UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition.
On January 6, 2025, MicroStrategy Incorporated (“MicroStrategy,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) issued updates relating to material developments in its business as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, including its sales under its at-the-market equity program and bitcoin acquisitions, capital markets activities, capital structure and debt and bitcoin holdings and financial statement impacts. This information is contained in Item 8.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.
| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
Furnished Information
The information disclosed pursuant to Item 7.01 in this Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
BTC Yield KPI
From October 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024, the Company’s BTC Yield was 48.0%. From January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024, the Company’s BTC Yield was 74.3%.
BTC Yield is a key performance indicator (“KPI”) that represents the percentage change period-to-period of the ratio between the Company’s bitcoin holdings and its Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding. Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding refers to the aggregate of the Company’s actual shares of common stock outstanding as of the end of the applicable period plus all additional shares that would result from the assumed conversion of all outstanding convertible notes, exercise of all outstanding stock option awards, and settlement of all outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units. The Company uses BTC Yield as a KPI to help assess the performance of its strategy of acquiring bitcoin in a manner the Company believes is accretive to shareholders. The Company believes this KPI can be used to supplement an investor’s understanding of the Company’s decision to fund the purchase of bitcoin by issuing additional shares of its common stock or instruments convertible to common stock.
BTC Yield and Basic and Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding
| 12/31/2023 | 9/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 | ||||||||||
| Total Bitcoin Holdings |
189,150 | 252,220 | 447,470 | |||||||||
| Shares Outstanding (in ‘000s) (1) |
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| Class A |
149,041 | 182,995 | 226,138 | |||||||||
| Class B |
19,640 | 19,640 | 19,640 | |||||||||
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| Basic Shares Outstanding (2) |
168,681 | 202,635 | 245,778 | |||||||||
| 2025 Convertible Shares @$39.80 |
16,330 | — | — | |||||||||
| 2027 Convertible Shares @$143.25 |
7,330 | 7,330 | 7,330 | |||||||||
| 2028 Convertible Shares @$183.19 |
— | 5,513 | 5,513 | |||||||||
| 2029 Convertible Shares @$672.40 |
— | — | 4,462 | |||||||||
| 2030 Convertible Shares @$149.77 |
— | 5,342 | 5,342 | |||||||||
| 2031 Convertible Shares @$232.72 |
— | 2,594 | 2,594 | |||||||||
| 2032 Convertible Shares @$204.33 |
— | 3,915 | 3,915 | |||||||||
| Options Outstanding |
12,936 | 5,678 | 4,956 | |||||||||
| RSU/PSU Unvested |
2,359 | 2,034 | 1,845 | |||||||||
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| Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding (3) |
207,636 | 235,042 | 281,735 | |||||||||
| BTC Yield % (Three Months Ended December 31, 2024) |
48.0 | % | ||||||||||
| BTC Yield % (Year Ended December 31, 2024) |
74.3 | % | ||||||||||
| (1) | On July 11, 2024, the Company announced a 10-for-1 stock split of the Company’s class A common stock and class B common stock. The stock split was effected by means of a stock dividend to the holders of record of the Company’s class A common stock and class B common stock as of the close of business on August 1, 2024, the record date for the dividend. The dividend was distributed after the close of trading on August 7, 2024 and trading commenced on a split-adjusted basis at market open on August 8, 2024. As a result of the stock split, all applicable share and equity award information has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the stock split for all periods presented. |
| (2) | Basic Shares Outstanding reflects the actual class A common stock and class B common stock outstanding as of the dates presented. For purposes of this calculation, outstanding shares of such stock are deemed to include shares, if any, that were sold under at-the-market equity offering programs or that were to be issued pursuant to options that had been exercised or restricted stock units that have vested, but which in each case were pending issuance as of the dates presented. |
| (3) | Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding refers to the aggregate of the Company’s Basic Shares Outstanding as of the end of each period plus all additional shares that would result from the assumed conversion of all outstanding convertible notes, exercise of all outstanding stock option awards, and settlement of all outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units. Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding is not calculated using the treasury method and does not take into account any vesting conditions (in the case of equity awards), the exercise price of any stock option awards or any contractual conditions limiting convertibility of convertible debt instruments. |
Important Information about BTC Yield KPI
BTC Yield is a KPI that represents the percentage change period-to-period of the ratio between the Company’s bitcoin holdings and its Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding. Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding refers to the aggregate of the Company’s actual shares of common stock outstanding as of the end of each period plus all additional shares that would result from the assumed conversion of all outstanding convertible notes, exercise of all outstanding stock option awards, and settlement of all outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units. Assumed Diluted Shares Outstanding is not calculated using the treasury method and does not take into account any vesting conditions (in the case of equity awards), the exercise price of any stock option awards or any contractual conditions limiting convertibility of convertible debt instruments.
The Company uses BTC Yield as a KPI to help assess the performance of its strategy of acquiring bitcoin in a manner the Company believes is accretive to shareholders. The Company believes this KPI can be used to supplement an investor’s understanding of its decision to fund the purchase of bitcoin by issuing additional shares of its common stock or instruments convertible to common stock. When the Company uses this KPI, management also takes into account the various limitations of this metric, including that it does not take into account debt and other liabilities and claims on company assets that would be senior to common equity and that it assumes that all indebtedness will be refinanced or, in the case of the Company’s senior convertible debt instruments, converted into shares of common stock in accordance with their respective terms.
Additionally, this KPI is not, and should not be understood as, an operating performance measure or a financial or liquidity measure. In particular, BTC Yield is not equivalent to “yield” in the traditional financial context. It is not a measure of the return on investment the Company’s shareholders may have achieved historically or can achieve in the future by purchasing stock of the Company, or a measure of income generated by the Company’s operations or its bitcoin holdings, return on investment on its bitcoin holdings, or any other similar financial measure of the performance of its business or assets.
The trading price of the Company’s class A common stock is informed by numerous factors in addition to the amount of bitcoins the Company holds and number of actual or potential shares of its stock outstanding, and as a result, the market value of the Company’s shares may trade at a discount or a premium relative to the market value of the bitcoin the Company holds, and BTC Yield is not indicative nor predictive of the trading price of the Company’s shares of class A common stock.
As noted above, this KPI is narrow in its purpose and is used by management to assist it in assessing whether the Company is using equity capital in a manner accretive to shareholders solely as it pertains to its bitcoin holdings.
In calculating this KPI, the Company does not take into account the source of capital used for the acquisition of its bitcoin. The Company notes in particular, it has acquired bitcoin using proceeds from the offering of its 6.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 (which the Company has since redeemed), which were not convertible to shares of the Company’s common stock, as well as from the offerings of its convertible senior notes, which at the time of issuance had, and may from time-to-time thereafter have, conversion prices above the current trading prices of the Company’s common stock, or as to which the holders of such convertible notes may not then be entitled to exercise the conversion rights of the notes. Such offerings have had the effect of increasing the BTC Yield without taking into account the corresponding debt. Conversely, if any of the Company’s convertible senior notes mature or are redeemed without being converted into common stock, the Company may be required to sell shares in quantities greater than the shares such notes are convertible into or generate cash proceeds from the sale of bitcoin, either of which would have the effect of decreasing the BTC Yield due to changes in the Company’s bitcoin holdings and shares in ways that were not contemplated by the assumptions in calculating BTC Yield. Accordingly, this metric might overstate or understate the accretive nature of the Company’s use of equity capital to buy bitcoin because not all bitcoin may be acquired using proceeds of equity offerings and not all issuances of equity may involve the acquisition of bitcoin.
The Company determines its KPI targets based on its history and future goals. The Company’s ability to achieve positive BTC Yield may depend on a variety of factors, including its ability to generate cash from operations in excess of its fixed charges and other expenses, as well as factors outside of its control, such as the availability of debt and equity financing on favorable terms. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
The Company has historically not paid any dividends on its shares of common stock, and by presenting this KPI the Company makes no suggestion that it intends to do so in the future. Ownership of common stock does not represent an ownership interest in the bitcoin the Company holds.
Investors should rely on the financial statements and other disclosures contained in the Company’s SEC filings. This KPI is merely a supplement, not a substitute. It should be used only by sophisticated investors who understand its limited purpose and many limitations.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
The financial information set forth in this Current Report on Form 8-K has been prepared by MicroStrategy management. MicroStrategy’s independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, has not audited or reviewed, and does not express an opinion with respect to, such financial information.
On August 7, 2024, we completed a 10-for-1 stock split of our class A and class B common stock. See Note 1(a), Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Basis of Presentation, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024 for further information. As a result of the stock split, all applicable share and per share information presented within this Current Report on Form 8-K has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the stock split for all periods presented.
ATM Update
As previously disclosed, on October 30, 2024, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with TD Securities (USA) LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., The Benchmark Company, LLC, BTIG, LLC, Canaccord Genuity LLC, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Maxim Group LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, and SG Americas Securities, LLC, as agents (the “Sales Agents”), pursuant to which the Company may issue and sell shares of its class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Shares”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $21 billion from time to time through the Sales Agents.
On January 6, 2025, the Company announced that, during the period between December 30, 2024 and December 31, 2024, the Company had sold an aggregate of 319,586 Shares under the Sales Agreement for aggregate net proceeds to the Company (less sales commissions) of approximately $101 million. The Company did not make any sales of Shares under the Sales Agreement after December 31, 2024 through the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K. As of January 5, 2025, approximately $6.77 billion of Shares remained available for issuance and sale pursuant to the Sales Agreement.
Bitcoin Holdings Update
On January 6, 2025, the Company announced that, during the period between December 30, 2024 and December 31, 2024, the Company acquired approximately 1,070 bitcoins for approximately $101 million in cash, at an average price of approximately $94,004 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses. The bitcoin purchases were made using proceeds from the issuance and sale of Shares under the Sales Agreement. The Company did not make any purchases of bitcoin after December 31, 2024 through the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K.
As of January 5, 2025, the Company, together with its subsidiaries, held an aggregate of approximately 447,470 bitcoins, which were acquired at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $27.97 billion and an average purchase price of approximately $62,503 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses.
As of January 5, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the market price of one bitcoin reported on the Coinbase exchange (the Company’s principal market for bitcoin) was $98,253.13.
Q4 2024 Financial Updates
Capital Markets Update
During the quarter ended December 31, 2024, the Company received net proceeds (less sales commissions) of $15.09 billion from the sales of Shares under its at-the-market equity offering programs (including both under the Sales Agreement and the Company’s prior at-the-market equity sales agreement), and net proceeds of $2.97 billion from the issuance of $3.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 0% convertible senior notes due 2029 (the “2029 Convertible Notes”).
Capital Structure and Debt Update
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had 226,138,248 and 19,640,250 shares of class A common stock and class B common stock outstanding, respectively.
As of December 31, 2024, the following convertible notes (collectively, the “Convertible Notes”) were outstanding:
| • | $1.050 billion aggregate principal amount of 0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2027 (the “2027 Convertible Notes”); |
| • | $1.010 billion aggregate principal amount of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 (the “2028 Convertible Notes”); |
| • | $3.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 2029 Convertible Notes; |
| • | $800.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due 2030 (the “2030 Convertible Notes”); |
| • | $603.8 million aggregate principal amount of 0.875% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “2031 Convertible Notes”); and |
| • | $800.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2032 (the “2032 Convertible Notes”). |
Each of the Convertible Notes were issued in a private offering.
The Convertible Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank senior in right of payment to any of the Company’s indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Convertible Notes; equal in right of payment to any of the Company’s unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of the Company’s secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of the Company’s subsidiaries.
The following table summarizes certain terms of each of the Convertible Notes (principal at inception are each reported in thousands):
| 2027 Convertible Notes |
2028 Convertible Notes |
2029 Convertible Notes |
2030 Convertible Notes |
2031 Convertible Notes |
2032 Convertible Notes |
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| Issuance Date |
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February 2021 |
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September 2024 |
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November 2024 |
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March 2024 | March 2024 | June 2024 | ||||||||||||
| Maturity Date (1) |
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February 15, 2027 |
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September 15, 2028 |
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December 1, 2029 |
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March 15, 2030 |
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March 15, 2031 |
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June 15, 2032 | ||||||||
| Principal at Inception |
$ | 1,050,000 | $ | 1,010,000 | $ | 3,000,000 | $ | 800,000 | $ | 603,750 | $ | 800,000 | ||||||||||||
| Stated Interest Rate (2) |
0.000 | % | 0.625 | % | 0.000 | % | 0.625 | % | 0.875 | % | 2.250 | % | ||||||||||||
| Interest Payment Dates (3) |
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February 15 & August 15 |
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March 15 & September 15 |
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June 1 & December 1 |
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March 15 & September 15 |
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March 15 & September 15 |
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June 15 & December 15 |
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| Date of Holder Put Option (4) |
n/a | |
September 15, 2027 |
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June 1, 2028 | |
September 15, 2028 |
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September 15, 2028 |
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June 15, 2029 | ||||||||||||
| Initial Conversion Rate (5) |
6.981 | 5.4589 | 1.4872 | 6.677 | 4.297 | 4.894 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Initial Conversion Price (6) |
$ | 143.25 | $ | 183.19 | $ | 672.40 | $ | 149.77 | $ | 232.72 | $ | 204.33 | ||||||||||||
| Convertible at any time after the following date (7) (8) |
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August 15, 2026 |
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March 15, 2028 |
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June 1, 2029 | |
September 15, 2029 |
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September 15, 2030 |
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December 15, 2031 |
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| Not redeemable by the Company prior to the following date (9) |
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February 20, 2024 |
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December 20, 2027 |
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December 4, 2026 |
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March 22, 2027 |
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March 22, 2028 |
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June 20, 2029 | ||||||||
| (1) | “Maturity Date” is the stated maturity date under each applicable indenture governing such notes, unless earlier converted, redeemed, or repurchased in accordance with their terms. |
| (2) | Holders may receive additional or special interest under specified circumstances as outlined under each applicable indenture governing the Convertible Notes. |
| (3) | For the Convertible Notes issued in 2024, interest payments begin on (a) September 15, 2024 for each of the 2030 Convertible Notes and the 2031 Convertible Notes, (b) December 15, 2024 for the 2032 Convertible Notes, (c) March 15, 2025 for the 2028 Convertible Notes, and (d) June 1, 2025 for the 2029 Convertible Notes. |
| (4) | “Date of Holder Put Option” represents the respective dates upon which holders of the 2028 Convertible Notes, 2029 Convertible Notes, 2030 Convertible Notes, 2031 Convertible Notes, and 2032 Convertible Notes each have a noncontingent right to require the Company to repurchase for cash all or any portion of their respective notes at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding the repurchase date. |
| (5) | The “Initial Conversion Rate” is stated in shares of the Company’s class A common stock per $1,000 principal amount. The conversion rates are subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments. In addition, following certain events that may occur prior to the respective maturity dates or if the Company delivers a notice of redemption, the Company will increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert its respective Convertible Notes in connection with such corporate event or notice of redemption, as the case may be, in certain circumstances as provided in each indenture governing the respective Convertible Notes. |
| (6) | The “Initial Conversion Price” is stated in dollars per share of the Company’s class A common stock. |
| (7) | On or after the stated dates until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the respective maturity dates, holders may convert the Convertible Notes at any time. Upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of the Company’s class A common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of class A common stock, at the Company’s election. |
| (8) | Prior to the respective dates, the Convertible Notes are convertible only under the following circumstances: (a) during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on June 30, 2021 for the 2027 Convertible Notes, on June 30, 2024 for the 2030 Convertible Notes and 2031 Convertible Notes, on September 30, 2024 for the 2032 Convertible Notes, on December 31, 2024 for the 2028 Convertible Notes or on March 31, 2025 for the 2029 Convertible Notes (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of the Company’s class A common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the respective Convertible Notes on each applicable trading day; (b) during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the “trading price” (as defined under each applicable indenture governing the respective Convertible Notes) per $1,000 principal amount of the respective Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Company’s class A common stock and the applicable conversion rate on each such trading day; (c) if the Company calls any or all of the respective Convertible Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the redemption date; and (d) upon occurrence of specified corporate events as described in each applicable indenture governing the respective Convertible Notes. |
| (9) | The Company may redeem for cash all or a portion of the Convertible Notes at its option, on or after the stated dates, if the last reported sale price of the Company’s class A common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price of the respective Convertible Notes then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive), including the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides a notice of redemption, during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption. The redemption price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. |
If the Company undergoes a “fundamental change,” as defined in the respective indentures governing the Convertible Notes prior to maturity, subject to certain conditions, holders may require the Company to repurchase for cash all or any portion of their respective Convertible Notes at a fundamental change repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the respective Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.
