Dropbox (DBX) 10-Q2022 Q3 Quarterly report

We caution you that the foregoing list may not contain all of the forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We have based the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors described in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We cannot assure you that the results, events, and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events, or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments we may make.

Dropbox, Inc. (the “Company” or “Dropbox”) helps keep life organized and work moving. The Company was incorporated in May 2007 as Evenflow, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and changed its name to Dropbox, Inc. in October 2009. The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the United States of America generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the SEC regarding interim financial reporting. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Dropbox and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the balance sheets, statements of operations, statements of comprehensive income, statements of stockholders' deficit and the statements of cash flows for the interim periods, but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be anticipated for the full fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 or any future period.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021, included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K on file with the SEC ("Annual Report").

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements. Management evaluates these estimates and assumptions on a regular basis. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

The Company’s most significant estimates and judgments involve the valuation of acquired intangible assets and goodwill from business combinations as well as the valuation of right-of-use and other lease related assets.

The Company manages its operations and allocates resources as a single operating segment. Further, the Company manages, monitors, and reports its financials as a single reporting segment. The Company’s chief operating decision-maker is its Chief Executive Officer, who reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for purposes of making operating decisions, assessing financial performance, and allocating resources. See Note 15 "Geographic Areas" to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for information regarding the Company’s long-lived assets and revenue by geography.

The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated from their respective functional currencies into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expense amounts are translated at the average exchange rate for the period. Foreign currency translation gains and losses are recorded in other comprehensive loss, net of tax.

Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions (those transactions denominated in currencies other than the foreign subsidiaries’ functional currency) are included in other income, net. Monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured using foreign currency exchange rates at the end of the period, and non-monetary assets are remeasured based on historical exchange

The Company derives its revenue from subscription fees from customers for access to its platform. The Company’s policy is to exclude sales and other indirect taxes when measuring the transaction price of its subscription agreements. The Company accounts for revenue contracts with customers through the following steps:

The Company’s subscription agreements generally have monthly or annual contractual terms and a small percentage have multi-year contractual terms. Revenue is recognized ratably over the related contractual term beginning on the date that the platform is made available to a customer. Access to the platform represents a series of distinct services as the Company continually provides access to, and fulfills its obligation to the end customer over the subscription term. The series of distinct services represents a single performance obligation that is satisfied over time. The Company recognizes revenue ratably because the customer receives and consumes the benefits of the platform throughout the contract period. The Company’s contracts are generally non-cancelable.

The Company bills in advance for monthly contracts and typically bills annually in advance for contracts with terms of one year or longer. The Company also recognizes an immaterial amount of contract assets, or unbilled receivables, primarily relating to consideration for services completed but not billed at the reporting date. Unbilled receivables are classified as receivables when the Company has the right to invoice the customer.

The Company records contract liabilities when cash payments are received or due in advance of performance to deferred revenue. Deferred revenue primarily relates to the advance consideration received from the customer.

The price of subscriptions is generally fixed at contract inception and therefore, the Company’s contracts do not contain a significant amount of variable consideration. As a result, the amount of revenue recognized in the periods presented from performance obligations satisfied (or partially satisfied) in previous periods was not material.

In March 2021, in connection with the acquisition of DocSend, Inc. (“DocSend”), the Company assumed unvested stock options and an immaterial number of unvested RSUs that had been granted under DocSend's 2013 Stock Plan and DocSend's 2015 Stock Option and Grant Plan. The fair value of the DocSend options assumed were based upon the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. See Note 12 "Stockholders' Deficit" to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information.

In December 2017, the Board of Directors approved the Company’s Co-Founder Grant, consisting of 10.3 million shares of Class A Common Stock in the form of restricted stock awards ("RSAs") which were granted to Drew Houston, the Company’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. This Co-Founder Grant has service-based, market-based, and performance-based vesting conditions. The Co-Founder Grant is excluded from Class A common stock issued and outstanding until the satisfaction of these vesting conditions. The Company estimated the grant date fair value of the Co-Founder Grant using a model based on multiple stock price paths developed through the use of a Monte Carlo simulation that incorporates into the valuation the possibility that the Stock Price Targets may not be satisfied. The first tranche of Mr. Houston's Co-Founder Grant vested in the fourth quarter of 2021. The stock-based compensation expense for Mr. Houston's Co-Founder Grant is recognized utilizing the accelerated attribution method over the requisite service period identified as the derived service period over which the market conditions are expected to be achieved, and is not reversed if the market conditions are not satisfied. Therefore no incremental stock-based compensation was recognized upon vesting of these RSAs. See Note 12, "Stockholders' Deficit" to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information.

Cash consists primarily of cash on deposit with banks and includes amounts in transit from payment processors for credit and debit card transactions, which typically settle within five business days. Cash equivalents include highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity date of 90 days or less from the date of purchase.

The Company monitors its credit risk by considering factors such as historical experience, credit ratings, current economic conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts.

