Gen Digital 10-K 2021-04-02
Filed 2021-05-21. 22 sections, 392K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
(Mark One)
| ☑ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 2, 2021
or
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Transition Period from to
Commission File Number 000-17781
NortonLifeLock Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 77-0181864 | ||||||||||||||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||||||||||||||||
| 60 E. Rio Salado Parkway, | Suite 1000, | Tempe, | Arizona | 85281 | |||||||||||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(650) 527-8000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | |||||||||
| Common Stock, | par value $0.01 per share | NLOK | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of class)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☑
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☑ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | ||||||||||||||||
| 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. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑
Aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing sale price of NortonLifeLock common stock on October 2, 2020 as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market: $6,903,176,338. Solely for purposes of this disclosure, shares of common stock held by each executive officer, director, and holder of 5% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded as of such date because such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of possible affiliate status is not a conclusive determination for any other purposes.
The number of shares of NortonLifeLock common stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding as of May 11, 2021 was 579,944,942 shares.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated herein by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. Such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended April 2, 2021.
NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
FORM 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended April 2, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“NortonLifeLock,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “the Company” refer to NortonLifeLock Inc. and all of its subsidiaries. NortonLifeLock, the NortonLifeLock Logo, the Checkmark Logo, Norton, LifeLock, and the LockMan Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NortonLifeLock Inc. or its affiliates in the United States (U.S.) and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS
The discussion below contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to safe harbors under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Forward-looking statements include references to our ability to utilize our deferred tax assets, as well as statements including words such as “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “goal,” “intent,” “momentum,” “projects,” and similar expressions. In addition, projections of our future financial performance; anticipated growth and trends in our businesses and in our industries; the anticipated impacts of acquisitions, restructurings, stock repurchases, and investment activities; the outcome or impact of pending litigation, claims or disputes; our intent to pay quarterly cash dividends in the future; plans for and anticipated benefits of our solutions; matters arising out of the ongoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) investigation; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations and target markets; and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions, based on our current expectations about future events and may not prove to be accurate. We do not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events occurring or circumstances arising after the date of this report. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and our actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements on the basis of several factors.
These and other risks are described under Item 1A. Risk Factors. We encourage you to read that section carefully.
PART I
Item 1. Business
Vision & Mission
Our vision is to protect and empower people to live their digital lives safely.
Our mission is to build a comprehensive and easy-to-use integrated portfolio that prevents, detects, and responds to cyber threats and cyber crimes in today’s digital world.
Our Values
Protecting people is what inspires us, and our people are at the core of what we do. We seek to attract talent that embraces the following values:
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Advocate:** think consumer first – ensure the customer’s voice is heard and consider how our actions benefit our customers’ digital lives.
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Be Empowered:** own it – take initiative to lead and speak up when we see an opportunity to delight our customers or improve the business, regardless of job title.
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Communicate:** be open and authentic – being true to ourselves and our mission; we build cross-functional and inclusive connections to stay aligned and move faster, and we operate with integrity.
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Execute - smart and scrappy:** be a leader, quick to adapt, willing to take risks and put yourself out there; be agile in adapting to meet new challenges and continue a constant learning journey.
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Win Together:** innovate and grow – welcome diverse perspectives and seek and act on feedback; champion the unique value of every individual; diversity fuels innovation.
Company Overview
NortonLifeLock has the largest Consumer Cyber Safety platform in the world, empowering nearly 80 million users in more than 150 countries.
Our business is built around consumers, we are the trusted and number one top of mind brand in consumer Cyber Safety, according to the 2020 NortonLifeLock brand tracking study.
Today’s world is increasingly digital, and this digital world has changed the way we live our lives every day. Between the massive shift to working and learning from home, and the ever-growing utility and opportunities to play and transact online, people’s digital lives have become the norm. With each new digital interaction comes increased risk for consumers, as cyber criminals look to take advantage of this accelerating trend. This is why we view ourselves as a trusted ally for our customers in a complex digital world and are committed to advancing our mission of protecting each element of their digital lives.
We maintain a global, multi-channel direct acquisition and brand marketing program. This program is designed to grow our customer base by increasing brand awareness and understanding of our products and services, and maximizing our global reach to prospective customers.
We help prevent, detect and restore potential damages caused by many cyber criminals. We also make it easy for consumers to find, buy and use our products and services. To this end, we sell subscription-based Cyber Safety solutions primarily direct-to-consumer through our Norton and Avira websites, and indirectly through partner relationships with retailers, telecom service providers, hardware original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and employee benefit providers. Most of our subscriptions are sold on either annual or monthly terms. As of April 2, 2021, we have nearly 80 million total users, which come from direct, indirect, and freemium channels. Of the total users, we have 23 million direct customers with whom we have a direct billing relationship, and we have 30 million free users.
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Direct-to-consumer channel:** We use advertising and direct response marketing to elevate our brand, attract new customers, and generate significant demand for our services. We have a direct billing relationship with these customers.
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Indirect partner distribution channels:** We use strategic and affiliate partner distribution channels to refer prospective customers to us and expand our reach to our partners’ and affiliates’ customer bases. We developed and implemented a global partner sales organization that targets new, as well as existing, partners to enhance our partner distribution channels. These channels include retailers, telecom service providers, hardware OEMs, and employee benefit providers. Physical retail and OEM partners represent a small portion of our distribution, which minimizes the impacts of supply chain disruptions.
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Freemium channel:** With the acquisition of Avira, we have expanded our go-to-market with a freemium channel. We use free versions of our products to reach the broadest set of customers globally and bring Cyber Safety to a larger audience, especially in international markets. The free solution offers a baseline of protection and presents premium functionalities based on the risk profile and device-type of the user. The user can choose to add specific premium features or upgrade to our Norton 360 integrated platform, at which point, becoming a member of our paid customer base.
Seasonality
As is typical for many consumer technology companies, portions of our business are impacted by seasonality. However, we believe the net impact to our business is limited. Seasonal behavior in orders primarily reflects consumer spending patterns where our fiscal third and fourth quarters are higher due to the holidays in our third quarter, as well as follow-on holiday purchases and the U.S. tax filing season in our fourth quarter. Revenue generally reflects similar seasonal patterns but to a lesser extent than orders because of our subscription business model and because a large portion of our in-period revenues are recognized ratably from our deferred revenue balance.
Our Strategy
Our strategy is focused on profitable growth, allowing consumers to experience Cyber Safety. To fuel our growth, our consumer-centric strategy is to provide a comprehensive and easy-to-use integrated platform, which we have built in-house. By combining and leveraging our entire portfolio of Norton, LifeLock, and Avira offerings, we are able to deliver an industry-leading set of Cyber Safety solutions.
The key elements of our strategy include the following:
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Extend our leadership position through continued enhancement of our solutions and services:** The Cyber Safety industry is large and expanding, which we believe provides a significant growth opportunity. Our strategy is to grow our business by investing in research and development and pursuing acquisitions, where appropriate, to expand the solutions and services we offer into new cohorts, territories and sectors. We believe there are many additional areas where we can both offer new solutions, as well as use our core capabilities and our integrated platform to reach new customers and markets globally.
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Grow our customer base through multiple channels:** We have multiple go-to-market channels to reach new customers globally, including direct-to-customer, indirect partnerships, and freemium. We intend to leverage our expertise in digital marketing, as well as existing and new strategic partnerships, to grow our customer base. We believe that continued investments in these areas, as well as our product offerings and infrastructure, will allow us to further enhance our leading brands and superior products, increase awareness of our consumer services and enhance our ability to efficiently acquire new customers.
