EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1526520
Filing Year: 2024
Filename: 1526520_10-K_2024_0000950170-24-016553.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
Overview
The Tripadvisor group operates as a family of brands with the purpose of connecting people to experiences worth sharing. Our vision is to be the world’s most trusted source for travel and experiences. The Company operates across three business segments: Brand Tripadvisor (formerly Tripadvisor Core), Viator, and TheFork. We leverage our brands, technology platforms, and capabilities to connect our large, global audience with partners by offering rich content, travel guidance products and services, and two-sided marketplaces for experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and other travel categories.
Brand Tripadvisor’s purpose is to empower everyone to be a better traveler by serving as the world’s most trusted and essential travel guidance platform. Since Tripadvisor’s founding in 2000, the Tripadvisor brand has developed a relationship of trust and community with travelers and experience seekers by providing an online global platform for travelers to discover, generate, and share authentic user-generated content (“UGC”) in the form of ratings and reviews for destinations, points-of-interest (“POIs”), experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and cruises in over 40 countries and in more than 20 languages across the world. Tripadvisor offers more than 1 billion user-generated ratings and reviews on over 8 million experiences, accommodations, restaurants, airlines, and cruises. Tripadvisor’s online platform attracts one of the world’s largest travel audiences, with hundreds of millions of visitors annually.
Viator’s purpose is to bring extraordinary, unexpected, and forever memorable experiences to more people, more often, wherever they are traveling. In doing so, Viator elevates tens of thousands of businesses, large and small. Viator delivers on its purpose by enabling travelers to discover and book iconic, unique and memorable experiences from experience operators around the globe. Our online marketplace is comprehensive and easy-to-use, connecting millions of travelers to the world’s largest supply of bookable tours, activities and attractions-over 350,000 experiences from more than 55,000 operators. Viator is a pure-play experiences online travel agency (“OTA”) singularly focused on the needs of both travelers and operators with the largest supply of bookable experiences available to travelers.
TheFork’s purpose is to deliver happiness through amazing dining experiences. TheFork delivers on its purpose by providing an online marketplace that enables diners to discover and book online reservations at approximately 55,000 restaurants in 11 countries across the U.K., western and central Europe. TheFork has become an urban, gastronomic guide with a strong community that offers approximately 20 million restaurant reviews.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the travel and hospitality industries and, consequently, adversely and materially affected our business, results of operations, liquidity and financial condition through the first quarter of 2022. Overall, in 2022, we generally experienced a travel demand recovery fueled by the continued easing of government restrictions globally and increasing consumer travel demand. During 2023, we continued to experience strong consumer demand for our offerings, particularly for our experiences offerings across our Viator and Brand Tripadvisor segments. We believe that consumers will continue to seek connection with others, discover new places, and experience new things through travel.
Our Industry and Market Opportunity
We are one of the world’s largest online travel companies and our consolidated annual revenue in 2023 represents a small fraction of total worldwide travel spending, which highlights the potential size of our global market opportunity. Phocuswright, an independent travel, tourism and hospitality research firm, estimated global travel spending, exclusive of experiences, short-term vacation rentals, and dining, at approximately $1.6 trillion in 2020 prior to the onset of COVID-19. Phocuswright estimates global travel spending will reach approximately $1.7 trillion by 2026, with an expected increasing share booked through online channels each year.
We believe that we are a compelling leader in the global experiences industry and well positioned to capture increased share in a large and growing market that is estimated to reach approximately $280 billion by 2025 according to Arival’s October 2022 report (the “Arival Report”), a leading research provider on the in-destination experiences industry. Moreover, we believe we are poised to benefit from increased online adoption in the global experiences industry. While online penetration in experiences remains nearly a third below other major travel categories, such as hotel accommodations, the anticipated total size of the online experiences market will continue to grow according to the Arival Report as travelers become increasingly aware of the category online and operators continue to shift their business online. In addition, OTAs are the fastest growing channel in the travel experiences market and are expected to undergo significant growth going forward, with the OTA channel expected to experience a compounded annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 37% from 2022 to 2025 according to the Arival Report.
Based on information in Euromonitor's February 2022 report, a leading provider of global business intelligence, market research data and analysis, we estimate the full-service European restaurants industry may reach approximately $250 billion by 2025. In addition, based on this same data, this industry is exhibiting a similar trend as the experiences industry in terms of online adoption; the majority of restaurant reservation bookings still take place offline, but an increasing share is booked through online channels each year. We believe that we are still early in the global shift in consumer adoption towards booking experiences and restaurants online, which provides an exciting future market opportunity for our business.
Our Business Strategy
The Tripadvisor group operates in a unique position in the travel and experiences ecosystem:
•Large, global, and growing addressable markets including travel, experiences, and digital advertising;
•A large, global, and engaged audience making meaningful contributions that reinforces a relationship of trust and community; and
•A wealth of high-intent data that comes from serving our audience of travelers and experience seekers at different points along their journey - whether they are engaging on our platforms for inspiration on their next experience, planning a trip, or making a purchasing decision.
In our Brand Tripadvisor segment, we offer a compelling value proposition to both travelers and partners across a number of key offerings that include accommodations, experiences, dining, and media. This value proposition is delivered through a collection of durable assets that we believe is difficult to replicate: a trusted brand, authentic UGC, a large community of contributors, and one of the largest global travel audiences. Our strategy in this segment is to leverage these core assets as well as our technology capabilities to provide travelers with a compelling user experience to help make the best decisions in each phase of the travel journey, including pre-trip planning, in-destination, and post-trip sharing. We intend to drive new traveler acquisition and repeat audience engagement on our platform by offering meaningful travel guidance solutions and services that reduce friction in the traveler journey and create a deeper, more persistent relationship with travelers. We evaluate investment opportunities across data, product, marketing, and technology that we believe will improve and diversify the monetization of our audience through deeper engagement, which, in turn, we expect will drive more value to our partners.
The Brand Tripadvisor segment plays an important role in our portfolio. For over two decades, we believe we have built difficult to replicate assets such as a trusted brand, authentic content, a large community of contributors, and one of the largest global travel audiences available. Our long-term strategy for the Brand Tripadvisor segment builds on our heritage and the reasons hundreds of millions of travelers come to Tripadvisor each year. Fundamental to this strategy will be: (1) innovating and enhancing world-class travel guidance and planning products to help travelers make confident decisions in a world where it is hard to find advice you can trust; (2) prioritizing deeper engagement with travelers by leveraging our rich data and technology assets to provide more relevant, curated, and contextual content throughout the traveler journey; and (3) driving a step change in the value we can deliver to our partners by accelerating and diversifying the monetization of our valuable audience across key categories, including hotel meta, media advertising, and experiences.
In our Viator and TheFork segments, we provide two-sided marketplaces that connect travelers and diners to operators of bookable experiences and restaurants, respectively. Within our Viator segment, we are investing in growth, future scale, and market share gains to accelerate our market leadership position, while improving unit economics on both sides of the marketplace that provide visibility to sustainable future profitability. This means driving awareness and higher quality audience engagement, which we believe will drive greater repeat behavior, more direct traffic, and translate into improved unit economics over time. Our investments on both sides of our marketplace, as well as in our primary offerings, are intended to deliver a differentiated value proposition that we believe will drive sustainable market leadership as our partners, operators, and travelers find themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace environment. We are focused on continuing to grow both our supplier base and our user base by offering innovative tools and features on our branded platforms, and through continued awareness of our brand through marketing efforts.
We are focused on executing initiatives across the Tripadvisor group through organic investment in data, products, marketing and technology to further enhance the value we deliver to travelers and partners across our brands, platforms, and segments. In addition, we may accelerate growth inorganically by opportunistically pursuing strategic acquisitions.
Our Business Models
We manage our Brand Tripadvisor segment (formerly Tripadvisor Core segment) primarily through the following revenue sources and related business models:
•Tripadvisor-branded Hotels Revenue. The largest source of Brand Tripadvisor segment revenue is generated from click-based advertising on our hotel meta platform (also referred to as our hotel auction), which consists primarily of contextually-relevant booking links to partner websites, which predominantly include OTAs and hotels. Click-based advertising is generally priced on a cost-per-click (“CPC”) basis, with payments from partners determined by the number of clicks generated on a commerce link multiplied by the CPC rate for each particular click. CPC rates are determined in a dynamic, competitive auction bidding process. We also generate click-based advertising revenue on a cost-per-acquisition (“CPA”) basis, with payments from partners determined by a contractual commission rate based on a traveler click generated on our platform that ultimately results in a hotel booking and stay via the partners’ websites.
We provide additional business-to-business (“B2B”) offerings to hotels and related accommodation partners that deliver other unique opportunities to further promote, advertise, and operate their businesses as well as merchandise their inventory on our platform. These include a subscription-based advertising solution, with revenue determined by a contractual fee and time duration, or other CPC-based advertising services through hotel sponsored placements on our platform.
•Media and Advertising Revenue. We offer endemic and non-endemic advertisers opportunities to promote their brands primarily through display-based advertising (or “media advertising”) placements across our brands on our platform. Our advertising clients are predominantly direct suppliers of hotels, airlines and cruises, as well as destination marketing organizations (“DMOs”), OTAs, and other travel related businesses. Display-based advertising placements are predominantly sold on a cost per thousand impressions (“CPM”) basis.
•Tripadvisor Experiences and Dining Revenue. We merchandise, on the Tripadvisor platform, bookable experiences available on Viator and bookable dining reservations available on TheFork and earn affiliate marketing commission revenue on bookings that are driven by our platform, which are fulfilled by Viator and TheFork, respectively. These transactions generate intercompany (intersegment) revenue which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. The nature and economics of these transactions are consistent with the Viator segment and TheFork segment, as described below.
We provide additional B2B offerings to restaurant partners that deliver other unique opportunities to further promote, advertise, and operate their businesses as well as merchandise their businesses
on our platform. These offerings can be subscription-based, with revenue determined by a contractual fee and time duration, or CPC-based advertising services through restaurant sponsored placements on our platform.
•Other Revenue. We provide travelers additional offerings across various other travel categories, including alternative accommodations (e.g., short-term vacation rentals), cruises, flights, and rental cars. We provide these offerings across a collection of brands that complement and reinforce our segment strategy of providing differentiated guidance that helps travelers reduce friction and make better decisions. Our alternative accommodation rentals platform is a two-way marketplace that connect travelers with owners and operators of short-term rental properties, generating commission revenue from both the traveler and the property owner for each booking we facilitate across our branded platforms. Our cruise, flight, and rental cars offerings generate revenue primarily through click-based and display-based advertising opportunities.
Our Viator segment offers travelers a comprehensive online marketplace that provides access to over 350,000 experiences and more than 55,000 experience operators. These experiences are instantly bookable online in over 200 countries. Our business model relies on the success of travelers and operators who join our marketplace and generate consistent bookings over time. As experience operators become more successful on our platform and as travelers return over time, we benefit from the recurring activity on our marketplace. We generate revenue through commissions for each booking transaction we facilitate directly and indirectly through our platform. Through Viator, we also power traveler experience bookings on behalf of third-party distribution partner websites, including the Tripadvisor platform as well as many of the world’s major OTAs, airlines, hotels, online and offline travel agencies, and other prominent content and eCommerce brands. For the majority of experience bookings, we collect the full amount charged to the traveler at the time of booking and remit the operator’s portion after the booked experience occurs. In addition, Viator offers our “Reserve Now, Pay Later” payment option, which allows our travelers the option to reserve certain experiences and defer payment until a date no later than two days before the experience date.
TheFork segment offers travelers and diners a comprehensive online marketplace that provides access to approximately 55,000 restaurants to discover and book reservations in 11 countries across the U.K., western and central Europe. We primarily generate revenue for each booking reservation we facilitate on our platform, calculated on a per seated diner fee basis and paid for by the restaurant partner. We also generate revenue on a subscription basis from restaurant partners by providing, for a fee, access to premium online reservation booking software and related services offerings to help them more effectively and efficiently manage their business.
Seasonality
Consumer travel expenditures have historically followed a seasonal pattern. Correspondingly, travel partner advertising investments, and therefore our revenue and operating profits, have also historically followed a seasonal pattern. Our financial performance tends to be seasonally highest in the second and third quarters of a given year, which includes the seasonal peak in consumer demand, including traveler accommodation stays, and travel experiences taken, compared to the first and fourth quarters, which represent seasonal low points. In addition, during the first half of the year, experience bookings typically exceed the amount of completed experiences, resulting in higher cash flow related to working capital, while during the second half of the year, particularly in the third quarter, this pattern reverses and cash flows from these transactions are typically negative. Other factors may also impact typical seasonal fluctuations, such as significant shifts in our business mix, adverse economic conditions, public health-related events, as well as other factors.
Marketing
We have established world-renowned, widely used, and recognized brands through the innovative and efficient implementation of marketing and promotional campaigns. Particularly, we believe we have been successful with the strategic use of a number of cost effective online and offline marketing channels to reach travelers and diners, including our own platform channels (i.e., websites and apps), online search engines (primarily Google), social media, email, media via public relations, partnerships, and content distribution. Our omni-channel marketing programs are intended to showcase the value of our industry-leading travel brands; increase user traffic; efficiently
drive transactions and engagement; optimize ongoing traveler acquisition costs; and strategically position our brands in relation to one another as we continue to differentiate our offering versus those of our competitors. Our sustained scale and profitability depend on our ability to effectively maintain our costs and increase the overall number of users engaged on our platforms and their subsequent transactions. We continue to focus on our ability to attract and engage new and repeat users and encourage users to directly visit our websites and apps. We have the ability to manage our marketing investments across our portfolio of brands to optimize results for the Company. Our relative flexibility enables us to make decisions on a brand-by-brand, market-by-market, travel segment and customer basis that we think are appropriate based on the relative growth opportunity, the expected returns and the competitive environment.
Competition
We operate in a very competitive set of market environments that constantly evolve and change. Some of our current and potential competitors, listed below, have significantly more customers, data, and financial and other resources than we do, and may be able to leverage those strengths to compete more aggressively with us.
Across our three segments, we primarily compete, and in some cases partner, with the following businesses:
•General OTAs, such as Expedia, Booking Holdings, Airbnb, traveloka, Despegar, Trip.com, and their respective subsidiaries and operating companies;
•Experiences OTAs, such as GetYourGuide, Klook, and TUI Musement;
•Hotel metasearch providers, such as trivago, Kayak and Skyscanner;
•Online search, social media, and marketplace platforms for advertising spend, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snap;
•Global and regional travel, experiences, and restaurant brands seeking to promote direct bookings;
•Emerging online advertising businesses, such as ad-supported retail and entertainment platforms like Amazon, Spotify, and Walmart;
•Artificial intelligence driven travel curators;
•Traditional offline travel agencies; and
•Global and regional restaurant technology providers for reservation management and related services, such as OpenTable, Resy, and Tock.
Commercial Relationships
We have commercial relationships with a majority of the world’s leading OTAs, as well as thousands of other travel partners, pursuant to which these companies primarily purchase traveler leads from us, generally on a click-based advertising basis. Although these relationships are memorialized in agreements, many of these agreements are for limited terms or are terminable at will or on short notice. As a result, we seek to ensure the mutual success of these relationships.
For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our two most significant travel partners were Expedia (and its subsidiaries) and Booking (and its subsidiaries), each of which accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated revenue and together accounted for approximately 25%, 31% and 34% of our consolidated revenue, respectively. Nearly all of this concentration of revenue is recorded in our Brand Tripadvisor segment during these reporting periods.
Additionally, our business is dependent on relationships with third-party service operators that we rely on to fulfill service obligations to our customers where we are the merchant of record, such as our experience providers. However, no single operator’s inventory resulted in more than 10% of our revenue on a consolidated basis or at a reportable segment level in any period presented.
Operations and Technology
We have assembled a team of highly skilled software engineers, computer scientists, data scientists, network engineers and systems engineers whose expertise spans a broad range of technical areas, including a wide variety of open source operating systems, databases, languages, analytics, networking, scalable web architecture, operations and warehousing technologies. We make significant investments in product and feature development, data management, personalization technologies, scalable infrastructures, networking, data warehousing, and search engine technologies.
Our systems infrastructure for Tripadvisor-branded websites is in a "hybrid-cloud" configuration in which parts of it are housed at a colocation facility and managed by our operations team, while the rest is hosted on Amazon Web Services. Our infrastructure installations have multiple communication links as well as continuous monitoring and engineering support. The co-location facility is protected with both network-level and application-level defenses, using well known commercial solutions specifically tailored for such purposes. We make use of Amazon Web Services availability zones to provide redundancy for the cloud portions of our infrastructure. Substantially all of our software components, data, and content are replicated in multiple data centers and development centers, as well as backed up at offsite locations. Our systems are monitored and protected through multiple layers of security. Several of our individual subsidiaries and businesses have their own technology teams to support business growth while leveraging common assets, tools and processes for scale across the group.
Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, trade dress, proprietary technology and trade secrets, is an important component of our business. We rely on our intellectual property rights in our content, proprietary technology, software code, ratings indexes, databases of reviews and forum content. We have acquired some of our intellectual property rights through licenses and content agreements with third parties and these arrangements may place restrictions on the use of our intellectual property.
We protect our intellectual property by relying on our terms of use, confidentiality agreements and contractual provisions, as well as on international, national, federal, state and common law rights. We protect our brands by pursuing the trademark registration of our core brands, as appropriate, maintaining our trademark portfolio, securing contractual trademark rights protection when appropriate, and relying on common law trademark rights when appropriate. We also register copyrights and domain names as deemed appropriate. Additionally, we protect our trademarks, domain names and copyrights with the use of intellectual property licenses and an enforcement program.
We have considered, and will continue to consider, the appropriateness of filing for patents to protect future inventions, as circumstances may warrant. However, many patents protect only specific inventions and there can be no assurance that others may not create new products or methods that achieve similar results without infringing upon patents owned by us.
In connection with our copyrightable content, we post and institute procedures under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act and similar “host privilege” statutes worldwide to gain immunity from copyright liability for photographs, text and other content loaded on our platform by consumers. However, differences between statutes, limitations on immunity, political and regulatory efforts to amend relevant statutes, and moderation efforts in the many jurisdictions in which we operate may affect our ability to claim immunity.
From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of our business, including claims of alleged infringement by us of the trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property rights of third parties. In addition, litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any such litigation, regardless of outcome or merit, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could materially harm our business.
Regulation
We are subject to a number of laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the internet as well as some relating to the travel industry, the provision of travel services and the vacation rental industry. As we continue to expand the reach of our brands into additional international markets and expand our product offerings, we are increasingly subject to additional laws and regulations. This includes laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection, libel and defamation, content, intellectual property, distribution, electronic contracts and other communications, consumer protection, taxation, online payment services and competition, among others. These laws and regulations are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. Many of these laws and regulations are being tested in courts, and could be interpreted by regulators and courts in ways that could harm our business. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations is often uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly-evolving industry in which we operate.
In addition, we provide advertising data and information and conduct marketing activities that are subject to consumer protection laws that regulate unfair and deceptive practices, domestically and internationally, including, in some countries, pricing display requirements, licensing and registration requirements and industry specific value-added tax regimes. The U.S. (as well as individual states), the E.U. (as well as member states) and other countries have adopted legislation that regulates certain aspects of the internet, including online editorial and user-generated content, data privacy, behavioral targeting and online advertising, taxation, and liability for third-party activities. It is difficult to accurately predict how such legislation will be interpreted and applied or whether new taxes or regulations will be imposed on our services, and whether or how we might be affected. Increased regulation of the internet could increase the cost of doing business or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results.
We are subject to laws that require protection of user privacy and user data. As our business has evolved, we have begun to receive and store a greater volume of personally identifiable data. This data is increasingly subject to laws and regulations in numerous jurisdictions around the world. For example, the E.U., in May 2018, adopted the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which requires companies, including ours, to meet enhanced requirements regarding the handling and storage of personal data. In January 2020, the State of California adopted the Consumer Privacy Protection Act which also enhances privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California. In addition, several U.S. states have adopted similar laws or are currently evaluating their own laws and regulations. The enactment, interpretation and application of these laws is still in a state of flux.
Compliance with these laws, rules and regulations has not had, and is not expected to have, a material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. However, there are, and will likely continue to be, an increasing number of laws and regulations pertaining to the internet and online commerce and/or information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet, online editorial and user-generated content, user privacy, behavioral targeting and online advertising, liability for third-party activities. Likewise, the SEC, Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Office of Foreign Assets Controls (“OFAC”), as well as foreign regulatory authorities, have continued to increase the enforcement of economic sanctions and trade regulations, anti-money laundering, and anti-corruption laws, across industries. As regulations continue to evolve and regulatory oversight continues to increase, we cannot guarantee that our programs and policies will be deemed compliant by all applicable regulatory authorities.
Corporate History, Equity Ownership and Voting Control
Tripadvisor was founded in February 2000. In April 2004, Tripadvisor was acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp, or IAC. In August 2005, IAC spun-off its portfolio of travel brands, including Tripadvisor, into Expedia, at the time a separate newly-formed Delaware corporation. On December 20, 2011 Expedia completed a spin-off of Tripadvisor into a separate publicly-traded Delaware corporation. We refer to this second spin-off transaction as the “Spin-Off.” Following the Spin-Off, on December 21, 2011, Tripadvisor began trading on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, as an independent public company under the trading symbol “TRIP.”
On December 11, 2012, Liberty Interactive Corporation, or Liberty, purchased an aggregate of approximately 4.8 million shares of common stock of Tripadvisor from Barry Diller, our former Chairman of the Board of Directors and Senior Executive, and certain of his affiliates. As a result, Liberty beneficially owned approximately 18.2 million shares of our common stock and 12.8 million shares of our Class B common stock.
On August 27, 2014, the entire beneficial ownership of our common stock and Class B common stock held by Liberty was acquired by Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., or LTRIP. Simultaneously, Liberty, LTRIP’s former parent company, distributed, by means of a dividend, to the holders of its Liberty Ventures common stock, Liberty’s entire equity interest in LTRIP. We refer to this transaction as the “Liberty Spin-Off”. As a result of the Liberty Spin-Off, effective August 27, 2014, LTRIP became a separate, publicly traded company holding 100% of Liberty’s interest in Tripadvisor.
As a result of these transactions, and as of December 31, 2023, LTRIP beneficially owned approximately 16.4 million shares of our common stock and approximately 12.8 million shares of our Class B common stock, which constitute approximately 13% of the outstanding shares of common stock and 100% of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock. Assuming the conversion of all of LTRIP’s shares of Class B common stock into common stock, LTRIP would beneficially own approximately 21% of the outstanding common stock. However, because each share of Class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share and each share of common stock is entitled to one vote per share, LTRIP may be deemed to beneficially own equity securities representing approximately 57% of our voting power.
Human Capital Management
Employees
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately 2,845 employees. Approximately 58%, 34%, and 8% are based in Europe, the U.S., and the rest of world, respectively. Additionally, we use independent contractors to supplement our workforce. We believe we have good relationships with our employees and contractors, including relationships with employees represented by international works councils or other similar organizations.
Talent Acquisition and Development
We believe our employees are essential to our success and that the Company’s success depends on our ability to attract, develop and retain key talent. The skills, experience and industry knowledge of key employees significantly benefit our operations and performance. Competition for qualified personnel is intense, particularly for software engineers, computer scientists, and other technical staff, and constrained labor markets have increased competition for personnel across other parts of our business. The Company's management and Board of Directors oversee various initiatives for talent acquisition, retention and development.
Our talent philosophy is to both develop talent from within and to strategically recruit key external talent. This approach has yielded a deep understanding, among our employee base, of our business, our products, and our customers, while adding new employees and ideas in support of our continuous improvement mindset. Our overall talent acquisition and retention strategy is designed to attract and retain diverse and qualified candidates to enable the success of the Company and achievement of our performance goals. We recruit the best people for the job without regard to gender, ethnicity or other protected traits and it is our policy to comply fully with all domestic, foreign and local laws relating to discrimination in the workplace. Our talent acquisition team uses internal and external resources to recruit highly skilled and talented workers, and we encourage employee referrals for open positions.
We support and develop our employees through global training and development programs that build and strengthen employees’ leadership and professional skills. Leadership development includes programs for new leaders as well as programs designed to support more experienced leaders. We also partner with external training organizations to help provide current and future workers with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
It is important that our employees represent a mix of experiences and backgrounds in order to make our company stronger, more innovative and more inclusive. Inclusion is one of our core values, and we have programs in place to promote diversity and inclusion. Our diversity and inclusion initiatives support our goal that everyone throughout the Company is engaged in creating an inclusive workplace. We support inclusion through training on topics including Unconscious Bias and Inclusive Leadership. We also support a network of active Employee Resource Groups reflecting many dimensions of diversity across the Company.
Total Rewards
As part of our compensation philosophy, we believe that we must offer and maintain market competitive total rewards programs for our employees in order to attract, motivate and retain superior talent. These programs not only include base wages and incentives in support of our pay for performance culture, but also health, welfare, and retirement benefits.
We design our benefit programs to meet the needs of our employees’ health while managing program costs for escalation rates at or below industry trend factors. Our programs include but are not limited to wellness, mental health services, telemedicine, and partnerships with service providers that support diverse family-care need solutions. We continuously refine, develop and implement proactive health care strategies and solutions that allow us to enhance employee health and well-being while curbing costs.
Health and Safety
The health and safety of our employees is of utmost importance to us. We conduct regular self-assessments and audits designed to ensure compliance with our health and safety guidelines and regulatory requirements.
Additional Information
We maintain a corporate website at ir.tripadvisor.com. Except as explicitly noted, the information on our website, as well as the websites of our various brands, is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or in any other filings with, or in any information furnished or submitted to, the SEC.
On our Investor Relations website (http://ir.tripadvisor.com), we provide our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports free of charge. These reports are available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish these reports to the SEC or publish through press releases, public conference calls and certain webcasts. All documents filed electronically with the SEC (including reports, proxy and information statements and other information) are also available at www.sec.gov. Investors and others should be aware that in addition to required filings with the SEC, we use our investor relations website (http://ir.tripadvisor.com) to announce material financial information to our investors as well as communicate with the public about our company, our results of operations and other information.
We post our code of business conduct and ethics, which applies to all employees, including all executive officers, senior financial officers and directors, on our corporate website at www.tripadvisor.com. We intend to disclose any waivers of the code of ethics for our executive officers, senior financial officers or directors, on our corporate website.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors
You should consider carefully the risks described below together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report as they may impact our business, results of operations and/or financial condition. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also impair our business, results of operations or financial condition. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
Risk Factors Summary
The following is a summary list of the principal risks that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. For additional information, please refer to the detailed descriptions following the summary.
•Declines or disruptions in the worldwide travel industry, including health concerns, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, civil or political unrest or other events outside our control;
•Our performance marketing efficiency and the general effectiveness of our advertising and marketing efforts;
•Any change by our search and metasearch partners in how they present travel search results or conduct their auctions for search placement in a manner that is competitively disadvantageous to us;
•Our ability to adjust to consumer adoption of mobile devices and/or new technologies and product offerings;
•Our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel;
•Our ability to successfully manage growth and expand our global business;
•Our ability to respond to and keep up with the rapid pace of technological and market changes;
•IT systems-related failures or security breaches and data privacy risks and obligations;
•Tax, legal and regulatory risks;
•Risks associated with the facilitation of payments from consumers, including fraud and compliance with evolving rules and regulations and reliance on third parties;
•Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and other risks associated with doing business in multiple currencies and jurisdictions;
•Success of strategic initiatives, investments and acquisitions, including integration; and
•Financial risks including increased debt levels and stock price volatility.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
If we are unable to continue to attract a significant number of visitors to our platform, to cost-effectively convert these visitors into revenue-generating customers and to continue to engage consumers, our business and financial performance could be harmed. Our traffic and user engagement could be adversely affected by a number of factors including, but not limited to, inability to provide quality content, lack of inventory or supply in amounts or of sufficient quality to be attractive to our consumers, increasing use of metasearch engines which may impact the amount of traffic to our platform, declines or inefficiencies in traffic acquisition and reduced awareness of our brands. Certain of our competitors have advertising campaigns expressly designed to drive traffic directly to their websites, and these campaigns may negatively impact traffic to our platform. There can be no assurances that we will continue to provide content and products in a manner that meets rapidly changing demand. Any failure to obtain and manage content and products in a cost-effective manner that will engage consumers, or any failure to provide content and products that are perceived as useful, reliable and trustworthy, could adversely affect user experiences and their repeat behavior, reduce traffic to our platform and negatively impact our business and financial performance.
We rely on internet search engines, metasearch engines and application marketplaces to drive traffic to our platform, certain providers of which offer products and services that compete directly with ours. If we are unable to drive traffic cost-effectively, traffic to our platform could decline and our business would be negatively affected. The number of consumers we attract to our platform is due in large part to how and where information from, and links to, our platform are displayed on search engine results pages, or SERPs, and search aggregators, or metasearch engines. The display, including rankings, of search results can be affected by a number of factors, many of which are not in our control. Search engines (including travel metasearch engines) frequently change the logic
that determines the placement and display of the results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our platform can be negatively affected. A search engine could alter its search algorithms or results causing our websites to place lower in search query results. For example, Google, a significant source of traffic to our platform, frequently promotes its own competing products in its search results, which has negatively impacted placement of references to our company and our platform on the SERP. If a major search engine changes its algorithms in a manner that negatively affects the search engine ranking of our websites or those of our travel partners, or if competitive dynamics impact the cost or effectiveness of Search Engine Optimization (“SEO”) or Search Engine Marketing (“SEM”) in a negative manner, our business and financial performance would be adversely affected. Furthermore, our failure to successfully manage our SEO and SEM strategies and/or other traffic acquisition strategies could result in a substantial decrease in traffic to our platform, as well as increased costs to the extent we replace free traffic with paid traffic.
We also rely on application marketplaces, or app stores such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play, to drive downloads of our apps. In the future, Apple, Google or other marketplace operators may make changes that make access to our products more difficult or may limit our access to information that would restrict our ability to provide the best user experience. For example, Google has entered various aspects of the online travel market, including by establishing a flight metasearch product and hotel metasearch product as well as reservation functionality. Our apps may receive unfavorable treatment compared to the promotion and placement of competing apps, such as the order in which they appear within marketplaces. In addition, Apple has announced new features that limit who has access to consumer data, including location information which may negatively impact the effectiveness of our consumer data and platform. Similarly, if problems arise in our relationships with providers of application marketplaces, traffic to our platform and our user growth could be harmed.
Our strategy may be unsuccessful and may expose us to additional risks. If our strategy does not achieve its expected benefits, there could be negative impacts to our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are implementing discrete strategies across each segment which are connected and reinforcing to a cohesive strategy across the Tripadvisor group as described in “Our Business Strategy” herein. There are no assurances that we will be successful in executing our strategies. Our efforts may prove more difficult than we currently anticipate. Further, we may not succeed in realizing the benefits of these efforts on our anticipated timeline or at all. In addition, as we implement our strategies, the macroeconomic environment, including but not limited to, inflationary pressures, higher labor costs, and changes in consumer and merchant behavior may make it more difficult to effectively execute our strategy. Even if fully implemented, our strategy may not result in growth or the other anticipated benefits to our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we are unable to effectively execute our strategy and realize its anticipated benefits, it could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from advertising and any significant reduction in spending by advertisers on our platform could harm our business. Our ability to grow advertising revenue with our existing or new travel partners is dependent in large part on our ability to provide value to them relative to other alternatives. Our ability to provide value to our travel partners depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the following:
•Our ability to increase or maintain user engagement;
•Our ability to increase or maintain the quantity and quality of ads shown to consumers;
•The development of technologies that can block the display of our ads or our ad measurement tools;
•The effectiveness of our advertising and the extent to which it generates sales leads, customers, bookings or financial results on a cost-effective basis, including our mobile transaction conversion rate;
•The competitiveness of our products, traffic quality, perception of our platform, including mobile applications, and availability and accuracy of analytics and measurement solutions to demonstrate our value; and
•Adverse government actions or legal developments relating to advertising, including limitations on our ability to deliver targeted advertising.
Any of these or other factors could result in a reduction in demand for our ads, which may reduce the prices we receive for our ads, or cause marketers to stop advertising with us altogether, any of which would negatively affect our revenue and financial results.
Click-based advertising revenue accounts for the majority of our advertising revenue. Our pricing for click-based advertising depends, in part, on competition between advertisers. If our large advertisers become less competitive with each other, merge with each other or with our competitors, focus more on cost-per-click, or CPC, profit than on traffic volume, or are able to reduce CPCs, this could have an adverse impact on our advertising revenue which would, in turn, have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.
We rely on a relatively small number of significant travel partners and any reduction in spending by or loss of these partners could seriously harm our business. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our two most significant travel partners, Expedia and Booking (and their subsidiaries), accounted for a combined 25% of total revenue, with most of this revenue recorded within our Brand Tripadvisor segment. If any of our significant travel partners were to cease or significantly curtail advertising on our platform, we could experience a rapid decline in our revenue over a relatively short period of time which would have a material impact on our business.
Our business depends on strong brands and any failure to maintain, protect or enhance our brands could hurt our ability to retain and expand our base of consumers and partners, the frequency with which consumers utilize our products and services and our ability to attract partners. Our ability to maintain and protect our brands depends, in part, on our ability to maintain consumer trust in our products and services and in the quality, integrity, reliability and usefulness of the content and other information found on our platform. If consumers do not view the content on our platform to be useful and reliable, they may seek other sources to obtain the information they are looking for and may not return to our platform as often or at all. We dedicate significant resources to protecting the quality of our content, primarily through our content guidelines, computer algorithms and human moderators that are focused on identifying and removing inappropriate, unreliable or deceptive content.
Media, legal, or regulatory scrutiny of our user content, advertising practices, and other issues may adversely affect our reputation and brand. Negative publicity about our company, including our content, technology and business practices, could diminish our reputation and confidence in our brand, thereby negatively affecting the use of our products and our financial performance. For example, in the past, certain media outlets have alleged that we have improperly filtered or screened reviews, that we have not properly verified reviews, or that we manipulate reviews, ranking and ratings in favor of our advertisers. We expend significant resources to ensure the integrity of our reviews and to ensure that the most relevant reviews are available to our consumers; we do not establish rankings and ratings in favor of our advertisers. Regulatory inquiries or investigations require management time and attention and could result in further negative publicity, regardless of their merits or ultimate outcomes.
