MICROSOFT CORP (MSFT) FY 2024 MD&A

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand the results of operations and financial condition of Microsoft Corporation. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K). This section generally discusses the results of our operations for the year ended June 30, 2024 compared to the year ended June 30, 2023. For a discussion of the year ended June 30, 2023 compared to the year ended June 30, 2022, please refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023.

OVERVIEW

Microsoft is a technology company committed to making digital technology and artificial intelligence (“AI”) available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We create platforms and tools, powered by AI, that deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.

We generate revenue by offering a wide range of cloud-based solutions, content, and other services to people and businesses; licensing and supporting an array of software products; delivering relevant online advertising to a global audience; and designing and selling devices. Our most significant expenses are related to compensating employees; supporting and investing in our cloud-based services, including datacenter operations; designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling our other products and services; and income taxes.

Highlights from fiscal year 2024 compared with fiscal year 2023 included:

•
Microsoft Cloud revenue increased 23% to $137.4 billion.

•
Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 14% driven by Office 365 Commercial growth of 16%.

•
Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue increased 4% and Microsoft 365 Consumer subscribers grew to 82.5 million.

•
LinkedIn revenue increased 9%.

•
Dynamics products and cloud services revenue increased 19% driven by Dynamics 365 growth of 24%.

•
Server products and cloud services revenue increased 22% driven by Azure and other cloud services growth of 30%.

•
Windows revenue increased 8% with Windows original equipment manufacturer licensing (“Windows OEM”) revenue growth of 7% and Windows Commercial products and cloud services revenue growth of 11%.

•
Devices revenue decreased 15%.

•
Xbox content and services revenue increased 50% driven by 44 points of net impact from the Activision Blizzard Inc. (“Activision Blizzard”) acquisition. The net impact reflects the change of Activision Blizzard content from third-party to first-party.

•
Search and news advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 12%.

On October 13, 2023, we completed our acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a total purchase price of $75.4 billion, consisting primarily of cash. The financial results of Activision Blizzard have been included in our consolidated financial statements since the date of the acquisition. Activision Blizzard is reported as part of our More Personal Computing segment. Refer to Note 8 – Business Combinations of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

39

PART II

Item 7

Industry Trends

Our industry is dynamic and highly competitive, with frequent changes in both technologies and business models. Each industry shift is an opportunity to conceive new products, new technologies, or new ideas that can further transform the industry and our business. At Microsoft, we push the boundaries of what is possible through a broad range of research and development activities that seek to identify and address the changing demands of customers and users, industry trends, and competitive forces.

Economic Conditions, Challenges, and Risks

The markets for software, devices, and cloud-based services are dynamic and highly competitive. Our competitors are developing new software and devices, while also deploying competing cloud-based services for consumers and businesses. The devices and form factors customers prefer evolve rapidly, influencing how users access services in the cloud and, in some cases, the user’s choice of which suite of cloud-based services to use. Aggregate demand for our software, services, and devices is also correlated to global macroeconomic and geopolitical factors, which remain dynamic. We must continue to evolve and adapt over an extended time in pace with this changing environment.

The investments we are making in cloud and AI infrastructure and devices will continue to increase our operating costs and may decrease our operating margins. We continue to identify and evaluate opportunities to expand our datacenter locations and increase our server capacity to meet the evolving needs of our customers, particularly given the growing demand for AI services. Our datacenters depend on the availability of permitted and buildable land, predictable energy, networking supplies, and servers, including graphics processing units (“GPUs”) and other components. Our devices are primarily manufactured by third-party contract manufacturers. For the majority of our products, we have the ability to use other manufacturers if a current vendor becomes unavailable or unable to meet our requirements. However, some of our products contain certain components for which there are very few qualified suppliers. Extended disruptions at these suppliers could impact our ability to manufacture devices on time to meet consumer demand.

Our success is highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain qualified employees. We hire a mix of university and industry talent worldwide. We compete for talented individuals globally by offering an exceptional working environment, broad customer reach, scale in resources, the ability to grow one’s career across many different products and businesses, and competitive compensation and benefits.

Our international operations provide a significant portion of our total revenue and expenses. Many of these revenue and expenses are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. As a result, changes in foreign exchange rates may significantly affect revenue and expenses. Fluctuations in the U.S. dollar relative to certain foreign currencies did not have a material impact on reported revenue and expenses from our international operations in fiscal year 2024.