The respective indentures governing the Convertible Notes contain customary terms and covenants, including that upon certain events of default occurring and continuing, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount outstanding of the respective Convertible Notes may declare 100% of the principal of, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, all the respective Convertible Notes to be due and payable.
Although the Convertible Notes contain embedded conversion features, the Company accounts for the Convertible Notes in their entirety as a liability because the conversion features are indexed to the Company’s class A common stock and meet the criteria for classification in stockholders’ equity and therefore do not qualify for separate derivative accounting.
Collective Convertible Notes Disclosures
As of December 31, 2024, the maximum number of shares into which the Convertible Notes could have been potentially converted if the conversion features were triggered at the conversion rates then in effect based on the Convertible Notes then outstanding on such date was 7,330,050 shares, 5,513,489 shares, 4,461,600 shares, 5,341,600 shares, 2,594,314 shares, and 3,915,200 shares for the 2027 Convertible Notes, 2028 Convertible Notes, 2029 Convertible Notes, 2030 Convertible Notes, 2031 Convertible Notes, and 2032 Convertible Notes, respectively.
The Convertible Notes were not convertible at the option of the holders during the year ended December 31, 2024. The Convertible Notes may be convertible in future periods if one or more of the conversion conditions is satisfied during future measurement periods. As of December 31, 2024, the last reported sale price of the Company’s class A common stock for at least 20 trading days during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, December 31, 2024 was greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of each of the 2027 Convertible Notes, 2028 Convertible Notes, 2030 Convertible Notes, 2031 Convertible Notes, and 2032 Convertible Notes on each applicable trading day. Therefore, the 2027 Convertible Notes, 2028 Convertible Notes, 2030 Convertible Notes, 2031 Convertible Notes, and 2032 Convertible Notes are convertible at the option of the holders of the respective Convertible Notes during the first quarter of 2025.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company has not redeemed any of the Convertible Notes.
As of December 31, 2024, the net carrying value of the Convertible Notes were considered long-term liabilities.
The following is a summary of the Company’s convertible debt instruments as of December 31, 2024 (in thousands):
| December 31, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding | Unamortized | Net Carrying | Fair Value | |||||||||||||||||
| Principal Amount | Issuance Costs | Value | Amount | Leveling | ||||||||||||||||
| 2027 Convertible Notes |
$ | 1,050,000 | $ | (8,648 | ) | $ | 1,041,352 | $ | 2,134,125 | Level 2 | ||||||||||
| 2028 Convertible Notes |
1,010,000 | (11,457 | ) | 998,543 | 1,927,828 | Level 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2029 Convertible Notes |
3,000,000 | (24,963 | ) | 2,975,037 | 2,447,682 | Level 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2030 Convertible Notes |
800,000 | (14,828 | ) | 785,172 | 1,657,323 | Level 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2031 Convertible Notes |
603,750 | (9,274 | ) | 594,476 | 877,559 | Level 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2032 Convertible Notes |
800,000 | (12,583 | ) | 787,417 | 1,324,602 | Level 2 | ||||||||||||||
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| Total |
$ | 7,263,750 | $ | (81,753 | ) | $ | 7,181,997 | $ | 10,369,119 | |||||||||||
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The fair value of the Convertible Notes is determined using observable market data other than quoted prices, specifically the last traded price at the end of the reporting period of identical instruments in the over-the-counter market (Level 2).
For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company incurred $36.0 million in interest expense and paid $16.5 million in interest related to the Convertible Notes and to the Company’s 0.750% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025, which were fully converted or redeemed during 2024. The Company has not paid any additional interest or special interest related to the Convertible Notes to date.
Other long-term secured debt
In June 2022, the Company, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a secured term loan agreement in the amount of $11.1 million, bearing interest at an annual rate of 5.2%, and maturing in June 2027. The loan is secured by certain non-bitcoin assets of the Company that are not otherwise serving as collateral for any of the Company’s other indebtedness. After monthly payments made under the terms of the agreement, the loan had a net carrying value of $9.7 million and an outstanding principal balance of $9.8 million as of December 31, 2024.
Maturities
The following table shows the maturities of the Company’s debt instruments as of December 31, 2024 (in thousands). The principal payments related to the 2028 Convertible Notes, 2029 Convertible Notes, 2030 Convertible Notes, 2031 Convertible Notes, and 2032 Convertible Notes are included in the table below as if the holders exercised their right to require the Company to repurchase all of the respective convertible notes on their respective Date of Holder Put Option.
| Payments due by period ended December 31, |
2027 Convertible Notes |
2028 Convertible Notes |
2029 Convertible Notes |
2030 Convertible Notes |
2031 Convertible Notes |
2032 Convertible Notes |
Other long-term secured debt |
Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 569 | $ | 569 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2026 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 600 | 600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2027 |
1,050,000 | 1,010,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,634 | 2,068,634 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2028 |
0 | 0 | 3,000,000 | 800,000 | 603,750 | 0 | 0 | 4,403,750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2029 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 800,000 | 0 | 800,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thereafter |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Total |
$ | 1,050,000 | $ | 1,010,000 | $ | 3,000,000 | $ | 800,000 | $ | 603,750 | $ | 800,000 | $ | 9,803 | $ | 7,273,553 | ||||||||||||||||
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Bitcoin Update
The following table presents a roll-forward of the Company’s bitcoin holdings, including additional information related to the Company’s bitcoin purchases and digital asset impairment losses during the quarter ended December 31, 2024:
| Source of Capital Used to Purchase Bitcoin |
Digital Asset Original Cost Basis (in thousands) |
Digital Asset Impairment Losses (in thousands) |
Digital Asset Carrying Value (in thousands) |
Approximate Number of Bitcoins Held |
Approximate Average Purchase Per Bitcoin |
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| Balance at September 30, 2024 |
$ | 9,903,699 | $ | (3,052,820 | ) | $ | 6,850,879 | 252,220 | $ | 39,266 | ||||||||||||||
| Digital asset purchases |
(a | ) | 18,064,549 | 18,064,549 | 195,250 | 92,520 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Digital asset impairment losses |
(1,006,055 | ) | (1,006,055 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Balance at December 31, 2024 |
$ | 27,968,248 | $ | (4,058,875 | ) | $ | 23,909,373 | 447,470 | $ | 62,503 | ||||||||||||||
| (a) | In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company purchased bitcoin using $15.09 billion of the net proceeds from its sales of class A common stock under its at-the-market offering programs and $2.97 billion of the net proceeds from its issuance of the 2029 Convertible Notes. |
The following table shows the approximate number of bitcoins held by the Company at the end of December 31, 2024, as well as market value calculations of its bitcoin holdings based on the lowest, highest, and ending market prices of one bitcoin on the Coinbase exchange (the Company’s principal market for bitcoin) during the quarter, as further defined below:
| Approximate Number of Bitcoins Held at End of Quarter |
Lowest Market Price Per Bitcoin During Quarter (a) |
Market Value of Bitcoin Held at End of Quarter Using Lowest Market Price (in thousands) (b) |
Highest Market Price Per Bitcoin During Quarter (c) |
Market Value of Bitcoin Held at End of Quarter Using Highest Market Price (in thousands) (d) |
Market Price Per Bitcoin at End of Quarter (e) |
Market Value of Bitcoin Held at End of Quarter Using Ending Market Price (in thousands) (f) |
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| December 31, 2024 |
447,470 | $ | 58,863.90 | $ | 26,339,829 | $ | 108,388.88 | $ | 48,500,772 | $ | 93,390.21 | $ | 41,789,317 | |||||||||||||||
| (a) | The “Lowest Market Price Per Bitcoin During Quarter” represents the lowest market price for one bitcoin reported on the Coinbase exchange during the quarter, without regard to when the Company purchased any of its bitcoin. |
| (b) | The “Market Value of Bitcoin Held at End of Quarter Using Lowest Market Price” represents a mathematical calculation consisting of the lowest market price for one bitcoin reported on the Coinbase exchange during the quarter multiplied by the number of bitcoins the Company held at the end of the period. |
| (c) | The “Highest Market Price Per Bitcoin During Quarter” represents the highest market price for one bitcoin reported on the Coinbase exchange during the quarter, without regard to when the Company purchased any of its bitcoin. |
| (d) | The “Market Value of Bitcoin Held at End of Quarter Using Highest Market Price” represents a mathematical calculation consisting of the highest market price for one bitcoin reported on the Coinbase exchange during the quarter multiplied by the number of bitcoins the Company held at the end of the period. |
| (e) | The “Market Price Per Bitcoin at End of Quarter” represents the market price of one bitcoin on the Coinbase exchange at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the last day of the quarter. |
| (f) | The “Market Value of Bitcoin Held at End of Quarter Using Ending Market Price” represents a mathematical calculation consisting of the market price of one bitcoin on the Coinbase exchange at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the last day of the quarter multiplied by the number of bitcoins the Company held at the end of the period. |
Bitcoin and bitcoin markets may be subject to manipulation and the spot price of bitcoin may be subject to fraud and manipulation. Accordingly, the Market Value amounts reported above may not accurately represent fair market value, and the actual fair market value of the Company’s bitcoin may be different from such amounts and such deviation may be material. Moreover, (i) the bitcoin market historically has been characterized by significant volatility in price, limited liquidity and trading volumes compared to sovereign currencies markets, relative anonymity, a developing regulatory landscape, potential
susceptibility to market abuse and manipulation, compliance and internal control failures at exchanges, and various other risks that are, or may be, inherent in its entirely electronic, virtual form and decentralized network and (ii) the Company may not be able to sell its bitcoins at the Market Value amounts indicated above, at the market price as reported on the Coinbase exchange (the Company’s principal market for bitcoin) on the date of sale, or at all.
During the three months ended December 31, 2024 and for the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company incurred digital asset impairment losses of $1.01 billion and $1.79 billion, respectively.
Recent Accounting Standards
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2023-08, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Crypto Assets (Subtopic 350-60): Accounting for and Disclosure of Crypto Assets (“ASU 2023-08”). ASU 2023-08 requires in-scope crypto assets (including the Company’s bitcoin holdings) to be measured at fair value in the statement of financial position, with gains and losses from changes in the fair value of such crypto assets recognized in net income each reporting period. ASU 2023-08 also requires certain interim and annual disclosures for crypto assets within the scope of the standard. The Company adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2025 on a prospective basis, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. Prior periods will not be restated.
Prior to January 1, 2025, the Company accounted for its digital assets, which are comprised solely of bitcoin, as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other. The Company’s digital assets were initially recorded at cost. Subsequently, they were measured at cost, net of any impairment losses incurred since acquisition. Impairment losses were recognized as “Digital asset impairment losses” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period in which the impairment occurred. Gains (if any) were not recorded until realized upon sale, at which point they were presented net of any impairment losses in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. In determining the gain to be recognized upon sale, the Company calculated the difference between the sales price and carrying value of the specific bitcoins sold immediately prior to sale.
Although the Company will continue to initially record its bitcoin purchases at cost, upon adopting ASU 2023-08, any subsequent increases or decreases in fair value will be recognized as incurred in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations, and the fair value of the Company’s bitcoin will be reflected within the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets each reporting period-end. Upon adopting ASU 2023-08, the Company will no longer account for its bitcoin under a cost-less-impairment accounting model and will no longer establish a deferred tax asset related to bitcoin impairment losses. Instead, the Company will establish a deferred tax liability if the market value of bitcoin at the reporting date is greater than the average cost basis of the Company’s bitcoin holdings at such reporting date, and any subsequent increases or decreases in the market value of bitcoin will increase or decrease the deferred tax liability.
The Company estimates that the adoption of ASU 2023-08 will result in a net increase to its 2025 beginning retained earnings balance in the range of approximately $12.7 billion to $12.8 billion, which reflects a $17.9 billion increase in digital assets due to the difference between the impaired carrying value and the fair market value of the Company’s bitcoin holdings as of December 31, 2024, offset by a $3.9 billion to $4.0 billion increase in deferred tax liabilities, and a $1.2 billion decrease in deferred tax assets. For purposes of this estimate, the Company estimates that its effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2024 will be in the range of 28.3% to 28.8% based on its current federal tax rate and estimated state effective tax rate.
Risk Factor Updates
You should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. 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 deem immaterial may also impact us, our business, our bitcoin holdings, or our securities.
If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the market price of our class A common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business in General
Our quarterly operating results, revenues, and expenses may fluctuate significantly, which could have an adverse effect on the market price of our stock
For many reasons, including those described below, our operating results, revenues, and expenses have varied in the past and may vary significantly in the future from quarter to quarter. These fluctuations could have an adverse effect on the market price of our class A common stock.
Fluctuations in Quarterly Operating Results. Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, in part, as a result of:
| • | fluctuations in the price of bitcoin, of which we have significant holdings and with respect to which we expect to continue to make significant future purchases, and potential fair value changes associated therewith; |
| • | any sales by us of our bitcoin at prices above or below their carrying value, which would result in our recording gains or losses upon sale of our bitcoin; |
| • | the incurrence of tax liabilities on future unrealized gains on our bitcoin or as result of the cumulative-effect net increase to the opening balance of our retained earnings as of January 1, 2025 in connection with the adoption of ASU 2023-08 on January 1, 2025, which we estimate to be in the range of approximately $12.7 billion to $12.8 billion; |
| • | regulatory, commercial, and technical developments related to bitcoin or the Bitcoin blockchain, or digital assets more generally; |
| • | the incurrence of additional fixed interest charges or dividend obligations on preferred stock; |
| • | the impact of war, terrorism, infectious diseases (such as COVID-19), natural disasters and other global events, and government responses to such events, on the global economy, the market for and price of bitcoin; |
| • | significant changes to our software business, including significant changes in our software sales or operating expenses, or the timing of announcements of new offerings or research and development projects by us or our competitors; |
| • | our profitability and expectations for future profitability and their effect on our deferred tax balances, and net income for the period in which any adjustment to our net deferred tax asset valuation allowance may be made; and |
| • | increases or decreases in our unrecognized tax benefits. |
Limited Ability to Adjust Expenses. We base our operating expense budgets on expected revenue trends and strategic objectives. Many of our expenses, such as interest expense on our debt, tax liabilities, office leases and certain personnel costs, are relatively fixed. We may be unable to adjust spending quickly enough to offset any unexpected shortfall in our cashflow. Accordingly, we may be required to take actions to pay expenses, such as selling bitcoin or using proceeds from equity or debt financings, some of which could cause significant variation in operating results in any quarter.
