Aurora Innovation, Inc. (AUR)
SIC breadcrumb: Services > Business Services > SIC 7373 Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1828108. Latest filing source: 0001828108-26-000016.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read AUR's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read AUR's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-11 |
| Net income | -816,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-11 |
| Assets | 2,343,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-11 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-11. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001828108.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 19,601,000 | 82,000,000 | 68,000,000 | 3,000,000 | ||||
| Net income | -94,077,000 | -214,000,000 | -755,000,000 | -1,723,000,000 | -796,000,000 | -748,000,000 | -816,000,000 | |
| Operating income | -113,518,000 | -218,000,000 | -731,000,000 | -1,852,000,000 | -835,000,000 | -786,000,000 | -901,000,000 | |
| Diluted EPS | -0.37 | -0.79 | -1.22 | -1.51 | -0.60 | -0.46 | -0.44 | |
| Operating cash flow | -94,726,000 | -192,000,000 | -564,000,000 | -508,000,000 | -598,000,000 | -611,000,000 | -581,000,000 | |
| Capital expenditures | 3,826,000 | 7,000,000 | 48,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 34,000,000 | 31,000,000 | |
| Assets | 618,885,000 | 3,690,000,000 | 2,001,000,000 | 2,235,000,000 | 2,138,000,000 | 2,343,000,000 | ||
| Liabilities | 132,181,000 | 348,000,000 | 217,000,000 | 250,000,000 | 263,000,000 | 203,000,000 | ||
| Stockholders' equity | -24,260,000 | -83,000,000 | -277,000,000 | 3,342,000,000 | 1,784,000,000 | 1,985,000,000 | 1,875,000,000 | 2,140,000,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 246,490,000 | 387,346,000 | 1,610,000,000 | 262,000,000 | 501,000,000 | 211,000,000 | 221,000,000 | |
| Free cash flow | -98,552,000 | -199,000,000 | -612,000,000 | -523,000,000 | -613,000,000 | -645,000,000 | -612,000,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | -22.59% | -96.58% | -40.10% | -39.89% | -38.13% | |||
| Return on assets | -34.58% | -20.46% | -86.11% | -35.62% | -34.99% | -34.83% | ||
| Liabilities / equity | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.14 | 0.09 | |||
| Current ratio | 12.72 | 18.43 | 13.47 | 10.96 | 11.94 | 11.86 |
Industry Peer Context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001828108-26-000016; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001828108-26-000016; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001828108-26-000016; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001828108-26-000016; filed 2026-02-11. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-07-29. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001828108.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q1 | 2022-03-31 | 41,998,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | 20,733,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | 2,897,000 | -0.17 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2022-Q4 | 2022-12-31 | 2,372,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | 0.00 | -0.17 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 0.00 | -0.18 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | -190,000,000 | -0.13 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | -192,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | ||
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | -165,000,000 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | -182,000,000 | -0.12 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | -208,000,000 | -0.13 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | -193,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | ||
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | -208,000,000 | -0.12 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 1,000,000 | -201,000,000 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 1,000,000 | -201,000,000 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 1,000,000 | -206,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 1,000,000 | -223,000,000 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2026-Q2 | 2026-06-30 | 2,000,000 | -270,000,000 | -0.14 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001828108-26-000077; filed 2026-07-29. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001828108-26-000077; filed 2026-07-29. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001828108-26-000077; filed 2026-07-29. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001828108-26-000077.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited) included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth in "Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report and “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors" and under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to “Aurora,” “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms in this section refer to Aurora Innovation, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Percentage amounts have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. Certain other amounts that appear in this Quarterly Report may not sum due to rounding.
Aurora’s Business
Aurora has launched and continues to develop the Aurora Driver based on what we believe to be the most advanced and scalable suite of self-driving hardware, software, and data services in the world to fundamentally transform the global transportation market. The Aurora Driver is designed as a platform to adapt and interoperate amongst vehicle types and applications. To date, it has been successfully integrated into numerous different vehicle platforms: from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles to Class 8 trucks. By creating one driver system for multiple vehicle types and use cases, Aurora’s capabilities in one market reinforce and strengthen its competitive advantages in others. For example, highway driving capabilities developed for trucking will carry over to highway segments driven by passenger vehicles in ride-hailing applications. We believe this approach will enable us to target and transform the transportation landscape, including trucking, passenger mobility, and local goods delivery market.
We envision a two-phase process for ownership and operation of Aurora Driver-powered self-driving vehicles. Early in our commercialization, we intend to own or lease and operate an initial fleet of trucks and will invest in self-driving system hardware, base vehicles, and commercial facilities (such as freight terminals). We will provide transportation services to customers through driverless operations as well as with vehicle operators as needed. This level of control is useful during early commercialization as we define operational processes and playbooks for our partners.
Following this initial phase, we expect that the Aurora Driver will ultimately be commercialized in a Driver as a Service (“DaaS”) business model, in which customers or third parties will acquire, manage, and maintain fleets directly, while subscribing to the Aurora Driver and a suite of related services. In this second phase, we do not intend to own nor operate a large number of vehicles ourselves. We intend to partner with OEMs, Tier 1 automotive suppliers, fleet operators, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora Driver-powered vehicles. We expect that these strategic partners will support activities such as vehicle and hardware manufacturing, financing and leasing, service and maintenance, parts replacement, facility ownership and operation, and other commercial and operational services as needed. Throughout commercialization, we expect to earn revenue on a fee per mile basis, or a comparable pricing mechanism. We expect this DaaS model to enable an asset-light and high margin revenue stream for Aurora, while allowing us to scale more rapidly through partnerships.
We launched Aurora Driver for Freight, our driverless trucking subscription service first, as we believe that is where we can make the largest impact the fastest, given the massive industry demand, attractive unit economics, and the ability to deploy on high volume highway-focused routes. We plan to leverage the extensibility of the Aurora Driver to deploy and scale into the passenger mobility market with Aurora Driver for Rides, our driverless ride hailing subscription service, and in the longer-term the local goods delivery market.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2026 to the Three Months Ended June 30, 2025
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated, and the changes between periods.
| Three Months Ended June 30, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 2 | $ | 1 | $ | 1 | 100 | % | |||||||
| Cost of revenue | 7 | 5 | 2 | 40 | % | ||||||||||
| Research and development | 211 | 190 | 21 | 11 | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 50 | 36 | 14 | 39 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (266) | (230) | (36) | 16 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (16) | 16 | (32) | (200) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 12 | 13 | (1) | (8) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (270) | (201) | (69) | 34 | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (270) | $ | (201) | $ | (69) | 34 | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Revenue increased by $1 million, or 100%, to $2 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 from $1 million in three months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to increased utilization, geographical expansion, and higher fuel surcharges.
Cost of revenue increased by $2 million, or 40%, to $7 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 from $5 million in the three months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to an increase in terminal, personnel, and fuel expenses due to increased utilization and geographical expansion. Non-cash stock based compensation in cost of revenue was not significant.
Research and development expenses increased by $21 million, or 11%, to $211 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 from $190 million in the three months ended June 30, 2025, primarily driven by an increase in hardware development costs, cloud computing costs, non-cash stock-based compensation costs, and personnel costs, partially offset by costs now recognized as cost of revenue after commercial launch in April 2025 as well as costs now recognized as selling, general and administrative due to a realignment of resources. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $47 million and $44 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $14 million, or 39%, to $50 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 from $36 million in the three months ended June 30, 2025, primarily driven by an increase in personnel costs including costs previously recognized in research and development now included in selling, general and administrative due to a realignment of resources, and non-cash stock-based compensation. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $13 million and $11 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively.
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in expense of $16 million and income of $16 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively, primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument during each period.
Other income, net decreased by $1 million, or 8%, to $12 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026, from $13 million in the three months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to a decrease in interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments as a result of lower market rates.
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Comparison of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 to the Six Months Ended June 30, 2025
| Six Months Ended June 30, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3 | $ | 1 | $ | 2 | 200 | % | |||||||
| Cost of revenue | 13 | 5 | 8 | 160 | % | ||||||||||
| Research and development | 406 | 372 | 34 | 9 | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 94 | 65 | 29 | 45 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (510) | (441) | (69) | 16 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (17) | 7 | (24) | (343) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 34 | 25 | 9 | 36 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (493) | (409) | (84) | 21 | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (493) | $ | (409) | $ | (84) | 21 | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Revenue increased by $2 million, or 200%, to $3 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026 from $1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to increased utilization, geographical expansion, and higher fuel surcharges, as well as the full six months of commercial operations in the current period, compared to a partial period of operations following the commercial launch of Aurora Driver for Freight in April 2025.
Cost of revenue increased by $8 million, or 160%, to $13 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026 from $5 million in the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to the full six months of commercial operations in the current period compared to a partial period of operations following the commercial launch of Aurora Driver for Freight in April 2025, and an increase in terminal, personnel, and fuel expenses due to increased utilization and geographical expansion. Non-cash stock based compensation in cost of revenue was not significant.
Research and development expenses increased by $34 million, or 9%, to $406 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026 from $372 million in the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily driven by an increase in non-cash stock-based compensation costs, cloud computing costs, hardware development costs, and personnel costs, partially offset by costs now recognized as cost of revenue after commercial launch in April 2025 as well as costs now recognized as selling, general and administrative due to a realignment of resources. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $83 million and $73 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $29 million, or 45%, to $94 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026 from $65 million in the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily driven by an increase in personnel costs including costs previously recognized in research and development now included in selling, general and administrative due to a realignment of resources as well as non-cash stock-based compensation. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $23 million and $16 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively.
The change in fair value of derivative liabili
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth in "Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors" and under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to “Aurora,” “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms in this section refer to Aurora Innovation, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Percentage amounts have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain other amounts that appear in this Annual Report may not sum due to rounding.
