IMPINJ INC (PI)
SIC breadcrumb: Manufacturing > Electronic And Other Electrical Equipment And Components, Except Computer Equipment > SIC 3679 Electronic Components, NEC
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1114995. Latest filing source: 0001193125-26-042813.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read PI's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read PI's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 361,075,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-09 |
| Net income | -10,847,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-09 |
| Assets | 545,186,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-09 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-09. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001114995.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 112,287,000 | 125,300,000 | 122,633,000 | 152,836,000 | 138,923,000 | 190,283,000 | 257,800,000 | 307,539,000 | 366,087,000 | 361,075,000 |
| Net income | -1,673,000 | -17,322,000 | -35,231,000 | -22,987,000 | -51,923,000 | -51,260,000 | -24,301,000 | -43,366,000 | 40,838,000 | -10,847,000 |
| Operating income | -488,000 | -17,019,000 | -34,869,000 | -21,661,000 | -47,071,000 | -37,249,000 | -19,479,000 | -43,484,000 | -7,069,000 | -737,000 |
| Gross profit | 59,453,000 | 64,941,000 | 58,281,000 | 74,002,000 | 65,140,000 | 98,954,000 | 137,884,000 | 151,982,000 | 188,855,000 | 189,677,000 |
| Diluted EPS | -2.28 | -2.12 | -0.95 | -1.62 | 1.39 | -0.37 | ||||
| Operating cash flow | -9,497,000 | -35,886,000 | -11,777,000 | 4,708,000 | -16,877,000 | 6,465,000 | 641,000 | -49,382,000 | 128,310,000 | 58,746,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 3,530,000 | 6,552,000 | 6,367,000 | 2,429,000 | 3,074,000 | 16,230,000 | 12,079,000 | 18,592,000 | 17,112,000 | 12,861,000 |
| Assets | 167,536,000 | 152,034,000 | 145,069,000 | 215,046,000 | 207,616,000 | 315,537,000 | 349,737,000 | 359,409,000 | 489,080,000 | 545,186,000 |
| Liabilities | 43,513,000 | 33,092,000 | 47,186,000 | 89,807,000 | 98,497,000 | 326,613,000 | 334,146,000 | 325,278,000 | 339,216,000 | 335,955,000 |
| Stockholders' equity | 124,023,000 | 118,942,000 | 97,883,000 | 125,239,000 | 109,119,000 | -11,076,000 | 15,591,000 | 34,131,000 | 149,864,000 | 209,231,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 33,636,000 | 19,285,000 | 17,530,000 | 66,898,000 | 23,636,000 | 123,903,000 | 19,597,000 | 94,793,000 | 46,053,000 | 48,206,000 |
| Free cash flow | -13,027,000 | -42,438,000 | -18,144,000 | 2,279,000 | -19,951,000 | -9,765,000 | -11,438,000 | -67,974,000 | 111,198,000 | 45,885,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | -1.49% | -13.82% | -28.73% | -15.04% | -37.38% | -26.94% | -9.43% | -14.10% | 11.16% | -3.00% |
| Operating margin | -0.43% | -13.58% | -28.43% | -14.17% | -33.88% | -19.58% | -7.56% | -14.14% | -1.93% | -0.20% |
| Return on equity | -1.35% | -14.56% | -35.99% | -18.35% | -47.58% | -155.87% | -127.06% | 27.25% | -5.18% | |
| Return on assets | -1.00% | -11.39% | -24.29% | -10.69% | -25.01% | -16.25% | -6.95% | -12.07% | 8.35% | -1.99% |
| Liabilities / equity | 0.35 | 0.28 | 0.48 | 0.72 | 0.90 | 21.43 | 9.53 | 2.26 | 1.61 | |
| Current ratio | 5.86 | 6.52 | 5.26 | 9.07 | 6.21 | 7.21 | 6.49 | 8.73 | 0.99 | 2.68 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Income statement bridge from reported figures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Revenue: accession 0001193125-26-042813; concept RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax; source concepts us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax | Gross profit: accession 0001193125-26-042813; concept GrossProfit; source concepts us-gaap:GrossProfit | Operating income: accession 0001193125-26-042813; concept OperatingIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss | Net income: accession 0001193125-26-042813; concept NetIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001193125-26-042813; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001193125-26-042813; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001193125-26-042813; 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 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: GrossProfit. Source concepts: us-gaap:GrossProfit.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-042813; filed 2026-02-09. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-04-29. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001114995.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | -0.45 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | -0.09 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | -0.17 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-03-31 | -4,358,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 85,986,000 | -0.30 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-06-30 | -8,066,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 65,005,000 | -0.59 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 70,651,000 | -15,180,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 76,825,000 | 33,344,000 | 1.10 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-03-31 | 33,344,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 102,495,000 | 0.34 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-06-30 | 9,963,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 95,198,000 | 0.01 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 91,569,000 | -2,690,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 74,277,000 | -8,451,000 | -0.30 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-03-31 | -8,451,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 97,894,000 | 0.39 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-06-30 | 11,553,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 96,055,000 | -0.44 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 92,849,000 | -1,139,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 74,250,000 | -25,261,000 | -0.83 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-191810; filed 2026-04-29. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-191810; filed 2026-04-29. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-191810; filed 2026-04-29. 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: 0001193125-26-191810.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements containing words such as “may,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “projections,” “business outlook,” “estimate,” or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. You should read these statements carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition or state other “forward-looking” information. These statements relate to our future plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and financial performance and the assumptions that underlie these statements. They include, but are not limited to, statements about:
•
our market opportunity;
•
the adoption of RAIN technology and solutions;
•
our ability to compete effectively against competitors and competing technologies;
•
our market share and product leadership;
•
our business model, strategic plans and product-development plans;
•
the impact of tariffs, trade measures, geopolitical, inflationary and other macroeconomic conditions;
•
our future financial performance, including our average selling prices, or ASPs, gross margins and the dependency of our future financial performance on macroeconomic conditions or industry trends, including tariffs;
•
the performance of third parties on which we rely for product development, manufacturing, assembly and testing; and our relationship with other third parties on which we rely for product distribution, sales, integration and deployment;
•
our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property;
•
the regulatory environment for our products and services; and
•
our leadership in industry and standards-setting bodies.
Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this report, including those factors discussed in Part II, Item 1A (Risk Factors).
Considering the significant uncertainties and risks inherent in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or anyone else that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all, or as predictions of future events. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Our Business
Our vision is a world in which every item that enterprises manufacture, transport and sell, and that people own, use and recycle, is wirelessly and ubiquitously connected to the cloud. And a world in which the ownership, history and linked information for every one of those items is seamlessly available to enterprises and people. We call our expansive vision a Boundless Internet of Things, or IoT. We design and sell a platform that enables that wireless item-to-cloud connectivity and with which we and our partners innovate IoT solutions.
Our mission is to connect every thing. We have enabled connectivity for more than 150 billion items to date, delivering item visibility, traceability and improved operational efficiencies for retailers, supply chain and logistics, or SC&L providers, restaurants and food-service providers, airlines, automobile manufacturers, healthcare companies and many more.
We are today focused on extending item connectivity from tens of billions to trillions of items and delivering item data not just to enterprises but to people, so they too can benefit from their connected items. We believe the Boundless IoT we are enabling will, in the not-too-distant future, give people ubiquitous access to cloud-based digital twins of every item, each storing the item’s history, location and linked information and helping people explore and learn about the item. We believe that that connectivity will transform the world.
We and our partner ecosystem build item-visibility solutions using products that we design and either sell or license, including silicon radios, reading systems, tag production systems and intellectual property. We also offer software and cloud services, and while nascent from a standalone revenue perspective, they enable our other product offerings and we intend to expand them as a part of our growth strategy. We sell two types of silicon radios. The first are endpoint ICs that store a serialized number to wirelessly identify an
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item. Our partners embed endpoint ICs into an item or its packaging. These ICs may also contain a cryptographic key to authenticate the item. The second are reader ICs that our partners use in embedded or finished readers to wirelessly discover, inventory and engage the endpoint ICs. Those readers may also protect an item or consumer, for example by authenticating the item as genuine or privatizing the item by rendering the endpoint IC unresponsive without the consumer first providing a password. Our reading systems comprise high-performance finished readers and gateways used primarily in autonomous reading solutions. Our tag production systems enable partner products and facilitate enterprise deployments. Our software and cloud service offerings focus on solutions enablement, particularly for key enterprise customers.
We sell our products, individually or as a whole platform offering, primarily with or through our partner ecosystem. That ecosystem comprises original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, tag service bureaus, original device manufacturers, or ODMs, systems integrators, or SIs, value-added resellers, or VARs, independent software vendors, or ISVs, and other solution partners.
Our radios follow the RAIN industry’s air-interface standard for their core reading functionality. We create partner and enterprise preference for our radios and solutions by adding differentiated features into them, supporting those features across our platform and licensing them where appropriate, to deliver solutions capabilities and performance that surpasses mix-and-match solutions built from competitor products. We have also introduced a set of compatible extensions to the RAIN industry’s air-interface standard, which we call Gen2X, that enhance the performance and protection of our solutions. The RAIN industry, on both the reader and solutions side, has broadly embraced Gen2X.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Macroeconomic Factors
We are subject to impacts from the evolving macroeconomic environment, including uncertainty and volatility in trade measures and tariffs, as well as military conflicts or blockades, inflation and geopolitical tensions. Because most of our revenue derives from endpoint ICs that our partners embed into or onto items, to the extent that those items are impacted, positively or negatively, by trade measures, tariffs and inflation, we are impacted as well. While the impact that recent trade measures, military conflicts or blockades, inflation and geopolitical tensions will have on our business and financial results is difficult to predict, they could negatively affect our business and financial results. We continue to monitor the broader impacts of these measures on our business, our supply chain and our results of operations. See risk factors “Changes in global trade policies could have a material adverse effect on us.” and “Instability or deterioration in the political, legal, social, business or economic conditions in the U.S. or in key jurisdictions could harm our business.” in Part II, Item 1A. of this report for further information.
Inventory Supply
We sell most of our products, both endpoint ICs and systems, through partners and distributors, limiting our visibility to actual enterprise demand. Although we work closely with those partners and distributors to gain as accurate a view as possible, correctly forecasting demand for our products and identifying market shifts in a timely manner remains a challenge. This challenge can be exacerbated when major end users adjust the mix of inlay providers from which they procure inlays incorporating our endpoint ICs.
We also sometimes experience inventory overages or shortages. Inventory overages can increase expenses, expose us to product obsolescence and/or increased reserves and negatively affect our business. Inventory shortages can cause long lead times, missed opportunities, market-share losses and/or damaged customer relationships, also negatively affecting our business.
In 2021 and 2022, demand for our endpoint ICs increased while worldwide wafer demand also increased, leading to wafer shortfalls for many semiconductor companies, including us. These wafer shortfalls prevented us from fully meeting customer demand and, in some cases, caused customers to cancel orders, qualify alternative suppliers or purchase from our competitors. In 2023, macroeconomic conditions led to softness in demand and inventory overages.
Product Adoption and Unit Growth Rates
Enterprises have significantly adopted RAIN in retail apparel, our largest market, and SC&L, but the rate of adoption and unit growth rates have been uneven and unpredictable. From 2010 to 2025, our overall endpoint IC sales volumes increased at a 26% compounded annual growth rate; however, we have experienced declines in endpoint IC sales volumes during various periods.
Regardless of the uneven pace of retail, SC&L and other industry adoption and growth rates, we believe the long-term trend is continued RAIN adoption and growth and we intend to continue investing in developing new products and expanding our product offerings for the foreseeable future. However, we cannot predict whether historical annual growth rates are indicative of the pace of future growth.
Our systems business, at least for readers and gateways, depends significantly on large-scale deployments at discrete end users, and deployment timing causes large yearly variability in our systems revenue. For example, we generated 14% of total 2019 revenue from a gateway deployment at a large North American SC&L provider. We did not have comparable project-based revenue in 2020. Similarly, in second-quarter 2021, we generated 13% of our revenue from a project-based gateway deployment for RAIN-based
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self-checkout and loss prevention at a large Europe-based global retailer. While we continue generating project-based revenue, we did not see it at a comparable percentage in 2022 to 2025, or in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.
Seasonality and Pricing
We typically negotiate pricing with most of our endpoint IC OEMs with an effective date of the first quarter of the calendar year. In the past, this negotiation typically resulted in reduced revenue and gross margins in the first quarter compared to prior periods, which then normalized in subsequent quarters as we reduced costs and adjust product mix by migrating those OEMs and end users to newer, lower-cost products.
Endpoint IC volumes tend to be lower in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. System sales tend to be higher in the fourth quarter and lower in the first quarter, we believe due to the availability of residual funding for capital expenditures prior to the end of many end users’ fiscal years.
We saw these seasonal trends in second-half 2024 and in 2025. We expect continued quarter-to-quarter revenue and gross margin variability due to macroeconomic conditions, program-launch timing and our ability to migrate OEMs and end users to newer, lower cost products. These facto
[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
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
For our discussion of our fiscal 2024 results compared to fiscal 2023 for both our results of operations and our liquidity and capital resources sections, refer to “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC on February 10, 2025 which is incorporated by reference herein.
Overview
Our vision is a world in which every item that enterprises manufacture, transport and sell, and that people own, use and recycle, is wirelessly and ubiquitously connected to the cloud. And a world in which the ownership, history and linked information for every one of those items is seamlessly available to enterprises and people. We call our expansive vision a Boundless Internet of Things, or IoT. We design and sell a platform that enables that wireless item-to-cloud connectivity and with which we and our partners innovate IoT solutions.
Our mission is to connect every thing. We have enabled connectivity for more than 150 billion items to date, delivering item visibility, traceability and improved operational efficiencies for retailers, supply chain and logistics, or SC&L providers, restaurants and food-service providers, airlines, automobile manufacturers, healthcare companies and many more.
We are today focused on extending item connectivity from tens of billions to trillions of items and delivering item data not just to enterprises but to people, so they too can benefit from their connected items. We believe the Boundless IoT we are enabling will, in the not-too-distant future, give people ubiquitous access to cloud-based digital twins of every item, each storing the item’s history, location and linked information and helping people explore and learn about the item. We believe that that connectivity will transform the world.
We and our partner ecosystem build item-visibility solutions using products that we design and either sell or license, including silicon radios, reading systems, tag production systems and intellectual property. We also offer software and cloud services, and while nascent from a standalone revenue perspective, they enable our other product offerings and we intend to expand them as a part of our growth strategy. We sell two types of silicon radios. The first are endpoint ICs that store a serialized number to wirelessly identify an item. Our partners embed endpoint ICs into an item or its packaging. These ICs may also contain a cryptographic key to authenticate the item. The second are reader ICs that our partners use in embedded or finished readers to wirelessly discover, inventory and engage the endpoint ICs. Those readers may also protect an item or consumer, for example by authenticating the item as genuine or privatizing the item by rendering the endpoint IC unresponsive without the consumer first providing a password. Our reading systems comprise high-performance finished readers and gateways used primarily in autonomous reading solutions. Our tag production systems enable partner products and facilitate enterprise deployments. Our software and cloud service offerings focus on solutions enablement, particularly at enterprises with whom we have a close business relationship.
We sell our products, individually or as a whole platform offering, primarily with or through our partner ecosystem. That ecosystem comprises original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, tag service bureaus, original device manufacturers, or ODMs, systems integrators, or SIs, value-added resellers, or VARs, independent software vendors, or ISVs, and other solution partners.
Our radios follow the RAIN industry’s air-interface standard for their core reading functionality. We create partner and enterprise preference for our radios and solutions by adding differentiated features into them, supporting those features across our platform and licensing them where appropriate, to deliver solutions capabilities and performance that surpasses mix-and-match solutions built from competitor
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products. We have also introduced a set of compatible extensions to the RAIN industry’s air-interface standard, which we call Gen2X, that enhance the performance and protection of our solutions. The RAIN industry, on both the reader and solutions side, has broadly embraced Gen2X.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Macroeconomic Factors
We are subject to impacts from the evolving macroeconomic environment, including uncertainty and volatility in trade measures and tariffs. Because most of our revenue derives from endpoint ICs that our partners embed into or onto items, to the extent that those items are impacted, positively or negatively, by trade measure and tariffs, we are impacted as well. While the impact that recent trade measures will have on our business and financial results is difficult to predict, they could negatively affect our business and financial results. We continue to monitor the broader impacts of these measures on our business, our supply chain and our results of operations. See risk factor “Changes in global trade policies could have a material adverse effect on us.” in Item 1A. of this report for further information.
Inventory Supply
We sell most of our products, both endpoint ICs and systems, through partners and distributors, limiting our visibility to actual enterprise demand. Although we work closely with those partners and distributors to gain as accurate a view as possible, correctly forecasting demand for our products and identifying market shifts in a timely manner remains a challenge. This challenge can be exacerbated when major end users adjust the mix of inlay providers from which they procure inlays incorporating our endpoint ICs.
We also sometimes experience inventory overages or shortages. Inventory overages can increase expenses, expose us to product obsolescence and/or increased reserves and negatively affect our business. Inventory shortages can cause long lead times, missed opportunities, market-share losses and/or damaged customer relationships, also negatively affecting our business.
In 2021 and 2022, demand for our endpoint ICs increased while worldwide wafer demand also increased, leading to wafer shortfalls for many semiconductor companies, including us. These wafer shortfalls prevented us from fully meeting customer demand and, in some cases, caused customers to cancel orders, qualify alternative suppliers or purchase from our competitors. In 2023, macroeconomic conditions led to softness in demand and inventory overages.
Product Adoption and Unit Growth Rates
Enterprises have significantly adopted RAIN in retail apparel, our largest market, and SC&L, but the rate of adoption and unit growth rates have been uneven and unpredictable. From 2010 to 2025, our overall endpoint IC sales volumes increased at a 26% compounded annual growth rate; however, we have experienced declines in endpoint IC sales volumes during various periods.
Regardless of the uneven pace of retail, SC&L and other industry adoption and growth rates, we believe the long-term trend is continued RAIN adoption and growth and we intend to continue investing in developing new products and expanding our product offerings for the foreseeable future. However, we cannot predict whether historical annual growth rates are indicative of the pace of future growth.
Our systems business, at least for readers and gateways, depends significantly on large-scale deployments at discrete end users, and deployment timing causes large yearly variability in our systems revenue. For example, we generated 14% of total 2019 revenue from a gateway deployment at a large North American SC&L provider. We did not have comparable project-based revenue in 2020. Similarly, in second-quarter 2021, we generated 13% of our revenue from a project-based gateway deployment for RAIN-based self-checkout and loss prevention at a large Europe-based global retailer. While we continue generating project-based revenue, we did not see it at a comparable scale in 2022 to 2025.
Seasonality and Pricing
We typically negotiate pricing with most of our endpoint IC OEMs with an effective date of the first quarter of the calendar year. In the past, this negotiation typically resulted in reduced revenue and
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gross margins in the first quarter compared to prior periods, which then normalized in subsequent quarters as we reduced costs and adjust product mix by migrating those OEMs and end users to newer, lower-cost products.
Endpoint IC volumes tend to be lower in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. System sales tend to be higher in the fourth quarter and lower in the first quarter, we believe due to the availability of residual funding for capital expenditures prior to the end of many end users’ fiscal years.
We did not see these seasonal trends in 2023 but began to see them in second-half 2024 and in 2025. We do expect continued quarter-to-quarter revenue and gross margin variability due to macroeconomic conditions, program-launch timing and our ability to migrate OEMs and end users to newer, lower cost products. These factors, among others, may impact seasonal trends.
Results of Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 361,075 | $ | 366,087 | $ | 307,539 | $ | (5,012 | ) | $ | 58,548 | |||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 189,677 | $ | 188,855 | $ | 151,982 | $ | 822 | $ | 36,873 | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 52.5 | % | 51.6 | % | 49.4 | % | 0.9 | % | 2.2 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (737 | ) | $ | (7,069 | ) | $ | (43,484 | ) | $ | 6,332 | $ | 36,415 |
Revenue decreased, due primarily to lower endpoint IC revenue partially offset by higher systems revenue. The endpoint IC revenue decrease was driven primarily by lower ASP due to mix and new pricing that went into effect at the beginning of the year, and the systems revenue increase was due primarily to higher shipment volumes. Gross profit increased, despite lower revenue, due to lower endpoint IC costs from product mix. Gross margin increased due primarily to higher endpoint IC gross margin, the result of product mix, and lower indirect costs in the current year compared to the prior year. Loss from operations decreased due primarily to decreased operating expenses.
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Endpoint ICs | $ | 299,806 | $ | 305,915 | $ | 234,426 | $ | (6,109 | ) | $ | 71,489 | |||||||||
| Systems | 61,269 | 60,172 | 73,113 | 1,097 | (12,941 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 361,075 | $ | 366,087 | $ | 307,539 | $ | (5,012 | ) | $ | 58,548 |
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from sales of endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers, gateways, tag production systems and licensing. We sell our endpoint ICs and tag production systems primarily to inlay manufacturers; our reader ICs primarily to OEMs and ODMs through distributors; and our readers and gateways to solutions providers, VARs and SIs, also primarily through distributors. We expect endpoint IC sales to represent the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future.
Endpoint IC revenue decreased $6.1 million, due to a $32.3 million decrease from lower ASP due to product mix and new pricing that went into effect at the beginning of the year, partially offset by a $25.1 million increase due to higher shipment volumes and a $1.0 million increase in licensing revenue.
Systems revenue increased $1.1 million due to an increase in shipment volumes. Reader revenue increased by $8.3 million offset by decreases of $3.4 million and $4.1 million from gateway and reader IC revenue, respectively.