Refer to Risk Factors (Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K) for a discussion of these factors and other risks.

Seasonality

Our revenue fluctuates quarterly and is generally higher in the fourth quarter of our fiscal year. Fourth quarter revenue is driven by a higher volume of multi-year contracts executed during the period.

Change in Accounting Estimate

In July 2022, we completed an assessment of the useful lives of our server and network equipment. Due to investments in software that increased efficiencies in how we operate our server and network equipment, as well as advances in technology, we determined we should increase the estimated useful lives of both server and network equipment from four years to six years. This change in accounting estimate was effective beginning fiscal year 2023.

40

PART II

Item 7

Reportable Segments

We report our financial performance based on the following segments: Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. The segment amounts included in MD&A are presented on a basis consistent with our internal management reporting.

Additional information on our reportable segments is contained in Note 19 – Segment Information and Geographic Data of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K).

Metrics

We use metrics in assessing the performance of our business and to make informed decisions regarding the allocation of resources. We disclose metrics to enable investors to evaluate progress against our ambitions, provide transparency into performance trends, and reflect the continued evolution of our products and services. Our commercial and other business metrics are fundamentally connected based on how customers use our products and services. The metrics are disclosed in the MD&A or the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K). Financial metrics are calculated based on financial results prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), and growth comparisons relate to the corresponding period of last fiscal year.

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, we made updates to the presentation and method of calculation for certain metrics, revising our Microsoft Cloud revenue metric to include revenue growth and expanding our Microsoft 365 Consumer subscribers metric to include Microsoft 365 Basic subscribers, aligning with how we manage our business.

Commercial

Our commercial business primarily consists of Server products and cloud services, Office Commercial, Windows Commercial, the commercial portion of LinkedIn, Enterprise and partner services, and Dynamics. Our commercial metrics allow management and investors to assess the overall health of our commercial business and include leading indicators of future performance.

41

PART II

Item 7

Productivity and Business Processes and Intelligent Cloud

Metrics related to our Productivity and Business Processes and Intelligent Cloud segments assess the health of our core businesses within these segments. The metrics reflect our cloud and on-premises product strategies and trends.

More Personal Computing

Metrics related to our More Personal Computing segment assess the performance of key lines of business within this segment. These metrics provide strategic product insights which allow us to assess the performance across our commercial and consumer businesses. As we have diversity of target audiences and sales motions within the Windows business, we monitor metrics that are reflective of those varying motions.

42

PART II

Item 7

SUMMARY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Adjusted gross margin, operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) are non-GAAP financial measures. Prior year non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of a $1.2 billion charge in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 (“Q2 charge”), which included employee severance expenses, impairment charges resulting from changes to our hardware portfolio, and costs related to lease consolidation activities. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below for a reconciliation of our financial results reported in accordance with GAAP to non-GAAP financial results.

Fiscal Year 2024 Compared with Fiscal Year 2023

Revenue increased $33.2 billion or 16% driven by growth across each of our segments. Intelligent Cloud revenue increased driven by Azure. Productivity and Business Processes revenue increased driven by Office 365 Commercial. More Personal Computing revenue increased driven by Gaming.

Cost of revenue increased $8.3 billion or 13% driven by growth in Microsoft Cloud and Gaming, offset in part by a decline in Devices.

Gross margin increased $25.0 billion or 17% driven by growth across each of our segments.

•
Gross margin percentage increased slightly. Excluding the impact of the change in accounting estimate for the useful lives of our server and network equipment, gross margin percentage increased 2 points driven by improvement in More Personal Computing.

•
Microsoft Cloud gross margin percentage decreased slightly to 71%. Excluding the impact of the change in accounting estimate, Microsoft Cloud gross margin percentage increased slightly driven by improvements in Azure and Office 365 Commercial, inclusive of scaling our AI infrastructure, offset in part by sales mix shift to Azure.

Operating expenses increased $4.0 billion or 7% driven by Gaming, with 7 points of growth from the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and investments in cloud engineering, offset in part by the prior year Q2 charge.

Operating income increased $20.9 billion or 24% driven by growth across each of our segments.