In addition, unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, our practices relating to privacy and data protection could adversely affect our reputation with our consumers and our partners. Such negative publicity also could have an adverse effect on the size, engagement, and loyalty of our user base and result in decreased revenue.
Weak economic conditions, including those that cause declines or disruptions in the travel industry or reduce consumer discretionary spending have, in the past, had a material adverse impact on the Company’s business and financial performance and could have a material adverse impact on our businesses, financial performance and the market price of our common stock. Our business and financial performance are affected by the health of the worldwide travel industry, including macroeconomic conditions and events beyond our control. Events beyond our control, such as macroeconomic factors (such as tightening of credit markets and declines in consumer confidence), health concerns (including epidemics or pandemics), unusual or extreme weather or natural disasters (whether caused by climate change or otherwise), travel-related health concerns, restrictions related to travel, trade or immigration policies, regional hostilities or instability, wars, terrorism, sources of political uncertainty, foreign policy changes, regional hostilities, natural disasters, imposition of taxes or surcharges by regulatory authorities, significant increases in energy costs, labor unrest or travel-related accidents, can disrupt travel globally or otherwise result in declines in travel demand. For example, recent conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Hamas have impacted travel to those regions and the surrounding regions.
Sales of travel and/or leisure products tend to decline or grow more slowly during economic downturns and times of inflation when consumers engage in less discretionary spending, are concerned about unemployment or economic weakness, have reduced access to credit or experience other concerns that reduce their ability or willingness to travel. In addition, the uncertainty of macroeconomic factors and their impact on consumer behavior makes it more difficult to forecast industry and consumer trends, which in turn has in the past and could in the future adversely affect our ability to effectively manage our business. Leisure travel, which accounts for a substantial majority of our current business, is particularly dependent on discretionary consumer spending levels. For example, the United States and other countries have recently experienced elevated inflation which has created economic
uncertainty and has impacted and may impact consumer demand in the travel industry. Economic downturn and adverse market conditions may also negatively impact our partners, our partners’ access to capital, cost of capital and ability to meet liquidity needs. These challenges faced in a prolonged economic downturn or deterioration in the travel industry could adversely impact our business, financial performance and share price. The extent and duration of such impacts remain largely uncertain and dependent on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time.
We operate in a competitive global environment and our failure to compete effectively could reduce our market share and harm our financial performance. We compete with different types of companies in the various markets and geographies where we operate, including large and small companies in the travel and leisure space as well as broader service providers. We face competition for content, consumers, advertisers, online travel search and price comparison services and online reservations. We compete globally with both online and offline, established and emerging, providers of travel, lodging, experiences and restaurant reservation and related services. Current and new competitors can launch new services at a relatively low cost. More specifically:
•General OTAs, such as Expedia, Booking Holdings, Airbnb, traveloka, Despegar, Trip.com, and their respective subsidiaries and operating companies;
•Experiences OTAs, such as GetYourGuide, Klook, and TUI Musement;
•Hotel metasearch providers, such as trivago, Kayak and Skyscanner;
•Online search, social media, and marketplace platforms for advertising spend, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snap;
•Global and regional travel, experiences, and restaurant brands seeking to promote direct bookings;
•Emerging online advertising businesses, such as ad-supported retail and entertainment platforms like Amazon, Spotify, and Walmart;
•Artificial intelligence driven travel curators, such as Travel Plan AI, Aitinerary, Wonderplan, Roam Around and similar websites;
•Traditional offline travel agencies; and
•Global and regional restaurant technology providers for reservation management and related services, such as OpenTable, Resy, and Tock.
There has been a proliferation of new channels through which service providers can offer accommodations, experiences and restaurant reservations. Metasearch services may lower the cost for new companies to enter the market by providing a distribution channel without the cost of promoting the new entrant’s brand to drive consumers directly to its website. Some of our competitors offer a variety of online services and, in some cases, are willing to make little or no profit on a transaction, or offer travel services at a loss, in order to gain market share. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources and have more expertise in developing online commerce and facilitating internet traffic as well as larger client bases. They also have the ability to leverage other aspects of their business to enable them to compete more effectively.
In addition, Google and other large, established companies with substantial resources and expertise have launched travel or travel-related search, metasearch and/or reservation booking services and may create additional inroads into online travel. Many of our competitors continue to expand their voice and artificial intelligence capabilities, which may provide them with a competitive advantage in travel.
We compete with certain companies that we also do business with, including certain of our travel partners and related parties. The consolidation of our competitors and travel partners may affect our relative competitiveness and our travel partner relationships. Competition and consolidation could result in higher traffic acquisition costs, reduced margins on our advertising services, loss of market share, pricing pressure, reduced customer traffic to our platform and reduced advertising by travel companies on our platform.
We rely on information technology to operate our business and remain competitive, and any failure to adapt to technological developments or industry trends could harm our businesses. Our future success depends on our ability to continuously improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to meet rapidly evolving consumer trends and demands while at the same time maintaining the reliability and integrity of our systems and infrastructure. We may not be able to maintain or replace our existing systems or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as we would like or in a cost-effective manner. We may not be successful, or as successful as our competitors, in developing technologies and systems that operate effectively across multiple devices and platforms in a way that is appealing to our consumers.
The markets in which we operate are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, frequent new service announcements and enhancements, and changing consumer demands and preferences. Our future success will also depend on our ability to adapt to emerging technologies such as tokenization; chatbot, new authentication technologies, such as biometrics, distributed ledger and blockchain technologies; new and emerging payment methods, such as Alipay, Paytm and WeChat Pay; artificial intelligence; virtual and augmented reality; and cloud technologies. For example, we incorporate artificial intelligence in certain of our operations. In July 2023, we launched an AI-powered travel itinerary generator which creates personalized travel itineraries using OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence technology. The use of artificial intelligence in our business presents risks and challenges, including that algorithms may be flawed, datasets may be insufficient, erroneous, stale, or contain biased information, or content chosen for display to consumers by artificial intelligence systems may be discriminatory, offensive, illegal, or otherwise harmful. These deficiencies and other failures of artificial intelligence systems could subject us to competitive harm, regulatory action, legal liability, and brand or reputational harm. In addition, there is no guarantee that our itinerary generator or other artificial intelligence focused initiatives will be competitive or attract more consumers to our platform.
The emergence of alternative or new devices and the emergence of niche competitors who may be able to optimize products, services or strategies for such platforms will require additional investments in technology. New developments in other areas could also make it easier for competitors to enter our markets due to lower up-front technology costs. We may not be able to keep up with these rapid changes and our ability to integrate and develop new and evolving technologies will require increased financial and personnel investments that could have an adverse impact on our operations unless and until we achieve expected return on these investments. Our future success will depend on our ability to adapt to rapidly changing technologies, to adapt our services and platform to evolving industry standards and local preferences, and to continually innovate and improve the performance, features, and reliability of our services and online platforms in response to competitive service offerings and the evolving demands of the marketplace.
If we are unable to adapt to the evolving demands of our customers, we may not remain competitive, and our business and financial performance could suffer. Our competitors are continually developing innovations in services and features. As a result, we are continually working to improve the user experience on our platform in order to engage our consumers and drive user traffic and conversion rates for our partners and provide our business partners with the tools they need to succeed. We have invested, and expect to continue to invest, significant resources in developing and marketing these innovations. We can give no assurances that the changes we make will yield the benefits we expect and will not have unintended or adverse impacts. If we are unable to continue offering innovative products and services and quality features that customers want to use, existing customers may become dissatisfied and use competitors’ offerings and we may be unable to attract additional customers, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance.
Our dedication to making the consumer experience our highest priority may cause us to prioritize rapid innovation and consumer experience over short-term financial results. We strive to create the best experience for our consumers. We believe that in doing so we will increase our traffic conversion (i.e., visitors converting into clicks and/or bookings), revenue and financial performance. We have taken actions in the past, and may continue to take actions in the future, that have the effect of reducing our short-term financial results if we believe the actions benefit the overall consumer experience. These decisions may not produce the long-term benefits we expect, new or enhanced products may fail to engage consumers and/or we may be unsuccessful in our efforts to monetize these initiatives, in which case our relationships with consumers and partners, and our business and financial performance could be harmed.
We are dependent upon the quality of traffic in our network to provide value to our partners, and any failure in our ability to deliver quality traffic and/or the metrics to demonstrate the value of the traffic could have a material and adverse impact on the value of our platform to our partners and adversely affect our revenue. We use technology and processes to monitor the quality of the internet traffic that we deliver to our partners and have identified metrics to demonstrate the quality of that traffic and identify low quality clicks such as non-human processes, including robots, spiders, the mechanical automation of clicking and other types of invalid clicks or click fraud. Even with such monitoring in place, there is a risk that a certain amount of low-quality traffic will be delivered to such online advertisers. Such low-quality or invalid traffic may be detrimental to our relationships with partners and could adversely affect our advertising pricing and revenue.
We rely on assumptions and estimates and data to calculate certain of our key metrics, and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business. Certain metrics are key to our business; as both the industry in which we operate and our businesses continue to evolve, so too might the metrics by which we evaluate our businesses. While the calculation of the metrics we use is based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates, our internal tools are not independently verified by a third-party and have a number of limitations; furthermore, our methodologies for tracking these metrics may change over time. For example, a single person may have multiple accounts or browse the internet on multiple browsers or devices, some consumers may restrict our ability to accurately identify them across visits, some mobile apps automatically contact our servers for regular updates with no user action, and we are not always able to capture user information on our platform. As such, the calculations of our unique users may not accurately reflect the number of people actually visiting our platform. If the internal tools we use to track these metrics under-count or over-count performance or contain algorithm or other technical errors, the data we report may not be accurate. We continue to improve upon our tools and methodologies to capture data; however, the improvement of our tools and methodologies could cause inconsistency between current data and previously reported data, which could confuse investors or lead to questions about the integrity of our data. Finally, we may, in the future, identify new or other metrics that enable us to more accurately evaluate our business. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on these metrics.
Our future success depends on the performance of our key employees and our ability to attract, retain and engage senior management and a highly skilled workforce. In particular, we are highly dependent on the services of our leadership team for the development of and our execution on our vision and strategy. Over the last few years, we have made several changes to our senior leadership group. Our future performance will depend, in part, on the successful integration of these new senior level executives into their roles. If we do not successfully manage these additions, it could be viewed negatively by our investors, employees, and partners, and could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations. We also heavily rely on the continued service and performance of our senior management team, which provides leadership, contributes to the core areas of our business and helps us to efficiently execute on mission, vision and strategic initiatives. If we are unable to retain members of our senior management team, including our executive leadership, we may not be able to manage our business effectively and, as a result, our business and operating results could be harmed. If the senior management team fails to work together effectively and to execute our plans and strategies on a timely basis, then our business and future growth prospects could be harmed.
The success of our operations and the quality of our services are also highly dependent on our ability to attract, retain and engage skilled personnel. For employees, we compete with companies that have far greater financial resources than we do as well as companies that promise short-term growth opportunities and/or other benefits. If we do not succeed in attracting a well-qualified workforce or retaining or motivating existing talent, our business would be adversely affected.
The composition of our work force, in terms of geographic location, in person or remote and full-time employees or independent contractors, creates challenges and risks and failure to properly manage those risks could have a negative impact on our business. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of our work force began working remotely and continue to work remotely today. In addition, following the COVID-19 pandemic, our work force has increasingly shifted outside the U.S. and to independent contractors versus full-time employees. Managing a remote and independent work force can give rise to cybersecurity, legal and regulatory issues and training and compliance issues, as well as create operational or other challenges, any of which could harm our business. For example, our workers are classified as either employees or non-employees (including as independent contractors or agency workers). Our employees in the U.S. are classified as either exempt from overtime or non-exempt (and therefore overtime eligible) and if we are found to have misclassified employees including as independent contractors, agency workers or independent contractors, agency workers or non-exempt employees as exempt, we could face penalties and have additional exposure under U.S. federal and state tax, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, employment and tort laws, as well as similar international laws, including for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee overtime and benefits and tax withholdings.
Acquisitions, investments, significant commercial arrangements and/or new business strategies could present new challenges and risks and disrupt our ongoing business. We have acquired, invested in and/or entered into significant commercial arrangements with a number of businesses in the past and our future growth may depend, in part, on future acquisitions, investments, commercial arrangements and/or changes in business strategies.
Such endeavors have in the past and may in the future involve significant risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the following:
•Costs incurred to identify, pursue and fund these endeavors that may or may not be successful and may limit other potential uses of cash;
•Diversion of management’s attention or other resources from our existing business;
•Difficulties and expenses in integrating the operations, products, technology or personnel;
•Difficulties in implementing and retaining uniform standards, controls, procedures, policies and information systems;
•Assumption of debt and liabilities, including costs associated with litigation, cybersecurity risks, and other claims;
•Failure of any such strategy or target to achieve anticipated objectives, revenues or earnings;
•Limited management or operational control and heightened reputational risk with respect to minority investments;
•Entrance into markets in which we have no prior experience;
•Amortization expenses related to acquired intangible assets and other adverse accounting consequences; and
•Adverse market reaction to the transaction.
We have in the past invested, and may in the future invest, in privately-held companies. Such investments are inherently risky and our ability to liquidate any such investments is typically difficult. Valuations of such privately-held companies are inherently complex and uncertain due to the lack of liquid market for the companies’ securities. We cannot assure you that these investments will be successful or that such endeavors will result in the realization of the synergies, cost savings and innovation that may be possible within a reasonable period of time, if at all. We could lose the full amount of our investments; any impairment of our investments could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Matters
We are a global company that operates in many different jurisdictions inside and outside the U.S. and these operations expose us to additional risks. Many regions have different economic conditions, languages, currencies, legislation, regulatory environments, levels of political stability, and consumer expectations. We are subject to risks typical of global businesses, including, but not limited to, the following:
•Compliance with additional laws and regulations, including but not limited to, those regarding data privacy, labor and employment, advertising, anti-competition and tax;
•Difficulties in managing our human capital and operations due to distance, time zones, language, status as an independent contractor or agency worker versus employee and cultural differences;
•Restrictions on repatriation of cash and on investments in operations;
•Uncertainty regarding liability for services, content and intellectual property rights;
•Increased risk and limits on enforceability of intellectual property rights;
•Diminished ability to legally enforce contractual rights;
•Currency exchange rate fluctuations;
•Economic or political instability or laws involving economic or trade prohibitions or sanctions; and
•Threatened or actual acts of terrorism.
Our strategy includes continued expansion in existing markets and potentially new markets. In addition to the risks mentioned above, international markets have strong local competitors with established brands and travel service providers or relationships that may make expansion in certain markets difficult and costly and take more time than anticipated. In some markets, legal and other regulatory requirements may prohibit or limit participation by foreign businesses, such as by making foreign ownership or management of internet or travel-related businesses illegal or difficult or may make direct participation in those markets uneconomic, which could make our entry or expansion in those markets difficult or impossible, require that we work with a local partner or result in higher operating costs. If we are unsuccessful in expanding in existing and potentially new markets and effectively managing that expansion, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.
We are regularly subject to claims, lawsuits, government investigations, and other proceedings which may result in adverse outcomes and, regardless of the outcome, result in legal costs, diversion of management
resources, injunctions or damage awards, and other negative results. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in substantial damages, fines or penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial results or financial position. These proceedings could also result in reputational harm, criminal sanctions or consent decrees, the release of confidential information or orders preventing us from offering certain features, functionalities, products, or services, requiring a change in our business practices. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our business and financial results.
A failure to comply with existing or new laws, rules and regulations or changes to such laws, rules and regulations and other legal uncertainties may adversely affect our business or financial results. Our business and financial results could be adversely affected by unfavorable changes in or interpretations of existing laws, rules and regulations or the promulgation of new laws, rules and regulations applicable to us and our business, including, but not limited to, those relating to internet and online commerce, internet advertising, consumer protection, intermediary liability, cybersecurity, data security and privacy. These laws continue to evolve. For example, there is, and will likely continue to be, an increasing number of laws and regulations pertaining to internet and online commerce, cybersecurity, and liability for information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet, online editorial and user-generated content, user privacy, behavioral targeting and online advertising and liability for third-party activities. Likewise, the SEC, DOJ and OFAC, as well as foreign regulatory authorities, have continued to increase the enforcement of economic sanctions and trade regulations, anti-money laundering, and anti-corruption laws, across industries. Operating in this dynamic regulatory environment requires significant management attention and financial resources. As regulations continue to evolve and regulatory oversight continues to increase, we cannot guarantee that our programs and policies will be deemed compliant by all applicable regulatory authorities. The failure of our businesses to comply with these laws and regulations could result in fines and/or proceedings against us by governmental agencies, regulatory authorities, courts and/or consumers, which, if material, could adversely affect our business and financial results.
The promulgation of new laws, rules and regulations, or new interpretations of existing laws, rules and regulations, could require us to change certain aspects of our business, operations and relationships to ensure compliance, which could decrease demand for services, reduce revenues, increase costs and/or subject the Company to additional liabilities. For example, many jurisdictions have adopted, and many jurisdictions are considering adopting, privacy rights and consumer protections for their residents, which legislation will continue to change the landscape for the use and protection of data and could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services. Unfavorable changes could limit our marketing methods and capabilities, decrease demand for our products and services, impede development of new products, require significant management time, increase costs and/or subject us to additional liabilities. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in penalties, criminal sanctions and/or negative publicity against us, our officers or our employees and/or restrictions on the conduct of our business.
We face risks related to our intellectual property. We rely on content, brands and technology, much of which is proprietary. We protect our content, brands and technology by, among other things, a combination of maintenance and enforcement of registered and unregistered intellectual property rights (e.g. trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets), technological solutions and contractual protections. Even with these precautions, it may be possible for another party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property, without authorization or to independently develop similar content, brands or technology. Any misappropriation or violation of our rights could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every jurisdiction in which our platform or services are made available and policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property can be difficult and expensive. Therefore, in certain jurisdictions, we may be unable to adequately protect our intellectual property against unauthorized third-party copying or use. We cannot be sure that the steps we have taken will prevent misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual property. Furthermore, we may need to go to court or other tribunals in order to enforce our rights or the proprietary rights that we have lawfully obtained from others. These proceedings might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, and we cannot accurately predict the likelihood of success in such proceedings. Our failure to protect our intellectual property in an effective manner could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We currently license some of the intellectual property displayed on our platform from third parties. As we continue to introduce new services that incorporate new intellectual property, we may be required or elect to license additional intellectual property. We cannot be sure that such licenses will be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
From time to time, in the ordinary course of our business, we have been subject to, and are currently subject to, legal proceedings and claims relating to third-party intellectual property rights, often related to user-generated content, and we expect that third parties will continue to assert intellectual property claims against us, particularly as we expand the complexity and scope of our platform and services. Successful intellectual property claims against us could result in significant monetary liability or prevent us from operating our business, or portions of our business, or require us to change business practices or develop non-infringing intellectual property, which could require significant effort and expense. In addition, resolution of claims may require us to obtain releases or licenses to use intellectual property assets belonging to third-parties, which may be expensive to procure, or possibly to cease using those assets altogether. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Greenhouse gas emissions are driving global climate change that is expected to have various impacts on travel, including the world’s transportation infrastructure and tourist destinations, and such impact could have a negative impact on our operations. The long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and the industry in which we operate and our business, in particular, are unclear; however, we recognize that there are inherent climate-related risks wherever business is conducted. For example, as climate change continues to warm the planet and make weather more extreme, much of the world’s transportation infrastructure will become less safe and reliable. Some of today’s popular tourist destinations may become intolerable as heat waves make some places unbearable and increase the chance of forest fires. Some may disappear altogether as rising seas flood low-lying islands and coastal areas. Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has always been vulnerable to flooding, but in the last 20 years, there have been almost as many “high water” floods as during the previous 100 years. In other major cities, such as Amsterdam, Tokyo, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and New York, extreme flooding could also become a regular occurrence.
Cruise ship tourism has a larger carbon footprint than any other kind of travel and extreme weather such as intense hurricanes and storms is making cruising more dangerous. Rising sea levels can make it difficult for cruise ships to dock at coastal ports because they are vulnerable to changing sea levels, as well as extreme weather. Rising seas also degrade beaches and pose significant risks to the very viability of some low-lying cruise destinations, such as Key West, Fla., Fiji, Palau, Seychelles, and the Maldives. Coastal tourism, the largest component of the tourism industry, is threatened also by the acidification of oceans. Half of the world’s coral reefs, which contribute billions annually to global tourism income each year, have already been lost or seriously damaged. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which has sustained serious damage from ocean acidification caused by the ocean’s uptake of CO2, coral bleaching, pollution, overfishing-and too much tourism-has lost more than half of its corals since 1995.
Shifts in consumer preferences and governmental policy developments have the potential individually or collectively to significantly disrupt travel and impact our business as well as negatively affect our suppliers, business partners and members. Experiencing or addressing the various physical, regulatory and adaptation/transition risks from climate change may impact our revenues and profitability.
Increased focus on our environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") responsibilities have and will likely continue to result in additional costs and risks, and may adversely impact our reputation, employee retention, and willingness of customers and partners to do business with us. Institutional, individual, and other investors, proxy advisory services, regulatory authorities, consumers and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on ESG practices of companies. Some investors may use these non-financial performance factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us if they believe our policies and actions relating to ESG are inadequate. Our disclosures on these matters, or a failure to meet evolving stakeholder expectations for ESG practices and reporting, may potentially harm our reputation and customer relationships.
As ESG best practices and reporting standards continue to develop, we may incur increasing costs relating to ESG monitoring and reporting and complying with ESG initiatives. The standards for tracking and reporting on ESG matters and disclosure frameworks are relatively new, have not been harmonized, and continue to evolve. Ensuring there are systems and processes in place to comply with the various ESG tracking and reporting obligations may require management time and expense. As we look to respond to evolving standards for identifying, measuring, and reporting ESG metrics, our efforts may result in a significant increase in costs and may nonetheless not meet investor or other stakeholder expectations and evolving standards or regulatory requirements, which may negatively impact our financial results, our reputation, our ability to attract or retain employees, our attractiveness as a service provider, investment, or business partner, or expose us to government enforcement actions, private litigation, and
actions by stockholders or stakeholders. In addition, if our competitors’ ESG performance is perceived to be better than ours, potential or current investors may elect to invest with our competitors.
Risks Related to Information Security, Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
Our processing, storage and use of personal information and other data subjects us to risks and laws and regulations and could give rise to cyberattacks and other risks, including damage to our reputation and value of our brands. Information and data security is essential to maintaining consumer and service provider confidence in our services and brands. We are subject to a variety of laws in the U.S. and abroad regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal information, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent between countries or conflict with other existing laws. In addition, practices regarding the collection, use, storage, transmission and security of personal information by companies operating over the internet have recently come under increased public scrutiny.
Implementing and complying with these laws and regulations may be more costly or take longer than we anticipate, or could otherwise affect our operations. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy and information security policies, privacy-related obligations to consumers or other third parties, or privacy-related legal obligations, may result in fines, litigation or governmental enforcement actions that could harm our reputation and cause our consumers and partners to lose trust in us, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, brands, market share and financial results.
System security issues, data protection breaches, cyberattacks and system outage issues could disrupt our operations or services provided to our consumers, and any such disruption could damage our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial results and share price. Our reputation and ability to attract, retain and service our consumers and partners is dependent upon the reliable performance and security of our computer systems and those of third parties we utilize in our operations. Significant security issues, data breaches, cyberattacks and outages, interruptions or delays, in our systems or third-party systems upon which we rely, could impair our ability to display content or process transactions and significantly harm our business. Breaches of our security measures and those of our partners or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our consumers or our partners, could expose us, our consumers and partners to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, damage our brand and reputation or otherwise harm our business and financial performance and could result in government enforcement actions and litigation and potential liability for us. The costs of enhancing infrastructure to attain improved stability and redundancy may be time consuming and expensive and may require resources and expertise that are difficult to obtain. In addition, to the extent that we do experience a data breach, remediation may be costly and we may not have adequate insurance to cover such costs.
We and our third party partners and vendors are at constant risk of cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions via viruses, worms, break-ins, malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, hacking, denial-of-service attacks or other attacks and similar disruptions from the unauthorized use of or access to computer systems (including from internal and external sources) that attack our products or otherwise exploit any vulnerabilities in our systems or those of our third party partners and vendors, or attempt to fraudulently induce our employees, consumers, third party partners and vendors or others to disclose passwords or other sensitive information or unwittingly provide access to our systems or data. These types of incidents continue to be prevalent and pervasive across industries, including in our industry, and such attacks on our systems have occurred in the past and are expected to occur in the future. In addition, we expect the amount and sophistication of the perpetrators of these attacks to continue to expand, which could include nation-state actors. Any such incident could lead to interruptions, delays or website outages, causing loss of critical data or the unauthorized disclosure or use of personally identifiable or other confidential information. In addition, sophisticated hardware and operating system software and applications that we produce or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including “bugs” and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of the system. We have in the past and may in the future need to expend significant resources to protect against security breaches or to investigate and address problems caused by cyber or other security problems. There are no assurances that our programs and actions taken to protect against security breaches or to investigate and address problems related to cyber or other security problems will be sufficient to prevent or limit the impact of any cyber intrusion or related attack. Failure to adequately protect against attacks or intrusions, whether for our own systems or systems of vendors, could expose us to security breaches that could have an adverse impact on our financial performance.
Much of our business is conducted with third-party partners and vendors. A security breach at such third-party could be perceived by consumers as a security breach of our systems and could result in negative publicity or reputational damage, expose us to risk of loss or litigation and subject us to regulatory penalties and sanctions. In addition, such incidents may also result in a decline in our user base and client base or engagement levels.
Media coverage of data breaches and public exposure of consumer data rights has increased, in part because of the rise of enforcement actions, investigations and lawsuits. Similarly, the increase in privacy activist groups is likely to give rise to further scrutiny, investigative actions and publicity. Security breaches or the perceived threat of a breach or perceived breach could result in interruptions in service, negative publicity, damage to reputation, cause our users, suppliers and/or partners to cease doing business with us or do business with us less frequently, exposure to risk of loss and possible liability due to lawsuits, enforcement actions, investigations, regulatory penalties and sanctions. As this focus and attention on privacy and data protection increases, we also risk exposure to potential liabilities and costs resulting from the compliance with, or any failure to comply with, applicable legal requirements, conflicts among these legal requirements or differences in approaches to privacy and security. Security breaches could also cause travelers and consumers to lose confidence in our data security, which would have a negative effect on the value of our brand.
Evolving regulations, guidance and practices on the use of "cookies" and similar tracking technologies could negatively impact the way we do business. Cookies and similar technologies are common tools used by websites and apps, including ours, to store or gather information, improve site security, improve and personalize the customer experience, market to consumers and increase conversion. Companies such as Apple and Google have introduced new policies governing developers’ use of cookies and similar tracking technologies, including enhanced disclosure and opt in requirements. Similarly, many states and countries have adopted data protection laws and regulations governing the use of cookies and other similar tracking technologies by websites and app developers. Such regulations could limit our ability to serve certain customers in the manner we currently do, including with respect to retargeting or personalized advertising, impair our ability to improve and optimize performance on our platform, negatively affect a consumer's experience using our platform, which, in turn, could negatively impact our business.
Equally, privacy has been the impetus behind a move towards a cookie-less online ecosystem which poses a potential risk to our online behavioral advertising strategy.
We are subject to risks associated with processing payment transactions and failure to manage those risks may subject us to fines, penalties and/or additional costs and could have a negative impact on our business. We accept payments from consumers and our business partners using a variety of methods, including credit, debit and invoicing. As we offer new payments options to customers, we may be subject to additional regulations, compliance requirements and fraud. We rely on third parties to provide certain payment methods and payment processing services and our business could be disrupted if these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us. We are subject to laws, regulations and compliance requirements relating to payments, international money transfers, privacy and information security and money laundering, including obligations to implement enhanced authentication processes. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules, including data security rules, certification requirements, and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. These laws, regulations and/or requirements result in significant costs. If we fail to comply or if our data security systems are breached or compromised, we may be liable for card issuing banks’ costs, subject to fines, penalties and higher transaction fees, and/or lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments, process electronic funds transfers, or facilitate other types of online payments. In addition, for certain payment methods, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees and we are subject to receivable holdbacks, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability.
Additionally, our marketplace activities in the U.K. and Europe require us to obtain or operate under a payment institution license under the Payment Services Directive Two (“PSD2”). PSD2 requires a license to perform certain defined “payment services” in a European Economic Area (“EEA”) member state. Conditions for obtaining and complying with the license include minimum capital requirements, establishment of procedures for safeguarding funds, and certain governance and reporting requirements. Certain obligations relating to internal controls and the conduct of business, in particular, consumer disclosure requirements and certain rules regarding the timing and settlement of payments, must be met. We have obtained a payment institution license in the U.K. As a result of Brexit, we are no longer able to passport our U.K. license to the EEA. Although our EU application has
been submitted during 2023 and currently under consideration by the EU, we may not receive the EU license on a timely basis if at all.
It is possible that we could become subject to regulatory enforcement or other proceedings in those states or other jurisdictions with money transmission, or other similar statutes or regulatory requirements, including an EEA member state, related to the handling or moving of money, which could in turn have a significant impact on our business, even if we were to ultimately prevail in such proceedings. If we are ultimately deemed to be in violation of one or more money transmitter or other similar statutes or regulatory requirements related to the handling or moving of money in the U.S., the EEA or other jurisdictions, we may be subject to the imposition of fines or restrictions on our business, our ability to offer some or all of our services in the relevant jurisdiction may be suspended, and we may be subject to civil or criminal liability and our business, results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected.
Risks Related to Financial Matters
We may fail to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations about our business and future operating results, which could cause our stock price to decline. From time to time, we release earnings guidance in our quarterly and annual earnings conference calls, quarterly and annual earnings releases, or otherwise, regarding our future performance that represents our management’s estimates as of the date of release. This guidance includes forward-looking statements based on projections prepared by our management. Projections are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are based on information known when they are issued, and, while presented with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies relating to our business, many of which are beyond our control and are based upon specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions, some of which will change. Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and some or all of the assumptions underlying the guidance furnished by us may not materialize or may vary significantly from actual outcomes. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the date of release. Actual results may vary from our guidance and the variations may be material. In light of the foregoing, investors are urged not to rely upon our guidance in making an investment decision regarding our common stock.
Our financial results are difficult to forecast; they have fluctuated in the past and will likely fluctuate in the future. Our financial results in any given quarter can be influenced by numerous factors, many of which we are unable to predict or are outside of our control, including:
•Our ability to maintain and grow our consumer base and to increase user engagement;
•Increases in marketing, sales and other expenses that we will incur to grow and expand our operations and to remain competitive;
•Fluctuations in the marketing spend of our travel partners due to seasonality, global or regional events or other factors;
•User behavior or product changes that may reduce traffic to features or products that we successfully monetize;
•System failure or outages, which would prevent us from serving ads for any period of time;
•Breaches of security or privacy and the costs associated with any such breaches and remediation;
•Fees paid to third parties for content or promotion of our products and services;
•Adverse litigation judgments, settlement or other litigation related costs;
•Changes in the legislative or regulatory environment or engagement by regulators;
•Changes in tax laws, which may significantly affect our tax rates and taxes due;
•Tax obligations that may arise from resolutions of tax examinations that may materially differ from the amounts we have anticipated;
•Fluctuations in currency exchange rates and changes in the proportion of our revenue and expenses denominated in foreign currencies;
•Changes in GAAP; and
•Changes in global business and macroeconomic conditions.
As a result, you should not rely upon our quarterly financial results as indicators of future performance.
If we are unable to successfully maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and our business and our share price may be adversely impacted. As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and our management is required to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year. If we are not successful in maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, there could be inaccuracies or omissions in the financial information we file with the SEC. Additionally, even if there are no inaccuracies or omissions, we could be required to publicly disclose our management’s conclusion that our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures are not effective. These events could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, result in increased costs to remediate any deficiencies, attract regulatory scrutiny or lawsuits that could be costly to resolve and distract management’s attention, limit our ability to access the capital markets, adversely impact our stock price, or cause our stock to be delisted from The Nasdaq or any other securities exchange on which we are then listed.
We have indebtedness which could adversely affect our business and financial condition. With respect to the 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes, we are subject to risks relating to our existing or potential indebtedness that include:
•Requirement to dedicate a portion of our cash flow to principal and interest payments, thereby reducing the availability of cash to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and investments and other general corporate purposes;
•Difficulties to optimally capitalize and manage the cash flow for our businesses;
•Possible competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt;
•Limitations on our ability to borrow additional funds on acceptable terms or at all; and
•Exposure to increased interest rates to the extent our outstanding debt is subject to variable rates of interest.
Failure to comply with the various covenants contained in our Credit Agreement and the 2025 Indenture could have a material adverse effect on our business. The various covenants contained in the Credit Agreement and 2025 Indenture include those that limit our ability to, among other things:
•Incur indebtedness;
•Pay dividends on, redeem or repurchase our capital stock;
•Effect share repurchases;
•Effect investments;
•Enter into secured financing arrangements;
•Enter into sale and leaseback transactions; and
•Enter into unrelated businesses.
These covenants may limit our ability to optimally operate our business. Any failure to comply with the restrictions of our Credit Facility or our 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes may result in an event of default under the agreements governing such debt instruments and such default may allow the creditors to accelerate the debt incurred thereunder. In addition, lenders under the Credit Facility may be able to terminate any commitments they had made to supply us with further funds.
We are subject to risks relating to our 2026 Senior Notes. If any of the conditions to the conversion of the 2026 Senior Notes is satisfied, then we may be required under applicable accounting standards to reclassify the liability carrying value of the 2026 Senior Notes as a current, rather than a long-term, liability, thereby materially reducing our reported working capital. This reclassification could be required even if no noteholders exchange their 2026 Senior Notes. Holders of our 2026 Senior Notes may convert the 2026 Senior Notes after the occurrence of certain dates or events. Settlement of the 2026 Senior Notes could adversely affect our liquidity.