Based on the above factors, we believe quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance. It is possible that in one or more future quarters, our operating results may be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors. In that event, the market price of our class A common stock may fall.
We may not be able to regain profitability in future periods
We have generated net losses in recent periods, primarily due to digital asset impairment losses. Our digital asset impairment loss for the year ended December 31, 2024 is $1.79 billion, which we expect will result in a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2024. We may not be able to regain profitability in future periods, particularly if we incur significant fair value losses related to our digital assets. As a result, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
As of December 31, 2024, we had deferred tax assets in excess of $1.4 billion. The largest deferred tax asset relates to the impairment on our bitcoin holdings, which will be reversed upon adoption of ASU 2023-08. If the market value of bitcoin at a future reporting date is less than the average cost basis of our bitcoin holdings at such reporting date, we may be required to establish a valuation allowance against our non-bitcoin related U.S. deferred tax assets. Additionally, if we are unable to regain profitability in the future, we may also be required to increase the valuation allowance against the remaining deferred tax assets. A significant increase in the valuation allowance could result in a charge that would materially adversely affect net income in the period in which the charge is incurred.
A significant decrease in the market value of our bitcoin holdings could adversely affect our ability to service our indebtedness
As of December 31, 2024, our outstanding indebtedness was $7.274 billion, and our annual contractual interest expense was $35.1 million. As part of our bitcoin strategy, we expect to incur or continue to incur additional indebtedness and other fixed charges such as preferred stock dividend obligations. Our enterprise analytics software business may not generate sufficient cashflow to service our debt and cash dividend obligations, in which event we intend to use cashflow generated by equity or debt financings to service our debt and cash dividend obligations. Our ability to obtain equity or debt financing may in turn depend on, among other factors, the value of our bitcoin holdings, investor sentiment and the general public perception of bitcoin, our strategy and our value proposition. Accordingly, a significant decline in the market value of our bitcoin holdings or a negative shift in these other factors may create liquidity and credit risks, as such a decline or such shifts may adversely impact our ability to secure sufficient equity or debt financing to service our debt and cash dividend obligations. These risks could materialize at times when bitcoin is trading below its carrying value on our balance sheet or our cost basis. As bitcoin constitutes the vast bulk of assets on our balance sheet, if we are unable to secure equity or debt financing in a timely manner, on
favorable terms, or at all, we may be required to sell bitcoin to satisfy these obligations. Any such sale of bitcoin may have a materially adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition, and could impair our ability to secure additional equity or debt financing in the future. Our inability to secure additional equity or debt financing in a timely manner, on favorable terms or at all, or to sell our bitcoin in amounts and at prices sufficient to satisfy our cash obligations, could cause us to be in default of such obligations. Any default on our current or future indebtedness or any preferred stock we may issue in the future may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. See “Risks Related to Our Outstanding and Potential Future Indebtedness” for additional details about the risks which may impact us if we are unable to service our indebtedness.
Unrealized fair value gains on our bitcoin holdings could cause us to become subject to the corporate alternative minimum tax under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
The U.S. enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) in August 2022. Unless an exemption applies, the IRA imposes a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax (“CAMT”) on a corporation with respect to an initial tax year and subsequent tax years, if the average annual adjusted financial statement income for any consecutive three-tax-year period preceding the initial tax year exceeds $1 billion. On September 12, 2024, the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations with respect to the application of the CAMT.
On January 1, 2025, we adopted ASU 2023-08. ASU 2023-08 requires us to measure our bitcoin holdings at fair value in our statement of financial position, with gains and losses from changes in the fair value of our bitcoin recognized in net income each reporting period. Additionally, as a result of our adoption of ASU 2023-08, as of January 1, 2025, we estimate we will be required to apply a cumulative-effect net increase to the opening balance of our retained earnings in the range of approximately $12.7 billion to $12.8 billion. For purposes of calculating the adjusted financial statement income, we will be required to ratably allocate from 2025 through 2028 this increase to our retained earnings. When determining whether we are subject to CAMT and when calculating any related tax liability for an applicable tax year, the proposed regulations provide that, among other adjustments, our adjusted financial statement income must include this ratable amount in addition to any unrealized gains or losses reported in the applicable tax year.
Accordingly, as a result of the enactment of the IRA and our adoption of ASU 2023-08 on January 1, 2025, unless the IRA is amended or the proposed regulations with respect to CAMT, when finalized, are revised to provide relief (or other interim relief is granted), we could become subject to the CAMT in the 2026 tax year and beyond. If we become subject to the CAMT, it could result in a material tax obligation that we would need to satisfy in cash, which could materially affect our financial results, including our earnings and cash flow, and our financial condition.
We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities
We are subject to income taxes and non-income taxes in a variety of domestic and foreign jurisdictions. Our future income tax liability could be materially adversely affected by earnings that are lower than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory rates, earnings that are higher than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory rates, changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in the amount of our unrecognized tax benefits, or changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles, or interpretations thereof. In addition, if we sold any of our bitcoin at prices greater than the cost basis of the bitcoin sold, we would incur a tax liability with respect to any gain recognized, and such tax liability could be material.
Changes in the tax laws of foreign jurisdictions could arise, including as a result of the project undertaken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) to combat base erosion and profit shifting (“BEPS”). The OECD, which represents a coalition of member countries, has issued recommendations that, in some cases, make substantial changes to numerous long-standing tax positions and principles. These changes, many of which have been adopted or are under active consideration by OECD members and/or other countries, could increase tax uncertainty and may adversely affect our provision for income taxes.
After enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, most of our income is taxable in the U.S. with a significant portion taxable under the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) regime. Beginning in fiscal year 2027, the deduction allowable under the GILTI regime will decrease from 50% to 37.5%, which will increase the effective tax rate imposed on our income. The U.S. also enacted the IRA in August 2022. On September 12, 2024, the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations with respect to the application of the CAMT. Unless an exemption applies, the IRA imposes (i) a 1% excise tax on certain stock repurchases made by publicly traded U.S. corporations, and (ii) a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on a corporation with respect to an initial tax year and subsequent tax years, if the average annual adjusted financial statement income for any consecutive three-tax-year period preceding the initial tax year exceeds $1 billion. As discussed in greater detail under the risk factor heading “Risks Related to Our Business in General—Unrealized fair value gains on our bitcoin holdings could cause us to become subject to the corporate alternative minimum tax under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” as a result of the enactment of the IRA and our adoption of ASU 2023-08 on January 1, 2025, unless the IRA is amended or the proposed regulations with respect to CAMT are, when finalized, revised to provide relief (or other interim relief is granted), we could become subject to the CAMT in the 2026 tax year and beyond. If we become subject to these new taxes under the IRA for these or any other reasons, it could result in a material tax obligation that we would need to satisfy in cash, which could materially affect our financial results, including our earnings and cash flow, and our financial condition. Further, other existing U.S. tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied in a manner that negatively impacts us.
Our determination of our tax liability is subject to review by applicable domestic and foreign tax authorities. Any adverse outcome of such reviews could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. The determination of our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities requires significant judgment and there are many transactions and calculations, including in respect of transactions involving bitcoin, where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Moreover, as a multinational business, we have subsidiaries that engage in many intercompany transactions in a variety of tax jurisdictions where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain.
We also have contingent tax liabilities that, in management’s judgment, are not probable of assertion. If such unasserted contingent liabilities were to be asserted, or become probable of assertion, we may be required to record significant expenses and liabilities in the period in which these liabilities are asserted or become probable of assertion.
As a result of these and other factors, the ultimate amount of tax obligations owed may differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements and any such difference may materially affect our financial results in future periods in which we change our estimates of our tax obligations or in which the ultimate tax outcome is determined.
Risks Related to Our Bitcoin Strategy and Holdings
Our bitcoin strategy exposes us to various risks, including risks associated with bitcoin
Our bitcoin strategy exposes us to various risks, including the following:
Bitcoin is a highly volatile asset. Bitcoin is a highly volatile asset that has traded below $40,000 per bitcoin and above $105,000 per bitcoin on the Coinbase exchange (our principal market for bitcoin) in the 12 months ended December 31, 2024. The trading price of bitcoin significantly decreased during prior periods, and such declines may occur again in the future.
Bitcoin does not pay interest or dividends. Bitcoin does not pay interest or other returns and we can only generate cash from our bitcoin holdings if we sell our bitcoin or implement strategies to create income streams or otherwise generate cash by using our bitcoin holdings. Even if we pursue any such strategies, we may be unable to create income streams or otherwise generate cash from our bitcoin holdings, and any such strategies may subject us to additional risks.
Our bitcoin holdings significantly impact our financial results and the market price of our class A common stock. Our bitcoin holdings have significantly affected our financial results and if we continue to increase our overall holdings of bitcoin in the future, they will have an even greater impact on our financial results and the market price of our class A common stock. See “Risks Related to Our Bitcoin Strategy and Holdings – Our historical financial statements do not reflect the potential variability in earnings that we may experience in the future relating to our bitcoin holdings.”
Our assets are concentrated in bitcoin. The vast majority of our assets are concentrated in our bitcoin holdings. The concentration of our assets in bitcoin limits our ability to mitigate risk that could otherwise be achieved by holding a more diversified portfolio of treasury assets.
We purchase bitcoin using primarily proceeds from equity and debt financings. Our ability to achieve the objectives of our bitcoin strategy depends in significant part on our ability to obtain equity and debt financing. If we are unable to obtain equity or debt financing on favorable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully execute on our bitcoin strategy.
Our bitcoin strategy has not been tested over an extended period of time or under different market conditions. We are continually examining the risks and rewards of our strategy to acquire and hold bitcoin. This strategy has not been tested over an extended period of time or under different market conditions. For example, although we believe bitcoin, due to its limited supply, has the potential to serve as a hedge against inflation in the long term, the short-term price of bitcoin declined in recent periods during which the inflation rate increased. If bitcoin prices were to decrease or our bitcoin strategy otherwise proves unsuccessful, our financial condition, results of operations, and the market price of our class A common stock would be materially adversely impacted.
We are subject to counterparty risks, including in particular risks relating to our custodians. Although we have implemented various measures that are designed to mitigate our counterparty risks, including by storing substantially all of the bitcoin we own in custody accounts at U.S.-based, institutional-grade
custodians and negotiating contractual arrangements intended to establish that our property interest in custodially-held bitcoin is not subject to claims of our custodians’ creditors, applicable insolvency law is not fully developed with respect to the holding of digital assets in custodial accounts. If our custodially-held bitcoin were nevertheless considered to be the property of our custodians’ estates in the event that any such custodians were to enter bankruptcy, receivership or similar insolvency proceedings, we could be treated as a general unsecured creditor of such custodians, inhibiting our ability to exercise ownership rights with respect to such bitcoin, or delaying or hindering our access to our bitcoin holdings, and this may ultimately result in the loss of the value related to some or all of such bitcoin, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition as well as the market price of our class A common stock.
The broader digital assets industry is subject to counterparty risks, which could adversely impact the adoption rate, price, and use of bitcoin. A series of recent high-profile bankruptcies, closures, liquidations, regulatory enforcement actions and other events relating to companies operating in the digital asset industry have highlighted the counterparty risks applicable to owning and transacting in digital assets. Although these bankruptcies, closures, liquidations and other events have not resulted in any loss or misappropriation of our bitcoin, nor have such events adversely impacted our access to our bitcoin, they have, in the short-term, likely negatively impacted the adoption rate and use of bitcoin. Additional bankruptcies, closures, liquidations, regulatory enforcement actions or other events involving participants in the digital assets industry in the future may further negatively impact the adoption rate, price, and use of bitcoin, limit the availability to us of financing collateralized by bitcoin, or create or expose additional counterparty risks.
Changes in the accounting treatment of our bitcoin holdings could have significant accounting impacts, including increasing the volatility of our results. We have adopted ASU 2023-08 as of January 1, 2025, which requires us to measure our bitcoin holdings at fair value in our statement of financial position, and to recognize gains and losses from changes in the fair value of our bitcoin in net income each reporting period beginning January 1, 2025. ASU 2023-08 also requires us to provide certain interim and annual disclosures with respect to our bitcoin holdings. The standard is now effective, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of January 1, 2025. Due in particular to the volatility in the price of bitcoin, we expect the adoption of ASU 2023-08 to have a material impact on our financial results in future periods, increase the volatility of our financial results, and affect the carrying value of our bitcoin on our balance sheet. As described in greater detail under the risk factor heading “Risks Related to Our Business in General—Unrealized fair value gains on our bitcoin holdings could cause us to become subject to the corporate alternative minimum tax under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” ASU 2023-08 could also have adverse tax consequences. These impacts could in turn have a material adverse effect on our financial results and the market price of our class A common stock. Additionally, as a result of ASU 2023-08 requiring a cumulative-effect adjustment to our opening balance of retained earnings as of January 1, 2025 and not permitting retrospective restatement of our historical financial statements, our future results will not be comparable to results from periods prior to our adoption of the guidance.
The broader digital assets industry, including the technology associated with digital assets, the rate of adoption and development of, and use cases for, digital assets, market perception of digital assets, and the legal, regulatory, and accounting treatment of digital assets are constantly developing and changing, and there may be additional risks in the future that are not possible to predict.