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Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 171,398 | $ | 177,232 | $ | 155,557 | $ | (5,834 | ) | $ | 21,675 | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 189,677 | 188,855 | 151,982 | 822 | 36,873 | |||||||||||||||
| Gross margin | 52.5 | % | 51.6 | % | 49.4 | % | 0.9 | % | 2.2 | % |
Cost of revenue includes costs associated with manufacturing our endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers, gateways and tag production systems, including direct materials and outsourced manufacturing costs as well as associated overhead costs such as logistics, quality control, planning and procurement. Cost of revenue also includes charges for excess and obsolescence and warranty costs. Our gross margin varies from period to period based on the mix of endpoint IC and systems; underlying product margins driven by changes in mix, ASPs or costs; as well as from inventory excess and obsolescence charges.
Gross profit increased $0.8 million, despite a decrease in revenue, due primarily to decreased costs from endpoint IC due to product mix. Gross margin increased, due primarily to higher endpoint IC gross margin due to product mix and lower indirect costs in the current year compared to the prior year.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 102,615 | $ | 98,829 | $ | 88,562 | $ | 3,786 | $ | 10,267 |
Research and development expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our product-development personnel; product development costs which include external consulting and service costs, prototype materials and other new-product development costs; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs. We expect research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars in future periods as we continue to focus on new product development and introductions.
Research and development expense increased $3.8 million, due primarily to increases of $4.0 million in product development costs due to timing; $2.4 million in infrastructure costs primarily from increased depreciation and software costs; and $1.3 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $4.2 million in personnel expenses related to lower bonus achievement compared to the prior-year period.
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 36,530 | $ | 40,579 | $ | 41,123 | $ | (4,049 | ) | $ | (544 | ) |
Sales and marketing expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, incentive sales compensation, or commission, benefits and other employee-related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our sales and marketing personnel; travel, advertising and promotional expenses; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Sales and marketing expense decreased $4.0 million, due primarily to decreases of $4.1 million in stock-based compensation expense, driven by forfeitures related to the retirement of our Chief Revenue
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Officer in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 and the resulting lower ongoing expense and a decrease of $0.7 million in personnel expenses related to lower bonus achievement compared to the prior-year period.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 49,192 | $ | 51,802 | $ | 60,828 | $ | (2,610 | ) | $ | (9,026 | ) |
General and administrative expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our executive, finance, human resources and information technology personnel; legal, accounting and other professional service fees; travel and insurance expense; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
General and administrative expense decreased $2.6 million, due primarily to a decrease $3.0 million in personnel expenses related to lower bonus achievement compared to the prior-year period and a decrease of $1.7 million in professional services related to legal fees, partially offset by an increase of $1.5 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
Amortization of Intangibles
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | $ | 2,077 | $ | 2,902 | $ | 4,953 | $ | (825 | ) | $ | (2,051 | ) |
Amortization of intangibles decreased by $0.8 million. The decrease relates to the intangibles acquired as part of our April 3, 2023 acquisition of Voyantic Oy. Certain intangible assets acquired had useful life of less than 1 year, resulting in a higher amortization expense in the prior-year period.
Restructuring Costs
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | $ | — | $ | 1,812 | $ | — | $ | (1,812 | ) | $ | 1,812 |
The decrease in restructuring costs relates to the restructuring we initiated on February 7, 2024. For further information on this restructuring, please refer to Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Income From Settlement of Litigation
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Income from settlement of litigation | $ | — | $ | 45,000 | $ | — | $ | (45,000 | ) | $ | 45,000 |
The decrease in income from settlement of litigation relates to the Settlement Agreement with NXP on March 13, 2024. See Note 12, Commitments and Contingencies, included elsewhere in this report, for further details.
Other Income, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | $ | 9,214 | $ | 7,937 | $ | 4,644 | $ | 1,277 | $ | 3,293 |
Other income, net, comprises primarily interest income on our short-term investments.
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Other income, net, increased $1.3 million, due to increased interest income given higher invested balances.
Induced Conversion Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | $ | 15,026 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 15,026 | $ | — |
In September 2025, we completed a privately negotiated exchange of $190.0 million principal amount of the 2021 Convertible Notes, or the 2021 Note Exchange. We accounted for the 2021 Note Exchange transaction as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20), as amended for ASU 2024-04. As a result of the induced conversion, we recorded $15.0 million in induced conversion expense which is included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2025. The induced conversion expense represents the fair value of the consideration issued upon conversion in excess of the fair value of the securities issuable under the original terms of the 2021 Convertible Notes. See Note 8 Long-term Debt, included elsewhere in this report, for further information.
Interest Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 4,367 | $ | 4,873 | $ | 4,848 | $ | (506 | ) | $ | 25 |
Interest expense comprises primarily cash interest, amortization of debt issuance costs and debt discount.
Interest expense decreased by $0.5 million, due primarily to decreased interest on our convertible debt, from the 2021 Note Exchange transaction.
Income Tax Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2025 vs 2024 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) | $ | (69 | ) | $ | 157 | $ | (322 | ) | $ | (226 | ) | $ | 479 |
We are subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions.
Income tax expense increased by $0.2 million due to changes in our estimated effective tax rate.
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed Public Law No. 119-21 - An Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Title II of H. Con. Res. 14, or “H.R.1”, into law. One key provision, applicable to us, is the treatment of domestic research and experimental expenditures, which can now be capitalized or expensed. As previously required under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we capitalized research and development expenditures in the years ended December 31, 2022 through December 31, 2024. With the enactment of H.R.1, we began deducting domestic Section 174 costs in 2025.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $175.3 million, comprising cash deposits held at major financial institutions and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including U.S. government securities, treasury bills, corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper and money market funds. As of December 31, 2025, we had working capital of $212.7 million, up from $(4.8) million as of December 31, 2024. The increase is due to a decrease in the balance of the 2021 Notes, which was driven by a privately negotiated exchange of $190.0 million principal amount of the 2021 Convertible Notes, or the 2021 Note Exchange (refer to Note 8, Long-term debt, in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for further information).
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Historically, we have funded our operations primarily through cash generated from operations and by issuing equity securities, convertible-debt offerings and/or borrowing under our prior senior credit facility.
We believe, based on our current operating plan, that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. Over the longer term, we plan to continue investing to enhance and extend our platform. If our available funds are insufficient to fund our future activities or execute our strategy, then we may raise additional capital through equity, equity-linked or debt financing, to the extent such funding sources are available. Alternatively, we may need to reduce expenses to manage liquidity; however, any such reductions could adversely impact our business and competitive position.
Sources of Funds
From time to time, we may explore additional financing sources and ways to reduce our cost of capital, including equity, equity-linked and debt financing. In addition, in connection with any future acquisitions, we may pursue additional financing which may be debt, equity or equity-linked financing or a combination thereof. We can provide no assurance that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms.
2021 Notes
In November 2021, we issued convertible notes due in 2027 in an aggregate principal amount of $287.5 million, or the 2021 Notes. The 2021 Notes are our senior unsecured obligation, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 1.125% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year. The 2021 Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election, and will mature on May 15, 2027 unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with the terms of the terms of the Indenture governing the 2021 Notes. The net proceeds from the 2021 Notes were approximately $278.4 million after initial debt issuance costs, fees and expenses.
In September 2025, we completed the 2021 Note Exchange. We accounted for the 2021 Note Exchange as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20) and in accordance with ASU 2024-04: Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) - Induced Conversions of Convertible Debt Instruments, which we early adopted as of January 1, 2025. Refer to the paragraph’s below under 2025 Notes for further information.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
2025 Notes
In September 2025, we issued convertible notes due 2029 in an aggregate principal amount of $190.0 million, or the 2025 Notes. The 2025 Notes are our senior unsecured obligation, bearing no regular interest. The 2025 Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election, and will mature on September 15, 2029 unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with the terms of the Indenture governing the 2025 Notes.
The net proceeds from the 2025 Notes were approximately $183.6 million after initial debt issuance costs, fees and expenses. We used the net proceeds and cash on hand to exchange $190.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2021 Notes for approximately $190.0 million in cash, representing the principal amount exchanged, and approximately 811,000 shares of our common stock, representing the exchange value in excess thereof, and also paid accrued and unpaid interest thereon, in individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the 2025 Notes offering. In addition, we used approximately $11.2 million of cash on hand to pay the cost of the capped call transactions entered into in connection with issuing the 2025 Notes.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Historical Cash Flow Trends
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The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 58,746 | $ | 128,310 | $ | (49,382 | ) | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | (48,015 | ) | (192,570 | ) | 115,808 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | (8,928 | ) | 15,679 | 8,736 |
Operating Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2025, we generated $58.7 million of net cash from operating activities. These net cash proceeds comprised $73.5 million of net income adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by a $14.8 million decrease in working capital due primarily to lower accrued compensation and employee related benefits and accounts payable.
Investing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2025, we used $48.0 million of net cash from investing activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to purchases of investments of $202.8 million and property and equipment purchases of $12.9 million, partially offset by proceeds from maturities of investments of $154.7 million and proceeds from sales of investments of $12.9 million.
Financing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2025, we used $8.9 million of net cash from financing activities. We used this net cash for payment of our 2021 Notes of $190 million, premiums paid for capped call transactions of $11.2 million and $3.2 million in taxes paid to cover RSU vesting. This net cash usage was offset by $183.7 million of net proceeds from issuing our 2025 Notes and $11.8 million of proceeds from stock-option exercises and our employee stock purchase plan.
Contractual Obligations
The following table reflects a summary of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025:
| Payments Due By Period | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less Than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More Than 5 Years | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible senior notes (1) | $ | 289,143 | $ | 1,097 | $ | 98,046 | $ | 190,000 | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 43,276 | 2,878 | 7,722 | 7,065 | 25,611 | ||||||||||||||
| Purchase commitments (2) | 34,919 | 32,666 | 2,253 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 367,338 | $ | 36,641 | $ | 108,021 | $ | 197,065 | $ | 25,611 |
(1) The convertible senior notes include $1.6 million in interest payments.
(2) Purchase commitments comprise primarily noncancelable commitments to purchase $28.2 million of inventory as of December 31, 2025, noncancelable software license agreements with vendors and equipment purchases.
Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements
Since inception, we have not had any relationships with unconsolidated entities, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special-purpose entities, or financial partnerships that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance-sheet arrangements or for another contractually narrow or limited purpose.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements which we have prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Generally, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, in accordance with GAAP, that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under other assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are those we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and estimates include those related to:
•
revenue recognition;
•
inventory;
•
income taxes; and
•
stock-based compensation.
Revenue Recognition
We generate revenue primarily from sales of hardware products. We also generate revenue from software, extended warranties, enhanced maintenance, support services and NRE development services, none of which are material.
We recognize revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers, which for hardware sales is generally at the time of product shipment as determined by agreed-upon shipping terms. We measure revenue based on the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled-to in exchange for those goods or services. We expect the period between when we transfer control of promised goods or services and when we receive payment to be one year or less, and that expectation is consistent with our historical experience. As such, we do not adjust our revenue for the effects of a significant financing component. We recognize any variable consideration, which comprises primarily sales incentives, as revenue reduction at the time of revenue recognition. We estimate sales incentives based on our historical experience and current expectations at the time of revenue recognition and update them at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available.
Our reader and gateway products are highly dependent on embedded software and cannot function without this embedded software. We account for the hardware and embedded software as a single performance obligation and recognize revenue when control is transferred.
Our customer contracts with multiple performance obligations generally include a combination of hardware products, extended warranty, enhanced maintenance and support services. For these contracts, we account for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct. We allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling-price basis. In instances where the standalone selling price is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the standalone selling price using one, or a combination of, the adjusted market assessment or expected cost-plus margin. We defer amounts allocated to extended warranty and enhanced maintenance sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement, which is typically from one to three years. We defer amounts allocated to support services sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them when we transfer control of the promised services to our customers.
Revenue generated from licensing our intellectual property is governed by licensing agreements. We recognize revenue from licensing the right to use functional intellectual property at the point in time the control of the license transfers to the customer, which is generally upon delivery, or as usage occurs.
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If a customer pays consideration before we transfer a good or service under the contract, then we classify those amounts as contract liabilities, or deferred revenue. We recognize contract liabilities as revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers.
Payment terms typically range from 30 to 120 days. We present revenue net of sales tax in our consolidated statements of operations. We include shipping charges billed to customers in revenue and the related shipping costs in cost of revenue.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions: We expense sales commissions when incurred because we expect the amortization period to be one year or less. We record these costs within sales and marketing expenses. We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (1) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (2) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed.
Inventory
We state inventories at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value using the average costing method, which approximates a first-in, first-out method. Inventories comprise raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. We continuously assess our inventory value and write down its value for estimated excess and obsolete inventory. This evaluation includes an analysis of inventory on hand, current and forecasted demand, product development plans and market conditions. If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, or our product development plans change from current expectations, then a write-down of excess or obsolete inventory may be required and is reflected in cost of goods sold in the period the updated information is known.
Income Taxes
We use the asset and liability approach for accounting, which requires recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. We recognize the effects of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the year that of the enactment date. We determine deferred tax assets, including historical net operating losses and deferred tax liabilities, based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of the assets and liabilities. We believe that it is currently more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be realized and, as such, we have recorded a full valuation allowance for these assets. We evaluate the likelihood of our ability to realize deferred tax assets in future periods on a quarterly basis, and if evidence indicates we will be able to realize some or all of our deferred tax assets then we will revise our valuation allowance accordingly.
We use a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain tax positions. First, we evaluate recognition, which requires us to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. If we consider a tax position more likely than not to be unsustained, then no benefits of the position are recognized. Second, we measure the uncertain tax position based on the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not to be realized on effective settlement. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure, including assessing the risks associated with tax audits, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. If actual results differ from our estimates, then our net operating loss and credit carryforwards could be materially impacted.
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Us realizing the benefits of the NOLs and credit carryforwards depends on sufficient taxable income in future years. We have established a valuation allowance against the carrying value of our deferred tax assets, as it is currently more likely than not we will be unable to realize these deferred tax assets. In addition, using NOLs and credits to offset future income subject to taxes may be subject to substantial annual limitations due to the “change in ownership” provisions of the Code and similar state provisions. Events that cause limitations in the amount of NOLs that we may use in any one year include, but are not limited to, a cumulative ownership change of more than 50%, as defined by Code Sections 382 and 383, over a three-year period. Using our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards could be significantly reduced if a cumulative ownership change of more than 50% has occurred in our past or occurs in our future.
We do not anticipate that the amount of our existing unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months. Due to our NOLs, in most jurisdictions our tax years remain open for examination by taxing authorities back to 2004.
Stock-Based Compensation
We have various equity award plans, or Plans, for granting share-based awards to employees, consultants and non-employee directors of the Company. The Plans provide for granting several forms of stock compensation such as stock option awards, restricted stock units, or RSUs, RSUs with performance conditions, or PSUs, and RSUs with market and service conditions, or MSUs.
We measure stock-based compensation costs for all share-based awards at fair value on the measurement date, which is typically the grant date. We determine the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which considers, among other things, estimates and assumptions on the expected life of the options, stock price volatility and market value of the Company’s common stock. We determine the fair value of RSUs and PSUs based on the closing price of our common stock at grant date. Additionally, for awards with a market condition, we use a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate grant date fair value, which takes into consideration the range of possible stock price of total stockholder return outcomes.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For information on recent accounting pronouncements, please refer to Note 2 in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
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: 0000950170-25-017077.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
For our discussion of our fiscal 2023 results compared to fiscal 2022 for both our results of operations and our liquidity and capital resources sections, refer to "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 12, 2024 which is incorporated by reference herein.
Overview
Our vision is a world in which every item that enterprises manufacture, transport and sell, and that people own, use and recycle, is wirelessly and ubiquitously connected to the cloud. And a world in which the ownership, history and linked information for every one of those items is seamlessly available to enterprises and people. We call our expansive vision a Boundless Internet of Things, or IoT. We design and sell a platform that enables that wireless item-to-cloud connectivity and with which we and our partners innovate IoT solutions.
Our mission is to connect every thing. We have enabled connectivity for more than 120 billion items to date, delivering item visibility and improving operational efficiencies for retailers, supply chain and logistics, or SC&L providers, restaurants and food-service providers, airlines, automobile manufacturers, healthcare companies and many more. We are today focused on extending item connectivity from tens of billions to trillions of items, and delivering item data not just to enterprises but to people, so they too can derive value from their connected items. We believe the Boundless IoT we are enabling will, in the not-too-distant future, give people ubiquitous access to cloud-based digital twins of every item, each storing the item’s history and linked information and helping people explore and learn about the item. We believe that that connectivity will transform the world.
We and our partner ecosystem build item-visibility solutions using products that we design and either sell or license, including silicon RAIN radios; manufacturing, test, encoding and reading systems, software and cloud services that encapsulate our solutions know-how and intellectual property. We sell two types of silicon IC radios. The first are endpoint ICs that store a serialized number to wirelessly identify an item. Our partners embed endpoint ICs into an item or its packaging. The ICs may also contain a cryptographic key to authenticate the item. The second are reader ICs that our partners use in finished readers to wirelessly discover, inventory and engage the endpoint ICs. Those readers may also protect an item or consumer, for example by authenticating the item as genuine or privatizing the item by rendering the endpoint IC unresponsive without the consumer first providing a password. Our manufacturing, test and encoding systems enable partner products and facilitate enterprise deployments. Our reading systems comprise high-performance finished readers and gateways for autonomous reading solutions. Our software and cloud services focus on solutions enablement.
We sell our products, individually or as a whole platform offering primarily with or through our partner ecosystem. That ecosystem comprises original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, tag service bureaus, original device manufacturers, or ODMs, systems integrators, or SIs, value-added resellers, or VARs, independent software vendors, or ISVs, and other solution partners.
Our radios follow the RAIN industry’s air-interface standard for their core reading functionality. We create partner and enterprise preference for our radios and solutions by adding differentiated features into our products, including our Gen2X functionality, supporting those features across our platform and licensing them where appropriate, to deliver solutions capabilities and performance that surpasses mix-and-match solutions built from competitor products.
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Factors Affecting Our Performance
Inventory Supply
Most of our revenue derives from endpoint ICs that our partners embed into or onto enterprise items and is therefore affected by macroeconomic trends. Further, we sell most of our products, both endpoint ICs and systems, through partners and distributors, limiting our visibility to enterprise demand. We work closely with those partners and distributors to gain as accurate a view as possible, however, correctly forecasting demand for our products and identifying market shifts in a timely manner remains a challenge. As a result, we sometimes experience inventory overages or shortages. Inventory overages can increase expenses, expose us to product obsolescence and/or increased reserves and negatively affect our business. Inventory shortages can cause long lead times, missed opportunities, market-share losses and/or damaged customer relationships, also negatively affecting our business.
In 2021 and 2022, demand for our endpoint ICs increased while worldwide wafer demand also increased, leading to wafer shortfalls for many semiconductor companies, including us. These wafer shortfalls prevented us from fully meeting customer demand and, in some cases, caused customers to cancel orders, qualify alternative suppliers or purchase from our competitors. In 2023, macroeconomic conditions led to softness in demand and inventory overages.
Product Adoption and Unit Growth Rates
Enterprises have significantly adopted RAIN in retail apparel, our largest market, and SC&L, but the rate of adoption and unit growth rates have been uneven and unpredictable. From 2010 to 2024, our overall endpoint IC sales volumes increased at a 27% compounded annual growth rate; however, we have experienced declines in endpoint IC sales volumes during various periods.
Regardless of the uneven pace of retail, SC&L and other industry adoption and growth rates, we believe the long-term trend is continued RAIN adoption and growth and we intend to continue investing in developing new products and expanding our product offerings for the foreseeable future. However, we cannot predict whether historical annual growth rates are indicative of the pace of future growth.
Our systems business, at least for readers and gateways, depends significantly on large-scale deployments at discrete end users, and deployment timing causes large yearly variability in our systems revenue. For example, we generated 14% of total 2019 revenue from a gateway deployment at a large North American SC&L provider. We did not have comparable project-based revenue in 2020. Similarly, in second-quarter 2021, we generated 13% of our revenue from a project-based gateway deployment for RAIN-based self-checkout and loss prevention at a large Europe-based global retailer. Although we continue generating project-based revenue, we have not seen it at a comparable scale in 2022, 2023 or in 2024.
Seasonality and Pricing
We typically negotiate pricing with most of our endpoint IC OEMs with an effective date of the first quarter of the calendar year. In the past, this negotiation typically resulted in reduced revenue and gross margins in the first quarter compared to prior periods, which then normalized in subsequent quarters as we reduced costs and adjust product mix by migrating those OEMs and end users to newer, lower-cost products.
Endpoint IC volumes tend to be lower in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. System sales tend to be higher in the fourth quarter and lower in the first quarter, we believe due to the availability of residual funding for capital expenditures prior to the end of many end users’ fiscal years.
We did not see these seasonal trends in 2022 or 2023 but began to see them in the second half of 2024. Quarter-to-quarter revenue variability due to macroeconomic conditions and program-launch timing may impact these seasonal trends in the future.
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Results of Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 366,087 | $ | 307,539 | $ | 257,800 | $ | 58,548 | $ | 49,739 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 188,855 | $ | 151,982 | $ | 137,884 | $ | 36,873 | $ | 14,098 | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 51.6 | % | 49.4 | % | 53.5 | % | 2.2 | % | (4.1 | )% | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (7,069 | ) | $ | (43,484 | ) | $ | (19,479 | ) | $ | 36,415 | $ | (24,005 | ) |
Revenue and gross profit increased, due primarily to higher endpoint IC and partially offset by lower systems revenue. The endpoint IC revenue increase was driven primarily by higher shipment volumes and licensing revenue partially offset by lower average ASP due to mix and short-term pricing incentives on legacy products, and the systems revenue decrease was due primarily to lower shipment volumes. Gross margin increased due primarily to high-margin licensing revenue recognized in the year that did not occur in the prior year. Loss from operations decreased due primarily to increased gross profit.