We are subject to risks relating to the Capped Calls. In connection with the issuance of the 2026 Senior Notes, we entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the “Capped Calls”) to reduce potential dilution to our common stock and/or offset cash payments we must make in excess of the principal amount, in each case, upon any conversion of the 2026 Senior Notes, with such offset subject to a cap. We are subject to the risk that one or more of the hedge counterparties may default under the Capped Calls. If any of the hedge counterparties become subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under our transactions with such counterparties. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, the increase in our exposure will be correlated to the increase in the market price and in the volatility of our common
stock. In addition, upon a default by a hedge counterparty, we may suffer adverse tax consequences and more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our common stock.
We may have future capital needs and may not be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms. Pursuant to the Credit Facility, we agreed to pledge substantially all of our assets, including the equity interests of our subsidiaries. This agreement also includes restrictive covenants that may limit our ability to secure additional financing in the future on favorable terms, if at all. Our ability to secure additional financing will also depend upon our future operating performance, which is subject to then prevailing general economic and credit market conditions, and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Risks Related to Tax Matters
Our effective income tax rate is impacted by a number of factors that could have a material impact on our financial results and could increase the volatility of those results. Due to the global nature of our business, we are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and other foreign jurisdictions. In the event we incur taxable income in certain jurisdictions but incur losses in other jurisdictions, we generally cannot offset the income from one jurisdiction with the loss from another. This lack of flexibility could affect our effective income tax rate. Furthermore, significant judgment is required to calculate our worldwide provision for income taxes and depends on our ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our future income tax rates could be affected by a number of matters outside of our control, including but not limited to changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets or accounting for share-based compensation. If our effective income tax rates were to increase, our financial results and cash flows would be adversely affected.
Application of U.S. state and local or international tax laws, changes in tax laws or tax rulings, or the examination of our tax positions, could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. As an international business, we are subject to income taxes and non-income-based taxes in the U.S. and various other international jurisdictions. Tax laws are subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the laws are issued or applied. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates and tax regimes may be subject to significant change and the tax benefits that we intend to eventually derive could be undermined due to changing tax laws. Governments are increasingly focused on ways to increase tax revenues, which has contributed to more aggressive positions taken by tax authorities and an increase in tax legislation. Any such additional taxes or other assessments may be in excess of our current tax provisions or may require us to modify our business practices in order to reduce our exposure to additional taxes going forward, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any changes to international tax laws or any additional reporting requirements may increase the complexity and costs associated with tax compliance and adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations.
For example, changes in the tax laws of foreign jurisdictions could arise as a result of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”)’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project to address the tax challenges arising from digitalization. Over the last several years, the OECD has been developing its “two pillar” project to address the tax challenges arising from digitalization. The OECD project, if broadly implemented by participating countries, will result in significant changes to the international taxation system under which our current tax obligations are determined. Pillar Two of the project calls for a minimum tax rate on corporations of 15% and has begun to be implemented by a significant number of countries starting in 2024. The OECD and implementing countries are expected to continue to offer further guidance to the rules, however, the impact of Pillar Two is not expected to be material at this time. The Company will continue to monitor developments to determine any potential impact of Pillar Two in the countries in which we operate. Pillar One, which would reallocate profits from the largest and most profitable businesses to countries where the customers of those businesses are located, remains under discussion at the OECD, and its implementation remains uncertain. If implemented, Pillar One would potentially result in the removal of unilateral digital services tax initiatives, such as those enacted in France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. In July 2023, more than 138 countries and jurisdictions agreed to refrain from imposing newly enacted digital service tax initiatives or similar measures before December 31, 2024, provided the Pillar One negotiations have made sufficient progress by the end of 2023. In December 2023, the OECD Inclusive Framework reaffirmed their commitment to achieve a consensus-based solution and to complete the multilateral agreement by June 2024, thereby extending the standstill on new digital service tax initiatives. Furthermore, certain U.S. states, such as Maryland, have deployed comparable digital services tax initiatives. We will continue to monitor these
developments to determine the financial impact to the Company. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recorded $18 million, $9 million and $1 million, respectively, of digital service tax to general and administrative expense on our consolidated statements of operations.
We are routinely under audit by federal, state and foreign taxing authorities. The ultimate outcome of these examinations (including the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS") audit described below) cannot be predicted with certainty but could be materially different from our income tax provisions and accruals and could have a material effect on our results of operations or cash flows in the period or periods for which that determination is made. Should the IRS or other taxing authorities assess additional taxes as a result of examinations, we may be required to record charges to our results of operations, which could harm our operating results and financial condition.
Changes in the tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce may adversely affect the commercial use of our platform and our financial results. Tax authorities at the international, federal, state and local levels are currently reviewing the appropriate treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce and it is possible that various jurisdictions may attempt to levy additional or new sales, income or other taxes relating to our activities. For example, Congress is considering various approaches to legislation that would require companies engaged in e-commerce to collect sales tax on internet revenue and a growing number of U.S. states and certain foreign jurisdictions have adopted or are considering proposals to impose obligations on remote sellers and online marketplaces to collect taxes on their behalf. An increasing number of states have considered or adopted laws that attempt to impose tax collection obligations on out-of-state companies. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. that remote sellers are not required to collect state and local sales taxes. In response to Wayfair or otherwise, state or local governments have adopted and may continue to adopt, or begin to enforce, laws requiring us to calculate, collect and remit taxes on sales in their jurisdictions. Also, as described in more detail above, certain U.S. states and countries in which we do business have enacted or proposed digital services tax initiatives. In addition, we are subject to taxes in foreign jurisdictions, such as value-added tax and goods and services tax, in connection with certain foreign sales transactions. New or revised international, federal, state or local tax regulations or court decisions may subject us or our customers to additional sales, occupancy, income and other taxes. We cannot predict the effect of these and other attempts to impose sales, income or other taxes on e-commerce; however, new or revised taxes and, in particular, sales taxes, occupancy taxes, value added taxes (“VAT”), and similar taxes would likely increase the cost of doing business online and decrease the attractiveness of selling products and services over the internet. New taxes could also create significant increases in internal costs necessary to capture data and collect and remit taxes. A successful assertion by one or more tax authorities requiring us to collect taxes where we presently do not do so, or to collect more taxes in a jurisdiction in which we currently do collect some taxes, could result in substantial tax liabilities, including taxes on past sales, as well as penalties and interest that we otherwise would have not accounted for in our financial statements. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial results and financial condition.
Taxing authorities have in the past and may successfully in the future assert that we should have collected or in the future should collect sales and use, occupancy, VAT or similar taxes, and we could be subject to liability with respect to past or future sales, which could adversely affect our operating results. We do not collect and remit sales and use, occupancy, VAT or similar taxes in all jurisdictions in which we have sales, based on our belief that such taxes are not applicable or legally required. Several states and other taxing jurisdictions have presented or threatened us with assessments, alleging that we are required to collect and remit certain taxes there. While we do not believe that we are subject to such taxes and intend to vigorously defend our position in these cases, we cannot be sure of the outcome of our discussions and/or appeals with these states. In the event of an adverse outcome, we could face assessments, plus any additional interest and penalties. We also expect additional jurisdictions may make similar assessments or pass similar new laws in the future, and any of the jurisdictions where we have sales may apply more rigorous enforcement efforts or take more aggressive positions in the future that could result in greater tax liability allegations. Such tax assessments, penalties and interest or future requirements may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
We face risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. As a result, we face exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates including, but not limited to, re-measurement of gains and losses from changes in the value of foreign denominated assets and liabilities; translation gains and losses on foreign subsidiary financial results that are translated into U.S. dollars upon consolidation; and planning risk related to changes in exchange rates between the time we prepare our annual and quarterly forecasts and when actual results occur. For example, in the event that one or more European countries were to replace the Euro with another currency, our sales into such countries, or into Europe generally, would likely be adversely affected until stable
exchange rates are established. Accordingly, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, such as the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the Euro or the British pound, have in the past and could in the future adversely affect our revenue growth in future periods.
In the event of severe volatility in exchange rates, the impact of these exposures can increase and the impact on results of operations can be more pronounced. In addition, the current environment and the increasingly global nature of our business have made hedging these exposures more complex. We hedge certain short-term foreign currency exposures with the purchase of forward exchange contracts. These forward exchange contracts only help mitigate the impact of changes in foreign currency rates that occur during the term of the related contract period and carry risks of counter-party failure. There can be no assurance that our forward exchange contracts will have their intended effects.
Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock
Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. currently is a controlling stockholder. Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., or LTRIP, effectively controls the outcome of all matters submitted to a vote or for the consent of our stockholders (other than with respect to the election by the holders of our common stock of 25% of the members of our Board of Directors and matters as to which Delaware law requires separate class votes). Our Chairman, Gregory Maffei, and Director Albert Rosenthaler, also serve as officers and directors of LTRIP. LTRIP may have interests that differ from those of our other stockholders and may vote in a way with which our other stockholders may not agree or that may be adverse to other stockholders’ interests. LTRIP is not restricted from investing in other businesses related to our business. LTRIP’s control of us, as well as the provisions of our organizational documents and Delaware law, may discourage or prevent a change of control that might otherwise be beneficial, which may reduce the market price of our common stock.
The market price and trading volume of our common stock has experienced, and could continue to experience in the future, substantial volatility. The market price of our common stock is affected by a number of factors, including:
•Quarterly variations in our or our competitors’ results of operations;
•Changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
•Failure to meet market expectations;
•The announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our competitors;
•Repurchases of our common stock;
•Developments in our industry, including changes in governmental regulations; and
•General market conditions and other factors, such as macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events.
In the past, the stock market has experienced price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations and general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, interest rate changes or foreign currency exchange fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of our common stock regardless of our actual operating performance.
We are currently relying on the “controlled company” exemption under Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Rules, pursuant to which “controlled companies” are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements otherwise applicable under Nasdaq listing rules. The Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Rules exempt “controlled companies,” or companies of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company, from certain corporate governance requirements. We currently rely on the controlled company exemption for certain of the above requirements, including the requirement that director nominees be selected or recommended to the Board of Directors by a majority of its independent directors or by a nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, our stockholders will not be afforded the same protections generally as stockholders of other Nasdaq-listed companies with respect to corporate governance for so long as we rely on these exemptions from the corporate governance requirements.
We do not pay regular quarterly or annual cash dividends on our stock. Any determination to pay dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, future prospects, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our
Board of Directors. Therefore, investors should not rely on regular quarterly or annual dividend income from shares of our common stock and investors should not rely on special dividends with any regularity or at all.
Future sales of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, may depress our stock price. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, particularly sales by our directors, officers, employees and significant stockholders, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and could impact our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional securities. In addition, certain stockholders have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. A decline in the price of shares of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, which could affect our stock price adversely and prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
These provisions include:
•Authorization and issuance of Class B common stock that entitles holders to ten votes per share;
•Authorization of the issuance of preferred stock which can be created and issued by the Board of Directors without prior stockholder approval, with rights senior to those of our common stock;
•Prohibition of our stockholders to fill board vacancies or call special stockholder meetings; and
•Limitations on who may call special meetings of stockholders.
These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our Board of Directors or initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current Board of Directors, including a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our Board of Directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
We cannot guarantee that we will repurchase our common stock pursuant to our share repurchase programs or that our share repurchase programs will enhance long-term stockholder value. On September 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million in shares of our common stock under a new share repurchase program. The share repurchase program has a term of two years and does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular number of shares and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. The Executive Committee of our Board of Directors will determine the price, timing, amount and method of such repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and at prices determined to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders.
Although our Board of Directors has authorized the share repurchase programs, the share repurchase programs do not obligate the Company to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of shares. The timing and amount of repurchases, if any, will depend upon several factors, including market and business conditions, the trading price of the Company’s common stock and the nature of other investment opportunities. In August 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which imposes a one percent tax on stock repurchases, subject to certain adjustments, after December 31, 2022 by publicly traded U.S. companies, including us, which may also impact our decision to engage in share repurchases. The repurchase programs may be limited, suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice. In addition, repurchases of our common stock pursuant to our share repurchase programs could affect our stock price and increase its volatility. The existence of a share repurchase program could cause our stock price to be higher than it would be in the absence of such a program. Additionally, our share repurchase programs could diminish our cash reserves, which may impact our ability to finance future growth, and to pursue possible future strategic opportunities and acquisitions. There can be no assurance that any share repurchases will enhance stockholder value because the market price of our common stock may decline below the levels at which we repurchased shares of stock. Although our share repurchase programs are intended to enhance long-term stockholder value, there is no assurance that they will do so and short-term stock price fluctuations could reduce the program’s effectiveness.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties
As of December 31, 2023, we do not own any real estate. We lease approximately 280,000 square feet of office space for our corporate headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts, which has an expiration date of December 2030 and an option to extend the lease term for two consecutive terms of five years each. We also lease an aggregate of approximately 340,000 square feet of office space at nearly 30 locations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, in cities such as New York, London, Sydney, Barcelona and Paris, primarily used as sales offices, subsidiary headquarters, and for international operations, pursuant to leases with various expiration dates. We believe that our current facilities are adequate for our current operations and that additional leased space can be obtained on reasonable terms if needed.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Refer to “Note 11: Commitments and Contingencies” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further information regarding any legal proceedings. For an additional discussion of certain risks associated with legal proceedings, see “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock is quoted on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “TRIP.” Our Class B common stock is not listed and there is no established public trading market for that security. As of February 9, 2024, all of our Class B common stock was held by LTRIP.
Performance Comparison Graph
The following graph provides a comparison of the total stockholder return from December 31, 2018 to December 31, 2023, of an investment of $100 in cash on December 31, 2018 for Tripadvisor, Inc. common stock and an investment of $100 in cash on December 31, 2018 for (i) the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index (the “S&P 500 Index”), (ii) The Nasdaq Composite Index; and (iii) the Research Data Group (“RDG”) Internet Composite Index. The RDG Internet Composite Index is an index of stocks representing the internet industry, including internet software and service companies, and e-commerce companies. The stock price performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance. Data for the S&P 500 Index, The Nasdaq Composite Index, and the RDG Internet Composite Index assume reinvestment of dividends.
This performance comparison graph is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed filed with the SEC and is not deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Tripadvisor, Inc. under the Securities Act or any filing under the Exchange Act.
Holders of Record
As of February 9, 2024, there were 125,099,694 outstanding shares of our common stock held by 1,732 stockholders of record, and 12,799,999 outstanding shares of our Class B common stock held by one stockholder of record: LTRIP.
Dividends
We did not declare or pay any dividends during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, future prospects, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors. In addition, our ability to pay dividends is limited by the terms of our Credit Agreement and our 2025 Indenture. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information regarding our debt agreements. Therefore, investors should not rely on regular quarterly or annual dividend income from shares of our common stock and investors should not rely on special dividends with any regularity, or at all. Investors should rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize future gains on their investments.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2024 Proxy Statement, which proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, we did not issue or sell any shares of our common stock, Class B common stock or other equity securities pursuant to unregistered transactions in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On September 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million in shares of our common stock under a new share repurchase program. Our Board of Directors authorized and directed management, working with the Executive Committee of our Board of Directors, to affect the share repurchase program in compliance with applicable legal requirements. The Executive Committee of our Board of Directors will determine the price, timing, amount and method of such repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and at prices determined to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders. This share repurchase program, which has a term of two years, does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular number of shares and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time.
In light of the recent disclosure by Liberty Tripadvisor Holdings, Inc. (“LTRIP”) of its intent to evaluate potential alternatives and the Company’s formation of a Special Committee to evaluate any proposals that may be brought forward, the Company has suspended its share repurchase program.
A summary of information regarding our common stock repurchases during the fourth quarter of 2023 is set forth in the table below:
Period
Total Number of Shares Purchased
Average Price Paid per Share (1)
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs
Maximum Number (or Approximate U.S. dollar Value) of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
October 1 to October 31
-
$
-
-
$
250,000,000
November 1 to November 30
1,324,524
$
18.85
1,324,524
$
225,000,000
December 1 to December 31
-
$
-
-
$
225,000,000
Total
1,324,524
1,324,524
(1) Exclusive of fees, commissions and excise taxes.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis provides information concerning our results of operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our accompanying consolidated financial statements including the notes in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the Section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results may differ from the results discussed in any forward looking statements, which may be due to factors discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company renamed our Tripadvisor Core segment to “Brand Tripadvisor”, and its “Tripadvisor-branded display and platform” revenue stream within the Brand Tripadvisor segment, as “Media and advertising” revenue. These nomenclature changes had no impact on the composition of our segments, revenue streams, or on any current or historic financial information.
Overview
The Tripadvisor group operates as a family of brands with a purpose of connecting people to experiences worth sharing. Our vision is to be the world’s most trusted source for travel and experiences. The Company operates across three business segments: Brand Tripadvisor (formerly Tripadvisor Core), Viator, and TheFork. We leverage our brands, technology platforms, and capabilities to connect our large, global audience with partners by offering rich content, travel guidance products and services, and two-sided marketplaces for experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and other travel categories.
Brand Tripadvisor’s purpose is to empower everyone to be a better traveler by serving as the world’s most trusted and essential travel guidance platform. Since Tripadvisor’s founding in 2000, the Tripadvisor brand has developed a relationship of trust and community with travelers and experience seekers by providing an online global platform for travelers to discover, generate, and share authentic user-generated content (“UGC”) in the form of ratings and reviews for destinations, points-of-interest (“POIs”), experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and cruises in over 40 countries and in more than 20 languages across the world. Tripadvisor offers more than 1 billion user-generated ratings and reviews on over 8 million experiences, accommodations, restaurants, airlines, and cruises. Tripadvisor’s online platform attracts one of the world’s largest travel audiences, with hundreds of millions of visitors annually.
Viator’s purpose is to bring extraordinary, unexpected, and forever memorable experiences to more people, more often, wherever they are traveling. In doing so, Viator elevates tens of thousands of businesses, large and small. Viator delivers on its purpose by enabling travelers to discover and book iconic, unique and memorable experiences from experience operators around the globe. Our online marketplace is comprehensive and easy-to-use, connecting millions of travelers to the world’s largest supply of bookable tours, activities and attractions-over 350,000 experiences from more than 55,000 operators. Viator is a pure-play experiences OTA singularly focused on the needs of both travelers and operators with the largest supply of bookable experiences available to travelers.
TheFork’s purpose is to deliver happiness through amazing dining experiences. TheFork delivers on its purpose by providing an online marketplace that enables diners to discover and book online reservations at approximately 55,000 restaurants in 11 countries across the U.K., western and central Europe. TheFork has become an urban, gastronomic guide with a strong community that offers approximately 20 million restaurant reviews.
Trends
The online travel industry in which we operate is large, highly dynamic and competitive. We describe below current trends affecting our overall business and segments, including uncertainties that may impact our ability to execute on our objectives and strategies. Public health-related events, such as a pandemic, political instability, geopolitical conflicts, including the evolving events in the Middle East, acts of terrorism, fluctuations in currency values, and changes in global economic conditions, are examples of other events that could have a negative impact on the travel industry, and as a result, our financial results in the future.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the travel and hospitality industries, and consequently, adversely and materially affected our business, results of operations, liquidity and financial condition during the year ended December 31, 2021. In 2022, we generally experienced a travel demand recovery fueled by the continued easing of government restrictions globally and increasing consumer travel demand, however, during the first quarter of 2022, we experienced a negative impact from the Omicron variant across all segments which helped contribute to the year-over-year revenue growth rate during 2023. During 2023, we continued to experience strong consumer demand, particularly for our experiences offerings, across our Viator and Brand Tripadvisor segments. Asia-Pacific, which represents a small portion of our overall business, has been slower to recover due to longer and sustained travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, starting in the first quarter of 2023, travel restrictions across Asia began to ease relative to 2022, contributing to increased year-over-year revenue growth within this region.
Prior to Google introducing changes to its SERP (search engine results page), we generated a significant amount of direct traffic from search engines, such as Google, through strong SEO (search engine optimization) performance across all segments. We believe our SEO traffic acquisition performance has been negatively impacted in the past, and may be impacted in the future, by metasearch and search engines (primarily Google) changing their search result placement and underlying algorithms, including to increase the prominence of their own products in search results across our business, most notably within our hotel meta offering within our Brand Tripadvisor segment.
In response to strong consumer demand for our experiences offerings across our Viator and Brand Tripadvisor segments, we continued to increase investment in performance marketing and brand spend during 2023 to drive awareness and grow market share in this large underpenetrated market. Over the long-term, we are focused on driving a greater percentage of our bookings from direct channels. We are doing this by continuing to focus on increasing our brand recognition and improving the user experience across products on our website and mobile app, providing high quality customer service, and offering leading customer choice for online bookable experiences supply.
The global experiences market is large, growing, and highly fragmented, with the vast majority of bookings still occurring through traditional offline sources. We are observing a secular shift, however, as this market continues to grow and accelerate the pace of online adoption. Likewise, the global restaurants category is also benefiting from increased online adoption by both consumers and restaurant partners, particularly in Europe. Given the competitive positioning of our businesses relative to the attractive growth prospects in these categories, we expect to continue to invest in these categories across the Tripadvisor group, and in particular, within the Viator and
TheFork segments, to continue accelerating revenue growth, operating scale, and market share gains for the long-term.
For information regarding our business strategy and business models, see the discussion set forth in Part I, Item 1. “Business,” of this Form 10-K under the captions “Our Business Strategy”, and “Our Business Models.”
Recent Developments
Restructuring and Related Reorganization Actions
During the third quarter of 2023, the Company approved and subsequently initiated a set of actions across its businesses in order to reduce its cost structure, improve operational efficiencies, and realign its workforce with its strategic initiatives. These actions taken by the Company resulted in reduced global headcount. Additional cost reduction measures taken included discretionary spend and real estate. As a result, the Company incurred estimated pre-tax restructuring and other related reorganization costs of $22 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting primarily of employee severance and related benefits. Potential job position eliminations in each country remain subject to local law and consultation requirements, which have extended beyond 2023 in certain countries. Therefore, actual costs incurred may differ from estimated costs recorded as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company paid $9 million of these costs, and expect the majority of remaining unpaid costs as of December 31, 2023, to be disbursed during the first quarter of 2024. Refer to “Note 7: Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities” and “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information regarding restructuring and other related reorganization costs incurred for each reportable segment.
These cost reduction actions undertaken by the Company are anticipated to result in an estimated $35 million in annualized cost savings in the Brand Tripadvisor segment, which includes corporate general and administrative expenses, and in addition, we estimate $10 million in annualized cost savings in TheFork segment, primarily related to global workforce reduction measures. Although we expect the aforementioned, annualized cost savings in Brand Tripadvisor and TheFork during 2024, these cost reduction measures did not materially impact our actual expenses during 2023 due to the timing of when these actions occurred during the year.
Stock Buyback Program
On September 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million in shares of our common stock under a new share repurchase program. This share repurchase program, which has a term of two years, does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular number of shares and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased 1,324,524 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average share price of $18.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $25 million in the aggregate.
In light of the recent disclosure by Liberty Tripadvisor Holdings, Inc. (“LTRIP”) of its intent to evaluate potential alternatives and the Company’s formation of a Special Committee to evaluate any proposals that may be brought forward, the Company has suspended its share repurchase program.
Income Taxes
As disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had received Notices of Proposed Adjustments (“NOPA”) in January 2017 and April 2019 from the IRS with respect to income tax returns for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 filed by Expedia when Tripadvisor was part of Expedia Group Inc’s consolidated income tax return. This assessment was related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with its foreign subsidiaries, and we requested competent authority assistance under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (“MAP”) for those years. In January 2023, the Company received a final notice from the IRS regarding a MAP settlement for the 2009 through 2011 tax years, which the Company accepted in February 2023. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company made a U.S. federal tax payment of $113 million to Expedia related to this IRS audit
settlement pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Expedia. During the third quarter of 2023, we received a competent authority refund of $49 million associated with this IRS audit settlement.
As previously disclosed, during August 2020 we received a NOPA issued by the IRS for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries. We have previously requested competent authority assistance under MAP for these tax years. In January 2024, we received notification of a MAP resolution agreement for the 2014 through 2016 tax years, which we accepted in February 2024. We anticipate this MAP resolution will result in an estimated net operating cash outflow of $80 million to $130 million, net of anticipated competent authority relief and inclusive of related interest expense, expected during 2024, and an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $30 million to $60 million in the first quarter of 2024.
Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the “Contingencies” discussion below for further information regarding potential material contingencies related to ongoing audits regarding income taxes.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in accordance with GAAP. Preparation of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes requires that management make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements as well as revenue and expenses during the periods reported. Management bases its estimates on historical experience, when applicable and other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
There are certain critical estimates that we believe require that management use significant judgment and estimates in applying those policies in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if:
•It requires us to make an assumption because information was not available at the time or it included matters that were highly uncertain at the time we were making the estimate; and/or
•Changes in the estimate or different estimates that we could have selected may have had a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for an overview of our significant accounting policies and any new accounting pronouncements that we have adopted or that we plan to adopt that have had or may have an impact on our financial statements.
A discussion of information about the nature and rationale for our critical accounting estimates is below:
Income Taxes
We record income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect our estimation of the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for book and tax purposes. We determine deferred income taxes based on the differences in accounting methods and timing between financial statement and income tax reporting. Accordingly, we determine the deferred tax asset or liability for each temporary difference based on the enacted income tax rates expected to be in effect when we realize the underlying items of income and expense. We consider all relevant factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of our deferred tax assets, including our recent earnings experience by jurisdiction, expectations of future taxable income and the carryforward periods available to us for tax reporting purposes, as well as assessing available tax planning strategies. We may establish a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2023, we had a valuation allowance of approximately $106 million related to certain NOL carryforwards and other foreign deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not, the tax benefit will not be realized. We classify deferred tax assets and liabilities
as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet. Due to inherent complexities arising from the nature of our businesses, future changes in income tax law, tax sharing agreements or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results, we make certain judgments and estimates. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.
We record liabilities to address uncertain tax positions we have taken in previously filed tax returns or that we expect to take in a future tax return. The determination for required liabilities is based upon an analysis of each individual tax position, taking into consideration whether it is more likely than not that our tax position, based on technical merits, will be sustained upon examination. For those positions for which we conclude it is more likely than not it will be sustained, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the taxing authority. The difference between the amount recognized and the total tax position is recorded as a liability. The ultimate resolution of these tax positions may be greater or less than the liabilities recorded.
Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the “Contingencies” discussion below for further information, including certain uncertainties, critical estimates, and potential contingencies related to ongoing audits regarding income taxes.
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions
For information on our related party transactions, refer to “Note 17: Related Party Transactions” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Consolidated Results of Operations
A discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022 is presented below. A discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal year 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021 can be found in Part II, Item 7. "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 17, 2023.
Results of Operations
Selected Financial Data
(in millions, except percentages)
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
Revenue
$
1,788
$
1,492
$
%
%
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue
%
%
Selling and marketing
%
%
Technology and content
%
%
General and administrative
%
%
Depreciation and amortization
(10
)%
(13
)%
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs
-
-
n.m.
n.m.
Total costs and expenses:
1,662
1,391
1,033
%
%
Operating income (loss)
(131
)
%
n.m.
Other income (expense):
Interest expense
(44
)
(44
)
(45
)
%
(2
)%
Interest income
%
1,400
%
Other income (expense), net
(4
)
(5
)
(10
)
(20
)%
(50
)%
Total other income (expense), net
(1
)
(34
)
(54
)
(97
)%
(37
)%
Income (loss) before income taxes
(185
)
%
n.m.
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
(115
)
(47
)
%
n.m.
Net income (loss)
$
$
$
(148
)
(50
)%
n.m.
Other financial data:
Adjusted EBITDA (1)
$
$
$
%
%
n.m. = not meaningful
(1)Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is considered a non-GAAP measure as defined by the SEC. Please refer to the “Adjusted EBITDA” discussion below for more information, including tabular reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Revenue and Segment Information
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
Revenue by Segment:
(in millions)
Brand Tripadvisor (1)
$
1,031
$
$
%
%
Viator
%
%
TheFork
%
%
Intersegment Eliminations (1)
(134
)
(93
)
(32
)
%
%
Total revenue
$
1,788
$
1,492
$
%
%
Adjusted EBITDA by Segment:
Brand Tripadvisor
$
$
$
%
%
Viator
-
(11
)
(31
)
n.m.
(65
)%
TheFork
(14
)
(39
)
(46
)
(64
)%
(15
)%
Total Adjusted EBITDA
$
$
$
%
%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment (2):
Brand Tripadvisor
%
%
%
Viator
%
(2
%)
(17
%)
TheFork
(9
)%
(31
)%
(54
)%
n.m. = not meaningful
(1)Brand Tripadvisor segment revenue figures are shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) revenue, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of intersegment revenue for all periods presented.
(2)“Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment” is defined as Adjusted EBITDA by segment divided by revenue by segment.
Brand Tripadvisor Segment (formerly Tripadvisor Core Segment)
Brand Tripadvisor revenue increased by $65 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to an increase in Tripadvisor experiences revenue, and to a lesser extent, an increase in hotel B2B revenue, media and advertising revenue, and improved hotel meta revenue in the rest of world geographic markets, all of which were primarily driven by strong consumer demand, which was partially offset primarily by a decrease in our European hotel meta revenue during the last three quarters of 2023. In addition, this segment’s revenue was negatively impacted by the Omicron variant in the first quarter of 2022, which helped contribute to the year-over-year revenue growth rate during 2023.
Adjusted EBITDA in our Brand Tripadvisor segment increased $3 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, while adjusted EBITDA margin decreased by 2 percentage points during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. The increase in our Brand Tripadvisor segment revenue of $65 million, as noted above, substantially offset increases in personnel and overhead costs to support business growth, despite the impact of our cost reduction measures which did not materially impact our segment expenses during 2023, as discussed above. In addition, Brand Tripadvisor experienced an increase in direct selling and marketing expenses related to paid online traffic acquisition costs, direct revenue generation costs related to data center and other direct revenue related costs, and software licensing costs. The slight decline in adjusted EBITDA margin during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, was largely impacted due to increased cost of revenue and technology and content personnel and overhead costs as a percent of revenue.
The following is a detailed discussion of the revenue sources within our Brand Tripadvisor segment:
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
Brand Tripadvisor:
(in millions, except percentages)
Tripadvisor-branded hotels
$
$
$
%
%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*
%
%
%
Media and advertising
%
%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*
%
%
%
Tripadvisor experiences and dining (1)
%
%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*
%
%
%
Other
(2
%)
%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*
%
%
%
Total Brand Tripadvisor Revenue
$
1,031
$
$
%
%
*Percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding
(1)Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue within the Brand Tripadvisor segment is shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) revenue, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of intersegment revenue for all periods presented.
Tripadvisor-branded Hotels Revenue
Tripadvisor-branded hotels revenue increased $9 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. This increase was primarily driven by improved hotel B2B revenue, as well as to a lesser extent, improved hotel meta revenue in the rest of world geographic markets, primarily driven by strong consumer travel demand when compared to the same period in 2022. In addition, our 2022 results were negatively impacted by the Omicron variant during the first quarter of 2022, which contributed to year-over-year growth. The
Company saw sustained pricing strength in both free and paid traffic channels, including, continued strength in hotel meta monetization in the U.S., where CPC rates remained robust when compared to 2022. This performance during 2023 was partially offset primarily by a decrease in our European hotel meta revenue during the last three quarters of 2023, as described above, as well as an increased competitive environment in paid online marketing channels and product decisions we have implemented to provide more qualified referrals to our partners, leading to a decrease in click volumes.
Media and Advertising Revenue
Media and advertising revenue consists of revenue from display-based advertising (or “media advertising”) across our platform and increased $15 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily driven by an increase in marketing spend from advertisers, in correlation with growth in consumer travel demand.
Tripadvisor Experiences and Dining Revenue
Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue, which includes intercompany (intersegment) revenue consisting of affiliate marketing commissions earned primarily from experience bookings, and to a lesser extent, restaurant reservation bookings on Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps, fulfilled by Viator and TheFork, respectively, and are eliminated on a consolidated basis, in addition to revenue earned from Brand Tripadvisor’s restaurant offerings. Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue increased $42 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily driven by strong consumer demand for experiences, combined with enhancements to our websites and mobile apps.
Other Revenue
Other revenue, which includes alternative accommodation rentals revenue, in addition to primarily click-based advertising and display-based advertising revenue from our cruise, flights, and rental cars offerings on Tripadvisor websites and mobile apps, decreased by $1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022.
Viator Segment
Viator segment revenue increased by $244 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily driven by strong consumer demand for experiences across all geographies, including growth in both bookings and pricing of experiences, as well as, enhancements to our websites and mobile apps. In addition, this segment’s revenue was negatively impacted by the Omicron variant in the first quarter of 2022, which helped contribute to the year-over-year revenue growth rate during 2023. Viator is also benefiting from a larger macro trend, or secular shift, as the large global market in which it operates continues to grow and migrate online from traditional offline sources.
Adjusted EBITDA loss in our Viator segment improved by $11 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, and adjusted EBITDA margin improved by 2 percentage points during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to an increase in revenue as noted above, partially offset by an increase in selling and marketing expenses related to SEM, other online paid traffic acquisition costs, and other marketing costs, including brand spend, in response to strong consumer demand for experiences and increased investment to grow market share, acquire new customers, and drive brand awareness, and to a lesser extent, an increase in revenue generation costs resulting from credit card payments and other revenue-related transaction costs in direct correlation with the increase in revenue. In addition, Viator segment revenue growth was partially offset by increases in personnel and overhead costs to support business growth related to strong consumer demand. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA margin during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, was primarily due to decreased selling and marketing costs and cost of revenue as a percent of revenue.
TheFork Segment
TheFork segment revenue increased by $28 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. This improvement was driven by increased consumer demand for dining, including increased bookings and pricing, during 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, as well as the negative impact of the Omicron variant that occurred during the first quarter of 2022, which helped contribute to the year-over-year revenue growth rate during 2023. In addition, we estimate this segment's revenue growth rate was positively impacted by foreign currency fluctuations of approximately 3% during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA loss in TheFork segment improved by $25 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, and adjusted EBITDA margin improved by 22 percentage points during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to an increase in revenue as noted above, and a decrease in selling and marketing expenses related to SEM, other online paid traffic acquisition costs, and television advertising costs. These improvements were partially offset by $11 million of non-income tax government assistance benefits related to COVID-19 relief received during the second quarter of 2022 recorded as a benefit to general and administrative expenses, which did not reoccur in 2023, and an increase in personnel and overhead costs to support business growth related to the travel demand recovery that began during 2022, despite the impact of our cost reduction measures which did not materially impact our segment expenses during 2023, as discussed above. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA margin during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, was primarily due to decreased selling and marketing costs as a percent of revenue, which more than offset the aforementioned $11 million of non-income tax government assistance benefits related to COVID-19 relief received during the second quarter of 2022.