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Continue our focus on customer retention:** We plan to invest in increasing customer retention by optimizing and expanding the value we provide to customers. We aim to continue to increase customer engagements through actionable alerts, education on timely topics, and introducing new product capabilities. We plan to also continue investing in enhancing both desktop and mobile customer experiences throughout a customer’s journey with NortonLifeLock, from purchase, to onboarding and beyond. We aim to build long-term relationships with our customers, and to provide our customers with the peace of mind and confidence they need to protect their digital lives.
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Increase sales to existing customers:** We believe strong customer satisfaction will provide us with the opportunity to engage customers in new services offerings. We maintain the Norton 360 platform, with multiple tiers of membership, and we are actively engaging with customers of standalone products to move them into a Norton 360 membership. We also believe a substantial opportunity exists to increase the penetration of our premium-level consumer solutions. Over time, we plan to drive further growth as we add additional offerings and services for our customers.
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Draw strength from our world-class customer service support:** We have the largest consumer Cyber Safety customer support organization in the world. Our global support team seeks to ensure the voice of the consumer is heard, and that we put our customers first. We leverage frequent communication and feedback from our customers to continually improve our solutions and services.
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Leverage our global brands to drive growth:** We will work to keep building our trusted brands in markets globally as we strive to bring protection and empowerment to all consumers when it comes to their digital lives. According to our most recent research, Norton has 89% global brand awareness. We are also the best positioned brand in device security and #1 top of mind brand in consumer Cyber Safety, according to the 2020 NortonLifeLock Brand Impact study.
Our Cyber Safety Solutions and Services
Our vast portfolio of products and services are developed from consumer insights to help us bring to market real solutions to real problems, and to raise the overall awareness of consumer Cyber Safety across all audiences. We continuously target to release new products and features at an accelerated pace, and find synergies to integrate current and future technology acquisitions.
Our full portfolio provides protection across three Cyber Safety categories in multiple channels and geographies, including security, identity, and privacy. We have built a technology platform that brings together software and service capabilities into a comprehensive and easy-to-use integrated platform – it is called Norton 360. The Norton 360 integrated platform provides extensive Cyber Safety coverage to our members, by delivering Cyber Safety subscription solutions with industry leading features, coupled with an integrated user experience. Through our platform, we aim for simplicity and peace of mind for the consumers. We also complement this Cyber Safety platform by adding adjacent trust-based solutions, which enables people to live their digital lives without compromising their security, identity, or privacy.
We protect and empower consumers by providing solutions and services in two main ways:
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Comprehensive membership plans:** Providing a complete Cyber Safety portfolio of solutions for a membership fee. Plans are offered through Norton 360 subscriptions, which include multiple levels of membership tiers that incorporate solutions from each of our key Cyber Safety categories: Security, Identity Protection, and Online Privacy. We also offer solutions that target specific needs of consumers such as Norton Family and Norton 360 for Gamers. Norton Family brings the protection and security of our products to every member of the family across multiple devices and platforms. Norton 360 for Gamers is designed by gamers to help protect gamers, we aim to provide the protection and features gamers need the most, while minimizing interruptions to gaming.
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Point solutions:** Individual, stand-alone products and services in security, identity, and privacy – both free and paid solutions.
We are positioned across three key Cyber Safety categories:

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Security (Norton and Avira offerings):** Our Norton 360 and Avira offerings provide real-time protection for PCs, Macs and mobile devices against malware, viruses, adware, ransomware and other online threats. They monitor and block unauthorized traffic from the internet to the device to help protect private and sensitive information when customers are online. For mobile devices, Norton 360 for Mobile alerts customers of risky apps, safeguards against fraudulent and malicious websites, identifies Wi-Fi networks that are under attack, enables stolen device recovery, and blocks unwanted spam and potential fraud calls. Norton 360 includes 24x7 support by trained support agents. We provide on-call support and offer a money-back guarantee if we cannot remove viruses from infected devices through our Virus Protection Promise.
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Identity Protection (LifeLock Identity Theft Protection):** Our LifeLock identity theft protection solution includes monitoring, alerts and restoration services to protect the safety of our customers. We monitor events that may present a risk of identity theft, such as new account openings and applications. If we detect that a customer’s personally identifiable information is being used, we deliver notifications and alerts to our customers about potentially suspicious activity. In the event of identity theft, we assign an Identity Restoration Specialist to work directly with customers to help restore their identities. Customers are further protected by our Million Dollar Protection Package, which provides reimbursement for stolen funds and coverage for personal expenses. Our Dark Web Monitoring product looks for personal information of our Norton 360 members on the Dark Web. We currently offer this product in many countries internationally and continue to add new countries each year.
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Online Privacy (VPN, Privacy Monitor Assistant, Home Title Protect):** As people are exchanging more sensitive information through digital channels, such as personal healthcare information to enable tele-health or financial information for personal accounting, having a VPN has become even more crucial. Our VPN solution enhances security and online privacy by providing an encrypted data tunnel. This allows customers to securely transmit and access private information such as passwords, bank details and credit card numbers when using public Wi-Fi on PCs, Macs and mobile iOS and Android devices. Our VPN service allows customers to browse the Web anonymously to protect their
online privacy and prevent tracking by online advertisers and other companies. Customers can also change their virtual location when they are traveling internationally to allow them to connect to their favorite apps, websites and online streaming services as if they are in their home country. Our Privacy Monitor Assistant is an on-demand, white glove service where our agents help our members delete personal information from Data brokers online. Our Home Title Protect product detects fraud and notifies members if we find changes made to their Home Title. If a member becomes a victim of identity theft, we provide a dedicated Identity Restoration Specialist to work with the customer until their case is closed.
Innovation and Research & Development
NortonLifeLock has a long history of innovation, and we plan to continue to invest in research and development to drive our long-term success.
As cyber threats evolve, we are focused on delivering a portfolio that protects each element of our customers’ digital lives. To do this, we engage and listen to our customers, and we embrace innovation by deploying a global research and development strategy across our Cyber Safety platform. Our engineering and product management teams are focused on delivering new versions of existing offerings, as well as developing entirely new offerings to drive the company’s global leadership in Cyber Safety.
We are committed to our innovation and research & development efforts. Norton Labs, a global team of experts, is leading the company’s future technology and helping guide the consumer cybersecurity industry. Within Norton Labs, our global technology research organization is focused on applied research projects, with the goal of rapidly creating new products to address consumer trends and grow the business, including defending consumer digital privacy and identity. We also have a global threat response and security technology organization that is made up of leading threat and security researchers, supported by advanced systems to innovate security technology and threat intelligence.
Industry Overview & Market Opportunity
Cyber Safety is a growing market, fueled by the increase in activities online over the years, as well as the years ahead. The core markets that we participate in are security, identity, and privacy. We believe the Cyber Safety market will continue to expand beyond these core markets and grow significantly – driven by the growing number of people connected to the Internet who have a digital life.
The cyber threat landscape is larger and more complicated than ever before, exposing consumers to an increased risk to their digital lives. The digitization of the world and the overlap between the physical and digital world is growing at a fast pace. New technologies, smart devices, digital identities, and an increasingly more connected world means consumers will encounter a range of new Cyber Safety challenges. Consumer demands and behaviors are rapidly changing and driving more activities online, from shopping, socializing, working, banking, to other activities in healthcare, entertainment, and so much more. Almost every aspect of a person’s life has a digital component. Unfortunately, many of those activities are left unprotected, and attackers are exploiting this larger opportunity and the inherent security and privacy vulnerabilities. Cyber criminals have not only expanded their reach, but the sophistication of digital threats and attacks are becoming increasingly more consumer-related.