Aurora’s Business
Aurora has launched and continues to develop the Aurora Driver based on what we believe to be the most advanced and scalable suite of self-driving hardware, software, and data services in the world to fundamentally transform the global transportation market. The Aurora Driver is designed as a platform to adapt and interoperate amongst vehicle types and applications. To date, it has been successfully integrated into numerous different vehicle platforms: from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles to Class 8 trucks. By creating one driver system for multiple vehicle types and use cases, Aurora’s capabilities in one market reinforce and strengthen its competitive advantages in others. For example, highway driving capabilities developed for trucking will carry over to highway segments driven by passenger vehicles in ride-hailing applications. We believe this approach will enable us to target and transform the transportation landscape, including trucking, passenger mobility, and local goods delivery market.
We expect that the Aurora Driver will ultimately be commercialized in a Driver as a Service (“DaaS”) business model, in which customers or third parties will purchase, manage, and maintain fleets directly, while subscribing to the Aurora Driver and a suite of related services. We do not intend to own nor operate a large number of vehicles ourselves. Throughout commercialization, we expect to earn revenue on a fee per mile basis, or a comparable pricing mechanism. We intend to partner with OEMs, Tier 1 automotive suppliers, fleet operators, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora Driver-powered vehicles. We expect that these strategic partners will support activities such as vehicle and hardware manufacturing, financing and leasing, service and maintenance, parts replacement, facility ownership and operation, and other commercial and operational services as needed. We expect this DaaS model to enable an asset-light and high margin revenue stream for Aurora, while allowing us to scale more rapidly through partnerships. During the start of commercialization, though, we are operating our own logistics and mobility services, where we own or lease and operate a fleet of vehicles equipped with our Aurora Driver and provide transportation services to customers through driverless operations as well as with vehicle operators as needed. This level of control is useful during early commercialization as we define operational processes and playbooks for our partners.
We launched Aurora Driver for Freight, our driverless trucking subscription service first, as we believe that is where we can make the largest impact the fastest, given the massive industry demand, attractive unit economics, and the ability to deploy on high volume highway-focused routes. We plan to leverage the extensibility of the Aurora Driver to deploy and scale into the passenger mobility market with Aurora Driver for Rides, our driverless ride hailing subscription service, and in the longer-term the local goods delivery market.
Significant Events and Transactions
Launch of Aurora Driver for Freight
In April 2025, we launched Aurora Driver for Freight and began driverless operations of trucks hauling customer loads. We commenced recognizing revenue during the three months ended June 30, 2025. Supplementing our strategic partnerships, in 2025 we began a truck program to support our commercialization strategy by providing customers with greater driverless capacity. Under this program, trucks, including a fleet based on International® LT® Series vehicles, will be upfitted by or on behalf of Aurora and used for driverless operations.
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At-The-Market Offering
On February 14, 2025, we entered into a sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., TD Securities (USA) LLC, and Allen & Company LLC, as sales agents (the “Sales Agents”), pursuant to which we may, from time to time, sell up to an aggregate amount of $500 million of the Company’s Class A common stock through the Sales Agents in an “at-the-market” offering (the “ATM Program”). On July 30, 2025, the Company increased the aggregate dollar amount of the Company’s Class A common stock that it may sell under the ATM Program to $1,421 million. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, we offered and sold approximately 151 million shares of Class A common stock through the ATM Program at an average price of $5.96 per share, raising $898 million in equity capital and receiving net proceeds of $874 million after transaction costs.
Global Economic Conditions
Unfavorable conditions in the economy in the United States and abroad may negatively affect the growth of our business and our results of operations. For example, macroeconomic events, including rising inflation, tensions in U.S.-China relations, high interest rates, recent and potential future disruptions in access to bank deposits and lending commitments due to bank failures, wars, conflicts and political tensions in certain regions have led to economic uncertainty and volatility globally. In addition, changes in trade policy, including existing and potential tariffs and other trade restrictions on vehicles, electronics and other components used in our hardware and the vehicles on which it is deployed, could increase our costs, disrupt our supply chain, or reduce demand for our technology and services. The effect of macroeconomic conditions may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods. Moreover, negative macroeconomic conditions could adversely impact our ability to obtain financing in the future on terms acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, geopolitical instability and related sanctions could continue to have significant ramifications on global financial markets, including volatility in the United States. Our operating results could be materially impacted by these changes and other changes in the overall macroeconomic environment and other economic factors.
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Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2025 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 3 | $ | — | $ | 3 | n/m(1) | ||||||||
| Cost of revenue | 17 | — | 17 | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Research and development | 745 | 676 | 69 | 10 | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 142 | 110 | 32 | 29 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (901) | (786) | (115) | 15 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 29 | (24) | 53 | (221) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 56 | 62 | (6) | (10) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (816) | (748) | (68) | 9 | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (816) | $ | (748) | $ | (68) | 9 | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Revenue was $3 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 due to the commercial launch of Aurora Driver for Freight in April 2025.
Cost of revenue was $17 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 due to the commercial launch of Aurora Driver for Freight in April 2025. Non-cash stock based compensation in cost of revenue was not significant.
Research and development expenses increased by $69 million, or 10%, to $745 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 from $676 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, primarily driven by increases in non-cash stock-based compensation, hardware costs for development fleets, and personnel costs, partially offset by expenses recognized as cost of revenue due to commercial launch in April 2025 and personnel costs previously recognized in research and development now included in selling, general and administrative due to a realignment of resources. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $153 million and $122 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $32 million, or 29%, to $142 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 from $110 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 primarily driven by increases in personnel costs, non-cash stock based compensation, and personnel costs previously recognized in research and development now included in selling, general and administrative due to a realignment of resources. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $35 million and $22 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in income of $29 million and expense of $24 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
Other income, net decreased by $6 million, or 10%, to $56 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, from $62 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a decrease in interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments as a result of lower market rates.
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Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 676 | $ | 716 | $ | (40) | (6) | % | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 110 | 119 | (9) | (8) | % | ||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 786 | 835 | (49) | (6) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (786) | (835) | 49 | (6) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (24) | (20) | (4) | 20 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 62 | 59 | 3 | 5 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (748) | (796) | 48 | (6) | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (748) | $ | (796) | $ | 48 | (6) | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Operating expenses
Research and development expenses decreased by $40 million, or 6%, to $676 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $716 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by decreases in non-cash stock-based compensation, hardware costs for development fleets, and personnel costs. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $122 million and $139 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $9 million, or 8%, to $110 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $119 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by decreases in insurance costs and other general and administrative costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $22 million and $21 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Other income (expense)
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in expense of $24 million and $20 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
Other income, net increased by $3 million, or 5%, to $62 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, from $59 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, our principal sources of liquidity were $221 million of cash and cash equivalents, $1,055 million of short-term investments, and $183 million of long-term investments, exclusive of restricted cash of $14 million. Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of money market funds. Investments consist of primarily U.S. Treasury securities as well as corporate bonds and commercial paper.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past. We have only recently started to generate revenue and we expect to continue to incur operating losses requiring us to opportunistically raise additional capital to support continued development and commercialization. We believe our cash on hand and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months from the date of this Annual Report.
During the three months ended December 31, 2025, we offered and sold approximately 4 million shares of Class A common stock through the ATM Program at an average price of $4.42 per share, raising $15 million in equity capital and receiving net proceeds of $15 million after transaction costs.
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During the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, we offered and sold approximately 151 million shares of Class A common stock through the ATM Program at an average price of $5.96 per share, raising $898 million in equity capital and receiving net proceeds of $874 million after transaction costs.
Cash Flows
Cash flows for the periods were as follows (in millions):
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (581) | $ | (611) | $ | (598) | |||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (245) | (172) | 8 | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 834 | 492 | 831 | ||||||||
| Net (decrease) increase | 8 | (291) | 241 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of the period | 227 | 518 | 277 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period | $ | 235 | $ | 227 | $ | 518 |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities decreased by $30 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 from $611 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 primarily due to the annual bonus being settled in equity in the current year partially offset by increased compensation and benefits.
Net cash used in operating activities increased by $13 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $598 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to advanced payments for hardware materials for fleet builds partially offset by decreases in other operating expenditures.
Cash Flows (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased by $73 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 from $172 million of net cash used in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to increased purchases of investments net of maturities.
Net cash used in investing activities increased by $180 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $8 million of net cash provided in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the net purchases of short-term investments compared to net maturities in the comparative period.
Cash used for purchases of property and equipment were $31 million, $34 million and $15 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities increased by $342 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 from $492 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 due to higher net proceeds received from equity fundraising and increased proceeds from the exercise of stock options partially offset by increased tax payments in connection with the net settlement of RSUs.
Net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $339 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $831 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 due to lower net proceeds received from equity fundraising.
Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies
Aurora may be party to various claims within the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions are expensed as incurred. We assess the need to record a liability for litigation and other loss contingencies, with reserve estimates recorded if we determine that a loss related to the matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. No material losses were recorded in the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023.
The Company has non-cancelable future minimum payments as of December 31, 2025 of: $79 million for 2026 and $13 million for 2027. Commitments under operating lease contracts are detailed within Note 8 – Leases to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
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Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of revenue and operating and other expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Acquisition Related Intangible Assets
Acquired intangible assets primarily consist of developed technology from the Company’s historical acquisitions. These assets were in-process research and development (“IPR&D”) until the assets were placed into service during the three months ended June 30, 2025. Acquired intangible assets are reviewed for impairment considerations whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If indicators of impairment exist, the Company calculates the value of the assets with significant estimates and assumptions utilized in the valuation of certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, estimated replacement cost, profit margin, opportunity cost, useful lives, and discount rates. Estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Valuation of Derivative Liabilities
The Company accounts for shares held by Reinvent Sponsor Y LLC (the “Sponsor”) not forfeited under the terms of the Merger Agreement and subject to price based vesting terms (the “Earnout Shares”) as derivative liabilities. The liability is measured at fair value on a recurring basis utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation analysis with any changes in fair value reflected in the statement of operations until the vesting conditions are met or the shares expire.