Bitcoin is a highly volatile asset, and fluctuations in the price of bitcoin have in the past influenced and are likely to continue to influence our financial results and the market price of our class A common stock
Bitcoin is a highly volatile asset, and fluctuations in the price of bitcoin have in the past influenced and are likely to continue to influence our financial results and the market price of our class A common stock. Our financial results and the market price of our class A common stock would be adversely affected, and our business and financial condition would be negatively impacted, if the price of bitcoin decreased substantially (as it has in the past, including during 2022), including as a result of:
| • | decreased user and investor confidence in bitcoin, including due to the various factors described herein; |
| • | investment and trading activities, such as (i) trading activities of highly active retail and institutional users, speculators, miners and investors; (ii) actual or expected significant dispositions of bitcoin by large holders, including the expected liquidation of digital assets associated with entities that have filed for bankruptcy protection and the transfer and sale of bitcoins associated with significant hacks, seizures, or forfeitures, such as the transfers of bitcoin to (a) creditors of the hacked cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox which began in July 2024, (b) to claimants following proceedings related to a 2016 hack of Bitfinex—which claims are currently being adjudicated, or (c) the German government following the seizure of about 50,000 bitcoin in January 2024 from the operator of Movie2k.to; and (iii) actual or perceived manipulation of the spot or derivative markets for bitcoin or spot bitcoin exchange-traded products (“ETPs”); |
| • | negative publicity, media or social media coverage, or sentiment due to events in or relating to, or perception of, bitcoin or the broader digital assets industry, for example, (i) public perception that bitcoin can be used as a vehicle to circumvent sanctions, including sanctions imposed on Russia or certain regions related to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, or to fund criminal or terrorist activities, such as the purported use of digital assets by Hamas to fund its terrorist attack against Israel in October 2023; (ii) expected or pending civil, criminal, regulatory enforcement or other high profile actions against major participants in the bitcoin ecosystem, including the SEC’s enforcement actions against Coinbase, Inc. and Binance Holdings Ltd.; (iii) additional filings for bankruptcy protection or bankruptcy proceedings of major digital asset industry participants, such as the bankruptcy proceeding of FTX Trading and its affiliates; and (iv) the actual or perceived environmental impact of bitcoin and related activities, including environmental concerns raised by private individuals, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and other actors related to the energy resources consumed in the bitcoin mining process; |
| • | changes in consumer preferences and the perceived value or prospects of bitcoin; |
| • | competition from other digital assets that exhibit better speed, security, scalability, or energy efficiency, that feature other more favored characteristics, that are backed by governments, including the U.S. government, or reserves of fiat currencies, or that represent ownership or security interests in physical assets; |
| • | a decrease in the price of other digital assets, including stablecoins, or the crash or unavailability of stablecoins that are used as a medium of exchange for bitcoin purchase and |
| sale transactions, such as the crash of the stablecoin Terra USD in 2022, to the extent the decrease in the price of such other digital assets or the unavailability of such stablecoins may cause a decrease in the price of bitcoin or adversely affect investor confidence in digital assets generally; |
| • | the identification of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous person or persons who developed bitcoin, or the transfer of substantial amounts of bitcoin from bitcoin wallets attributed to Mr. Nakamoto; |
| • | developments relating to the Bitcoin protocol, including (i) changes to the Bitcoin protocol that impact its security, speed, scalability, usability, or value, such as changes to the cryptographic security protocol underpinning the Bitcoin blockchain, changes to the maximum number of bitcoin outstanding, changes to the mutability of transactions, changes relating to the size of blockchain blocks, and similar changes, (ii) failures to make upgrades to the Bitcoin protocol to adapt to security, technological, legal or other challenges, and (iii) changes to the Bitcoin protocol that introduce software bugs, security risks or other elements that adversely affect bitcoin; |
| • | disruptions, failures, unavailability, or interruptions in service of trading venues for bitcoin, such as, for example, the announcement by the digital asset exchange FTX Trading that it would freeze withdrawals and transfers from its accounts and subsequent filing for bankruptcy protection and the SEC enforcement action brought against Binance Holdings Ltd., which initially sought to freeze all of its assets during the pendency of the enforcement action and has since resulted in Binance discontinuing all fiat deposits and withdrawals in the U.S.; |
| • | the filing for bankruptcy protection by, liquidation of, or market concerns about the financial viability of digital asset custodians, trading venues, lending platforms, investment funds, or other digital asset industry participants, such as the filing for bankruptcy protection by digital asset trading venues FTX Trading and BlockFi and digital asset lending platforms Celsius Network and Voyager Digital Holdings in 2022, the ordered liquidation of the digital asset investment fund Three Arrows Capital in 2022, the announced liquidation of Silvergate Bank in 2023, the government-mandated closure and sale of Signature Bank in 2023, the placement of Prime Trust, LLC into receivership following a cease-and-desist order issued by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry in 2023, and the exit of Binance from the U.S. market as part of its settlement with the Department of Justice and other federal regulatory agencies; |
| • | regulatory, legislative, enforcement and judicial actions that adversely affect the price, ownership, transferability, trading volumes, legality or public perception of bitcoin, or that adversely affect the operations of or otherwise prevent digital asset custodians, trading venues, lending platforms or other digital assets industry participants from operating in a manner that allows them to continue to deliver services to the digital assets industry; |
| • | further reductions in mining rewards of bitcoin, including due to block reward halving events, which are events that occur after a specific period of time (the most recent of which occurred on April 19, 2024) that reduce the block reward earned by “miners” who validate bitcoin transactions, or increases in the costs associated with bitcoin mining, including increases in electricity costs and hardware and software used in mining, or new or enhanced regulation or taxation of bitcoin mining, which could further increase the costs associated with bitcoin mining, any of which may cause a decline in support for the Bitcoin network; |
| • | transaction congestion and fees associated with processing transactions on the Bitcoin network; |
| • | macroeconomic changes, such as changes in the level of interest rates and inflation, fiscal and monetary policies of governments, trade restrictions, and fiat currency devaluations; |
| • | developments in mathematics or technology, including in digital computing, algebraic geometry and quantum computing, that could result in the cryptography used by the Bitcoin blockchain becoming insecure or ineffective; and |
| • | changes in national and international economic and political conditions, including, without limitation, developments and events relating to the change of administration as a result of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the adverse impacts attributable to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the economic sanctions adopted in response to the conflict, and the broadening of the Israel-Hamas conflict to other countries in the Middle East. |
Bitcoin and other digital assets are novel assets, and are subject to significant legal, commercial, regulatory and technical uncertainty
Bitcoin and other digital assets are relatively novel and are subject to significant uncertainty, which could adversely impact their price. The application of state and federal securities laws and other laws and regulations to digital assets is unclear in certain respects, and it is possible that regulators in the United States or foreign countries may interpret or apply existing laws and regulations in a manner that adversely affects the price of bitcoin or the ability of individuals or institutions such as us to own or transfer bitcoin.
The U.S. federal government, states, regulatory agencies, and foreign countries may also enact new laws and regulations, or pursue regulatory, legislative, enforcement or judicial actions, that could materially impact the price of bitcoin or the ability of individuals or institutions such as us to own or transfer bitcoin. For example, within the past several years:
| • | President Biden signed an Executive Order relating to cryptocurrencies instructing various federal agencies to consider potential regulatory measures and to explore the creation of a U.S. CBDC; |
| • | SEC Chair Gary Gensler instructed SEC staff to explore, among other regulatory initiatives, regulation of certain digital assets as securities and of digital asset services providers as broker-dealers and securities exchanges; |
| • | the European Union adopted Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (“MiCA”), a comprehensive digital asset regulatory framework for the issuance and use of digital assets, like bitcoin; |
| • | in June 2023, the SEC filed complaints against Binance Holdings Ltd. and Coinbase, Inc., and their respective affiliated entities, relating to, among other claims, that each party was operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker, dealer, and clearing agency; |
| • | in November 2023, the SEC filed a complaint against Payward Inc. and Payward Ventures Inc., together known as Kraken, alleging, among other claims, that Kraken’s crypto trading platform was operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker, dealer, and clearing agency; |
| • | in June 2023, the United Kingdom adopted and implemented the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (“FSMA 2023”), which regulates market activities in “cryptoassets;” |
| • | in November 2023, Binance Holdings Ltd. and its then chief executive officer reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, CFTC, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s |
| Office of Foreign Asset Control, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to resolve a multi-year investigation by the agencies and a civil suit brought by the CFTC, pursuant to which Binance Holdings Ltd. agreed to, among other things, pay $4.3 billion in penalties across the four agencies and to discontinue its operations in the United States; |
| • | in China, the People’s Bank of China and the National Development and Reform Commission have outlawed cryptocurrency mining and declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal within the country; and |
| • | President-Elect Trump has reportedly discussed the creation of a national bitcoin reserve, and other potential policies related to cryptocurrencies including bitcoin. |
It is not possible to predict whether, or when, new laws will be enacted that change the legal framework governing digital assets or provide additional authorities to the SEC or other regulators, or whether, or when, any other federal, state or foreign legislative bodies will take any similar actions. It is also not possible to predict the nature of any such additional laws or authorities, how additional legislation or regulatory oversight might impact the ability of digital asset markets to function or the willingness of financial and other institutions to continue to provide services to the digital assets industry, nor how any new laws or changes to existing regulations might impact the value of digital assets generally and bitcoin specifically. The consequences of any new law or regulation relating to digital assets and digital asset activities could adversely affect the market price of bitcoin, as well as our ability to hold or transact in bitcoin, and in turn adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock.
Moreover, the risks of engaging in a bitcoin strategy are relatively novel and have created, and could continue to create, complications due to the lack of experience that third parties have with companies engaging in such a strategy, such as increased costs of director and officer liability insurance or the potential inability to obtain such coverage on acceptable terms in the future.
The growth of the digital assets industry in general, and the use and acceptance of bitcoin in particular, may also impact the price of bitcoin and is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The pace of worldwide growth in the adoption and use of bitcoin may depend, for instance, on public familiarity with digital assets, ease of buying, accessing or gaining exposure to bitcoin, institutional demand for bitcoin as an investment asset, the participation of traditional financial institutions in the digital assets industry, consumer demand for bitcoin as a store of value or means of payment, and the availability and popularity of alternatives to bitcoin. Even if growth in bitcoin adoption occurs in the near or medium-term, there is no assurance that bitcoin usage will continue to grow over the long-term.
Because bitcoin has no physical existence beyond the record of transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain, a variety of technical factors related to the Bitcoin blockchain could also impact the price of bitcoin. For example, malicious attacks by miners, inadequate mining fees to incentivize validating of bitcoin transactions, hard “forks” of the Bitcoin blockchain into multiple blockchains, and advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry, and quantum computing could undercut the integrity of the Bitcoin blockchain and negatively affect the price of bitcoin. The liquidity of bitcoin may also be reduced and damage to the public perception of bitcoin may occur, if financial institutions were to deny or limit banking services to businesses that hold bitcoin, provide bitcoin-related services or accept bitcoin as payment, which could also decrease the price of bitcoin. Actions by U.S. banking regulators, such as the issuance in February 2023 by Federal banking agencies of the “Interagency Liquidity Risk Statement,” which cautioned banks on contagion risks posed by providing services to digital assets customers, and similar actions, have in the past resulted in or contributed to reductions in access to banking services for bitcoin-related customers and service providers, or the willingness of traditional financial institution
to participate in markets for digital assets. The liquidity of bitcoin may also be impacted to the extent that changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements negatively impact the ability of exchanges and trading venues to provide services for bitcoin and other digital assets.
Our historical financial statements do not reflect the potential variability in earnings that we may experience in the future relating to our bitcoin holdings
Our historical financial statements do not fully reflect the potential variability in earnings that we may experience in the future from holding or selling significant amounts of bitcoin.
The price of bitcoin has historically been subject to dramatic price fluctuations and is highly volatile. In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-08, which we adopted as of January 1, 2025.
We determine the fair value of our bitcoin based on quoted (unadjusted) prices on the Coinbase exchange (our principal market for bitcoin). Prior to our adoption of ASU 2023-08 on January 1, 2025, we performed an analysis each quarter to identify whether events or changes in circumstances, principally decreases in the quoted (unadjusted) prices on the active exchange, indicated that it was more likely than not that any of our bitcoin assets were impaired. In determining if an impairment had occurred, we considered the lowest price of one bitcoin quoted on the active exchange at any time since acquiring the specific bitcoin held. If the carrying value of a bitcoin exceeded that lowest price at any time during the quarter, an impairment loss was deemed to have occurred with respect to that bitcoin in the amount equal to the difference between its carrying value and such lowest price, and subsequent increases in the price of bitcoin did not affect the carrying value of our bitcoin. Gains (if any) were not recorded until realized upon sale, at which point they would be presented net of any impairment losses. In determining the gain to be recognized upon sale, we calculated the difference between the sale price and carrying value of the specific bitcoin sold immediately prior to sale. Due in part to the volatility of bitcoin, we incurred $4.06 billion of cumulative impairment on our bitcoin holdings through December 31, 2024, which losses were reflected in the financial statements for the respective periods in which the losses were incurred.
ASU 2023-08 requires us to measure our bitcoin holdings at fair value in our statement of financial position, and to recognize gains and losses from changes in the fair value of our bitcoin in net income each reporting period. ASU 2023-08 also requires us to provide certain interim and annual disclosures with respect to our bitcoin holdings. We have applied a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of January 1, 2025. ASU 2023-08 does not permit retrospective restatement of prior periods. Accordingly, we expect the adoption of ASU 2023-08 to significantly affect the carrying value of our bitcoin on our balance sheet.
As a result of our adoption of ASU 2023-08, we may incur greater losses during periods when we previously would have incurred smaller losses or no losses because we had already impaired the carrying value of our bitcoin to a low price observed during a prior period, and we may also incur gains during periods when the market value of bitcoin rises, as compared to periods prior to January 1, 2025, when we would not have incurred any gains under similar circumstances. Accordingly, due in particular to the volatility in the price of bitcoin, we expect the adoption of ASU 2023-08 to increase the volatility of our financial results. Additionally, as a result of ASU 2023-08 requiring a cumulative-effect adjustment to our opening balance of retained earnings as of January 1, 2025 and not permitting retrospective restatement of prior periods, our future results will not be comparable to results from periods prior to our adoption of the guidance.
Because we intend to purchase additional bitcoin in future periods and increase our overall holdings of bitcoin, we expect that the proportion of our total assets represented by our bitcoin holdings will increase in the future. As a result, and in particular due to our adoption of ASU 2023-08, volatility in our earnings may be significantly more than what we experienced in prior periods.
The availability of spot ETPs for bitcoin and other digital assets may adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock, and may therefore adversely affect the market price of the notes offered hereby
Although bitcoin and other digital assets have experienced a surge of investor attention since bitcoin was invented in 2008, until recently investors in the United States had limited means to gain direct exposure to bitcoin through traditional investment channels, and instead generally were only able to hold bitcoin through “hosted” wallets provided by digital asset service providers or through “unhosted” wallets that expose the investor to risks associated with loss or hacking of their private keys. Given the relative novelty of digital assets, general lack of familiarity with the processes needed to hold bitcoin directly, as well as the potential reluctance of financial planners and advisers to recommend direct bitcoin holdings to their retail customers because of the manner in which such holdings are custodied, some investors have sought exposure to bitcoin through investment vehicles that hold bitcoin and issue shares representing fractional undivided interests in their underlying bitcoin holdings. These vehicles, which were previously offered only to “accredited investors” on a private placement basis, have in the past traded at substantial premiums to net asset value (“NAV”), possibly due to the relative scarcity of traditional investment vehicles providing investment exposure to bitcoin.
On January 10, 2024, the SEC approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin ETPs, the shares of which can be sold in public offerings and are traded on U.S. national securities exchanges. The approved ETPs commenced trading directly to the public on January 11, 2024, with a trading volume of $4.6 billion on the first trading day. On January 11, 2024, and in the subsequent days following the SEC’s approval of the listing and trading of spot bitcoin ETPs, the trading price of our shares of class A common stock declined significantly relative to the value of our bitcoin. To the extent investors view our class A common stock as providing exposure to bitcoin, it is possible that the value of our class A common stock may also have included a premium over the value of our bitcoin due to the prior scarcity of traditional investment vehicles providing investment exposure to bitcoin, and that the value declined due to investors now having a greater range of options to gain exposure to bitcoin and investors choosing to gain such exposure through ETPs rather than our class A common stock. Additionally, on May 23, 2024, the SEC approved rule changes permitting the listing and trading of spot ETPs that invest in ether, the main crypto asset supporting the Ethereum blockchain. The approved spot ETPs commenced trading directly to the public on July 23, 2024. The listing and trading of spot ETPs for ether offers investors another alternative to gain exposure to digital assets, which could result in a decline in the trading price of bitcoin as well as a decline in the value of our class A common stock relative to the value of our bitcoin.