Cyber crime, and the ways in which cyber criminals target consumers, continue to evolve along with behaviors and technology. Cyber crime encompasses any crime committed digitally over the internet and includes crimes where (i) malicious software or unauthorized access is detected on a device, network or online account (such as email, social media, online banking, online retail, gaming, online entertainment, etc.), and unauthorized access or connection to cloud service accounts; (ii) an individual is digitally victimized through a data breach, cyber theft, cyber extortion, or fraud (stolen personally identifiable information, identity theft, etc.); (iii) online stalking, bullying, or harassment is inflicted; or (iv) attacks related to privacy or disinformation (such as online tracking protection, identity impersonation, disinformation on social media, DeepFakes, non-trustworthy WiFis, EvilTwin attacks, etc.).
As cyber crime becomes an intensifying threat to our world, consumers are increasingly concerned. Our annual Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report examines the impact of cyber crime and consumers’ online behaviors and concerns related to their online security, privacy and identity. According to the 2021 report, which is based on research conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of us, nearly 330 million people across 10 countries were victims of cyber crime and more than 55 million people were victims of identity theft. Cyber crime victims collectively spent nearly 2.7 billion hours trying to resolve their issues. For more insights or information related to our Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report, please visit https://us.norton.com/nortonlifelock-cyber-safety-report.
Competitive Landscape
We operate in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving business environment. We believe that the competitive factors in our market include access to a breadth of identity and consumer transaction data, broad and effective service offerings, brand recognition, technology, effective and cost-efficient customer acquisition, having a large customer base and strong retention rate, customer satisfaction, price, convenience of purchase, ease of use, frequency of upgrades and updates, and quality and reliable customer service. Our competitors vary by offering, geography, and channel.
Our principal competitors are set forth below:
- Security: Our principal competitors in this market are Avast, Kaspersky, McAfee, Microsoft, Bitdefender, and Trend Micro.
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Identity Protection: Our principal competitors in this market are credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, as well as certain credit monitoring and identity theft protection solutions from others such as Allstate, and Credit Karma.
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Online Privacy: Our principal competitors in this market are Avast, Kape, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Pango.
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Other Competitors: In addition to competition from large consumer security companies such as Avast and McAfee, we also face competition from smaller companies that may develop competing products, emerging competition from ISPs, operating systems, insurance companies, and financial service organization.
We believe we compete favorably with our competitors on the strength of our technology, people, product offerings, and integration across all of the key Cyber Safety categories. However, some of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we possess that afford them competitive advantages. As a result, they may be able to devote greater resources to develop, promote and sell their offerings; deliver competitive offerings at lower prices or for free; and introduce new solutions and respond to market developments and customer requirements more quickly than we can.
For more information on the risks associated with our competitors, please see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
We bring together our people, expertise, and technologies to support environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities that foster a safer and more sustainable future.
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Environment:** we have a sharp focus on environmental performance.
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Social:** we are proud to support the communities where our team members live and work.
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Governance:** we operate with integrity with everything we do and celebrate diversity as a driver of innovation.
Our commitment to ESG is a critical anchor of our company’s mission and operating philosophy. Our ESG mission is to bring together our team, expertise, and powerful technology to build a safe, inclusive, and sustainable future for people, their information, and the digital world.
Setting strategic, achievable, and business-aligned corporate responsibility objectives helps to guide our work and improves our company performance. We aligned our objectives with the company’s business goals and focused on the unique impact we can make on the world.
Our objectives include:
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Data Privacy and Protection:** Raise awareness of NortonLifeLock as a privacy leader.
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Education and Training for Cyber Safety:** Leverage NortonLifeLock’s leading expertise and technology in Cyber Safety to protect communities.
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:** Invest in high-impact nonprofits to bring more women and under-represented groups into cybersecurity and tech.
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Volunteering & Giving:** Drive opportunities for employee volunteering and giving and increase employee participation rate.
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Environmental Stewardship:** Establish NortonLifeLock as an environmentally responsible business.
Our annual ESG and Corporate Responsibility Report can be found via the NortonLifeLock website at https://www.nortonlifelock.com/about/corporate-responsibility.
Human Capital Management
At NortonLifeLock, our mission is to provide solutions for consumer Cyber Safety that defend against ever-evolving cyber threats, in a world that’s more connected than ever before. Our success in helping achieve this mission depends, in a large part, on the success of our employees. We strive to be a diverse, vibrant community with strong values and a shared commitment to each other, the work we do, and the world we all share.
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General Employee Demographics: As of April 2, 2021, we employed more than 2,800 employees in 26 countries worldwide, 1,216 in the U.S. and 1,592 in the rest of world. None of our U.S. employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We are focused on attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining a diverse global team. Our board is invested in us; the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee of our Board of Directors oversees workforce and senior management compensation and development, and our Board of Directors is invested in our talent management strategies, culture, leadership quality development and overall engagement.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): Our mission is to increase our global representation of underrepresented groups at all levels (diversity), where everyone has an opportunity for development and advancement (equity) and is able to bring their whole selves to work and feel valued every day (inclusion). This mission is built upon four foundational pillars: (1) measurement and accountability; (2) fostering an inclusive environment; (3) diversifying our workforce; and (4) employee development and retention, which are designed to support our ability to attract, retain and develop the best talent in cybersecurity.
Diversifying our workforce was a strategic talent goal for fiscal year 2021, and we have made progress in increasing representation. As of April 2, 2021, women represented 33% of our workforce and held positions in 30% of our leadership. In addition, as of April 2, 2021, women represented 44% of our Board of Directors.
In support of our Diversifying our Workforce pillar, we became approved as a Work180 partner company, a women-focused recruitment site that only lists career opportunities from employers that support diversity, inclusion, and flexibility. In addition to WORK180, we post positions on several diverse recruiting sites, including Black Tech Jobs, Jobs for Her, and Women Who Code.
As part of ongoing focus on employee and development, we have participated in McKinsey & Company’s Black Leadership Academy since November 2020 to help accelerate the progression of Black leaders in the company. Participants attended either a three-month Black Executive Leadership Program, designed for senior leaders looking to further develop their leadership capabilities, or a six-month Management Accelerator, designed to support ongoing career progression for high performing early to mid-career managers.
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NLOK Communities: In FY21, we launched seven employee resource groups, called NLOK Communities, as a platform for communities of employees to come together as allies, to learn, support, mentor, and celebrate with one another. We believe these groups play a vital role in helping create an inclusive work culture where everyone feels seen, heard, respected, and valued.
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Employee Development, Engagement and Training: Feedback from our employees is critical in designing and refining our human capital management strategy. We regularly seek both candid and structured input from our employees by conducting a quarterly Ngage pulse survey on a targeted topic. We are invested in providing a productive, supportive, and inclusive environment for our teams with a focus on learning and development across all levels where flexibility and choice are guiding principles.
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Human Capital Governance:** We partner closely with our Board of Directors and the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee on our strategies and objectives related to talent management, talent acquisition, leadership development, retention and succession, DEI, and employee engagement.
Intellectual Property
We are a leader amongst Cyber Safety solutions for consumers in pursuing patents and currently have a portfolio of over 1,000 U.S. and international patents issued with many pending. We protect our intellectual property rights and investments in a variety of ways to safeguard our technologies and our long-term success. We work actively in the U.S. and internationally to ensure the enforcement of copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other protections that apply to our software products and services. The term of the patents we hold is, on average, twelve years. From time to time, we enter into cross-license agreements with other technology companies covering broad groups of patents; we have an additional portfolio of over 2,100 U.S. and international patents cross-licensed to us as part of our arrangement with Broadcom as a result of the asset sale of our former enterprise security business.
Circumstances outside our control could pose a threat to our intellectual property rights. Effective intellectual property protection may not be available, and the efforts we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient or effective. Any significant impairment of our intellectual property rights could harm our business or our ability to compete. In addition, protecting our intellectual property rights is costly and time consuming. Any unauthorized disclosure or use of our intellectual property could make it more expensive to do business and harm our operating results.