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Endpoint ICs | $ | 305,915 | $ | 234,426 | $ | 191,532 | $ | 71,489 | $ | 42,894 | |||||||||
| Systems | 60,172 | 73,113 | 66,268 | (12,941 | ) | 6,845 | |||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 366,087 | $ | 307,539 | $ | 257,800 | $ | 58,548 | $ | 49,739 |
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from sales of endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers, gateways, test and measurement solutions and licensing. We sell our endpoint ICs and test and measurement solutions primarily to inlay manufacturers; our reader ICs primarily to OEMs and ODMs through distributors; and our readers and gateways to solutions providers, VARs and SIs, also primarily through distributors. We expect endpoint IC sales to represent the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future.
Endpoint IC revenue increased $71.5 million, due primarily to a $79.7 million increase from higher shipment volumes and $15.0 million from licensing revenue that did not occur in the prior year, partially offset by a $23.2 million decrease due to lower average ASP, the latter due primarily to product mix shift, and to a lesser extent, short-term pricing incentives on legacy products.
Systems revenue decreased $12.9 million due primarily to a decrease in shipment volumes. Reader and gateway revenue decreased $5.8 million and $8.6 million, respectively. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $3.1 million from test and measurement solutions revenue.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 177,232 | $ | 155,557 | $ | 119,916 | $ | 21,675 | $ | 35,641 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 188,855 | 151,982 | 137,884 | 36,873 | 14,098 | |||||||||||||||
| Gross margin | 51.6 | % | 49.4 | % | 53.5 | % | 2.2 | % | (4.1 | )% |
Cost of revenue includes costs associated with manufacturing our endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers, gateways and test and measurement solutions, including direct materials and outsourced manufacturing costs as well as associated overhead costs such as logistics, quality control, planning and procurement. Cost of revenue also includes charges for excess and obsolescence and warranty costs. Our gross margin varies from period to period based on the mix of endpoint IC and systems; underlying product margins driven by changes in mix, ASPs or costs; as well as from inventory excess and obsolescence charges.
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Gross profit increased $36.9 million, due primarily to increased endpoint IC revenue partially offset by decreased systems revenue. Gross margin increased, due primarily to high-margin licensing revenue recognized in the year that did not occur in the prior year.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 98,829 | $ | 88,562 | $ | 74,106 | $ | 10,267 | $ | 14,456 |
Research and development expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our product-development personnel; product development costs which include external consulting and service costs, prototype materials and other new-product development costs; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs. We expect research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars in future periods as we continue to focus on new product development and introductions.
Research and development expense increased $10.3 million, due primarily to increases of $8.5 million in personnel expenses primarily from higher bonus achievement and to a lesser extent increased headcount, $4.4 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants, and $1.5 million in infrastructure costs primarily from increased depreciation and software costs, partially offset by a decrease of $4.1 million in product development costs.
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 40,579 | $ | 41,123 | $ | 37,894 | $ | (544 | ) | $ | 3,229 |
Sales and marketing expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, incentive sales compensation, or commission, benefits and other employee-related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our sales and marketing personnel; travel, advertising and promotional expenses; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Sales and marketing expense decreased $0.5 million, due primarily to decreases of $0.5 million in marketing related spend and $0.4 million in personnel expenses resulting from lower headcount, partially offset by higher bonus achievement and commissions. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $0.5 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 51,802 | $ | 60,828 | $ | 45,465 | $ | (9,026 | ) | $ | 15,363 |
General and administrative expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our executive, finance, human resources and information technology personnel; legal, accounting and other professional service fees; travel and insurance expense; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
General and administrative expense decreased $9.0 million, due primarily to a decrease of $18.0 million in professional services related to legal fees and transaction expenses, partially offset by increases of $5.2 million personnel expenses from higher bonus achievement, higher headcount and higher payroll
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taxes, and $3.5 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
Amortization of Intangibles
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | $ | 2,902 | $ | 4,953 | $ | — | $ | (2,051 | ) | $ | 4,953 |
Amortization of intangibles decreased by $2.1 million. The decrease relates to the intangibles acquired as part of our April 3, 2023 acquisition of Voyantic Oy. Certain intangible assets acquired had useful life of less than 1 year, resulting in a higher amortization expense in the prior-year period.
Restructuring Costs
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | $ | 1,812 | $ | — | $ | (102 | ) | $ | 1,812 | $ | 102 |
The increase in restructuring costs relates to the restructuring we initiated on February 7, 2024. For further information on this restructuring, please refer to Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Income From Settlement of Litigation
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Income from settlement of litigation | $ | 45,000 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 45,000 | $ | — |
The increase in income from settlement of litigation relates to the Settlement Agreement with NXP on March 13, 2024. See Note 12, Commitments and Contingencies for further details.
Other Income, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | $ | 7,937 | $ | 4,644 | $ | 2,517 | $ | 3,293 | $ | 2,127 |
Other income, net, comprises primarily interest income on our short-term investments.
Other income, net, increased $3.3 million, due to increased interest income given higher invested balances and higher interest rates.
Induced Conversion Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 2,232 | $ | — | $ | (2,232 | ) |
There was no induced conversion expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Interest Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 4,873 | $ | 4,848 | $ | 4,923 | $ | 25 | $ | (75 | ) |
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Interest expense comprises primarily cash interest, amortization of debt issuance costs and debt discount.
Interest expense remained comparable to the prior period.
Income Tax Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 | 2023 vs 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | $ | 157 | $ | (322 | ) | $ | 184 | $ | 479 | $ | (506 | ) |
We are subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions.
Income tax expense increased by $0.5 million due to changes in our estimated effective tax rate.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $164.7 million, comprising cash deposits held at major financial institutions and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including U.S. government securities, treasury bills, corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper and money market funds. As of December 31, 2024, we had working capital of $(4.8) million, down from $238.8 million as of December 31, 2023. The decrease was driven by the reclassification of our convertible debt from long-term to current, due to certain conditions being met (refer to Note 8 our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for further information). This decrease was partially offset by an increase in cash and short-term investments.
Historically, we have funded our operations primarily through cash generated from operations and by issuing equity securities, convertible-debt offerings and/or borrowing under our prior senior credit facility.
We believe, based on our current operating plan, that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. Over the longer term, we plan to continue investing to enhance and extend our platform. If our available funds are insufficient to fund our future activities or execute our strategy, then we may raise additional capital through equity, equity-linked or debt financing, to the extent such funding sources are available. Alternatively, we may need to reduce expenses to manage liquidity; however, any such reductions could adversely impact our business and competitive position.
Sources of Funds
From time to time, we may explore additional financing sources and ways to reduce our cost of capital, including equity, equity-linked and debt financing. In addition, in connection with any future acquisitions, we may pursue additional financing which may be debt, equity or equity-linked financing or a combination thereof. We can provide no assurance that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms.
2021 Notes
In November 2021, we issued convertible notes due in 2027 in an aggregate principal amount of $287.5 million, which we refer to as the 2021 Notes. The 2021 Notes are our senior unsecured obligation, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 1.125% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on May 15, 2022. The 2021 Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election, and will mature on May 15, 2027 unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with the indenture terms.
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The net proceeds from the 2021 Notes were approximately $278.4 million after initial debt issuance costs, fees and expenses. We used approximately $183.6 million of the net proceeds to repurchase approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of convertible notes due 2026, or the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the 2021 Notes offering. We used $17.6 million to repurchase the remaining $9.85 million aggregate principal of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions in June 2022. Please refer to the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. We will use the rest of the net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Historical Cash Flow Trends
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 128,310 | $ | (49,382 | ) | $ | 641 | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | (192,570 | ) | 115,808 | (102,799 | ) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 15,679 | 8,736 | (2,148 | ) |
Operating Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2024, we generated $128.3 million of net cash from operating activities. These net cash proceeds were due to $112.3 million of net income adjusted for non-cash items and $16.0 million of working capital proceeds due primarily to higher accrued compensation and employee related benefits and accounts payable, partially offset by lower operating lease liabilities, acquisition related contingent consideration liability and higher inventory.
Investing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2024, we used $192.6 million of net cash from investing activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to purchases of investment of $202.1 million and property and equipment purchases of $17.1 million, partially offset by proceeds from maturities of investments of $26.6 million.
Financing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2024, we generated $15.7 million of net cash from financing activities. These net cash proceeds were due to $20.3 million from stock-option exercises and our employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP, partially offset by $4.6 million of cash paid for the earnout payment related to the Voyantic Oy acquisition.
Contractual Obligations
The following table reflects a summary of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024:
| Payments Due By Period | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less Than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More Than 5 Years | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible senior notes (1) | $ | 295,586 | $ | 3,234 | $ | 292,352 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 10,248 | 4,101 | 4,956 | 1,191 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Purchase commitments (2) | 35,021 | 35,021 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 340,855 | $ | 42,356 | $ | 297,308 | $ | 1,191 | $ | — |
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(1) The 2021 Notes include $8.1 million in interest payments.
(2) Purchase commitments comprise primarily noncancelable commitments to purchase $24.6 million of inventory as of December 31, 2024, noncancelable software license agreements with vendors and equipment purchases.
Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements
Since inception, we have not had any relationships with unconsolidated entities, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special-purpose entities, or financial partnerships that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance-sheet arrangements or for another contractually narrow or limited purpose.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements which we have prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Generally, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, in accordance with GAAP, that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under other assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are those we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and estimates include those related to:
•
revenue recognition;
•
inventory;
•
income taxes; and
•
stock-based compensation.
Revenue Recognition
We generate revenue primarily from sales of hardware products. We also generate revenue from software, extended warranties, enhanced maintenance, support services and NRE development services, none of which are material.
We recognize revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers, which for hardware sales is generally at the time of product shipment as determined by agreed-upon shipping terms. We measure revenue based on the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled-to in exchange for those goods or services. We expect the period between when we transfer control of promised goods or services and when we receive payment to be one year or less, and that expectation is consistent with our historical experience. As such, we do not adjust our revenue for the effects of a significant financing component. We recognize any variable consideration, which comprises primarily sales incentives, as revenue reduction at the time of revenue recognition. We estimate sales incentives based on our historical experience and current expectations at the time of revenue recognition and update them at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available.
Our reader and gateway products are highly dependent on embedded software and cannot function without this embedded software. We account for the hardware and embedded software as a single performance obligation and recognize revenue when control is transferred.
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Our customer contracts with multiple performance obligations generally include a combination of hardware products, extended warranty, enhanced maintenance and support services. For these contracts, we account for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct. We allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling-price basis. In instances where the standalone selling price is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the standalone selling price using one, or a combination of, the adjusted market assessment or expected cost-plus margin. We defer amounts allocated to extended warranty and enhanced maintenance sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement, which is typically from one to three years. We defer amounts allocated to support services sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them when we transfer control of the promised services to our customers.
Revenue generated from licensing our intellectual property is governed by licensing agreements. We recognize revenue from licensing the right to use functional intellectual property at the point in time the control of the license transfers to the customer, which is generally upon delivery, or as usage occurs.
If a customer pays consideration before we transfer a good or service under the contract, then we classify those amounts as contract liabilities, or deferred revenue. We recognize contract liabilities as revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers.
Payment terms typically range from 30 to 120 days. We present revenue net of sales tax in our consolidated statements of operations. We include shipping charges billed to customers in revenue and the related shipping costs in cost of revenue.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions: We expense sales commissions when incurred because we expect the amortization period to be one year or less. We record these costs within sales and marketing expenses. We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (1) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (2) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed.
Inventory
We state inventories at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value using the average costing method, which approximates a first-in, first-out method. Inventories comprise raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. We continuously assess our inventory value and write down its value for estimated excess and obsolete inventory. This evaluation includes an analysis of inventory on hand, current and forecasted demand, product development plans and market conditions. If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, or our product development plans change from current expectations, then a write-down of excess or obsolete inventory may be required and is reflected in cost of goods sold in the period the updated information is known.
Income Taxes
We use the asset and liability approach for accounting, which requires recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. We recognize the effects of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the year that of the enactment date. We determine deferred tax assets, including historical net operating losses and deferred tax liabilities, based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of the assets and liabilities. We believe that it is currently more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be realized and, as such, we have recorded a full valuation allowance for these assets. We evaluate the likelihood of our ability to realize deferred tax assets in future periods on a quarterly basis, and if evidence indicates we will be able to realize some or all of our deferred tax assets then we will revise our valuation allowance accordingly.
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We use a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain tax positions. First, we evaluate recognition, which requires us to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. If we consider a tax position more likely than not to be unsustained, then no benefits of the position are recognized. Second, we measure the uncertain tax position based on the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not to be realized on effective settlement. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure, including assessing the risks associated with tax audits, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. If actual results differ from our estimates, then our net operating loss and credit carryforwards could be materially impacted.
Us realizing the benefits of the NOLs and credit carryforwards depends on sufficient taxable income in future years. We have established a valuation allowance against the carrying value of our deferred tax assets, as it is currently more likely than not we will be unable to realize these deferred tax assets. In addition, using NOLs and credits to offset future income subject to taxes may be subject to substantial annual limitations due to the “change in ownership” provisions of the Code and similar state provisions. Events that cause limitations in the amount of NOLs that we may use in any one year include, but are not limited to, a cumulative ownership change of more than 50%, as defined by Code Sections 382 and 383, over a three-year period. Using our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards could be significantly reduced if a cumulative ownership change of more than 50% has occurred in our past or occurs in our future.
We do not anticipate that the amount of our existing unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months. Due to our NOLs, in most jurisdictions our tax years remain open for examination by taxing authorities back to 2004.
Stock-Based Compensation
We have various equity award plans, or Plans for granting share-based awards to employees, consultants and non-employee directors of the Company. The Plans provide for granting several forms of stock compensation such as stock option awards, restricted stock units, or RSUs, RSUs with performance conditions, or PSUs, and RSUs with market and service conditions, or MSUs.
We measure stock-based compensation costs for all share-based awards at fair value on the measurement date, which is typically the grant date. We determine the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which considers, among other things, estimates and assumptions on the expected life of the options, stock price volatility and market value of the Company’s common stock. We determine the fair value of RSUs and PSUs based on the closing price of our common stock at grant date. Additionally, for awards with a market condition, we use a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate grant date fair value, which takes into consideration the range of possible stock price of total stockholder return outcomes.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For information on recent accounting pronouncements, please refer to Note 2 in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000950170-24-013874.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Overview
We envision a world in which every item that enterprises manufacture, transport and sell, and that people own, use and recycle, is wirelessly and ubiquitously connected to the cloud. And a world in which the ownership, history and linked information for every one of those items is seamlessly available to enterprises and people. We call our expansive vision a Boundless Internet of Things, or IoT, and we are well on our way to realizing it.
Our mission is to connect every thing. We use a type of radio-frequency identification, or RFID, technology known as RAIN for the ubiquitous, wireless item-to-cloud connectivity. We sell a suite of products that we and our partner ecosystem use to connect and deliver item data to enterprises. We have enabled connectivity for more than 95 billion items to date, delivering item visibility and improving operational efficiencies for retailers, supply chain and logistics, or SC&L, providers, restaurants and food-service providers, airlines, automobile manufacturers, healthcare companies and many more.
We are today focused on extending item connectivity from tens of billions to trillions of items, and delivering item data not just to enterprises but to people, so they too can derive value from their connected items. We believe the Boundless IoT we are enabling will, in the not-too-distant future, give people ubiquitous access to cloud-based digital twins of every item, each storing the item’s history and linked information and helping people explore and learn about the item. We believe that that connectivity will transform the world.
We and our partner ecosystem build item-visibility solutions using products that we design and either sell or license, including silicon RAIN radios; manufacturing, test, encoding and reading systems; and software and cloud services. Our platform comprises our products and supporting partner ecosystem. Our products include endpoint ICs that store a serialized number to wirelessly identify an item; reader ICs that our partners use in finished readers to wirelessly discover, inventory and engage endpoint ICs; manufacturing, test and encoding systems that enable partner products and facilitate enterprise deployments; finished readers and gateways for autonomous reading solutions; and software and cloud services for solutions enablement. We sell our products, either individually or as a whole platform offering, primarily with or through our partner ecosystem.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Inventory Supply
Most of our revenue derives from endpoint ICs that our partners embed into or onto enterprise items and is therefore affected by macroeconomic trends. Further, we sell most of our products, both endpoint ICs and systems, through partners and distributors, limiting our visibility to enterprise demand. We work closely with those partners and distributors to gain as accurate a view as possible, however, correctly forecasting demand for our products and identifying market shifts in a timely manner remains a challenge. As a result, we sometimes experience inventory overages or shortages. Inventory overages can increase expenses, expose us to product obsolescence and/or increased reserves and negatively affect our business. Inventory shortages can cause long lead times, missed opportunities, market-share losses and/or damaged customer relationships, also negatively affecting our business.
In 2021 and 2022, demand for our endpoint ICs increased while worldwide wafer demand also increased, leading to wafer shortfalls for many semiconductor companies, including us. These wafer shortfalls prevented us from fully meeting customer demand and, in some cases, caused customers to cancel orders, qualify alternative suppliers or purchase from our competitors. In 2023, macroeconomic conditions led to softness in demand and inventory overages.
Product Adoption and Unit Growth Rates
Enterprises have significantly adopted RAIN in retail apparel, our largest market, and SC&L, but the rate of adoption and unit growth rates have been uneven and unpredictable. From 2010 to 2023, our overall endpoint IC
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sales volumes increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 26%; however. we have experienced declines in endpoint IC sales volumes during various periods.
Regardless of the uneven pace of retail, SC&L and other industry adoption and growth rates, we believe the long-term trend is continued RAIN adoption and growth and we intend to continue investing in developing new products and expanding our product offerings for the foreseeable future. However, we cannot predict whether historical annual growth rates are indicative of the pace of future growth.
Our systems business, at least for readers and gateways, depends significantly on large-scale deployments at discrete end users, and deployment timing causes large yearly variability in our systems revenue. For example, we generated 14% of total 2019 revenue from a gateway deployment at a large North American SC&L provider. We did not have comparable project-based revenue in 2020. Similarly, in 2021, we generated 13% of our quarterly revenue from a project-based gateway deployment for RAIN-based self-checkout and loss prevention at a large Europe-based global retailer. We did not have comparable project-based revenue in 2022 or 2023.
Seasonality and Pricing
We typically negotiate pricing with most of our endpoint IC OEMs with an effective date of the first quarter of the calendar year. In the past, this negotiation typically resulted in reduced revenue and gross margins in the first quarter compared to prior periods, which then normalized in subsequent quarters as we reduced costs and adjusted product mix by migrating those OEMs and end users to newer, lower-cost products.
Endpoint IC volumes tend to be lower in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. System sales tend to be higher in the fourth quarter and lower in the first quarter, we believe due to the availability of residual funding for capital expenditures prior to the end of many end users’ fiscal years.
We did not see these seasonal trends in 2022 or 2023 and may not see them in 2024. Whether and when these trends will return is not clear. We do expect continued quarter-to-quarter revenue variability due to changing macroeconomic conditions.
Results of Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 307,539 | $ | 257,800 | $ | 190,283 | $ | 49,739 | $ | 67,517 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 151,982 | $ | 137,884 | $ | 98,954 | $ | 14,098 | $ | 38,930 | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 49.4 | % | 53.5 | % | 52.0 | % | (4.1 | )% | 1.5 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (43,484 | ) | $ | (19,479 | ) | $ | (37,249 | ) | $ | (24,005 | ) | $ | 17,770 |
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Revenue and gross profit increased, due primarily to higher endpoint IC and systems revenue. The endpoint IC revenue increase was driven primarily by higher shipment volumes partially offset by lower average ASP due to mix, and the systems revenue increase was due to higher shipment volumes. Gross margin decreased due primarily to decreased product margins and, to a lesser extent, higher excess and obsolescence charges and indirect costs. The lower product margins were driven by lower endpoint IC margins due to a smaller revenue contribution from industrial and specialty endpoint ICs as well as mix within those industrial and specialty endpoint ICs. Loss from operations increased due primarily to increased operating expenses partially offset by increased gross profit. The operating expense increase was due primarily to higher research and development, general and administrative costs and amortization of intangibles as a result of us acquiring Voyantic Oy.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Revenue and gross profit increased, due primarily to higher endpoint IC and systems revenue. The endpoint IC revenue increase was driven primarily by higher ASP and shipment volumes. Gross margin increased, due primarily to increased product margins. The increased product margins were driven primarily by an increase in endpoint IC margins due to product mix. Loss from operations decreased, due primarily to increased gross profit offset by increased operating expenses. The operating expense increase was due primarily to higher research and development and general and administrative costs.
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Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Endpoint ICs | $ | 234,426 | $ | 191,532 | $ | 139,250 | $ | 42,894 | $ | 52,282 | |||||||||
| Systems | 73,113 | 66,268 | 51,033 | 6,845 | 15,235 | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 307,539 | $ | 257,800 | $ | 190,283 | $ | 49,739 | $ | 67,517 |
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from sales of endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers, gateways and test and measurement solutions. We sell our endpoint ICs and test and measurement solutions primarily to inlay manufacturers; our reader ICs primarily to OEMs and ODMs through distributors; and our readers and gateways to solutions providers, VARs and SIs, also primarily through distributors. We expect endpoint IC sales to represent the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Endpoint IC revenue increased $42.9 million, due primarily to a $68.9 million increase from higher shipment volumes offset by a $26.0 million decrease due to ASP, the latter due primarily to lower revenue contribution from industrial and specialty endpoint ICs as well mix within those industrial and specialty ICs.