Prior year gross margin, operating income, net income, and diluted EPS were negatively impacted by the Q2 charge, which resulted in decreases of $152 million, $1.2 billion, $946 million, and $0.13, respectively.

43

PART II

Item 7

SEGMENT RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Reportable Segments

Fiscal Year 2024 Compared with Fiscal Year 2023

Productivity and Business Processes

Revenue increased $8.5 billion or 12%.

•
Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased $5.8 billion or 14%. Office 365 Commercial revenue grew 16% with seat growth of 7%, driven by small and medium business and frontline worker offerings, as well as growth in revenue per user. Office Commercial products revenue declined 16% driven by continued customer shift to cloud offerings.

•
Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue increased $237 million or 4%. Microsoft 365 Consumer subscribers grew 10% to 82.5 million.

•
LinkedIn revenue increased $1.4 billion or 9% driven by growth across all lines of business – Talent Solutions, Premium Subscriptions, Marketing Solutions, and Sales Solutions.

•
Dynamics products and cloud services revenue increased $1.0 billion or 19% driven by Dynamics 365. Dynamics 365 revenue grew 24% driven by growth across all workloads.

Operating income increased $6.4 billion or 19%.

•
Gross margin increased $6.5 billion or 12% driven by growth in Office 365 Commercial. Gross margin percentage decreased slightly. Excluding the impact of the change in accounting estimate, gross margin percentage increased slightly driven by improvement in Office 365 Commercial.

•
Operating expenses increased $159 million or 1%.

Intelligent Cloud

Revenue increased $17.5 billion or 20%.

•
Server products and cloud services revenue increased $17.8 billion or 22% driven by Azure and other cloud services. Azure and other cloud services revenue grew 30% driven by growth in our consumption-based services. Server products revenue increased 3% driven by continued demand for our hybrid solutions, including Windows Server and SQL Server running in multi-cloud environments.

•
Enterprise and partner services revenue decreased $306 million or 4% driven by declines in Enterprise Support Services and Industry Solutions.

44

PART II

Item 7

Operating income increased $11.7 billion or 31%.

•
Gross margin increased $11.6 billion or 19% driven by growth in Azure. Gross margin percentage decreased slightly. Excluding the impact of the change in accounting estimate, gross margin percentage increased slightly primarily driven by improvement in Azure, inclusive of scaling our AI infrastructure, offset in part by sales mix shift to Azure.

•
Operating expenses decreased slightly primarily driven by the prior year Q2 charge, offset in part by investments in Azure.

More Personal Computing

Revenue increased $7.3 billion or 13%.

•
Windows revenue increased $1.7 billion or 8% driven by growth in Windows Commercial and Windows OEM. Windows Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 11% driven by demand for Microsoft 365. Windows OEM revenue increased 7%.

•
Gaming revenue increased $6.0 billion or 39% driven by growth in Xbox content and services. Xbox content and services revenue increased 50% driven by 44 points of net impact from the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Xbox hardware revenue decreased 13% driven by lower volume of consoles sold.

•
Search and news advertising revenue increased $418 million or 3%. Search and news advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 12% driven by higher search volume.

•
Devices revenue decreased $815 million or 15%.

Operating income increased $2.9 billion or 17%.

•
Gross margin increased $6.8 billion or 23% driven by growth in Gaming, with 10 points of net impact from the Activision Blizzard acquisition, as well as growth in Windows. Gross margin percentage increased driven by sales mix shift to higher margin businesses and improvement in Devices.

•
Operating expenses increased $3.9 billion or 31% driven by Gaming, with 34 points of growth from the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Research and Development

Research and development expenses include payroll, employee benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and other headcount-related expenses associated with product development. Research and development expenses also include third-party development and programming costs and the amortization of purchased software code and services content.

Fiscal Year 2024 Compared with Fiscal Year 2023

Research and development expenses increased $2.3 billion or 9% driven by Gaming, with 7 points of growth from the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and investments in cloud engineering.

Sales and Marketing

45

PART II

Item 7

Sales and marketing expenses include payroll, employee benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and other headcount-related expenses associated with sales and marketing personnel, and the costs of advertising, promotions, trade shows, seminars, and other programs.