In addition, companies in the technology industry may own a large number of patents, copyrights, and trademarks and may frequently request license agreements, threaten litigation, or file suit against us based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights.
For more information on the risks associated with our intellectual property, please see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Information Security and Risk Oversight
We maintain a comprehensive technology and cybersecurity program to ensure our systems are effective and prepared for information security risks, including regular oversight of our programs for security monitoring for internal and external threats to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of our information assets. We regularly perform evaluations of our security program and continue to invest in our capabilities to keep customers, employees, and critical assets safe. Our Head of Cyber Security is ultimately responsible for our cybersecurity program, which includes the implementation of controls aligned with industry guidelines and applicable statutes and regulations to identify threats, detect attacks, and protect these information assets. We have implemented security monitoring capabilities designed to alert us to suspicious activity and developed an incident response program that includes periodic testing and is designed to restore business operations as quickly and as orderly as possible in the event of a breach. In addition, employees participate in ongoing mandatory annual trainings and receive communications regarding the cybersecurity environment to increase awareness throughout the firm. We also implement enhanced annual trainings for specific specialized employee populations, including secure coding training.
Recently, our Board of Directors established a Technology and Cybersecurity Committee of the Board with direct oversight to the Company’s (1) technology strategy, initiatives and investments and (2) key cybersecurity information technology risks against both internal and external threats. The Technology and Cybersecurity Committee is comprised entirely of independent directors, two of whom have significant work experience related to information security issues or oversight. Management will report security
instances to the committee as they occur, if material, and will provide a summary multiple times per year to the Committee. Additionally, our Head of Cyber Security meets at least twice annually with the Board of Directors or the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors to brief them on technology and information security matters. We carry insurance that provides protection against the potential losses arising from a cybersecurity incident. In the last three years, the expenses we have incurred from information security breach incidences were immaterial. This includes penalties and settlements, of which there were none.
Governmental Regulation
We collect, use, store or disclose an increasingly high volume, variety, and velocity of personal information, including from employees and customers, in connection with the operation of our business, particularly, in relation to our identity and information protection offerings, which rely on large data repositories of personal information and consumer transactions. The personal information we process is subject to an increasing number of federal, state, local, and foreign laws regarding privacy and data security.
For information on the risks associated with complying with privacy and data security laws, please see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Available information
Our Internet home page is located at https://www.nortonlifelock.com. We make available free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on our investor relations website located at https://investor.nortonlifelock.com. The information contained, or referred to, on our website, including in any reports that are posted on our website, is not part of this annual report unless expressly noted. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding our filings at http://www.sec.gov.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
COVID-19 RISKS
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected how we are operating our business, and the duration and extent to which this will impact our future results of operations and overall financial performance remains uncertain.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having widespread, rapidly evolving, and unpredictable impacts on global society, economies, financial markets, and business practices. To protect the health and well-being of our employees, partners and third-party service providers, we have implemented a near company-wide work-from-home requirement for most employees until further notice, made substantial modifications to employee travel policies, and cancelled or shifted our conferences and other marketing events to virtual-only for the foreseeable future. We continue to monitor the situation and will adjust our current policies as recommendations and public health guidance changes. To date, we have not seen any meaningful negative impact on our customer success efforts, sales and marketing efforts, or employee productivity. Nevertheless, as employees, partners or third-party services providers return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of inadvertent transmission of COVID-19 through human contact could still occur and result in litigation.
The U.S. and global economies have experienced a recession due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we did not experience a material increase in cancellations by customers or a material reduction in our retention rate in 2021, we may experience such an increase or reduction in the future, especially in the event of a prolonged recession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A prolonged recession could adversely affect demand for our offerings, retention rates and harm our business and results of operations, particularly in light of the fact that our solutions are discretionary purchases and thus may be more susceptible to macroeconomic pressures, as well impact the value of our common stock, ability to refinance our debt, and our access to capital.
The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately forecasted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of new variants of the disease, the extent, effectiveness and acceptance of containment actions, such as vaccination programs, and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and third-party service providers. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively and if the macroeconomic conditions of the general economy or the industries in which we operate do not improve, or deteriorate further, our business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY AND INDUSTRY
If we are unable to develop new and enhanced solutions, or if we are unable to continually improve the performance, features, and reliability of our existing solutions, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our future success depends on our ability to effectively respond to evolving threats to consumers, as well as competitive technological developments and industry changes, by developing or introducing new and enhanced solutions on a timely basis. We have in the past incurred, and will continue to incur, significant research and development expenses as we focus on organic growth through internal innovation. We believe that we also must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our research and development efforts to decrease our reliance on third parties. If we do not achieve the benefits anticipated from these investments, or if the achievement of these benefits is delayed, our operating results may be adversely affected. Additionally, we must continually address the challenges of dynamic and accelerating market trends and competitive developments. Customers may require features and capabilities that our current solutions do not have. Our failure to develop
new solutions and improve our existing solutions to satisfy customer preferences and effectively compete with other market offerings in a timely and cost-effective manner may harm our ability to retain our customers and attract new customers. A loss of customers would adversely impact our business and operating results.
The development and introduction of new solutions involve a significant commitment of time and resources and are subject to a number of risks and challenges including but not limited to:
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Lengthy development cycles;
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Evolving industry and regulatory standards and technological developments by our competitors and customers;
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Rapidly changing customer preferences;
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Evolving platforms, operating systems, and hardware products, such as mobile devices;
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Product and service interoperability challenges with customer’s technology and third-party vendors;
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Entering into new or unproven markets; and
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Executing new product and service strategies.
In addition, third parties, including operating systems and internet browser companies, may take steps to limit the interoperability of our solutions with their own products and services, in some cases to promote their own offerings. This could delay the development of our solutions or our solutions may be unable to operate effectively. This could also result in decreased demand for our solutions, decreased revenue, and harm to our reputation, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
If we are not successful in managing these risks and challenges, or if our new or improved solutions are not technologically competitive or do not achieve market acceptance, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
We operate in a highly competitive environment, and our competitors may gain market share in the markets for our solutions.
We operate in intensely competitive markets that experience frequent technological developments, changes in industry and regulatory standards, changes in customer requirements and preferences, and frequent new product introductions and improvements. If we are unable to anticipate or react to these continually evolving conditions, we could lose market share and experience a decline in our revenues. To compete successfully, we must maintain an innovative research and development effort to develop new solutions and enhance our existing solutions, effectively adapt to changes in the technology or product rights held by our competitors as well as the ways our information is accessed, used and stored by our customers, and appropriately respond to competitive strategies.
Our competitors include software vendors and operating system providers that offer solutions that directly compete with our offerings. We face growing competition from other technology companies, as well as from companies in the identity threat protection space such as credit bureaus. Many of our competitors are increasingly developing and incorporating into their products data protection software and other competing products, often free of charge, that compete at some level with our offerings. Our competitive position could be adversely affected to the extent that our customers perceive the functionality incorporated into these products as replacing the need for our solutions. We face additional risks that these products could limit the operability of our solutions for our customers. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing, or other resources than we do and consequently, may have the ability to influence customers to purchase their products instead of ours, including through investing more in internal innovation than we can. Further consolidation within our industry or other changes in the
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
There are no unresolved issues with respect to any Commission staff’s written comments that were received at least 180 days before the end of our fiscal year to which this report relates and that relate to our periodic or current reports under the Exchange Act.
Item 2. Properties
Not applicable.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Information with respect to this Item may be found under the heading “Litigation contingencies” in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K which information is incorporated into this Item 3 by reference.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Stock symbol and stockholders of record
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “NLOK”. As of April 2, 2021, there were 1,538 stockholders of record. A substantially greater number of holders of our common stock are "street name" or beneficial holders, whose shares of record are held by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.