The Monte Carlo simulation analysis is dependent upon management estimates and assumptions, primarily related to expected volatility and risk-free interest rates. The expected volatility is determined based on our historical volatility as well as the historical equity volatility of comparable companies over a period that matches the expected term of the instrument. The risk-free interest rate is based on relevant U.S. treasury rates for a period that matches the expected term of the instrument.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for recently adopted accounting pronouncements.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001828108-25-000028.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” and under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to “Aurora,” “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms in this section refer to Aurora Innovation, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Percentage amounts have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain other amounts that appear in this Annual Report may not sum due to rounding.
Corporate History and Background
On November 3, 2021 (the “Closing Date”), Aurora Innovation, Inc. (f/k/a Reinvent Technology Partners Y and referred to herein as the “Company”), consummated a business combination with Aurora Innovation Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (f/k/a Aurora Innovation, Inc. and referred to herein as “Legacy Aurora”), and RTPY Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated July 14, 2021 (the “Merger Agreement” and the transactions contemplated thereby, the “Merger”), by and among the Company, Legacy Aurora and Merger Sub. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, a business combination between the Company and Legacy Aurora was effected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into Legacy Aurora, with Legacy Aurora continuing as the surviving company and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. On the Closing Date, the Company changed its name from Reinvent Technology Partners Y to Aurora Innovation, Inc.
Aurora’s Business
Aurora is developing the Aurora Driver based on what we believe to be the most advanced and scalable suite of self-driving hardware, software, and data services in the world to fundamentally transform the global transportation market. The Aurora Driver is designed as a platform to adapt and interoperate amongst vehicle types and applications. To date, it has been successfully integrated into numerous different vehicle platforms: from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles to Class 8 trucks. By creating one driver system for multiple vehicle types and use cases, Aurora’s capabilities in one market reinforce and strengthen its competitive advantages in others. For example, highway driving capabilities developed for trucking will carry over to highway segments driven by passenger vehicles in ride-hailing applications. We believe this approach will enable us to target and transform the transportation landscape, including trucking, passenger mobility, and local goods delivery market.
We expect that the Aurora Driver will ultimately be commercialized in a Driver as a Service (“DaaS”) business model, in which customers or third parties will purchase, manage, and maintain fleets directly, while subscribing to the Aurora Driver and a suite of related services. We do not intend to own nor operate a large number of vehicles ourselves. Throughout commercialization, we expect to earn revenue on a fee per mile basis. We intend to partner with OEMs, Tier 1 automotive suppliers, fleet operators, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora Driver-powered vehicles. We expect that these strategic partners will support activities such as vehicle and hardware manufacturing, financing and leasing, service and maintenance, parts replacement, facility ownership and operation, and other commercial and operational services as needed. We expect this DaaS model to enable an asset-light and high margin revenue stream for Aurora, while allowing us to scale more rapidly through partnerships. During the start of commercialization, though, we expect to briefly operate our own logistics and mobility services, where we own or lease and operate a small fleet of vehicles equipped with our Aurora Driver. This level of control is useful during early commercialization as we define operational processes and playbooks for our partners.
We plan to first launch Aurora Driver for Freight, our driverless trucking subscription service, as we believe that is where we can make the largest impact the fastest, given the massive industry demand, attractive unit economics, and the ability to deploy on high volume highway-focused routes. Future success will be dependent on our ability to execute against our product roadmap to launch Aurora Driver for Freight. From there, we plan to leverage the extensibility of the Aurora Driver to deploy and scale into the passenger mobility market with Aurora Driver for Rides (formerly Aurora Connect), our driverless ride hailing subscription service, and in the longer-term the local goods delivery market.
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Significant Events and Transactions
Public Offering
On August 2, 2024, the Company completed a public offering (the “2024 Public Offering”) of approximately 134 million shares of Class A common stock at a price of $3.60 per share, for proceeds of $466 million, net of transaction costs, including the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Global Economic Conditions
Unfavorable conditions in the economy in the United States and abroad may negatively affect the growth of our business and our results of operations. For example, macroeconomic events, including rising inflation, tensions in U.S.-China relations, the COVID-19 pandemic, high interest rates, recent and potential future disruptions in access to bank deposits and lending commitments due to bank failures, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the conflicts in the Middle East have led to economic uncertainty and volatility globally. The effect of macroeconomic conditions may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods. Moreover, negative macroeconomic conditions could adversely impact our ability to obtain financing in the future on terms acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, the geopolitical instability and related sanctions could continue to have significant ramifications on global financial markets, including volatility in the United States. Our operating results could be materially impacted by these changes and other changes in the overall macroeconomic environment and other economic factors.
Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 676 | $ | 716 | $ | (40) | (6) | % | |||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 110 | 119 | (9) | (8) | % | ||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 786 | 835 | (49) | (6) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (786) | (835) | 49 | (6) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (24) | (20) | (4) | 20 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 62 | 59 | 3 | 5% | |||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (748) | (796) | 48 | (6) | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (748) | $ | (796) | $ | 48 | (6) | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Operating expenses
Research and development expenses decreased by $40 million, or 6%, to $676 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $716 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by decreases in non-cash stock-based compensation, hardware costs for development fleets, and personnel costs. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $122 million and $139 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $9 million, or 8%, to $110 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $119 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 primarily driven by decreases in insurance costs and other general and administrative costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $22 million and $21 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Other income (expense)
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in expense of $24 million and $20 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
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Other income, net increased by $3 million, or 5%, to $62 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, from $59 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments.
Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||
| Collaboration revenue | $ | — | $ | 68 | $ | (68) | n/m(1) | ||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 716 | 677 | 39 | 6 | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 119 | 129 | (10) | (8) | % | ||||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | — | 1,114 | (1,114) | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 835 | 1,920 | (1,085) | (57) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (835) | (1,852) | 1,017 | (55) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (20) | 114 | (134) | (118) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 59 | 15 | 44 | 293% | |||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (796) | (1,723) | 927 | (54) | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (796) | $ | (1,723) | $ | 927 | (54) | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Collaboration revenue
Collaboration revenue was $68 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 under the collaboration project plan with Toyota Motor Corporation.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had recognized all revenue associated with cash payments received under the collaboration project plan and, as a result, no revenue was recognized during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Operating expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $39 million, or 6%, to $716 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $677 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by an increase in personnel and software development costs, partially offset by a decrease in hardware development costs. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $139 million and $137 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $10 million, or 8%, to $119 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $129 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by a decrease in insurance costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $21 million and $19 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The Company recognized goodwill impairment of $1,114 million during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 as a result of goodwill impairment assessments performed due to significant declines in the market price of the Company’s Class A common stock and its market capitalization. No goodwill impairment was recorded during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Other income (expense)
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in expense of $20 million and income of $114 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
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Other income, net was $59 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $15 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2024, our principal sources of liquidity were $211 million of cash and cash equivalents and $1,012 million of short-term investments, exclusive of restricted cash of $16 million. Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of money market funds and U.S. Treasury securities as well as commercial paper. Investments consist of primarily U.S. Treasury securities as well as corporate bonds.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past. We expect to continue to incur operating losses and that we will need to opportunistically raise additional capital to support the continued development and commercialization of the Aurora Driver. We believe our cash on hand and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months from the date of this Annual Report.
Cash Flows
Cash flows for the periods were as follows (in millions):
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (611) | $ | (598) | $ | (508) | |||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (172) | 8 | (852) | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 492 | 831 | 11 | ||||||||
| Net (decrease) increase | (291) | 241 | (1,349) | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of the period | 518 | 277 | 1,626 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period | $ | 227 | $ | 518 | $ | 277 |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities increased by $13 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $598 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to advanced payments for hardware materials for fleet builds partially offset by decreases in other operating expenditures.
Net cash used in operating activities increased by $90 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $508 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to receipts in the comparative period of the final payments under the collaboration project plan with Toyota.
Cash Flows (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased by $180 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $8 million of net cash provided in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the net purchases of short-term investments compared to net maturities in the comparative period.
Net cash provided by investing activities increased by $860 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $852 million of net cash used in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to the net purchases of short-term investments in the comparative period.
Cash used for purchases of property and equipment were $34 million, $15 million and $15 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $339 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 from $831 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 due to lower net proceeds received from equity fundraising.
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Net cash provided by financing activities increased by $820 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $11 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 due to net proceeds received from the Private Placement and Public Offering.
Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies
Aurora may be party to various claims within the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions are expensed as incurred. We assess the need to record a liability for litigation and other loss contingencies, with reserve estimates recorded if we determine that a loss related to the matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. No material losses were recorded in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.
The Company has entered into a contract for cloud hosting services under which non-cancelable future minimum payments as of December 31, 2024 are: $64 million for 2025, $38 million for 2026, $0 million for 2027, and $0 million for 2028. Commitments under operating lease contracts are detailed within Note 9 – Leases to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of revenue and operating and other expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Acquisition Related Intangible Assets
Acquired intangible assets primarily consist of in-process research and development (“IPR&D”) from the Company’s historical acquisitions. IPR&D assets are reviewed for impairment considerations annually on December 31, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If indicators of impairment exist, the Company calculates the value of the assets with significant estimates and assumptions utilized in the valuation of certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, estimated replacement cost, profit margin, opportunity cost, useful lives, and discount rates. Estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Valuation of Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess purchase consideration of acquired businesses over the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated for impairment annually on December 31, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of goodwill over its implied fair value.
During the second and fourth quarters of 2022, the market price of the Company’s Class A common stock and its market capitalization declined significantly. As a result, the Company determined that triggering events had occurred and goodwill impairment assessments were performed.
The Company utilized a market approach valuation method utilizing the observable market price of the Company’s Class A common stock as it represented the best evidence of the fair value of its reporting unit. Based on the results of the goodwill impairment assessment, the Company recognized a $1,114 million goodwill impairment during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022. The carrying value of goodwill was $- as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
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Valuation of Derivative Liabilities
The Company accounts for shares held by Reinvent Sponsor Y LLC (the “Sponsor”) not forfeited under the terms of the Merger Agreement and subject to price based vesting terms (the “Earnout Shares”) as derivative liabilities. The liability is measured at fair value on a recurring basis utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation analysis with any changes in fair value reflected in the statement of operations until the vesting conditions are met or the shares expire.