Fiscal Year 2024 Compared with Fiscal Year 2023

Sales and marketing expenses increased $1.7 billion or 7% driven by Gaming, with 6 points of growth from the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses include payroll, employee benefits, stock-based compensation expense, employee severance expense incurred as part of a corporate program, and other headcount-related expenses associated with finance, legal, facilities, certain human resources and other administrative personnel, certain taxes, and legal and other administrative fees.

Fiscal Year 2024 Compared with Fiscal Year 2023

General and administrative expenses increased slightly as growth from the Activision Blizzard acquisition was offset in part by the prior year Q2 charge.

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET

The components of other income (expense), net were as follows:

We use derivative instruments to manage risks related to foreign currencies, interest rates, equity prices, and credit; to enhance investment returns; and to facilitate portfolio diversification. Gains and losses from changes in fair values of derivatives that are not designated as hedging instruments are primarily recognized in other income (expense), net.

Fiscal Year 2024 Compared with Fiscal Year 2023

Interest and dividends income increased due to higher yields. Interest expense increased due to the issuance of commercial paper. Net recognized losses on investments increased primarily due to higher equity impairments and lower gains on equity investments. Net losses on derivatives decreased primarily due to lower losses on equity derivatives. Other, net primarily reflects net recognized losses on equity method investments.

46

PART II

Item 7

INCOME TAXES

Effective Tax Rate

Our effective tax rate for fiscal years 2024 and 2023 was 18% and 19%, respectively. The decrease in our effective tax rate was primarily due to tax benefits from tax law changes, including the impact from the issuance of Notice 2023-55 and Notice 2023-80 by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and U.S. Treasury Department. Notice 2023-55, issued in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, delayed the effective date of final foreign tax credit regulations to fiscal year 2024 for Microsoft. Notice 2023-80, issued in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, further delayed the effective date of final foreign tax credit regulations indefinitely.

Our effective tax rate was lower than the U.S. federal statutory rate, primarily due to earnings taxed at lower rates in foreign jurisdictions resulting from producing and distributing our products and services through our foreign regional operations center in Ireland.

The mix of income before income taxes between the U.S. and foreign countries impacted our effective tax rate as a result of the geographic distribution of, and customer demand for, our products and services. In fiscal year 2024, our U.S. income before income taxes was $62.9 billion and our foreign income before income taxes was $44.9 billion. In fiscal year 2023, our U.S. income before income taxes was $52.9 billion and our foreign income before income taxes was $36.4 billion.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) published its model rules “Tax Challenges Arising From the Digitalisation of the Economy - Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two)” which established a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% for certain multinational enterprises. Many countries have implemented or are in the process of implementing the Pillar Two legislation, which will apply to Microsoft beginning in fiscal year 2025. While we do not currently estimate a material impact to our consolidated financial statements, we continue to monitor the impact as countries implement legislation and the OECD provides additional guidance.

Uncertain Tax Positions

We remain under audit by the IRS for tax years 2014 to 2017. With respect to the audit for tax years 2004 to 2013, on September 26, 2023, we received Notices of Proposed Adjustment (“NOPAs”) from the IRS. The primary issues in the NOPAs relate to intercompany transfer pricing. In the NOPAs, the IRS is seeking an additional tax payment of $28.9 billion plus penalties and interest. As of June 30, 2024, we believe our allowances for income tax contingencies are adequate. We disagree with the proposed adjustments and will vigorously contest the NOPAs through the IRS’s administrative appeals office and, if necessary, judicial proceedings. We do not expect a final resolution of these issues in the next 12 months. Based on the information currently available, we do not anticipate a significant increase or decrease to our income tax contingencies for these issues within the next 12 months.

We are subject to income tax in many jurisdictions outside the U.S. Our operations in certain jurisdictions remain subject to examination for tax years 1996 to 2023, some of which are currently under audit by local tax authorities. The resolution of each of these audits is not expected to be material to our consolidated financial statements.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Adjusted gross margin, operating income, net income, and diluted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures. Prior year non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of the Q2 charge, which includes employee severance expenses, impairment charges resulting from changes to our hardware portfolio, and costs related to lease consolidation activities. We believe these non-GAAP measures aid investors by providing additional insight into our operational performance and help clarify trends affecting our business. For comparability of reporting, management considers non-GAAP measures in conjunction with GAAP financial results in evaluating business performance. These non-GAAP financial measures presented should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