The Company’s short-term investments are primarily comprised of corporate notes and obligations, U.S. Treasury securities, certificates of deposit, asset-backed securities, commercial paper, U.S. agency obligations, foreign government securities, supranational securities and municipal securities. The Company determines the appropriate classification of its short-term investments at the time of purchase and reevaluates such designation at each balance sheet date. The Company has classified and accounted for its short-term investments as available-for-sale securities as the Company may sell these securities at any time for use in its current operations or for other purposes, even prior to maturity. As a result, the Company classifies its short-term investments, including securities with stated maturities beyond twelve months, within current assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The Company's short-term investments are recorded at fair value each reporting period. Unrealized gains and losses on these short-term investments are reported as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in the condensed consolidated balance sheets until realized. Unrealized gains and losses for any short-term investments that management intends to sell or it is more likely than not that management will be required to sell prior to their anticipated recovery are recorded in other income, net. The Company segments its portfolio based on the underlying risk profiles of the securities and has a zero-loss expectation for U.S. treasury and U.S. government agency securities. The Company regularly reviews the securities in an unrealized loss position and evaluates the current expected credit loss by considering factors such as credit ratings, issuer-specific factors, current economic conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The Company did not record any material credit losses during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, no allowance for credit losses in short-term investments was recorded.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and short-term investments. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments with well-established financial institutions.

Deferred commissions, net is stated as gross deferred commissions less accumulated amortization. Sales commissions earned by the Company’s sales force and third-party resellers, as well as related payroll taxes, are considered to be incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These amounts have been capitalized as deferred commissions within prepaid and other current assets and other assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company deferred incremental costs of obtaining a contract of $8.6 million and $24.6 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 respectively and $7.2 million and $17.0 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively.

Deferred commissions, net included in prepaid and other current assets were $33.7 million and $30.8 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Deferred commissions, net included in other assets were $27.4 million and $34.6 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Commissions related to new contracts are typically deferred and amortized over a period of benefit of five years. The period of benefit was estimated by considering factors such as historical customer attrition rates, the useful life of the Company’s technology, and the impact of competition in its industry. Commissions that are commensurate with renewal commissions are typically amortized over one year. Amortization of deferred commissions was $10.2 million and $28.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively and $8.2 million and $23.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively. Amortization of deferred commissions is included in sales and marketing expense in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations. There was no material impairment loss in relation to the deferred costs for any period presented.

The following table presents the estimated useful lives of property and equipment:

The Company leases office space, datacenters, and equipment under non-cancelable finance and operating leases with various expiration dates through 2036. The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception.

Operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the present value of the future lease payments at commencement date. The interest rate implicit in the Company’s operating leases is not readily determinable, and therefore an incremental borrowing rate is estimated to determine the present value of future payments. The estimated incremental borrowing rate factors in a hypothetical interest rate on a collateralized basis with similar terms, payments, and economic environments. Operating lease right-of-use assets also include any prepaid lease payments and lease incentives.

Certain of the operating lease agreements contain rent concession, rent escalation, and option to renew provisions. Rent concession and rent escalation provisions are considered in determining the single lease cost to be recorded over the lease term. Single lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term commencing on the date the Company has the right to use the leased property. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease. The Company generally uses the base, non-cancelable, lease term when recognizing the lease assets and liabilities, unless it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised.

In addition, certain operating lease agreements contain tenant improvement allowances from its landlords. These allowances are accounted for as lease incentives and decrease the Company's right-of-use asset and reduce single lease cost over the lease term.

As part of the Company's Virtual First strategy, Dropbox has retained a portion of its office space for in-person collaboration while the remainder will be subleased. The Company recorded impairment charges of $4.0 million and $12.7 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, and zero and $17.3 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, related to other lease-related property and real estate assets. These impairment charges were recorded as a result of the Company's decision to move towards a Virtual First work model. See Note 9 "Leases" to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information.

The Company leases certain equipment from various third parties, through equipment finance leases. These leases either include a bargain purchase option, a full transfer of ownership at the completion of the lease term, or the terms of the leases are at least 75 percent of the useful lives of the assets and are therefore classified as finance leases. These leases are capitalized in property and equipment, net and the related amortization of assets under finance leases is included in depreciation and amortization expense in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. Initial asset values and finance lease obligations are based on the present value of future minimum lease payments.

The Company’s finance lease agreements may contain lease and non-lease components. The non-lease components include payments for support on infrastructure equipment obtained via finance leases, which when not significant in relation to the overall agreement, are combined with the lease components and accounted for together as a single lease component.

The Company evaluates the recoverability of its property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The evaluation is performed at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review determines that the carrying amount of specific property and equipment or intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to its fair value.

The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at least annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances would more likely than not reduce the fair value of its single reporting unit below its carrying value.

The Company has not recorded impairment charges on goodwill or intangible assets for the periods presented in these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Acquired property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their useful lives. The Company evaluates the estimated remaining useful life of these assets when events or changes in circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. If the Company revises the estimated useful life assumption for any asset, the remaining unamortized balance is amortized or depreciated over the revised estimated useful life on a prospective basis.