The Monte Carlo simulation analysis is dependent upon management estimates and assumptions, primarily related to expected volatility and risk-free interest rates. The expected volatility is determined based on a blended rate of our historical volatility as well as the historical equity volatility of comparable companies over a period that matches the expected term of the instrument. The risk-free interest rate is based on relevant U.S. treasury rates for a period that matches the expected term of the instrument.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for recently adopted accounting pronouncements.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001828108-24-000028.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” and under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to “Aurora,” “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms in this section refer to Aurora Innovation, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Percentage amounts have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain other amounts that appear in this Annual Report may not sum due to rounding.
Corporate History and Background
On November 3, 2021 (the “Closing Date”), Aurora Innovation, Inc. (f/k/a Reinvent Technology Partners Y and referred to herein as the “Company”), consummated a business combination with Aurora Innovation Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (f/k/a Aurora Innovation, Inc. and referred to herein as “Legacy Aurora”), and RTPY Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated July 14, 2021 (the “Merger Agreement” and the transactions contemplated thereby, the “Merger”), by and among the Company, Legacy Aurora and Merger Sub. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, a business combination between the Company and Legacy Aurora was effected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into Legacy Aurora, with Legacy Aurora continuing as the surviving company and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. On the Closing Date, the Company changed its name from Reinvent Technology Partners Y to Aurora Innovation, Inc.
Aurora’s Business
Aurora is developing the Aurora Driver based on what we believe to be the most advanced and scalable suite of self-driving hardware, software, and data services in the world to fundamentally transform the global transportation market. The Aurora Driver is designed as a platform to adapt and interoperate amongst vehicle types and applications. To date, it has been successfully integrated into numerous different vehicle platforms: from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles to Class 8 trucks. By creating one driver system for multiple vehicle types and use cases, Aurora’s capabilities in one market reinforce and strengthen its competitive advantages in others. For example, highway driving capabilities developed for trucking will carry over to highway segments driven by passenger vehicles in ride-hailing applications. We believe this approach will enable us to target and transform the transportation landscape, including trucking, passenger mobility, and local goods delivery market.
We expect that the Aurora Driver will ultimately be commercialized in a Driver as a Service (“DaaS”) business model, in which customers or third parties will purchase, manage, and maintain fleets directly, while subscribing to the Aurora Driver and a suite of related services. We do not intend to own nor operate a large number of vehicles ourselves. Throughout commercialization, we expect to earn revenue on a fee per mile basis. We intend to partner with OEMs, Tier 1 automotive supplier, fleet operators, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora Driver-powered vehicles. We expect that these strategic partners will support activities such as vehicle and hardware manufacturing, financing and leasing, service and maintenance, parts replacement, facility ownership and operation, and other commercial and operational services as needed. We expect this DaaS model to enable an asset-light and high margin revenue stream for Aurora, while allowing us to scale more rapidly through partnerships. During the start of commercialization, though, we expect to briefly operate our own logistics and mobility services, where we own or lease and operate a small fleet of vehicles equipped with our Aurora Driver. This level of control is useful during early commercialization as we define operational processes and playbooks for our partners.
We plan to first launch Aurora Horizon, our driverless trucking subscription service, as we believe that is where we can make the largest impact the fastest, given the massive industry demand, attractive unit economics, and the ability to deploy on high volume highway-focused routes. Future success will be dependent on our ability to execute against our product roadmap to launch Aurora Horizon. From there, we plan to leverage the extensibility of the Aurora Driver to deploy and scale into the passenger mobility market with Aurora Connect, our driverless ride hailing subscription service, and in the longer-term the local goods delivery market.
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Significant Events and Transactions
Private Placement
On July 21, 2023, we completed a private placement (the “Private Placement”), in which we sold approximately 222 million shares of Class A common stock at a price of $2.70 per share, for proceeds of $584 million, net of transaction costs.
In connection with the Private Placement, we entered into a registration rights agreement, dated July 18, 2023 (“Private Placement Registration Rights Agreement”), with certain existing institutional and strategic investors, entities affiliated with two of our directors, and new institutional investors. Pursuant to the Private Placement Registration Rights Agreement, on July 21, 2023, we filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the registration for resale of the securities sold in the Private Placement.
Public Offering
On July 21, 2023, we completed a public offering (the “Public Offering”) of approximately 73 million shares of Class A common stock at a price of $3.00 per share, for proceeds of $212 million, net of transaction costs. Following the Public Offering, we issued an additional 11 million shares of our Class A common stock in connection with the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, for proceeds of $32 million, net of transaction costs.
Continental Strategic Partnership Agreement
On April 26, 2023, we entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH and its wholly owned subsidiary, Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH (collectively, “Continental”), which was amended on August 30, 2023 to memorialize a short term extension of the finalization period. On September 27, 2023, the parties further amended and restated the Strategic Partnership Agreement in its entirety, which among other things, marked the completion of such finalization period, memorialized the achievement of a milestone contemplated therein, aligned on additional parameters, including certain additional details related to development costs and costs of Aurora’s future generation of its Aurora Driver hardware system, finalized certain appendices in accordance therewith, and extended the term of the agreement for an additional three months. Pursuant to the Strategic Partnership Agreement, Continental will, among other things, act as our “Hardware-as-a-Service” partner for the production, provision, and full lifecycle support of the future generation of the Aurora Driver system. The Strategic Partnership Agreement provides that we will pay Continental on a per-mile basis for vehicles operated by the Aurora Driver using the future generation of our Aurora Driver hardware system. The term of the Strategic Partnership Agreement continues until March 31, 2031. Pursuant to the Strategic Partnership Agreement, Aurora and Continental are each subject to defined and limited exclusivity periods, subject to various exclusions and early termination triggers.
Global Economic Conditions
Unfavorable conditions in the economy in the United States and abroad may negatively affect the growth of our business and our results of operations. For example, macroeconomic events, including rising inflation, tensions in U.S.-China relations, the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates, recent and potential future disruptions in access to bank deposits and lending commitments due to bank failures, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Israel-Hamas war have led to economic uncertainty and volatility globally. The effect of macroeconomic conditions may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods. Moreover, negative macroeconomic conditions could adversely impact our ability to obtain financing in the future on terms acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, the geopolitical instability and related sanctions could continue to have significant ramifications on global financial markets, including volatility in the United States. Our operating results could be materially impacted by these changes and other changes in the overall macroeconomic environment and other economic factors.
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Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||
| Collaboration revenue | $ | — | $ | 68 | $ | (68) | n/m(1) | ||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 716 | 677 | 39 | 6 | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 119 | 129 | (10) | (8) | % | ||||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | — | 1,114 | (1,114) | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 835 | 1,920 | (1,085) | (57) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (835) | (1,852) | 1,017 | (55) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (20) | 114 | (134) | (118) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income, net | 59 | 15 | 44 | 293% | |||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (796) | (1,723) | 927 | (54) | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (796) | $ | (1,723) | $ | 927 | (54) | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Collaboration revenue
Collaboration revenue was $68 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 under the collaboration project plan with Toyota Motor Corporation.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had recognized all revenue associated with cash payments received under the collaboration project plan and. As a result, no revenue was recognized during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Operating expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $39 million, or 6%, to $716 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $677 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by an increase in personnel and software development costs, partially offset by a decrease in hardware development costs. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $139 million and $137 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $10 million, or 8%, to $119 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $129 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 primarily driven by a decrease in insurance costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $21 million and $19 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The Company recognized goodwill impairment of $1,114 million during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 as a result of goodwill impairment assessments performed due to significant declines in the market price of the Company’s Class A common stock and its market capitalization. No goodwill impairment was recorded during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Other income (expense)
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in an expense of $20 million and income of $114 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
Other income, net was $59 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $15 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments.
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Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Collaboration revenue | $ | 68 | $ | 82 | $ | (14) | (17) | % | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 677 | 697 | (20) | (3) | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 129 | 116 | 13 | 11 | % | ||||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | 1,114 | — | 1,114 | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 1,920 | 813 | 1,107 | 136 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (1,852) | (731) | (1,121) | 153 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 114 | (20) | 134 | (670) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 15 | (9) | 24 | -267% | |||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (1,723) | (760) | (963) | 127 | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax benefit | — | (5) | 5 | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (1,723) | $ | (755) | $ | (968) | 128 | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Collaboration revenue
Collaboration revenue decreased by $14 million, or 17%, to $68 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $82 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 due to lower hours incurred under the collaboration project plan with Toyota Motor Corporation.
Operating expenses
Research and development decreased by $20 million, or 3%, to $677 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $697 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by a decrease in stock-based compensation and severance expense, partially offset by an increase in payroll costs, stock-based compensation and other software and hardware developments costs.
Selling, general and administrative increased by $13 million, or 11%, to $129 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $116 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by an increase in payroll, stock-based compensation and insurance costs, partially offset by a decrease in and professional services costs.
Other income (expense), net
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in income of $114 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from a loss of $20 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
Other income, net was $15 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to transaction costs and losses on the disposal of IT equipment. Other expense, net was $9 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily related to interest income earned on short-term investments.
Income tax benefit
An income tax benefit was recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 due to the release of a deferred tax asset valuation allowance as a result of deferred tax liabilities incurred from the acquisition of OURS Technology, Inc.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2023, our principal sources of liquidity were $501 million of cash and cash equivalents, $699 million of short-term investments, and $148 million of long-term investments with maturities within 2 years, exclusive of restricted cash of $17 million. Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of money market funds and U.S. Treasury securities as well as commercial paper. Short-term and long-term investments consist of primarily U.S. Treasury securities as well as corporate bonds.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past. We expect to continue to incur operating losses and that we will need to opportunistically raise additional capital to support the continued development and commercialization of the Aurora Driver. We believe our cash on hand and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months from the date of this Annual Report.
