively. Investments Debt Securities The Company’s accounting for its investments in debt securities is based on the legal form of the security, the Company’s intended holding period for the security, and the nature of the transaction. Investments in debt securities include commercial paper, certificates of deposit, corporate bonds, and U.S. treasury bills. Investments in debt securities are classified as available-for-sale and are recorded at fair value. The Company considers an available-for-sale debt security to be impaired if the fair value of the investment is less than its amortized cost basis. The entire difference between the amortized cost basis and the fair value of the Company’s available-for-sale debt securities is recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as an impairment if, (i) the fair value of the security is below its amortized cost and (ii) the Company intends to sell or is more likely than not required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If neither criterion is met, the Company evaluates whether the decline in fair value is due to credit losses or other factors. In making this assessment, the Company considers the extent to which the security’s fair value is less than amortized cost, changes to the rating of the security by third-party rating agencies, and adverse conditions specific to the security, among other factors. If the Company's assessment indicates that a credit loss exists, the credit loss is measured based on the Company's best estimate of the cash flows expected to be collected. When developing its estimate of cash flows expected to be collected, the Company considers all available information relevant to the collectability of the security, including past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Credit loss impairments are recognized through an allowance for credit losses adjustment to the amortized cost basis of the debt securities on the balance sheet with an offsetting credit loss expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Impairments related to factors other than credit losses are recognized as an adjustment to the amortized cost basis of the security and an offsetting amount in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not recorded any credit impairments. The Company determines realized gains or losses on the sale of debt securities on a specific identification method. The Company's investments in debt securities include: (i)Cash and cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include certificates of deposits, commercial paper and corporate bonds that have an original maturity of 90 days or less and are readily convertible to known amounts of cash. (ii)Short-term investments. Short-term investments are comprised of commercial paper, certificates of deposit, and corporate bonds, which mature in twelve months or less. As a result, the Company classifies these investments as current assets in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. (iii)Restricted investments. Restricted investments are comprised of debt security investments in commercial paper, certificates of deposit, corporate bonds and U.S. treasury bills, which are held in trust accounts at third-party financial institutions pursuant to certain contracts with insurance providers. Non-marketable Equity Securities The Company has elected to measure its investments in non-marketable equity securities at cost, with remeasurements to fair value only upon the occurrence of observable transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer or impairment. The Company qualitatively assesses whether indicators of impairment exist. Factors considered in this assessment include the investees’ financial and liquidity position, access to capital resources, exposure to industries and markets impacted by COVID-19, and the time since the last adjustment to fair value, among others. If an impairment exists, the Company estimates the fair value of the investment by using the best information available, which may include cash flow projections or other available market data, and recognizes a loss for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the investment in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Insurance Reserves The Company utilizes both a wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary and third-party insurance, which may include deductibles and self-insured retentions, to insure or reinsure costs including auto liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist, auto physical damage, first party injury coverages including personal injury protection under state law and general business liabilities up to certain limits. The recorded liabilities reflect the estimated ultimate cost for claims incurred but not paid and claims that have been incurred but not yet reported and any estimable administrative run-out expenses related to the processing of these outstanding claim payments. Liabilities are determined on a quarterly basis by internal actuaries through an analysis of historical trends, changes in claims experience including consideration of new information and application of loss development factors among other inputs and assumptions. On an annual basis or more frequently as determined by management, an independent third-party actuary will evaluate the liabilities for appropriateness with claims reserve valuations. Insurance claims may take years to completely settle, and the Company has limited historical loss experience. Because of the limited operational history, the Company makes certain assumptions based on currently available information and industry statistics and utilizes actuarial models and techniques to estimate the reserves. A number of factors can affect the actual cost of a claim, including the length of time the claim remains open, economic and healthcare cost trends and the results of related litigation. Furthermore, claims may emerge in future years for events that occurred in a prior year at a rate that differs from previous actuarial projections. The impact of these factors on ultimate costs for insurance is difficult to estimate and could be material. However, while the Company believes that the insurance reserve amount is adequate, the ultimate liability may be in excess of, or less than, the amount provided. As a result, the net amounts that will ultimately be paid to settle the liability and when amounts will be paid may significantly vary from the estimated amounts provided for in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company continues to review our insurance estimates in a regular, ongoing process as historical loss experience develops, additional claims are reported and settled, and the legal, regulatory and economic environment evolves. Leases In accordance with ASC 842, the Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at contract inception by assessing whether the arrangement contains an identified asset and whether the lessee has the right to control such asset. The Company determines the classification and measurement of its leases upon lease commencement. The Company enters