Consolidated Expenses
Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue consists of expenses that are directly related or closely correlated to revenue generation, including direct costs, such as credit card and other booking transaction payment fees, data center costs, ad serving fees, and other revenue generating costs. In addition, cost of revenue includes personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation and bonuses for certain customer support personnel who are directly involved in revenue generation.
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
(in millions)
Direct costs
$
$
$
%
%
Personnel and overhead
%
%
Total cost of revenue
$
$
$
%
%
% of revenue
8.3
%
7.8
%
8.2
%
Cost of revenue increased $33 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to increased direct costs from credit card payment processing fees and other revenue-related transaction costs of $23 million in our Viator segment in direct correlation with the increase in revenue, as Viator serves as the merchant of record for the significant majority of its experience booking transactions, and to a lesser extent, increased direct revenue generation costs related to data center costs and other revenue-related transaction costs in our Brand Tripadvisor segment.
Selling and Marketing
Selling and marketing expenses consist of direct costs, including traffic generation costs from paid online traffic acquisition costs (including SEM and other online traffic acquisition costs), syndication costs and affiliate marketing commissions, social media costs, brand advertising (including television and other offline advertising),
promotions and public relations. In addition, our selling and marketing expenses consist of indirect costs such as personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries, commissions, benefits, stock-based compensation, and bonuses for sales, sales support, customer support and marketing employees.
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
(in millions)
Direct costs
$
$
$
%
%
Personnel and overhead
%
%
Total selling and marketing
$
$
$
%
%
% of revenue
52.6
%
52.5
%
52.0
%
Direct selling and marketing costs increased $138 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. In addition, direct selling and marketing costs as a percentage of total consolidated revenue was 41% during the year ended December 31, 2023, an increase from 39% when compared to the same period in 2022. This incremental expense was primarily driven by an increase of $137 million in paid online traffic acquisition costs, including SEM and other paid online traffic acquisition spend, and other marketing costs, including brand spend, the substantial majority of which was incurred within our Viator segment and to a lesser extent, our Brand Tripadvisor segment, in order to capture consumer demand, including increased investment within these segments in order to grow market share, slightly offset by a decrease in SEM and other paid online traffic acquisition spend in TheFork segment.
Personnel and overhead costs increased $18 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to an increase in headcount and contingent staff to support business growth during the first half of 2023. The impact of our cost reduction measures, as discussed above, did not materially impact our personnel and overhead costs during 2023.
Technology and Content
Technology and content expenses consist primarily of personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries and benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and bonuses for salaried employees and contractors engaged in the design, development, testing, content support, and maintenance of our platform. Other costs include licensing, maintenance, computer supplies, telecom, content translation and localization, and consulting costs.
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
(in millions)
Personnel and overhead
$
$
$
%
%
Other
%
%
Total technology and content
$
$
$
%
%
% of revenue
15.3
%
14.9
%
23.5
%
Technology and content costs increased $51 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to increased personnel and overhead costs resulting from additional headcount and contingent staff to support business growth, primarily in the Brand Tripadvisor and Viator segments. Other costs increased by $6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to increased software licensing costs in our Brand Tripadvisor segment.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel and related overhead costs, including personnel engaged in leadership, finance, legal, and human resources, as well as stock-based compensation expense for those same personnel. General and administrative costs also include professional service fees and other fees
including audit, legal, tax and accounting, and other operating costs including bad debt expense, non-income taxes, such as sales, use, digital services, and other non-income related taxes.
Year ended December 31,
% Change
2023 vs. 2022
2022 vs. 2021
(in millions)
Personnel and overhead
$
$
$
%
(3
%)
Professional service fees and other
%
%
Total general and administrative
$
$
$
%
%
% of revenue
10.7
%
11.5
%
18.5
%
General and administrative costs increased $19 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. Personnel and overhead costs did not materially change during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. Professional service fees and other costs increased $18 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to non-income tax related government assistance benefits related to COVID-19 relief of $11 million received by the Company during 2022 in TheFork segment, which did not reoccur in 2023, incremental digital service tax costs of $9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as, and to a lesser extent, a non-recurring cost of $3 million related to previously capitalized transaction costs during 2023. These increases were partially offset by an approximate $8 million loss incurred during the fourth quarter of 2022 as the result of a fraud scheme resulting in payments to an external party, as previously disclosed, which did not reoccur in 2023.
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation expense consists of depreciation on computer equipment, leasehold improvements, furniture, office equipment and other assets, and amortization of capitalized website development costs and right-of-use (“ROU”) assets related to our finance lease. Amortization consists of the amortization of definite-lived intangibles purchased in business acquisitions.
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Depreciation
$
$
$
Amortization of intangible assets
Total depreciation and amortization
$
$
$
% of revenue
4.9
%
6.5
%
12.3
%
Depreciation and amortization decreased $10 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to the completion of amortization related to certain capitalized website development costs and intangible assets purchased in business acquisitions from previous years.
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs consist primarily of employee severance and related benefits.
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs
$
$
-
$
-
% of revenue
1.2
%
0.0
%
0.0
%
The Company incurred pre-tax restructuring and other related reorganization costs of $22 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, as discussed above. These costs consist primarily of employee severance and related benefits.
Interest Expense
Interest expense primarily consists of interest incurred, commitment fees, and debt issuance cost amortization related to the Credit Facility, the 2025 Senior Notes, the 2026 Senior Notes, as well as imputed interest on finance leases.
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Interest expense
$
(44
)
$
(44
)
$
(45
)
Interest expense did not change materially during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, as our capital structure did not change significantly. The significant majority of interest expense incurred during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, was related to the 2025 Senior Notes. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Interest Income
Interest income primarily consists of interest earned from available on demand bank deposits, term deposits, money market funds, and marketable securities, including amortization of discounts and premiums on our marketable securities.
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Interest income
$
$
$
Interest income increased $32 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to an increase in the average amount of cash invested and increased interest rates received on bank and term deposits, as well as an increase in interest earned on money market funds during 2023.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net generally consists of net foreign exchange gains and losses, forward contract gains and losses, earnings/(losses) from equity method investments, gain/(loss) and impairments on non-marketable investments, gain/(loss) on sale/disposal of businesses, and other non-operating income (expenses).
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Other income (expense), net
$
(4
)
$
(5
)
$
(10
)
Other expense, net primarily consists of the net result of foreign exchange gains and losses incurred as a result of foreign currency movements. Refer to “Note 16: Other Income (Expense), Net” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
(Provision) Benefit for Income Taxes
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
$
(115
)
$
(47
)
$
Effective tax rate
92.0
%
70.1
%
20.0
%
Our effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% during the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily as a result of the IRS audit settlement, as described below, during the first quarter of 2023.
We recorded a total income tax provision of $115 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The change in our income taxes and our effective tax rate during the year ended December 31, 2023, when compared to the same period in 2022, was primarily the result of an IRS audit settlement and related adjustment to our existing transfer pricing income tax reserves for subsequent tax years, totaling $55 million, which was recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2023. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Net income (loss)
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Net income (loss)
$
$
$
(148
)
Net income (loss) margin
0.6
%
1.3
%
(16.4
%)
Net income decreased $10 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. The decrease in net income was largely driven by increased direct selling and marketing costs in response to strong consumer travel demand and investment to grow market share in our experiences offerings, increased personnel and overhead costs to help support business growth and consumer demand, as well as an incremental income tax expense of $55 million recognized during the first quarter of 2023 as a result of an IRS audit settlement and related adjustment to our existing transfer pricing income tax reserves for subsequent tax years and to a lesser extent, restructuring and other related reorganization costs, primarily consisting of employee severance and related benefits, increased direct costs from credit card payment and other revenue-related transaction costs in direct correlation with the increase in experiences revenue during the year ended December 31, 2023, all of which are described in more detail above under “Consolidated Expenses”, largely offset by an increase in revenue, as described in more detail above under “Revenue and Segment Information.”
Adjusted EBITDA
To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we also disclose consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. A “non-GAAP financial measure” refers to a numerical measure of a company’s historical or future financial performance, financial position, or cash flows that excludes (or includes) amounts that are included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in such company’s financial statements.
Adjusted EBITDA is also our segment profit measure and a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate the financial performance of our business and on which internal budgets and forecasts are based and approved. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons and better enables management and investors to compare financial results between periods as these costs may vary independent of ongoing core business performance. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus: (1) (provision) benefit for income taxes; (2) other income (expense), net; (3) depreciation and amortization; (4) stock-based compensation and other stock-settled obligations;
(5) goodwill, long-lived asset, and intangible asset impairments; (6) legal reserves and settlements; (7) restructuring and other related reorganization costs; and (8) other non-recurring expenses and income.
Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results reported in accordance with GAAP. Because of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including net income (loss) and our other GAAP results.
Some of these limitations are:
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense, or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not consider the potentially dilutive impact of stock-based compensation or other stock-settled obligations;
•although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect cash capital expenditure requirements for such replacements or for new capital expenditure requirements;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect certain income and expenses not directly tied to the ongoing core operations of our business, such as legal reserves and settlements, restructuring and other related reorganization costs;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;
•Adjusted EBITDA is unaudited and does not conform to SEC Regulation S-X, and as a result such information may be presented differently in our future filings with the SEC; and
•other companies, including companies in our own industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.
The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income (Loss), the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, for the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Net income (loss)
$
$
$
(148
)
Add: Provision (benefit) for income taxes
(37
)
Add: Other expense (income), net
Add: Restructuring and other related reorganization costs
-
-
Add: Legal reserves and settlements
-
-
Add: Other non-recurring expenses (income) (1)(2)
-
Add: Stock-based compensation
Add: Depreciation and amortization
Adjusted EBITDA
$
$
$
(1)The Company expensed $3 million of previously capitalized transaction costs during 2023 to general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statement of operations. The Company considers such costs to be non-recurring in nature.
(2)The Company incurred a loss of approximately $8 million during the fourth quarter of 2022, as the result of a targeted payment fraud scheme by an external party, as previously disclosed. The Company considers such costs to be non-recurring in nature. To the extent the Company recovers any losses in future periods related to this incident, the Company plans to reduce Adjusted EBITDA by the recovery amount in that same period.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our principal source of liquidity is cash flow generated from operations and our existing cash and cash equivalents balance. Our liquidity needs can also be met through drawdowns under the Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had approximately $1.1 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively, of cash and cash equivalents, and $496 million of available borrowing capacity under our Credit Facility as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, approximately $247 million of our cash and cash equivalents were held by our international subsidiaries outside of the U.S., of which approximately 50% was held in the U.K. As of December 31, 2023, the significant majority of our cash was denominated in U.S. dollars.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $483 million of cumulative undistributed earnings in foreign subsidiaries which were no longer considered to be indefinitely reinvested. As of December 31, 2023, we maintained a deferred income tax liability on our consolidated balance sheet, which was not material, for the U.S. federal and state income tax and foreign withholding tax liabilities on the cumulative undistributed foreign earnings that we no longer consider indefinitely reinvested. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
As of December 31, 2023, we are party to a credit agreement, which, among other things, provides for a $500 million revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with a maturity date of June 29, 2028 (unless, on any date that is 91 days prior to the final scheduled maturity date in respect of any indebtedness outstanding under certain “specified debt,” the aggregate outstanding principal amount of such specified debt is $200 million or more, then the maturity date will be such business day). As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility. The Company may borrow from the Credit Facility in U.S dollars, Euros and Sterling. For information regarding interest rates on potential borrowings under the Credit Facility refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee, at an applicable rate ranging from 0.25% to 0.40%, on the daily unused portion of the Credit Facility for each fiscal quarter and in connection with the issuance of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2023, our unused revolver capacity was subject to a commitment fee of 0.25%, given the Company’s total net leverage ratio. The Credit Facility, among other things, requires us to maintain a maximum total net leverage ratio and contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default, including for a change of control. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we were in compliance with our covenant requirements in effect under the Credit Facility. While there can be no assurance that we will be able to meet the total net leverage ratio covenant in the future, based on our current projections, we do not believe there is a material risk that we will not remain in compliance throughout the next twelve months.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $845 million in long-term debt, as a result of the 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes, as discussed below.
In July 2020, the Company completed the sale of $500 million in 2025 Senior Notes. The 2025 Senior Notes provide, among other things, that interest, at an interest rate of 7.0% per annum, is payable on January 15 and July 15 of each year, until their maturity on July 15, 2025. The 2025 Senior Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company, although unconditionally guaranteed on a joint and several basis by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries. In March 2021, the Company completed the sale of $345 million of the 2026 Senior Notes. The 2026 Senior Notes provide, among other things, that interest, at an interest rate of 0.25% per annum, is payable on April 1 and October 1 of each year, until their maturity on April 1, 2026. The 2026 Senior Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company, although unconditionally guaranteed on a joint and several basis, by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries.
The 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes are not registered securities and there are currently no plans to register these notes as securities in the future. We may from time to time repurchase the 2025 Senior Notes or 2026 Senior Notes through tender offers, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors.
For further information on the Credit Facility, 2025 Senior Notes, and 2026 Senior Notes, refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Significant uses of capital and other liquidity matters
On November 1, 2019, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $100 million in shares of our common stock under our existing share repurchase program, which increased the amount available to the Company under this share repurchase program to $250 million. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we repurchased 4,724,729 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average price of $15.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $75 million in the aggregate, which completed this share repurchase program.
On September 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million in shares of our common stock under a new share repurchase program. This share repurchase program, which has a term of two years, does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular number of shares and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased 1,324,524 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average price of $18.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $25 million, under our share repurchase program. As of December 31, 2023, we had $225 million remaining available to repurchase shares of our common stock under this share repurchase program.
Our business typically experiences seasonal fluctuations that affect the timing of our annual cash flows during the year related to working capital. As a result of our experience bookings, we generally receive cash from travelers at the time of booking or prior to the occurrence of an experience, and we record these amounts, net of commissions, on our consolidated balance sheet as deferred merchant payables. We pay the experience operator, or the supplier, after the travelers’ use. Therefore, we generally receive cash from the traveler prior to paying the experience operator and this operating cycle represents a source or use of cash to us. During the first half of the year, experiences bookings typically exceed the amount of completed experiences, resulting in higher cash flow related to working capital, while during the second half of the year, particularly in the third quarter, this pattern reverses and cash flows from these transactions are typically negative. Other factors may also impact typical seasonal fluctuations, such as significant shifts in our business mix, adverse economic conditions, public health-related events, as well as other factors, that could result in future seasonal patterns that are different from historical trends. In addition, new or different payment options offered to our customers could impact the timing of cash flows. For example, our “Reserve Now, Pay Later” payment option, which allows our travelers the option to reserve certain experiences and defer payment until a date no later than two days before the experience date. Usage of this payment option may continue to increase, though it is still not used in a majority of bookings to date, and affect the timing of our future cash flows and working capital.
As discussed in “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we received a final notice regarding a MAP settlement with the IRS for the 2009 through 2011 tax years in January 2023, which the Company subsequently accepted in February 2023. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we made a U.S. federal tax payment of $113 million, inclusive of interest, to Expedia related to this IRS audit settlement, pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Expedia. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we received a competent authority refund of $49 million, inclusive of interest income, related to the IRS audit settlement. We anticipate the federal tax benefits, net of remaining state tax payments due, associated with this IRS audit settlement will be substantially settled during 2024, resulting in an estimated net cash inflow of $5 million to $10 million.
Additionally, during August 2020 we received a NOPA issued by the IRS for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries. In January 2024, we received notification of a MAP resolution agreement for the 2014 through 2016 tax years, which we accepted in February 2024. We anticipate this MAP resolution will result in an estimated net operating cash outflow of $80 million to $130 million, net of anticipated competent authority relief and inclusive of related interest expense, during 2024, and an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $30 million to $60 million in the first quarter of 2024. These estimated ranges take into consideration competent authority relief, existing income tax reserves, transition tax regulations and estimated interest expense. This MAP resolution supersedes the NOPA previously received for 2014 through 2016 from the IRS, described above. We will review the impact of this resolution to our transfer pricing income tax reserves for the subsequent open tax years during the first quarter of 2024. Based on this new information received subsequent to year end, adjustments for
open tax years subsequent to 2016 may also occur, which could be material and negatively impact our future operating cash flows.
In addition, we received an issue closure notice from HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) relating to adjustments for the 2012 through 2016 tax years in January 2021. These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries and would result in an increase to income tax expense in an estimated range of $25 million to $35 million, exclusive of interest expense, at the close of the audit if HMRC prevails. Although the ultimate timing for resolution of these matters is uncertain, any future payments required would negatively impact our operating cash flows.
The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, made tax law changes to provide financial relief to companies as a result of the impact to businesses related to COVID-19. Key income tax provisions of the CARES Act include changes in NOL carryback and carryforward rules, increase of the net interest expense deduction limit, and immediate write-off of qualified improvement property. The CARES Act allowed the Company to carryback our U.S. federal NOLs incurred in 2020, generating an expected U.S. federal tax benefit of $76 million, of which $64 million was refunded during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($15 million of this refund is recorded in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, reflecting future transition tax payments to be made by the Company related to the 2017 Tax Act). The remaining refund of $12 million is expected to be received during the year ending December 31, 2024.
We believe that our available cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our foreseeable working capital requirements, capital expenditures, existing business growth initiatives, debt and interest obligations, lease commitments, and other financial commitments through at least the next twelve months. Our future capital requirements may also include capital needs for acquisitions and/or other expenditures in support of our business strategy, which may potentially reduce our cash balance and/or require us to borrow under the Credit Facility or to seek other financing alternatives.
Our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities, as reflected in our consolidated statements of cash flows, are summarized in the following table:
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities
$
$
$
Investing activities
(63
)
(52
)
(54
)
Financing activities
(127
)
(27
)
During the year ended December 31, 2023, our primary use of cash was used in operations, and from financing activities (including repurchases of our outstanding common stock at an aggregate cost of $100 million under our share repurchase programs at the time and payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of our equity awards of $17 million) and investing activities (including capital expenditures of $63 million incurred during the year ended December 31, 2023). This use of cash was funded with cash and cash equivalents, and operating cash flows during the period.
Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023, decreased by $165 million when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to a decrease in working capital of $149 million, as well as, and to a lesser extent, a decrease in net income of $10 million. The decrease in working capital was largely driven by a U.S. federal tax payment of $113 million during the second quarter of 2023 related to the IRS audit settlement, discussed above, a $64 million U.S. federal tax refund related to the CARES Act received in 2022, which did not reoccur in 2023, and increased cash outflows from accounts payable due to timing of vendor payments. These changes were partially offset by the timing of and improvement in collection from customers, resulting in increased operating cash flows from accounts receivable during the period, and a competent authority refund received of $49 million during the third quarter of 2023 related to the IRS audit settlement, discussed above.
Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $11 million when compared to the same period in 2022, largely due to an increase in capital expenditures across the business.
Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $100 million when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to the repurchase of shares of our common stock during 2023.
The following table summarizes our current and long-term material cash requirements, both accrued and off-balance sheet, as of December 31, 2023:
By Period
Total
Less than
1 year
1 to 3 years
3 to 5 years
More than
5 years
(in millions)
2025 Senior Notes (1)
$
$
-
$
$
-
$
-
Expected interest payments on 2025 Senior Notes (2)
-
-
2026 Senior Notes (3)
-
-
-
Expected interest payments on 2026 Senior Notes (4)
-
-
Finance lease obligations (5)
Operating lease obligations (6)
-
Expected commitment fee payments on Credit Facility (7)
-
Purchase obligations and other (8)
-
Total (9)(10)
$
1,032
$
$
$
$
(1)Represents outstanding principal on our 2025 Senior Notes due July 2025 and assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity.
(2)Expected interest payments on our 2025 Senior Notes are based on a fixed interest rate of 7.0%, as of December 31, 2023 and assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity.
(3)Represents outstanding principal on our 2026 Senior Notes due April 2026 and assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity.
(4)Expected interest payments on our 2026 Senior Notes are based on a fixed interest rate of 0.25%, as of December 31, 2023 and assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity.
(5)Estimated future lease payments for our corporate headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts. These amounts exclude expected rental income under non-cancelable subleases.
(6)Estimated future lease payments for our operating leases, primarily for office space, with non-cancelable lease terms. These amounts exclude expected rental income under non-cancelable subleases.
(7)Expected commitment fee payments are based on the daily unused portion of the Credit Facility, issued letters of credit, and the effective commitment fee rate as of December 31, 2023; however, these variables could change significantly in the future.
(8)Estimated purchase obligations that are fixed and determinable, primarily related to telecommunication and licensing contracts, with various expiration dates through approximately June 2029. These contracts have non-cancelable terms or are cancelable only upon payment of significant penalty. Timing of payments and actual amounts paid may be different depending on the time of receipt of goods or services or changes to agreed-upon amounts for some obligations.
(9)Excluded from the table was $153 million of unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, which is included in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment.
(10)Excluded from the table was $4 million of undrawn standby letters of credit, primarily as security deposits for certain property leases as of December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2023, other than the items discussed above, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Office Lease Commitments
As of December 31, 2023, we leased approximately 280,000 square feet of office space for our corporate headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts, which has an expiration date of December 2030 and an option to extend the lease term for two consecutive terms of five years each. We account for this lease as a finance lease as of December 31, 2023.
In addition to our corporate headquarters lease, we have contractual obligations in the form of operating leases for office space, in which we lease an aggregate of approximately 340,000 square feet, at nearly 30 other locations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, in cities such as New York, London, Sydney, Barcelona and Paris, primarily used for sales offices, subsidiary headquarters, and international management teams, pursuant to leases with various expiration dates, with the latest expiring in October 2034.
Contingencies
In the ordinary course of business, we are party to legal, regulatory and administrative matters, including threats thereof, arising out of or in connection with our operations. These matters may involve claims involving patent and other intellectual property rights (including privacy, alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights), tax matters (including value-added, excise, transient occupancy and accommodation taxes), regulatory compliance (including competition, consumer matters and data privacy), defamation and reputational claims. Periodically, we review the status of all significant outstanding matters to assess any potential financial exposure. When (i) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred; and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated and is material, we record the estimated loss in our consolidated statements of operations. We provide disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies that do not meet both of these conditions if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred that would be material to the consolidated financial statements. We base accruals on the best information available at the time which can be highly subjective. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, we do not believe that the final disposition of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, except for certain known income tax matters discussed below. However, the final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from our estimates. Finally, there may be claims or actions pending or threatened against us of which we are currently not aware and the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on us.
We are under audit by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities with regards to income tax and non-income tax matters. We have reserved for potential adjustments to our provision for income taxes that may result from examinations by, or any negotiated agreements with, these tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of audits could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of an audit could have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the period for which that determination is made.
We are currently under examination by the IRS for the 2014 through 2016 and 2018 tax years, and have various ongoing audits for foreign and state income tax returns. These audits include questioning of the timing and the amount of income and deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. These examinations may lead to proposed or ordinary course adjustments to our taxes. We are no longer subject to tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2014. As of December 31, 2023, no material assessments have resulted, except as noted below regarding our 2014 through 2016 standalone IRS audit, and our 2012 through 2016 HMRC audit.
During August 2020, we received a NOPA from the IRS for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments pertain to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries. We disagree with the proposed adjustments, and we intend to defend our position through applicable administrative and, if necessary, judicial remedies. In addition to the risk of additional tax for the years discussed above, if the IRS were to seek transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature for transactions in subsequent years, we may be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. We have previously requested competent authority assistance under MAP for the tax years of 2014 through 2016. We have reviewed our transfer pricing reserves as of December 31, 2023, based on the facts and circumstances that existed as of the reporting date, and consider them to be the Company’s best estimate as of December 31, 2023. In January 2024, we received notification regarding a MAP resolution agreement for the 2014 through 2016 tax years, which we accepted in February 2024. We anticipate this will result in an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $30 million to $60 million in the first quarter of 2024. This estimated range takes into consideration competent authority relief, existing income tax reserves, transition tax regulations and estimated interest expense. This MAP resolution supersedes the NOPA for 2014 through 2016 previously received from the IRS, described above. We will review the impact of this resolution to our transfer pricing income tax reserves for the subsequent open tax years during the first quarter of 2024. Based on this
new information received subsequent to year end, adjustments for the open tax years subsequent to 2016 may also occur, which could be material.
In January 2021, we received an issue closure notice from HMRC relating to adjustments for the 2012 through 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries and would result in an increase to income tax expense in an estimated range of $25 million to $35 million, exclusive of interest expense, at the close of the audit if HMRC prevails. We disagree with the proposed adjustments and we intend to defend our position through applicable administrative and, if necessary, judicial remedies. Our policy is to review and update tax reserves as facts and circumstances change.
Over the last several years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) has been developing its “two pillar” project to address the tax challenges arising from digitalization. The OECD project, if broadly implemented by participating countries, will result in significant changes to the international taxation system under which our current tax obligations are determined. Pillar Two of the project calls for a minimum tax rate on corporations of 15% and has begun to be implemented by a significant number of countries starting in 2024. The OECD and implementing countries are expected to continue to offer further guidance to the rules, however, the impact of Pillar Two is not expected to be material at this time. The Company will continue to monitor developments to determine any potential impact of Pillar Two in the countries in which we operate.
Pillar One, which would reallocate profits from the largest and most profitable businesses to countries where the customers of those businesses are located, remains under discussion at the OECD, and its implementation remains uncertain. If implemented, Pillar One would potentially result in the removal of unilateral digital services tax initiatives, such as those enacted in France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. In July 2023, more than 138 countries and jurisdictions agreed to refrain from imposing newly enacted digital service tax initiatives or similar measures before December 31, 2024, provided the Pillar One negotiations have made sufficient progress by the end of 2023. In December 2023, the OECD Inclusive Framework reaffirmed their commitment to achieve a consensus-based solution and to complete the multilateral agreement by June 2024, thereby extending the standstill on new digital service tax initiatives. Furthermore, certain U.S. states, such as Maryland, have deployed comparable digital services tax initiatives. We will continue to monitor these developments to determine the financial impact to the Company. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recorded $18 million, $9 million and $1 million, respectively, of digital service tax to general and administrative expense on our consolidated statement of operations.
Due to the one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of undistributed foreign subsidiary earnings and profits in 2017, as a result of the 2017 Tax Act, the majority of previously unremitted earnings have been subjected to U.S. federal income tax. To the extent future distributions from these subsidiaries will be taxable, a deferred income tax liability has been accrued on our consolidated balance sheet, which was not material as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, $483 million of our cumulative undistributed foreign earnings were no longer considered to be indefinitely reinvested.
Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on potential tax contingencies, including current audits by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities, and other income tax and non-income tax matters.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market Risk Management
Market risk refers to the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in stock prices, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. We are exposed to market risks primarily due to our international operations, our ongoing investment and financial activities, as well as changes in economic conditions in all significant markets in which we operate. The risk of loss can be assessed from the perspective of adverse changes in our future earnings, cash flows, fair values of our assets, and financial condition. Our exposure to market risk, at any point in time, may include risks related to any borrowings under the Credit Facility, or outstanding debt related to the 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes, derivative instruments, capped calls, cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term marketable securities, if any, accounts receivable, intercompany receivables/payables, accounts payable, deferred merchant
payables and other balances and transactions denominated in foreign currencies. We have established policies, procedures and internal processes governing our management of market risks and the use of financial instruments to manage and attempt to mitigate our exposure to such risks.
Interest Rates
Our primary exposure to changes in interest rates relates primarily to our cash, cash equivalents, investment portfolio at any point in time, 2025 and 2026 Senior Notes, and borrowings, if any, under our existing Credit Facility.
Changes in interest rates affect the amount of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, if any, and the fair value of those securities. Our interest income and expense are most sensitive to fluctuations in U.S. interest rates. We generally invest our excess cash in available on demand bank deposits and term deposits at major global financial institutions, money market funds, and marketable securities. Our investment policy and strategy is focused on capital preservation and supporting our liquidity requirements. We invest in highly-rated securities, and our investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. Our investment policy requires our investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, we had no outstanding marketable securities in our investment portfolio, and no outstanding borrowings under our Credit Facility. In July 2020, we issued 2025 Senior Notes with a principal balance of $500 million at a fixed rate of 7.0% and in March 2021, we issued 2026 Senior Notes with a principal balance of $345 million at a fixed rate of 0.25%. As of December 31, 2023, the fair value of our 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes were approximately $502 million and $304 million, respectively, based on recently reported market transactions and prices for identical or similar financial instruments obtained from a third-party pricing source. Since our 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes bear interest at a fixed rate, we are more sensitive to the capital market conditions of our shares than changes in interest rates. The fair value of the 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes will likely change based on the capital market conditions.
Refer to “Note 3: Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements” and “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our cash and cash equivalents, investments and other financial instruments, 2026 Senior Notes, 2025 Senior Notes and our Credit Facility.
We currently do not hedge our interest rate risk; however, we are continually evaluating the interest rate market, and if we become increasingly exposed to potentially volatile movements in interest rates, and if these movements are material, this could cause us to adjust our financing strategy. We did not experience material changes in interest rate exposures or any material financial impact from adverse changes in interest rates for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 or 2021.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
We conduct business in certain international markets, largely in the Europe, including the U.K., and also in countries such as Singapore and Australia. Because we operate in international markets, we have exposure to different economic climates, political arenas, tax systems and regulations that could affect foreign currency exchange rates.
Some of our subsidiaries maintain their accounting records in their respective local currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Consequently, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may impact the translation of those subsidiary’s financial statements into U.S. dollars. As a result, we face exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates as the financial results of our non-U.S. dollar operations are translated from local currency, or functional currency, into U.S. dollars upon consolidation. If the U.S. dollar weakens against the functional currency, the translation of these foreign currency denominated balances will result in increased net assets, revenue, operating expenses, operating income and net income upon consolidation. Similarly, our net assets, revenue, operating expenses, operating income and net income will decrease upon consolidation if the U.S. dollar strengthens
against the functional currency. The effect of foreign currency exchange on our business historically has varied from quarter to quarter and may continue to do so, potentially materially. In order to provide a meaningful assessment of the foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with our consolidated financial statements, we performed a sensitivity analysis. A hypothetical 10% decrease of the foreign currency exchange rates in our significant international markets relative to the U.S. dollar, or strengthening of the U.S. dollar, would generate an estimated unrealized loss of approximately $34 million related to a decrease in our net assets as of December 31, 2023, which would initially be recorded to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on our consolidated balance sheet.
In addition, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency result in transactional gains and losses. We recognize these transactional gains and losses (primarily Euro and British pound currency transactions) in our consolidated statement of operations and have recorded net foreign currency exchange losses of $5 million, $9 million and $6 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, in “other income (expense), net” on our consolidated statements of operations. Future transactional gains and losses are inherently difficult to predict as they are reliant on how the multiple currencies in which we transact fluctuate in relation to the U.S. dollar and other functional currencies, and the relative composition and denomination of monetary assets and liabilities each period.
We manage our exposure to foreign currency risk through internally established policies and procedures. To the extent practicable, we minimize our foreign currency exposures by maintaining natural hedges between our current assets and current liabilities in similarly denominated foreign currencies, as well as, using derivative financial instruments. We use foreign currency forward exchange contracts (“forward contracts”) to manage certain short-term foreign currency risk to attempt to reduce the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates on our cash flows denominated in foreign currencies. We do not use financial instruments for trading purposes and are not a party to any leveraged derivatives. Our objective is to hedge only those foreign currency exposures that can be confidently identified and quantified and that may result in significant impacts to our cash or the consolidated statement of operations. Our policy does not allow speculation in derivative instruments for profit or execution of derivative instrument contracts for which there are no underlying exposures.
The forward contracts which we have entered into to date, have principally addressed foreign currency exchange fluctuation risk between the Euro and the U.S. dollar. We account for these forward contacts, which have not been designated as hedges under GAAP to date, as either assets or liabilities and carry them at fair value. We had outstanding forward contracts as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, with a total notional value of $9 million and $18 million, respectively. These forward contracts were not designated as hedges and had maturities of less than 90 days. We recognize gains and losses from forward contracts in other income (expense), net on our consolidated statement of operations upon settlement or a change in fair value, which was not material for the year ended December 31, 2023. We recorded a net gain of $4 million and $2 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to our forward contracts. Refer to “Note 3: Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further detail on our derivative instruments.
Our exposure to potentially volatile movements in foreign currency exchange rates will increase as we increase our operations in international markets. Foreign currency exchange rate movement is linked to variability in the macroeconomic environment such as inflation and interest rates, governmental actions, and geopolitical events such as regional conflicts. We regularly monitor the macroeconomic environment, which has seen some volatility from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, sanctions and increased cyberattacks, and, more recently, the conflict in the Middle East. Developments in the macroeconomic environment could cause us to adjust our foreign currency risk strategies. Continued uncertainty regarding our international operations and U.K. and E.U. relations may result in future currency exchange rate volatility which may impact our business and results of operations.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Index to Financial Statements and Supplementary Data:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (KPMG LLP, Boston, Massachusetts, Auditor Firm ID: 185)
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Tripadvisor, Inc.:
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Tripadvisor, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 16, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
Evaluation of unrecognized tax benefits related to transfer pricing
As discussed in Notes 2 and 10 to the consolidated financial statements, during the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded additional income tax expense and transfer pricing income tax reserves, inclusive of estimated interest, of $24 million for open tax periods based on a review of the impact of a settlement for certain transfer pricing arrangements between its U.S. subsidiaries and foreign subsidiaries
for the 2009 through 2011 tax years. The Company records a liability to address uncertain tax positions taken in previously filed tax returns or that the Company expects to take in a future tax return. The determination to record a liability is based upon an analysis of each individual tax position, taking into consideration whether it is more likely than not that the tax position, based on technical merits, will be sustained upon examination.