Stock performance graph
The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total return on the S&P 500 Composite Index and the S&P Information Technology Index for the five fiscal years ended April 2, 2021 (assuming the initial investment of $100 in our common stock and in each of the other indices on the last day of trading for fiscal 2016 and the reinvestment of all dividends). The comparisons in the graph below are based on historical data and are not indicative of, nor intended to forecast the possible future performance of our common stock.
COMPARISON OF FIVE-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN
Among NortonLifeLock Inc., the S&P 500 Index
and the S&P Information Technology Index

This performance graph shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of NortonLifeLock under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
Repurchases of our equity securities
Under our stock repurchase programs, shares may be repurchased on the open market and through accelerated stock repurchase transactions. As of April 2, 2021, we had $274 million remaining authorized to be completed in future periods. On May 4, 2021, our Board of Directors approved an incremental share repurchase authorization of $1,500 million bringing the total authorized under the stock repurchase program to $1,774 million. The authorization does not have an expiration date. Stock repurchases during the three months ended April 2, 2021, were as follows:
| (In millions, except per share data) | Total Number of Shares Purchased (1) | Average Price Paid per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Program | Maximum Dollar Value of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs | |||||||||||||||||||
| January 2, 2021 to January 29, 2021 | 5 | $ | 20.80 | 5 | $ | 323 | |||||||||||||||||
| January 30, 2021 to February 26, 2021 | 2 | $ | 20.28 | 2 | $ | 284 | |||||||||||||||||
| February 27, 2021 to April 2, 2021 (2) | — | $ | 20.01 | — | $ | 274 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total number of shares repurchased | 7 | 7 |
(1) The number of shares purchased is reported on trade date. Repurchases of 1 million shares, which were executed prior to January 2, 2021, settled during the period of January 2, 2021 to January 29, 2021.
(2) The number of shares is less than 1 million.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Please read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes thereto included under Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
OVERVIEW
NortonLifeLock Inc. has the largest Consumer Cyber Safety platform in the world, empowering nearly 80 million users in more than 150 countries. We are the trusted and number one top of mind brand in consumer Cyber Safety, according to the 2020 NortonLifelock brand tracking study. We help prevent, detect, and restore potential damages caused by many cyber criminals.
We have utilized and expect to continue to utilize acquisitions to contribute to our long-term growth objectives. During fiscal year 2021, we completed the acquisition of Avira, which provides a consumer-focused portfolio of cybersecurity and privacy solutions primarily in Europe and key emerging markets. We believe this acquisition will help accelerate our international growth.
Fiscal Year Highlights
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In May 2020, we settled the $625 million principal and conversion rights of our 2.0% Convertible Notes for $1,176 million in cash. The repayments resulted in an adjustment to stockholders’ equity of $578 million and a gain on extinguishment of $20 million.
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In July 2020, we completed the sale of our Culver City property for cash consideration of $118 million, net of selling costs, and recognized a gain on sale of $35 million.
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In September 2020, we borrowed $750 million under the Delayed Draw Term Loan, maturing in 2024, and used the entire amount of the proceeds to repay in full the principal and accrued interest under our 4.2% Senior Notes due September 2020. The first amendment to our credit agreement, executed in May 2021, extends the maturity date from November 2024 to May 2026 for this tranche. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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In October 2020, we entered into multiple agreements with Broadcom for an aggregate amount of $200 million to license Broadcom’s enterprise software and security engines and to resolve all outstanding payments and claims related to the asset purchase and transition services agreement.
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In December 2020, we substantially completed our restructuring plan (the November 2019 Plan) in connection with the strategic decision to divest our Enterprise Security business. We incurred total costs of $509 million since the inception of the November 2019 Plan, excluding stock-compensation expense, primarily related to workforce reduction, contract termination, and asset write-offs and impairment charges.
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In January 2021, we completed the acquisition of Avira for total aggregate consideration of $344 million, net of $32 million cash acquired.
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On April 1, 2021, we completed the sale of certain land and buildings in Mountain View for cash consideration of $100 million, net of selling costs, and recognized a gain on sale of $63 million.
Fiscal calendar and basis of presentation
We have a 52/53-week fiscal year ending on the Friday closest to March 31. Fiscal 2021, 2020, and 2019 in this report refers to fiscal year ended April 2, 2021, April 3, 2020, and March 29, 2019, respectively. Fiscal 2020 was a 53-week year, whereas fiscal 2021 and 2019 each consisted of 52 weeks.
Key financial metrics
The following table provides our key financial metrics for fiscal 2021 compared with fiscal 2020:
| Fiscal Year | |||||||||||
| (In millions, except for per share amounts) | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 2,551 | $ | 2,490 | |||||||
| Operating income | $ | 896 | $ | 355 | |||||||
| Income from continuing operations | $ | 696 | $ | 578 | |||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations | $ | (142) | $ | 3,309 | |||||||
| Net income | $ | 554 | $ | 3,887 | |||||||
| Net income per share from continuing operations - diluted | $ | 1.16 | $ | 0.90 | |||||||
| Net income per share from discontinued operations - diluted | $ | (0.24) | $ | 5.15 | |||||||
| Net income per share - diluted | $ | 0.92 | $ | 6.05 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 706 | $ | (861) | |||||||
| As of | |||||||||||
| (in millions) | April 2, 2021 | April 3, 2020 | |||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments | $ | 951 | $ | 2,263 | |||||||
| Contract liabilities | $ | 1,265 | $ | 1,076 |
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Net revenues increased $61 million, primarily due to increased sales of our consumer security products and our identity and protection products, partially offset by the divestiture of our ID Analytics solutions and the additional week of revenue recognized during fiscal 2020.
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Operating income increased $541 million, primarily due to lower compensation expense, outside services expense, and facility and IT costs that were driven by our cost reduction programs, partially offset by a legal accrual relating to an ongoing civil lawsuit involving a government contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
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Income from continuing operations increased $118 million, primarily due to higher operating income, gain on sale of our Culver City and certain Mountain View properties, gain on extinguishment of debt, and lower income tax expense, partially offset by the absence of the $379 million gain on sale of our equity method investment in DigiCert and the $250 million gain on the sale of our ID Analytics solutions, which were divested in fiscal 2020.
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We incurred a loss from discontinued operations, net of tax, compared to a gain during the corresponding period in fiscal 2020, primarily due to the absence of gain on the sale of certain of our Enterprise Security assets and certain liabilities to Broadcom Inc. (the “Broadcom sale”), the absence of operating income as a result of the Broadcom sale, and a settlement with Broadcom in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 of all outstanding payments and certain claims related to the Broadcom sale.
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Net income and net income per share decreased, primarily due to the loss from discontinued operations for the reasons discussed above, partially offset by higher income from continuing operations.
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Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments decreased by $1,312 million compared to April 3, 2020, primarily due to repayment of debt, net of borrowings, and to a lesser extent, payments for dividends and dividend equivalents, and payment for acquisitions. The payments were partially offset by net cash provided by operating activities and proceeds from the sale of our Culver City and certain Mountain View properties. In May 2020, we settled the principal and conversion rights of $625 million of our 2.0% Convertible Notes for $1,176 million in cash.
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Contract liabilities increased $189 million compared to April 3, 2020, primarily due to higher billings than recognized revenue and the acquisition of Avira.