into certain agreements as a lessor and either leases or subleases the underlying asset in the agreement to customers. The Company also enters into certain agreements as a lessee. If any of the following criteria are met, the Company classifies the lease as a financing lease (as a lessee) or as a direct financing or sales-type lease (both as a lessor): •The lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term; •The lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise; •The lease term is for 75% or more of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset, unless the commencement date falls within the last 25% of the economic life of the underlying asset; •The present value of the sum of the lease payments equals or exceeds 90% of the fair value of the underlying asset; or •The underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. Leases that do not meet any of the above criteria are accounted for as operating leases. Lessor The Company's lease arrangements include vehicle rentals to drivers or renters under the Flexdrive and Lyft Rentals programs and Light Vehicle rentals to single-use riders. Due to the short-term nature of these arrangements, the Company classifies these leases as operating leases. The Company does not separate lease and non-lease components, such as insurance or roadside assistance provided to the lessee, in its lessor lease arrangements. Lease payments are primarily fixed and are recognized as revenue in the period over which the lease arrangement occurs. Taxes or other fees assessed by governmental authorities that are both imposed on and concurrent with each lease revenue-producing transaction and collected by the Company from the lessee are excluded from the consideration in its lease arrangements. The Company mitigates residual value risk of its leased assets by performing regular maintenance and repairs, as necessary, and through periodic reviews of asset depreciation rates based on the Company's ongoing assessment of present and estimated future market conditions. Lessee The Company's leases include real estate property to support its operations and Flexdrive vehicles that may be used by drivers to provide ridesharing services on the Lyft Platform or renters for personal reasons through Lyft Rentals. For leases with a term greater than 12 months, the Company records the related right-of-use asset and lease liability at the present value of lease payments over the term. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. The Company does not separate lease and non-lease components of contracts for real estate property leases, but has elected to do so for vehicle leases when non-lease components exist in these arrangements. For certain leases, the Company also applies a portfolio approach to account for right-of-use assets and lease liabilities that are similar in nature and have nearly identical contract provisions. The Company’s leases do not provide a readily determinable implicit rate. Therefore, the Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate to discount the lease payments based on information available at lease commencement. The Company determines its incremental borrowing rate based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term for an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. Lease payments may be fixed or variable; however, only fixed payments are included in the Company’s lease liability calculation. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities — current and operating lease liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Lease costs for the Company's operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis primarily within operating expenses over the lease term. Finance leases are included in property and equipment, net, accrued and other current liabilities, and other liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Finance lease assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease term in cost of revenue on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. The interest component of finance leases is included in cost of revenue on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and recognized using the effective interest method over the lease term. Variable lease payments are recognized primarily in operating expenses in the period in which the obligation for those payments are incurred. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes", which removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and improves consistent application of and simplifies GAAP for other areas of Topic 740 by clarifying and amending existing guidance. Effective on January 1, 2021, the Company adopted this standard, which did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-01, "Investments-Equity Securities (Topic 321), Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Clarifying the Interactions between Topic 321, Topic 323, and Topic 815", which clarifies the interaction of the accounting for equity securities under Topic 321 and investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting under Topic 323, and the accounting for certain forward contracts and purchased options accounted for under Topic 815. Effective on January 1, 2021, the Company adopted this standard, which did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements. In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-10, “Codification Improvements”, which updates various Codification Topics by clarifying or improving disclosure requirements to align with the SEC’s regulations, and improving the consistency of the Codification to ensure all guidance that requires or provides an option for an entity to provide information in the notes to financial statements is codified in the Disclosure Section of the Codification. Effective on January 1, 2021, the Company adopted this standard, which did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging— Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity”, which simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by eliminating the requirement to separate embedded conversion features from the host contract when the conversion features are not required to be accounted for as derivatives under Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, or that do not result in substantial premiums accounted for as paid-in capital. By removing the separation model, a convertible debt instrument will be reported as a single liability instrument with no separate accounting for embedded conversion features. This new standard also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for contracts to qualify for equity classification and simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculations by requiring that an entity use the if-converted method and that the effect of potential share settlement be included in diluted earnings per share calculations. This new standard will be effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this standard on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2122369 + Details
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