Cash Flows
Cash flows for the periods were as follows (in millions):
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (598) | $ | (508) | $ | (564) | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 8 | (852) | 250 | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 831 | 11 | 1,540 | ||||||||
| Net increase (decrease) | 241 | (1,349) | 1,226 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of the period | 277 | 1,626 | 400 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period | $ | 518 | $ | 277 | $ | 1,626 |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities increased by $90 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $508 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to receipts in the comparative period of the final payments under the collaboration project plan with Toyota.
Net cash used in operating activities decreased by $56 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $564 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to an increase of cash received under the collaboration project plan with Toyota and a decrease of professional expenses and other non-recurring expenses paid in connection with the acquisition of ATG partially offset by increased incentive compensation payments.
Cash Flows Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities increased by $860 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $852 million of net cash used in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the net purchases of short-term investments in the comparative period.
Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $1,102 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $250 million of net cash provided in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to net purchases of short-term investments, partially offset by net cash acquired through the acquisitions of businesses in the comparative period.
Cash used for purchases of property and equipment were $15 million, $15 million and $48 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023,2022 and 2021, respectively.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities increased by $820 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 from $11 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 due to net proceeds received from the Private Placement and Public Offering,
Net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $1,529 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $1,540 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 due to the comparative period including net proceeds from the Merger and net proceeds from the issuance of Series U-2 preferred stock.
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Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies
Aurora may be party to various claims within the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions are expensed as incurred. We assess the need to record a liability for litigation and other loss contingencies, with reserve estimates recorded if we determine that a loss related to the matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. No material losses were recorded in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
The Company has entered into a contract for cloud hosting services under which non-cancelable future minimum payments as of December 31, 2023 are: $61 million for 2024, $64 million for 2025, $38 million for 2026, and $0 million for 2027. Commitments under operating lease contracts are detailed within Note 10 – Leases to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of revenue and operating and other expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Acquisition Related Intangible Assets
Acquired intangible assets primarily consist of in-process research and development (“IPR&D”) from the Company’s historical acquisitions. IPR&D assets are reviewed for impairment considerations annually on December 31, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If indicators of impairment exist, the Company calculates the value of the assets with significant estimates and assumptions utilized in the valuation of certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, estimated replacement cost, profit margin, opportunity cost, useful lives, and discount rates. Estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Valuation of Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess purchase consideration of acquired businesses over the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated for impairment annually on December 31, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of goodwill over its implied fair value.
During the second and fourth quarters of 2022, the market price of the Company’s Class A common stock and its market capitalization declined significantly. As a result, the Company determined that triggering events had occurred and goodwill impairment assessments were performed.
The Company utilized a market approach valuation method utilizing the observable market price of the Company’s Class A common stock as it represented the best evidence of the fair value of its reporting unit. Based on the results of the goodwill impairment assessment, the Company recognized a $1,114 million goodwill impairment during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022. The carrying value of goodwill was $- as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
Valuation of Derivative Liabilities
The Company accounts for shares held by Reinvent Sponsor Y LLC (the “Sponsor”) not forfeited under the terms of the Merger Agreement and subject to price based vesting terms (the “Earnout Shares”) as a derivative liabilities. The liability is measured at fair value on a recurring basis utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation analysis with any changes in fair value reflected in the statement of operations until the vesting conditions are met or the shares expire.
The Monte Carlo simulation analysis is dependent upon management estimates and assumptions, primarily related to expected volatility and risk-free interest rates. The expected volatility is determined based on the historical equity volatility of comparable companies over a period that matches the expected term of the instrument. The risk-free interest rate is based on relevant U.S. treasury rates for a period that matches the expected term of the instrument.
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Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for recently adopted accounting pronouncements.
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001828108-23-000020.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations of Aurora should be read together with Aurora’s Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. The forward-looking statements are dependent upon events, risks and uncertainties that may be outside of Aurora’s control and actual results may differ significantly from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause future results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those discussed in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report and under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Percentage amounts included in this Annual Report have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts in this Annual Report may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain other amounts that appear in this Annual Report may not sum due to rounding.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section to “Aurora,” “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms refer to Legacy Aurora prior to the Merger and to Aurora and its consolidated subsidiaries after giving effect to the Merger.
Aurora’s Business
Aurora is developing the Aurora Driver based on what it believes to be the most advanced and scalable suite of self-driving hardware, software, and data services in the world to fundamentally transform the global transportation market. The Aurora Driver is designed as a platform to adapt and interoperate amongst vehicle types and applications. To date, it has been successfully integrated into numerous different vehicle platforms: from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles to Class 8 trucks. By creating one driver system for multiple vehicle types and use cases, Aurora’s capabilities in one market reinforce and strengthen its competitive advantages in others. For example, highway driving capabilities developed for trucking will carry to highway segments driven by passenger vehicles in ride hailing applications. We believe this approach will enable us to target and transform multiple massive markets, including trucking, passenger mobility, and local goods delivery market.
We expect that the Aurora Driver will ultimately be commercialized in a Driver as a Service (“DaaS”) business model, in which we will supply self-driving technology. We do not intend to own nor operate a large number of vehicles ourselves. Throughout commercialization, we expect to earn revenue on a fee per mile basis. We intend to partner with OEMs, fleet operators, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora-powered vehicles. We expect that these strategic partners will support activities such as vehicle manufacturing, financing and leasing, service and maintenance, parts replacement, facility ownership and operation, and other commercial and operational services as needed. We expect this DaaS model to enable an asset-light and high margin revenue stream for Aurora, while allowing us to scale more rapidly through partnerships. During the start of commercialization, though, we expect to briefly operate our own logistics and mobility services, where we own and operate a small fleet of vehicles equipped with our Aurora Driver. This level of control is useful during early commercialization as we will define operational processes and playbooks for our partners.
We plan to first launch Aurora Horizon, our driverless trucking subscription service, as we believe that is where we can make the largest impact the fastest, given the massive industry demand, attractive unit economics, and the ability to deploy on high volume highway-focused routes. Future success will be dependent on our ability to execute against our product roadmap to launch Aurora Horizon. From there, we plan to leverage the extensibility of the Aurora Driver to deploy and scale into the passenger mobility market with Aurora Connect, our driverless ride hailing subscription service, and in the longer-term the local goods delivery market.
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Significant Events and Transactions
The Merger
On November 3, 2021, the Company consummated a business combination with Legacy Aurora pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement.
The Merger was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization. Under this method of accounting, Legacy Aurora was treated as the acquirer while the Company was treated as the acquired company for financial statement reporting purposes. The Merger provided an increase in cash and cash equivalents of $1,134 million including $1,000 million in proceeds from the private investment in public equity (“PIPE”) transaction that was consummated with the Merger. Transaction costs incurred by both parties to the Merger totaled $88 million.
As a result of the Merger, we became the successor to a SEC-registered and Nasdaq-listed company which required us to hire additional personnel and implement procedures and processes to address public company regulatory requirements and customary practices. We expect to incur additional annual expenses as a public company for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees and additional internal and external accounting and legal and administrative resources, including increased audit and legal fees.
ATG Business Combination
On January 19, 2021, Aurora acquired 100% of the voting interests of ATG, the self-driving technology division of Uber. The acquisition date fair value of the consideration transferred was $1,916 million, which consisted of both preferred and common stock issued to the shareholders of ATG. Aurora accounted for the acquisition as a business combination and recognized the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value on the date of acquisition. The excess of purchase consideration over the fair value of the assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.
Global Economic Conditions
The COVID-19 pandemic that began in late 2019 introduced significant volatility to the global economy, disrupted supply chains and had a widespread adverse effect on the financial markets. Additionally, changes in economic conditions, supply chain constraints, logistics challenges, labor shortages, the conflict in Ukraine, and steps taken by governments and central banks, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other stimulus and spending programs, have led to higher inflation, which has led to an increase in costs and has caused changes in fiscal and monetary policy, including increased interest rates. Our operating results could be materially impacted by these changes and other changes in the overall macroeconomic environment and other economic factors.
Worldwide economic conditions remain uncertain, particularly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased inflation. The general economic and capital market conditions both in the U.S. and worldwide, have been volatile in the past. The capital and credit markets may not be available to support future capital raising activity on favorable terms. If economic conditions decline, our future cost of equity or debt capital and access to the capital markets could be adversely affected.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Collaboration revenue | $ | 68 | $ | 82 | $ | (14) | (17) | % | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 677 | 697 | (20) | (3) | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 129 | 116 | 13 | 11 | % | ||||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | 1,114 | — | 1,114 | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 1,920 | 813 | 1,107 | 136 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (1,852) | (731) | (1,121) | 153 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | 114 | (20) | 134 | (670) | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 15 | (9) | 24 | (267) | % | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (1,723) | (760) | (963) | 127 | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax benefit | — | (5) | 5 | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (1,723) | $ | (755) | $ | (968) | 128 | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Collaboration revenue
Collaboration revenue decreased by $14 million, or 17%, to $68 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $82 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 due to lower hours incurred under the collaboration project plan with Toyota Motor Corporation. Through December 31, 2022, the Company has recognized all $150 million of collaboration revenue provided under the collaboration project plan.
Operating expenses
Research and development decreased by $20 million, or 3%, to $677 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $697 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by a decrease in stock-based compensation and severance expense, partially offset by an increase in payroll costs and hardware developments costs.
Selling, general and administrative increased by $13 million, or 11%, to $129 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from $116 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by an increase in payroll, stock-based compensation and insurance costs, partially offset by a decrease in professional services costs.
The Company recognized a goodwill impairment of $1,114 million during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 as a result of goodwill impairment assessments performed due to significant declines in the market price of the Company’s Class A common stock and its market capitalization during the second and fourth quarters.
Other income (expense)
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in a gain of $114 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from a loss of $20 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
Other income, net was $15 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to interest income earned on short-term investments. Other expense, net was $9 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to transaction costs and losses on the disposal of IT equipment.
Income tax benefit
An income tax benefit was recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 due to the release of a deferred tax asset valuation allowance as a result of deferred tax liabilities incurred from the acquisition of OURS Technology, Inc.