We identified the evaluation of certain inputs to the estimate of unrecognized tax benefits related to transfer pricing as a critical audit matter. Complex auditor judgment, including specialized skills and knowledge, was required in assessing estimated unrecognized tax benefits related to transfer pricing based on interpretation of tax laws and regulations and settlements.
The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter:
•We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of an internal control over the Company's process for estimating unrecognized tax benefits related to transfer pricing, including a control related to certain inputs to the estimate.
•We involved tax professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in analyzing certain inputs to the Company’s determination of unrecognized tax benefits related to transfer pricing based on interpretation of tax laws and regulations and settlements.
Sufficiency of audit evidence over revenue
As discussed in Notes 2 and 18 to the consolidated financial statements, and disclosed in the consolidated statements of operations, the Company had $1,788 million in revenue, net of intersegment revenue of $134 million, for the year ended December 31, 2023, of which $1,031 million was Brand Tripadvisor related, $737 million was Viator related and $154 million was TheFork related. Each of these categories of revenue has multiple revenue streams and the Company's processes and information technology (IT) systems differ between each revenue stream.
We identified the evaluation of sufficiency of audit evidence over revenue as a critical audit matter. This matter required especially subjective auditor judgment due to the number of revenue streams and the related IT applications utilized throughout the revenue recognition processes. Subjective auditor judgment was required to evaluate that relevant revenue data was captured and aggregated throughout these various IT applications. This matter also included determining the revenue streams over which procedures would be performed and evaluating the nature and extent of evidence obtained over each revenue stream, both of which included the involvement of IT professionals with specialized skills and knowledge.
The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We applied auditor judgment to determine the nature and extent of procedures to be performed over revenue. For each revenue stream where procedures were performed:
•We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the critical audit matter. This included controls related to accurate recording of amounts.
•For certain revenue streams, we assessed the recorded revenue by selecting a sample of transactions and compared the amounts recognized for consistency with underlying documentation, including evidence of contracts with customers.
•For certain revenue streams, we assessed the recorded revenue by comparing the total cash received during the year to the revenue recognized, including evaluating the relevance and reliability of the inputs to the assessment.
We involved IT professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in:
•Testing certain IT applications used by the Company in its revenue recognition processes.
•Testing the transfer of relevant revenue data between certain systems used in the revenue recognition processes.
We evaluated the sufficiency of audit evidence obtained by assessing the results of procedures performed.
/s/ KPMG LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2014.
Boston, Massachusetts
February 16, 2024
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Year ended December 31,
Revenue (Note 2, Note 18)
$
1,788
$
1,492
$
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (1) (exclusive of depreciation and amortization as shown separately below)
Selling and marketing (1)
Technology and content (1)
General and administrative (1)
Depreciation and amortization
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs (Note 7)
-
-
Total costs and expenses
1,662
1,391
1,033
Operating income (loss)
(131
)
Other income (expense):
Interest expense
(44
)
(44
)
(45
)
Interest income
Other income (expense), net (Note 16)
(4
)
(5
)
(10
)
Total other income (expense), net
(1
)
(34
)
(54
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(185
)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes (Note 10)
(115
)
(47
)
Net income (loss)
$
$
$
(148
)
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders (Note 15):
Basic
$
0.07
$
0.14
$
(1.08
)
Diluted
$
0.08
$
0.14
$
(1.08
)
Numerator used to compute net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders (Note 15):
Basic
$
$
$
(148
)
Diluted
$
$
$
(148
)
Weighted average common shares outstanding (Note 15):
Basic
Diluted
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows (Note 13):
Cost of revenue
$
$
$
Selling and marketing
$
$
$
Technology and content
$
$
$
General and administrative
$
$
$
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(in millions)
Year ended December 31,
Net income (loss)
$
$
$
(148
)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax (1)
(27
)
(24
)
Reclassification adjustments included in net income (loss), net of tax
-
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
(26
)
(22
)
Comprehensive income (loss)
$
$
(6
)
$
(170
)
(1)Deferred income tax liabilities related to these amounts are not material. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” for further information.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in millions, except number of shares and per share amounts)
December 31,
December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents (Note 3)
$
1,067
$
1,021
Accounts receivable, net (allowance for expected credit losses of $21 and $28, respectively) (Note 2, Note 3)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Total current assets
1,297
1,270
Property and equipment, net (Note 4, Note 5)
Operating lease right-of-use assets (Note 5)
Intangible assets, net (Note 6)
Goodwill (Note 6)
Non-marketable investments (Note 3)
Deferred income taxes, net (Note 10)
Other long-term assets, net of allowance for credit losses of $10 and $10, respectively
TOTAL ASSETS
$
2,537
$
2,569
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$
$
Deferred merchant payables (Note 2)
Deferred revenue (Note 2)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (Note 7)
Total current liabilities
Long-term debt (Note 8)
Finance lease obligation, net of current portion (Note 5)
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion (Note 5)
Deferred income taxes, net (Note 10)
Other long-term liabilities (Note 9)
Total Liabilities
1,666
1,708
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Stockholders’ equity: (Note 14)
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value
-
-
Authorized shares: 100,000,000
Shares issued and outstanding: 0 and 0, respectively
Common stock, $0.001 par value
-
-
Authorized shares: 1,600,000,000
Shares issued: 149,775,361 and 146,891,538, respectively
Shares outstanding: 124,881,494 and 128,046,924, respectively
Class B common stock, $0.001 par value
-
-
Authorized shares: 400,000,000
Shares issued and outstanding: 12,799,999 and 12,799,999, respectively
Additional paid-in capital
1,493
1,404
Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
(71
)
(82
)
Treasury stock-common stock, at cost, 24,893,867 and 18,844,614 shares, respectively
(822
)
(722
)
Total Stockholders’ Equity
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
$
2,537
$
2,569
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in millions, except number of shares)
Accumulated
Class B
Additional
other
Common stock
common stock
paid-in
Retained
comprehensive
Treasury stock
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
capital
earnings
income (loss)
Shares
Amount
Total
Balance as of December 31, 2020
140,775,221
$
-
12,799,999
$
-
$
1,253
$
$
(34
)
(18,844,614
)
$
(722
)
$
Net income (loss)
(148
)
(148
)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
(22
)
(22
)
Issuance of common stock related to exercise of options and vesting of RSUs
3,881,428
-
Purchase of capped calls, net of tax of $9 million (Note 8)
(26
)
(26
)
Withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards
(44
)
(44
)
Stock-based compensation (Note 13)
Balance as of December 31, 2021
144,656,649
$
-
12,799,999
$
-
$
1,326
$
$
(56
)
(18,844,614
)
$
(722
)
$
Net income (loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
(26
)
(26
)
Issuance of common stock related to exercise of options and vesting of RSUs
2,234,889
-
-
-
Withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards
(20
)
(20
)
Stock-based compensation (Note 13)
Balance as of December 31, 2022
146,891,538
$
-
12,799,999
$
-
$
1,404
$
$
(82
)
(18,844,614
)
$
(722
)
$
Net income (loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
Issuance of common stock related to vesting of RSUs
2,883,823
-
-
-
Repurchase of common stock (Note 14)
(6,049,253
)
(100
)
(100
)
Withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards
(17
)
(17
)
Stock-based compensation (Note 13)
Balance as of December 31, 2023
149,775,361
$
-
12,799,999
$
-
$
1,493
$
$
(71
)
(24,893,867
)
$
(822
)
$
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in millions)
Year ended December 31,
Operating activities:
Net income (loss)
$
$
$
(148
)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
Stock-based compensation expense (Note 13)
Deferred income tax expense (benefit) (Note 10)
(25
)
(19
)
(44
)
Provision for expected credit losses (Note 2)
Other, net
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net:
Accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other assets
(87
)
(73
)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities
Deferred merchant payables
Income tax receivables/payables, net
(1
)
Deferred revenue
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Investing activities:
Capital expenditures, including capitalized website development
(63
)
(56
)
(54
)
Other investing activities, net
-
-
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
(63
)
(52
)
(54
)
Financing activities:
Repurchase of common stock (Note 14)
(100
)
-
-
Proceeds from issuance of 2026 Senior Notes, net of financing costs (Note 8)
-
-
Purchase of capped calls in connection with 2026 Senior Notes (Note 8)
-
-
(35
)
Payment of financing costs related to Credit Facility (Note 8)
(3
)
-
-
Proceeds from exercise of stock options (Note 13)
-
-
Payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of equity awards
(17
)
(20
)
(44
)
Payments of finance lease obligation and other financing activities, net (Note 5)
(7
)
(7
)
(6
)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
(127
)
(27
)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
(23
)
(12
)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period
1,021
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period
$
1,067
$
1,021
$
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid (received) during the period for income taxes, net of refunds
$
$
(40
)
$
Cash paid during the period for interest
$
$
$
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Stock-based compensation capitalized website development costs (Note 13)
$
$
$
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1: ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION
We refer to Tripadvisor, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiaries as “Tripadvisor,” “Tripadvisor group,” “the Company,” “us,” “we” and “our” in these notes to the consolidated financial statements. The Company renamed our Tripadvisor Core segment to “Brand Tripadvisor”, and its “Tripadvisor-branded display and platform” revenue stream within the Brand Tripadvisor segment, as “Media and advertising” revenue. These nomenclature changes had no impact on the composition of our segments, revenue streams, or on any current or historic financial information.
On December 20, 2011, Expedia Group, Inc. (“Expedia”) completed a spin-off of Tripadvisor into a separate publicly traded Delaware corporation. We refer to this transaction as the “Spin-Off.” Tripadvisor’s common stock began trading on The Nasdaq as an independent public company on December 21, 2011, under the trading symbol “TRIP.”
On December 11, 2012, Liberty Interactive Corporation, or Liberty, purchased an aggregate of approximately 4.8 million shares of common stock of Tripadvisor from Barry Diller, our former Chairman of the Board of Directors and Senior Executive, and certain of his affiliates. As a result, Liberty beneficially owned approximately 18.2 million shares of our common stock and 12.8 million shares of our Class B common stock.
On August 27, 2014, the entire beneficial ownership of our common stock and Class B common stock held by Liberty was acquired by Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., or LTRIP. Simultaneously, Liberty, LTRIP’s former parent company, distributed, by means of a dividend, to the holders of its Liberty Ventures common stock, Liberty’s entire equity interest in LTRIP. We refer to this transaction as the “Liberty Spin-Off”. As a result of the Liberty Spin-Off, effective August 27, 2014, LTRIP became a separate, publicly traded company holding 100% of Liberty’s interest in Tripadvisor.
As a result of these transactions, and as of December 31, 2023, LTRIP beneficially owned approximately 16.4 million shares of our common stock and 12.8 million shares of our Class B common stock, which constitute approximately 13% of the outstanding shares of common stock and 100% of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock. Assuming the conversion of all of LTRIP’s shares of Class B common stock into common stock, LTRIP would beneficially own approximately 21% of the outstanding common stock. However, because each share of Class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share and each share of common stock is entitled to one vote per share, LTRIP may be deemed to beneficially own equity securities representing approximately 57% of our voting power.
Description of Business
The Tripadvisor group operates as a family of brands with a purpose of connecting people to experiences worth sharing. Our vision is to be the world’s most trusted source for travel and experiences. The Company operates across three reportable segments: Brand Tripadvisor (formerly Tripadvisor Core), Viator, and TheFork. We leverage our brands, technology platforms, and capabilities to connect our large, global audience with partners by offering rich content, travel guidance products and services, and two-sided marketplaces for experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and other travel categories.
Brand Tripadvisor’s purpose is to empower everyone to be a better traveler by serving as the world’s most trusted and essential travel guidance platform. The Tripadvisor brand offers travelers and experience seekers an online global platform for travelers to discover, generate, and share authentic user-generated content (“UGC”) in the form of ratings and reviews for destinations, points-of-interest (“POIs”), experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and cruises in over 40 countries and in more than 20 languages across the world. Tripadvisor offers more than 1 billion user-generated ratings and reviews on over 8 million experiences, accommodations, restaurants, airlines, and cruises.
Viator enables travelers to discover and book iconic, unique and memorable experiences from experience operators around the globe. Our online marketplace is comprehensive, connecting travelers to bookable tours, activities and attractions-consisting of over 350,000 experiences from more than 55,000 operators.
TheFork provides an online marketplace that enables diners to discover and book online reservations at approximately 55,000 restaurants in 11 countries, across the U.K., western and central Europe.
Risks and Uncertainties
Our business was negatively impacted by the risks and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic and our business would be adversely and materially affected upon a resurgence of COVID-19 or the emergence of any new pandemic or other health crisis that results in reinstated travel bans and/or other government restrictions and mandates. Following the lifting of restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, travel demand increased. In addition, the U.S. and other countries saw significant increased inflation and decreases in discretionary spending patterns by consumers. If macroeconomic conditions deteriorate, consumer demand and spending may decline, we may not be able to pass on increased costs to our customers and our inability or failure to navigate the macroeconomic environment could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Additionally, natural disasters, public health-related events, political instability, geopolitical conflicts, including the evolving events in the Middle East, acts of terrorism, fluctuations in currency values, and changes in global economic conditions, are examples of other events that could have a negative impact on the travel industry, and as a result, our financial results in the future.
Seasonality
Consumer travel expenditures have historically followed a seasonal pattern. Correspondingly, travel partner advertising investments, and therefore our revenue and operating profits, have also historically followed a seasonal pattern. Our financial performance tends to be seasonally highest in the second and third quarters of a given year, which includes the seasonal peak in consumer demand, including traveler accommodation stays, and travel experiences taken, compared to the first and fourth quarters, which represent seasonal low points. In addition, during the first half of the year, experience bookings typically exceed the amount of completed experiences, resulting in higher cash flow related to working capital, while during the second half of the year, particularly in the third quarter, this pattern reverses and cash flows from these transactions are typically negative. Other factors may also impact typical seasonal fluctuations, such as significant shifts in our business mix, adverse economic conditions, public health-related events, as well as other factors.
NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include Tripadvisor, our wholly-owned subsidiaries, and entities we control, or in which we have a variable interest and are the primary beneficiary of expected cash profits or losses. All inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Additionally, certain prior period amounts may have been reclassified for comparability with the current period presentation, none of which were material. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). We believe that the assumptions underlying our consolidated financial statements are reasonable. However, these consolidated financial statements do not present our future financial position, or the results of our future operations and cash flows.
One of our subsidiaries that operates in China has variable interests in affiliated entities in China in order to comply with Chinese laws and regulations, which restrict foreign investment in internet content provision businesses. Although we do not own the capital stock of these Chinese affiliates, we consolidate their results as we are the primary beneficiary of the cash losses or profits of these variable interest affiliates and have the power to direct the activity of these affiliates. Our variable interest entities’ financial results were not material for all periods presented. Investments in entities in which we do not have a controlling financial interest are accounted for under
the equity method, the fair value option, as available-for-sale securities, or at cost adjusted for observable price changes and impairments, as appropriate.
Accounting Estimates
We use estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. Our estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of our consolidated financial statements. These estimates and assumptions also affect the reported amount of net income or loss during any period. Our actual financial results could differ significantly from these estimates. The significant estimates underlying our consolidated financial statements are within accounting for income taxes. Refer to our accounting policy for income taxes disclosed below and “Note 10: Income Taxes” for information regarding our significant income tax estimates.
Revenue Recognition
We generate all our revenue from contracts with customers. We recognize revenue when we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring control of the promised services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration that we expect to receive in exchange for those services. When we act as an agent in the transaction, we recognize revenue for only our commission on the arrangement. We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:
(1)Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer
(2)Identification of the performance obligations in the contract
(3)Determination of the transaction price
(4)Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
(5)Recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation.
At contract inception, we assess the services promised in our contracts with customers and identify a performance obligation for each promise to transfer to the customer a service (or bundle of services) that is distinct. To identify the performance obligations, we consider all of the services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices. We have provided qualitative information about our performance obligations for our principal revenue streams discussed below. There was no significant revenue recognized in the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 related to performance obligations satisfied in prior periods, respectively. We have applied a practical expedient and do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations that have an original expected duration of less than one year. The Company expects to complete its performance obligations within one year from the initial transaction date. The value related to our remaining or partially satisfied performance obligations relates to subscription services that are satisfied over time or services that are recognized at a point in time, but not yet achieved. Our timing of services, invoicing and payments are discussed in more detail below and do not include a significant financing component. Our customer invoices are generally due 30 days from the time of invoicing.
We recognize an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if we expect the benefit of those costs to be longer than one year. Although the substantial majority of our contract costs have an amortization period of less than one year, we have determined contract costs arising from certain sales incentives have an amortization period in excess of one year given the high likelihood of contract renewal. Sales incentives are not paid upon renewal of these contracts and therefore are not commensurate with the initial sales incentive costs. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, there was $3 million and $4 million, respectively, of unamortized contract costs in other long-term assets on our consolidated balance sheet. We amortize these contract costs on a straight-line basis over the estimated customer life, which is based on historical customer retention rates. Amortization expense recorded to selling and marketing expense on our consolidated statements of operations during each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, was $1 million. We assess such asset for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. No impairments were recognized during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
The recognition of revenue may require the application of judgment related to the determination of the performance obligations and the timing of when the performance obligations are satisfied. The determination of our
performance obligations does not require significant judgment given that we generally do not provide multiple services to a customer in a transaction, and the point in which control is transferred to the customer is readily determinable. In instances where we recognize revenue over time, we generally have either a subscription service that is recognized over time on a straight-line basis using the time-elapsed output method, or based on other output measures that provide a faithful depiction of the transfer of our services. When an estimate for cancellations is included in the transaction price, we base our estimate on historical cancellation rates and current trends. Taxes assessed by a government authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, that are collected by us from a customer, are reported on a net basis, or in other words excluded from revenue on our consolidated financial statements.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions
•We expense costs to obtain a contract as incurred, such as sales incentives, when the amortization period would have been one year or less.
•We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed.
The application of our revenue recognition policies and description of our principal activities, organized by reportable segment from which we generate our revenue, are presented below.
Brand Tripadvisor Segment (formerly Tripadvisor Core Segment)
Tripadvisor-branded Hotels Revenue. Our largest source of Brand Tripadvisor segment revenue is generated from click-based advertising on Tripadvisor-branded websites, which we refer to as our hotel meta (also referred to as hotel auction) revenue, which is primarily comprised of contextually-relevant booking links to our travel partners’ websites. Our click-based travel partners are predominantly online travel agencies, or OTAs, and hotels. Click-based advertising is generally priced on a cost-per-click, or “CPC” basis, with payments from travel partners determined by the number of travelers who click on a link multiplied by the CPC rate for each specific click. CPC rates are determined in a dynamic, competitive auction process, where the travel partner bids for rates and availability to be listed on our platform. When a CPC bid is submitted, the travel partner agrees to pay us the bid amount each time a traveler clicks on the link to that travel partner’s website. Bids can be submitted periodically - as often as daily - on a property-by-property basis. We record click-based advertising revenue as the click occurs and traveler leads are sent to the travel partner’s website as our performance obligation is fulfilled at that time. Click-based revenue is generally billed to our travel partners monthly, consistent with the timing of the service. We also generate revenue from our cost-per-acquisition, or “CPA” model, which consists of contextually-relevant booking links to our travel partners’ websites which are advertised on our platform. We earn a commission from our travel partners, based on a pre-determined contractual commission rate, for each traveler who clicks to and books a hotel reservation on the travel partner's website, which results in a traveler stay. CPA revenue is billable only upon the completion of each traveler’s stay resulting from a hotel reservation. The travel partners provide the service to the travelers and we act as an agent under GAAP. Our performance obligation is complete at the time of the hotel reservation booking, and the commission earned is recognized upon booking, as we have no post-booking service obligations. We recognize this revenue net of an estimate of the impact of cancellations, using historical cancellation rates and current trends. Contract assets are recognized at the time of booking for commissions that are billable upon the completion of a traveler's stay. CPA revenue is generally billed to our travel partners two months after traveler stays are completed.
In addition, we offer business-to-business, or “B2B,” solutions to hotels, including subscription-based advertising to hotels, owners of B&Bs, and other specialty lodging properties. Our performance obligation is generally to enable subscribers to advertise their businesses on our platform, as well as to manage and promote their website URL, email address, phone number, special offers and other information related to their business. Subscription-based advertising services are predominantly sold for a flat fee for a contracted period of time of one year or less and revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the period of the subscription service as efforts are expended evenly throughout the contract period. Subscription-based advertising services are generally billed at the inception of the service. When prepayments are received, we recognize deferred revenue initially on our consolidated balance sheet for the amount of prepayment in excess of revenue recognized, until the performance obligation is satisfied. To a lesser extent, we offer travel partners the opportunity to advertise and promote their
business through hotel sponsored placements on our platform. This service is generally priced on a CPC basis, with payments from travel partners determined by the number of travelers who click on the sponsored link multiplied by the CPC rate for each specific click. CPC rates for hotel sponsored placements that our travel partners pay are generally based on bids submitted as part of an auction by our travel partners or a pre-determined contractual CPC rate. The travel partner agrees to pay us the CPC rate amount each time a traveler clicks on a link to the travel partner’s website. We record this click-based advertising revenue as the click occurs and traveler leads are sent to the travel partner as our performance obligation is fulfilled at that time. Hotel sponsored placements revenue is generally billed to our travel partners monthly, consistent with the timing of the service.
Media and Advertising Revenue. We offer travel partners the ability to promote their brands through display-based advertising, or sometimes referred to as “media advertising”, placements across our platform. Our display-based advertising clients are predominantly direct suppliers of hotels, airlines and cruises, as well as destination marketing organizations. We also sell display-based advertising to OTAs and other travel related businesses, as well as to advertisers from non-travel categories. Display-based advertising is sold predominantly on a cost per thousand impressions, or “CPM,” basis. The performance obligation in our display-based advertising arrangements is to display a number of advertising impressions on our platform and we recognize revenue for impressions as they are delivered. Services are generally billed monthly. We have applied the practical expedient to measure progress toward completion, as we have the right to invoice the customer in an amount that directly corresponds with the value to the customer of our performance to date, which is measured based on impressions delivered.
Tripadvisor Experiences and Dining Revenue. We generate revenue from our experiences and restaurant offerings on Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps. Tripadvisor receives intercompany (intersegment) revenue consisting of affiliate marketing commissions earned primarily from experience bookings and, to a lesser extent, restaurant reservation bookings, on Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps, fulfilled by Viator and TheFork, respectively, which are eliminated on a consolidated basis. The performance obligations, timing of customer payments for our experiences and dining transactions, and methods of revenue recognition are consistent with the Viator and TheFork segments, as described below. In addition, Tripadvisor restaurant offerings, or B2B restaurant offerings, generate subscription fees for subscription-based advertising to our restaurant partners that allow restaurants to manage and promote their website URL, email address, phone number, special offers and other information related to their business, as well as access to certain online reservation management services, marketing analytic tools, and menu syndication services. As the performance obligation is to provide restaurants with access to these services over a subscription period, the subscription fee revenue is recognized over the subscription period on a straight-line basis as efforts are expended evenly throughout the contract period. Subscription-based advertising services are generally billed at the inception of the service. When prepayments are received, we recognize deferred revenue initially on our consolidated balance sheet for the amount of prepayment in excess of revenue recognized, until the performance obligation is satisfied. In addition, we offer restaurant partners the opportunity to advertise and promote their business through restaurant media advertising placements on our platform. This service is generally priced on a CPC basis, with payments from restaurant partners determined by the number of clicks by consumers on the sponsored link multiplied by the CPC rate for each specific click. CPC rates for media advertising placements agreed to by our restaurant partners are based on a pre-determined contractual rate. We record this click-based advertising revenue as the click occurs and diner leads are sent to the restaurant partner as our performance obligation is fulfilled at that time. Click-based revenue is generally billed to our restaurant partners monthly, consistent with the timing of the service.
Other Revenue. We also offer travelers alternative accommodation rentals, cruises, flights, and rental cars solutions on our platforms which complement our end-to-end travel experience. Our alternative accommodation rentals offering provides information and services that allow travelers to research and book vacation and short-term rental properties, including full homes, condominiums, villas, beach properties, cabins and cottages. Our alternative accommodation rentals offering primarily generates revenue by offering individual property owners and managers the ability to list their properties on our platform thereby connecting with travelers through a free-to-list, commission-based option. These properties are listed on our Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps, and Tripadvisor's portfolio of travel media brands, including, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, and www.niumba.com. We earn commissions associated with rental transactions through our free-to-list model from both the traveler and the property owner or manager. We provide post-booking services to the travelers, property owners and managers until the time the rental commences, which is the time the performance obligation is completed. Revenue from transaction fees is recognized at the time that the rental commences. Under GAAP, we act
as an agent in the transactions, as we do not control any properties before the property owner provides the accommodation to the traveler and do not have inventory risk. We generally collect payment from the traveler at the time of booking, representing the amount due to the property owner or manager, as well as our commission. That portion of the payment representing our commission is recorded as deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheet until revenue is recognized, and that portion of the payment representing the amount due to the property owner is recorded as a deferred merchant payable on our consolidated balance sheet until payment is made to the property owner after the completion of the rental.
In addition, Other Revenue includes revenue generated from cruises, flights, and rental cars offerings on Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps and Tripadvisor’s portfolio of brands, which primarily includes click-based advertising and display-based advertising revenue. The performance obligations, timing of customer payments for these offerings, and methods of revenue recognition are generally consistent with click-based advertising and display-based advertising revenue, as described above.
Viator Segment
We provide an online marketplace that allows travelers to research and book tours, activities and attractions in popular travel destinations across the globe through our Viator-branded platform, which includes website, mobile web, and mobile app. Through Viator, we also power traveler bookings of tours, activities and attractions on behalf of third-party distribution partner websites, including the Tripadvisor platform as well as many of the world’s major OTA’s, airlines, hotels, online and offline travel agencies, and other prominent content and eCommerce brands.
We work with local tour, activity, and experience operators (“operators”) to provide travelers (“customers”) the ability to book tours, activities and attractions, or “experiences”, in destinations around the world. We generate commissions for each booking transaction we facilitate through our online reservation system, in exchange for certain activities, including the use of the Company’s booking platform, post-booking 24/7 customer support until the time of the experience and payment processing activities as the merchant of record, which is the completion of the performance obligation. These activities are not distinct from each other and are not separate performance obligations. As a result, the Company’s single performance obligation is to facilitate an experience, which is complete upon the time the experience occurs, and when revenue is recognized. We do not control the experience or have inventory risk before the operator provides the experience to our customer and therefore act as agent for substantially all of these transactions under GAAP.
We collect payment from the customer prior to the experience occurring, which includes both our commission and the amount due to the operator. We record our commissions as deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheet when payment is received, including amounts which are refundable subject to cancellation, until the experience occurs and revenue is recognized. The amount due to the operator is recorded as a deferred merchant payable on our consolidated balance sheet until completion of the experience, after which payment is remitted to the operator.
To a much lesser extent, we earn commissions from third-party distribution partners, in this case, the customers, who display and promote on their websites the operator experiences available on our platform to generate bookings. In these transactions, we are not the merchant of record, and we generally invoice and receive commissions directly from third-party distribution partners. Our performance obligation is to allow the third-party distribution partners to display and promote on their website experiences offered by operators who utilize our platform, in exchange for which, we earn a commission when travelers book and complete an experience on the third-party distribution partner's website. We do not control the service or have inventory risk, and therefore act as an agent for these transactions under GAAP. We generally receive payment prior to the experience date for these transactions, and make payments to the operators after the experience is complete. Our performance obligation is complete, and revenue is recognized at the time of the booking, as we have no post-booking obligations to the customer. We recognize this revenue net of an estimate of the impact of cancellations, which is not material, using historical cancellation rates and current trends. Contract assets are recognized for commissions that are contractually billable contingent upon completion of the experience.
TheFork Segment
We provide information and services for consumers to research and book restaurants through our online restaurant reservations platform, TheFork. We primarily generate transaction fees (or per seated diner fees) that are paid by our restaurant customers for diners seated primarily from bookings through TheFork’s online reservation system. The transaction fee is recognized as revenue after the reservation is fulfilled, or as diners are seated by our restaurant customers. We invoice restaurants monthly for transaction fees. To a lesser extent, we also generate subscription fees for providing access to certain online reservation management services, marketing analytic tools, and menu syndication services. For these services, our performance obligation is to provide restaurants with access to these services over the subscription period, which generally is one-month, and we recognize revenue once our performance obligation is met and invoice restaurants monthly for these subscription services.
Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” for disaggregation of the Company’s revenue by major products and revenue sources. We have determined that disaggregating revenue into these categories achieves the disclosure objective under GAAP, which is to depict how the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.
Deferred Revenue
Contract liabilities generally include payments received in advance of performance under the contract, and are realized as revenue as the performance obligation to the customer is satisfied, which we present as deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheet. As of January 1, 2023, we had $44 million recorded as deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets, of which $41 million was recognized in revenue and $3 million was refunded due to cancellations by travelers during the year ended December 31, 2023. As of January 1, 2022, we had $36 million recorded as deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets, of which $34 million was recognized in revenue and $2 million was refunded due to cancellations by travelers during the year ended December 31, 2022. The difference between the opening and closing balances of our deferred revenue primarily results from the timing differences between when we receive customer payments and the time in which we satisfy our performance obligations. There were no significant changes in deferred revenue during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 related to business combinations, impairments, cumulative catch-ups or other material adjustments.
Deferred Merchant Payables
In our experience offerings and free-to-list alternative accommodation rental offerings, we receive payment from travelers at the time of booking or prior to the experience or property rental date, and we record these amounts, net of our commissions, on our consolidated balance sheet as deferred merchant payables. We pay the experience operators and rental property owners, after the travelers’ use. Therefore, we receive payment from the traveler prior to paying the experience operator or rental property owner and this operating cycle represents a working capital source or use of cash to us. Our deferred merchant payables balance was $237 million and $203 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, on our consolidated balance sheets. The increase in our deferred merchant payables during the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to increased consumer demand for our experience offerings.
Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue consists of expenses that are directly related or closely correlated to revenue generation, including direct costs, such as credit card and other booking transaction payment fees, data center costs, ad serving fees, and other revenue generating costs. In addition, cost of revenue includes personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation and bonuses for certain customer support personnel who are directly involved in revenue generation.
Selling and Marketing
Selling and marketing expenses consist of direct costs, including traffic generation costs from paid online traffic acquisition costs (including SEM and other online traffic acquisition costs), syndication costs and affiliate marketing commissions, social media costs, brand advertising (including television and other offline advertising), promotions and public relations. In addition, our selling and marketing expenses consist of indirect costs such as
personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries, commissions, benefits, stock-based compensation, and bonuses for sales, sales support, customer support and marketing employees.
Advertising costs
We incur advertising costs consisting of online advertising expense, including SEM and other online channels, and offline advertising costs, including television costs and other offline channels, to promote our brands. We expense the costs associated with communicating the advertisements in the period in which the advertisement takes place. We expense the production costs associated with advertisements in the period in which the advertisement first takes place. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recorded advertising expense of $706 million, $572 million, and $282 million, respectively, in selling and marketing expense on our consolidated statements of operations. We include prepaid advertising expenses in prepaid expenses and other current assets on our consolidated balance sheet, which was not material as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Technology and Content
Technology and content expenses consist primarily of personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries and benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and bonuses for salaried employees and contractors engaged in the design, development, testing, content support, and maintenance of our platform. Other costs include licensing, maintenance, computer supplies, telecom, content translation and localization, and consulting costs.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel and related overhead costs, including personnel engaged in leadership, finance, legal, and human resources, as well as stock-based compensation expense for those same personnel. General and administrative costs also include professional service fees and other fees including audit, legal, tax and accounting, and other operating costs including bad debt expense, non-income taxes, such as sales, use, digital services, and other non-income related taxes.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock Options. Our employee stock options generally consist of service based awards. The exercise price is equal to the market price of the underlying shares of our common stock at the date of grant. In this regard, when granting stock option awards, our practice is to determine the applicable grant date and to specify that the exercise price shall be the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. Our stock options generally have a term of ten years from the date of grant and typically vest equally over a four-year requisite service period. We amortize the grant-date fair value of our stock option grants as stock-based compensation expense over the vesting term on a straight-line basis, with the amount of compensation expense recognized at any date at least equaling the portion of the grant-date fair value of the award that is vested at that date.
The estimated grant-date fair value of stock options is calculated using a Black-Scholes Merton option-pricing model (“Black-Scholes model”). The Black-Scholes model incorporates assumptions to fair value stock-based awards, which includes the risk-free rate of return, expected volatility, expected term, and expected dividend yield. Our risk-free interest rate is based on the yields currently available on zero-coupon U.S. Treasury issues, in effect at the time of the grant, whose remaining maturity period most closely approximates the stock option’s expected term assumption. Our expected volatility is calculated by equally weighting the historical volatility and implied volatility on our own common stock. Historical volatility is determined using actual daily price observations of our common stock price over a period equivalent to or approximate to the expected term of our stock option grants to date. Implied volatility represents the volatility calculated from the observed prices of our actively traded options on our common stock. When measuring implied volatility for a specific employee stock option grant, we generally rely on traded contracts with six month maturities or more and exercise prices approximately equal to the exercise price of the specific option grant. We estimate our expected term using historical exercise behavior and expected post-vest termination data. Our expected dividend yield is zero as we have not historically paid regular cash dividends on our common stock and do not expect to pay regular cash dividends for the foreseeable future.
Restricted Stock Units. Restricted stock units (“RSUs”) are stock awards that are granted to employees entitling the holder to shares of our common stock as the award vests. RSUs are measured at fair value based on the quoted price of our common stock at the date of grant. We amortize the fair value of RSUs as stock-based compensation expense over the vesting term, which is typically over a four-year requisite service period on a straight-line basis, with the amount of compensation expense recognized at any date at least equaling the portion of the grant-date fair value of the award that is vested at that date.