47

PART II

Item 7

The following table reconciles our financial results reported in accordance with GAAP to non-GAAP financial results:

* Not meaningful.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

We expect existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, cash flows from operations, and access to capital markets to continue to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and cash commitments for investing and financing activities, such as dividends, share repurchases, debt maturities, material capital expenditures, and the transition tax related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Investments

Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaled $75.5 billion and $111.3 billion as of June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Equity and other investments were $14.6 billion and $9.9 billion as of June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our short-term investments are primarily intended to facilitate liquidity and capital preservation. They consist predominantly of highly liquid investment-grade fixed-income securities, diversified among industries and individual issuers. The investments are predominantly U.S. dollar-denominated securities, but also include foreign currency-denominated securities to diversify risk. Our fixed-income investments are exposed to interest rate risk and credit risk. The credit risk and average maturity of our fixed-income portfolio are managed to achieve economic returns that correlate to certain fixed-income indices. The settlement risk related to these investments is insignificant given that the short-term investments held are primarily highly liquid investment-grade fixed-income securities.

Valuation

In general, and where applicable, we use quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities to determine the fair value of our financial instruments. This pricing methodology applies to our Level 1 investments, such as U.S. government securities, common and preferred stock, and mutual funds. If quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities are not available to determine fair value, then we use quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities or inputs other than the quoted prices that are observable either directly or indirectly. This pricing methodology applies to our Level 2 investments, such as commercial paper, certificates of deposit, U.S. agency securities, foreign government bonds, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, corporate notes and bonds, and municipal securities. Level 3 investments are valued using internally-developed models with unobservable inputs. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs are an immaterial portion of our portfolio.

48

PART II

Item 7

A majority of our investments are priced by pricing vendors and are generally Level 1 or Level 2 investments as these vendors either provide a quoted market price in an active market or use observable inputs for their pricing without applying significant adjustments. Broker pricing is used mainly when a quoted price is not available, the investment is not priced by our pricing vendors, or when a broker price is more reflective of fair values in the market in which the investment trades. Our broker-priced investments are generally classified as Level 2 investments because the broker prices these investments based on similar assets without applying significant adjustments. In addition, all our broker-priced investments have a sufficient level of trading volume to demonstrate that the fair values used are appropriate for these investments. Our fair value processes include controls that are designed to ensure appropriate fair values are recorded. These controls include model validation, review of key model inputs, analysis of period-over-period fluctuations, and independent recalculation of prices where appropriate.

Cash Flows

Cash from operations increased $31.0 billion to $118.5 billion for fiscal year 2024, primarily due to an increase in cash received from customers. Cash used in financing decreased $6.2 billion to $37.8 billion for fiscal year 2024, primarily due to a $5.0 billion decrease in common stock repurchases and a $3.3 billion increase in proceeds from issuance of debt, net of repayments, offset in part by a $2.0 billion increase in dividends paid. Cash used in investing increased $74.3 billion to $97.0 billion for fiscal year 2024, primarily due to a $67.5 billion increase in cash used for acquisitions of companies, net of cash acquired, and purchases of intangible and other assets and a $16.4 billion increase in additions to property and equipment.

Debt Proceeds

We issue debt to take advantage of favorable pricing and liquidity in the debt markets, reflecting our credit rating. The proceeds of these issuances were or will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, funding for working capital, capital expenditures, repurchases of capital stock, acquisitions, and repayment of existing debt. Refer to Note 11 – Debt of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

Unearned Revenue

Unearned revenue comprises mainly unearned revenue related to volume licensing programs, which may include Software Assurance (“SA”) and cloud services. Unearned revenue is generally invoiced annually at the beginning of each contract period for multi-year agreements and recognized ratably over the coverage period. Unearned revenue also includes payments for other offerings for which we have been paid in advance and earn the revenue when we transfer control of the product or service. Refer to Note 1 – Accounting Policies of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

The following table outlines the expected future recognition of unearned revenue as of June 30, 2024:

If our customers choose to license cloud-based versions of our products and services rather than licensing transaction-based products and services, the associated revenue will shift from being recognized at the time of the transaction to being recognized over the subscription period or upon consumption, as applicable. Refer to Note 13 – Unearned Revenue of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

49

PART II

Item 7

Material Cash Requirements and Other Obligations

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes the payments due by fiscal year for our outstanding contractual obligations as of June 30, 2024:

(a)
Refer to Note 11 – Debt of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K).