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Comparison of the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021 to the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2020
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except for percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Collaboration revenue | $ | 82 | $ | — | $ | 82 | n/m(1) | ||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 697 | 179 | 518 | 289 | % | ||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 116 | 39 | 77 | 197 | % | ||||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | — | — | — | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 813 | 218 | 595 | 273 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (731) | (218) | (513) | 235 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (20) | — | (20) | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (9) | 4 | (13) | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (760) | (214) | (546) | 255 | % | ||||||||||
| Income tax benefit | (5) | — | (5) | n/m(1) | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (755) | $ | (214) | $ | (541) | 253 | % |
(1) Not meaningful.
Collaboration revenue
Collaboration revenue increased by $82 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 due to hours incurred under the collaboration project plan with Toyota Motor Corporation.
Operating expenses
Research and development increased by $518 million, or 289%, to $697 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 from $179 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, primarily driven by an increase in payroll costs, stock-based compensation and other software and hardware developments costs.
Selling, general and administrative increased by $77 million, or 197%, to $116 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 from $39 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, primarily driven by an increase in payroll and professional services costs.
Other income (expense), net
The change in fair value of derivative liabilities resulted in a loss of $20 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to the change in the market price for the underlying instrument.
Other expense, net was $9 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to transaction costs and losses on the disposal of IT equipment. Other income, net was $4 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, primarily related to interest income earned on short-term investments.
Income tax benefit
An income tax benefit was recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 due to the release of a deferred tax asset valuation allowance as a result of deferred tax liabilities incurred from the acquisition of OURS Technology, Inc.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2022, our principal sources of liquidity were $262 million of cash and cash equivalents and $839 million of short-term investments, exclusive of restricted cash of $15 million. Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of money market funds and U.S. Treasury securities. Short-term investments consist of U.S. Treasury securities.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past. We expect to continue to incur operating losses and that we will need to opportunistically raise additional capital to support the continued development and commercialization of the Aurora Driver. We believe our cash on hand and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months from the date of this Annual Report.
Cash Flows
Cash flows for the periods were as follows (in millions):
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (508) | $ | (564) | $ | (192) | |||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (852) | 250 | 343 | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 11 | 1,540 | 2 | ||||||||
| Net (decrease) increase | (1,349) | 1,226 | 153 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of the period | 1,626 | 400 | 247 | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period | $ | 277 | $ | 1,626 | $ | 400 |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $508 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $56 million from $564 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021. The change in operating cash flows was primarily due to an increase of cash received under the collaboration project plan with Toyota Motor Corporation and a decrease of professional expenses and other expenses paid in connection with the acquisition of ATG which did not recur during the most recent period partially offset by increased incentive compensation payments.
Net cash used in operating activities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 increased $372 million from $192 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to increased payroll costs due to an increased headcount resulting from acquisitions.
Cash Flows (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased by $1,102 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 from the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the net purchases of short-term investments of $837 million, and the comparative period including $294 million in net cash acquired through the acquisitions of businesses.
Net cash provided by investing activities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 decreased by $93 million from $343 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020 primarily due net maturities of short-term investments in the comparative period, partially offset by net cash acquired through the acquisitions of businesses.
Cash used for purchases of property and equipment were $15 million, $48 million and $7 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 included net proceeds from the Merger of $1,134 million and net proceeds from the issuance of Series U-2 preferred stock of $398 million.
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Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies
Aurora may be party to various claims within the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions are expensed as incurred. We assess the need to record a liability for litigation and other loss contingencies, with reserve estimates recorded if we determine that a loss related to the matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. No material losses were recorded in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
The Company has entered into a contract for cloud hosting services under which non-cancelable future minimum payments as of December 31, 2022 are: $61 million for 2023, $61 million for 2024, $64 million for 2025, and $38 million for 2026. Commitments under operating lease contracts are detailed within Note 10 – Leases to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of revenue and operating and other expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Business Combinations
We allocate the fair value of the purchase consideration to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Such fair values require significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to the valuation of acquired intangible assets. Significant estimates and assumptions utilized in the valuation of certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, estimated replacement cost, profit margin, opportunity cost, useful lives, and discount rates. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. Measurement period adjustments are reflected at the time identified, up through the conclusion of the measurement period, which is the time at which all necessary information is received, and is not to exceed one year from the acquisition date.
Valuation of Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess purchase consideration of acquired businesses over the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated for impairment annually on December 31, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of goodwill over its implied fair value.
During the second and fourth quarters of 2022, the market price of the Company’s Class A common stock and its market capitalization declined significantly. As a result, the Company determined that triggering events had occurred and goodwill impairment assessments were performed.
The Company utilized a market approach valuation method utilizing the observable market price of the Company’s Class A common stock as it represented the best evidence of the fair value of its reporting unit. Based on the results of the goodwill impairment assessment, the Company recognized a $1,114 million goodwill impairment during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.
Valuation of Derivative Liabilities
The Company accounts for shares held by Reinvent Sponsor Y LLC (the “Sponsor”) not forfeited under the terms of the Merger Agreement and subject to price based vesting terms (the “Earnout Shares”) as a derivative liabilities. The liability is measured at fair value on a recurring basis utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation analysis with any changes in fair value reflected in the statement of operations until the vesting conditions are met or the shares expire.
The Monte Carlo simulation analysis is dependent upon management estimates and assumptions, primarily related to expected volatility and risk-free interest rates. The expected volatility is determined based on the historical equity volatility of comparable companies over a period that matches the expected term of the instrument. The risk-free interest rate is based on relevant U.S. treasury rates for a period that matches the expected term of the instrument.
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Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for recently adopted accounting pronouncements.
Emerging Growth Company Status
Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. This may make it difficult to compare our financial results with the financial results of other public companies that are either not emerging growth companies or emerging growth companies that have chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001628280-22-005886.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations of Aurora should be read together with Aurora’s audited financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2021and 2020, together with related notes thereto, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The discussion and analysis should also be read together with the section entitled “Information about Aurora”. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. The forward-looking statements are dependent upon events, risks and uncertainties that may be outside of Aurora’s control. Aurora’s actual results may differ significantly from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause future results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Percentage amounts included in this Annual Report have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts in this Annual Report may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain other amounts that appear in this Annual Report may not sum due to rounding.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section to “Aurora,” “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms refer to Legacy Aurora prior to the Business Combination and to Aurora and its consolidated subsidiaries after giving effect to the Business Combination.
Aurora’s Business
Aurora is developing the Aurora Driver based on what it believes to be the most advanced and scalable suite of self-driving hardware, software, and data services in the world to fundamentally transform the over $9 trillion global transportation market. The Aurora Driver is designed as a platform to adapt and interoperate amongst vehicle types and applications. To date, it has been successfully integrated into eight different vehicle platforms: from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles to Class 8 trucks. By creating one driver system for multiple vehicle types and use cases, Aurora’s capabilities in one market reinforce and strengthen its competitive advantages in others. For example, highway driving capabilities developed for trucking will carry to highway segments driven by passenger vehicles in ride hailing applications. We believe this approach will enable us to target and transform multiple massive markets, including the $4 trillion global trucking market, the $5 trillion global passenger mobility market, and the $400 billion U.S. local goods delivery market.
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We expect that the Aurora Driver will ultimately be commercialized in a Driver as a Service (“DaaS”) business model, in which we will supply self-driving technology. We do not intend to own nor operate a large number of vehicles ourselves. Throughout commercialization, we expect to earn revenue on a fee per mile basis. We intend to partner with OEMs, fleet operators, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora-powered vehicles. We expect that these strategic partners will support activities such as vehicle manufacturing, financing and leasing, service and maintenance, parts replacement, facility ownership and operation, and other commercial and operational services as needed. During the start of commercialization, though, we expect to briefly operate our own logistics and mobility services, where we own and operate a small fleet of vehicles equipped with our Aurora Driver. This level of control is useful during early commercialization as we will define operational processes and playbooks for our partners.
We intend to launch trucking as our first driverless product, as we believe that is where we can make the largest impact the fastest, given the massive industry demand, attractive unit economics, and the ability to deploy on high volume highway-focused routes. From there, we plan to leverage the extensibility of the Aurora Driver to deploy and scale into the passenger mobility and local goods delivery markets.
Our Business Model
The Aurora Driver will be delivered as a service. We intend to partner with our ecosystem of OEMs, fleet operators, and mobility and logistics services, and other third parties to commercialize and support Aurora-powered vehicles. Our business model is for fleet owners to purchase Aurora Driver-powered vehicles from our OEM partners, subscribe to the Aurora Driver, and utilize Aurora-certified fleet service partners to operate autonomous mobility and logistics services. In many instances, the same party may play multiple roles: for example, our OEM partners will in certain cases also provide maintenance services and act as a fleet operator. We expect this DaaS model to enable an asset-light and high margin revenue stream for Aurora, while allowing us to scale more rapidly through partnerships.
Significant Events and Transactions
RTPY Business Combination
On November 3, 2021 (the “Closing Date”), Aurora Innovation Holdings, Inc. merged with and into Merger Sub, a wholly owned subsidiary of RTPY pursuant to the terms of Agreement and Plan of Merger dated July 14, 2021, with RTPY, now known as Aurora Innovation Inc., (the “Business Combination”). Aurora was deemed the accounting predecessor and the post-combination company will be the successor SEC registrant, which means that Aurora’s financial statements for previous periods will be disclosed in our future periodic reports filed with the SEC.
The Business Combination was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization. Under this method of accounting, RTPY was treated as the acquired company for financial statement reporting purposes. The most significant impact of the Business Combination on our reported financial position was an increase in cash and cash equivalents of $1.1 billion including $1.0 billion in proceeds from the PIPE investment that was consummated with the closing of the Business Combination. Transaction costs incurred by both parties to the Business Combination totaled $88.2 million.