Systems revenue increased $6.8 million. Test and measurement solutions and gateway revenue increased $8.1 million and $5.5 million respectively due primarily to increased shipment volume. These increases were offset by a decrease of $7.8 million in reader revenue as a result of decreased shipment volumes.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Endpoint IC revenue increased $52.3 million, due primarily to a $35.5 million increase from higher ASPs and a $16.8 million increase from higher shipment volumes. The ASP increase was due primarily to price increases we implemented to offset higher product costs as well as product mix, the latter from a higher contribution from industrial and specialty ICs.
Systems revenue increased $15.2 million, due primarily to increases of $7.6 million in reader IC revenue, $4.9 million in gateway revenue and $3.3 million in reader revenue offset by a decrease of $0.9 million in nonrecurring engineering, or NRE, revenue. The reader IC and gateway revenue increases were due primarily to higher shipment volumes; the reader revenue increase was due primarily to higher ASPs.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 155,557 | $ | 119,916 | $ | 91,329 | $ | 35,641 | $ | 28,587 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 151,982 | 137,884 | 98,954 | 14,098 | 38,930 | |||||||||||||||
| Gross margin | 49.4 | % | 53.5 | % | 52.0 | % | (4.1 | )% | 1.5 | % |
Cost of revenue includes costs associated with manufacturing our endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers, gateways and test and measurement solutions, including direct materials and outsourced manufacturing costs as well as associated overhead costs such as logistics, quality control, planning and procurement. Cost of revenue also includes charges for excess and obsolescence and warranty costs. Our gross margin varies from period to period based on the mix of endpoint IC and systems; underlying product margins driven by changes in mix, ASPs or costs; as well as from inventory excess and obsolescence charges.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Gross profit increased $14.1 million, due primarily to increased endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin decreased, due primarily to decreased product margins and to a lesser extent higher excess and obsolescence charges and indirect costs. The decreased product margins were driven primarily by lower endpoint IC margins due to product mix and a smaller contribution from industrial and specialty endpoint ICs as well as mix within those industrial and specialty endpoint ICs. Excess and obsolescence charges had an immaterial gross margin impact for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
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Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Gross profit increased $38.9 million, due primarily to increased endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin increased, due primarily to increased product margins, with offsetting fluctuations from reduced sales of fully reserved inventory and higher indirect costs. The product-margin increase was due primarily to higher endpoint IC margins from a higher revenue contribution from industrial and specialty ICs. Excess and obsolescence charges had an immaterial gross margin impact for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to a favorable gross margin impact of 1.5% due to the sale of fully reserved inventory for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 88,562 | $ | 74,106 | $ | 64,058 | $ | 14,456 | $ | 10,048 |
Research and development expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our product-development personnel; product development costs which include external consulting and service costs, prototype materials and other new-product development costs; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs. We expect research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars in future periods as we continue to focus on new product development and introductions.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Research and development expense increased $14.5 million, due primarily to increases of $6.0 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount, $3.3 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants, $3.1 million in product development costs, and $2.0 million in infrastructure costs primarily from increased depreciation and software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Research and development expense increased $10.0 million, due primarily to increases of $6.6 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount and a change in bonus payment structure from 100% PSUs to 50% cash and 50% PSUs, $1.9 million in infrastructure costs primarily from increased software costs, and $0.8 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 41,123 | $ | 37,894 | $ | 34,287 | $ | 3,229 | $ | 3,607 |
Sales and marketing expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, incentive sales compensation, or commission, benefits and other employee-related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our sales and marketing personnel; travel, advertising and promotional expenses; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Sales and marketing expense increased $3.2 million, due primarily to increases of $1.7 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount offset by lower commission expense, $0.8 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants, and $0.5 million in travel expenses.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Sales and marketing expense increased $3.6 million, due primarily to increases of $2.9 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount and the change in bonus payment structure from 100% PSUs to 50% cash and 50% PSUs, and $0.6 million in marketing and advertising expenses.
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General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 60,828 | $ | 45,465 | $ | 36,137 | $ | 15,363 | $ | 9,328 |
General and administrative expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our executive, finance, human resources and information technology personnel; legal, accounting and other professional service fees; travel and insurance expense; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
General and administrative expense increased $15.4 million, due primarily to increases of $11.0 million in professional services related primarily to non-settlement-related legal fees and transaction expenses for the Voyantic Oy acquisition, $2.5 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount, $1.1 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants, and $0.5 million in infrastructure expenses primarily related to rent and facilities.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
General and administrative expense increased $9.3 million, due primarily to a $4.4 million increase in non-settlement-related legal fees, $2.3 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount and the change in bonus payment structure from 100% PSUs to 50% cash and 50% PSUs, and $1.6 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
Amortization of intangibles
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | $ | 4,953 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 4,953 | $ | — |
The increase in amortization expense relates to the intangibles acquired as part of our April 3, 2023 acquisition of Voyantic Oy, a global provider of RFID test and measurement solutions. See note 6 Goodwill and Intangible Assets, for further details.
Restructuring costs
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | $ | — | $ | (102 | ) | $ | 1,721 | $ | 102 | $ | (1,823 | ) |
On February 2, 2021, we restructured our go-to-market organization to strategically align our global sales, product, partner development and marketing teams. We eliminated approximately seven full-time positions in our go-to-market organization, representing roughly 2% of our workforce. We incurred restructuring charges of $1.7 million for employee termination benefits and other associated legal costs for the year ended December 31, 2021. Restructuring charges were immaterial for the year ended December 31, 2022 and there were no restructuring charges for the year ended December 31, 2023. For further information on this restructuring, please refer to Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Other Income, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | $ | 4,644 | $ | 2,517 | $ | 25 | $ | 2,127 | $ | 2,492 |
Other income, net, comprises primarily interest income on our short-term investments.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Other income, net, increased $2.1 million, due primarily to higher interest rates on our short-term investments and cash and cash equivalents.
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Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Other income, net, increased $2.5 million, due primarily to higher interest rates on our short and long-term investments.
Induced Conversion Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | $ | — | $ | 2,232 | $ | 11,333 | $ | (2,232 | ) | $ | (9,101 | ) |
In November 2021 and June 2022, we completed a privately negotiated repurchase of $76.4 million and $9.9 million principal amounts, respectively, of the 2019 Notes, also referred to as the 2019 Notes Repurchase. We accounted for the 2019 Notes Repurchase transactions as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20). We recorded $11.3 million and $2.2 million in induced conversion expense in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The induced conversion expense represents the fair value of the consideration issued upon conversion in excess of the fair value of the securities issuable under the original terms of the 2019 Notes. For further information, please refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Interest Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 4,848 | $ | 4,923 | $ | 2,550 | $ | (75 | ) | $ | 2,373 |
Interest expense comprises primarily cash interest, amortization of debt issuance costs and debt discount.
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued guidance on debt with conversion and other options, or ASU 2020-06. On January 1, 2021, we adopted Accounting Standard Update, or ASU, 2020-06 using the modified retrospective transition method, accounting for the 2019 Notes on a whole-instrument basis. Our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2021, December 21, 2022, and December 31, 2023 use the new standard and we no longer record amortization of debt discount.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Interest expense remained comparable to the prior period.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Interest expense increased $2.4 million, due primarily to us issuing the $287.5 million aggregate principal amount of the 2021 Notes in November 2021, due May 15, 2027. For further information on the 2021 Notes, please refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Income Tax Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | $ | (322 | ) | $ | 184 | $ | 153 | $ | (506 | ) | $ | 31 |
We are subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions.
Year ended December 31, 2023 compared with year ended December 31, 2022
Income tax expense decreased by $0.5 million. which resulted in a benefit for the year ended December 31, 2023. This benefit was due to our estimated effective tax rate which incorporated the acquisition of Voyantic Oy. For further information on Voyantic Oy acquisition, please refer to Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Income tax expense remained comparable to the prior period.
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Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Our key non-GAAP performance measures include adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss), as defined below. We use adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss) as key measures to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operating plans. We believe these measures provide useful information for period-to-period comparisons of our business to allow investors and others to understand and evaluate our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. Our presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and our non-GAAP measures may be different from similarly termed non-GAAP measures used by other companies.
Adjusted EBITDA
We define adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding, if applicable for the periods presented, the effects of stock-based compensation; depreciation and amortization; restructuring costs; settlement and related costs; induced conversion expense; other income, net; interest expense; acquisition-related expense and related purchase accounting adjustments; and income tax benefit (expense). During the year ended December 31, 2023, we revised our definition of adjusted EBITDA to exclude acquisition related-expenses, related purchase-accounting adjustments and amortization of intangibles in connection with our Voyantic Oy acquisition. We have excluded these costs and expenses because we do not believe they reflect our core operations and us excluding them enables more consistent evaluation of our operating performance. This revision to our definition of adjusted EBITDA did not impact adjusted EBITDA for any previously reported periods because there were no items of a similar nature in those prior periods.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to adjusted EBITDA:
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (43,366 | ) | $ | (24,301 | ) | $ | (51,260 | ) | $ | (19,065 | ) | $ | 26,959 | ||||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | (4,644 | ) | (2,517 | ) | (25 | ) | (2,127 | ) | (2,492 | ) | ||||||||||
| Interest expense | 4,848 | 4,923 | 2,550 | (75 | ) | 2,373 | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | (322 | ) | 184 | 153 | (506 | ) | 31 | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 13,623 | 6,044 | 4,602 | 7,579 | 1,442 | |||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 47,986 | 42,443 | 40,498 | 5,543 | 1,945 | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | — | (102 | ) | 1,721 | 102 | (1,823 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Settlement and related costs | — | — | (460 | ) | — | 460 | ||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | — | 2,232 | 11,333 | (2,232 | ) | (9,101 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Acquisition related expense | 3,272 | — | — | 3,272 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Purchase accounting adjustments | 388 | — | — | 388 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 21,785 | $ | 28,906 | $ | 9,112 | $ | (7,121 | ) | $ | 19,794 |
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss)
We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income (loss) excluding, if applicable for the periods presented, the effects of stock-based compensation; depreciation and amortization; restructuring costs; settlement and related costs; induced conversion expense; acquisition-related expense and related purchase accounting adjustments; and the corresponding income tax impacts of adjustments to net income (loss).
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we revised our definition of non-GAAP net income (loss) to adjust for acquisition-related expenses, related purchase-accounting adjustments and amortization of intangibles in connection with our Voyantic Oy acquisition. The revision to our definition of non-GAAP net income did not impact non-GAAP net income for any previously reported periods because there were no items of a similar nature in those prior periods.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we further revised our definition of non-GAAP net income (loss) to adjust for income tax effects of adjustments to net income (loss), calculated at the statutory rate for current and historical periods. We have revised the prior period amounts to conform to our current period presentation.
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The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to non-GAAP net income (loss):
| Year Ended December 31, | 2023 vs 2022 | 2022 vs 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (43,366 | ) | $ | (24,301 | ) | $ | (51,260 | ) | $ | (19,065 | ) | $ | 26,959 | ||||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 13,623 | 6,044 | 4,602 | 7,579 | 1,442 | |||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 47,986 | 42,443 | 40,498 | 5,543 | 1,945 | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | — | (102 | ) | 1,721 | 102 | (1,823 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Settlement and related costs | — | — | (460 | ) | — | 460 | ||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | — | 2,232 | 11,333 | (2,232 | ) | (9,101 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Acquisition related expense | 3,272 | — | — | 3,272 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Purchase accounting adjustments | 388 | — | — | 388 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Income tax effects of adjustments (1) | (2,100 | ) | (2,474 | ) | (772 | ) | 374 | (1,702 | ) | |||||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income | $ | 19,803 | $ | 23,842 | $ | 5,662 | $ | (4,039 | ) | $ | 18,180 | |||||||||
| (1) The tax effects of the adjustments are calculated using the statutory rate, taking into consideration the nature of the item and relevant taxing jurisdiction. |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $113.2 million, comprising cash deposits held at major financial institutions and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including U.S. government securities, treasury bills, corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper and money market funds. As of December 31, 2023, we had working capital of $238.8 million.
Historically, we have funded our operations primarily through cash generated from operations and by issuing equity securities, convertible-debt offerings and/or borrowing under our prior senior credit facility. In 2023, our principal uses of cash were increases in our inventory balance, our acquisition of Voyantic Oy and capital expenditures.
We believe, based on our current operating plan, that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. Over the longer term, we plan to continue investing to enhance and extend our platform. If our available funds are insufficient to fund our future activities or execute our strategy, then we may raise additional capital through equity, equity-linked or debt financing, to the extent such funding sources are available. Alternatively, we may need to reduce expenses to manage liquidity; however, any such reductions could adversely impact our business and competitive position.
Sources of Funds
From time to time, we may explore additional financing sources and ways to reduce our cost of capital, including equity, equity-linked and debt financing. In addition, in connection with any future acquisitions, we may pursue additional financing which may be debt, equity or equity-linked financing or a combination thereof. We can provide no assurance that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms.
2021 Notes
In November 2021, we issued the 2021 Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $287.5 million. The 2021 Notes are our senior unsecured obligation, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 1.125% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on May 15, 2022. The 2021 Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election, and will mature on May 15, 2027 unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with the indenture terms.
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The net proceeds from the 2021 Notes were approximately $278.4 million after initial debt issuance costs, fees and expenses. We used approximately $183.6 million of the net proceeds to repurchase approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the 2021 Notes offering. We used $17.6 million to repurchase the remaining $9.85 million aggregate principal of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions in June 2022. Please refer to the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. We will use the rest of the net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Historical Cash Flow Trends
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | (49,382 | ) | $ | 641 | $ | 6,465 | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 115,808 | (102,799 | ) | (18,642 | ) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 8,736 | (2,148 | ) | 112,444 |
Operating Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we used $49.4 million of net cash from operating activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to $68.2 million of working capital usage due primarily to higher inventory and lower accounts payable partially offset by $18.9 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated $0.6 million of net cash from operating activities. These net cash proceeds were due primarily to $27.8 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by $27.2 million of working capital usage due primarily to higher inventory and accounts receivable offset by higher accounts payable.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $6.5 million of net cash from operating activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $6.2 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items and $0.3 million of working capital contribution.
Investing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we generated $115.8 million of net cash from investing activities. These net cash proceeds were due primarily to investment maturities of $144.4 million and sale of investments of $13.4 million, partially offset by cash paid for the Voyantic Oy acquisition of $23.4 million and property and equipment purchases of $18.6 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we used $102.8 million of net cash from investing activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to investments and equipment purchases of $205.8 million and $12.1 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $114.8 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we used $18.6 million of net cash from investing activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by investments and equipment purchases of $84.4 million and $16.2 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $82 million.
Financing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we generated $8.7 million of net cash from financing activities. These net cash proceeds were due to $8.7 million from stock-option exercises and our employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP.
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For the year ended December 31, 2022, we used $2.2 million of net cash from financing activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to $17.6 million to repurchase the remaining $9.85 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes described in the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Other major factors included $15.4 million from stock options exercises and our ESPP.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $112.4 million of net cash from financing activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $278.4 million net proceeds from issuing the 2021 Notes. This amount was offset by $183.6 million for the cash repurchase of approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the offering of the 2021 Notes described in the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Other major factors included $17.6 million from stock-option exercises and our ESPP.
Contractual Obligations
The following table reflects a summary of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023:
| Payments Due By Period | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less Than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More Than 5 Years | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible senior notes (1) | $ | 298,820 | $ | 3,234 | $ | 6,469 | $ | 289,117 | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 14,416 | 4,120 | 8,330 | 1,417 | 549 | ||||||||||||||
| Purchase commitments (2) | 31,003 | 30,265 | 738 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 344,239 | $ | 37,619 | $ | 15,537 | $ | 290,534 | $ | 549 |
(1) The 2021 Notes include $11.3 million in interest payments.
(2) Purchase commitments comprise primarily noncancelable commitments to purchase $21.8 million of inventory as of December 31, 2023, noncancelable software license agreements with vendors and equipment purchases.
Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements
Since inception, we have not had any relationships with unconsolidated entities, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special-purpose entities, or financial partnerships that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance-sheet arrangements or for another contractually narrow or limited purpose.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements which we have prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Generally, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, in accordance with GAAP, that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under other assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are those we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and estimates include those related to:
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revenue recognition;
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inventory;
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income taxes; and
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stock-based compensation.
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Revenue Recognition
We generate revenue primarily from sales of hardware products. We also generate revenue from software, extended warranties, enhanced maintenance, support services and NRE development services, none of which are material.
We recognize revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers, which for hardware sales is generally at the time of product shipment as determined by agreed-upon shipping terms. We measure revenue based on the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled-to in exchange for those goods or services. We expect the period between when we transfer control of promised goods or services and when we receive payment to be one year or less, and that expectation is consistent with our historical experience. As such, we do not adjust our revenue for the effects of a significant financing component. We recognize any variable consideration, which comprises primarily sales incentives, as revenue reduction at the time of revenue recognition. We estimate sales incentives based on our historical experience and current expectations at the time of revenue recognition and update them at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available.
Our reader and gateway products are highly dependent on embedded software and cannot function without this embedded software. We account for the hardware and embedded software as a single performance obligation and recognize revenue when control is transferred.
Our customer contracts with multiple performance obligations generally include a combination of hardware products, extended warranty, enhanced maintenance and support services. For these contracts, we account for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct. We allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling-price basis. In instances where the standalone selling price is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the standalone selling price using one, or a combination of, the adjusted market assessment or expected cost-plus margin. We defer amounts allocated to extended warranty and enhanced maintenance sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement, which is typically from one to three years. We defer amounts allocated to support services sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them when we transfer control of the promised services to our customers.
For NRE development agreements that involve significant production, modification or customization of our products, we generally recognize revenue over the performance period using the cost-input method because it best depicts the transfer of services to the customer. We receive payments under these agreements based on a billing schedule. Contract assets relate to our conditional right to consideration for our completed performance under these agreements. We record accounts receivable when the right to consideration becomes unconditional. For the periods presented in this report, our contract assets, deferred revenue and the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for NRE development agreements are not material.
If a customer pays consideration before we transfer a good or service under the contract, then we classify those amounts as contract liabilities, or deferred revenue. We recognize contract liabilities as revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers.
Payment terms typically range from 30 to 120 days. We present revenue net of sales tax in our consolidated statements of operations. We include shipping charges billed to customers in revenue and the related shipping costs in cost of revenue.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions: We expense sales commissions when incurred because we expect the amortization period to be one year or less. We record these costs within sales and marketing expenses. We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (1) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (2) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed.
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Inventory
We state inventories at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value using the average costing method, which approximates a first-in, first-out method. Inventories comprise raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. We continuously assess our inventory value and write down its value for estimated excess and obsolete inventory. This evaluation includes an analysis of inventory on hand, current and forecasted demand, product development plans and market conditions. If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, or our product development plans change from current expectations, then a write-down of excess or obsolete inventory may be required and is reflected in cost of goods sold in the period the updated information is known.
Income Taxes
We use the asset and liability approach for accounting, which requires recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. We recognize the effects of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the year that of the enactment date. We determine deferred tax assets, including historical net operating losses and deferred tax liabilities, based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of the assets and liabilities. We believe that it is currently more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be realized and, as such, we have recorded a full valuation allowance for these assets. We evaluate the likelihood of our ability to realize deferred tax assets in future periods on a quarterly basis, and if evidence indicates we will be able to realize some or all of our deferred tax assets then we will revise our valuation allowance accordingly.
We use a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain tax positions. First, we evaluate recognition, which requires us to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. If we consider a tax position more likely than not to be unsustained, then no benefits of the position are recognized. Second, we measure the uncertain tax position based on the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not to be realized on effective settlement. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure, including assessing the risks associated with tax audits, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. If actual results differ from our estimates, then our net operating loss and credit carryforwards could be materially impacted.
Us realizing the benefits of the NOLs and credit carryforwards depends on sufficient taxable income in future years. We have established a valuation allowance against the carrying value of our deferred tax assets, as it is currently more likely than not we will be unable to realize these deferred tax assets. In addition, using NOLs and credits to offset future income subject to taxes may be subject to substantial annual limitations due to the “change in ownership” provisions of the Code and similar state provisions. Events that cause limitations in the amount of NOLs that we may use in any one year include, but are not limited to, a cumulative ownership change of more than 50%, as defined by Code Sections 382 and 383, over a three-year period. Using our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards could be significantly reduced if a cumulative ownership change of more than 50% has occurred in our past or occurs in our future.
We do not anticipate that the amount of our existing unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months. Due to our NOLs, in most jurisdictions our tax years remain open for examination by taxing authorities back to 2004.
Stock-Based Compensation
We have various equity award plans, or Plans for granting share-based awards to employees, consultants and non-employee directors of the Company. The Plans provide for granting several forms of stock compensation such as stock option awards, restricted stock units, or RSUs, RSUs with performance conditions, or PSUs, and RSUs with market and service conditions, or MSUs.