Performance-Based Awards. Performance-based stock options and RSUs vest upon achievement of certain company-based performance conditions and a requisite service period. On the date of grant, the fair value of a performance-based award is calculated using the same method as our service based stock options and RSUs as described above. We then assess whether it is probable that the individual performance targets would be achieved. If assessed as probable, compensation expense will be recorded for these awards over the estimated performance period. At each reporting period, we reassess the probability of achieving the performance targets and the performance period required to meet those targets. The estimation of whether the performance targets will be achieved and the performance period required to achieve the targets requires judgment, and to the extent actual results or updated estimates differ from our current estimates, the cumulative effect on current and prior periods of those changes will be recorded in the period estimates are revised, or the change in estimate will be applied prospectively depending on whether the change affects the estimate of total compensation cost to be recognized or merely affects the period over which compensation cost is to be recognized. The ultimate number of shares issued and the related compensation expense recognized will be based on a comparison of the final performance metrics to the specified targets.
Market-Based Awards. We issue market-based performance RSUs, or MSUs, which vest upon achievement of specified levels of market conditions. The fair value of our MSUs is estimated at the date of grant using a Monte-Carlo simulation model. The probabilities of the actual number of market-based performance units expected to vest and resultant actual number of shares of common stock expected to be awarded are reflected in the grant date fair values; therefore, the compensation expense for these awards will be recognized assuming the requisite service period is rendered and are not adjusted based on the actual number of awards that ultimately vest.
Estimates of fair value are not intended to predict actual future events or the value ultimately realized by employees who receive these awards, and subsequent events are not indicative of the reasonableness of our original estimates of fair value.
The Company accounts for forfeitures in the period in which they occur, rather than estimating expected forfeitures.
Income Taxes
We record income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect our estimation of the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for book and tax purposes. We determine deferred income taxes based on the differences in accounting methods and timing between financial statement and income tax reporting. Accordingly, we determine the deferred tax asset or liability for each temporary difference based on the enacted income tax rates expected to be in effect when we realize the underlying items of income and expense. We consider all relevant factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of our deferred tax assets, including our recent earnings experience by jurisdiction, expectations of future taxable income, and the carryforward periods available to us for tax reporting purposes, as well as assessing available tax planning strategies. We may establish a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. Due to inherent complexities arising from the nature of our businesses, future changes in income tax law, tax sharing agreements or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results, we make certain judgments and estimates. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates. We classify deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet.
We record liabilities to address uncertain tax positions we have taken in previously filed tax returns or that we expect to take in a future tax return. The determination for required liabilities is based upon an analysis of each
individual tax position, taking into consideration whether it is more likely than not that our tax position, based on technical merits, will be sustained upon examination.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Marketable Securities
Our cash consists of available on demand bank deposits held in global financial institutions. Our cash equivalents generally consist of highly liquid investments, generally including money market funds, term deposits and marketable securities, with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, our restricted cash, which primarily consists of legally restricted deposits and escrowed security deposits, was not material.
We classify marketable securities as either short-term or long-term based on each instrument’s underlying contractual maturity date and as to whether and when we intend to sell a particular security prior to its maturity date. Marketable securities with maturities greater than 90 days at the date of purchase and 12 months or less remaining at the balance sheet date will be classified as short-term and marketable securities with maturities greater than 12 months from the balance sheet date will generally be classified as long-term. We classify marketable equity securities, limited by policy to money market funds and mutual funds, as either a cash equivalent, short-term or long-term based on the nature of each security and its availability for use in current operations.
Our marketable securities are classified and accounted for as available-for-sale, and therefore are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses, net of taxes, reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity. Fair values are determined for each individual security in the investment portfolio. We determine the appropriate classification of our marketable securities at the time of purchase and reevaluate the designations at each balance sheet date. We invest in highly-rated securities, and our investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer, industry group and currency. The policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss and providing liquidity of investments sufficient to meet our operating and capital spending requirements and debt repayments. Realized gains and losses on the sale of marketable securities are determined by specific identification of each security’s cost basis. We may sell certain of our marketable securities prior to their stated maturities for strategic reasons including, but not limited to, anticipation of credit deterioration, liquidity, and duration management. The weighted average maturity of our total invested cash shall not exceed 18 months, and no security shall have a final maturity date greater than three years, according to our investment policy.
We continually review any available-for-sale securities to determine whether their fair value is below their carrying value. If the fair value of an available-for-sale security is below their carrying value, and either we intend to sell the security or we will be required to sell before recovery, then the difference between fair value and carrying value is recognized as a loss in other income (expense), net on our consolidated statements of operations. If we do not intend to sell and we will not be required to sell before recovery, then we analyze whether a portion of the unrealized loss is the result of a credit loss. When a portion of the unrealized loss is the result of a credit loss, we recognize an allowance for expected credit losses on our consolidated balance sheet and a corresponding loss in other income (expense), net on our consolidated statements of operations. Any portion of the unrealized loss on the available-for-sale securities that is not attributable to a credit loss would be recognized as an unrealized loss in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within our consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ equity.
The Company's investment portfolio at any point in time may contain various investments, including, in U.S. treasury and U.S. government agency securities, taxable and tax-exempt municipal notes, corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper, non-U.S. government agency securities, overnight demand deposits, and money market funds. The Company segments its portfolio based on the underlying risk profiles of the securities and has a zero loss expectation for U.S. treasury and U.S. government agency securities. The Company regularly reviews the securities in an unrealized loss position and evaluates the expected credit loss risk by considering factors such as historical experience, market data, issuer-specific factors, and current economic conditions. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had no available-for-sale securities.
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Expected Credit Losses
Accounts receivable are recognized when the right to consideration becomes unconditional and are recorded net of an allowance for expected credit losses. We record accounts receivable at the invoiced amount. Our customer invoices are generally due 30 days from the time of invoicing.
The Company uses the “expected credit loss” methodology, allowed under GAAP, in estimating its allowance for expected credit losses. We apply the “expected credit loss” methodology by first assessing our historical losses based on credit sales and then adding in an assessment of expected changes in the foreseeable future, whether positive or negative, to the Company’s ability to collect its outstanding accounts receivables, or the expectation for future losses. The Company develops its expectation for future losses by assessing the profiles of its customers using their historical payment patterns, any known changes to those customers’ ability to fulfill their payment obligations, and assessing broader economic conditions that may impact our customers’ ability to pay their obligations. Where appropriate, the Company performs this analysis using a portfolio approach. Portfolios comprise customers with similar characteristics and payment history, and we have concluded that the aggregation of these customers into various portfolios does not produce a result that is materially different from considering the affected customers individually. Customers are assigned internal credit ratings, as determined by the Company, based on our collection profiles. Customers whose outstanding obligations are less likely to experience a credit loss are assigned a higher internal credit rating, and those customers whose outstanding obligations are more likely to experience a credit loss are assigned a lower credit rating. We recognize a greater credit loss allowance on the accounts receivable due from those customers in the lower credit rating tranche, as determined by the Company. When the Company becomes aware of facts and circumstances affecting an individual customer, it also takes that specific customer information into account as part of its calculation of expected credit losses.
The Company's exposure to credit losses may increase if our customers are adversely affected by changes in macroeconomic pressures or uncertainty associated with local or global economic recessions, or other customer-specific factors.
The following table presents the changes in our allowance for expected credit losses for the periods presented:
December 31,
(in millions)
Allowance for expected credit losses:
Balance, beginning of period
$
$
$
Provision charged to expense
Write-offs, net of recoveries and other adjustments
(13
)
(6
)
(8
)
Balance, end of period
$
$
$
Property and Equipment
We record property and equipment at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. We capitalize certain costs incurred during the application development stage related to the development of websites and internal use software when it is probable the project will be completed and the software will be used as intended. Capitalized costs include internal and external costs, if direct and incremental, and deemed by management to be significant. We expense costs related to the planning and post-implementation phases of website development as these costs are incurred. Maintenance and enhancement costs (including those costs in the post-implementation stages) are typically expensed as incurred, unless such costs relate to substantial upgrades and enhancements to the website or software resulting in added functionality, in which case the costs are capitalized.
We compute depreciation using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which is three to five years for computer equipment, capitalized website development, office furniture and other equipment. We depreciate leasehold improvements using the straight-line method, over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease.
Leases
We lease office space in a number of countries around the world, generally under non-cancelable operating lease agreements. Our corporate headquarters is our most significant office space lease and is accounted for as a finance lease under GAAP. The Company has also entered into data center and certain equipment leases, such as network equipment and other leases, which are not material to our consolidated financial statements.
We determine whether a contract is or contains a lease at inception of a contract. We define a lease as a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to control the use of identified property or equipment (an identified asset) for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Control over the use of the identified asset means that we have both the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the asset and the right to direct the use of the asset.
Our lease contracts contain both lease and non-lease components which we combine as a single component under our accounting policy by asset class, except for office space leases and certain other leases, such as colocation data center leases, which we account separately for the lease and non-lease components. For leases which the consideration in the contract is allocated to lease and non-lease components, we base it on each component’s relative standalone price. We determine standalone prices for the lease components based on the prices for which other lessors lease similar assets on a standalone basis. We determine standalone prices for the non-lease component based on the prices that third-party suppliers charge for services for similar assets on a standalone basis. If observable standalone prices are not readily available, we estimate the standalone prices based on other available observable information. However, for certain categories of equipment leases, such as network equipment and others, we account for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. Additionally, for certain equipment leases that have similar characteristics, we apply a portfolio approach to effectively account for operating lease right-of-use ROU assets and operating lease liabilities.
The Company uses its estimated incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate in measuring the present value of our lease payments given the rate implicit in our leases is not typically readily determinable. Given we do not currently borrow on a collateralized basis, our incremental borrowing rate is estimated to approximate the interest rate in which the Company would expect to pay on a collateralized basis over a similar term and payments, and in economic environments where the leased asset is located. We use the portfolio approach to determine the discount rate for leases with similar characteristics or when the Company is reasonably certain that doing so would not materially affect the accounting for those leases to which a single discount rate is applied.
We establish assets and liabilities for the estimated construction costs incurred under lease arrangements where we are considered the owner for accounting purposes only, or build-to-suit leases, to the extent we are involved in the construction of structural improvements or take construction risk prior to commencement of a lease. Upon occupancy of facilities under build-to-suit leases, we assess whether these arrangements qualify for sales recognition under the sale-leaseback accounting guidance under GAAP. If we continue to be the deemed owner, for accounting purposes, the facilities are accounted for as finance obligations.
Finance Leases
Finance lease ROU assets and finance lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date or the date the lessor makes the leased asset available for use. Finance lease ROU assets are generally amortized on a straight-line basis over the lease term, and the carrying amount of finance lease liabilities are (1) accreted to reflect interest using the incremental borrowing rate if the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable; and (2) reduced to reflect lease payments made during the period. Amortization expense for finance lease ROU assets and interest accretion on finance lease liabilities are recorded to depreciation and interest expense, respectively, in our consolidated statement of operations.
We lease approximately 280,000 square feet of office space for our corporate headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts. This lease has an expiration date of December 2030, with an option to extend the lease term for two consecutive terms of five years each and is accounted for as a finance lease.
Operating Leases
Our office space leases, exclusive of our corporate headquarters, are operating leases, which we lease an aggregate of approximately 340,000 square feet at nearly 30 locations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, in cities such as New York, London, Sydney, Barcelona and Paris, primarily used as sales offices, subsidiary headquarters, and for international operations, pursuant to leases with various expiration dates, with the latest expiring in October 2034.
Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at lease commencement date, or the date the lessor makes the leased asset available for use, based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term using the Company’s estimated incremental borrowing rate. ROU assets associated with operating leases comprise the initial lease liability, and are then adjusted for any prepaid or deferred rent payments, unamortized initial direct costs, and lease incentives received. Amortization expense for operating lease ROU assets and interest accretion on operating lease liabilities are recognized as a single operating lease cost in our consolidated statement of operations, which results effectively in recognition of rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease period. The carrying amount of operating lease liabilities are (1) accreted to reflect interest using the incremental borrowing rate if the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable; and (2) reduced to reflect lease payments made during the period. We present the combination of both the amortization of operating lease ROU assets and the change in the operating lease liabilities in the same line item within the adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows. Lease incentives are recognized as reductions of rental expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Our operating leases generally include options to extend the lease terms for up to approximately 5 years and/or terminate the leases within 1 year, which we include in our lease term if we are reasonably certain to exercise these options. Payments under our operating leases are primarily fixed, however, certain of our operating lease agreements include rental payments which are adjusted periodically for inflation. We recognize these costs as variable lease costs on our consolidated statement of operations, which were not material during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. In addition, our short-term lease costs were not material in any period presented.
We also establish assets and liabilities at the present value of estimated future costs to return certain of our leased facilities to their original condition to satisfy any asset retirement obligations. Such assets are depreciated over the lease period into operating expense, and the recorded liabilities are accreted to the future value of the estimated restoration costs and are included in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. Our asset retirement obligations were not material as of both December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Non-Marketable Equity Investments
We account for non-marketable equity investments through which we exercise significant influence but do not have control over the investee under the equity method. Under this method, the investment, originally recorded at cost, is adjusted to recognize the Company’s share of net earnings or losses of the investment as they occur rather than as dividends or other distributions are received. Losses are limited to the extent of the Company’s investment in, advances to and commitments for the investee. In the event we are unable to obtain accurate financial information from the investee in a timely manner, we record our share of earnings or losses of such equity investment on a lag.
Non-marketable equity investments that are not accounted for under the equity method and that do not have a readily determinable fair value are accounted for under the measurement alternative, allowed under GAAP. Under the measurement alternative, the carrying value is measured at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer. Adjustments are determined primarily based on a market approach as of the transaction date. We classify our non-marketable equity investments as long-term assets on our consolidated balance sheet as those investments do not have stated contractual maturity dates.
On a quarterly basis, we perform a qualitative assessment considering impairment indicators, if any, to evaluate whether these investments are impaired. Qualitative factors considered include industry and market conditions, financial performance, business prospects, and other relevant events and factors. When indicators of impairment exist, we prepare a quantitative assessment of the fair value of our equity investments, which may
include using both the market and income approaches which require judgment and the use of estimates, including discount rates, investee revenues and costs, and available comparable market data of private and public companies, among others. When our assessment indicates that an impairment exists, we measure our non-marketable equity investments at fair value.
Valuations of such privately-held companies are inherently complex and uncertain due to the lack of liquid market for such company’s securities. In addition, such investments are inherently risky in that such companies are typically at an early stage of development, may have no or limited revenues, may not be or may never become profitable, may not be able to secure additional funding or their technologies, services or products may not be successfully developed or introduced into the market.
Business Combinations
We account for acquired businesses using the acquisition method of accounting which requires that tangible assets and identifiable intangible assets acquired and assumed liabilities be recorded at the date of acquisition at their respective fair values. Any excess purchase price over the estimated fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired is allocated to goodwill. When determining the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, management makes estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets may include but are not limited to future expected cash flows from customer and supplier relationships, acquired technology and trade names from a market participant perspective, useful lives and discount rates. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. Valuations are performed by management or third-party valuation specialists under management's supervision, where appropriate. Any changes to provisional amounts identified during the measurement period, calculated as if the accounting had been completed as of the acquisition date, are recognized in the consolidated financial statements in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill
We assess goodwill, which is not amortized, for impairment annually during the fourth quarter, or more frequently, if events and circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. We test goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. Goodwill is assigned to reporting units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the business combination in which such goodwill was generated as of the acquisition date. We evaluate our reporting units when changes in our operating structure occur, and if necessary, reassign goodwill using a relative fair value allocation approach. Once goodwill has been allocated to the reporting units, it no longer retains its identification with a particular acquisition and becomes identified with the reporting unit in its entirety. Accordingly, the fair value of the reporting unit as a whole is available to support the recoverability of its goodwill.
The Company has the option to qualitatively assess whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. In the evaluation of goodwill for impairment, we generally first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not (i.e., a likelihood of more than 50%) that the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount. Periodically, we may choose to forgo the initial qualitative assessment and proceed directly to a quantitative analysis to assist in our annual evaluation. When assessing goodwill for impairment, our decision to perform a qualitative impairment assessment for an individual reporting unit in a given year is influenced by a number of factors, including, but not limited to the size of the reporting unit's goodwill, the significance of the excess of the reporting unit's estimated fair value over carrying value at the last quantitative assessment date, the amount of time in between quantitative fair value assessments from the date of acquisition or to establish an updated baseline quantitative analysis, and other performance and market indicators. During a qualitative assessment, if we determine that it is not more likely than not that the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than its carrying amount, no further testing is necessary. If, however, we determine that it is more likely than not that the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than its carrying amount, we then perform a quantitative assessment and compare the estimated fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying value. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, the goodwill impairment is measured using the difference between the carrying value and the estimated fair value of the reporting unit; however, any loss recognized cannot exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
In determining the estimated fair values of reporting units in a quantitative goodwill impairment test, we generally use a blend, of the following recognized valuation methods: the income approach (i.e. discounted cash flows model) and the market valuation approach, which we believe compensates for the inherent risks of using either model on a stand-alone basis. The discounted cash flows model indicates the fair value of the reporting units based on the present value of the cash flows that we expect the reporting units to generate in the future. Our significant estimates in the discounted cash flows model include: weighted average cost of capital; long-term rate of growth and profitability of the reporting unit; income tax rates and working capital effects. The market valuation approach indicates the fair value of the business based on a comparison to comparable publicly traded firms in similar lines of business and other precedent transactions. Our significant estimates in the market valuation approach model include identifying similar companies with comparable business factors such as size, growth, profitability, risk and return on investment and assessing comparable revenue and/or income multiples in estimating the fair value of the reporting units. Valuations are performed by management or third-party valuation specialists under management's supervision, where appropriate. We believe that the estimated fair values assigned to our reporting units in impairment tests are based on reasonable assumptions that marketplace participants would use. However, such assumptions are inherently uncertain and actual results could differ from those estimates. The use of substantially different assumptions, estimates or judgments could trigger the need for an impairment charge, or materially increase or decrease the amount of any such impairment charge.
During the Company's annual goodwill impairment test in the fourth quarter of 2023, a qualitative assessment was performed for all our reporting units, which are Brand Tripadvisor, Viator, and TheFork. We determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair value of any reporting unit was less than its carrying value, and, accordingly, no impairment charges were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2023. As part of the qualitative assessment for our annual 2023 goodwill impairment analysis of our reporting units, the factors that we considered included, but were not limited to: (a) changes in macroeconomic conditions in the overall economy and the specific markets in which we operate, (b) our ability to access capital, (c) changes in the online travel industry, (d) changes in the level of competition, (e) evaluation of current and future forecasted financial results of the reporting units, (f) comparison of our current financial performance to historical and budgeted results of the reporting units, (g) change in excess of the Company’s market capitalization over its book value, (h) changes in estimates, valuation inputs, and/or assumptions since the last quantitative analysis of the reporting units during the second quarter of 2022, (i) changes in the regulatory environment, (j) changes in strategic outlook or organizational structure and leadership of the reporting units; and (k) other relevant factors, and how these factors might impact specific performance in future periods.
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets with estimable useful lives, or definite-lived intangibles, are carried at cost and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives and reviewed for impairment upon certain triggering events. We routinely review the remaining estimated useful lives of our definite-lived intangible assets. If we reduce the estimated useful life assumption, the remaining unamortized balance is amortized over the revised estimated useful life.
Intangible assets that have indefinite lives are not amortized and are tested for impairment annually during the fourth quarter, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Similar to the qualitative assessment for goodwill, we may assess qualitative factors to determine if it is more likely than not that the implied fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. If we determine that it is not more likely than not that the implied fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount, no further testing is necessary. If, however, we determine that it is more likely than not that the implied fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount, we compare the implied fair value of the indefinite-lived asset with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of an individual indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its implied fair value, the individual asset's carrying value is written down by an amount equal to such excess. The assessment of qualitative factors is optional and at our discretion. We may bypass the qualitative assessment for any indefinite-lived intangible asset in any period and resume performing the qualitative assessment in any subsequent period. We base our quantitative measurement of fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets, which consist of Tripadvisor-brand trade name and trademarks, using the relief-from-royalty method. This method assumes that the trade name and trademarks have value to the extent that their owner is relieved of the obligation to pay royalties for the benefits received from them. This method
requires us to estimate future revenues, the appropriate royalty rate and the weighted average cost of capital, however, such assumptions are inherently uncertain and actual results could differ from those estimates.
During the Company's annual indefinite-lived intangible impairment test during the fourth quarter of 2023, a qualitative assessment was performed. As part of our qualitative assessment we considered, amongst other factors, the amount of excess fair value of our trade names and trademarks to the carrying value of those same assets, changes in estimates, and valuation input assumptions, since our previous quantitative analysis. After considering these factors and the impact that changes in such factors would have on the inputs used in our previous quantitative assessment, we determined that it was more likely than not that our indefinite-lived intangible assets were not impaired as of December 31, 2023.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We periodically review the carrying amount of our definite-lived intangible assets and other long-term assets, including property and equipment, net and operating lease right-of-use assets, to determine whether current events or circumstances indicate that such carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Factors that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, a significant adverse change in legal factors or the business climate that could affect the value of the asset, or a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, among others. The Company’s impairment evaluation is performed at the asset group level or the lowest level for which identified cash flows are largely independent, which the Company has defined as the reporting unit level. If such facts indicate a potential impairment, we assess the recoverability of the asset group by determining if the carrying value of the asset group exceeds the sum of the projected undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the assets over the remaining economic life of the primary asset of the group. If the recoverability test indicates that the carrying value of the asset group is not recoverable, we will estimate the fair value of the asset group using appropriate valuation methodologies which would typically include an estimate of discounted cash flows, using an appropriate discount rate. Any impairment would be measured by the amount that the carrying values, of such asset groups, exceed their estimated fair value and would be included in operating income (loss) on the consolidated statement of operations. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate the fair value of asset groups. Accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from such estimates. We have not identified any circumstances that would warrant an impairment charge for any recorded definite-lived intangibles or other long-term assets on our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2023 or 2022.
Foreign Currency Translation and Transaction Gains and Losses
Our consolidated financial statements are reported in U.S. dollars. Certain of our subsidiaries outside of the U.S. use the local currency as their functional currency and not the U.S. dollar. Therefore assets and liabilities of our foreign subsidiaries are translated at the spot rate in effect at the applicable reporting date, and the consolidated statements of operations are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the applicable reporting period. The resulting unrealized cumulative translation adjustment is recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet.
In addition, our subsidiaries also engage in transactions in currencies other than its functional currency. Transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are recorded based on foreign currency exchange rates at the time such transactions arise. Subsequent changes in foreign currency exchange rates result in transaction gains and losses which are reflected in our consolidated statements of operations as unrealized (based on the applicable period-end exchange rate) or realized upon settlement of the transactions. Accordingly, we have recorded net foreign currency exchange losses of $5 million, $5 million and $4 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, in other income (expense), net on our consolidated statements of operations. These amounts also include transaction gains and losses, both realized and unrealized from forward contracts.
Derivative Financial Instruments
We account for derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting as either assets or liabilities and carry them at fair value, with any subsequent adjustments to fair value recorded in other income (expense), net
on our consolidated statements of operations. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of a given subsidiary are remeasured at spot rates in effect on the balance sheet date with the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates reported in other income (expense), net on our consolidated statements of operations. In certain circumstances, we enter into forward contracts to reduce, to the extent practical, our potential exposure to the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates on our cash flows denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, fair value changes in the forward contracts help mitigate the changes in the value of the remeasured assets and liabilities attributable to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, except to the extent of the spot-forward differences. These differences are not expected to be significant due to the short-term nature of the contracts, which to date, have typically had maturities at inception of 90 days or less. The net cash received or paid related to our derivative instruments are classified in other investing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. Counterparties to forward contracts consist of major global financial institutions. We monitor our positions and the credit ratings of the counterparties involved and, by policy limits, the amount of credit exposure to any one party. We do not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes. We did not enter into any cash flow, fair value or net investment hedges during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 or 2021. Refer to “Note 3: Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements” for additional information on our derivatives.
Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures
We apply fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis. We measure assets and liabilities at fair value based on the expected exit price, which is the amount that would be received on the sale of an asset or amount paid to transfer a liability, as the case may be, in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal or most advantageous market in which we would transact. As such, fair value may be based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability at the measurement date. The authoritative guidance on fair value measurements establishes a consistent framework for measuring fair value on either a recurring or nonrecurring basis whereby inputs, used in valuation techniques, are assigned a hierarchical level. GAAP provides the following hierarchical levels of inputs used to measure fair value:
Level 1-Valuations are based on quoted market prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.
Level 2-Valuations are based on observable inputs other than quoted market prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3-Valuations are based on unobservable inputs reflecting our own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. These valuations require significant judgment.
Debt Issuance Costs
We defer costs we incur to issue debt, which are presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability, and amortize these costs using the effective interest rate method to interest expense over the term of the debt. We also defer costs we incur to enter into a credit facility or to amend our existing revolving credit facility, which are presented on the consolidated balance sheet as a long-term asset, and amortize these costs using the effective interest rate method to interest expense over the term of the credit facility.
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Our business is subject to certain risks and concentrations, including a concentration related to dependence on our relationships with our customers. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our two most significant travel partners, Expedia (and its subsidiaries) and Booking (and its subsidiaries), each accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated revenue and together accounted for approximately 25%, 31% and 34%, respectively, of our consolidated revenue, with nearly all of this revenue concentrated in our Brand Tripadvisor segment.
Additionally, our business is dependent on relationships with third-party service providers that we rely on to fulfill service obligations to our customers where the Company is the merchant of record, such as our experience operators. However, no one operator’s inventory resulted in more than 10% of our revenue on a consolidated basis or at a reportable segment level in any period presented. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” for information regarding concentrations related to geographic and product revenues and fixed assets by geographic location. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, Expedia accounted for approximately 10% and 19%, respectively, of our consolidated accounts receivable, net.
Financial instruments, which potentially subject us to concentration of credit risk, generally consist, at any point in time, of cash and cash equivalents, corporate debt securities, forward contracts, capped calls, and accounts receivable. We maintain cash balances with financial institutions that are in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits in the U.S. and similar government programs outside the U.S. Our cash and cash equivalents are generally composed of available on demand bank deposits or term deposits with several major global financial institutions, as well as money market funds, primarily denominated in U.S. dollars, and to a lesser extent Euros, British pounds, and Australian dollars. We may invest in highly-rated corporate debt securities, and our investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer, industry group and currency. Our credit risk related to corporate debt securities is also mitigated by the relatively short maturity period required by our investment policy. Forward contracts and capped calls are transacted with major international financial institutions with high credit standings. Forward contracts, which, to date, have typically had maturities of less than 90 days, also mitigate risk. Our overall credit risk related to accounts receivable is mitigated by the relatively short collection period.
Contingent Liabilities
Periodically, we review the status of all significant outstanding matters to assess any potential financial exposure. When (i) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred; and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, we record the estimated loss in our consolidated statement of operations. We provide disclosure in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies that do not meet both these conditions if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred that would be material to the consolidated financial statements. Significant judgment may be required to determine the probability that a liability has been incurred and whether such liability is reasonably estimable. We base accruals made on the best information available at the time which can be highly subjective. The final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from the amounts included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Treasury Stock
Shares of our common stock repurchased, including incremental direct costs to purchase treasury stock, including excise tax, are recorded at cost as treasury stock and result in the reduction of stockholders' equity on our consolidated balance sheet. We may reissue these treasury shares. When treasury shares are reissued, we use the average cost method for determining the cost of reissued shares. If the issuance price is higher than the cost, the excess of the issuance price over the cost is credited to additional paid-in-capital. If the issuance price is lower than the cost, the difference is first charged against any credit balance in additional paid-in-capital from the previous issuances of treasury stock and any remaining balance is charged to retained earnings.
Earnings Per Share (“EPS”)
Basic Earnings Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders
We compute basic earnings per share, or Basic EPS, by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. We compute the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period using the total of common stock and Class B common stock outstanding as of the last day of the previous year end reporting period plus the weighted average of any additional shares issued and outstanding less the weighted average of any common shares repurchased during the reporting period.
Diluted Earnings Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders
Diluted earnings per share, or Diluted EPS, includes the potential dilution of common equivalent shares outstanding that could occur from stock-based awards and other stock-based commitments using the treasury stock method. We compute Diluted EPS by dividing net income (loss) by the sum of the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. We compute the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period using the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock and Class B common stock used in the Basic EPS calculation as indicated above; (ii) if dilutive, the incremental weighted average common stock that we would issue upon the assumed exercise of outstanding common equivalent shares, primarily related to stock options and the vesting of restricted stock units using the treasury stock method; and (iii) if dilutive, performance-based and market-based awards based on the number of shares that would be issuable as of the end of the reporting period assuming the end of the reporting period was also the end of the contingency period.
Under the treasury stock method, the assumed proceeds calculation includes the actual proceeds to be received from the employee upon exercise of outstanding equity awards and the average unrecognized compensation cost during the period. The treasury stock method assumes that a company uses the proceeds from the exercise of an equity award to repurchase common stock at the average market price for the reporting period.
In periods of net income, shares of our common stock subject to the potential conversion of the 2026 Senior Notes outstanding during the period is also included in our weighted average number of shares outstanding used to calculate Diluted EPS using the if-converted method under GAAP, as share settlement is presumed. When convertible notes are dilutive, interest expense, net of tax, is added back to net income attributable to common stockholders to calculate Diluted EPS. Capped Calls are excluded from the calculation of Diluted EPS, as they would be antidilutive. However, upon conversion of the 2026 Senior Notes, unless the market price of our common stock exceeds the cap price, an exercise of the Capped Calls would generally offset any dilution from the 2026 Senior Notes from the conversion price up to the cap price. As of December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the market price of a share of our common stock did not exceed the $107.36 cap price. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” for further information regarding our 2026 Senior Notes and Capped Calls.
In periods of a net loss, common equivalent shares are excluded from the calculation of Diluted EPS as their inclusion would have an antidilutive effect. Accordingly, for periods in which we report a net loss, such as for the year ended December 31, 2021, Diluted EPS is the same as Basic EPS, since dilutive common equivalent shares are not assumed to have been issued if their effect is antidilutive.
New Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new accounting guidance requiring entities to provide additional information in the income tax rate reconciliation and additional disclosures about income taxes paid. The new accounting guidance requires entities to disclose in their rate reconciliation table additional categories of information about federal, state and foreign income taxes and to provide more details about the reconciling items in some categories if the items meet a quantitative threshold. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, and should be applied prospectively, but entities have the option to apply it retrospectively for each period presented. Early adoption is permitted for annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance.
In November 2023, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which expands public entities’ segment disclosures by requiring disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM") and included within each reported measure of segment profit or loss, an amount and description of its composition for other segment items, and interim disclosures of a reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted, including adoption in any interim period.
We are currently considering our timing of adoption and are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting these newly issued accounting rules on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
NOTE 3: FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had approximately $1.1 billion and $1.0 billion of cash and cash equivalents, respectively, which consisted of available on demand bank deposits, term deposits, and money market funds, with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase, in each case, with major global financial institutions. We had no outstanding investments classified as either short-term or long-term marketable securities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and there were no purchases or sales of any marketable securities during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
The following table shows our cash and cash equivalents, which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and categorized using the fair value hierarchy, as well as their classification on our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
Amortized Cost
Fair Value (1)
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Amortized Cost
Fair Value (1)
Cash and Cash Equivalents
(in millions)
Cash
$
$
$
$
$
$
Level 1:
Money market funds
-
-
-
Level 2:
Term deposits
-
-
-
Total
$
1,067
$
1,067
$
1,067
$
1,021
$
1,021
$
1,021
(1)We did not have any unrealized gains and losses related to our cash equivalents.
We generally classify cash equivalents and marketable securities, if any, within Level 1 and Level 2 as we value these financial instruments using quoted market prices (Level 1) or alternative pricing sources (Level 2). The valuation technique we use to measure the fair value of money market funds is derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Fair values for Level 2 investments are considered “Level 2” valuations because they are obtained from independent pricing sources for identical or comparable instruments, rather than direct observations of quoted prices in active markets. Our procedures include controls to ensure that appropriate fair values are recorded, including comparing the fair values obtained from our independent pricing services against fair values obtained from another independent source.
Derivative Financial Instruments
We generally use forward contracts to reduce the effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on our cash flows for the Euro versus the U.S. Dollar. For the periods ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, our forward contracts have not been designated as hedges and generally had maturities of less than 90 days. Our outstanding or unsettled forward contracts were carried at fair value on our consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2023 and 2022. We measure the fair value of our outstanding or unsettled derivatives using Level 2 fair value inputs, as we use a pricing model that takes into account the contract terms as well as current foreign currency exchange rates in active markets. We recognize any gain or loss resulting from the change in fair value of our forward contracts in other income (expense), net on our consolidated statement of operations, which was not material for the year ended December 31, 2023. We recorded a net gain of $4 million and $2 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to our forward contracts.
The following table shows the notional principal amounts of our outstanding derivative instruments for the periods presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
Foreign currency exchange-forward contracts (1)(2)
$
$
(1)Derivative contracts address foreign currency exchange fluctuations for the Euro versus the U.S. dollar. These outstanding derivatives are not designated as hedging instruments and have an original maturity period of 90 days or less.
(2)The fair value of our outstanding derivatives as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, was not material. The notional amount of a forward contract is the contracted amount of foreign currency to be exchanged and is not recorded on the consolidated balance sheet.
Other Financial Assets and Liabilities
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, financial instruments not measured at fair value on a recurring basis, including accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, and deferred merchant payables, were carried at cost on our consolidated balance sheet, which approximates their fair values because of the short-term nature of these items. Accounts receivable, including contract assets, as described below, as well as certain other financial assets, are measured at amortized cost and are carried at cost less an allowance for expected credit losses on our consolidated balance sheet to present the net amount expected to be collected.
Accounts Receivable, net
The following table provides information about the opening and closing balances of accounts receivable, including contract assets, net of allowance for expected credit losses, from contracts with customers as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
Accounts receivable
$
$
Contract assets
Total
$
$
Contract assets are rights to consideration in exchange for services that we have transferred to a customer when that right is conditional on something other than the passage of time, such as commission payments that are contingent upon the completion of the service by the principal in the transaction. The difference between the opening and closing balances of our contract assets primarily results from the timing difference between when we satisfy our performance obligations and the time when the principal completes the service in the transaction. There were no significant changes in contract assets during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 related to business combinations, impairments, cumulative catch-ups or other material adjustments.