COVID-19 UPDATE
The COVID-19 pandemic is having widespread, rapidly evolving, and unpredictable impacts on global society, economies, financial markets, and business practices. To protect the health and well-being of our employees, partners and third-party service providers, we implemented a near company-wide work-from-home requirement for most employees, made substantial modifications to employee travel policies, and cancelled or shifted our conferences and other marketing events to virtual-only. We continue to monitor the situation and plan to adjust our current policies as recommendations and public health guidance is changing. To date, we have not seen any meaningful negative impact on our customer success efforts, sales and marketing efforts, or employee productivity. Nevertheless, as employees, partners or third-party services providers return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of inadvertent transmission of COVID-19 through human contact could still occur and result in litigation.
The U.S. and global economies have experienced a recession due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we did not experience a material increase in cancellations by customers or a material reduction in our retention rate in
2021, we may experience such an increase or reduction in the future, especially in the event of a prolonged recession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A prolonged recession could adversely affect demand for our offerings, retention rates and harm our business and results of operations, particularly in light of the fact that our solutions are discretionary purchases and thus may be more susceptible to macroeconomic pressures, as well impact the value of our common stock, ability to refinance our debt, and our access to capital.
The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately forecasted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of new variants of the disease, the extent, effectiveness and acceptance of containment actions, such as vaccination programs, and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and third-party service providers. For more information on the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, please see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP) requires us to make estimates, including judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We have based our estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We evaluate our estimates on a regular basis and make changes accordingly. Management believes that the accounting estimates employed, and the resulting amounts are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates. Making estimates and judgments about future events is inherently unpredictable and is subject to significant uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. Should any of these estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect, it could have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
A summary of our significant accounting policies is included in Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. An accounting policy is deemed to be critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made based on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time the estimate is made, if different estimates reasonably could have been used, or if changes in the estimate that are reasonably possible could materially impact the financial statements. Management believes the following critical accounting policies reflect the significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Business combinations
We allocate the purchase price of acquired businesses to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. Any residual purchase price is recorded as goodwill. The allocation of purchase price requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions in determining the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed especially with respect to intangible assets.
Critical estimates in valuing intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from customer relationships, developed technology, trade names, and acquired patents, and discount rates. Management estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable. Third-party valuation specialists are also utilized for certain estimates. Unanticipated events and circumstances may occur which may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates, or actual results.
Income taxes
We are subject to tax in multiple U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. We are required to estimate the current tax exposure as well as assess the temporary differences between the accounting and tax treatment of assets and liabilities, including items such as accruals and allowances not currently deductible for tax purposes. We apply judgment in the recognition and measurement of current and deferred income taxes which includes the following critical accounting estimates.
We use a two-step process to recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. If we determine that the tax position will more likely than not be sustained on audit, the second step requires us to estimate and measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the probability of various outcomes. We re-evaluate these uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, effectively settled issues under audit, and new audit activity. Such a change in recognition or measurement would result in the recognition of a tax benefit or an additional charge to the tax provision in the period.
Loss contingencies
We are subject to contingencies that expose us to losses, including various legal and regulatory proceedings, asserted and potential claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. An estimated loss from such contingencies is recognized as a charge to income if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Judgment is required in both the determination of probability and the determination as to whether a loss is reasonably estimable. We review the status of each significant matter quarterly, and we may revise our estimates. Until the final resolution of such matters, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the amount recorded, and such amounts could be material. Should any of our estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect, it could have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements for that reporting period.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth our Consolidated Statements of Operations data as a percentage of net revenues for the periods indicated:
| Fiscal Year | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||||||||
| Cost of revenues | 14 | 16 | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 86 | 84 | 81 | ||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 23 | 28 | 29 | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 10 | 13 | 17 | ||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 8 | 15 | 17 | ||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Restructuring, transition and other costs | 6 | 11 | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 51 | 70 | 75 | ||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 35 | 14 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (6) | (8) | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 5 | 27 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes | 34 | 33 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 7 | 10 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations | 27 | 23 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations | (6) | 133 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| Net income | 22 | % | 156 | % | 1 | % |
Note: The percentages may not add due to rounding.
Net revenues
| Fiscal Year | Variance in % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2020 vs. 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 2,551 | $ | 2,490 | $ | 2,456 | 2 | % | 1 | % |
Fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020
Net revenues increased $61 million primarily due to a $91 million increase in sales of our consumer security products and a $60 million increase in sales of our identity and protection products. This was driven by the increase in our direct customer count year-over-year, and stable annual retention rate and average revenue per user (ARPU) in fiscal 2021. The increase was partially offset by a $46 million decrease as a result of the divestiture of our ID Analytics solutions in January 2020 and $44 million of revenue recognized during an additional week in fiscal 2020.
Fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019
Net revenues increased $34 million primarily due to approximately $44 million of revenues from the additional week in fiscal 2020.
Performance Metrics
We regularly monitor a number of metrics in order to measure our current performance and estimate our future performance. Our metrics may be calculated in a manner different than similar metrics used by other companies.
The following table summarizes supplemental key performance metrics for our solutions:
| Fiscal Year | |||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for per user amounts and percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| Direct customer revenue (1) | $ | 2,286 | $ | 2,204 | $ | 2,168 | |||||||||||
| Partner revenues | $ | 270 | $ | 240 | $ | 240 | |||||||||||
| Average direct customer count (2) | 21.2 | 20.2 | 20.7 | ||||||||||||||
| Direct customer count (at quarter-end) | 23.0 | 20.2 | 20.3 | ||||||||||||||
| Direct average revenue per user (ARPU) (3) | $ | 9.01 | $ | 8.90 | $ | 8.74 | |||||||||||
| Annual retention rate | 85 | % | 85 | % | 85 | % |
(1) Direct customer revenues in fiscal 2021 excludes a $5 million reduction of revenue from a contract liability purchase accounting adjustment recognized during the last quarter due to the acquisition of Avira. Direct customer revenues in fiscal 2020 and 2019 excludes $46 million and $48 million, respectively, of revenue from ID Analytics solutions, which were divested in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.
(2) Average direct customer count for fiscal 2021 is calculated as an average of the fiscal quarters. The average direct customer count for the fourth fiscal quarter was pro-rated to include 1.6 million customers from the Avira acquisition.
(3) ARPU in fiscal 2020 was normalized to exclude the impact of the extra week on direct revenue, which we estimate to be approximately $41 million of direct customer revenue. Excluding this adjustment, ARPU would have been $9.07 in fiscal 2020.
We define direct customer revenues as revenues from sales of our consumer solutions to direct customers, which we define as active paid users who have a direct billing relationship with us at the end of the reported period. Users with multiple products or entitlements are counted for based on which solutions they are subscribed. We exclude users on free trials and promotions and users who have indirectly purchased our product or services through partners unless such users convert or renew their subscriptions directly with us.
From time to time, we update our methodology due to changes in the business. In fiscal 2021, the average direct customer count calculation has been refined primarily to pro-rate for acquisitions that happen during a quarter, such as Avira, which was acquired in January 2021. The full year average direct customer count is calculated as an average across the quarters. This change in methodology had an immaterial impact to historical amounts presented.
ARPU is calculated as estimated direct customer revenues for the period divided by the average direct customer count for the same period, expressed as a monthly figure. We monitor ARPU because it helps us understand the rate at which we are monetizing our consumer customer base.
Annual retention rate is defined as the number of direct customers who have more than a one-year tenure as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal period divided by the total number of direct customers as of the end of the period from one year ago. We monitor annual retention rate to evaluate the effectiveness of our strategies to improve renewals of subscriptions.
Net revenues by geographic region
Percentage of revenue by geographic region as presented below is based on the billing location of the customer.
| Fiscal Year | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Americas | 72 | % | 74 | % | 73 | % | |||||||||||
| EMEA | 16 | % | 15 | % | 16 | % | |||||||||||
| APJ | 12 | % | 11 | % | 11 | % |
Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.
The Americas include U.S., Canada, and Latin America; EMEA includes Europe, Middle East, and Africa; APJ includes Asia Pacific and Japan.