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We measure stock-based compensation costs for all share-based awards at fair value on the measurement date, which is typically the grant date. We determine the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which considers, among other things, estimates and assumptions on the expected life of the options, stock price volatility and market value of the Company’s common stock. We determine the fair value of RSUs and PSUs based on the closing price of our common stock at grant date. Additionally, for awards with a market condition, we use a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate grant date fair value, which takes into consideration the range of possible stock price of total stockholder return outcomes.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For information on recent accounting pronouncements, please refer to Note 2 in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000950170-23-002614.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Overview
Our vision is a boundless Internet of Things, or IoT. We are driving a future in which everyday physical items are wirelessly connected to digital counterparts, or digital twins, in the cloud, and in which businesses and people access information about an item from its digital twin. Our mission is to connect every thing. We deliver a platform that powers item-to-cloud connectivity, and on which solution providers innovate IoT whole products.
Today, we deliver the identity, location and authenticity of billions of physical items. We believe our future is extending that delivery to trillions of physical items and enabling ubiquitous access to cloud-based digital twins of those items, each storing an item’s ownership, history and links. We believe the item connectivity that our platform will deliver enhances businesses efficiencies and commerce and, ultimately, improve peoples’ lives.
Our platform, which comprises multiple product families, wirelessly connects individual items and delivers data about the connected items to business and consumer applications. We link the products within our platform to deliver capabilities and performance that surpasses mix-and-match solutions built from competitor products.
We and our partners connect the items via a miniature radio chip embedded in the item or in its packaging, reading and delivering each item’s identity, location and authenticity. To date, we have enabled connectivity to more than 75 billion items, enabling businesses and consumers to derive timely information from those connected items.
Our platform uses RAIN, a type of radio-frequency identification, or RFID, technology we pioneered. We spearheaded development of the RAIN radio standard, lobbied governments to allocate frequency spectrum and cofounded the RAIN Alliance that today has more than 150 member companies. Our industry uses free spectrum in 81 countries encompassing roughly 95% of the world’s GDP. We believe RAIN’s capabilities – in particular, endpoint ICs with serialized identifiers for individual items, battery-free operation, 30-foot range, not line-of-sight readability, up to 1,000 reads per second, low cost, essentially unlimited life and available cryptographic authentication – position RAIN to be the leading item-to-cloud connectivity technology for the IoT.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Inventory Supply
From time to time, we experience inventory overages or shortages, either due to us misestimating customer or end-user demand; insufficient manufacturing capacity or product availability; market fluctuations; competitive product availability; macroeconomic fluctuations; changes in regulations or tariffs; or for a host of other reasons. These inventory dynamics can impact some or all of our products. High inventory levels can increase expenses, cause product obsolescence and/or increase reserves, negatively affecting our business. Low inventory levels can cause lengthened lead times, missed opportunities, market-share loss and/or damaged customer relationships, also negatively affecting our business. For example, in 2021 and 2022 we experienced IC wafer shortages relative to our needs because of high worldwide demand for foundry capacity. These shortages prevented us from fully meeting customer demand and, in some cases, caused customers to cancel orders, qualify alternative suppliers or purchase from our competitors.
In 2020, during the Covid-19 economic downturn, we built endpoint IC inventory. Beginning in fourth-quarter 2020, demand for our endpoint ICs increased dramatically. Worldwide wafer demand also increased dramatically, leading to wafer shortfalls in many industries, including ours. In first-quarter 2021, we consumed the inventory we built in 2020 at a pace that exceeded our first-quarter 2021 supply and post-processing capacity. In the second and third quarters, we moderated our sales and inventory burndown, stretching our IC supply but constraining our ability to fully capitalize on the increasing endpoint IC demand, while we also expanded and
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matured our post-processing capacity. Despite that moderation, by end of third-quarter 2021 we had mostly consumed our prebuilt inventory and demand for our endpoint ICs continued to exceed our ability to supply.
In 2022, wafer shortfalls in our process nodes continued, preventing us from fully capitalizing on our demand in every quarter of 2022. Although we did receive wafer upsides from our foundry partner that supported sequential increases in endpoint IC revenue each quarter, demand exceeded supply throughout the year. And because many of those upside wafers were 200mm rather than 300mm, we transitioned some customers back from our 300mm M700 family to our prior-generation 200mm Monza R6 product family, despite M700 being our primary market demand. In fourth-quarter 2022, our foundry partner signaled improving wafer supply. Regardless, we anticipate taking until at least second-half 2023 to begin building a sustainable level of endpoint IC finished goods inventory.
Throughout 2022 we were also unable to obtain enough reader components to meet reader market demand. Although component availability is starting to improve, some components remain stubbornly tight, and we expect that tightness to persist at least into first-half 2023. For reader ICs, we previously experienced long packaging lead times for our Indy reader ICs and testing delays for our new E-family reader ICs. The Indy lead times and E-family testing stabilized in second-half 2022.
In 2022 we saw cost increases for our endpoint IC wafers and for all systems products, which caused us to raise prices and potentially negatively impact our market competitiveness. Overall, the supply, packaging and test shortfalls, as well as cost increases, may decrease sales and cause market-share losses if our partners and end users buy competing products over ours, or choose to not deploy at all, negatively impacting our operating results and prospects.
Investing for Growth
We have invested in, and plan to continue investing in, research and development to enhance and extend our platform, including enhancing existing products, introducing new products and advancing the unique capabilities and features our platform enables. Although we sell our products into many end markets, relying significantly on our partner channel, we are today focusing particular attention on retail self-checkout and loss prevention and SC&L package tracking.
Most of our investments precede any sales benefits from the investments and, in some instances, we may never see any benefit if the market is not receptive to our approach, our product development is late or fails, or for other reasons. We sometimes enter into arrangements with end users, suppliers or partners for them to fund part of our investment, but even in those instances the investment results remain uncertain, and in some cases we may be required to refund the investment if the development is unsuccessful or the market opportunity fails to materialize. In some instances, we delay or cancel investments without or until we obtain such funding. The outcome of an investment is almost always uncertain, and if our results do not meet expectations then our operating results, profitability and stock price may be adversely affected.
While our long-term plan to invest for growth remains unchanged, Covid-19 and a weaker global economy has introduced new uncertainty to our business. We will continue to monitor the impacts of both on our supply chain, market and opportunities and adjust our investment strategy as appropriate.
Market Adoption
Our financial performance depends on the pace and scope of end-user adoption of our products in multiple industries, especially in retail apparel, which is our largest market. Covid-19 had a materially adverse impact on the retail industry, initially by shifting consumer shopping away from physical stores, then causing post-Covid supply shortfalls and retailer over-ordering and, in early 2023, inventory corrections at many retailers. Despite these retail macro trends, for the most part retail demand for our products exceeded our supply throughout 2022. Covid-19 also impacted other markets that use RAIN. For example, aviation, which had proposed widespread luggage tagging, saw delayed adoption. By contrast, SC&L experienced markedly increased shipment volumes which positively impacted adoption. Regardless, for the most part across all these industries, and for most of our products, demand exceeded supply throughout 2022.
Given the uncertainties in our market and product supply, the negative impacts of our insufficient 2022 supply and end user perceptions of the risks associated with insufficient supply, we cannot be certain that RAIN adoption will continue; that we will have appropriate product inventory; that we will not experience future product inventory shortfalls or overages; or that Covid-19 and a weaker global economy will not materially impact our
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business going forward. We also cannot be certain we will be able to maintain or grow our market share for any of our products, whether because of insufficient inventory, Covid-19, competitors copying our products, insufficient wafer or other product supply, competition generally or for a host of other reasons, many of which are outside our control.
Regardless of the uneven pace of retail, SC&L and other industry adoption, we believe the underlying, long-term trend is continued RAIN adoption and we continue investing in new products. In our endpoint IC business, in 2020 we introduced the Impinj M700 family, with significant performance advantages over other endpoint ICs on the market. We continue expanding the M700 family, for example with our introduction of the M780 and M781 in November 2022. In our systems business, in 2020 we introduced the Impinj R700 reader and in 2021 our Impinj E-family reader ICs, both of which likewise offer significant performance advantages over other readers and reader ICs on the market and for which we continue expanding the product families. Regardless, market adoption could be impacted by product availability—see the discussion of product availability under “Inventory Supply”.
We sell our products primarily through partners and distributors and therefore have limited visibility to end-user demand. Consequently, we may incorrectly forecast that demand or not identify market shifts in a timely manner, potentially adversely affecting our business. If RAIN market adoption, and adoption of our products specifically, does not meet our expectations, or if we are unable to meet partner or end-user volume or performance expectations, because of the impact of Covid-19, supply-chain disruption, macroeconomic conditions or otherwise, then our operating results and growth prospects will be adversely affected. If we reduce prices to win opportunities, then our gross margins may be negatively affected. In contrast, if our endpoint IC, reader IC, reader or gateway sales exceed expectations, then our revenue and profitability may be positively affected.
Timing and Complexity of End User Deployments
From 2010 to 2022, our endpoint IC sales volumes increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 26%. However, the pace has been uneven and unpredictable. For example, our endpoint IC unit sales volumes increased significantly in 2016, declined in second-half 2017 and in first-half 2018, returned to growth in second-half 2018 and in 2019 (the latter albeit not at the same pace as in 2016), declined again in second- and third-quarter 2020 due to Covid-19, and recovered in fourth-quarter 2020, in 2021 and in 2022. We expect short-term demand to remain unpredictable in scope and timing. Longer term, we believe our endpoint IC opportunity will continue to grow, but we cannot predict whether historical annual growth rates are indicative of the pace of future growth.
Our systems business, at least for our readers and gateways, is impacted by large-scale deployments at discrete end users. The timing of those large deployments causes large variability in our systems revenue. For example, we generated 14% of total 2019 revenue from a large North American SC&L provider in connection with a project-based gateway deployment. We did not have comparable new project-based revenue in 2020. As another example, in second-quarter 2021, we generated 13% of our quarterly revenue from a project-based gateway deployment for RAIN-based self-checkout and loss prevention at a large European-based global retailer.
Finally, although we promote our platform as an integrated offering, we sell our products individually, and end users often use only certain of our products. For any given end-user solution, whether an end user chooses to deploy our entire platform or only a portion will also affect our operating results.
Average Selling Price
Our product ASPs fluctuate based on competitive pressures and the discounting we offer to win opportunities, but generally decline over time. Historically, we have been able to compensate these ASP declines by reducing the per-unit cost of most of our products, by reducing supplier costs and implementing manufacturing and quality improvements, as well as by introducing newer and lower-cost products, but the timing of these cost reductions and new-product introductions fluctuates and may not materialize in any given quarter or year. In second-half 2021, due to wafer and component supply shortfalls at many of our suppliers, we began experiencing increasing rather than decreasing costs for both endpoint ICs and systems. In 2022, we raised prices to offset the impact of those increased costs. Many of our vendors and subcontractors have signaled future price increases, including our wafer foundry partner. Such increases, if or when they occur, could cause us to pass the higher costs to our customers. If we are unable to successfully increase our prices or if our customers choose competitors’ products due to our higher prices, then our product margins, operating results or both may suffer. In the near term, we expect product margins to be volatile based on product mix and the timing of our price changes.
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Seasonality
We typically renegotiate pricing with most of our endpoint IC OEMs with an effective date of the first quarter of the calendar year, reducing revenue and gross margins in the first quarter compared to prior periods. Historically, the impact tends to decline in subsequent quarters as we reduce costs and, to the extent we can migrate our partners and end users to newer, lower-cost products, adjust product mix. Endpoint IC volumes also tend to be historically lower in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. We did not see these historical trends in 2022 and may not see them in 2023.
System sales tend to be stronger in the fourth quarter of the calendar year, and less strong in the first quarter. We believe this seasonality is due to the availability of residual funding for capital expenditures prior to the end of many end users’ fiscal years. Like for our endpoint ICs, we did not see these historical trends in 2022 and may not see them in 2023.
While, over the long term, we expect these seasonal trends to continue, quarter-to-quarter revenue variability from factors including supply uncertainty, deployment timing, competitor products and supply-chain disruptions can all mask seasonality in any given period. These variabilities, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the impacts of Covid-19, can cause our actual results to differ significantly from our expectations, as described in greater detail in the sections of this report captioned “—Covid-19” and in Part I, Item 1A (Risk Factors).
Covid-19
We are actively monitoring and mitigating the impacts of Covid-19 in all aspects of our business, including for our employees, suppliers, partners and end users.
In 2021 and 2022, as the worldwide economy began recovering from the downturn caused by Covid-19, demand for all our products increased. Unfortunately, at the same time, we experienced supply constraints and higher costs that limited our ability to fully capitalize on the increased demand, as discussed above.
Given the ongoing uncertainty over Covid-19’s epidemiological, economic and operational impacts we cannot reasonably estimate the extent or duration of Covid-19’s continuing impact on our business. The extent to which Covid-19 impacts our future results will depend on developments that are inherently unpredictable, including the emergence of new Covid-19 variants and actions we and others take in response to Covid-19.
For more information on Covid-19’s impact on our business, please refer to Part I, Item 1A (Risk Factors) of this report.
Results of Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 257,800 | $ | 190,283 | $ | 138,923 | $ | 67,517 | $ | 51,360 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 137,884 | $ | 98,954 | $ | 65,140 | $ | 38,930 | $ | 33,814 | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 53.5 | % | 52.0 | % | 46.9 | % | 1.5 | % | 5.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (19,479 | ) | $ | (37,249 | ) | $ | (47,071 | ) | $ | 17,770 | $ | 9,822 |
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Revenue and gross profit increased, due primarily to higher endpoint IC and systems revenue. The endpoint IC revenue increase was driven primarily by higher ASP and shipment volumes when compared to the prior year period. Gross margin increased, due primarily to increased product margins. The increased product margins were driven primarily by an increase in endpoint IC margins due to product mix. Loss from operations decreased, due primarily to increased gross profit offset by increased operating expenses. The operating-expense increase was due primarily to higher research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative personnel costs; non-settlement-related legal fees; higher stock-based compensation expense; higher infrastructure costs; and higher marketing and advertising costs; offset by lower restructuring expenses.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
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Revenue and gross profit increased, due primarily to higher endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin increased, due primarily to 2020 excess and obsolescence charges as well as 2021 sales of fully reserved inventory and increased product margins. The increased product margins were driven primarily by an increase in endpoint IC margins due to product mix. Loss from operations decreased, due primarily to increased gross profit offset by increased operating expenses. The increase in operating expenses was due primarily to increased stock-based compensation expense; increased research and development and sales and marketing personnel expenses; and increased non-settlement-related legal fees.
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Endpoint ICs | $ | 191,532 | $ | 139,250 | $ | 102,326 | $ | 52,282 | $ | 36,924 | |||||||||
| Systems | 66,268 | 51,033 | 36,597 | 15,235 | 14,436 | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 257,800 | $ | 190,283 | $ | 138,923 | $ | 67,517 | $ | 51,360 |
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from sales of endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers and gateways. We sell our endpoint ICs primarily to inlay manufacturers; our reader ICs primarily to OEMs and ODMs through distributors; and our readers and gateways to solutions providers, VARs and SIs, also primarily through distributors. We expect endpoint IC sales to represent the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Endpoint IC revenue increased $52.3 million, due primarily to a $35.5 million increase from higher ASPs and a $16.8 million increase from higher shipment volumes. The ASP increase was due primarily to price increases we implemented to offset higher product costs as discussed above under "—Factors Affecting Our Performance—Average Selling Price" and product mix, the latter from a higher contribution from industrial and specialty ICs.
Systems revenue increased $15.2 million, due primarily to increases of $7.6 million in reader IC revenue, $4.9 million in gateway revenue and $3.3 million in reader revenue offset by a decrease of $913,000 in nonrecurring engineering, or NRE, revenue. The reader IC and gateway revenue increases were due primarily to higher shipment volumes; the reader revenue increase was due primarily to higher ASPs.
For more information, see the sections captioned “—Factors Affecting Our Performance—Inventory Supply” and “Shortages of silicon wafers and components used in our readers and gateways may adversely affect our ability to meet demand for our products and adversely affect our revenue and/or gross margins”.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Endpoint IC revenue increased $36.9 million, due primarily to a $44.5 million increase in shipment volumes, offset by a $7.6 million decrease due to lower ASPs. The increase in shipment volumes was due, in part, to 2020 volumes being low, a result of Covid-19 which negatively impacted several markets we sell to, including retail, our largest endpoint IC market, as well as growth in our customers’ underlying business. The ASP decrease was due to our annual price negotiations as discussed above under “—Factors Affecting Our Performance—Seasonality” and product mix with a higher contribution from our M700 product line which has a lower ASP, both of which were slightly offset by higher contribution from industrial and specialized products.
Systems revenue increased $14.4 million, due primarily to increases of $12.2 million in reader revenue, $1.4 million in gateway revenue and $629,000 in NRE revenue. Reader revenue increased primarily due to higher shipment volumes and ASPs, gateway revenue increased primarily due to higher ASPs; and NRE revenue increased due to timing of revenue recognition.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 119,916 | $ | 91,329 | $ | 73,783 | $ | 28,587 | $ | 17,546 | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | 137,884 | 98,954 | 65,140 | 38,930 | 33,814 | |||||||||||||||
| Gross margin | 53.5 | % | 52.0 | % | 46.9 | % | 1.5 | % | 5.1 | % |
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Cost of revenue includes costs associated with manufacturing our endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers and gateways, including direct materials and outsourced manufacturing costs as well as associated overhead costs such as logistics, quality control, planning and procurement. Cost of revenue also includes charges for excess and obsolescence and warranty costs. Our gross margin varies from period to period based on mix of endpoint IC and systems, underlying product margins driven by changes in ASPs or costs, as well as from inventory excess and obsolescence charges.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Cost of revenue increased $28.6 million, due primarily to increased endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin increased, due primarily to increased product margins, with fluctuations that offset one another related to reduced sales of fully reserved inventory and higher indirect costs. The product-margin increase was due primarily to higher endpoint IC margins from a higher revenue contribution from industrial and specialty ICs. Sales of fully reserved inventory had an immaterial gross margin impact for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to a favorable gross margin impact of 1.5% for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Cost of revenue increased $17.5 million, due primarily to increased endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin increased 5.1%, due to inventory excess and obsolescence charges that had an unfavorable net gross margin impact of 2.2% in 2020, sales of fully reserved inventory that had a positive 1.5% impact in 2021, and increased underlying product margins primarily related to favorable endpoint IC product mix with an increasing mix of M700 and higher contribution from industrial and specialty ICs.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 74,106 | $ | 64,058 | $ | 48,590 | $ | 10,048 | $ | 15,468 |
Research and development expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our product-development personnel; product development costs which include external consulting and service costs, prototype materials and other new-product development costs; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs. We expect research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars in future periods as we focus on new product development and introductions.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Research and development expense increased $10.0 million, due primarily to increases of $6.6 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount and a change in bonus payment structure from 100% PSUs to 50% cash and 50% PSUs, $1.9 million in infrastructure costs primarily from increased software costs, and $793,000 in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Research and development expense increased $15.5 million, due primarily to increases of $6.9 million in stock-based compensation expense primarily related to PSU grant timing, and to a lesser extent, an increased number of equity grants outstanding. Other major factors driving the increase included $4.6 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount; $2.9 million in product-development costs; and $1.1 million in infrastructure costs from increased software costs.
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 37,894 | $ | 34,287 | $ | 28,663 | $ | 3,607 | $ | 5,624 |
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Sales and marketing expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, incentive sales compensation, or commission, benefits and other employee-related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our sales and marketing personnel; travel, advertising and promotional expenses; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Sales and marketing expense increased $3.6 million, due primarily to increases of $2.9 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount and the change in bonus payment structure from 100% PSUs to 50% cash and 50% PSUs, and $554,000 in marketing and advertising expenses.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Sales and marketing expense increased $5.6 million, due primarily to increases of $3.5 million in stock-based compensation expense primarily related to PSU grant timing, and an increased number of equity grants outstanding. Other major factors driving the increase included $2.2 million in personnel expenses from higher salaries and benefits, and commissions as a result of our increased revenue.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 45,465 | $ | 36,137 | $ | 34,958 | $ | 9,328 | $ | 1,179 |
General and administrative expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our executive, finance, human resources and information technology personnel; legal, accounting and other professional service fees; travel and insurance expense; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
General and administrative expense increased $9.3 million, due primarily to a $4.4 million increase in non-settlement-related legal fees, $2.3 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount and the change in bonus payment structure from 100% PSUs to 50% cash and 50% PSUs, and $1.6 million in stock-based compensation expense related primarily to increased outstanding equity grants.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
General and administrative expense increased $1.2 million due primarily to increases of $3.6 million in stock-based compensation expense primarily related to PSU grant timing, and an increased number of equity grants outstanding. Other major factors comprising the increase included $3.1 million in professional services primarily related to non-settlement related legal fees offset by decreases of $5.8 million in settlement and related costs incurred in 2020.
Restructuring costs
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | $ | (102 | ) | $ | 1,721 | $ | — | $ | (1,823 | ) | $ | 1,721 |
On February 2, 2021, we restructured our go-to-market organization to strategically align our global sales, product, partner development and marketing teams. We eliminated approximately seven full-time positions in our go-to-market organization, representing roughly 2% of our workforce. Restructuring charges were immaterial for the year ended December 31, 2022. We incurred restructuring charges of $1.7 million for employee termination benefits as well as $50,000 in other associated legal costs for the year ended December 31, 2021. We substantially completed our restructuring by June 30, 2021. For further information on this restructuring, please refer to Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Other Income, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | $ | 2,517 | $ | 25 | $ | 650 | $ | 2,492 | $ | (625 | ) |
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Other income, net comprises primarily interest income on our short-term investments.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Other income, net increased $2.5 million, due primarily to higher interest rates on our short and long-term investments.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Other income, net decreased $625,000, due primarily to lower interest rates on our short and long-term investments.