Although we are an operating company, and we believe we offer a different value proposition than a bitcoin investment vehicle such as a spot bitcoin ETP, investors may nevertheless view our class A common stock as an alternative to an investment in an ETP, and choose to purchase shares of a spot bitcoin ETP instead of our class A common stock. They may do so for a variety of reasons, including if they believe that ETPs offer a “pure play” exposure to bitcoin that is generally not subject to federal income tax at the entity level as we are, or the other risk factors applicable to an operating business,
such as ours. Additionally, unlike spot bitcoin ETPs, we (i) do not seek for our shares of Class A common stock to track the value of the underlying bitcoin we hold before payment of expenses and liabilities, (ii) do not benefit from various exemptions and relief under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Regulation M, and other securities laws, which enable ETPs to continuously align the value of their shares to the price of the underlying assets they hold through share creation and redemption, (iii) are a Delaware corporation rather than a statutory trust, and do not operate pursuant to a trust agreement that would require us to pursue one or more stated investment objectives, and (iv) are not required to provide daily transparency as to our bitcoin holdings or our daily NAV. Furthermore, recommendations by broker-dealers to buy, hold, or sell complex products and non-traditional ETPs, or an investment strategy involving such products, may be subject to additional or heightened scrutiny that would not be applicable to broker-dealers making recommendations with respect to our class A common stock. Based on how we are viewed in the market relative to ETPs, and other vehicles which offer economic exposure to bitcoin, such as bitcoin futures exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), leveraged bitcoin futures ETFs, and similar vehicles offered on international exchanges, any premium or discount in our class A common stock relative to the value of our bitcoin holdings may increase or decrease in different market conditions.
As a result of the foregoing factors, availability of spot ETPs for bitcoin and other digital assets could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our class A common stock.
Our bitcoin strategy subjects us to enhanced regulatory oversight
As noted above, several spot bitcoin ETPs have received approval from the SEC to list their shares on a U.S. national securities exchange with continuous share creation and redemption at NAV. Even though we are not, and do not function in the manner of, a spot bitcoin ETP, it is possible that we nevertheless could face regulatory scrutiny from the SEC or other federal or state agencies due to our bitcoin holdings.
In addition, there has been increasing focus on the extent to which digital assets can be used to launder the proceeds of illegal activities, fund criminal or terrorist activities, or circumvent sanctions regimes, including those sanctions imposed in response to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While we have implemented and maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote compliance with applicable anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations and take care to only acquire our bitcoin through entities subject to anti-money laundering regulation and related compliance rules in the United States, if we are found to have purchased any of our bitcoin from bad actors that have used bitcoin to launder money or persons subject to sanctions, we may be subject to regulatory proceedings and any further transactions or dealings in bitcoin by us may be restricted or prohibited.
Although our bitcoin holdings do not currently serve as collateral securing any of our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2024, we may incur indebtedness or enter into other financial instruments in the future that may be collateralized by our bitcoin holdings. We may also consider pursuing strategies to create income streams or otherwise generate funds using our bitcoin holdings. These types of bitcoin-related transactions are the subject of enhanced regulatory oversight. These and any other bitcoin-related transactions we may enter into, beyond simply acquiring and holding bitcoin, may subject us to additional regulatory compliance requirements and scrutiny, including under federal and state money services regulations, money transmitter licensing requirements and various commodity and securities laws and regulations.
Additional laws, guidance and policies may be issued by domestic and foreign regulators following the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by FTX, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, in November 2022. While the financial and regulatory fallout from FTX’s collapse did not directly impact our business, financial condition or corporate assets, the FTX collapse may have increased regulatory focus on the digital assets industry. Increased enforcement activity and changes in the regulatory environment, including changing interpretations and the implementation of new or varying regulatory requirements by the government or any new legislation affecting bitcoin, as well as enforcement actions involving or impacting our trading venues, counterparties and custodians, may impose significant costs or significantly limit our ability to hold and transact in bitcoin.
In addition, private actors that are wary of bitcoin or the regulatory concerns associated with bitcoin have in the past taken and may in the future take further actions that may have an adverse effect on our business or the market price of our class A common stock. For example, an affiliate of HSBC Holdings has prohibited customers of its HSBC InvestDirect retail investment platform from buying shares of our class A common stock after determining that the value of our stock is related to the performance of bitcoin, indicating that it did not want to facilitate exposure to virtual currencies.
Due to the unregulated nature and lack of transparency surrounding the operations of many bitcoin trading venues, bitcoin trading venues may experience greater fraud, security failures or regulatory or operational problems than trading venues for more established asset classes, which may result in a loss of confidence in bitcoin trading venues and adversely affect the value of our bitcoin
Bitcoin trading venues are relatively new and, in many cases, unregulated. Furthermore, there are many bitcoin trading venues which do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management teams, corporate practices and regulatory compliance. As a result, the marketplace may lose confidence in bitcoin trading venues, including prominent exchanges that handle a significant volume of bitcoin trading and/or are subject to regulatory oversight, in the event one or more bitcoin trading venues cease or pause for a prolonged period the trading of bitcoin or other digital assets, or experience fraud, significant volumes of withdrawal, security failures or operational problems.
In 2019 there were reports claiming that 80-95% of bitcoin trading volume on trading venues was false or non-economic in nature, with specific focus on unregulated exchanges located outside of the United States. The SEC also alleged as part of its June 5, 2023 complaint against Binance Holdings Ltd. that Binance committed strategic and targeted “wash trading” through its affiliates to artificially inflate the volume of certain digital assets traded on its exchange. The SEC has also brought recent actions against individuals and digital asset market participants alleging that such persons artificially increased trading volumes in certain digital assets through wash trades, or repeated buying and selling of the same assets in fictitious transactions to manipulate their underlying trading price. Such reports and allegations may indicate that the bitcoin market is significantly smaller than expected and that the United States makes up a significantly larger percentage of the bitcoin market than is commonly understood. Any actual or perceived wash trading in the bitcoin market, and any other fraudulent or manipulative acts and practices, could adversely affect the value of our bitcoin. Negative perception, a lack of stability in the broader bitcoin markets and the closure, temporary shutdown or operational disruption of bitcoin trading venues, lending institutions, institutional investors, institutional miners, custodians, or other major participants in the bitcoin ecosystem, due to fraud, business failure, cybersecurity events, government-mandated regulation, bankruptcy, or for any other reason, may result in a decline in confidence in bitcoin and the broader bitcoin ecosystem and greater volatility in the price of bitcoin. For
example, in 2022, each of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, Three Arrows Capital, FTX, and BlockFi filed for bankruptcy, following which the market prices of bitcoin and other digital assets significantly declined. In addition, in June 2023, the SEC announced enforcement actions against Coinbase, Inc., and Binance Holdings Ltd., two providers of large trading venues for digital assets, which similarly was followed by a decrease in the market price of bitcoin and other digital assets. These were followed in November 2023, by an SEC enforcement action against Payward Inc. and Payward Ventures Inc., together known as Kraken, another large trading venue for digital assets. As the price of our class A common stock is affected by the value of our bitcoin holdings, the failure of a major participant in the bitcoin ecosystem could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our class A common stock.
The concentration of our bitcoin holdings enhances the risks inherent in our bitcoin strategy
As of December 31, 2024, we held approximately 447,470 bitcoins that were acquired at an aggregate purchase price of $27.97 billion and we intend to purchase additional bitcoin and increase our overall holdings of bitcoin in the future. The concentration of our bitcoin holdings limits the risk mitigation that we could achieve if we were to purchase a more diversified portfolio of treasury assets, and the absence of diversification enhances the risks inherent in our bitcoin strategy. The price of bitcoin experienced a significant decline in 2022, and this had, and any future significant declines in the price of bitcoin would have, a more pronounced impact on our financial condition than if we used our cash to purchase a more diverse portfolio of assets.
The emergence or growth of other digital assets, including those with significant private or public sector backing, could have a negative impact on the price of bitcoin and adversely affect our business
As a result of our bitcoin strategy, our assets are concentrated in our bitcoin holdings. Accordingly, the emergence or growth of digital assets other than bitcoin may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. As of December 31, 2024, bitcoin was the largest digital asset by market capitalization. However, there are numerous alternative digital assets and many entities, including consortiums and financial institutions, are researching and investing resources into private or permissioned blockchain platforms or digital assets that do not use proof-of-work mining like the Bitcoin network. For example, in late 2022, the Ethereum network transitioned to a “proof-of-stake” mechanism for validating transactions that requires significantly less computing power than proof-of-work mining. The Ethereum network has completed another major upgrade since then and may undertake additional upgrades in the future. If the mechanisms for validating transactions in Ethereum and other alternative digital assets are perceived as superior to proof-of-work mining, those digital assets could gain market share relative to bitcoin.
Other alternative digital assets that compete with bitcoin in certain ways include “stablecoins,” which are designed to maintain a constant price because of, for instance, their issuers’ promise to hold high-quality liquid assets (such as U.S. dollar deposits and short-term U.S. treasury securities) equal to the total value of stablecoins in circulation. Stablecoins have grown rapidly as an alternative to bitcoin and other digital assets as a medium of exchange and store of value, particularly on digital asset trading platforms. As of December 31, 2024, two of the eight largest digital assets by market capitalization were U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins.
Additionally, central banks in some countries have started to introduce digital forms of legal tender. For example, China’s CBDC project was made available to consumers in January 2022, and governments including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Israel have been discussing the potential creation of new CBDCs. Whether or not they incorporate blockchain or similar technology, CBDCs, as legal tender in the issuing jurisdiction, could also compete with, or replace, bitcoin and other digital assets as a medium of exchange or store of value. As a result, the emergence or growth of these or other digital assets could cause the market price of bitcoin to decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
Our bitcoin holdings are less liquid than our existing cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents
Historically, the bitcoin markets have been characterized by significant volatility in price, limited liquidity and trading volumes compared to sovereign currencies markets, relative anonymity, a developing regulatory landscape, potential susceptibility to market abuse and manipulation, compliance and internal control failures at exchanges, and various other risks inherent in its entirely electronic, virtual form and decentralized network. During times of market instability, we may not be able to sell our bitcoin at favorable prices or at all. For example, a number of bitcoin trading venues temporarily halted deposits and withdrawals in 2022, although the Coinbase exchange (our principal market for bitcoin) has, to date, not done so. As a result, our bitcoin holdings may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. Further, bitcoin we hold with our custodians and transact with our trade execution partners does not enjoy the same protections as are available to cash or securities deposited with or transacted by institutions subject to regulation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Additionally, we may be unable to enter into term loans or other capital raising transactions collateralized by our unencumbered bitcoin or otherwise generate funds using our bitcoin holdings, including in particular during times of market instability or when the price of bitcoin has declined significantly. If we are unable to sell our bitcoin, enter into additional capital raising transactions, including capital raising transactions using bitcoin as collateral, or otherwise generate funds using our bitcoin holdings, or if we are forced to sell our bitcoin at a significant loss, in order to meet our working capital requirements, our business and financial condition could be negatively impacted.
If we or our third-party service providers experience a security breach or cyberattack and unauthorized parties obtain access to our bitcoin, or if our private keys are lost or destroyed, or other similar circumstances or events occur, we may lose some or all of our bitcoin and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected
Substantially all of the bitcoin we own is held in custody accounts at institutional-grade digital asset custodians. Security breaches and cyberattacks are of particular concern with respect to our bitcoin. Bitcoin and other blockchain-based cryptocurrencies and the entities that provide services to participants in the bitcoin ecosystem have been, and may in the future be, subject to security breaches, cyberattacks, or other malicious activities. For example, in October 2021 it was reported that hackers exploited a flaw in the account recovery process and stole from the accounts of at least 6,000 customers of the Coinbase exchange (our principal market for bitcoin), although the flaw was subsequently fixed and Coinbase reimbursed affected customers. Similarly, in November 2022, hackers exploited weaknesses in the security architecture of the FTX Trading digital asset exchange and reportedly stole over $400 million in digital assets from customers. A successful security breach or cyberattack could result in:
| • | a partial or total loss of our bitcoin in a manner that may not be covered by insurance or the liability provisions of the custody agreements with the custodians who hold our bitcoin; |
| • | harm to our reputation and brand; |
| • | improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable data privacy and other laws; or |
| • | significant regulatory scrutiny, investigations, fines, penalties, and other legal, regulatory, contractual and financial exposure. |
Further, any actual or perceived data security breach or cybersecurity attack directed at other companies with digital assets or companies that operate digital asset networks, regardless of whether we are directly impacted, could lead to a general loss of confidence in the broader Bitcoin blockchain ecosystem or in the use of the Bitcoin network to conduct financial transactions, which could negatively impact us.
Attacks upon systems across a variety of industries, including industries related to bitcoin, are increasing in frequency, persistence, and sophistication, and, in many cases, are being conducted by sophisticated, well-funded and organized groups and individuals, including state actors. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized, improper or illegal access to systems and information (including personal data and digital assets), disable or degrade services, or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, may be difficult to detect quickly, and often are not recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. These attacks may occur on our systems or those of our third-party service providers or partners. We may experience breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors or vulnerabilities or other irregularities. In particular, unauthorized parties have attempted, and we expect that they will continue to attempt, to gain access to our systems and facilities, as well as those of our partners and third-party service providers, through various means, such as hacking, social engineering, phishing and fraud. In the past, hackers have successfully employed a social engineering attack against one of our service providers and misappropriated our digital assets, although, to date, such events have not been material to our financial condition or operating results. Threats can come from a variety of sources, including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage, and insiders. In addition, certain types of attacks could harm us even if our systems are left undisturbed. For example, certain threats are designed to remain dormant or undetectable, sometimes for extended periods of time, or until launched against a target and we may not be able to implement adequate preventative measures. Further, there has been an increase in such activities due to the increase in work-from-home arrangements since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The risk of cyberattacks could also be increased by cyberwarfare in connection with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, or other future conflicts, including potential proliferation of malware into systems unrelated to such conflicts. Any future breach of our operations or those of others in the bitcoin industry, including third-party services on which we rely, could materially and adversely affect our business.
We face risks relating to the custody of our bitcoin, including the loss or destruction of private keys required to access our bitcoin and cyberattacks or other data loss relating to our bitcoin
We hold our bitcoin with regulated custodians that have duties to safeguard our private keys. Our custodial services contracts do not restrict our ability to reallocate our bitcoin among our custodians, and our bitcoin holdings may be concentrated with a single custodian from time to time. In light of the significant amount of bitcoin we hold, we continually seek to engage additional custodians to achieve a
greater degree of diversification in the custody of our bitcoin as the extent of potential risk of loss is dependent, in part, on the degree of diversification. If there is a decrease in the availability of digital asset custodians that we believe can safely custody our bitcoin, for example, due to regulatory developments or enforcement actions that cause custodians to discontinue or limit their services in the United States, we may need to enter into agreements that are less favorable than our current agreements or take other measures to custody our bitcoin, and our ability to seek a greater degree of diversification in the use of custodial services would be materially adversely affected.
As of December 31, 2024, the insurance that covers losses of our bitcoin holdings covers only a small fraction of the value of the entirety of our bitcoin holdings, and there can be no guarantee that such insurance will be maintained as part of the custodial services we have or that such coverage will cover losses with respect to our bitcoin. Moreover, our use of custodians exposes us to the risk that the bitcoin our custodians hold on our behalf could be subject to insolvency proceedings and we could be treated as a general unsecured creditor of the custodian, inhibiting our ability to exercise ownership rights with respect to such bitcoin. Any loss associated with such insolvency proceedings is unlikely to be covered by any insurance coverage we maintain related to our bitcoin.