As a consequence of the Business Combination, we became the successor to a SEC-registered and Nasdaq-listed company which requires us to hire additional personnel and implement procedures and processes to address public company regulatory requirements and customary practices. We expect to incur additional annual expenses as a public company for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees and additional internal and external accounting and legal and administrative resources, including increased audit and legal fees.
Apparate Business Combination
On January 19, 2021, Aurora acquired 100% of the voting interests of Apparate USA LLC (“Apparate”), the self-driving technology division of Uber. The acquisition date fair value of the consideration transferred was approximately $1.9 billion, which consisted of both preferred and common stock issued to the shareholders of Apparate. Aurora accounted for the acquisition as a business combination and recognized the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value on the date of acquisition. The excess of purchase consideration over the fair value of the assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.
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COVID-19 Impact
The spread of COVID-19 caused us to modify our business practices (including reducing employee travel, recommending that all non-essential personnel work from home and cancelling or reducing physical participation in activities, meetings, events and conferences), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, suppliers, and business partners. Aurora has implemented a voluntary return to office policy for its employees.
All of our products and services are in a research phase of development and do not involve physical customer interaction. Therefore, our ability to meet our business expectations and customers’ needs has not been materially impaired due to this COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the global economic implications remain uncertain, this pandemic has not yet had any measurable material impact on our operating results. At the same time, we will continue to actively monitor the pandemic situation and may take further actions to modify our business practices as may be required by federal, state, or local authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees and customers.
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend to a significant extent on the following factors:
Development of Our Technology
Since Aurora’s inception, we have focused on attracting and retaining best-in-class talent to solve self-driving’s most difficult challenges. We continue to invest heavily in employee recruitment and retention to advance our technology. Additionally, our team has made purposeful and foundational technological investments in key aspects of self-driving hardware and software. We believe these early investments in our technology will enable us to move toward commercialization more safely and quickly than would otherwise be possible. When we have deemed it to be beneficial, we have entered into strategic acquisitions to expand and accelerate our technology development.
We believe that our developmental approach provides us with meaningful technological advantages in areas such as our lidar technology, fusion of machine learning and engineered approaches, common driver platform, virtual testing, and high definition maps. The successful execution of these details of self-driving technology is what we believe will allow us to differentiate ourselves by developing leading self-driving technology that can safely and reliably navigate its environment. By developing a substantial part of this technology in-house, we ensure that the various inputs and components of our autonomy stack integrate successfully and reduce our reliance on third parties for key aspects of our commercial product offering.
While we believe we are best positioned to address advanced autonomous solutions in trucking and passenger mobility, potential competition may exist from other autonomous technology providers using other approaches. Future success will be dependent on our ability to continue to execute against our product roadmap, which includes milestones to commercialize the Aurora Driver in late 2023 for trucking and late 2024 for ride hailing.
Commercialization and Strategic Partnerships
We anticipate robust demand for the Aurora Driver. We intend to launch first in trucking, a $700 billion industry in the U.S.. Further, we have multiple levers for sustained growth and adjacent market opportunities, with a core strategy to focus on attractive markets with significant growth and profitability potential. We expect to penetrate into other verticals such as the ride hailing market, $35 billion in the U.S., and local goods delivery market, $100 billion in the U.S, both of which have significant growth potential. Each such market also has a potentially significant global opportunity that we intend to address over time.
Key customers in trucking include for-hire carriers and private fleets. To meet these customers’ needs, we have formed strategic partnerships with two leading truck OEMs who together represent approximately 50% of the U.S. Class 8 truck sales. Aurora’s strategic partnerships with truck OEMs include PACCAR (representing Peterbilt & Kenworth brands) and Volvo Trucks. Our OEM partnerships represent an ability to deploy self-driving trucks at scale, allowing the Aurora Driver to expand quickly. We expect to launch the Aurora Driver for the trucking market in late 2023. Currently, there is a significant driver shortage and we expect to provide access to safe, efficient, and consistent operation at an attractive total cost of ownership (“TCO”). We see our existing partner base as a substantial competitive advantage.
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Our second commercial use case will be passenger mobility. In this space, we have formed strategic partnerships with Uber and Toyota, which will be key enablers to our growth in this segment. Currently, our ten-year agreement with Uber provides us access to Uber network data to refine market selection, to enable better roadmap prioritization, and to optimize commercial fleet operations in an effort to further develop and monetize our Aurora Driver for passenger mobility. We are collaborating with Toyota to integrate the Aurora Driver into driverless-capable Toyota Sienna minivans. We expect to launch the Aurora Driver for the passenger mobility market in late 2024. Over time, we anticipate the Aurora Driver will allow ride hailing to be offered at price points that are more cost-competitive with personal vehicle ownership.
Economies of Scale, Sales and Marketing, & Competition
We believe that our DaaS model will give us the opportunity to establish high margin unit economics when operating at scale. Our future performance will depend on our ability to deliver on these economies of scale with higher volume. We believe our business model is positioned for scalability by leveraging third party partnerships so that Aurora can focus its efforts on core technology development. We expect revenue will be based on miles traveled for each truck equipped with the Aurora Driver. For the first two years of commercial operations we expect our product will primarily consist of our own fleet that we own and operate. Over those two years, we plan to transition to our DaaS model wherein we will provide the Aurora Driver to external fleet owners on a per mile subscription basis. Once we have transitioned to DaaS, we plan to operate in a capital light model and do not expect that we will require significant capital expenditures as revenues grow.
While we expect to achieve and maintain high margins on the Aurora Driver technology for trucking and passenger mobility, emergence of competition in advanced autonomous driving technologies may negatively impact pricing, margins, and market share. As we operate on a fee per mile basis, it is possible that competition may lead to pricing pressure and lower margins that negatively impact operating results. However, we believe our unique technology provides a compelling value proposition for favorable margins and unit economics in industries with increasing demand for driver supply. If we do not generate the margins we expect upon commercialization of our DaaS model, we may be required to raise additional debt or equity capital, which may not be available or may only be available on terms that are onerous to our stockholders.
Key Components of Sales and Expenses
Basis of Presentation
Currently, we conduct business through one operating segment. Substantially all our property and equipment are maintained in, and our losses are attributable to, the United States. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Aurora Innovation, Inc., and its wholly owned subsidiaries. See Note 2 to Aurora’s financial statements for more information on the basis of presentation and operating segments.
Revenue
In January 2021, we entered into a collaboration framework agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation with the intention of deploying the Aurora Driver into a fleet of Toyota Sienna vehicles, subject to further agreement of a collaboration project plan that was agreed and signed in August 2021. The agreement includes $150 million of total payments of which we had received $50 million as of December 31, 2021 and expect to receive the remaining payments in 2022. Revenue recognition is measured by applying an input measure of hours expended as a percentage of total estimated hours to complete the project against total consideration. $82.5 million was recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2021.
Once we reach commercialization, our DaaS business model will become our primary revenue source. We expect to derive recurring revenue from per-mile fees charged to users of the Aurora Driver. Recognition of this future revenue will be subject to the terms of any arrangements with our partners or users, which have not yet been negotiated. To date, we have not recorded any revenue under this model.
Cost of Revenue
As we transition towards commercialization, we expect cost of revenue to increasingly be comprised of costs needed to support the Aurora Driver. We expect these costs may include, but not be limited to, insurance, teleassistance service, telecom connectivity, cloud services, hardware, and OEM licensing fees. In early commercialization, where we will operate a fleet, we expect we will incur additional cost of revenue, for example fuel costs, that we do not expect to continue
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significantly as we transition to our DaaS model. As this represents a new offering, we will evolve the specifics of our service bundle in partnership with our customers.
Research and Development
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs consist of payroll, hardware and electrical engineering prototyping, cloud computing, data labeling, and third-party development services, as well as costs associated with vehicle operations for our test fleet of vehicles. These costs are included within research and development within the statement of operations. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we increase our investment in scaling our proprietary technologies.
Selling, General and Administrative
Selling, general and administrative costs consist primarily of personnel-related expenses such as salaries, wages and benefits as well as stock-based compensation. Selling, general and administrative also includes professional service fees, marketing and other general corporate expenses.
Following the closing of the Business Combination, we expect to incur additional selling, general and administrative expenses as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and stock exchange listing standards, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities, and other administrative and professional services. We also expect to increase the size of our selling, general and administrative function to support the growth of our business. As a result, we expect that our selling, general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars.
Interest and Other Income
Aurora earns interest income through investments in money market securities, which are classified as cash and cash equivalents on the statement of financial position.
Change in Fair Value of Derivative Liabilities
Concurrent with the Closing of the Business Combination, we assumed and effectively issued for financial reporting purposes public warrants, private placement warrants, and Earnout Shares (as defined below). These financial instruments are liability classified and measured at fair value at each reporting period with the resulting change in fair value recognized as other income (expense).
Transaction Costs
Transaction costs incurred in connection with the Business Combination consisting of banking, legal and other professional fees are allocated on a relative fair value basis between the equity and liability classified issued financial instruments. Costs allocated to the liability classified financial instruments are recognized as other expense in the consolidated statement of operations.
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)
Provision for income taxes consists of U.S. federal and state income taxes and income taxes. Since inception, we have incurred operating losses. We have a valuation allowance for net deferred tax assets, including federal and state net operating loss carryforwards and research and development credit carryforwards. We expect to maintain this valuation allowance until it becomes more likely than not that the benefit of our federal and state deferred tax assets will be realized by way of expected future taxable income.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of Year Ended December 31, 2021, to Year Ended December 31, 2020
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the years indicated, and the changes between periods.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (in thousands, except for percentages) | ||||||||||||||
| Collaboration revenue | $ | 82,538 | $ | — | $ | 82,538 | n/m(1) | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 697,276 | 179,426 | 517,850 | 288.61 | % | |||||||||
| Selling, general, and administrative | 115,925 | 38,693 | 77,232 | 199.60 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (730,663) | (218,119) | (512,544) | 234.98 | % | |||||||||
| Other income (expense): | ||||||||||||||
| Interest and other income | 525 | 3,717 | (3,192) | (85.88 | %) | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liabilities | (20,116) | — | (20,116) | n/m(1) | ||||||||||
| Transaction costs | (4,516) | — | (4,516) | n/m(1) | ||||||||||
| Other expense | (5,184) | (45) | (5,139) | n/m(1) | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (759,954) | (214,447) | (545,507) | 254.38 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | (4,501) | 2 | (4,503) | n/m(1) | ||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (755,453) | $ | (214,449) | $ | (541,004) | 252.28 | % |
___________
(1)Not meaningful.