Percentage of revenue by geographic region remained consistent in fiscal 2021, 2020, and 2019.
Cost of revenues
| Fiscal Year | Variance in % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2020 vs. 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenues | $ | 362 | $ | 393 | $ | 455 | (8) | % | (14) | % |
Fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020
Our cost of revenues decreased $31 million primarily due to decreases in royalty charges and technical support costs, partially offset by an increase in commissions, reflecting higher investments in affiliate marketing programs.
Fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019
Our cost of revenues decreased $62 million primarily due to decreases in technical support costs and service costs, partially offset by an increase in royalty charges. In addition, during fiscal 2019, we recorded higher inventory write-offs of $10 million due to our discontinuation of our consumer hardware product line.
Operating expenses
| Fiscal Year | Variance in % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2020 vs. 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 576 | $ | 701 | $ | 712 | (18) | % | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 267 | 328 | 420 | (19) | % | (22) | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 215 | 368 | 410 | (42) | % | (10) | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 74 | 79 | 80 | (6) | % | (1) | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring, transition and other costs | 161 | 266 | 221 | (39) | % | 20 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1,293 | $ | 1,742 | $ | 1,843 | (26) | % | (5) | % |
Fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020
Sales and marketing expense decreased $125 million primarily due to a $147 million decrease in shared facility and IT costs, partially offset by a $12 million increase in advertising and promotional expense.
Research and development expense decreased $61 million due to a $44 million decrease in shared facility and IT costs and a $17 million decrease in compensation, driven by lower headcount.
General and administrative expense decreased $153 million primarily due to a $70 million decrease in compensation expense, a $55 million decrease in shared facility and IT costs, and a $43 million decrease in outside services expense, partially offset by an additional legal accrual of $25 million in fiscal 2021 relating to an ongoing civil lawsuit involving a government contract with the GSA.
The overall decreases in our sales and marketing, research and development and general and administrative expenses were driven by our cost reduction initiatives.
Amortization of intangible assets was relatively flat compared to fiscal 2020.
Restructuring, transition and other costs decreased $105 million primarily due to a $50 million decrease of contract cancellation charges and a $59 million decrease in severance costs in connection with our November 2019 restructuring plan (the November 2019 Plan). The decrease was partially offset by a $11 million increase in asset write-offs and impairments. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our restructuring plans.
Fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019
Sales and marketing expense decreased $11 million primarily due to a $75 million decrease in compensation expense and allocated corporate costs, reflecting our cost reduction initiatives. These decreases were partially offset by a $64 million increase in advertising and promotional expense reflecting our higher investments in direct marketing programs.
Research and development expense decreased $92 million primarily due to a $77 million decrease in compensation expense and allocated corporate costs, and a $23 million decrease in outside services, reflecting our cost reduction initiatives.
General and administrative expense decreased $42 million primarily due to a $34 million decrease in compensation expense other than stock-based compensation and allocated corporate costs, and a $18 million decrease in stock-based compensation expense.
Amortization of intangible assets was relatively flat compared to fiscal 2019.
Restructuring, transition and other costs increased $45 million primarily due to $101 million of contract cancellation charges incurred in fiscal 2020, a $71 million increase in severance costs, a $45 million increase in asset impairments, and a $20 million increase in stock-based compensation. These increases were partially offset by $185 million costs related to transition projects incurred in fiscal 2019 that were completed by the end of that period.
Non-operating income (expense), net
| Fiscal Year | Variance in $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2020 vs. 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | (144) | $ | (196) | $ | (208) | $ | 52 | $ | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 4 | 80 | 42 | (76) | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loss from equity interest | — | (31) | (101) | 31 | 70 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign exchange gain (loss) | 1 | (6) | (11) | 7 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on divestitures | — | 250 | — | (250) | 250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale of equity method investment | — | 379 | — | (379) | 379 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on early extinguishment of debt | 20 | — | — | 20 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale of properties | 98 | — | — | 98 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transition service expense, net | (9) | (19) | — | 10 | (19) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 6 | 7 | 13 | (1) | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-operating income (expense), net | $ | (24) | $ | 464 | $ | (265) | $ | (488) | $ | 729 |
Fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020
Non-operating income, net of expense, decreased $488 million primarily due the absence of the $379 million gain on sale of our equity method investment in DigiCert and the $250 million gain on the sale of our ID Analytics solutions, which were divested in fiscal 2020. The decrease was partially offset by the absence of loss from our equity interest in DigiCert, gain on sale of our Culver City property and certain Mountain View properties, and the gain on extinguishment of debt due to the repayment of our 2.0% Convertible Notes in fiscal 2021.
Fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019
Non-operating income, net of expense, increased $729 million primarily due to a $379 million gain on the sale of the DigiCert equity method investment and a $250 million gain on the sale of our ID Analytics solutions in fiscal 2020. In addition, our loss from equity interest that was divested in fiscal 2020 decreased $70 million and our interest income increased $38 million as a result of higher investments in money market funds purchased with proceeds from the Broadcom sale.
Provision for income taxes
We are a U.S.-based multinational company subject to tax in multiple U.S. and international tax jurisdictions. Our results of operations would be adversely affected to the extent that our geographical mix of income becomes more weighted toward jurisdictions with higher tax rates and would be favorably affected to the extent the relative geographic mix shifts to lower tax jurisdictions. Any change in our mix of earnings is dependent upon many factors and is therefore difficult to predict.
| Fiscal Year | |||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes | $ | 872 | $ | 819 | $ | (107) | |||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 176 | $ | 241 | $ | 3 | |||||||||||
| Effective tax rate on income (loss) from continuing operations | 20 | % | 29 | % | (3) | % |
Fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020
Our effective tax rate decreased primarily due to releases in uncertain tax positions and favorable withholding tax rulings.
Fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019
Our effective tax rate increased primarily due to an increase in income taxes from non-deductible goodwill, and an increase in income taxes as a result of the Altera Ninth Circuit Opinion. See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information about the Altera Ninth Circuit Opinion.
Discontinued operations
| Fiscal Year | Variance in % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 vs. 2020 | 2020 vs. 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 1 | $ | 1,368 | $ | 2,288 | (100) | % | (40) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 1 | $ | 1,035 | $ | 1,693 | (100) | % | (39) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | $ | (177) | $ | 4 | $ | 234 | (4,525) | % | (98) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale | $ | — | $ | 5,434 | $ | — | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | $ | (176) | $ | 5,431 | $ | 228 | (103) | % | 2,282 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | $ | (34) | $ | 2,122 | $ | 87 | (102) | % | 2,339 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes | $ | (142) | $ | 3,309 | $ | 141 | (104) | % | 2,247 | % |
Fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020
We incurred a loss from discontinued operations in fiscal 2021, compared to a gain during the corresponding period in fiscal 2020, primarily due to the absence of gain on the Broadcom sale, the absence of operating income as a result of the Broadcom sale, and a $200 million settlement with Broadcom in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 of all outstanding payments and certain claims related to the Broadcom sale.
Fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019
Income from discontinued operations in fiscal 2020 reflects a $5,434 million gain on the Broadcom sale and $2,122 million income tax expense primarily related to the gain. In addition, we recognized $261 million restructuring, transition and other costs in fiscal 2020, compared to $20 million in fiscal 2019.
LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES AND CASH REQUIREMENTS
Liquidity
We have historically relied on cash generated from operations, borrowings under credit facilities, issuances of debt, and proceeds from divestitures for our liquidity needs.