(b)
Refer to Note 7 – Property and Equipment of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K).

(c)
Refer to Note 14 – Leases of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K).

(d)
Purchase commitments primarily relate to datacenters and include open purchase orders and take-or-pay contracts that are not presented as construction commitments above.

Income Taxes

As a result of the TCJA, we are required to pay a one-time transition tax on deferred foreign income not previously subject to U.S. income tax. Under the TCJA, the transition tax is payable in interest-free installments over eight years, with 8% due in each of the first five years, 15% in year six, 20% in year seven, and 25% in year eight. As of June 30, 2024, we had a remaining transition tax liability of $7.6 billion, of which $3.8 billion is short-term and payable in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025.

Share Repurchases

During fiscal years 2024 and 2023, we repurchased 32 million shares and 69 million shares of our common stock for $12.0 billion and $18.4 billion, respectively, through our share repurchase program. All repurchases were made using cash resources. As of June 30, 2024, $10.3 billion remained of our $60 billion share repurchase program. Refer to Note 16 – Stockholders’ Equity of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

Dividends

During fiscal years 2024 and 2023, our Board of Directors declared dividends totaling $22.3 billion and $20.2 billion, respectively. We intend to continue returning capital to shareholders in the form of dividends, subject to declaration by our Board of Directors. Refer to Note 16 – Stockholders’ Equity of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

Other Planned Uses of Capital

We will continue to invest in sales, marketing, product support infrastructure, and existing and advanced areas of technology, as well as acquisitions that align with our business strategy. Additions to property and equipment will continue, including new facilities, datacenters, and computer systems for research and development, sales and marketing, support, and administrative staff. We expect capital expenditures to increase in coming years to support growth in our cloud offerings and our investments in AI infrastructure and training. We have operating and finance leases for datacenters, corporate offices, research and development facilities, Microsoft Experience Centers, and certain equipment. We have not engaged in any related party transactions or arrangements with unconsolidated entities or other persons that are reasonably likely to materially affect liquidity or the availability of capital resources.

50

PART II

Item 7

RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE

Refer to Note 1 – Accounting Policies of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for further discussion.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Preparing consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses. Critical accounting estimates are those estimates that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We have critical accounting estimates in the areas of revenue recognition, impairment of investment securities, goodwill, research and development costs, legal and other contingencies, income taxes, and business combinations – valuation of intangible assets.

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers often include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. When a cloud-based service includes both on-premises software licenses and cloud services, judgment is required to determine whether the software license is considered distinct and accounted for separately, or not distinct and accounted for together with the cloud service and recognized over time. Certain cloud services, primarily Office 365, depend on a significant level of integration, interdependency, and interrelation between the desktop applications and cloud services, and are accounted for together as one performance obligation. Revenue from Office 365 is recognized ratably over the period in which the cloud services are provided.

Judgment is required to determine the standalone selling price (“SSP") for each distinct performance obligation. We use a single amount to estimate SSP for items that are not sold separately, including on-premises licenses sold with SA or software updates provided at no additional charge. We use a range of amounts to estimate SSP when we sell each of the products and services separately and need to determine whether there is a discount to be allocated based on the relative SSP of the various products and services.

In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the SSP using information that may include market conditions and other observable inputs. We typically have more than one SSP for individual products and services due to the stratification of those products and services by customers and circumstances. In these instances, we may use information such as the size of the customer and geographic region in determining the SSP.

Due to the various benefits from and the nature of our SA program, judgment is required to assess the pattern of delivery, including the exercise pattern of certain benefits across our portfolio of customers.

Our products are generally sold with a right of return, we may provide other credits or incentives, and in certain instances we estimate customer usage of our products and services, which are accounted for as variable consideration when determining the amount of revenue to recognize. Returns and credits are estimated at contract inception and updated at the end of each reporting period if additional information becomes available. Changes to our estimated variable consideration were not material for the periods presented.