Bitcoin is controllable only by the possessor of both the unique public key and private key(s) relating to the local or online digital wallet in which the bitcoin is held. While the Bitcoin blockchain ledger requires a public key relating to a digital wallet to be published when used in a transaction, private keys must be safeguarded and kept private in order to prevent a third party from accessing the bitcoin held in such wallet. To the extent the private key(s) for a digital wallet are lost, destroyed, or otherwise compromised and no backup of the private key(s) is accessible, neither we nor our custodians will be able to access the bitcoin held in the related digital wallet. Furthermore, we cannot provide assurance that our digital wallets, nor the digital wallets of our custodians held on our behalf, will not be compromised as a result of a cyberattack. The bitcoin and blockchain ledger, as well as other digital assets and blockchain technologies, have been, and may in the future be, subject to security breaches, cyberattacks, or other malicious activities.
Regulatory change reclassifying bitcoin as a security could lead to our classification as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and could adversely affect the market price of bitcoin and the market price of our class A common stock
The vast majority of our assets are concentrated in our bitcoin holdings. While senior SEC officials have stated their view that bitcoin is not a “security” for purposes of the federal securities laws, a contrary determination by the SEC could lead to our classification as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which would subject us to significant additional regulatory controls that could have a material adverse effect on our ability to execute on our bitcoin strategy, and our business and operations, and may also require us to substantially change the manner in which we conduct our business.
In addition, if bitcoin is determined to constitute a security for purposes of the federal securities laws, the additional regulatory restrictions imposed by such a determination could adversely affect the market price of bitcoin and in turn adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock.
We are not subject to legal and regulatory obligations that apply to investment companies such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, or to obligations applicable to investment advisers.
Mutual funds, ETFs and their directors and management are subject to extensive regulation as “investment companies” and “investment advisers” under U.S. federal and state law; this regulation is intended for the benefit and protection of investors. We are not subject to, and do not otherwise voluntarily comply with, these laws and regulations. This means, among other things, that the execution of or changes to our Treasury Reserve Policy or our bitcoin strategy, our use of leverage, the manner in which our bitcoin is custodied, our ability to engage in transactions with affiliated parties and our operating and investment activities generally are not subject to the extensive legal and regulatory requirements and prohibitions that apply to investment companies and investment advisers. For example, although a significant change to our Treasury Reserve Policy would require the approval of our Board of Directors, no shareholder or regulatory approval would be necessary. Consequently, our Board of Directors has broad discretion over the investment, leverage and cash management policies it authorizes, whether in respect of our bitcoin holdings or other activities we may pursue, and has the power to change our current policies, including our strategy of acquiring and holding bitcoin.
Our bitcoin strategy exposes us to risk of non-performance by counterparties
Our bitcoin strategy exposes us to the risk of non-performance by counterparties, whether contractual or otherwise. Risk of non-performance includes inability or refusal of a counterparty to perform because of a deterioration in the counterparty’s financial condition and liquidity or for any other reason. For example, our execution partners, custodians, or other counterparties might fail to perform in accordance with the terms of our agreements with them, which could result in a loss of bitcoin, a loss of the opportunity to generate funds, or other losses.
Our primary counterparty risk with respect to our bitcoin is custodian performance obligations under the various custody arrangements we have entered into. A series of recent high-profile bankruptcies, closures, liquidations, regulatory enforcement actions and other events relating to companies operating in the digital asset industry, including the filings for bankruptcy protection by Three Arrows Capital, Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, FTX Trading and Genesis Global Capital, the closure or liquidation of certain financial institutions that provided lending and other services to the digital assets industry, including Signature Bank and Silvergate Bank, SEC enforcement actions against Coinbase, Inc., Binance Holdings Ltd., and Kraken, the placement of Prime Trust, LLC into receivership following a cease-and-desist order issued by Nevada’s Department of Business and Industry, and the filing and subsequent settlement of a civil fraud lawsuit by the New York Attorney General against Genesis Global Capital, its parent company Digital Currency Group, Inc., and former partner Gemini Trust Company have highlighted the perceived and actual counterparty risk applicable to digital asset ownership and trading. Although these bankruptcies, closures and liquidations have not resulted in any loss or misappropriation of our bitcoin, nor have such events adversely impacted our access to our bitcoin, legal precedent created in these bankruptcy and other proceedings may increase the risk of future rulings adverse to our interests in the event one or more of our custodians becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy case or is the subject of other liquidation, insolvency or similar proceedings.
While all of our custodians are subject to regulatory regimes intended to protect customers in the event of a custodial bankruptcy, receivership or similar insolvency proceeding, no assurance can be provided that our custodially-held bitcoin will not become part of the custodian’s insolvency estate if one or more of our custodians enters bankruptcy, receivership or similar insolvency proceedings. Additionally, if we pursue any strategies to create income streams or otherwise generate funds using our bitcoin holdings, we would become subject to additional counterparty risks. Any significant non-performance by counterparties, including in particular the custodians with which we custody substantially all of our bitcoin, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
Risks Related to Our Enterprise Analytics Software Business Strategy
We derive revenue from a single software platform and related services as well as revenue from our installed customer base
We derive revenue from sales of our analytics software platform and related services. We also depend on our installed customer base for a substantial portion of our software revenue. As a result, if our software business experiences a significant decline in demand for, or in the adoption or prices of, our platform and related services as a result of, among other factors, a significant decline in our installed customer base, any change in our pricing or packaging model, increased competition, maturation in the markets for our platform, or other risks described herein, we may not be able to generate revenue from other sources in excess of the expenses relating to our analytics software platform and related services.
As our customers increasingly shift from a product license model to a cloud subscription model, we could face higher future rates of attrition, and such a shift could continue to affect the timing of revenue recognition or reduce product licenses and product support revenues
We offer our analytics platform in the form of a product license or a cloud subscription. Given that it is relatively easy for customers to migrate on and off our cloud subscription platform, as we continue to shift our customers toward our cloud platform, we could face higher future rates of attrition among our customers. In addition, the payment streams and revenue recognition timing for our product licenses are different from those for our cloud subscriptions. For product licenses, customers typically pay us a lump sum soon after entering into a license agreement, and we typically recognize product licenses revenue when control of the license is transferred to the customer. For cloud subscriptions, customers typically make periodic payments over the subscription period and we recognize subscription services revenues ratably over the subscription period. As a result, as our customers increasingly shift to, or new customers purchase, cloud subscriptions instead of product licenses, the resulting change in payment terms and revenue recognition may result in our recognizing less revenue in the reporting period in which the sale transactions are consummated than has been the case in prior periods, with more revenue being recognized in future periods.
Our recognition of deferred revenue and advance payments is subject to future performance obligations and may not be representative of revenues for succeeding periods
The timing and ultimate recognition of our deferred revenue and advance payments depend on various factors, including our performance of various service obligations.
Because of the possibility of customer changes or delays in customer development or implementation schedules or budgets, and the need for us to satisfactorily perform product support and other services, deferred revenue and advance payments at any particular date may not be representative of actual revenue for any succeeding period.
In addition, we also have other remaining performance obligations, consisting of the portions of multi-year contracts that will be invoiced in the future that are not reflected on our balance sheet. As with deferred revenue and advance payments, these other remaining performance obligations at any particular date may not be representative of actual revenue for any succeeding period.
Integration of artificial intelligence into our enterprise analytics product offerings and our use of artificial intelligence in our operations could result in reputational or competitive harm, legal liability, and other adverse effects on our business
We have integrated, and plan to further integrate, AI capabilities into certain components of our enterprise analytics product offerings and we expect to use AI in our operations. Such integration and use of AI may become more important in our product offerings and operations over time. These AI-related initiatives, whether successful or not, could cause us to incur substantial costs and could result in delays in our software release cadence. Our competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI into their products or operations more quickly or more successfully than we do, which could impair our ability to compete effectively. Additionally, AI algorithms may be flawed and datasets underlying AI algorithms may be insufficient or contain biased information. If the AI tools integrated into our products or that we use in our operations produce analyses or recommendations that are or are alleged to be deficient, inaccurate, or biased, our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Other companies have experienced cybersecurity incidents that implicate confidential and proprietary company data and/or the personal data of end users of AI applications integrated into their software offerings or used in their operations. If we were to experience a cybersecurity incident, whether related to the integration of AI capabilities into our product offerings or our use of AI applications in our operations, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. AI also presents various emerging legal, regulatory and ethical issues, and the incorporation of AI into our product offerings and our use of AI applications in our operations could require us to expend significant resources in developing, testing and maintaining our product offerings and may cause us to experience brand, reputational, or competitive harm, or incur legal liability. On October 30, 2023, the Biden administration issued an Executive Order to, among other things, establish extensive new standards for AI safety and security. Additionally, in March 2024, the European Commission passed the Artificial Intelligence Act. Other jurisdictions, including certain U.S. states, have adopted or may decide to adopt similar or more restrictive legislation that may render the use of such technologies challenging. These restrictions may make it harder for us to conduct our business using AI, lead to regulatory fines or penalties, require us to change our product offerings or business practices, or prevent or limit our use of AI.
Risks Related to Our Technology and Intellectual Property
Third parties may claim we infringe their intellectual property rights
We periodically receive notices from third parties claiming we are infringing their intellectual property rights. The frequency of such claims may increase as we expand our offerings and branding, the number of offerings and level of competition in our industry grow, the functionality of offerings overlaps, and the volume of issued patents, patent applications, and copyright and trademark registrations continues to increase. Responding to any infringement claim, regardless of its validity, could:
| • | be time-consuming, costly, and/or result in litigation; |
| • | divert management’s time and attention from developing our business; |
| • | require us to pay monetary damages or enter into royalty or licensing agreements that we would normally find unacceptable; |
| • | require us to stop selling certain of our offerings; |
| • | require us to redesign certain of our offerings using alternative non-infringing technology or practices, which could require significant effort and expense; |
| • | require us to rename certain of our offerings or entities; or |
| • | require us to satisfy indemnification obligations to our customers or channel partners. |
Additionally, while we monitor our use of third-party software, including open-source software, our processes for controlling such use in our offerings may not be effective. If we fail to comply with the terms or conditions associated with third-party software that we use, if we inadvertently embed certain types of third-party software into one or more of our offerings, or if third-party software that we license is found to infringe the intellectual property rights of others, we could become subject to infringement liability and be required to re-engineer our offerings, discontinue the sale of our offerings, or make available to certain third parties or generally available, in source code form, our proprietary code, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
If a successful infringement claim is made against us and we fail to develop or license a substitute technology or brand name, as applicable, our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
Changes in third-party software or systems or the emergence of new industry standards could materially adversely affect the operation of and demand for our existing software
The functionalities of our software depend in part on the ability of our software to interface with our customers’ information technology (“IT”) infrastructure and cloud environments, including software applications, network infrastructure, and end user devices, which are supplied to our customers by various other vendors. When new or updated versions of these third-party software or systems are introduced, or new industry standards in related fields emerge, we may be required to develop updated versions of or enhancements to our software to help ensure that it continues to effectively interoperate with our customers’ IT infrastructure and cloud environments. If new or modified operating systems are introduced or new web standards and technologies or new standards in the field of database access technology emerge that are incompatible with our software, development efforts to maintain the interoperability of our software with our customers’ IT infrastructure and cloud environments could require substantial capital investment and employee resources. If we are unable to update our software in a timely manner, cost-effectively, or at all, the ability of our software to perform key functions could be impaired, which may impact our customers’ satisfaction with our software, potentially result in breach of warranty or other claims, and materially adversely affect demand for our software.
The nature of our software makes it particularly susceptible to undetected errors, bugs, or security vulnerabilities, which could cause problems with how the software performs and, in turn, reduce demand for our software, reduce our revenue, and lead to litigation claims against us
Despite extensive testing by us and our current and potential customers, we have in the past discovered software errors, bugs, or security vulnerabilities (including the log4j and SpringShell vulnerabilities which surfaced in December 2021 and March 2022, respectively, and affected companies worldwide) in our offerings after commercial shipments began and they may be found in future offerings or releases. This could result in lost revenue, damage to our reputation, or delays in market acceptance, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. We may also need to expend resources and capital to correct these defects if they occur.
Our customer agreements typically contain provisions designed to limit our exposure to product liability, warranty, and other claims. It is possible these provisions are unenforceable in certain domestic or international jurisdictions, and we may be exposed to such claims. A successful claim against us could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Our intellectual property is valuable, and any inability to protect it could reduce the value of our offerings and brand
Unauthorized third parties may try to copy or reverse engineer portions of our software or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property. Copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures, and contractual commitments can only provide limited protection. Any intellectual property owned by us may be invalidated, circumvented, or challenged. Any of our pending or future intellectual property applications, whether or not currently being challenged, may not be issued with the scope we seek, if at all. Moreover, amendments to and developing jurisprudence regarding U.S. and international law may affect our ability to protect our intellectual property and defend against claims of infringement. In addition, although we generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and contractors, the confidential nature of our intellectual property may not be maintained. Furthermore, the laws of some countries do not provide the same level of protection of our intellectual property as do the laws of the United States. If we cannot protect our intellectual property against unauthorized copying or use, we may not remain competitive.
We may be obligated to disclose our proprietary source code to our customers, which may limit our ability to protect our intellectual property and could reduce the renewals of our support services
Certain of our customer agreements contain provisions permitting the customer to become a party to, or a beneficiary of, a source code escrow agreement under which we place the proprietary source code for our applicable services and products in escrow with a third party. Under these escrow agreements, the source code to the applicable product may be released to the customer, typically for its use to maintain, modify, and enhance the product, upon the occurrence of specified events, such as our filing for bankruptcy, discontinuance of our support services, and/or ceasing our business operations generally.
Disclosing the content of our source code may limit the intellectual property protection we can obtain or maintain for that source code or the services and products containing that source code. It also could permit a customer to which a product’s source code is disclosed to support and maintain that software product without being required to purchase our support services.
Risks Related to Our Operations
Business disruptions, including interruptions, delays, or failures of our systems, third-party data center hosting facility, or other third-party services, as a result of geopolitical tensions, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, pandemics (like the COVID-19 pandemic), and similar events, could materially adversely affect our operating results or result in a material weakness in our internal controls that could adversely affect the market price of our stock
A significant portion of our research and development activities or certain other critical business operations are concentrated in facilities in Northern Virginia, China, Argentina, and Poland. In addition, we serve our customers and manage certain critical internal processes using a third-party data center
hosting facility located in the United States and other third-party services, including AWS, Azure, Google, and other cloud services. Any disruptions or failures of our systems or the third-party hosting facility or other services that we use, including as a result of a natural disaster, fire, cyberattack (including the potential increase in risk for such attacks due to cyberwarfare in connection with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts), act of terrorism, geopolitical conflict (including due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts and any potential conflict involving China and Taiwan), pandemic (including the COVID-19 pandemic), the effects of climate change, or other catastrophic event, as well as power outages, telecommunications infrastructure outages, a decision by one of our third-party service providers to close facilities that we use without adequate notice or to materially change the pricing or terms of their services, host country restrictions on the conduct of our business operations or the availability of our offerings, or other unanticipated problems with our systems or the third-party services that we use, such as a failure to meet service standards, could severely impact our ability to conduct our business operations or to attract new customers or maintain existing customers, or result in a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, any of which could materially adversely affect our future operating results.