Fair Value of Long-Term Debt
The following table shows the aggregate principal and fair value amount of our outstanding 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes as of the dates presented, which are classified as long-term debt on our consolidated balance sheet, and considered Level 2 fair value measurements. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” for additional information related to our 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes.
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
2025 Senior Notes
Aggregate principal amount
$
$
Carrying value amount (1)
Fair value amount (2)
2026 Senior Notes
Aggregate principal amount
$
$
Carrying value amount (3)
Fair value amount (2)
(1)Net of $3 million and $5 million of unamortized debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(2)We estimate the fair value of our outstanding 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes based on recently reported market transactions and/or prices for identical or similar financial instruments obtained from a third-party pricing source.
(3)Net of $3 million and $4 million of unamortized debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The Company did not have any assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using Level 3 unobservable inputs at both December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis
Non-Marketable Investments
Equity Securities Accounted for under the Equity Method
In November 2019, the Company and Ctrip Investment Holding Ltd, a majority-owned subsidiary of Trip.com Group Limited, entered into an agreement to combine certain assets in China through the creation of a new entity, Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTE, Ltd. Tripadvisor contributed a portion of its business in China, including a long-term exclusive brand and content license and other assets, in return for a 40% equity investment in Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTE Ltd. This investment resulted in the Company recording an initial equity method investment of $41 million and a $39 million deferred income liability attributable to the brand and content license in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Company expects to earn the deferred income ratably over a 15-year period, congruent with the initial term of the brand and content license, which is recorded in other income (expense), net on the consolidated statement of operations.
The Company accounts for this minority investment under the equity method, given it has the ability to exercise significant influence over, but not control, the investee. The carrying value of this minority investment was $30 million and $32 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and is included in non-marketable investments on our consolidated balance sheets. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recognized a loss of $2 million, $2 million and $3 million, respectively, representing our share of the investee’s net loss in other income (expenses), net within the consolidated statements of operations. The Company evaluates this investment for impairment when factors indicate that a decline in the value of its investment has occurred and the carrying amount of its investment may not be recoverable. An impairment loss, based on the excess of the carrying value over the estimated fair value of the investment based on Level 3 inputs, is recognized in earnings when an impairment is deemed to be other than temporary. Due to ongoing operating losses, we performed a qualitative assessment to evaluate whether this equity investment is impaired as of December 31, 2023. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, we did not record any impairment loss on this equity investment. The remaining deferred income liability of $28 million is presented in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet of $3 million and $25 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2023.
The Company has various commercial agreements with Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTE Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries. Transactions under these agreements with the equity method investee are considered related-party transactions, and were not material for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Other Equity Investments
We also hold a minority investment in equity securities of a privately-held company, which is at an early stage of development and does not have a readily determinable fair value. As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, the total carrying value of this investment was $2 million, and included in non-marketable investments on our consolidated balance sheets.
Our policy is to measure this equity investment at cost less impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer such observable price changes may include instances where the investee issues equity securities to new investors, thus creating a new indicator of fair value, as an example. On a quarterly basis, we perform a qualitative assessment considering impairment indicators, if any, to evaluate whether this investment is impaired and monitor for any
observable price changes. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we did not record any impairment loss on this equity investment or note any observable price change indicators.
Other Long-Term Assets
In June 2020, the Company was issued collateralized notes (the “Notes Receivable”) with a total principal amount of $20 million from a privately-held company, in exchange for an existing equity investment held in the investee by the Company, and other-long term receivables, net, which the Company held due from the same investee. The Company has classified the Notes Receivable as held-to-maturity, as the Company has concluded it has the positive intent and ability to hold the Notes Receivable until maturity, with 50% due in eight years and remaining 50% due in 10 years from issuance date or the date on which there is a change of control, whichever is earlier. The Company recorded a $5 million allowance for credit losses under GAAP during the year ended December 31, 2021, in other income (expense), net on the consolidated statement of operations, related to the Notes Receivable. As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, the carrying value of the Notes Receivable was $9 million, net of accumulated allowance for credit losses, and is classified in other long-term assets, net on our consolidated balance sheet at amortized cost. On a quarterly basis, we perform a qualitative assessment considering impairment indicators to evaluate whether the Notes Receivable are impaired and monitor for changes to our allowance for expected credit losses.
Other non-financial assets, such as property and equipment, goodwill, intangible assets, and operating lease right-of-use assets are adjusted to fair value when an impairment charge is recognized or the underlying investment is sold. Such fair value measurements, if necessary, are based predominately on Level 3 inputs. Refer to “Note 4: Property and Equipment, Net”, “Note 5: Leases” and “Note 6: Goodwill and Intangibles Assets, Net” for additional information regarding those assets.
NOTE 4: PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property and equipment, net consists of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
Capitalized website development
$
$
Finance lease right-of-use asset (Note 5)
Leasehold improvements
Computer equipment and purchased software
Furniture, office equipment and other
Less: accumulated depreciation
(551
)
(512
)
Total
$
$
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the carrying value of our capitalized website development costs, net of accumulated amortization, was $103 million and $91 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we capitalized $66 million, $56 million and $55 million, respectively, related to website development costs. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recorded amortization of capitalized website development costs of $55 million, $61 million and $64 million, respectively, which is included in depreciation expense on our consolidated statements of operations.
NOTE 5: LEASES
Operating and finance lease assets and liabilities consists of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31,
December 31,
Presentation on Consolidated Balance Sheet
(in millions)
Noncurrent Lease Assets:
Finance lease
Property and equipment, net
$
$
Operating lease
Operating lease right-of-use-assets
Total lease assets
$
$
Current Lease Liabilities:
Finance lease
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
$
$
Operating lease
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Total current lease liabilities
Noncurrent Lease Liabilities:
Finance lease
Finance lease liability, net of current portion
Operating lease
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion
Total noncurrent lease liabilities
Total lease liabilities
$
$
As of December 31, 2023, we did not have any additional operating or finance leases that have not yet commenced but that create significant rights and obligations for us.
The components of lease expense were as follows for the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Operating lease cost (1)
$
$
$
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets (2)
$
$
$
Interest on lease liabilities (3)
Total finance lease cost
$
$
$
Sublease income (1)
(5
)
(9
)
(5
)
Total lease cost, net
$
$
$
(1)Operating lease costs, net of sublease income, are included within operating expenses in our consolidated statements of operations.
(2)Amount is included in depreciation expense in our consolidated statements of operations.
(3)Amount is included in interest expense in our consolidated statements of operations.
Additional information related to our leases is as follows for the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
Supplemental Cash Flows Information:
(in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash outflows from operating leases
$
$
$
Operating cash outflows from finance lease
Financing cash outflows from finance lease
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities:
Operating leases
$
$
$
Year ended December 31,
Weighted-average remaining lease term:
Operating leases
2.0 years
2.5 years
Finance lease
7.0 years
8.0 years
Weighted-average discount rate:
Operating leases
4.1
%
3.7
%
Finance lease
4.5
%
4.5
%
Future lease payments under non-cancelable leases as of December 31, 2023 were as follows:
Year Ending December 31,
Operating Leases
Finance Lease
(in millions)
$
$
-
Thereafter
-
Total future lease payments
Less imputed interest
-
(9
)
Total lease liabilities
$
$
NOTE 6: GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
Goodwill
The following table summarizes our goodwill activity by reportable segment for the periods presented:
Hotels, Media & Platform
Experiences & Dining
Other (1)
Brand Tripadvisor
Viator
TheFork
Total
(in millions)
Balance as of December 31, 2021
$
$
$
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
Foreign currency translation adjustments
-
(18
)
(5
)
-
(1
)
(21
)
Allocation to new segments
(407
)
(326
)
(87
)
-
Balance as of December 31, 2022
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
$
Foreign currency translation adjustments
-
-
-
Balance as of December 31, 2023
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
$
(1)Other consists of the combination of alternative accommodation rentals, flights, car, and cruises offerings, and did not previously constitute a reportable segment.
There were no goodwill impairment charges recognized on our consolidated statements of operations during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021. Refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies” for discussion regarding the Company’s 2023 goodwill impairment assessment. As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, accumulated goodwill impairment losses totaled $3 million, which was associated with the Brand Tripadvisor segment.
Intangibles
Intangible assets, acquired in business combinations and recorded at fair value on the date of purchase, consisted of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31,
(in millions)
Intangible assets with definite lives
$
$
Less: accumulated amortization
(208
)
(198
)
Intangible assets with definite lives, net
Intangible assets with indefinite lives (1)
Total
$
$
(1)Indefinite-lived intangible assets include trade names and trademarks for the Tripadvisor brand.
Amortization expense for definite-lived intangible assets was $9 million, $13 million, and $20 million, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
There were no impairment charges recognized to our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 related to our intangible assets. Refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies” for discussion regarding the Company’s 2023 indefinite-lived intangible impairment assessment.
The following table presents the components of our intangible assets with definite lives as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
Weighted Average
Gross
Net
Gross
Net
Remaining Life
Carrying
Accumulated
Carrying
Carrying
Accumulated
Carrying
(in years)
Amount
Amortization
Amount
Amount
Amortization
Amount
(in millions)
(in millions)
Trade names and trademarks
0.9
$
$
(45
)
$
$
$
(40
)
$
Customer lists and supplier relationships
3.8
(90
)
(87
)
Subscriber relationships
2.3
(33
)
(33
)
Technology and other
1.8
(40
)
(38
)
Total
2.7
$
$
(208
)
$
$
$
(198
)
$
Our definite-lived intangible assets are being amortized on a straight-line basis. The straight-line method of amortization is currently our best estimate, or approximates to date, the distribution of the economic use of these intangible assets.
The estimated amortization expense for intangible assets with definite lives for each of the next five years, and the expense thereafter, assuming no subsequent impairment of the underlying assets or change in estimate of remaining lives, is expected to be as follows (in millions):
$
-
2029 and thereafter
-
Total
$
NOTE 7: ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
Accrued salary, bonus, and other employee-related benefits
$
$
Accrued marketing costs
Interest payable (1)
Income taxes payable - current (2)
Finance lease liability - current portion (3)
Operating lease liabilities - current portion (3)
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs (4)
-
Non-income taxes payable
Other
Total
$
$
(1)Amount relates primarily to unpaid interest accrued on our 2025 Senior Notes. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” for further information.
(2)Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” for further information regarding our income tax liabilities.
(3)Refer to “Note 5: Leases” for further information regarding our lease obligations.
(4)During the third quarter of 2023, the Company approved and subsequently initiated a set of actions across its businesses in order to reduce its cost structure, improve operational efficiencies, and realign its workforce with its strategic initiatives. These actions taken by the Company resulted in reduced global headcount. As a result, the Company incurred estimated pre-tax restructuring and other related reorganization costs of $22 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting primarily of employee severance and related benefits. Potential job position eliminations in each country remain subject to local law and consultation requirements, which have extended beyond 2023 in certain countries. Therefore, actual costs incurred may differ
from estimated costs recorded as of December 31, 2023. We expect the majority of remaining unpaid costs as of December 31, 2023 to be disbursed during the first quarter of 2024.
The following table summarizes our restructuring and other related reorganization costs for the year ended December 31, 2023:
Carrying Value
(in millions)
Accrued liability as of December 31, 2022
$
-
Charges
Payments
(9
)
Accrued liability as of December 31, 2023
$
NOTE 8: DEBT
The Company’s outstanding debt consisted of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
Outstanding Principal Amount
Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs
Carrying Value
(in millions)
Long-Term Debt:
2025 Senior Notes
$
$
(3
)
$
2026 Senior Notes
(3
)
Total Long-Term Debt
$
$
(6
)
$
December 31, 2022
Outstanding Principal Amount
Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs
Carrying Value
(in millions)
Long-Term Debt:
2025 Senior Notes
$
$
(5
)
$
2026 Senior Notes
(4
)
Total Long-Term Debt
$
$
(9
)
$
Credit Facility
We are party to a credit agreement with a group of lenders initially entered into in June 2015 and amended and restated in June 2023 (as amended, the “Credit Agreement”), which, among other things, provides for a $500 million secured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”). As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had no outstanding borrowings from the Credit Facility. In addition, the Credit Facility includes $15 million of borrowing capacity available for letters of credit and $40 million for swing-line borrowings on same-day notice. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had issued $4 million of undrawn standby letters of credit under the Credit Facility. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recorded total commitment fees on the Credit Facility of $1 million, $1 million and $3 million, respectively, to interest expense on our consolidated statements of operations. The Credit Agreement, among other things, requires us to maintain a maximum total net leverage ratio and contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default, including a change of control. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company was in compliance with its existing covenants.
We amended the Credit Facility during 2020 to, among other things: suspend the leverage ratio covenant for quarterly testing of compliance beginning in the second quarter of 2020, replacing it with a minimum liquidity covenant through June 30, 2021 (requiring the Company to maintain $150 million of unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments less deferred merchant payables plus available revolver capacity), until the earlier of (a) the first day after June 30, 2021 through maturity on which borrowings and other revolving credit
utilizations under the revolving commitments exceed $200 million, and (b) the election of the Company, at which time the leverage ratio covenant will be reinstated (the “Leverage Covenant Holiday”).
On May 8, 2023, the Company declared a “Covenant Changeover Date” (as defined in the Credit Agreement as in effect prior to the amendment and restatement), thereby declaring the Company out of the Leverage Covenant Holiday and no longer subject to certain of the restrictive covenants contained in the Credit Agreement. Following that, on June 29, 2023, we amended and restated the Credit Agreement (the "Restated Credit Agreement") to, among other things, (i) extend the maturity date of the Credit Facility from May 12, 2024 to June 29, 2028 (unless, on any date that is 91 days prior to the final scheduled maturity date in respect of any indebtedness outstanding under certain “specified debt,” the aggregate outstanding principal amount of such specified debt is $200 million or more, then the maturity date will be such business day); (ii) maintain the aggregate amount of revolving commitments available at $500 million; (iii) increase the total net leverage ratio from 3.5 to 1.0 to 4.5 to 1.0; and (iv) replace the LIBOR interest rate benchmark with a secured overnight financing rate ("SOFR") interest rate benchmark.
The Company may borrow from the Credit Facility in U.S dollars, Euros and Sterling. Borrowings under the Credit Facility generally bear interest, at the Company’s option, at a rate per annum equal to either (i) the Adjusted Term SOFR rate for the interest period in effect for such borrowing in U.S. dollars, the EURIBO rate for the interest period in effect for such borrowings in Euro and the Daily Simple SONIA rate for the interest period in effect for such borrowings in Sterling; plus, in each case, an applicable margin ranging from 1.75% to 2.50% (“Term Benchmark/RFP Spread”), based on the Company’s total net leverage ratio; or (ii) the Alternate Base Rate (“ABR”), which is the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the New York Fed Bank Rate in effect on such day plus 1/2 of 1.00% per annum, and (c) the Adjusted Term SOFR for an interest period of one month as published two US Government Securities Business Days prior to such day (or if such day is not a US Government Securities Business Day, the immediately preceding US Government Securities Business Day) plus 1.00% plus an applicable margin ranging from 0.75% to 1.50%, based on the Company’s total net leverage ratio. In addition, we are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee, at an applicable rate ranging from 0.25% to 0.40%, on the daily unused portion of the Credit Facility for each fiscal quarter and in connection with the issuance of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2023, our unused revolver capacity was subject to a commitment fee of 0.25%, given the Company’s total net leverage ratio.
In connection with the Restated Credit Agreement, we incurred lender fees and other debt financing costs of approximately $3 million. These costs were capitalized as deferred financing costs in other long-term assets on our consolidated balance sheet, while deferred financing costs incurred in previous amendments, which were immediately recognized to interest expense on our consolidated statements of operations, were not material. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $4 million and $2 million, respectively, remaining in deferred financing costs in connection with the Credit Facility. These costs will be amortized over the remaining term of the Credit Facility, using the effective interest rate method, and recorded to interest expense on our consolidated statement of operations.
There is no specific repayment date prior to the maturity date for any borrowings under the Credit Agreement. We may voluntarily repay any outstanding borrowing under the Credit Facility at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to Term Benchmark loans. Additionally, the Company believes that the likelihood of the lender exercising any subjective acceleration rights, which would permit the lenders to accelerate repayment of any outstanding borrowings, is remote. As such, we intend to classify any future borrowings under this facility as long-term debt. The Credit Agreement contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens, enter into sale and leaseback transactions, engage in mergers or consolidations, sell or transfer assets, pay dividends and distributions, make investments, loans or advances, prepay certain subordinated indebtedness, make certain acquisitions, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, amend material agreements governing certain subordinated indebtedness, and change our fiscal year. In addition, to secure the obligations under the Credit Agreement, the Company and certain subsidiaries have granted security interests and liens in and on substantially all of their assets as well as pledged shares of certain of the Company’s subsidiaries. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the Credit Agreement will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of all amounts due under the Credit Facility.
2025 Senior Notes
On July 9, 2020, the Company completed the sale of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 7.0% Senior Notes due 2025 (the “2025 Senior Notes”), pursuant to a purchase agreement, dated July 7, 2020, among the Company, the guarantors party thereto and the initial purchasers party thereto in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers. The 2025 Senior Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated July 9, 2020 (the “2025 Indenture”), among the Company, the guarantors and the trustee. The 2025 Indenture provides, among other things, that interest is payable on the 2025 Senior Notes semiannually on January 15 and July 15 of each year, and continues until their maturity date of July 15, 2025. The 2025 Senior Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries.
The Company has the option to redeem all or a portion of the 2025 Senior Notes at any time on or after July 15, 2022 at the redemption prices set forth in the 2025 Indenture, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. Subject to certain limitations, in the event of a Change of Control Triggering Event (as defined in the 2025 Indenture), the Company will be required to make an offer to purchase the 2025 Senior Notes at a price equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Senior Notes repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of repurchase. These features have been evaluated as embedded derivatives under GAAP; however, the Company has concluded they do not meet the requirements to be accounted for separately.
As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, unpaid interest on our 2025 Senior Notes was $16 million and was included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets, and $35 million was recorded as interest expense on our consolidated statements of operations for each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
The 2025 Indenture contains covenants that, among other things and subject to certain exceptions and qualifications, restrict the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue disqualified stock or certain preferred stock; pay dividends and make other distributions or repurchase stock; make certain investments; create or incur liens; sell assets; create restrictions affecting the ability of restricted subsidiaries to make distributions, loans or advances or transfer assets to the Company or the restricted subsidiaries; enter into certain transactions with the Company’s affiliates; designate restricted subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries; and merge, consolidate or transfer or sell all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.
2026 Senior Notes
On March 25, 2021, we entered into a purchase agreement for the sale of $300 million aggregate principal amount of 0.25% Convertible 2026 Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Senior Notes”) in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers. The 2026 Senior Notes included an over-allotment option that provided the initial purchasers of the 2026 Senior Notes with the option to purchase an additional $45 million aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Senior Notes; such over-allotment option was fully exercised. In connection with the issuance of the 2026 Senior Notes, the Company entered into an Indenture, dated March 25, 2021 (the “2026 Indenture”), among the Company, the guarantors party thereto and the trustee. The terms of the 2026 Senior Notes are governed by the 2026 Indenture. The 2026 Senior Notes mature on April 1, 2026, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased. The 2026 Senior Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company, although guaranteed by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries, with interest payable semiannually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year, which began on October 1, 2021. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, unpaid interest on our 2026 Senior Notes was not material.
The 2026 Senior Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part, at our option at any time, and from time to time, on or after April 1, 2024 and on or before the 30th scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the 2026 Senior Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, but only if the last reported sale price per share of our common stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price on (1) each of at least 20 trading days, whether or not consecutive, during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the trading day immediately before the date we send the related redemption notice; and (2) the trading day immediately before the date we send such notice. In addition, calling any such note for redemption will constitute a make-whole fundamental change with respect to that note, in which case the
conversion rate applicable to the conversion of that note will be increased in certain circumstances if it is converted after it is called for redemption.
The 2026 Senior Notes are unconditionally guaranteed, on a joint and several basis, by the guarantors on a senior, unsecured basis. The 2026 Senior Notes are our general senior unsecured obligations and rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior indebtedness, and senior in right of payment to all of our future subordinated indebtedness. The 2026 Senior Notes will be effectively subordinated to any of our existing and future secured indebtedness, including borrowings under the Credit Facility, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness.
Holders may convert their 2026 Senior Notes at any time prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding January 1, 2026, in multiples of $1,000 principal amount, only under the following conditions and circumstances:
•during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on June 30, 2021 (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of our common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day;
•during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of 2026 Senior Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of our common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; or
•upon the occurrence of specified corporate events as described in the 2026 Indenture.
In addition, holders may convert their 2026 Senior Notes, in multiples of $1,000 principal amount, at their option at any time beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and prior to the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the stated maturity date of the 2026 Senior Notes, without regard to the foregoing circumstances.
The initial conversion rate for the 2026 Senior Notes is 13.5483 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of 2026 Senior Notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $73.81 per share of common stock, or approximately 4.7 million shares of common stock, subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain specified events as set forth in the 2026 Indenture. Upon conversion, the Company may choose to pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of common stock or a combination of cash and shares of common stock.
The Company accounts for the 2026 Senior Notes as a liability measured at its amortized cost, and no other features of the 2026 Senior Notes are bifurcated and recognized as a derivative. The proceeds from the issuance of the 2026 Senior Notes were approximately $340 million, net of debt issuance costs of $5 million comprised primarily of the initial purchasers’ discount, and the Company used a portion of the proceeds from the 2026 Senior Notes to enter into capped call transactions, as discussed below. The Company intends to use the remainder of the proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of debt, including the partial redemption and/or purchase of our 2025 Senior Notes prior to maturity. The debt issuance costs are being amortized over the remaining term of the 2026 Senior Notes, using the effective interest rate method, and recorded to interest expense on our consolidated statement of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our effective interest rate on our 2026 Senior Notes, including debt issuance costs, was approximately 0.40%, 0.47% and 0.53%, respectively, and $1 million was recorded as interest expense on our consolidated statements of operations for each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
The 2026 Senior Notes are unsecured and do not contain any financial covenants, restrictions on dividends, incurrence of senior debt or other indebtedness, or restrictions on the issuance or repurchase of securities by the Company.
Capped Call Transactions
In connection with the issuance of the 2026 Senior Notes, the Company entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the “Capped Calls”) with certain of the initial purchasers of the 2026 Senior Notes and/or their respective affiliates and/or other financial institutions (the “Option Counterparties”) at a cost of approximately $35 million. The Capped Calls are separate transactions entered into by the Company with each of the Option Counterparties, and are not part of the terms of the 2026 Senior Notes and therefore will not affect any noteholder’s rights under the 2026 Senior Notes. Noteholders will not have any rights with respect to the Capped Calls.
The Capped Calls cover, subject to anti-dilution adjustments, substantially similar to those applicable to the conversion rate of the 2026 Senior Notes, the number of shares of common stock initially underlying the 2026 Senior Notes, or up to approximately 4.7 million shares of our common stock. The Capped Calls are expected generally to reduce potential dilution to the common stock upon any conversion of 2026 Senior Notes and/or offset any potential cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of such converted 2026 Senior Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap. The strike price of the Capped Calls is $73.81, while the cap price of the Capped Calls will initially be $107.36 per share of our common stock, which represents a premium of 100% over the close price of our common stock of $53.68 per share on March 22, 2021 and is subject to certain customary adjustments under the terms of the Capped Calls.
The Capped Calls are considered indexed to our own stock and are considered equity classified under GAAP, and included as a reduction to additional paid-in-capital within stockholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet as of both December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Capped Calls are not accounted for as derivatives and their fair value is not remeasured each reporting period. In addition, upon entering into the Capped Calls we recorded an associated deferred tax asset of $9 million, as we made an income tax election allowable under the IRS regulations in order to recover the cost of the Capped Calls as interest expense for income tax purposes only over the term of the 2026 Senior Notes.
NOTE 9: OTHER LONG-TERM LIABILITIES
Other long-term liabilities consisted of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
Unrecognized tax benefits (1)
$
$
Deferred gain on equity method investment (2)
Long-term income taxes payable (3)
Other
Total
$
$
(1)Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” for information regarding our unrecognized tax benefits. Amounts include accrued interest related to this liability. 	
(2)Amount relates to long-term portion of a deferred income liability recorded as a result of an equity method investment made in the fourth quarter of 2019. Refer to “Note 3: Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements” for additional information.
(3)Amount relates to the long-term portion of transition tax payable related to the 2017 Tax Act. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes,” for additional information.
NOTE 10: INCOME TAXES
The following table presents a summary of our domestic and foreign income (loss) before income taxes for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)
Domestic
$
$
$
(127
)
Foreign
(58
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
$
$
$
(185
)
The components of our provision (benefit) for income taxes consisted of the following for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)
Current income tax expense (benefit):
Federal
$
$
$
State
(1
)
Foreign
Current income tax expense (benefit)
Deferred income tax expense (benefit):
Federal
(9
)
(19
)
(21
)
State
(5
)
Foreign
(22
)
(1
)
(18
)
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)
(25
)
(19
)
(44
)
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
$
$
$
(37
)
The significant components of our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities consisted of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31,
(in millions)
Deferred tax assets:
Stock-based compensation
$
$
Net operating loss carryforwards
Provision for accrued expenses
Lease financing obligation
Foreign advertising spend
Tax credit carryforward
Capitalized research expenses
Interest carryforward
Other
Total deferred tax assets
$
$
Less: valuation allowance
(106
)
(114
)
Net deferred tax assets
$
$
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets
$
(42
)
$
(48
)
Property and equipment
(3
)
(6
)
Prepaid expenses
(4
)
(4
)
Building - corporate headquarters
(12
)
(16
)
Other
(1
)
(1
)
Total deferred tax liabilities
$
(62
)
$
(75
)
Net deferred tax asset (liability)
$
$
At December 31, 2023, we had federal, state, and foreign net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) of approximately $2 million, $54 million, and $364 million, respectively. U.S. federal NOLs of $2 million expire at various times starting from 2029. State NOLs of $11 million may be carried forward indefinitely, while the remaining state NOLs of $43 million expire at various times starting from 2024. Foreign NOLs of $339 million may be carried forward indefinitely, while the remaining foreign NOLs of $25 million expire at various times starting from 2024.
As of December 31, 2023, we had a valuation allowance of approximately $106 million related to certain NOL carryforwards and other foreign deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not, the tax benefit will not be realized. This amount represented a decrease of $8 million, as compared to the balance as of December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily related to a change in a deferred tax asset in our U.K. subsidiaries.
Except for such foreign deferred tax assets, discussed above, we expect to realize all of our deferred tax assets. Due to economic uncertainty and global inflationary pressures, we will continue to monitor our financial performance to determine if the valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets may be necessary in the future.
A reconciliation of the provision (benefit) for income taxes to the amounts computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to income (loss) before income taxes is as follows for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)
Income tax expense at the federal statutory rate
$
$
$
(39
)
Foreign rate differential (1)
-
-
(14
)
State income taxes, net of effect of federal tax benefit
(2
)
Unrecognized tax benefits and related interest
IRS audit settlement
-
-
Transfer pricing reserve adjustment
-
-
FDII, GILTI and other provisions
(9
)
(2
)
-
Research tax credit
(4
)
(2
)
(7
)
Stock-based compensation
(1
)
Change in valuation allowance
(6
)
Executive compensation
Other, net
(4
)
(2
)
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
$
$
$
(37
)
(1)During 2021, intercompany debt was extinguished, which resulted in a reduction of our overall foreign rate differential.
The CARES Act allowed the Company to carryback our U.S. federal NOLs incurred in 2020, generating an expected U.S. federal tax benefit of $76 million, of which $64 million was refunded during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($15 million of this refund is recorded in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, reflecting future transition tax payments to be made by the Company related to the 2017 Tax Act). The remaining refund of $12 million is included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and is expected to be received during the year ending December 31, 2024.
In addition, certain governments have passed legislation to assist businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic through loans, wage subsidies, wage tax relief or other financial aid. We participated in several of these programs, including the CARES Act in the U.S., the United Kingdom's job retention scheme, as well as similar programs in other global jurisdictions. In addition, in certain countries, such as within the European Union, Singapore, Australia, and other global jurisdictions, we also participated in programs where government assistance was in the form of wage subsidies and reductions in wage-related employer taxes paid by us. We recognize these government assistance benefits when there is a reasonable assurance of compliance with the conditions associated with the assistance and the amount is received. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we recognized government grants and other assistance benefits of $12 million and $9 million, respectively, while this amount was not material during the year ended December 31, 2023. These amounts are not income tax related and were recorded as a reduction of personnel and overhead costs within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company does not expect any additional future benefits of this nature.
Due to the one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of undistributed foreign subsidiary earnings and profits in 2017, the majority of previously unremitted earnings have been subjected to U.S. federal income tax. To the extent future distributions from these subsidiaries will be taxable, a deferred tax liability has been accrued which was not material as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, $483 million of our cumulative undistributed foreign earnings were no longer considered to be indefinitely reinvested.
For purposes of governing certain of the ongoing relationships between Tripadvisor and Expedia at and after the Spin-Off, and to provide for an orderly transition, Tripadvisor and Expedia entered into various agreements at the time of the Spin-Off, and Tripadvisor has satisfied its obligations under such agreements. However, Tripadvisor continues to be subject to certain post Spin-Off obligations under the Tax Sharing Agreement. Under the Tax Sharing Agreement between Tripadvisor and Expedia, Tripadvisor is generally required to indemnify Expedia for any taxes resulting from the Spin-Off (and any related interest, penalties, legal and professional fees, and all costs and damages associated with related stockholder litigation or controversies) to the extent such amounts resulted from (i) any act or failure to act by Tripadvisor described in the covenants in the tax sharing agreement, (ii) any
acquisition of Tripadvisor equity securities or assets or those of a member of the Tripadvisor group, or (iii) any failure of the representations with respect to Tripadvisor or any member of our group to be true or any breach by Tripadvisor or any member of the Tripadvisor group of any covenant, in each case, which is contained in the separation documents or in the documents relating to the IRS private letter ruling and/or the opinion of counsel.
We are currently under examination by the IRS for the 2014 through 2016 and 2018 tax years and have various ongoing audits for foreign and state income tax returns. These audits include questions regarding or review of the timing and amount of income and deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. These examinations may lead to proposed or ordinary course adjustments to our taxes. We are no longer subject to tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2014. As of December 31, 2023, no material assessments have resulted, except as noted below regarding our 2009, 2010, and 2011 IRS audit with Expedia, our 2014 through 2016 standalone IRS audit, and our 2012 through 2016 HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) audit.
As disclosed in previous filings, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, we received Notices of Proposed Adjustments ("NOPA") from the IRS with respect to income tax returns filed by Expedia when Tripadvisor was part of Expedia Group’s consolidated income tax return for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 tax years. The assessment was related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with foreign subsidiaries, for which we had requested competent authority assistance under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (“MAP”) for the 2009 through 2011 tax years. In January 2023, we received a final notice from the IRS regarding a MAP settlement for the 2009 through 2011 tax years, which the Company accepted in February 2023. In the first quarter of 2023, we recorded additional income tax expense as a discrete item, inclusive of interest, of $31 million specifically related to this settlement. During the first quarter of 2023, we reviewed the impact of the acceptance of this settlement position against our existing transfer pricing income tax reserves for the subsequent tax years, which resulted in incremental income tax expense, inclusive of estimated interest, of $24 million. The total impact of these adjustments resulted in an incremental income tax expense of $55 million, which was recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2023. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we made a U.S. federal tax payment of $113 million, inclusive of interest, to Expedia related to this IRS audit settlement, pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Expedia. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we received the expected competent authority refund of $49 million, inclusive of interest income. We anticipate the federal tax benefits, net of remaining state tax payments due, associated with this IRS audit settlement will be substantially settled during 2024, resulting in an estimated net cash inflow of $5 million to $10 million.
Separately, during August 2020, we received a NOPA from the IRS for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments pertain to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries. We disagree with the proposed adjustments, and we intend to defend our position through applicable administrative and, if necessary, judicial remedies. In addition to the risk of additional tax for the years discussed above, if the IRS were to seek transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature for transactions in subsequent years, we may be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. We have previously requested competent authority assistance under MAP for the tax years 2014 through 2016. We reviewed our transfer pricing reserves as of December 31, 2023 and, based on the facts and circumstances that existed as of the reporting date, consider them to be the Company’s best estimate as of December 31, 2023. In January 2024, we received notification of a MAP resolution agreement for the 2014 through 2016 tax years, which we accepted in February 2024. We anticipate this will result in an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $30 million to $60 million in the first quarter of 2024, and will result in an estimated net operating cash outflow of $80 million to $130 million expected during 2024. These estimated ranges take into consideration competent authority relief, existing income tax reserves, transition tax regulations and estimated interest expense. This MAP resolution supersedes the NOPA for 2014 through 2016 from the IRS, described above. We will review the impact of this resolution in relation to our transfer pricing income tax reserves for the subsequent open tax years during the first quarter of 2024. Based on this new information received subsequent to December 31, 2023, adjustments for the open tax years subsequent to 2016 may also occur, which could be material.
As of December 31, 2022, we had recorded $204 million of unrecognized tax benefits, inclusive of interest, classified as other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. As a result of the Company's acceptance of MAP with the IRS for the tax years 2009 through 2011, and its impact on other ongoing IRS audits, as described above, during the first quarter of 2023, we reduced this unrecognized tax benefits liability by $59 million, reclassifying this balance to accrued expenses and other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet, which
was subsequently paid during 2023. We also reduced our long-term income taxes receivable by $45 million, representing our estimate of competent authority relief, or payment due from a foreign jurisdiction, which was received during the third quarter of 2023, as noted above, previously recorded to other long-term assets on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022.