Impairment of Investment Securities

We review debt investments quarterly for credit losses and impairment. If the cost of an investment exceeds its fair value, we evaluate, among other factors, general market conditions, credit quality of debt instrument issuers, and the extent to which the fair value is less than cost. This determination requires significant judgment. In making this judgment, we employ a systematic methodology that considers available quantitative and qualitative evidence in evaluating potential impairment of our investments. In addition, we consider specific adverse conditions related to the financial health of, and business outlook for, the investee. If we have plans to sell the security or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery, then a decline in fair value below cost is recorded as an impairment charge in other income (expense), net and a new cost basis in the investment is established. If market, industry, and/or investee conditions deteriorate, we may incur future impairments.

51

PART II

Item 7

Equity investments without readily determinable fair values are written down to fair value if a qualitative assessment indicates that the investment is impaired and the fair value of the investment is less than carrying value. We perform a qualitative assessment on a periodic basis. We are required to estimate the fair value of the investment to determine the amount of the impairment loss. Once an investment is determined to be impaired, an impairment charge is recorded in other income (expense), net.

Goodwill

We allocate goodwill to reporting units based on the reporting unit expected to benefit from the business combination. We evaluate our reporting units on an annual basis and, if necessary, reassign goodwill using a relative fair value allocation approach. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level (operating segment or one level below an operating segment) on an annual basis (May 1) and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, or sale or disposition of a significant portion of a reporting unit.

Application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. The fair value of each reporting unit is estimated primarily through the use of a discounted cash flow methodology. This analysis requires significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur, and determination of our weighted average cost of capital.

The estimates used to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit change from year to year based on operating results, market conditions, and other factors. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and goodwill impairment for each reporting unit.

Research and Development Costs

Costs incurred internally in researching and developing a computer software product are charged to expense until technological feasibility has been established for the product. Once technological feasibility is established, software costs are capitalized until the product is available for general release to customers. Judgment is required in determining when technological feasibility of a product is established. We have determined that technological feasibility for our software products is reached after all high-risk development issues have been resolved through coding and testing. Generally, this occurs shortly before the products are released to production. The amortization of these costs is included in cost of revenue over the estimated life of the products.

Legal and Other Contingencies

The outcomes of legal proceedings and claims brought against us are subject to significant uncertainty. An estimated loss from a loss contingency such as a legal proceeding or claim is accrued by a charge to income if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. In determining whether a loss should be accrued we evaluate, among other factors, the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome and the ability to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss. Changes in these factors could materially impact our consolidated financial statements.

52

PART II

Item 7

Income Taxes

The objectives of accounting for income taxes are to recognize the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year, and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in an entity’s financial statements or tax returns. We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Accounting literature also provides guidance on derecognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, and income tax disclosures. Judgment is required in assessing the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Variations in the actual outcome of these future tax consequences could materially impact our consolidated financial statements.

Business Combinations – Valuation of Intangible Assets

Accounting for business combinations requires significant judgments when allocating the purchase price to the estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. Determination of fair value involves estimates and assumptions which can be complex, most notably with respect to intangible assets. Critical estimates used in the valuation of intangible assets include, but are not limited to, the amount and timing of projected cash flows, useful lives, and discount rates. While management’s estimates of fair value are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently uncertain as they pertain to forward-looking views of our business and market conditions. The judgments made in this valuation process could materially impact our consolidated financial statements.

53

PART II

Item 7

STATEMENT OF MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Management is responsible for the preparation of the consolidated financial statements and related information that are presented in this report. The consolidated financial statements, which include amounts based on management’s estimates and judgments, have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The Company designs and maintains accounting and internal control systems to provide reasonable assurance at reasonable cost that assets are safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition, and that the financial records are reliable for preparing consolidated financial statements and maintaining accountability for assets. These systems are augmented by written policies, an organizational structure providing division of responsibilities, careful selection and training of qualified personnel, and a program of internal audits.

The Company engaged Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, to audit and render an opinion on the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).

The Board of Directors, through its Audit Committee, consisting solely of independent directors of the Company, meets periodically with management, internal auditors, and our independent registered public accounting firm to ensure that each is meeting its responsibilities and to discuss matters concerning internal controls and financial reporting. Deloitte & Touche LLP and the internal auditors each have full and free access to the Audit Committee.

54