Deferred income tax balances reflect the effects of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of the Company’s assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to apply when taxes are actually paid or recovered. In addition, deferred tax assets are recorded for net operating loss and credit carryforwards.

A valuation allowance is provided against deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that they will be realized based on all available positive and negative evidence. Such evidence includes, but is not limited to, recent cumulative earnings or losses, expectations of future taxable income by taxing jurisdiction, and the carry-forward periods available for the utilization of deferred tax assets.

The Company uses a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain income tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.

Although the Company believes that it has adequately reserved for its uncertain tax positions, it can provide no assurance that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be materially different. The Company evaluates its uncertain tax positions on a regular basis and evaluations are based on a number of factors, including changes in facts and circumstances, changes in tax law, correspondence with tax authorities during the course of an audit, and effective settlement of audit issues.

To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis. The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining fair value measurements for assets and liabilities, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and the market-based risk measurements or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, such as risks inherent in valuation techniques, transfer restrictions, and credit risk. Fair value is estimated by applying the following hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value into three levels and bases the categorization within the hierarchy upon the lowest level of input that is available and significant to the fair value measurement:

The amortized cost, unrealized gains and losses and estimated fair value of the Company's cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 consisted of the following:

Included in cash and cash equivalents is cash in transit from payment processors for credit and debit card transactions of $10.9 million and $8.3 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

All short-term investments were designated as available-for-sale securities as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

The Company had 746 short-term investments in unrealized loss positions as of September 30, 2022. There were no material gains or losses from short-term investments that were reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 or for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021.

As of September 30, 2022, the Company’s short-term investments portfolio consisted of nine security types, seven of which were in an unrealized loss position. The Company’s short-term investments had unrealized losses of approximately $53.9 million as of September 30, 2022. The following tables present the breakdown of the short-term investments that have been in a continuous unrealized loss position aggregated by investment category, as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021:

Unrealized losses on short-term investments have not been recorded into income because management does not intend to sell nor will be required to sell these securities prior to their anticipated recovery, and for which the decline in fair value is largely due to changes in interest rates. The credit ratings associated with the corporate notes and obligations are mostly unchanged, are highly rated and the issuers continue to make timely principal and interest payments.

The Company recorded interest income from its cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments of $4.7 million and $9.1 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, and $1.7 million and $5.5 million during three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively.

The Company measures its financial instruments at fair value each reporting period using a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instrument’s classification within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The following table presents information about the Company’s financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using the input categories discussed in Note 1:   

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had an investment in a non-marketable equity security in a privately held company without a readily determinable market value. The investment had a carrying value of $5.6 million and was categorized as Level 3 as of December 31, 2021. The investment was sold in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 resulting in a gain of $5.0 million.

The Company had no transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy.

The carrying amounts of certain financial instruments, including cash held in banks, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities and are excluded from the fair value table above.

The Company had $695.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 0% convertible senior notes due in 2026 (the "2026 Notes"), and $693.3 million in aggregate principal amount of 0% convertible senior notes due in 2028 (the "2028 Notes" and together with the 2026 Notes, the "Notes"), outstanding as of September 30, 2022. Refer to Note 8 "Debt" for further details on the 2026 Notes and 2028 Notes.

The estimated fair value of the 2026 Notes and the 2028 Notes, based on a market approach as of September 30, 2022 was approximately $610.6 million and $593.0 million, respectively. The Notes were categorized as Level 2 instruments as the estimated fair value was determined based on the estimated or actual bids and offers of the Notes in an over-the-counter market on the last business day of the period.

Property and equipment, net consisted of the following:

On March 22, 2021, the Company acquired all outstanding stock of DocSend, a secure document sharing and analytics company. The Company believes the combination of Dropbox, HelloSign, and DocSend will help customers across industries manage end-to-end document workflows—from content collaboration to sharing and e-signature—giving them more control over their business results. The results of DocSend's operations have been included in the Company’s condensed consolidated results of operations since the date of acquisition.

In addition to the total purchase consideration above, the Company has compensation agreements with key DocSend personnel consisting of $30.7 million in cash payments subject to ongoing employee service. The related expenses are recognized within sales and marketing and research and development expenses over the required service period of approximately three years. The payments began in the first quarter of 2022, with $10.2 million paid during the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The remaining balance of $20.5 million will be paid out over the next year in accordance with the acquisition agreement.

The purchase consideration was allocated to the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired as of the acquisition date, with the excess recorded to goodwill as shown below.

The fair value of the separately identifiable finite-lived intangible assets acquired and estimated weighted average useful lives are as follows:

The fair values of the acquisition-related intangible assets were determined using the following methodologies: the multi-period excess earnings method for customer relationships, and the relief from royalty method for developed technology, and the trade name, respectively. The valuation model inputs required the application of significant judgment by management. The acquired intangible assets have a total weighted average amortization period of 5.0 years.

One-time acquisition-related diligence costs of $1.2 million were expensed within general and administrative expenses as incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.