Induced Conversion Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | $ | 2,232 | $ | 11,333 | $ | — | $ | (9,101 | ) | $ | 11,333 |
In November 2021 and June 2022, we completed a privately negotiated repurchase of $76.4 million and $9.85 million principal amounts, respectively, of the 2019 Notes (“2019 Note Repurchase”). We accounted for the 2019 Notes Repurchase transactions as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20). We recorded $11.3 million and $2.2 million in induced conversion expense in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The induced conversion expense represents the fair value of the consideration issued upon conversion in excess of the fair value of the securities issuable under the original terms of the 2019 Notes. For further information on the 2019 Notes, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Interest Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 4,923 | $ | 2,550 | $ | 5,413 | $ | 2,373 | $ | (2,863 | ) |
Interest expense comprises primarily cash interest, amortization of debt issuance costs and debt discount.
In August 2020, the FASB issued guidance on debt with conversion and other options, or ASU 2020-06. On January 1, 2021, we adopted ASU 2020-06 using the modified retrospective transition method, accounting for the 2019 Notes on a whole-instrument basis. Our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 21, 2022 use the new standard and we no longer record amortization of debt discount. We have not adjusted the comparative prior reporting period.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
Interest expense increased $2.4 million, due primarily to us issuing the $287.5 million aggregate principal amount of the 2021 Notes in November 2021, due May 15, 2027. For further information on the 2021 Notes, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Interest expense decreased $2.9 million, due primarily to the fact we no longer record amortization of debt discount as noted above, and to a lesser extent, the impact of our repurchase of $76.4 million principal amount of the 2019 convertible senior notes in November 2021. For further information on the 2019 Notes, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Income Tax Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | $ | 184 | $ | 153 | $ | 89 | $ | 31 | $ | 64 |
We are subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions.
Year ended December 31, 2022 compared with year ended December 31, 2021
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Income tax expense remained comparable to the prior period.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Income tax expense remained comparable to the prior period.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Our key non-GAAP performance measures include adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss), as defined below. We use adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss) as key measures to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operating plans. We believe these measures provide useful information for period-to-period comparisons of our business to allow investors and others to understand and evaluate our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. Our presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and our non-GAAP measures may be different from similarly termed non-GAAP measures used by other companies.
Adjusted EBITDA
We define adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding, if applicable for the periods presented, the effects of stock-based compensation; depreciation; restructuring costs; settlement and related costs; induced conversion expense; other income, net; interest expense; loss on debt extinguishment; and income tax benefit (expense). We have excluded these costs and expenses because we do not believe they reflect our core operations and us excluding them enables more consistent evaluation of our operating performance. The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to adjusted EBITDA:
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (24,301 | ) | $ | (51,260 | ) | $ | (51,923 | ) | $ | 26,959 | $ | 663 | |||||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | (2,517 | ) | (25 | ) | (650 | ) | (2,492 | ) | 625 | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | 4,923 | 2,550 | 5,413 | 2,373 | (2,863 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 184 | 153 | 89 | 31 | 64 | |||||||||||||||
| Depreciation | 6,044 | 4,602 | 4,504 | 1,442 | 98 | |||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 42,443 | 40,498 | 25,675 | 1,945 | 14,823 | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | (102 | ) | 1,721 | — | (1,823 | ) | 1,721 | |||||||||||||
| Settlement and related costs | — | (460 | ) | 5,359 | 460 | (5,819 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | 2,232 | 11,333 | — | (9,101 | ) | 11,333 | ||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 28,906 | $ | 9,112 | $ | (11,533 | ) | $ | 19,794 | $ | 20,645 |
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss)
We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income (loss), excluding, if applicable for the periods presented, the effects of stock-based compensation; depreciation; restructuring costs; settlement and related costs; induced conversion expense; amortization of debt discount related to the equity component of our convertible notes; and prepayment penalty on debt extinguishment.
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GAAP requires that certain convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash on conversion be accounted for as separate liability and equity components in a manner that reflects our non-convertible debt borrowing rate. This accounting results in the debt component being treated as though it was issued at a discount, with the debt discount being amortized as additional non-cash interest expense over the debt instrument term using the effective interest method. As a result, we believe that excluding this non-cash interest expense attributable to the debt discount in calculating our non-GAAP net income (loss) is useful because this interest expense is not indicative of our ongoing operational performance. On January 1, 2021, we adopted ASU 2020-06 using the modified retrospective transition method, accounting for the 2019 Notes on a whole-instrument basis. Our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 use the new standard and we no longer record amortization of debt discount.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to non-GAAP net income (loss):
| Year Ended December 31, | 2022 vs 2021 | 2021 vs 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (24,301 | ) | $ | (51,260 | ) | $ | (51,923 | ) | $ | 26,959 | $ | 663 | |||||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation | 6,044 | 4,602 | 4,504 | 1,442 | 98 | |||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 42,443 | 40,498 | 25,675 | 1,945 | 14,823 | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | (102 | ) | 1,721 | — | (1,823 | ) | 1,721 | |||||||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | — | — | 3,566 | — | (3,566 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Settlement and related costs | — | (460 | ) | 5,359 | 460 | (5,819 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | 2,232 | 11,333 | — | (9,101 | ) | 11,333 | ||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income | $ | 26,316 | $ | 6,434 | $ | (12,819 | ) | $ | 19,882 | $ | 19,253 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $173.7 million, comprising cash deposits held at major financial institutions and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including U.S. government securities, treasury bills, corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper, asset-backed securities and money market funds. As of December 31, 2022, we had working capital of $232.8 million.
Historically, we have funded our operations primarily through cash generated from operations and by issuing equity securities, convertible-debt offerings and/or borrowing under our prior senior credit facility. In 2022, our principal uses of cash were funding operations to capture our market opportunity and capital expenditures.
We believe, based on our current operating plan, that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. Over the longer term, we plan to continue investing to enhance and extend our platform. If our available funds are insufficient to fund our future activities or execute our strategy, then we may raise additional capital through equity, equity-linked or debt financing, to the extent such funding sources are available. Alternatively, we may need to reduce expenses to manage liquidity; however, any such reductions could adversely impact our business and competitive position.
Sources of Funds
From time to time, we may explore additional financing sources and ways to reduce our cost of capital, including equity, equity-linked and debt financing. In addition, in connection with any future acquisitions, we may pursue additional financing which may be debt, equity or equity-linked financing or a combination thereof. We can provide no assurance that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms.
2019 Notes
In December 2019, we issued the 2019 Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $86.3 million. The 2019 Notes were a senior unsecured obligation, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 2.00% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, beginning on June 15, 2020. The 2019 Notes were convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election, and matured on December 15, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with the indenture terms.
The net proceeds from the 2019 Notes were approximately $83.5 million after fees and expenses. We used some of the net proceeds to pay the cost of the capped-call transactions and repay our senior credit facility, and the rest for general corporate purposes.
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In November 2021, we completed a privately negotiated repurchase of $76.4 million principal amount of the 2019 Notes, accounting for the transaction as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20). We paid approximately $183.6 million in cash and accrued and unpaid interest thereon in connection with the induced conversion.
In June 2022, we repurchased the remaining $9.85 million principal amount of the 2019 Notes accounting for the transaction as an induced conversion in accordance with ASC 470-20. We paid approximately $17.6 million in cash and accrued and unpaid interest thereon in connection with the induced conversion.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
2021 Notes
In November 2021, we issued the 2021 Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $287.5 million. The 2021 Notes are our senior unsecured obligation, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 1.125% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on May 15, 2022. The 2021 Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election, and will mature on May 15, 2027 unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with the indenture terms.
The net proceeds from the 2021 Notes were approximately $278.4 million after initial debt issuance costs, fees and expenses. We used approximately $183.6 million of the net proceeds to repurchase approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the 2021 Notes offering. We used $17.6 million to repurchase the remaining $9.85 million aggregate principal of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions in June 2022. Please refer to the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. We will use the rest of the net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Historical Cash Flow Trends
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 641 | $ | 6,465 | $ | (16,877 | ) | |||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (102,799 | ) | (18,642 | ) | (36,287 | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | (2,148 | ) | 112,444 | 9,902 |
Operating Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated $641,000 of net cash from operating activities. These net cash proceeds were due primarily to $27.8 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by $27.2 million of working capital usage due primarily to higher inventory and accounts receivable offset by higher accounts payable.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $6.5 million of net cash from operating activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $6.2 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items and $288,000 of working capital contribution.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we used $16.9 million of net cash from operating activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by $17.8 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by $963,000 of working capital contribution.
Investing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we used $102.8 million of net cash from investing activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to investments and equipment purchases of $205.8 million and $12.1 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $114.8 million.
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For the year ended December 31, 2021, we used $18.6 million of net cash from investing activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by investments and equipment purchases of $84.4 million and $16.2 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $82 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we used $36.3 million of net cash from investing activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by investments and equipment purchases of $82.7 million and $3.1 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $49.5 million.
Financing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we used $2.2 million of net cash from financing activities. This net cash usage was due primarily to $17.6 million to repurchase the remaining $9.85 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes described in the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Other major factors included $15.4 million from stock options exercises and our employee stock-purchase plan, or ESPP.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $112.4 million of net cash from financing activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $278.4 million net proceeds from issuing the 2021 Notes. This amount was offset by $183.6 million for the cash repurchase of approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the offering of the 2021 Notes described in the section “Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Other major factors included $17.6 million from exercised stock options and our employee stock purchase plan.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we generated $9.9 million of net cash from financing activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $10.2 million from exercised stock options and our employee stock purchase plan.
Contractual Obligations
The following table reflects a summary of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2022:
| Payments Due By Period | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less Than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More Than 5 Years | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible senior notes (1) | $ | 302,055 | $ | 3,234 | $ | 6,469 | $ | 292,352 | $ | — | |||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 17,664 | 4,059 | 7,772 | 4,642 | 1,191 | ||||||||||||||
| Sublease income | (123 | ) | (123 | ) | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Net operating lease commitments | 17,541 | 3,936 | 7,772 | 4,642 | 1,191 | ||||||||||||||
| Purchase commitments (2) | 98,182 | 98,182 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 417,778 | $ | 105,352 | $ | 14,241 | $ | 296,994 | $ | 1,191 |
(1) The 2021 Notes include $14.6 million in interest payments.
(2) Purchase commitments comprise primarily noncancelable commitments to purchase $87.9 million of inventory as of December 31, 2022 and noncancelable software license agreements with vendors and equipment purchases.
Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements
Since inception, we have not had any relationships with unconsolidated entities, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special-purpose entities, or financial partnerships that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance-sheet arrangements or for another contractually narrow or limited purpose.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements which we have prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Generally, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, in accordance with GAAP, that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under other assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are those we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and estimates include those related to:
•
revenue recognition;
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inventory;
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income taxes; and
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stock-based compensation.
Revenue Recognition
We generate revenue primarily from sales of hardware products. We also generate revenue from software, extended warranties, enhanced maintenance, support services and NRE development services, none of which are material.
We recognize revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers, which for hardware sales is generally at the time of product shipment as determined by agreed-upon shipping terms. We measure revenue based on the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled-to in exchange for those goods or services. We expect the period between when we transfer control of promised goods or services and when we receive payment to be one year or less, and that expectation is consistent with our historical experience. As such, we do not adjust our revenue for the effects of a significant financing component. We recognize any variable consideration, which comprises primarily sales incentives, as revenue reduction at the time of revenue recognition. We estimate sales incentives based on our historical experience and current expectations at the time of revenue recognition and update them at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available.
Our reader and gateway products are highly dependent on embedded software and cannot function without this embedded software. We account for the hardware and embedded software as a single performance obligation and recognize revenue when control is transferred.
Our customer contracts with multiple performance obligations generally include a combination of hardware products, standalone software, extended warranty, enhanced maintenance and support services. For these contracts, we account for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct. We allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling-price basis. In instances where the standalone selling price is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the standalone selling price using one, or a combination of, the adjusted market assessment or expected cost-plus margin. We defer amounts allocated to extended warranty and enhanced maintenance sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement, which is typically from one to three years. We defer amounts allocated to support services sold with our reader and gateway products and recognize them when we transfer control of the promised services to our customers.
For NRE development agreements that involve significant production, modification or customization of our products, we generally recognize revenue over the performance period using the cost-input method because it best depicts the transfer of services to the customer. We receive payments under these agreements based on a billing schedule. Contract assets relate to our conditional right to consideration for our completed performance under these agreements. We record accounts receivable when the right to consideration becomes unconditional. For the periods presented in this report, our contract assets, deferred revenue and the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for NRE development agreements are not material.
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If a customer pays consideration before we transfer a good or service under the contract, then we classify those amounts as contract liabilities, or deferred revenue. We recognize contract liabilities as revenue when we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers.
Payment terms typically range from 30 to 120 days. We present revenue net of sales tax in our consolidated statements of operations. We include shipping charges billed to customers in revenue and the related shipping costs in cost of revenue.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions: We expense sales commissions when incurred because we expect the amortization period to be one year or less. We record these costs within sales and marketing expenses. We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (1) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (2) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed.
Inventory
We state inventories at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value using the average costing method, which approximates a first-in, first-out method. Inventories comprise raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. We continuously assess the value of our inventory and write down its value for estimated excess and obsolete inventory. This evaluation includes an analysis of inventory on hand, current and forecasted demand, product development plans, and market conditions. If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, or our product development plans change from current expectations, then a write-down of excess or obsolete inventory may be required and would be reflected in cost of goods sold in the period the updated information is known.
Income Taxes
We use the asset and liability approach for accounting, which requires recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. We recognize the effects of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the year that of the enactment date. We determine deferred tax assets, including historical net operating losses and deferred tax liabilities, based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of the assets and liabilities. We believe that it is currently more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be realized and, as such, we have recorded a full valuation allowance for these assets. We evaluate the likelihood of our ability to realize deferred tax assets in future periods on a quarterly basis, and if evidence indicates we will be able to realize some or all of our deferred tax assets then we will revise our valuation allowance accordingly.
We use a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain tax positions. First, we evaluate recognition, which requires us to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. If we consider a tax position more likely than not to be unsustained, then no benefits of the position are recognized. Second, we measure the uncertain tax position based on the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not to be realized on effective settlement. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure, including assessing the risks associated with tax audits, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. If actual results differ from our estimates, then our net operating loss and credit carryforwards could be materially impacted.
Us realizing the benefits of the NOLs and credit carryforwards depends on sufficient taxable income in future years. We have established a valuation allowance against the carrying value of our deferred tax assets, as it is currently more likely than not we will be unable to realize these deferred tax assets. In addition, using NOLs and credits to offset future income subject to taxes may be subject to substantial annual limitations due to the “change in ownership” provisions of the Code and similar state provisions. Events that cause limitations in the amount of NOLs that we may use in any one year include, but are not limited to, a cumulative ownership change of more than 50%, as defined by Code Sections 382 and 383, over a three-year period. Using our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards could be significantly reduced if a cumulative ownership change of more than 50% has occurred in our past or occurs in our future.
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We do not anticipate that the amount of our existing unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months. Due to the presence of NOLs in most jurisdictions, our tax years remain open for examination by taxing authorities back to 2000.
Stock-Based Compensation
We have various equity award plans (“Plans”) for granting share-based awards to employees, consultants and non-employee directors of the Company. The Plans provide for granting several available forms of stock compensation such as stock option awards, restricted stock units, or RSUs, RSUs with performance conditions, or PSUs, and RSUs with market and service conditions, or MSUs.
We measure stock-based compensation costs for all share-based awards at fair value on the measurement date, which is typically the grant date. We determine the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which considers, among other things, estimates and assumptions on the expected life of the options, stock price volatility and market value of the Company’s common stock. We determine the fair value of RSUs and PSUs based on the closing price of our common stock at grant date. Additionally, for awards with a market condition, we use a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate grant date fair value, which takes into consideration the range of possible stock price of total stockholder return outcomes.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For information on recent accounting pronouncements, please refer to Note 2 in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001564590-22-004981.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Overview
Our vision is a boundless Internet of Things, or IoT. We are driving a future in which everyday physical items are wirelessly connected to digital counterparts, or digital twins, in the cloud, and in which businesses and people access information about an item from its digital twin. Our mission is to connect every thing. We deliver a platform that powers item-to-cloud connectivity, and on which enterprise solution providers innovate IoT whole products.
Today, we deliver the identity, location and authenticity of billions of physical items. We believe our future is extending that delivery to trillions of physical items and enabling ubiquitous access to cloud-based digital twins of those items, each storing an item’s ownership, history and links. We believe the item-to-cloud connectivity that our platform will deliver will enhance businesses efficiencies and commerce and, ultimately, improve peoples’ lives.
Our platform, which comprises multiple product families, wirelessly connects individual items and delivers data about the connected items to business and consumer applications enabled by our partner network. We link the products within our platform to deliver capabilities and performance that surpasses mix-and-match solutions built from competitor products.
We and our partners connect the items via a miniature radio chip embedded in the item or in its packaging, reading and delivering each item’s identity, location and authenticity. To date, we have enabled connectivity to more than 60 billion items, enabling businesses and consumers to derive timely information from those connected items.
Our platform uses RAIN, a type of radio-frequency identification, or RFID, technology we pioneered. We spearheaded development of the RAIN radio standard, lobbied governments to allocate frequency spectrum and cofounded the RAIN Alliance that today has more than 160 member companies. Our industry uses free spectrum in 81 countries encompassing roughly 95% of the world’s GDP and has connected many tens of billions of items to date. We believe RAIN’s capabilities – in particular, endpoint ICs with serialized identifiers, 30-foot range reading up to 1,000 items per second without line-of-sight, radio-frequency energy harvesting for battery-free operation, essentially unlimited life and, in the future, cryptographic item authentication – position RAIN to be the leading item-to-cloud connectivity technology for the IoT.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Covid-19
We are actively monitoring and mitigating the impacts of Covid-19 in all aspects of our business, including for our employees, suppliers, partners and end users.
For our endpoint IC business, forecasting was already difficult without Covid-19, because we sell our ICs to inlay partners and therefore have limited visibility to end-user demand. The myriad uncertainties that Covid-19 introduced, and continues introducing, especially at retail end users, has exacerbated that forecasting difficulty. Covid-19’s impact has been further complicated by countries vaccinating and reopening at different rates and with varying levels of effectiveness, as well as the impacts of various Covid-19 variants. Covid-19 also caused long-term shifts, many negative, in other industries important to us, such as aviation and sports. Even in supply chain and logistics, or SC&L, which saw shipment volumes surge in the depths of Covid-19, end users had been reticent to deploy new technologies.
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We built endpoint IC inventory through much of 2020, anticipating tight 200mm wafer foundry capacity ahead of our transition to our 300mm M700 product family. We introduced our new Impinj M700 in 2020 and, although it was in production by the end of 2020, we initially saw a slower demand ramp than we expected. Beginning in fourth-quarter 2020, demand for all our endpoint ICs, including our M700, increased dramatically. Worldwide IC wafer demand also increased, leading to wafer shortfalls in many industries, including ours. In first-quarter 2021, we consumed the inventory we built in 2020 at a pace that exceeded our first-quarter 2021 wafer supply and post-processing capacity. In the second and third quarters we moderated that inventory burndown, stretching our IC supply to our partners and market but constraining our ability to fully capitalize on the increased endpoint IC demand, while also expanding and maturing additional post-processing capacity. Despite that moderation, by end of third-quarter 2021 we had mostly consumed that prebuilt inventory. This trend continued in fourth-quarter 2021 with demand for our endpoint IC inventory exceeding our ability to meet that demand.
For our systems business, Covid-19 delayed pilots and deployments throughout 2021. These delays were due in some cases to businesses being closed by local regulations and in others by businesses reducing or deferring capital expenditures. Some end users accelerated their investments in business-process modernization technologies like RAIN during the pandemic, but even in those cases, Covid-19 delayed deployments for reasons of health and safety, product and labor availability, and store closures. We also saw our distributors normalize their inventory to match Covid-19 demand levels. Although we built additional systems inventory during 2021, like with endpoint ICs, supply constraints limited our ability to accumulate inventory sufficient to meet demand. We saw increased systems demand but packaging delays and packaging price increases causing short supply of our reader ICs, low inventory levels at our distributors, and price increases and component shortfalls for analog, specialized logic, and memory chips constraining reader and gateway supply. Consequently, like for our endpoint ICs, our ability to capitalize on the increased systems demand is constrained.
Our business operations have also been affected by Covid-19. Government restrictions in the early days of the pandemic caused us to mostly close our offices in early 2020. Today, except for a small number of employees who need to be in our offices to fulfill their roles, almost all our employees continue to work from home. As we evaluate how to safely reopen our offices, our first priority is protecting our employees’ health and safety, and we will prioritize health and safety over a rapid office return.
Recently, a resurgence of Covid-19 in geographies where our manufacturing subcontractors are located has caused governments to reinstitute mandatory factory staff reductions, facility closures or both, periodically impacting our endpoint IC and systems production and our ability to ship products.
Covid-19 travel restrictions adversely affected our business by slowing new-product launches and typical sales activities, and those activities remain restricted. We previously anticipated that second half 2021 would bring a return to some semblance of travel and sales normalcy, but for the most part our anticipations were not met. Moreover, there can be no assurance that Covid-19’s impact on our employees or business activities will return to normal in the first-half of 2022. Our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements related to Covid-19 may subject us to future challenges, particularly as requirements evolve.
Despite ongoing uncertainties related to Covid-19, we continue investing in research and development and long-term RAIN opportunities. Although we plan to continue making these investments into 2022, we may, depending on the business environment, choose to slow or suspend our investments, potentially impairing our ability to meet our long-term strategic objectives.