We face a variety of risks in doing business with U.S. and foreign federal, state, and local governments and government agencies, including risks related to the procurement process, budget constraints and cycles, termination of contracts, and compliance with government contracting requirements
Our customers include the U.S. government, state and local governments and government agencies. There are a variety of risks in doing business with government entities, including:
Procurement. Contracting with public sector customers is highly competitive and can be time-consuming and expensive, requiring us to incur significant up-front time and expense without any assurance that we will win a contract. Further, even if we win a contract, it may be placed on hold, or reversed, due to a post-award protest.
Budgetary Constraints and Cycles. Public sector funding reductions or delays adversely impact demand and payment for our offerings.
Termination of Contracts. Public sector customers often have contractual or other legal rights to terminate contracts for convenience or due to a default. If a contract is terminated for the customer’s convenience, we may only be able to collect fees for software or services delivered prior to termination and settlement expenses. If a contract is terminated due to our default, we may not recover even those amounts, and we may be liable for excess costs incurred by the customer for procuring alternative software or services.
Compliance with Government Contracting Requirements. Government contractors are required to comply with a variety of complex laws, regulations, and contractual provisions relating to the formation, administration, or performance of government contracts that give public sector customers substantial rights and remedies, many of which are not typical for commercial contracts. These may include rights regarding price protection, the accuracy of information provided to the government, contractor compliance with socio-economic policies, and other terms unique to government contracts. Governments and government agencies routinely investigate and audit contractors for compliance with these requirements. If, as a result of an audit or review, it is determined that we have failed to comply with these requirements, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties or administrative sanctions, including contract termination, forfeiture of profits, fines, treble damages, and suspensions or debarment from future government business and we may suffer harm to our reputation.
Our customers also include foreign governments and government agencies. Similar procurement, budgetary, contract, and audit risks also apply to these entities. In addition, compliance with complex regulations and contracting provisions in a variety of jurisdictions can be expensive and consume significant management resources. In certain jurisdictions, our ability to win business may be constrained by political and other factors unrelated to our competitive position in the market.
If we are unable to recruit or retain skilled personnel, or if we lose the services of Michael J. Saylor, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected
Our future success depends on our continuing ability to attract, train, assimilate, and retain highly skilled personnel. There has historically been significant competition for qualified employees in the technology industry, and such competition may be further amplified by evolving restrictions on immigration, travel, or availability of visas for skilled technology workers. We may not be able to retain our current key employees or attract, train, assimilate, and retain other highly skilled personnel in the future, particularly at times when we undergo significant headcount reductions. Our future success also depends in large part on the continued service of Michael J. Saylor, our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Chairman. If we were unable to attract, train, assimilate, and retain the highly skilled personnel we need, or we were to lose the services of Mr. Saylor, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. These risks may be exacerbated if a shareholder or a group of affiliated shareholders (other than or not including Mr. Saylor) were to exercise majority voting control of MicroStrategy.
Changes in laws or regulations relating to privacy or the collection, processing, disclosure, storage, localization, or transmission of personal data, or any actual or perceived failure by us or our third-party service providers to comply with such laws and regulations, contractual obligations, or applicable privacy policies, could materially adversely affect our business
Aspects of our business involve collecting, processing, disclosing, storing, and transmitting personal data, which are subject to certain privacy policies, contractual obligations, and U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, and directives relating to privacy and data protection. We store a substantial amount of customer and employee data, including personal data, on our networks and other systems and the cloud environments we manage. In addition, the types of data subject to protection as personal data in the European Union, China, the United States, and elsewhere have been expanding. In recent years, the collection and use of personal data by companies have come under increased regulatory and public scrutiny, especially in relation to the collection and processing of sensitive data, such as healthcare, biometric, genetic, financial services, and children’s data, precise location data, and data regarding a person’s race or ethnic origins, political opinions, or religious beliefs. For example, in the United States, protected health information is subject to HIPAA, which can provide for civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance. Entities (such as us) that engage in creating, receiving, maintaining, or transmitting protected health information provided by covered entities and other business associates are subject to enforcement under HIPAA. Our access to protected health information may trigger obligations to comply with certain privacy rules and data security requirements under HIPAA.
In addition to potential enforcement by the United States Department of Health and Human Services for potential HIPAA violations, we are also potentially subject to privacy enforcement from the FTC. The FTC has been particularly focused on certain activities related to the processing of sensitive data, including
the unpermitted processing of health and genetic data through its recent enforcement actions and is expanding the types of privacy violations that it interprets to be “unfair” under Section 5 of the FTC Act, as well as the types of activities it views to trigger the Health Breach Notification Rule (which the FTC also has the authority to enforce). The agency is also in the process of developing rules related to commercial surveillance and data security that may impact our business. We will need to account for the FTC’s evolving rules and guidance for proper privacy and data security practices in order to mitigate our risk for a potential enforcement action, which may be costly. If we are subject to a potential FTC enforcement action, we may be subject to a settlement order that requires us to adhere to very specific privacy and data security practices, which may impact our business. We may also be required to pay fines as part of a settlement (depending on the nature of the alleged violations). If we violate any consent order that we reach with the FTC, we may be subject to additional fines and compliance requirements. We face risks of similar enforcement from State Attorneys General and, potentially, other regulatory agencies.
Any systems failure or security breach that results in the release of, or unauthorized access to, personal data, or any failure or perceived failure by us or our third-party service providers to comply with applicable privacy policies, contractual obligations, or any applicable laws or regulations relating to privacy or data protection, could result in proceedings against us by domestic or foreign government entities or others, including private plaintiffs in litigation. Such proceedings could result in the imposition of sanctions, fines, penalties, liabilities, government orders, and/or orders requiring that we change our data practices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, reputation, and financial condition.
Various U.S. and foreign government bodies may enact new or additional laws or regulations, or issue rulings that invalidate prior laws or regulations, concerning privacy, data storage, data protection, and cross-border transfer of data that could materially adversely impact our business. In the European Union, GDPR took effect in May 2018. GDPR establishes requirements regarding the handling and security of personal data, requires disclosure of data breaches to individuals, customers, and data protection authorities in certain circumstances, requires companies to honor data subjects’ requests relating to their personal data, permits regulators to impose fines of up to €20,000,000 or 4% of global annual revenue, whichever is higher, and establishes a private right of action. Furthermore, a new ePrivacy Regulation, regulating electronic communications, was proposed in 2017 and is under consideration by the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council. In July 2020, the CJEU invalidated the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield, which provided a mechanism to lawfully transfer personal data from the European Union to the United States and certain other countries. In the wake of the invalidation of the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield, we transitioned to reliance on SCCs to lawfully transfer certain personal data from the European Union to the United States. The CJEU decision also drew into question the long-term viability of the SCCs for transfers of personal data from the EU and European Economic Area to the U.S. As a result, in October 2022, President Biden signed an executive order to implement the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which would serve as a replacement to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The European Union initiated the process to adopt an adequacy decision for the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework in December 2022 and the European Commission adopted the adequacy decision on July 10, 2023. The adequacy decision will permit U.S. companies who self-certify to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework to rely on it as a valid data transfer mechanism for data transfers from the EU to the U.S. and will also provide support for the use of standard contractual clauses. However, some privacy advocacy groups have already suggested that they will be challenging the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. If these challenges are successful, they may not only impact the EU-U.S.
Data Privacy Framework, but they may also further limit the viability of the standard contractual clauses and other data transfer mechanisms. The uncertainty around this issue has the potential to impact our business internationally. Because the rules involving this data transfer mechanism are also undergoing revision and this transfer mechanism may also be declared invalid (or require us to change our business practices) in the future, these developments may require us to provide an alternative means of data transfer. In addition, the required terms for contracts containing SCCs along with recommended supplemental provisions are changing and may require us to assume additional obligations, otherwise inhibit or restrict our ability to undertake certain activities, or incur additional costs related to data protection.
In addition, in June 2021, the EDPB issued the EDPB Recommendations. The new SCCs were required to be in place for new transfers of personal data as of September 27, 2021 and to replace those being used for existing transfers of personal data by December 27, 2022. The new SCCs place obligations on us in relation to government authorities’ access requests in respect of personal data transferred under the SCCs, and other obligations to bring the SCCs in line with the requirements of the GDPR. The EDPB Recommendations are designed to be read in tandem with the new SCCs and set out new requirements for organizations to assess third countries and identify appropriate supplementary data protection and security measures to be implemented on a case-by-case basis where needed.
Moreover, due to Brexit, the SCCs issued by the European Commission are no longer automatically adopted in the United Kingdom post-Brexit. In response, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) published a template Addendum to the new EU SCCS which adapts the new EU SCCs for UK use. In the alternative, the ICO also published the international data transfer agreement (“IDTA”). The IDTA replaces the current set of SCCs being used in the UK. The UK SCCs Addendum and IDTA, after having been put before UK parliament, have been in force as of March 2022 and UK-based organizations were required to start using the UK IDTA or Addendum for new data transfer arrangements starting in September 2022. The UK and the U.S. also agreed to a U.S.-UK “data bridge,” which went into effect on October 12, 2023. This functions similarly to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and provides an additional legal mechanism for companies to transfer data from the UK to the U.S.
The rules involving these alternative SCC data transfer options are continually undergoing revision and these transfer mechanisms may also be declared invalid (or require us to change our business practices) in the future, requiring us to provide an alternative means of data transfer or implement significant changes in our data security and protection practices. In addition, the required terms for contracts containing SCCs along with recommended supplemental provisions are changing and may require us to assume additional obligations, otherwise inhibit or restrict our ability to undertake certain activities, or incur additional costs related to data protection.
Similar requirements are also coming into force in other countries. Brazil enacted the Brazilian General Data Protection Law, which became effective in August 2020 and imposes requirements largely similar to GDPR on products and services offered to users in Brazil. In China, we may also be subject to the Cybersecurity Law that went into effect in June 2017 and the revision of the Personal Information Security Specification that went into effect in October 2020, which have broad but uncertain application and impose a number of new privacy and data security obligations. China also adopted new legislation on the protection of privacy and personal data in November 2021, including the PIPL and Data Security Law that impose new data processing obligations on us. Under these new regulations, if an entity operating in China violates the law, regulators may order it to take corrective actions, issue warnings,
confiscate illegal income, suspend services, revoke operating permits or business licenses, or issue a fine. The fine can be up to ¥50 million or 5 percent of an organization’s annual revenue for the prior financial year.
Further, in connection with cross-border transfer of personal information under the PIPL in China, China regulators published the Draft Rules on Standard Contracts Regarding Export of Personal Information and, under the PIPL, the adoption of standard contractual clauses between the data controller (the entity which transfers personal information to a location outside the PRC) and the offshore recipient is required to lawfully facilitate the offshore transfer of personal information from China. These requirements apply to companies operating in China and seeking to transfer personal data outside of China and organizations which do not satisfy these conditions may be required to satisfy additional regulatory requirements and/or be subject to penalties or fines.
Other countries are considering new or expanded laws governing privacy and data security that may impact our business practices. These developments, including in Brazil and China, may impact our activities with our customers, other MicroStrategy entities and vendors, and require us to take additional and appropriate steps in light of data transfers between the U.S. and the EU (and the UK), as well as transfers and onward transfers of personal data from the EU to other non-EU countries.
State privacy laws in the United States also may impact our business operations. The state of California has adopted a comprehensive privacy law, the CCPA, which took effect in January 2020 and became enforceable in July 2020. We have been required to devote substantial resources to implement and maintain compliance with the CCPA, and noncompliance could result in regulatory investigations and fines or private litigation. Moreover, in November 2020, California voters approved a privacy law, the CPRA, which amends the CCPA to create additional privacy rights and obligations in California, and went into effect on January 1, 2023. Numerous other states have passed laws similar to the CCPA, which will go into effect in 2023 and beyond. More states may follow. These laws may impose additional costs and obligations on us. Similarly, in March 2022, the U.S. federal government also passed the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022, which will require companies deemed to be part of U.S. critical infrastructure to report any substantial cybersecurity incidents or ransom payments to the federal government within 72 and 24 hours, respectively. The implementing regulations are not expected for another two-to-three years. The Securities and Exchange Commission also has issued new regulations related to cybersecurity that may require additional reporting and other compliance obligations, as well as creating additional risks related to public notifications concerning cyber incidents.
Furthermore, the U.S. Congress is considering comprehensive privacy legislation. At this time, it is unclear whether Congress will pass such a law and if so, when and what it will require and prohibit. Moreover, it is not clear whether any such legislation would give the FTC any new authority to impose civil penalties for violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act in the first instance, whether Congress will grant the FTC rulemaking authority over privacy and information security, or whether Congress will vest some or all privacy and data security regulatory authority and enforcement power in a new agency, akin to EU data protection authorities.
Complying with these and other changing requirements could cause us or our customers to incur substantial costs or pay substantial fines or penalties, require us to change our business practices, require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, or limit our ability to provide certain offerings in certain jurisdictions, any of which could materially adversely affect our business and
operating results. New laws or regulations restricting or limiting the collection or use of mobile data could also reduce demand for certain of our offerings or require changes to our business practices, which could materially adversely affect our business and operating results.
If we or our third-party service providers experience a disruption due to a cybersecurity attack or security breach and unauthorized parties obtain access to our customers’, prospects’, vendors’, or channel partners’ data, our data, our networks or other systems, or the cloud environments we manage, our offerings may be perceived as not being secure, our reputation may be harmed, demand for our offerings may be reduced, our operations may be disrupted, we may incur significant legal and financial liabilities, and our business could be materially adversely affected
As part of our business, we process, store, and transmit our customers’, prospects’, vendors’, and channel partners’ data as well as our own, including in our networks and other systems and the cloud environments we manage. Security breaches may occur due to technological error, computer viruses, or third-party action, including intentional misconduct by computer hackers or state actors, physical break-ins, industrial espionage, fraudulent inducement of employees, customers, or channel partners to disclose sensitive information such as usernames or passwords, and employee, customer, or channel partner error or malfeasance. A security breach could result in unauthorized access to or disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, or destruction of our customers’, prospects’, vendors’, or channel partners’ data, our data (including our proprietary information, intellectual property, or trade secrets), our networks or other systems, or the cloud environments we manage. Third parties may also conduct attacks designed to prevent access to critical data or systems through ransomware or temporarily deny customers access to our cloud environments.
We, and our service providers, have experienced and may in the future experience attempts by third parties to identify and exploit software and service vulnerabilities, penetrate or bypass our security measures, and gain unauthorized access to our or our customers’ or service providers’ cloud environments, networks, and other systems. Security measures that we or our third-party service providers have implemented may not be effective against all current or future security threats. Because there are many different security breach techniques and such techniques continue to evolve, we may be unable to anticipate, detect, or mitigate attempted security breaches and implement adequate preventative measures.
Any security breach, ransomware attack, or successful denial of service attack could result in a loss of customer confidence in the security of our offerings and damage to our brand, reduce the demand for our offerings, disrupt our normal business operations, require us to spend material resources to investigate or correct the breach, require us to notify affected customers or individuals and/or applicable regulators and others, provide identity theft protection services to individuals, expose us to legal liabilities, including litigation, regulatory enforcement actions, and indemnity obligations, and materially adversely affect our revenues and operating results. Our software operates in conjunction with and is dependent on third-party products and components across a broad ecosystem. If there is a security vulnerability in one of these products or components, and if there is a security exploit targeting it, we could face increased costs, liability claims, customer dissatisfaction, reduced revenue, or harm to our reputation or competitive position. Our insurance policies may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential losses arising from any cybersecurity breach or incident. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, our insurance may not cover all claims made against us and could have high deductibles in any event, and defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and divert management attention.