Collaboration Revenue
Collaboration revenue increased by $82.5 million in 2021 due to the collaboration framework agreement and project plan signed in 2021 with Toyota Motor Corporation.
Research and Development
Research and development increased by $517.9 million in 2021, or 288.61%, to $697.3 million in 2021 from $179.4 million in 2020, primarily driven by an increase in headcount from continued hiring to effectively scale the growth of our business. Payroll costs related to research and development increased $246.2 million, stock-based compensation increased $195.9 million, non-payroll software development costs increased $52.2 million, and non-payroll hardware development costs increased $24.2 million.
Selling, General and Administrative
Selling, general, and administrative expense increased by $77.2 million in 2021, or 199.60%, to $115.9 million in 2021 from $38.7 million in 2020, primarily driven by an increase in headcount from both acquisitions and from continued hiring to effectively support the growth of our business. This change is primarily driven by an increase in payroll costs of $34.3 million, and an increase in professional services costs of $23.2 million.
Interest and Other Income
Interest and other income decreased by $3.2 million in 2021, or 85.88%, to $0.5 million in 2021 from $3.7 million in 2020, primarily driven by lower market interest rates.
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities
Expense recognized for the change in fair value of derivative liabilities increased by $20.1 million in 2021 due to the $12.5 million increase in the fair value of the warrant liabilities and the $7.7 million increase in the Earnout Shares
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liability. These liability classified financial instruments were recognized in connection with the Business Combination when the Company effectively issued public and private placement warrants as well as shares to the Sponsor of RTPY that contain price-based vesting criteria. The $98.0 million fair value of the liabilities at Closing was re-measured as of December 31, 2021 to $118.1 million.
Transaction costs
Expensed transaction costs increased by $4.5 million in 2021 due to amounts incurred in connection with the Business Combination. Total transaction costs incurred by Legacy Aurora were $40.6 million and $4.5 million of the total was recognized as an expense in 2021. The amount expensed was determined through an allocation based on the relative fair value of the equity and liability classified financial instruments issued or deemed issued in the Business Combination.
Other expense
Other expense increased by $5.1 million in 2021 primarily driven by the loss on disposal of computers and equipment of $3.3 million and a $1.7 million impairment of acquisition related assets that are no longer in use.
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)
An income tax benefit of $4.5 million was recognized in 2021 due to the release of a deferred tax asset valuation allowance as a result of deferred tax liabilities incurred from acquisitions.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have financed our operations primarily through the issuance of equity securities, which has historically been sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. As of December 31, 2021, our principal sources of liquidity were $1,610.1 million of cash and cash equivalents, exclusive of short-term restricted cash of approximately $0.3 million and long-term restricted cash of approximately $15.8 million. Cash and cash equivalents consist primarily of money market funds.
In 2021, we sold Series U-2 redeemable convertible preferred stock for net proceeds of approximately $397.9 million in January. In November of 2021, we received proceeds of $1,175 million, net of RTPY’s liabilities, in the Business Combination.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past as reflected in our accumulated deficit of $1,091.2 million as of December 31, 2021. We expect to continue to incur operating losses at least for the next 12 months due to the investments that we intend to make in our business and, as a result, we may require additional capital resources to grow our business. We believe our cash on hand will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months from the date of this Annual Report.
We may need additional funding due to changing business conditions or other developments, including unanticipated regulatory developments and competitive pressures. Our future capital requirements will depend on several factors, including but not limited to, the rate of our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers and partnerships and their willingness to pay for our services, and the timing and extent of spending to support our efforts to develop our Aurora Driver. Further, we may enter into future arrangements to acquire or invest in businesses, products, services, strategic partnerships, and technologies. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to scale back our existing operations, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects.
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Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (563,288) | $ | (191,879) | ||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | 249,885 | 343,289 | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 1,539,822 | 1,446 | ||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | 1,226,419 | $ | 152,856 |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities increased by $371.4 million from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021 due to increases in spending on research and development and selling, general, and administrative expenses, primarily driven by increases in payroll related expenses due to an increase in headcount.
Net cash used in operating activities was $563.3 million for the year-ended December 31, 2021 and was primarily comprised of normal cash operating expenses, including research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses. Changes in operating assets and liabilities decreased cash flows from operations by $104.1 million, primarily due to a $35.8 million decrease in accrued expenses and other current and non-current liabilities and a $32.5 million increase in contract asset.
Net cash used in operating activities of $191.9 million for the year-ended December 31, 2020 was primarily comprised of normal cash operating expenses, including research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses. Changes in operating assets and liabilities decreased cash flows from operations by $11.4 million, primarily due to an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets and in other assets of $11.7 million and $14.0 million, respectively. The decrease from changes in operating assets and liabilities was partially offset by an increase in accrued expenses and other current and non-current liabilities of $13.7 million.
Cash Flows Provided by Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities decreased by $93.4 million from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021, due to a decrease of $350.0 million in the maturities, net of purchases, of short-term investments, and an increase in purchases of property and equipment of $41.4 million, partially offset by net cash acquired in the purchase of businesses in 2021 of $294.4 million,
Net cash provided by investing activities was $249.9 million for the year-ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to net cash acquired in the purchase of businesses of $294.4 million, partially offset by purchases of property and equipment of $41.4 million.
Net cash provided by investing activities was $343.3 million for the year-ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to maturities of short-term investments of $470.0 million, partially offset by purchases of short-term investments of $120.0 million.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities increased by $1,538.4 million from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021, due to net proceeds from the Business Combination of $1,134.0 million and net proceeds from the issue of Series U-2 preferred stock of $397.9 million in 2021.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $1,539.8 million for the year-ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to net proceeds from the Business Combination of $1,134 million and net proceeds from issuance of series U-2 preferred stock of $397.9 million.
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Net cash provided by investing activities was $1.4 million for the year-ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to proceeds from the issuance of common stock of $2.7 million, partially offset by payments to repurchase Series B preferred stock of $0.5 million and payments to repurchase unvested early exercised stock options of $0.8 million.
Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies
We may be party to various claims within the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions are expensed as incurred. We assess the need to record a liability for litigation and other loss contingencies, with reserve estimates recorded if we determine that a loss related to the matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. We did not record any material losses for 2020 or 2021.
Our future contractual commitments related to future minimum payments for purchase obligations at December 31, 2021 are $52.6 million in 2022, $62.8 million in 2023, $62.4 million in 2024, $64.0 million in 2025, and $27.1 million in 2026. Our future contractual commitments related to future minimum payments under non-cancelable operating leases at December 31, 2021 are $24.2 million in 2022, $24.9 million in 2023, $24.4 million in 2024, $22.7 million in 2025, $20.6 million in 2026 and $60.8 million thereafter.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or “U.S. GAAP”. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of net sales and expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Our critical accounting policies are described below.
Stock-Based Compensation
We measure and record the cost of stock-based awards granted to its employees and directors based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the awards. Cost for awards with only a service condition is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award. Costs for awards with a service and performance condition are recognized on a graded-vesting basis over the requisite service period. We elected to recognize the effect of forfeitures in the period they occur. We determine the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model, which is impacted by the following assumptions:
•Expected Term—we use the simplified method when calculating the expected term due to insufficient historical exercise data to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior.
•Expected Volatility—the volatility is based on the average historical stock volatilities of a peer group of comparable companies within the automotive and energy storage industries.
•Expected Dividend Yield—The dividend rate used is zero as we have never paid any cash dividends on its common stock and does not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future.
•Risk-Free Interest Rate—The interest rates used are based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award.
The grant date fair value of our common stock prior to the Business Combination was determined with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation specialist. The grant date fair value of our common stock was determined using valuation methodologies which utilize certain assumptions, including probability weighting of events, volatility, time to liquidation, a risk-free interest rate, and an assumption for a discount for lack of marketability (Level 3 inputs). Based on Aurora’s early stage of development and other relevant factors, it determined that an Option Pricing Model (“OPM”) was the most appropriate method for allocating its enterprise value to determine the estimated fair value of our common stock before the Business Combination. We have historically used the OPM back solve analysis to estimate the fair value of our common stock, which derives the implied equity value for one type of equity security from a contemporaneous transaction
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involving another type of security, shares of our convertible preferred stock in this instance. The estimates utilized in determining the grant date fair value for new awards will not be necessary once our shares are publicly traded.
Business Combinations
We allocate the fair value of the purchase consideration to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates and assumptions in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, estimated replacement cost, profit margin, opportunity cost, useful lives, and discount rates. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, we may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to earnings.
Valuation of Intangible Assets
Intangible assets with indefinite lives consist of in-process research and development (“IPR&D”). We test these assets for potential impairment annually as of December 31 of each fiscal year. These assets are tested annually for impairment until completion. If potential impairment is identified, the process of evaluating the potential impairment of these assets involve significant judgment regarding estimates of the future cash flows associated with each asset.
No intangible asset impairments were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2021 or 2020.
Valuation of Earnout Shares Liability
Shares held by Reinvent Sponsor Y LLC (the “Sponsor” not forfeited under the terms of the Merger Agreement and subject to price based vesting terms (the “Earnout Shares”) are accounted for as a derivative liability that is measured at fair value at Closing and remeasured in subsequent periods with changes reflected in earnings until the vesting conditions are met or the shares expire.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted as of the date of this Annual Report.
Emerging Growth Company Accounting Election
Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and has elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. This may make it difficult to compare our financial results with the financial results of other public companies that are either not emerging growth companies or emerging growth companies that have chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period.