Covid-19 negatively impacted our results of operations, cash flows and financial position in 2020. It caused supply and travel disruptions in 2021. We expect it to continue disrupting our business in 2022, in ways that are difficult for us to fully predict. Given the ongoing uncertainty over Covid-19’s epidemiological, economic and operational impacts we cannot reasonably estimate the extent or duration of Covid-19’s continuing impact on our business. The extent to which Covid-19 impacts our future results will depend on developments that are inherently unpredictable, including the emergence of new Covid-19 variants and actions we and others take in response to Covid-19.
For more information on Covid-19’s impact on our business, please refer to Part I, Item 1A (Risk Factors) of this report.
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Investing for Growth
We have invested in, and plan to continue investing in, research and development to enhance and extend our platform, including enhancing existing products, introducing new products and tightening the platform linkages between our products. Although we sell our products into many end markets, relying significantly on our partner channel, we are today focusing particular attention on retail self-checkout and loss prevention and SC&L portal and conveyor opportunities.
Most of our investments precede any sales benefits from the investments and, in some instances, we may never see any benefits if the market is not receptive to our product or sales approach, product development is late or fails, or for other causes. We sometimes enter into arrangements with end users, suppliers or channel partners for them to fund a portion of our investment, but even in those instances the results of our investments remain uncertain, and in some instances, we may be required to refund the investment if the development is unsuccessful or the market opportunity fails to materialize. In some instances, we delay or cancel investments without or until we obtain such funding. The outcome of an investment is almost always uncertain, and if our results do not meet expectations then our operating results, profitability and stock price may be adversely affected.
While our long-term plan to invest for growth remains unchanged, Covid-19 has introduced new uncertainty to our business. We will continue to monitor the impacts of Covid-19 on our supply chain, market and opportunities and adjust our investment strategy as appropriate.
Market Adoption
Our financial performance depends on the pace and scope of end-user adoption of our products in multiple industries, but especially in retail apparel, which is our largest market. Covid-19 has had, and we expect it to continue to have, a materially adverse impact on the retail industry. Covid-19 may also accelerate an ongoing shift in consumer shopping away from physical stores, which could adversely affect demand for endpoint ICs by retailers. The extent to which Covid-19 materially impacts the retail industry is unclear, as is the extent to which it will impact our product sales. Other industries that are potential future drivers of RAIN adoption have also been impacted by Covid-19, although the long-term impact on our business is unclear. For example, the aviation industry, which had proposed widespread luggage tagging, has been negatively impacted by Covid-19. By contrast, SC&L has experienced increased demand which could positively impact our financial performance if SC&L further adopts RAIN. See the section captioned “Covid-19” for additional information.
The pace and scope of end-user adoption, slowed in 2020 by Covid-19, remains uncertain today, potentially causing large fluctuations in our operating results. For a first historical example of the potential impact of those fluctuations, in 2015 and 2016 several major retailers commenced deployments that significantly increased our endpoint IC sales, lengthening our product lead times. In 2017 we invested in endpoint IC inventory to reduce those lead times, but in second-half 2017 the endpoint IC growth rate slowed, we believe due primarily to delays in new deployments at several large retailers. That decelerating growth rate engendered an endpoint IC channel inventory correction that negatively impacted our operating results for several subsequent quarters. For a second historical example, in late 2018 and in 2019 a large North American logistics provider purchased and deployed significant quantities of our gateways, positively impacting our operating results for several quarters, then transitioned to an operational phase in first-half 2020, reducing our gateway sales. For a third historical example, in first-quarter 2020 we saw high endpoint IC demand as our inlay partners built inventory ahead of Covid-19, followed by several quarters of depressed demand as those same inlay partners consumed that inventory, followed by high demand in 2021 as those same inlay partners deliver into recovering end-user opportunities.
Given the uncertainties in our market, we cannot be certain that RAIN adoption will continue; that we will have appropriate product inventory; that we will not experience future product inventory shortfalls or overages; or that Covid-19 will not materially impact our business going forward. We also cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain or grow our market share for any of our products, whether because of insufficient inventory, Covid-19, competitors copying our products, insufficient wafer or other product supply, competition generally or for a host of other reasons, many of which are outside our control.
Regardless of the uneven pace of retail, SC&L and other industry adoption, we believe the underlying, long-term trend is continued RAIN adoption and as a result we have continued investing in new products. In our endpoint IC business, in 2020 we introduced our new Impinj M700, which offers significant performance
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advantages over other endpoint ICs on the market and which we believe will foster adoption. In our systems business, in 2020 we introduced our new Impinj R700 reader and in 2021 our new Impinj E710, E510 and E310 reader ICs, which likewise offer significant performance advantages over other readers and reader ICs on the market and which we believe will also foster adoption. Market adoption could be impacted by product availability. See further discussion of product availability under “Inventory Supply”.
We sell our products through partners and distributors and have limited ability to determine end-user demand. Consequently, we may incorrectly forecast that demand or not identify market shifts in a timely fashion, potentially affecting our business adversely. If RAIN market adoption, and adoption of our products specifically, does not meet our expectations or if we are unable to meet partner or end-user volume or performance expectations, because of the impact of Covid-19, recovering demand, or otherwise, then our operating results and growth prospects will be adversely affected. If we reduce prices to win opportunities, then our gross margins may be negatively affected. In contrast, if our endpoint IC, reader IC, reader or gateway sales exceed expectations, then our revenue and profitability may be positively affected.
Timing and Complexity of End User Deployments
From 2010 to 2021, our endpoint IC sales volumes increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 27%. However, the pace has been uneven and unpredictable. For example, our endpoint IC unit sales volumes increased significantly in 2016, declined in second-half 2017 and in first-half 2018, returned to growth in second-half 2018 and in 2019 (the latter albeit not at the same pace as in 2016), declined again in second- and third-quarter 2020 due to Covid-19, and recovered in fourth-quarter 2020, and in 2021. We expect short-term demand to remain unpredictable in scope and timing. Longer term, we believe our endpoint IC opportunity will continue to grow, but we cannot predict whether historical annual growth rates are indicative of the pace of future growth.
Our systems business, at least for our readers and gateways, relies disproportionally on large-scale deployments at discrete end users. The timing of those large deployments causes large variability in our systems revenue. For example, we generated 14% of total 2019 revenue from a large North American SC&L provider in connection with a project-based gateway deployment. We did not have comparable new project-based revenue in 2020. As another example, in second-quarter 2021, we generated 13% of our quarterly revenue from a project-based gateway deployment for RAIN-based loss-prevention at a large European retailer.
Finally, although we promote our platform as an integrated offering, we sell our products individually, and end users often use only certain of our products. For any given end-user solution, whether an end user chooses to deploy our entire platform or only a portion will also affect our operating results.
Average Selling Price
Our product ASPs fluctuate based on competitive pressures and the discounting we offer to win opportunities, but generally decline over time. Historically, we have been able to compensate these ASP declines by reducing the per-unit cost of most of our products, by reducing supplier costs and implementing manufacturing and quality improvements, as well as by introducing newer and lower-cost products, but the timing of these cost reductions and new-product introductions fluctuates and may not materialize in any given quarter or year. In the second half of 2021, due to wafer and component supply shortfalls at many of our suppliers, we began to experience increasing rather than decreasing costs for both endpoint ICs and systems. In October 2021, we began raising prices to offset the impact of those increased costs. If we are unable to successfully increase our prices or if our customers choose competitors’ products due to our higher prices, then our product margins, operating results or both may suffer. In the near term, we expect margins to be volatile based on product mix and the timing of our price changes.
Seasonality
We typically renegotiate pricing with most of our endpoint IC OEMs with an effective date of the first quarter of the calendar year, reducing both revenue and gross margins in the first quarter compared to prior periods. Historically, the impact tends to decline in subsequent quarters as we reduce costs and, to the extent we can migrate our customers to newer, lower-cost products, adjust product mix. Endpoint IC volumes also tend to be historically lower in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. We may not see these historical trends hold in 2022 due to the price increases noted above, and ongoing demand and supply impacts from Covid-19.
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System sales tend to be stronger in the fourth quarter of the calendar year, and less strong in the first quarter. We believe this seasonality is due to the availability of residual funding for capital expenditures prior to the end of many customers’ fiscal years. Like for our endpoint ICs, we may not see these historical trends hold in 2022 due to the price increases noted above and ongoing demand and supply impacts from Covid-19.
While, over the longer term, we expect these seasonal trends to continue, quarter-to-quarter variability in our revenue can be caused by a number of factors including uncertainty in demand and supply as a result of Covid-19, the timing of large deployments, competitor product availability as well as supply constraints, any or all of which can mask seasonality in any given period. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the impacts of Covid-19, can cause our actual results to differ significantly from our expectations, as described in greater detail in the sections of this report captioned “—Covid-19” and in Part I, Item 1A (Risk Factors).
Inventory Supply
From time to time, we experience inventory overages or shortages, either due to us mis-estimating customer or end-user demand; constrained supplier manufacturing capacity or product availability; fluctuations in our market, including competitor product availability or in the global economy; changes in regulations or tariffs; or for a host of other reasons. These inventory dynamics can impact some or all of our products. High inventory levels can result in product obsolescence, increases in reserves or unexpected expenses that adversely affect our business. Low inventory levels can affect our ability to meet customer demand, lengthen lead times and potentially causing us to miss opportunities, lose market share and/or damage customer relationships, also adversely affecting our business. For example, in 2010 we experienced wafer shortages relative to our submitted endpoint IC wafer purchase orders because of high worldwide demand for semiconductor foundry capacity. These shortages adversely affected our ability to meet our customers’ demand and, in some cases, caused customers to cancel orders, qualify alternative suppliers or purchase from our competitors.
In 2021, we again experienced wafer shortages due to both significant worldwide demand from multiple industries and semiconductor foundries wafer shortfalls. In 2020, we anticipated a 2021 200mm shortfall and, in the depths of the pandemic, both built 200mm wafer inventory and accelerated our investment in 300mm M700 post-processing capacity. Regardless, the worldwide semiconductor wafer supply imbalance exceeded our prior expectations. We focused our 2021 efforts on moderating our 200mm wafer supply, accelerating and maturing our 300mm post-processing capacity, and maximizing our total unit volumes to best support our inlay partners and capture the market opportunity. Looking forward, our foundry partner has signaled tight wafer availability, at least in the older-generation semiconductor nodes we use, well into 2022. We therefore continue our focus in 2022 on wafer availability, expanding and maturing our 300mm post-processing capacity, and total unit volumes in light of anticipated strong endpoint IC demand against that constrained wafer supply. We have wafer supply commitments similar to fourth-quarter levels through at least mid-2022, but our supply in subsequent periods is less certain. Any inability to obtain sufficient wafer supply at reasonable prices or at all would negatively impact our operating results and prospects.
In our systems business, we experienced lengthened packaging lead times for our reader ICs, which negatively impacted our ability to meet reader IC demand for 2021. We expect those lengthened lead times, and our ability to meet demand, to stabilize in first-half 2022. At the same time, we anticipate reader IC cost increases, at least for several quarters. We have also experienced and expect to continue experiencing shortages and price increases for the electronic and other components our subcontractors use to build our readers and gateways, impacting current and future reader and gateway availability and costs.
Results of Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 190,283 | $ | 138,923 | $ | 152,836 | $ | 51,360 | $ | (13,913 | ) | |||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 98,954 | $ | 65,140 | $ | 74,002 | $ | 33,814 | $ | (8,862 | ) | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 52.0 | % | 46.9 | % | 48.4 | % | 5.1 | % | (1.5 | )% | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (37,249 | ) | $ | (47,071 | ) | $ | (21,661 | ) | $ | 9,822 | $ | (25,410 | ) |
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Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Revenue and gross profit increased due primarily to higher endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin increased due primarily to prior-year excess and obsolescence charges as well as current-year sales of fully reserved inventory and increased product margins. The increased product margins were primarily driven by the increase in endpoint IC margin due to product mix. Loss from operations decreased due primarily to increased gross profit offset by increased operating expenses. The increase in operating expenses was primarily due to increased stock-based compensation expense, increased research and development and sales and marketing personnel expenses and increased non-settlement related legal fees.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Revenue and gross profit decreased due primarily to lower systems revenue, partially offset by higher endpoint IC revenue. Gross margin decreased due primarily to revenue mix with systems revenue comprising a smaller portion of our total revenue. Loss from operations increased due primarily to increased operating expenses and decreased gross profit. The increase in operating expenses was primarily due to increased stock-based compensation expense, litigation-settlement and related costs incurred in second-quarter 2020, and increased research and development personnel expenses, partially offset by decreased sales and marketing personnel expenses.
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Endpoint ICs | $ | 139,250 | $ | 102,326 | $ | 97,657 | $ | 36,924 | $ | 4,669 | ||||||||||
| Systems | 51,033 | 36,597 | 55,179 | 14,436 | (18,582 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 190,283 | $ | 138,923 | $ | 152,836 | $ | 51,360 | $ | (13,913 | ) |
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from sales of endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers and gateways. We sell our endpoint ICs primarily to inlay manufacturers; our reader ICs primarily to OEMs and ODMs through distributors; and our readers and gateways to value-added resellers, or VARs, and system integrators, or SIs, primarily through distributors. We expect endpoint IC sales to represent the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Endpoint IC revenue increased $36.9 million, due primarily to a $44.5 million increase in shipment volumes, offset by a $7.6 million decrease due to lower ASPs. The increase in shipment volumes was due, in part, to prior year volumes being low, a result of Covid-19 which negatively impacted several markets we sell to, including retail, our largest endpoint IC market, as well as growth in our customers’ underlying business. The ASP decrease was due to our annual price negotiations as discussed above under “—Factors Affecting Our Performance—Seasonality” and product mix with a higher contribution from our M700 product line which has a lower ASP, both of which were slightly offset by higher contribution from industrial and specialized products.
Systems revenue increased $14.4 million, due primarily to increases of $12.2 million in reader revenue, $1.4 million in gateway revenue and $629,000 in NRE revenue. Reader revenue increased primarily due to higher shipment volumes and ASPs, gateway revenue increased primarily due to higher ASPs; and NRE revenue increased due to timing of revenue recognition.
For more information, see the sections captioned “—Factors Affecting Our Performance—Covid-19” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Platform, Products and Technologies—Covid-19 has adversely affected our business, and the magnitude and duration of future Covid-19 effects on our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and business prospects are uncertain.”
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Endpoint IC revenue increased $4.7 million, due primarily to a $7.0 million increase in shipment volumes, partially offset by a $2.3 million decrease due to lower ASPs. The ASP decrease was due primarily to our annual price negotiations as discussed above under “—Factors Affecting Our Performance—Seasonality”, partially offset by favorable product mix. The increase in shipment volumes was due primarily to growth in our customers’
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underlying business before Covid-19 negatively impacted global retail apparel sales starting second-quarter 2020 and subsequent demand recovery in fourth-quarter 2020.
Systems revenue decreased $18.6 million, due primarily to decreases of $14.8 million in gateway revenue and $5.2 million in reader revenue, partially offset by a $1.3 million increase in reader IC revenue. Gateway revenue decreased due primarily to the North American logistics provider in connection with a project-based gateway deployment described above; reader revenue decreased due primarily to lower shipment volumes, in part caused by Covid-19 related delays in systems deployments; reader IC revenue increased primarily due to higher shipment volumes.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | $ | 91,329 | $ | 73,783 | $ | 78,834 | $ | 17,546 | $ | (5,051 | ) | |||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 98,954 | $ | 65,140 | $ | 74,002 | $ | 33,814 | $ | (8,862 | ) | |||||||||
| Gross margin | 52.0 | % | 46.9 | % | 48.4 | % | 5.1 | % | (1.5 | )% |
Cost of revenue includes costs associated with manufacturing our endpoint ICs, reader ICs, readers and gateways, including direct materials and outsourced manufacturing costs as well as associated overhead costs such as logistics, quality control, planning and procurement. Cost of revenue also includes charges for excess and obsolescence and warranty costs. Our gross margin varies from period to period based on mix of endpoint IC and systems, underlying product margins driven by changes in ASPs or costs, as well as from inventory excess and obsolescence charges.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Cost of revenue increased $17.5 million, due primarily to increased endpoint IC and systems revenue. Gross margin increased 5.1%, due to inventory excess and obsolescence charges that had an unfavorable net gross margin impact of 2.2% in 2020, sales of fully reserved inventory that had a positive 1.5% impact in 2021, and increased underlying product margins primarily related to favorable endpoint IC product mix with an increasing mix of M700 and higher contribution from industrial and specialized products.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Cost of revenue decreased $5.1 million, due primarily to decreased systems revenue partially offset by increased endpoint IC revenue. Gross margin decreased 1.5%, due primarily to revenue mix with systems revenue comprising a smaller portion of our total revenue. Inventory excess and obsolescence charges had an unfavorable net gross-margin impact of 2.2% in 2020.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 64,058 | $ | 48,590 | $ | 38,880 | $ | 15,468 | $ | 9,710 |
Research and development expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our product-development personnel; product development costs which include external consulting and service costs, prototype materials and other new-product development costs; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs. We expect research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars in future periods as we focus on new product development and introductions.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Research and development expense increased $15.5 million, due primarily to increases of $6.9 million in stock-based compensation expense primarily related to PSU grant timing, and to a lesser extent, an increased number of equity grants outstanding. Other major factors driving the increase included $4.6 million in personnel
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expenses from higher headcount; $2.9 million in product-development costs; and $1.1 million in infrastructure costs from increased software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Research and development expense increased $9.7 million, due primarily to increases of $4.2 million in personnel expenses from higher headcount, $3.9 million in stock-based compensation expense from PSUs and an increased number of equity grants outstanding and $1.2 million in product development costs as a result of fluctuations in the timing of development activities and $589,000 in infrastructure costs from increased software costs.
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 34,287 | $ | 28,663 | $ | 32,642 | $ | 5,624 | $ | (3,979 | ) |
Sales and marketing expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, incentive sales compensation, or commission, benefits and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our sales and marketing personnel; travel, advertising and promotional expenses; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include occupancy, depreciation and software costs. We expect sales and marketing expense to remain approximately constant on an absolute dollar basis, except for incentive sales compensation which fluctuates as a function of revenue. Expenses associated with our sales and marketing activities related to marketing events requiring travel will continue to fluctuate depending on current and future Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Sales and marketing expense increased $5.6 million, due primarily to increases of $3.5 million in stock-based compensation expense primarily related to PSU grant timing, and an increased number of equity grants outstanding. Other major factors driving the increase included $2.2 million in personnel expenses from higher salaries and benefits, and commissions as a result of our increased revenue.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Sales and marketing expense decreased $4.0 million, due primarily to decreases of $3.3 million in personnel expenses from lower commission expense and, to a lesser extent, lower headcount, and $1.3 million from travel related expense due to Covid-19. These decreases were partially offset by a $516,000 increase in infrastructure costs from increased software costs.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 36,137 | $ | 34,958 | $ | 24,141 | $ | 1,179 | $ | 10,817 |
General and administrative expense comprises primarily personnel expenses (salaries, benefits, and other employee related costs) and stock-based compensation expense for our executive, finance, human resources and information technology personnel; legal, accounting and other professional service fees; travel and insurance expense; and an allocated portion of infrastructure costs which include, occupancy, depreciation and software costs.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
General and administrative expense increased $1.2 million due primarily to increases of $3.6 million in stock-based compensation expense primarily related to PSU grant timing, and an increased number of equity grants outstanding. Other major factors comprising the increase included $3.1 million in professional services primarily
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related to non-settlement related legal fees offset by decreases of $5.8 million in settlement and related costs incurred in 2020.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
General and administrative expense increased $10.8 million due primarily to increases of $5.4 million in the litigation settlement and related costs, $3.1 million in stock-based compensation expense from PSUs and an increased number of equity grants outstanding, $1.3 million in non-settlement related legal fees and $723,000 in personnel expenses from higher headcount.
Induced Conversion Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | $ | 11,333 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 11,333 | $ | — |
In November 2021, we completed a privately negotiated repurchase of $76.4 million principal amount of the 2019 Convertible Notes (“2019 Note Repurchase”). The 2019 Notes Repurchase transaction was accounted for as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20). As a result of the induced conversion, we recorded $11.3 million in induced conversion expense which is included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2021. The induced conversion expense represents the fair value of the consideration issued upon conversion in excess of the fair value of the securities issuable under the original terms of the 2019 Convertible Notes. For further information on the 2019 Notes, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Restructuring costs
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | $ | 1,721 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 1,721 | $ | — |
On February 2, 2021, we restructured our go-to-market organization to strategically align our global sales, product, partner development and marketing teams. As part of the restructuring, we eliminated approximately seven full-time positions in our go-to-market organization, representing about 2% of our workforce. We incurred restructuring charges of $1.7 million for employee termination benefits as well as $50,000 in other associated legal costs for the year ended December 31, 2021. We substantially completed our restructuring by June 30, 2021. For further information on this restructuring, please refer to Note 17 to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Other Income, Net
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | $ | 25 | $ | 650 | $ | 1,242 | $ | (625 | ) | $ | (592 | ) |
Other income, net comprises primarily interest income on our short-term investments.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Other income, net decreased $625,000, due primarily to a lower interest rate on our short-term and long-term investments.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Other income, net decreased $592,000, due primarily to a lower interest rate on our short-term investments.
Interest Expense
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 2,550 | $ | 5,413 | $ | 1,794 | $ | (2,863 | ) | $ | 3,619 |
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Interest expense comprises primarily cash interest, amortization of debt issuance costs and debt discount on our debt.