These risks will increase as we continue to grow the number and scale of our cloud subscriptions and process, store, and transmit increasingly large amounts of our customers’, prospects’, vendors’, channel partners’, and our own data. In particular, as remote working conditions have led businesses to increasingly rely on virtual environments and communication systems, there has been an increase in cyberattacks and other malicious activities.
Our having entered into an indemnification agreement with Michael J. Saylor, our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Chairman, that supplements our conventional director and officer liability insurance provided by third-party insurance carriers could negatively affect our business and the market price of our class A common stock
We have entered into an indemnification agreement with Michael J. Saylor, our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Chairman, pursuant to which Mr. Saylor has agreed to personally indemnify our directors and officers with respect to certain claims and expenses excluded from the insurance coverage provided by our commercial director and officer insurance carriers, for which we agreed to pay Mr. Saylor an applicable annual fee. Our having entered into this indemnification agreement with Mr. Saylor could have adverse effects on our business, including making it more difficult to attract and retain qualified directors and officers due to the unconventional nature of the arrangement and potential concerns that the indemnification arrangement might not provide the same level of protection that might otherwise be provided by coverage obtained entirely through conventional director and officer insurance. In addition, our indemnification arrangement with Mr. Saylor may result in some investors perceiving that our independent directors are not sufficiently independent from Mr. Saylor due to their entitlement to personal indemnification from him, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our class A common stock.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
The market price of our class A common stock has been and may continue to be volatile
The market price of our class A common stock has historically been volatile and this volatility has been significant in recent periods. Since August 11, 2020, the date on which we announced our initial purchase of bitcoin, the closing price of our class A common stock has increased from $12.36 as of August 10, 2020, the last trading day before our announcement, to $339.66 as of January 3, 2025. The market price of our class A common stock may fluctuate widely in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to:
| • | fluctuations in the price of bitcoin, of which we have significant holdings, and in which we expect we will continue to make significant purchases and announcements about our transactions in bitcoin; |
| • | changes to our bitcoin strategy; |
| • | announcement of additional capital raising transactions; |
| • | regulatory, commercial and technical developments related to bitcoin or the Bitcoin blockchain; |
| • | quarterly variations in our results of operations or those of our competitors; |
| • | announcements about our earnings that are not in line with analyst expectations, the likelihood of which may be enhanced because it is our policy not to give guidance relating to our anticipated financial performance in future periods; |
| • | announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, dispositions, new offerings, significant contracts, commercial relationships, or capital commitments; |
| • | our ability to develop, market, and deliver new and enhanced offerings on a timely basis; |
| • | commencement of, or our involvement in, litigation; |
| • | recommendations by securities analysts or changes in earnings estimates and our ability to meet those estimates; |
| • | investor perception of our Company, including as compared to investment vehicles that are designed to track the price of bitcoin, such as spot bitcoin ETPs; |
| • | announcements by our competitors of their earnings that are not in line with analyst expectations; |
| • | the volume of shares of our class A common stock available for public sale; |
| • | sales or purchases of stock by us or by our stockholders and issuances of awards under our equity incentive plan; and |
| • | general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of related markets, including as a result of war, terrorism, infectious diseases (such as COVID-19), natural disasters and other global events, and government responses to such events. |
In addition, the stock market and the markets for both bitcoin-influenced and technology companies have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies in those markets. In particular, recent trading prices of our class A common stock may reflect market dynamics that are not connected to traditional software and business intelligence industry fundamentals, or to valuation methods commonly associated with operating companies in these industries or with companies engaged predominantly in passive investments in bitcoin or other commodities, such as exchange-traded funds. Our equity market capitalization as of December 31, 2024 is well in excess of our stockholders’ equity calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and in excess of valuations that might traditionally be expected based on our operating performance, cash flows and net assets. Investors may therefore be unable to assess the value our class A common stock or evaluate the risks of an investment in us using traditional or commonly used enterprise valuation methods. We cannot predict how these dynamics may evolve over time, or whether or how long they may last. These market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our class A common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
Because of the rights of our two classes of common stock and because Michael J. Saylor, who beneficially owns the majority of our class B common stock, controls a significant portion of our total voting power, Mr. Saylor has significant influence over matters that require approval of our stockholders and as a result could impede a third party from acquiring us, or limit the ability of our other stockholders to influence corporate matters
We have two classes of common stock: class A common stock and class B common stock. Holders of our class A common stock generally have the same rights as holders of our class B common stock, except that holders of class A common stock have one vote per share while holders of class B common stock have ten votes per share. As of December 31, 2024, there were 19,640,250 shares of class B common stock outstanding, which accounted for approximately 46.5% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock. As of December 31, 2024, Mr. Saylor, our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Chairman, beneficially owned 19,616,680 shares of class B common stock, or 46.4% of the total voting power. Accordingly, Mr. Saylor has significant influence over matters that require approval of our stockholders, including mergers, going-private transactions, and other extraordinary transactions and their terms, elections of our directors, and amendments to our certificate of incorporation and by-laws.
Provisions of our charter, by-laws and Delaware law may have anti-takeover effects that could prevent a change in control even if the change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders.
Provisions of our charter, by-laws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to control or acquire us, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders, including our board of directors having the right to elect directors to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director and the ability of our board of directors to issue, without stockholder approval, shares of undesignated preferred stock.
Further, as a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to certain Delaware anti-takeover provisions. Under Delaware law, a corporation may not engage in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other things, the board of directors has approved the transaction. Our board of directors could rely on Delaware law to prevent or delay an acquisition of us.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, of our class A common stock, convertible debt instruments, convertible preferred stock, or other convertible securities could depress the price of our class A common stock
We may issue and sell additional shares of class A common stock, convertible notes, convertible preferred stock, or other securities in subsequent offerings to raise capital or issue shares for other purposes, including in connection with the acquisition of additional bitcoin. For example, since January 1, 2024, we have issued and sold:
| • | $16.363 billion of shares of class A common stock through at-the-market equity offering programs; |
| • | $800.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2030 Convertible Notes; |
| • | $603.8 million aggregate principal amount of 2031 Convertible Notes; |
| • | $800.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 2032 Convertible Notes; |
| • | $1.010 billion in aggregate principal amount of 2028 Convertible Notes; and |
| • | $3.000 billion in aggregate principal amount of 2029 Convertible Notes. |
On October 30, 2024, we filed a prospectus for a new at-the-market equity offering program pursuant to which we may sell class A common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $21 billion from
time to time, through TD Securities (USA) LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., The Benchmark Company, LLC, BTIG, LLC, Canaccord Genuity LLC, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Maxim Group LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, and SG Americas Securities, LLC, as agents, under a sales agreement dated October 30, 2024 (the “October 2024 Sales Agreement”). As of December 31, 2024, we may issue and sell additional class A common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $6.775 billion from time to time under the October 2024 Sales Agreement. We cannot predict:
| • | the size of future issuances of equity securities; |
| • | the size and terms of future issuances of convertible debt instruments or other convertible securities; or |
| • | the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of our securities will have on the market price of our class A common stock. |
Transactions involving newly issued class A common stock, convertible debt instruments, convertible preferred stock, or other convertible securities could result in possibly substantial dilution to holders of our class A common stock.
Our amended and restated by-laws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, then any other state court located in the State of Delaware, or if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) is the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for such disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees
Our amended and restated by-laws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, then any other state court located in the State of Delaware, or if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, other employee or stockholder of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or the Company’s certificate of incorporation or by-laws (in each case, as they may be amended from time to time), or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, which provides for exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts. It could apply, however, to a suit that falls within one or more of the categories enumerated in the choice of forum provision and asserts claims under the Securities Act, inasmuch as Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision with respect to claims under the Securities Act, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to
find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated by-laws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.
Risks Related to Our Outstanding and Potential Future Indebtedness
Our level and terms of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to further execute on our bitcoin strategy, fund our enterprise analytics software operations, and take advantage of new business opportunities
As of December 31, 2024, we had $7.274 billion aggregate indebtedness, consisting of $1.05 billion aggregate principal amount of 2027 Convertible Notes, $1.01 billion aggregate principal amount of 2028 Convertible Notes, $3.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 2029 Convertible Notes, $800.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2030 Convertible Notes, $603.8 million aggregate principal amount of 2031 Convertible Notes, $800.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2032 Convertible Notes, and $9.8 million of other long-term indebtedness. We refer herein to the 2027 Convertible Notes, 2028 Convertible Notes, 2029 Convertible Notes, 2030 Convertible Notes, 2031 Convertible Notes, and 2032 Convertible Notes, collectively, as the “Convertible Notes.” As of December 31, 2024, our annual contractual interest expense relating to our Convertible Notes was $34.6 million.
Our substantial indebtedness and interest expense could have important consequences to us, including:
| • | limiting our ability to use a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations in other areas of our business, including for acquisition of additional bitcoin, working capital, research and development, expanding our infrastructure, capital expenditures, and other general business activities and investment opportunities in our company, because we must dedicate a substantial portion of these funds to pay interest on and/or service our debt; |
| • | limiting our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for acquisition of additional bitcoin, working capital, capital expenditures, debt service, acquisitions, execution of our strategy, and other expenses or investments planned by us; |
| • | limiting our flexibility and our ability to capitalize on business opportunities and to react to competitive pressures and adverse changes in government regulation, our business, and our industry; |
| • | increasing our vulnerability to a downturn in our business and to adverse economic and industry conditions generally; |
| • | placing us at a competitive disadvantage as compared to our competitors that are less leveraged; and |
| • | limiting our ability, or increasing the costs, to refinance indebtedness. |
We may be unable to service our indebtedness, which could cause us to default on our debt obligations and could force us into bankruptcy or liquidation
Our ability to make scheduled payments on and to refinance our indebtedness depends on and is subject to our financial and operating performance, which is influenced, in part, by general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, counterparty business, and other risks that are beyond our
control, including the availability of financing in the U.S. banking and capital markets. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We cannot assure you that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness, to refinance our indebtedness, or to fund our other liquidity needs. Even if refinancing indebtedness is available, any refinancing of our indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants that could further restrict our business operations. In addition, our bitcoin strategy anticipates that we may issue additional debt in future periods to finance additional purchases of bitcoin, but if we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures, we may be required to sell bitcoin. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations or our financial covenants, which could cause us to default on our debt obligations. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness.
Upon the occurrence of an event of default under any of MicroStrategy’s indebtedness, the holders of the defaulted indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. Any of these events could in turn result in cross-defaults under our other indebtedness. We may not have sufficient funds available to pay the amounts due upon any such default, particularly in the event that there has been a decrease in the market value of our bitcoin holdings, and we may not be able to raise additional funds to pay such amounts on a timely basis, on terms we find acceptable, or at all. Any financing that we may undertake under such circumstances could result in substantial dilution of our existing stockholders, and in the absence of being able to obtain such financing, we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the Convertible Notes in cash or to repurchase the Convertible Notes for cash upon a fundamental change or to repurchase the 2028 Convertible Notes on September 15, 2027, the 2029 Convertible Notes on June 1, 2028, the 2030 Convertible Notes or the 2031 Convertible Notes on September 15, 2028, or the 2032 Convertible Notes on June 15, 2029, and any future debt may contain, limitations on our ability to engage in cash-settled conversions or repurchases of Convertible Notes
In connection with any conversion of the Convertible Notes, unless we elect (or have previously irrevocably elected) to deliver solely shares of our class A common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Convertible Notes being converted. However, any future debt may contain limitations on our ability to (i) pay cash upon conversion or redemption of the Convertible Notes, which may require us to elect to deliver solely shares of our class A common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), or (ii) sell certain bitcoin to generate cash that can be used to make such cash payments. Upon a fundamental change as defined in the indentures governing the Convertible Notes, the holders of such notes will have the right to require us to offer to purchase all of the applicable notes then outstanding at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the repurchase date. Moreover, the exercise by holders of the Convertible Notes of their right to require us to repurchase such Convertible Notes could cause a default under future debt agreements, even if the change of control or fundamental change itself does not, due to the financial
effect of such repurchase on us. In order to obtain sufficient funds to pay the purchase price of such notes, we expect that we would have to refinance the Convertible Notes or obtain a waiver from the applicable holders of Convertible Notes and we may not be able to refinance the Convertible Notes on reasonable terms, if at all. Absent a waiver from the applicable holders of Convertible Notes, our failure to offer to purchase all applicable Convertible Notes or to purchase all validly tendered Convertible Notes would be an event of default under the indentures governing the Convertible Notes. In addition, holders of (i) the 2028 Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes on September 15, 2027, (ii) the 2029 Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes on June 1, 2028, (iii) the 2030 Convertible Notes and the 2031 Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes on September 15, 2028, and (iv) the 2032 Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes on June 15, 2029, in each case, at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any.
The conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results
In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of the applicable Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert such notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our class A common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. Furthermore, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the applicable Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
We rely on the receipt of funds from our subsidiaries in order to meet our cash needs and service our indebtedness, including the Convertible Notes and our other long-term indebtedness, and certain of our subsidiaries holding digital assets may not provide any dividends, distributions, or other payments to us to fund our obligations and meet our cash needs
We depend on dividends, distributions, and other payments from our subsidiaries to fund our obligations, including those arising under the Convertible Notes, and our other long-term indebtedness, and meet our cash needs. The operating results of our subsidiaries at any given time may not be sufficient to make dividends, distributions, or other payments to us in order to allow us to make payments on the Convertible Notes, and our other long-term indebtedness. In addition, dividends, distributions, or other payments, as well as other transfers of assets, between our subsidiaries and from our subsidiaries to us may be subject to legal, regulatory, or contractual restrictions, which may materially adversely affect our ability to transfer cash within our consolidated companies and our ability to meet our cash needs and service our indebtedness.
Despite our current level of indebtedness, we may incur substantially more indebtedness and enter into other transactions in the future which could further exacerbate the risks related to our indebtedness
Our bitcoin strategy includes acquiring bitcoin using proceeds from equity and debt financings and cash flows from operations. As such, despite our current level of indebtedness, we may incur substantially more indebtedness, and we may enter into other transactions in the future. Even if we were to enter into debt or other arrangements that contain restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, these restrictions may be subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions that would allow us to incur significant additional indebtedness. To the extent we incur additional indebtedness or other obligations, the risks described herein with respect to our indebtedness may increase significantly.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained herein and documents incorporated herein by reference about future expectations, plans, and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to expectations as to future purchases of bitcoin, net losses and increases in the Company’s deferred tax assets, future issuances of indebtedness or preferred stock, potential tax liabilities as a result of corporate alternative minimum tax under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and impacts of the adoption of ASU 2023-08 on our financial results in future periods. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the other factors discussed in “Risk Factors Update” above and the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 2024, and the risks described in other filings that the Company may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Date: January 6, 2025 | MicroStrategy Incorporated (Registrant) | |||||
| By: | /s/ W. Ming Shao | |||||
| Name: | W. Ming Shao | |||||
| Title: | Executive Vice President & General Counsel | |||||