In January 2021, we received from HMRC an issue closure notice relating to adjustments for 2012 through 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries and would result in an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $25 million to $35 million, exclusive of interest expense, at the close of the audit if HMRC prevails. We disagree with the proposed adjustments and we intend to defend our position through applicable administrative and, if necessary, judicial remedies. Our policy is to review and update tax reserves as facts and circumstances change.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits (excluding interest and penalties) is as follows during the periods presented:
December 31,
(in millions)
Balance, beginning of year
$
$
$
Increases to tax positions related to the current year
Increases to tax positions related to the prior year
Decreases due to lapsed statute of limitations
-
(20
)
-
Decreases due to tax positions related to the prior year
(6
)
(1
)
-
Settlements during current year
(40
)
-
(6
)
Balance, end of year
$
$
$
As of December 31, 2023, we had $153 million of unrecognized tax benefits, inclusive of interest, which is classified as long-term and primarily included in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, would reduce income tax expense by $114 million, due to correlative adjustments in other tax jurisdictions. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense on our consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31, 2023, total gross interest accrued was $50 million, of which $45 million was recorded in unrecognized tax benefits in other long-term liabilities and $5 million was recorded in income taxes receivable in other long-term assets, net on the consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2022, total gross interest accrued was $47 million and was recorded to unrecognized tax benefits in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.
NOTE 11: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
As of December 31, 2023, we have contractual obligations and commercial commitments that include expected interest payments on our 2026 Senior Notes and 2025 Senior Notes, expected commitment fees on our Credit Facility, and non-cancellable long-term purchase obligations, as summarized in the table below. The expected amounts and timing of payments discussed below were estimated based on information available to us as of December 31, 2023.
By Period
Total
Less than
1 year
1 to 3 years
3 to 5 years
More than
5 years
(in millions)
Expected interest payments on 2025 Senior Notes (1)
$
$
$
$
-
$
-
Expected interest payments on 2026 Senior Notes (2)
-
-
Expected commitment fee payments on Credit Facility (3)
-
Purchase obligations and other (4)
-
Total (5)
$
$
$
$
$
-
(1)Expected interest payments on our 2025 Senior Notes are based on a fixed interest rate of 7.0% as of December 31, 2023 and assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” for additional information on our 2025 Senior Notes.
(2)Expected interest payments on our 2026 Senior Notes are based on a fixed interest rate of 0.25% as of December 31, 2023 and assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” for additional information on our 2026 Senior Notes.
(3)Expected commitment fee payments are based on the daily unused portion of our Credit Facility, issued letters of credit, and the effective commitment fee rate as of December 31, 2023; however, these variables could change significantly in the future. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” for additional information on our Credit Facility.
(4)Estimated purchase obligations that are fixed and determinable, primarily related to telecommunication and licensing contracts, with various expiration dates through approximately June 2029. These contracts have non-cancelable terms or are cancelable only upon payment of significant penalty. Timing of payments and actual amounts paid may be different depending on the time of receipt of goods or services or changes to agreed-upon amounts for some obligations.
(5)Excluded from the table was $4 million of undrawn standby letters of credit, primarily as security deposits for certain property leases as of December 31, 2023.
Legal Proceedings
In the ordinary course of business, we are party to legal, regulatory and administrative matters, including threats thereof, arising out of, or in connection with our operations. These matters may involve claims involving, but not limited to, intellectual property rights (including privacy rights and alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights), tax matters (including value-added, excise, transient occupancy and accommodation taxes), regulatory compliance (including competition, consumer protection matters and data privacy or cybersecurity matters), defamation and reputational claims, personal injury claims, labor and employment matters and commercial disputes. Periodically, we review the status of all significant outstanding matters to assess any potential financial exposure. We record the estimated loss in our consolidated statements of operations when (i) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred; and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated and is material. We provide disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies that do not meet both of these conditions if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred that would be material to the consolidated financial statements. We base accruals on the best information available at the time, which can be highly subjective. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, we do not believe that the final disposition of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business. However, the final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from our estimates. Finally, there may be claims or actions pending or threatened against us of which we are currently not aware and the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on us. All legal fees incurred by the Company related to any regulatory and legal matters are expensed in the period incurred.
Income and Non-Income Taxes
We are under audit by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities with regards to income tax and non-income tax matters. We have reserved for potential adjustments that may result from examinations by, or any negotiated agreements with, these tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of audits could be materially different from our historical tax provisions and accruals. The results of an audit could have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the period for which that determination is made. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” for further information on potential contingencies surrounding income taxes.
NOTE 12: EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
Retirement Savings Plan
The Tripadvisor Retirement Savings Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), qualifies under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. The 401(k) Plan allows participating employees, which includes most of our U.S. employees, to make contributions of a specified percentage of their eligible compensation. Participating employees may contribute up to 50% of their eligible salary on a pre-tax basis, but not more than statutory limits. Employee-participants age 50 and over may also contribute an additional amount of their salary on a pre-tax tax basis up to the IRS Catch-Up Provision Limit (or “catch-up contributions”). Employees may also contribute into the 401(k) Plan on an after-tax basis up (or “Roth 401(k) contributions”) to an annual maximum of 10%. The 401(k) Plan has an automatic enrollment feature at 6% pre-tax. We match 50% of the first 6% of employee contributions to the plan for a maximum employer contribution of 3% of a participant’s eligible earnings. The catch-up contributions are not eligible for employer matching contributions. The matching contributions portion of an employee’s account, vests after two years of service. Additionally, at the end of the 401(k) Plan year, we make a discretionary matching
contribution to eligible participants. This additional discretionary matching employer contribution (or “true up”) is limited to match only contributions up to 3% of eligible compensation.
We also have various defined contribution plans for our non-U.S. employees. Our contribution to the 401(k) Plan and our non-U.S. defined contribution plans which are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were $12 million, $11 million, and $10 million, respectively.
Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors
The Company has a deferred compensation plan for non-employee directors (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”). Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, eligible directors who defer their directors’ fees may elect to have such deferred fees (i) applied to the purchase of share units, representing the number of shares of our common stock that could have been purchased on the date such fees would otherwise be payable, or (ii) credited to a cash fund. The cash fund will be credited with interest at an annual rate equal to the weighted average prime or base lending rate of a financial institution selected in accordance with the terms of the Deferred Compensation Plan and applicable law. Upon termination of service as a director of Tripadvisor, a director will receive (i) with respect to share units, such number of shares of our common stock as the share units represent, and (ii) with respect to the cash fund, a cash payment. Payments upon termination will be made in either one lump sum or up to five annual installments, as elected by the eligible director at the time of the deferral election.
Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, 100,000 shares of Tripadvisor common stock are available for issuance to non-employee directors. From the inception of the Deferred Compensation Plan through December 31, 2023, a total of 557 shares have been issued for such purpose.
Executive Severance Plan and Summary Plan Description
The Company also maintains its Executive Severance Plan and Summary Plan Description (the “Severance Plan”) which is applicable to certain employees of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Severance Plan formalizes and standardizes the Company’s severance practices for certain designated employees (each, a “Participant” and, collectively, the “Participants”). Participants covered by the Severance Plan generally will be eligible to receive severance benefits in the event of a termination by the Company without cause or, under certain circumstances, by the Participant for good reason. The severance benefits differ if there is a termination of employment in connection with a change in control. The severance benefits provided pursuant to the Severance Plan are determined based on the job classification of the Participants (as reflected in internal job profile designations) and, in certain cases, their years of service with the Company. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, we recognized $2 million, $1 million and $1 million of expense under the Severance Plan on our consolidated statements of operations.
NOTE 13: STOCK BASED AWARDS AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS
Stock-based Compensation Expense
The following table presents the amount of stock-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit included in our consolidated statements of operations during the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Cost of revenue
$
$
$
Selling and marketing
Technology and content
General and administrative
Total stock-based compensation expense
Income tax benefit from stock-based compensation expense
(21
)
(18
)
(23
)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of tax effect
$
$
$
We capitalized $10 million, $10 million and $13 million of stock-based compensation expense as website development costs during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Stock and Incentive Plans
On December 20, 2011, our 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”) became effective and we filed a Registration Statement registering a total of 17,500,000 shares of our common stock, of which 17,400,000 shares were issuable in connection with grants of equity-based awards under our 2011 Plan and 100,000 shares were issuable under our Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors (refer to “Note 12: Employee Benefit Plans” for information on our Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors). At our annual meeting of stockholders held on June 28, 2013, our stockholders approved an amendment to our 2011 Plan to, among other things, increase the aggregate number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance thereunder by 15,000,000 shares.
On June 21, 2018, our stockholders approved the 2018 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”) and we filed a Registration Statement registering 6,000,000 shares plus the number of shares available for issuance (and not subject to outstanding awards) under the 2011 Plan. As of the effective date of the 2018 Plan, the Company ceased granting awards under the 2011 Plan. On June 8, 2021, our stockholders approved an amendment to the Company’s 2018 Plan to, among other things, increase the aggregate number of shares reserved and available for issuance under the 2018 Plan by 10,000,000 shares. The purpose of this amendment was to provide sufficient reserves of shares of our common stock to ensure our ability to continue to provide new hires, employees and management with equity incentives.
On June 6, 2023, our stockholders approved the TripAdvisor, Inc. 2023 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) primarily for the purpose of providing sufficient reserves of shares of our common stock to ensure our ability to continue to provide new hires, employees, and other participants with equity incentives. The 2023 Plan provides for the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and other stock-based awards. As of the effective date of the 2023 Plan, the Company ceased granting awards under the 2018 Plan.
As of December 31, 2023, the total number of shares reserved for future stock-based awards under the 2023 Plan was approximately 19 million shares, calculated as follows: 12 million shares plus the number of shares available for issuance (and not subject to outstanding awards) under the 2018 Plan. All shares of common stock issued to date in respect of the exercise of options, RSUs, or other equity awards have been issued from authorized, but unissued common stock.
Stock Based Award Activity and Valuation
2023 Stock Option Activity
A summary of our stock option activity, consisting of service-based non-qualified stock options, is presented below:
Weighted
Weighted
Average
Average
Exercise
Remaining
Aggregate
Options
Price Per
Contractual
Intrinsic
Outstanding
Share
Life
Value
(in thousands)
(in years)
(in millions)
Options outstanding as of December 31, 2022
5,462
$
43.48
Granted
$
20.15
Cancelled or expired (1)
(1,699
)
$
59.54
Options outstanding as of December 31, 2023
3,927
$
35.56
5.2
$
Exercisable as of December 31, 2023
2,893
$
39.30
4.1
$
Vested and expected to vest after December 31, 2023 (2)
3,781
$
35.88
5.1
$
(1)Inclusive of 1,100,000 stock options awarded in August 2013 to our former CEO, Stephen Kaufer, that expired during the third quarter of 2023. The expiration of these stock options had no impact to our stock-based compensation expense under GAAP during the third quarter of 2023.
(2)The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur, rather than estimate expected forfeitures as allowed under GAAP and therefore do not include a forfeiture rate in our vested and expected to vest calculation unless necessary for a performance condition award.
Aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the closing stock price of our common stock and the exercise price of outstanding, in-the-money options. Our closing stock price as reported on Nasdaq as of December 31, 2023 was $21.53. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was not material, and for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $9 million.
The fair value of stock option grants has been estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions for the periods presented:
December 31,
Risk free interest rate
3.70
%
3.07
%
0.83
%
Expected term (in years)
5.16
5.42
5.45
Expected volatility
53.43
%
51.63
%
49.61
%
Expected dividend yield
- %
- %
- %
Weighted-average grant date fair value
$
10.18
$
9.93
$
18.40
The total fair value of stock options vested for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were $7 million, $16 million, and $31 million, respectively. Cash received from stock option exercises for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was not material, and for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $8 million.
2023 RSU Activity
A summary of our RSU activity, consisting of service-based vesting terms, is presented below:
Weighted
Average
Grant-
Aggregate
RSUs
Date Fair
Intrinsic
Outstanding
Value Per Share
Value
(in thousands)
(in millions)
Unvested RSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2022
8,572
$
28.41
Granted
8,043
20.80
Vested and released (1)
(3,688
)
29.62
Cancelled
(1,407
)
25.59
Unvested RSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2023 (2)
11,520
$
23.06
$
(1)Inclusive of approximately 840,000 RSUs withheld due to net share settlement to satisfy required employee tax withholding requirements. Potential shares which had been convertible under RSUs that were withheld under net share settlement remain in the authorized but unissued pool under the 2023 Plan and can be reissued by the Company. Total payments for the employees’ tax obligations to the taxing authorities due to net share settlements are reflected as a financing activity within the consolidated statements of cash flows.
(2)The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur, rather than estimate expected forfeitures as allowed under GAAP and therefore do not include a forfeiture rate in our vested and expected to vest calculation unless necessary for a performance condition award.
The total fair value of RSUs vested for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $109 million, $108 million, and $144 million, respectively.
On December 31, 2021, the Section 16 Committee of our Board of Directors approved and granted to Stephen Kaufer, the Company’s CEO at the time, the following: (i) stock option to purchase 115,200 shares of common stock, 25% of which vested and became exercisable on August 1, 2022, while the balance vests in quarterly installments over the following three years; with an estimated grant-date fair value per option of $12.59, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model; (ii) stock option to purchase 110,026 shares of common stock, which will vest and become exercisable in full on August 1, 2024; with an estimated grant-date fair value per option of $13.18,
using a Black-Scholes option pricing model; and (iii) 106,382 RSUs, 25% of which vested and settled on August 1, 2022, while the balance vests in quarterly installments over the following three years, with an estimated grant-date fair value of $27.26 per RSU, based on the quoted price of our common stock on the date of grant. The estimated fair value of these awards totaled $6 million and was fully recognized as stock-based compensation expense to the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021, given the Company concluded there was no substantive future requisite service condition for these awards that existed at grant date for GAAP purposes. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company reversed $3 million of this previously recorded stock-based compensation expense related to these awards as the Company concluded that certain awards scheduled to vest were no longer achievable as a result of new terms executed in Mr. Kaufer's Consulting Service Agreement entered into on May 3, 2022.
A summary of our performance-based RSUs ("PSUs") and market-based RSUs (“MSUs”) activity is presented below:
PSUs (1)
MSUs (2)
Weighted
Weighted
Average
Average
Grant-
Aggregate
Grant-
Aggregate
Date Fair
Intrinsic
Date Fair
Intrinsic
Outstanding
Value Per Share
Value
Outstanding
Value Per Share
Value
(in thousands)
(in millions)
(in thousands)
(in millions)
Unvested and outstanding as of December 31, 2022
-
$
-
$
10.00
Granted
18.45
14.80
Cancelled
(27
)
18.45
(54
)
9.26
Unvested and outstanding as of December 31, 2023
$
18.45
$
$
10.35
$
(1)Represents PSUs awarded in February 2023. The PSU awards provide for vesting in two equal annual installments on each of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2025, based on the extent to which the Company achieves certain financial metrics relative to targets established by the Company’s Compensation Committee of its Board of Directors. The estimated grant-date fair value per PSU was measured based on the quoted price of our common stock at the date of grant, calculated upon the establishment of performance targets, and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. Based upon actual attainment relative to the target financial metrics, employees have the ability to receive up to 200% of the target number originally granted, or to be issued none at all. Probable outcome for performance-based awards is updated based upon changes in actual and forecasted operating results or expected achievement of performance goals, as applicable, and the impact of modifications, if any.
(2)MSUs shall vest three years from grant date, generally with 25% vesting if the weighted-average stock price over a 30-day trading period during the vesting period is equal to or greater than $35.00 but less than $45.00, 50% vesting if equal to or greater than $45.00 but less than $55.00, and 100% vesting if equal to or greater than $55.00, subject to continuous employment with, or performance of services for, the Company. A Monte-Carlo simulation model, which simulated the present value of the potential outcomes of future stock prices was used to calculate the grant-date fair value of our MSU awards. The estimated grant-date fair value of these awards is amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period and is not adjusted based on the actual number of awards that ultimately vest.
As of December 31, 2023, total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock-based awards, substantially RSUs, was $241 million, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average period of 2.6 years.
NOTE 14: STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock
In addition to common stock, we are authorized to issue up to 100 million preferred shares, with $ 0.001 par value per share, with terms determined by our Board of Directors, without further action by our stockholders. As of December 31, 2023, no preferred shares had been issued.
Common Stock and Class B Common Stock
Our authorized common stock consists of 1.6 billion shares of common stock with par value of $0.001 per share, and 400 million shares of Class B common stock with par value of $0.001 per share. Both classes of common stock qualify for and share equally in dividends, if declared by our Board of Directors. Common stock is entitled to one vote per share and Class B common stock is entitled to 10 votes per share. Holders of Tripadvisor common
stock, acting as a single class, are entitled to elect a number of directors equal to 25% of the total number of directors, rounded up to the next whole number, which was three directors as of December 31, 2023. Class B common stockholders may, at any time, convert their shares into common stock, on a one for one share basis. Upon conversion, the Class B common stock is retired and is not available for reissue. In the event of liquidation, dissolution, distribution of assets or winding-up of Tripadvisor the holders of both classes of common stock have equal rights to receive all the assets of Tripadvisor after the rights of the holders of the preferred stock have been satisfied. There were 149,775,361 and 124,881,494 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, respectively, and 12,799,999 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of accumulated foreign currency translation adjustments, as follows as of the dates presented:
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
(in millions)
Cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax (1)
$
(71
)
$
(82
)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
$
(71
)
$
(82
)
(1)Deferred income tax liabilities related to these amounts are not material.
Treasury Stock
On November 1, 2019, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $100 million in shares of our common stock under an existing share repurchase program, which increased the amount available to the Company under this share repurchase program to $250 million. Our Board of Directors authorized and directed management, working with the Executive Committee of our Board of Directors, to affect the share repurchase program in compliance with applicable legal requirements. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $75 million remaining under this existing share repurchase program to repurchase shares of its common stock. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we repurchased 4,724,729 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average price of $15.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes or $75 million in the aggregate, which completed this share repurchase program.
On September 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million in shares of our common stock under a new share repurchase program. Our Board of Directors authorized and directed management, working with the Executive Committee of our Board of Directors, to affect the share repurchase program in compliance with applicable legal requirements. The Executive Committee will determine the price, timing, amount and method of such repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and at prices determined to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders. This share repurchase program, which has a term of two years, does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular number of shares and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased 1,324,524 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average price of $18.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $25 million, under this share repurchase program. As of December 31, 2023, we had $225 million remaining available to repurchase shares of our common stock under this share repurchase program.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company held 24,893,867 shares of its common stock in treasury with an aggregate cost of $822 million.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law, and imposed a nondeductible 1% excise tax on the net value of certain stock repurchases made after December 31, 2022. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the excise tax liability incurred and recorded to accrued expenses and other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet was not material.
Dividends
During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our Board of Directors did not declare any dividends on our outstanding common stock. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, future prospects, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.
NOTE 15: EARNINGS PER SHARE
Below is a reconciliation of the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding in calculating Diluted EPS for the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
(shares in thousands and $ in millions, except per share amounts)
Numerator:
Net income (loss) used to compute Basic EPS
$
$
$
(148
)
Interest expense on 2026 Senior Notes, net of tax
-
Net income (loss) used to compute Diluted EPS
$
$
$
(148
)
Denominator:
Weighted average shares used to compute Basic EPS
139,412
139,923
137,234
Weighted average effect of dilutive securities:
Stock-based awards (Note 13)
1,073
-
2026 Senior Notes (Note 8)
4,674
4,674
-
Weighted average shares used to compute Diluted EPS
144,815
145,670
137,234
Basic EPS
$
0.07
$
0.14
$
(1.08
)
Diluted EPS
$
0.08
$
0.14
$
(1.08
)
Potential common shares, consisting of outstanding stock options, RSUs and those issuable under the 2026 Senior Notes, totaling approximately 14.8 million, 11.4 million, and 16.1 million, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, have been excluded from the calculations of Diluted EPS because their effect would have been antidilutive. In addition, potential common shares of certain performance-based awards of approximately 1.1 million, 0.3 million, and 0.1 million, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, for which all targets required to trigger vesting had not been achieved, were excluded from the calculation of weighted average shares used to compute Diluted EPS for those reporting periods.
The earnings per share amounts are the same for our common stock and Class B common stock because the holders of each class are legally entitled to equal per share distributions whether through dividends or in liquidation. In addition, our non-vested RSUs are entitled to dividend equivalents, which are payable to the holder subject to, and only upon vesting of, the underlying awards and are therefore forfeitable. Given such dividend equivalents are forfeitable, we do not consider them to be participating securities and, consequently, they are not subject to the two-class method of determining earnings per share.
NOTE 16: OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET
Other income (expense), net, consists of the following for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)
Foreign currency exchange gains (losses), net (1)
$
(5
)
$
(5
)
$
(4
)
Earnings (losses) from equity investment, net
(2
)
(2
)
(3
)
Other, net
(3
)
Total
$
(4
)
$
(5
)
$
(10
)
(1)Foreign currency exchange gains (losses), net, are related to foreign exchange transaction gains and losses due to required conversion from transaction currency to functional currency, offset by any foreign currency forward contract gains and losses.
NOTE 17: RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Relationship between Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. and Tripadvisor
LTRIP is a controlling stockholder of Tripadvisor. We consider LTRIP a related party. Refer to “Note 1: Organization and Business Description”, which describes the evolution of our relationship with LTRIP, including LTRIP’s stock ownership of Tripadvisor and deemed voting power as of December 31, 2023. We had no related party transactions with LTRIP during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Relationship between Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTE Ltd. and Tripadvisor
Refer to the discussion regarding our equity method investment in Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTD Ltd. in the section titled “Non-Marketable Investments” within “Note 3: Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements” for a description of our relationship and existing commercial arrangements with Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTE Ltd and/or its subsidiaries. We had no material related party transactions with Chelsea Investment Holding Company PTE Ltd or its subsidiaries during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
NOTE 18: SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
We have three reportable segments: (1) Brand Tripadvisor (formerly Tripadvisor Core); (2) Viator; and (3) TheFork. Our Brand Tripadvisor segment includes the following revenue sources: (1) Tripadvisor-branded hotels - consisting of hotel meta revenue, primarily click-based advertising revenue, and also hotel B2B revenue, which includes primarily subscription-based advertising and hotel sponsored placements revenue; (2) Media and advertising revenue - consisting primarily of display-based advertising revenue (also referred to as “media advertising”); (3) Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue - consisting of intercompany (intersegment) revenue related to affiliate marketing commissions earned primarily from experience bookings, and to a lesser extent, restaurant reservation bookings on Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps, fulfilled by Viator and TheFork, respectively, which are eliminated on a consolidated basis, in addition to external revenue generated from Tripadvisor restaurant offerings; and (4) Other revenue - consisting of cruises, alternative accommodation rentals, flights, and rental cars revenue. The nature of the services provided and related revenue recognition policies are summarized by reportable segment in “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies.”
Our operating segments are determined based on how our chief executive officer, who also serves as our chief operating decision maker (“CODM") manages our business, regularly accesses information, and evaluates performance for operating decision-making purposes, including allocation of resources. Adjusted EBITDA is our segment profit measure and a key measure used by our CODM and Board of Directors to understand and evaluate the operating performance of our business and on which internal budgets and forecasts are based and approved. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus: (1) (provision) benefit for income taxes; (2) other income (expense), net; (3) depreciation and amortization; (4) stock-based compensation and other stock-settled obligations; (5) goodwill, long-lived asset, and intangible assets impairments; (6) legal reserves and settlements; (7) restructuring and other related reorganization costs; and (8) non-recurring expenses and income.
Direct costs are included in the applicable operating segments, including certain corporate general and administrative personnel costs, which have been allocated to each segment. We base these allocations on time-spent analyses, headcount, and other allocation methods we believe are reasonable. We do not allocate certain shared expenses to our reportable segments, such as certain information system costs, technical infrastructure costs, and other costs supporting the Tripadvisor platform and operations, that we do not believe are a material driver of individual segment performance, which is consistent with the financial information used by our CODM. We include these expenses in our Brand Tripadvisor segment. Our allocation methodology is periodically evaluated and may change.
The following tables present our reportable segment information for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 and includes a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net income (loss). We record depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation and other stock-settled obligations, goodwill, long-lived asset and intangible asset impairments, legal reserves and settlements, and other non-recurring expenses and income, net, which are excluded from segment operating performance, in "Corporate & Eliminations". In addition, we do not report total assets, capital expenditures and related depreciation expense by segment as our CODM does not use this information to evaluate operating segment performance. Accordingly, we do not regularly provide such information by segment to our CODM.
Our segment disclosure includes intersegment revenues, which consist of affiliate marketing fees for services provided by our Brand Tripadvisor segment to both our Viator and TheFork segments. These intersegment transactions are recorded by each segment at amounts that we believe approximate fair value as if the transactions were between third parties and, therefore, impact segment performance. However, the revenue and corresponding expense are eliminated in consolidation. The elimination of such intersegment transactions is included within the “Corporate & Eliminations” column in the tables below.
Year ended December 31, 2023
Brand Tripadvisor (1)
Viator (2)
TheFork (3)
Corporate &
Eliminations
Total
(in millions)
External revenue
$
$
$
$
-
$
1,788
Intersegment revenue
-
-
(134
)
-
Total Revenue
$
1,031
$
$
$
(134
)
$
1,788
Adjusted EBITDA
-
(14
)
-
Depreciation and amortization
(87
)
(87
)
Stock-based compensation
(96
)
(96
)
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs (4)
(10
)
(3
)
(9
)
-
(22
)
Other non-recurring expenses (income) (5)
(3
)
(3
)
Operating income (loss)
Other income (expense), net
(1
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
(115
)
Net income (loss)
Year ended December 31, 2022
Brand Tripadvisor (1)
Viator (2)
TheFork (3)
Corporate &
Eliminations
Total
(in millions)
External revenue
$
$
$
$
-
$
1,492
Intersegment revenue
-
-
(93
)
-
Total Revenue
$
$
$
$
(93
)
$
1,492
Adjusted EBITDA
(11
)
(39
)
-
Depreciation and amortization
(97
)
(97
)
Stock-based compensation
(88
)
(88
)
Legal reserves and settlements
(1
)
(1
)
Other non-recurring expenses (income) (6)
(8
)
(8
)
Operating income (loss)
Other income (expense), net
(34
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
(47
)
Net income (loss)
Year ended December 31, 2021
Brand Tripadvisor (1)
Viator (2)
TheFork (3)
Corporate &
Eliminations
Total
(in millions)
External revenue
$
$
$
$
-
$
Intersegment revenue
-
-
(32
)
-
Total Revenue
$
$
$
$
(32
)
$
Adjusted EBITDA
(31
)
(46
)
-
Depreciation and amortization
(111
)
(111
)
Stock-based compensation
(120
)
(120
)
Operating income (loss)
(131
)
Other income (expense), net
(54
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(185
)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
Net income (loss)
(148
)
(1)Corporate general and administrative personnel costs of $6 million, $5 million and $6 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, were allocated to the Viator and TheFork segments.
(2)Includes allocated corporate general and administrative personnel costs from our Brand Tripadvisor segment of $3 million, $2 million and $3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
(3)Includes allocated corporate general and administrative personnel costs from our Brand Tripadvisor segment of $3 million, $3 million and $3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
(4)Refer to “Note 7: Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities” for information regarding restructuring and other related reorganization costs.
(5)The Company expensed $3 million of previously capitalized transaction costs during 2023, to general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statement of operations. The Company considers such costs to be non-recurring in nature.
(6)The Company incurred a loss of approximately $8 million during the fourth quarter of 2022, as the result of external fraud. This loss was recorded to general and administrative expenses on the consolidated statement of operations for December 31, 2022. The Company considers such costs to be non-recurring in nature. To the extent the Company recovers any losses in future periods related to this incident, the Company plans to reduce Adjusted EBITDA by the recovery amount in that same period.
Product and Geographic Information
We disaggregate revenue into major products and revenue sources, as follows, for the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
Major products/revenue sources (1):
(in millions)
Brand Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor-branded hotels
$
$
$
Media and advertising
Tripadvisor experiences and dining (2)
Other
Total Brand Tripadvisor
1,031
Viator
TheFork
Intersegment eliminations (2)
(134
)
(93
)
(32
)
Total Revenue
$
1,788
$
1,492
$
(1)Our revenue is recognized primarily at a point in time for all reported segments.
(2)Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue within the Brand Tripadvisor segment is shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) revenue, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis.
The Company measures its geographic revenue based on the physical location of the Tripadvisor subsidiary which generates the revenue, which is consistent with our measurement of long-lived physical assets, or property
and equipment, net. As such, this geographic classification does not necessarily align with where the consumer resides, where the consumer is physically located while using the Company's services, or the location of the travel service provider, experience operator or restaurant.
The Company’s revenue based on geographic location consists of the following for the periods presented:
Year ended December 31,
(in millions)
Revenue
United States
$
1,198
$
$
United Kingdom
All other countries
Total revenue
$
1,788
$
1,492
$
The Company’s property and equipment, net for the United States and all other countries based on the geographic location of the assets consists of the following as of the dates presented:
December 31,
(in millions)
Property and equipment, net
United States
$
$
All other countries
Total
$
$
Customer Concentrations
Refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies” under the section entitled “Certain Risks and Concentrations” for information regarding our major customer concentrations.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.

---

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of December 31, 2023, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and President and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and President and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, including ensuring that such material information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and President and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes to our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and President and the Chief Financial Officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
The Company’s management evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d), management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our internal control over financial reporting was effective. Management has reviewed its assessment with the Audit Committee. KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, as stated in their report which is included below.
Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures
Management does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all error and fraud. Any control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. Further, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Tripadvisor, Inc.:
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited Tripadvisor, Inc. and subsidiaries' (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated February 16, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the
U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
February 16, 2024

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information
During the fourth quarter of 2023, none of the Company’s directors or officers adopted or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or a non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (each as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K).

---

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2024 Proxy Statement, which proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

---

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2024 Proxy Statement, which proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

---

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2024 Proxy Statement, which proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2024 Proxy Statement, which proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2024 Proxy Statement, which proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
(a) The following is filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
1. Consolidated Financial Statements: The consolidated financial statements and report of independent registered public accounting firms required by this item are included in Part II, Item 8.
All other schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or not required, or because the required information is shown either in the consolidated financial statements or in the notes thereto.
(b) Exhibits:
Incorporated by Reference
Exhibit
No.
Exhibit Description
Filed
Herewith
Form
SEC File No.
Exhibit
No.
Filing
Date
3.1
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Tripadvisor, Inc.
8-K
001-35362
3.1
12/27/11
3.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Tripadvisor, Inc.
8-K
001-35362
3.2
12/27/11
3.3
Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Bylaws of Tripadvisor, Inc.
8-K
001-35362
3.1
2/12/13
4.1
Specimen Tripadvisor, Inc. Common Stock Certificate
S-4/A
333-175828-01
4.6
10/24/11
4.2
Description of the Registrant’s Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
10-K
001-35362
4.2
2/19/20
4.3
Indenture, dated July 9, 2020, among Tripadvisor, Inc., the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (as successor trustee to Wilmington Trust, National Association)
8-K
001-35362
4.1
7/9/20
4.4
Form of Senior Note (included in Exhibit 4.1)
8-K
001-35362
4.2
7/9/20
4.5
Indenture, dated as of March 25, 2021, by and among Tripadvisor, Inc., the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee
8-K
001-35362
4.1
3/25/21
4.6
Form of 0.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (included as Exhibit A to Exhibit 4.1)
8-K
001-35362
4.2
3/25/21
10.1
Governance Agreement, by and among Tripadvisor, Inc., Liberty Interactive Corporation and Barry Diller, dated as of December 20, 2011
8-K
001-35362
10.1
12/27/11
10.2
Assignment and Assumption of Governance Agreement by and among Tripadvisor, Inc. and Liberty Tripadvisor Holdings, dated as of August 12, 2014
X
10.3
Tax Sharing Agreement by and between Tripadvisor, Inc. and Expedia, Inc., dated as of December 20, 2011
8-K
001-35362
10.2
12/27/11
10.4+
Tripadvisor, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors
S-8
333-178637
4.6
12/20/11
10.5
Corporate Headquarters Lease with Normandy Gap-V Needham Building 3, LLC, as landlord, dated as of June 20, 2013
10-Q
001-35362
10.1
7/24/13
10.6
Guaranty dated June 20, 2013 by Tripadvisor, Inc. for the benefit of Normandy Gap-V Needham Building 3, LLC, as landlord
10-Q
001-35362
10.2
7/24/13
10.7
Amendment and Restatement Agreement, dated as of June 29, 2023, to the Credit Agreement dated as of June 26, 2015 (as amended as of May 12, 2017, May 5, 2020 and December 17, 2020, among Tripadvisor, Inc., Tripadvisor Holdings, LLC, Tripadvisor, LLC, the other Borrowers party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent
8-K
001-35362
10.1
7/6/23
10.8+
Executive Severance Plan and Summary Plan Description
10-Q
001-35362
10.4
8/8/17
10.9+
Form of Option Agreement (Domestic)
10-Q
001-35362
10.2
5/6/21
10.10+
Form of Option Agreement (International)
10-Q
001-35362
10.3
5/6/21
10.11+
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (Domestic)
10-Q
001-35362
10.1
5/3/23
10.12+
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (International)
10-Q
001-35362
10.2
5/3/23
10.13+
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (French)
10-Q
001-35362
10.3
5/3/23
10.14+
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (Performance Based)
10-Q
001-35362
10.4
5/3/23
10.15+
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (Non-Employee Directors)
10-Q
001-35362
10.2
8/1/18
10.16
Governance Agreement dated as of November 6, 2019 between Tripadvisor, Inc. and Trip.com Group Limited
8-K
001-35362
10.1
11/6/19
10.17+
Employment Agreement, dated as of March 29, 2021 between Tripadvisor, LLC and Seth Kalvert
10-Q
001-35362
10.7
5/6/21
10.18
Form of Capped Call Confirmation
8-K
001-35362
10.1
3/25/21
10.19+
Employment Letter Agreement dated May 2, 2022 between Tripadvisor LLC and Matt Goldberg
8-K
001-35362
10.1
5/4/22
10.20+
Employment Letter Agreement dated October 10, 2022 between Tripadvisor LLC and Michael Noonan
8-K
001-35362
10.1
10/11/22
10.21+
Tripadvisor, Inc. 2023 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan
X
21.1
Subsidiaries of the Registrant
X
23.1
Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
X
24.1
Power of Attorney (included in signature page)
X
31.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
X
31.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
X
32.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
X
32.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
X
97.1
Tripadvisor, Inc. Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy, dated November 1, 2023
X
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
X
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema with Embedded Linkbases Document.
X
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).
X
+ Indicates a management contract or a compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.