In August 2020, the FASB issued guidance on debt with conversion and other options, or ASU 2020-06. On January 1, 2021, we adopted ASU 2020-06 using the modified retrospective transition method, accounting for the 2019 Notes on a whole-instrument basis. Our condensed consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 use the new standard and we no longer record amortization of debt discount. We have not adjusted the comparative prior reporting period.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Interest expense decreased $2.9 million, due primarily to the fact we no longer record amortization of debt discount as noted above, and to a lesser extent, the impact of the partial repurchase of $76.4 million principal amount of the 2019 convertible senior notes in November 2021. For further information on the 2019 Notes, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Interest expense increased $3.6 million, due primarily to an increase in amortization of debt discount related to our subordinated convertible notes, or the 2019 Notes. For further information on the 2019 Notes, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Loss on Debt Extinguishment
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Loss on debt extinguishment | $ | — | $ | — | $ | (576 | ) | $ | — | $ | 576 |
In December 2019, we used $24.0 million of the net proceeds from the 2019 Notes to repay our senior credit facility in full, which was terminated pursuant to its terms. In connection with this repayment, we recorded a $576,000 loss on debt extinguishment, comprising a $470,000 prepayment penalty fees and a $106,000 write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs.
Income Tax Benefit (Expense)
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | $ | (153 | ) | $ | (89 | ) | $ | (198 | ) | $ | (64 | ) | $ | 109 |
We are subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions.
Year ended December 31, 2021 compared with year ended December 31, 2020
Income tax expense remained comparable to the prior period.
Year ended December 31, 2020 compared with year ended December 31, 2019
Income tax expense remained comparable to the prior period.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Our key non-GAAP performance measures include adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss), as defined below. We use adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss) as key measures to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operating plans. We believe these measures provide useful information for period-to-period comparisons of our business to allow investors and others to understand and evaluate our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. Our presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and our non-GAAP measures may be different from similarly termed non-GAAP measures used by other companies.
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Adjusted EBITDA
We define adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding, if applicable for the periods presented, the effects of stock-based compensation; depreciation; investigation costs; restructuring costs; settlement and related costs; induced conversion expense; other income, net; interest expense; loss on debt extinguishment; and income tax benefit (expense). In fourth-quarter 2019, we revised our definition of adjusted EBITDA to exclude loss on debt extinguishment incurred in connection with the December 2019 repayment of our senior credit facility. In second-quarter 2020, we revised our definition of adjusted EBITDA to exclude litigation settlement costs for the class-action and derivative lawsuits, including related costs. In fourth-quarter 2021, we revised our definition of adjusted EBITDA to exclude the expense incurred in connection with the November 2021 induced conversion of our 2019 Notes. We have excluded these costs and expenses because we do not believe they reflect our core operations and us excluding them enables more consistent evaluation of our operating performance. Neither revision to the definition of adjusted EBITDA impacted adjusted EBITDA previously reported for prior periods preceding the revisions. The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to adjusted EBITDA:
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (51,260 | ) | $ | (51,923 | ) | $ | (22,987 | ) | $ | 663 | $ | (28,936 | ) | ||||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | (25 | ) | (650 | ) | (1,242 | ) | 625 | 592 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense | 2,550 | 5,413 | 1,794 | (2,863 | ) | 3,619 | ||||||||||||||
| Loss on debt extinguishment | — | — | 576 | — | (576 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 153 | 89 | 198 | 64 | (109 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Depreciation | 4,602 | 4,504 | 4,809 | 98 | (305 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 40,498 | 25,675 | 18,486 | 14,823 | 7,189 | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | 1,721 | — | — | 1,721 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Settlement and related costs | (460 | ) | 5,359 | — | (5,819 | ) | 5,359 | |||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | 11,333 | — | — | 11,333 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 9,112 | $ | (11,533 | ) | $ | 1,634 | $ | 20,645 | $ | (13,167 | ) |
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss)
We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income (loss), excluding, if applicable for the periods presented, the effects of stock-based compensation; depreciation; restructuring costs; settlement and related costs; induced conversion expense; amortization of debt discount related to the equity component of our convertible notes; and prepayment penalty on debt extinguishment. In fourth-quarter 2019, we revised our definition of non-GAAP net income (loss) to exclude the prepayment penalty on debt extinguishment incurred in connection with the December 2019 repayment of our senior credit facility and amortization of debt discount related to the equity component of the 2019 Notes. We have revised the prior period non-GAAP net income (loss) to conform to our current period presentation. In second-quarter 2020, we revised our definition of non-GAAP net income (loss) to exclude litigation settlement costs for the class-action and derivative lawsuits, including related costs. Excluding settlement and related costs did not impact non-GAAP net income (loss) previously reported for prior periods preceding the revision. In fourth-quarter 2021, we revised our definition of non-GAAP net income (loss) to exclude the expense incurred in connection with the November 2021 induced conversion of our 2019 Notes.
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GAAP requires that certain convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash on conversion be accounted for as separate liability and equity components in a manner that reflects our non-convertible debt borrowing rate. This accounting results in the debt component being treated as though it was issued at a discount, with the debt discount being amortized as additional non-cash interest expense over the debt instrument term using the effective interest method. As a result, we believe that excluding this non-cash interest expense attributable to the debt discount in calculating our non-GAAP net income (loss) is useful because this interest expense is not indicative of our ongoing operational performance. On January 1, 2021, we adopted ASU 2020-06 using the modified retrospective transition method, accounting for the 2019 Notes on a whole-instrument basis. Our condensed consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 use the new standard and we no longer record amortization of debt discount.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to non-GAAP net income (loss):
| Year Ended December 31, | 2021 vs 2020 | 2020 vs 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Change | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (51,260 | ) | $ | (51,923 | ) | $ | (22,987 | ) | $ | 663 | $ | (28,936 | ) | ||||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation | 4,602 | 4,504 | 4,809 | 98 | (305 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 40,498 | 25,675 | 18,486 | 14,823 | 7,189 | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | 1,721 | — | — | 1,721 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | — | 3,566 | 140 | (3,566 | ) | 3,426 | ||||||||||||||
| Prepayment penalty on debt extinguishment | — | — | 470 | — | (470 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | 11,333 | — | — | 11,333 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Settlement and related costs | (460 | ) | 5,359 | — | (5,819 | ) | 5,359 | |||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | $ | 6,434 | $ | (12,819 | ) | $ | 918 | $ | 19,253 | $ | (13,737 | ) |
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Quarterly Results of Operations
The following tables set forth our unaudited quarterly statements of operations data for the last eight quarters. In the opinion of management, these data have been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report and reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the data. The results of historical periods are not indicative of expectations for any future period. You should read these data together with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report.
| Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 31, | Sep. 30, | Jun. 30, | Mar. 31, | Dec. 31, | Sep. 30, | Jun. 30, | Mar. 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statements of Operations Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 52,574 | $ | 45,193 | $ | 47,268 | $ | 45,248 | $ | 36,448 | $ | 28,196 | $ | 26,457 | $ | 47,822 | ||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | 23,391 | 22,180 | 22,491 | 23,267 | 19,034 | 14,824 | 13,497 | 26,428 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 29,183 | 23,013 | 24,777 | 21,981 | 17,414 | 13,372 | 12,960 | 21,394 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross margin | 55.5 | % | 50.9 | % | 52.4 | % | 48.6 | % | 47.8 | % | 47.4 | % | 49.0 | % | 44.7 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development expense | 17,578 | 16,789 | 15,900 | 13,791 | 14,971 | 11,901 | 10,661 | 11,057 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing expense | 9,710 | 8,736 | 8,196 | 7,645 | 8,086 | 6,964 | 6,123 | 7,490 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative expense | 9,125 | 9,860 | 8,998 | 8,154 | 8,743 | 7,527 | 12,446 | 6,242 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring costs | 458 | — | — | 1,263 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 36,871 | 35,385 | 33,094 | 30,853 | 31,800 | 26,392 | 29,230 | 24,789 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (7,688 | ) | (12,372 | ) | (8,317 | ) | (8,872 | ) | (14,386 | ) | (13,020 | ) | (16,270 | ) | (3,395 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 4 | 2 | (4 | ) | 23 | 66 | 49 | 126 | 409 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Induced conversion expense | (11,333 | ) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (974 | ) | (526 | ) | (525 | ) | (525 | ) | (1,392 | ) | (1,360 | ) | (1,349 | ) | (1,312 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Loss on debt extinguishment | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (19,991 | ) | (12,896 | ) | (8,846 | ) | (9,374 | ) | (15,712 | ) | (14,331 | ) | (17,493 | ) | (4,298 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | (23 | ) | (28 | ) | (60 | ) | (42 | ) | (5 | ) | (15 | ) | (41 | ) | (28 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | (20,014 | ) | $ | (12,924 | ) | $ | (8,906 | ) | $ | (9,416 | ) | $ | (15,717 | ) | $ | (14,346 | ) | $ | (17,534 | ) | $ | (4,326 | ) | |||||||||
| Net loss per share — basic and diluted | $ | (0.81 | ) | $ | (0.53 | ) | $ | (0.37 | ) | $ | (0.40 | ) | $ | (0.68 | ) | $ | (0.63 | ) | $ | (0.77 | ) | $ | (0.19 | ) | ||||||||
| Weighted-average shares: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | 24,581 | 24,330 | 24,120 | 23,671 | 23,218 | 22,931 | 22,716 | 22,412 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted | 24,581 | 24,330 | 24,120 | 23,671 | 23,218 | 22,931 | 22,716 | 22,412 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $193.3 million, comprising cash deposits held at major financial institutions and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including U.S. government agencies, treasury bills, corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper, asset-backed securities, and money market funds. As of December 31, 2021, we had working capital of $220.3 million.
Historically, we have funded our operations primarily through cash generated from operations and by issuing equity securities, convertible-debt offerings and/or borrowing under our prior senior credit facility. In 2021, our principal use of cash is funding operations to capture our market opportunity and capital expenditures.
We believe, based on our current operating plan, that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. Over the longer term, we plan to continue investing to enhance and extend our platform. If available funds are insufficient to fund our future activities or execute on our strategy, we may raise additional capital through equity, equity-linked and debt financing, to the extent such funding sources are available. Alternatively, we may be required to reduce expenses to manage liquidity; however, any such reductions could adversely impact our business and competitive position.
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Sources of Funds
From time to time, we may explore additional financing sources and means to lower our cost of capital, which could include equity, equity-linked and debt financing. In addition, in connection with any future acquisitions, we may pursue additional funding which may be in the form of additional debt, equity or equity-linked financing or a combination thereof. We can provide no assurance that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms.
2019 Notes
In December 2019, we issued the 2019 Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $86.3 million. The 2019 Notes are our senior unsecured obligations. The 2019 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.00% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, beginning on June 15, 2020. The 2019 Notes will be convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election. The 2019 Notes will mature on December 15, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed, or converted in accordance with the terms of the indenture for the 2019 Notes.
The net proceeds from issuing the 2019 Notes were approximately $83.5 million after deducting fees and expenses. We used the net proceeds from issuing the 2019 Notes to pay the cost of the capped call transactions and repay our senior credit facility. We intend to use the remainder of the net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
In November 2021, we completed a privately negotiated repurchase of $76.4 million principal amount of the 2019 Convertible Notes (“2019 Note Repurchase”). The 2019 Notes Repurchase transaction was accounted for as an induced conversion in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20). In connection with the induced conversion, we paid approximately $183.6 million in cash, and paid accrued and unpaid interest thereon.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
2021 Notes
In November 2021, we issued the 2021 Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $287.5 million. The 2021 Notes are our senior unsecured obligations. The 2021 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 1.125% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on May 15, 2022. The 2021 Notes will be convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof, at our election. The 2021 Notes will mature on May 15, 2027, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed, or converted in accordance with the terms of the indenture for the 2021 Notes.
The net proceeds from issuing the 2021 Notes were approximately $278.4 million after deducting initial debt issuance costs, and fees and expenses. We used approximately $183.6 million of the net proceeds for the cash repurchase of approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the offering of the 2021 Notes described in the section “Partial Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. We will use the remainder of the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.
For further information on the terms of this debt, please refer to Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Historical Cash Flow Trends
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 6,465 | $ | (16,877 | ) | $ | 4,708 | |||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (18,642 | ) | (36,287 | ) | (13,099 | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 112,444 | 9,902 | 57,759 |
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Operating Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $6.5 million of net cash from operating activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $51.3 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by $288,000 of working capital contribution.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we used $16.9 million of net cash from operating activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by $17.8 million of net loss adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by $963,000 of working capital contribution.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we generated $4.7 million of net cash from operating activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $4.1 million of working capital contribution and $584,000 of a net loss adjusted for non-cash items. The working capital contribution was primarily due to lower cash usage in inventory purchases, partially offset by lower cash collections in accounts receivable due to timing of when amounts became due.
Investing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we used $18.6 million of net cash from investing activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by investments and equipment purchases of $84.4 million and $16.2 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $82 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we used $36.3 million of net cash from investing activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by investments and equipment purchases of $82.7 million and $3.1 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $49.5 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we used $13.1 million of net cash from investing activities. The net cash usage was driven primarily by investments and equipment purchases of $72.4 million and $2.4 million, respectively, partially offset by investment maturities of $61.7 million.
Financing Cash Flows
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $112.4 million of net cash from financing activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $278.4 million net proceeds from issuing the 2021 Notes. This amount was offset by $183.6 million for the cash repurchase of approximately $76.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes through individual privately negotiated transactions concurrent with the offering of the 2021 Notes described in the section “Partial Repurchase of the Convertible Senior Notes – 2019” as described in Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Other major factors included $17.6 million from exercised stock options and our employee stock purchase plan.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, we generated $9.9 million of net cash from financing activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $10.2 million from exercised stock options and our employee stock purchase plan.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we generated $57.8 million of net cash from financing activities. The net cash proceeds were driven primarily by $83.5 million from issuance of the 2019 Notes, $9.1 million from exercised stock options and our employee stock purchase plan and $4.0 million in term loan borrowings, net of debt issuance costs. These proceeds were partially offset by repayments of indebtedness of $28.2 million of principal under our senior credit facility and $10.1 million of premium we paid for the capped call transactions.
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Contractual Obligations
The following table reflects a summary of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2021:
| Payments Due By Period | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less Than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More Than 5 Years | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible senior notes (1) | $ | 316,215 | $ | 3,521 | $ | 6,863 | $ | 16,714 | $ | 289,117 | |||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 18,490 | $ | 5,014 | $ | 6,747 | $ | 6,729 | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Sublease income | (1,580 | ) | $ | (1,457 | ) | $ | (123 | ) | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||
| Net operating lease commitments | 16,910 | 3,557 | 6,624 | 6,729 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Purchase commitments (2) | 60,734 | 60,301 | 433 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 393,859 | $ | 67,379 | $ | 13,920 | $ | 23,443 | $ | 289,117 |
(1) 2019 Notes include $986,000 of interest payments. 2021 Notes include $17.9 million of interest payments.
(2) Purchase commitments comprise primarily non-cancelable commitments to purchase $54.4 million of inventory as of December 31, 2021, non-cancelable software license agreements with vendors, and equipment purchases.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Since inception, we have not had any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or for another contractually narrow or limited purpose.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements which we have prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Generally, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, in accordance with GAAP, that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under other assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are those that we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and estimates include those related to:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | revenue recognition; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | inventory; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | income taxes; and |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | stock-based compensation. |
Revenue Recognition
We generate revenue primarily from sales of hardware products. We also generate revenue from software, extended warranties, enhanced maintenance, support services, and nonrecurring engineering development services, all of which are not material.
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We recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, which for hardware sales is generally at the time of product shipment as determined by the agreed-upon shipping terms. We measure revenue based on the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled-to in exchange for those goods or services. The period between when we transfer control of promised goods or services and when we receive payment is expected to be one year or less, and that expectation is consistent with our historical experience. As such, we do not adjust our revenues for the effects of a significant financing component. We recognize any variable consideration, which primarily comprises sales incentives, as a reduction of revenue at the time of revenue recognition. We estimate sales incentives based on our historical experience and current expectations at the time of revenue recognition and update them at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available.
Our reader and gateway products are highly dependent on embedded software and cannot function without this embedded software. In these cases, we account for the hardware and software license as a single performance obligation and recognize revenue at the point in time when control is transferred.
Our contracts with customers with multiple performance obligations generally include a combination of hardware products, standalone software, extended warranty and enhanced maintenance and support services. For these contracts, we account for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct. The transaction price is allocated to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling-price basis. In instances where the standalone selling price is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the standalone selling price using one, or a combination of, the adjusted market assessment or expected cost-plus margin. Amounts allocated to extended warranty and enhanced maintenance sold with our reader and gateway products are deferred and recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement, which is typically from one to three years. Amounts allocated to support services sold with our reader and gateway products are deferred and recognized when control of the promised services is transferred to our customers.
For nonrecurring engineering development agreements that involve significant production, modification or customization of our products, we generally recognize revenue over the performance period using the cost-input method because it best depicts the transfer of services to the customer. We receive payments under these agreements based on a billing schedule. Contract assets relate to our conditional right to consideration for our completed performance under these agreements. Accounts receivable are recorded when the right to consideration becomes unconditional. For the periods presented in this report, our contract assets, deferred revenue and the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for nonrecurring engineering development agreements are not material.
If our customer pays consideration before we transfer a good or service to the customer under the contract, those amounts are classified as contract liabilities, or deferred revenue. Contract liabilities are recognized as revenue as we transfer control of the promised goods or services to our customers.
Payment terms typically range from 30 to 120 days. We present revenue net of sales tax in our consolidated statements of operations. Shipping charges billed to customers are included in revenue and the related shipping costs are included in cost of revenue.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions: We expense sales commissions when incurred because the amortization period would have been one year or less. We record these costs within sales and marketing expenses. We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (1) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (2) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed.
Inventory
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value using the average costing method, which approximates the first-in, first-out method. Inventories comprise raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. We continuously assess the value of our inventory and write down its value for estimated excess and obsolete inventory. This evaluation includes an analysis of inventory on hand, current and forecasted demand, product development plans, and market conditions. If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, or our product development plans change from current expectations, a write-down of excess or obsolete inventory may be required, and would be reflected in cost of goods sold in the period the updated information is known.
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We had sales of fully reserved inventory, which had a favorable net impact of 1.5% on our gross margin for 2021 and recorded inventory excess and obsolescence charges which had an unfavorable net impact of 2.2% and 1.7% on our gross margin for 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Income Taxes
We use the asset and liability approach for accounting, which requires recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when such assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the year that includes the enactment date. We determine deferred tax assets, including historical net operating losses, and deferred tax liabilities, based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We believe that it is currently more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be realized and as such, we have recorded a full valuation allowance for these assets. We evaluate the likelihood of our ability to realize deferred tax assets in future periods on a quarterly basis, and when appropriate evidence indicates we would revise our valuation allowance accordingly.
We utilize a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain tax positions. First, we evaluate recognition, which requires us to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. If a tax position is not considered more likely than not to be sustained, no benefits of the position are recognized. Second, we measure the uncertain tax position based on the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not to be realized on effective settlement. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure, including assessing the risks associated with tax audits, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. If actual results differ from our estimates, our net operating loss and credit carryforwards could be materially impacted.
Our realization of the benefits of the NOLs and credit carryforwards depends on sufficient taxable income in future years. We have established a valuation allowance against the carrying value of our deferred tax assets, as it is currently more likely than not that we will not be able to realize these deferred tax assets. In addition, using NOLs and credits to offset future income subject to taxes may be subject to substantial annual limitations due to the “change in ownership” provisions of the Code and similar state provisions. Events that cause limitations in the amount of NOLs that we may use in any one year include, but are not limited to, a cumulative ownership change of more than 50%, as defined by Code Sections 382 and 383, over a three-year period. Utilizing our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards could be significantly reduced if a cumulative ownership change of more than 50% has occurred in our past or occurs in our future.
We do not anticipate that the amount of our existing unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months. Due to the presence of NOLs in most jurisdictions, our tax years remain open for examination by taxing authorities back to 2000.
Stock-Based Compensation
We measure stock-based compensation costs for all share-based awards at fair value on the grant date and recognize compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which typically vest over four years. We account for forfeitures as they occur. We determine the fair value of RSUs based on the closing price of our common stock at the date of grant. We determine the fair value of MSUs by using a Monte Carlo simulation in estimating the fair value at grant date and recognize compensation cost over the implied service period. We determine the fair value of stock options at the date of grant by using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We also use the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of each common share issued under the ESPP. We determine the fair value of the ESPP grants on the first day of each offering period.
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In 2019, we began granting RSUs with performance conditions, or PSUs, replacing what has historically been our annual cash-bonus program for our senior executives and other bonus-eligible employees. The number of PSUs that ultimately vest will depend on the extent to which we achieve specified fiscal year financial performance metrics. We record compensation expense each period on a straight-line basis based on our estimate of the most probable number of PSUs that will vest and recognize that expense over the requisite service period.
In 2021, we began granting RSUs with market and service conditions, or MSUs to certain executives. The MSUs are eligible to vest based on our total stockholder return (“TSR”) relative to the TSR of the constituents comprising the S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index over two measurement periods. Half of the MSUs are eligible to vest based on our relative TSR during the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022, and half of the MSUs are eligible to vest based on our relative TSR during the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023. We use a Monte Carlo simulation in estimating the fair value at grant date and recognize compensation cost over the implied service period. The aggregate grant-date fair value of these shares was estimated to be $6.4 million using the Monte Carlo simulation valuation method.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For information on recent accounting pronouncements, please refer to Note 2 in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.