As of April 2, 2021, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of approximately $1.0 billion, of which $0.4 billion was held by our foreign subsidiaries. Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments are managed with the objective to preserve principal, maintain liquidity, and generate investment returns. The participation exemption system under current U.S. federal tax regulations generally allows us to make distributions of non-U.S. earnings to the U.S. without incurring additional U.S. federal tax; however, these distributions may be subject to applicable state or non-U.S. taxes. We have recognized deferred income taxes for local country income and withholding taxes that could be incurred on distributions of certain non-U.S. earnings or for outside basis differences in our subsidiaries.
We also have an undrawn revolving credit facility of $1 billion. The first amendment to our credit agreement, executed in May 2021, extends the maturity date from November 2024 to May 2026. For additional discussion on the amendment, see Note 10 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our principal cash requirements are primarily to meet our working capital needs and support on-going business activities, including payment of taxes and cash dividends, funding capital expenditures, servicing existing debt, repurchasing our common stock, and investing in business acquisitions.
Our capital allocation strategy is to balance driving stockholder returns, managing financial risk, and preserving our flexibility to pursue strategic options, including acquisitions. Historically, this has included a quarterly cash dividend, the repayment of debt, and the repurchase of our common stock.
Divestiture of Enterprise Security business
In fiscal 2020, we completed the sale of certain assets and the assumption of certain liabilities of our Enterprise Security business to Broadcom. During fiscal 2021, we paid approximately $70 million of U.S. and foreign income taxes as a result of the transaction.
On October 1, 2020, we entered into multiple agreements with Broadcom and paid an aggregate amount of $200 million. We licensed Broadcom’s enterprise software, multiple security engines and related telemetry for 5.6 years. In addition, we resolved all outstanding payments and certain claims related to the asset purchase and transition services agreements.
Debt
In May 2020, we settled the $625 million principal and conversion rights of our 2.0% Convertible Notes for $1,176 million in cash. In September 2020, we borrowed $750 million under the Delayed Draw Term Loan, maturing in November 2024, and used the entire amount of the proceeds to repay in full the principal and accrued interest under our 4.2% Senior Notes due September 2020. In March 2021, we made a $6 million quarterly principal payment on our initial term loan (the Initial Term Loan) and a $9 million quarterly principal payment on the Delayed Draw Term Loan. On May 7, 2021, we entered into the first amendment to our credit agreement, which provides an additional five year term loan (the First Amendment Additional Term Loan), and extends the maturity date of the Initial Term Loan, the Delayed Draw Term Loan, and revolving credit facility from November 2024 to May 2026. For additional discussion on the amendment, see Note 10 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In May 2021, we entered into a Convertible Notes Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) under which we agreed to repurchase $250 million in aggregate principal amount of our new 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2022. Under the terms of the Agreement, we paid an aggregate of $365 million on May 20, 2021, representing $24.40 per underlying share into which the notes are convertible, accrued and unpaid interest through the date of settlement, and a portion of the cash dividend that we declared on May 10, 2021 . For additional discussion on the Agreement, see Note 19 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K
Sale of certain assets
On July 27, 2020, we completed the sale of our Culver City property for cash consideration of $118 million, net of selling costs.
On April 1, 2021, we completed the sale of certain land and buildings in Mountain View for cash consideration of $100 million, net of selling costs.
Acquisition of Avira
On January 8, 2021, we completed our acquisition of Avira for total aggregate cash consideration of $344 million, net of $32 million cash acquired.
Share repurchase program
During fiscal 2021, we executed repurchases of 15 million shares of our common stock under our existing share repurchase program for an aggregate amount of $304 million.
Cash flows
The following table summarizes our cash flow activities in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019:
| Fiscal Year | |||||||||||||||||
| (In millions) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in): | |||||||||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 706 | $ | (861) | $ | 1,495 | |||||||||||
| Investing activities | $ | (69) | $ | 11,379 | $ | (241) | |||||||||||
| Financing activities | $ | (1,903) | $ | (10,123) | $ | (1,209) | |||||||||||
| Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | (1,244) | $ | 386 | $ | 17 |
Cash from operating activities
Fiscal 2021
Our cash from operating activities in fiscal 2021 reflected net income of $554 million, adjusted by non-cash items, primarily consisting of amortization and depreciation of $150 million, impairments of current and long-lived assets of $90 million, stock-based compensation expense of $81 million, deferred income taxes of $42 million, and gain on sale of properties of $98 million.
Changes in operating assets and liabilities during fiscal 2021 consisted primarily of the following:
Contract liabilities increased $118 million, primarily due to higher billings than recognized revenue.
Accounts payable decreased $44 million, primarily due to a reduction in operating costs in connection with our November 2019 Plan, which was completed during fiscal 2021.
Income taxes payable decreased $299 million primarily due to tax payments made during fiscal 2021, including payments related to the Broadcom sale, payments of federal and foreign income taxes, and a decrease as a result of favorable tax rulings. During fiscal 2021, we made aggregate tax payments of $341 million related to these transactions.
Fiscal 2020
Our cash flows for fiscal 2020 reflected net income of $3,887 million, adjusted by non-cash items, primarily consisting of gains on divestitures of $5,684 million and a gain on the sale of our equity method investment of $379 million, amortization and depreciation of $361 million, and stock-based compensation of $312 million.
Changes in operating assets and liabilities during fiscal 2020 consisted primarily of the following:
Accounts receivable decreased $583 million, primarily due to the collections of receivables related to our Enterprise Security solutions. Such receivables were not included in the assets that were sold in connection with the Broadcom sale.
Contract liabilities decreased $121 million, primarily due to seasonally higher recognized revenue from our Enterprise Security solutions than billings during the period prior to the Broadcom sale.
Accrued compensation and benefits decreased $117 million, primarily due to a decrease in headcount as a result of the Broadcom sale and our restructuring activities.
Income taxes payable increased $383 million primarily due to taxes owed on the Broadcom sale and the sale of our DigiCert equity method investment. During fiscal 2020, we made aggregate tax payments of $2 billion related to these transactions.
Cash from investing activities
Our cash flows used in investing activities in fiscal 2021 primarily consisted of payment for the Avira acquisition of $344 million, net of $32 million cash acquired, partially offset by proceeds from the sale of our Culver City and certain Mountain View properties of $218 million and proceeds from maturities and sales of short-term investments of $68 million.
Our investing activities in fiscal 2020 primarily consisted of $10,918 million in net proceeds from the Broadcom sale and the divestiture of our ID Analytics solutions and $380 million from the sale of our equity method investment in DigiCert.
Cash from financing activities
Our financing activities in fiscal 2021 primarily consisted of repayments of debt of $1,941 million in connection with the settlement of our 2.0% Convertible Notes, repayments of our 4.2% Senior Notes, and quarterly principal payments of our Initial Term Loan and Delayed Draw Term Loan, payment of dividends and dividend equivalents of $373 million, and repurchases of common stock of $304 million, partially offset by proceeds from issuance of debt of $750 million under our Delayed Draw Term Loan.
Our financing activities in fiscal 2020 primarily consisted of payments of dividends and dividend equivalents of $7,481 million, repurchases of common stock of $1,581 million, debt repayments of $868 million, consisting of $552 million in principal and a $316 million cash settlement of the equity rights associated with our Senior Convertible notes, and cash consideration of $546 million paid in connection with the exchange of convertible debt.
Cash requirements
Debt - As of April 2, 2021, our total outstanding principal amount of indebtedness is summarized as follows. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information about our debt.
| (In millions) | April 2, 2021 | ||||
| Term Loans | $ | 1,235 | |||
| Senior Notes | 1,500 | ||||
| Convertible Senior Notes | 875 | ||||
| Mortgage Loans | 10 | ||||
| Total debt | $ | 3,620 |
Debt covenant compliance - The credit agreement we entered into in November 2019, which was amended and extended through May 2026 on May 7, 2021, contains customary representations and warranties, non-financial covenants for financial reporting, affirmative and negative covenants, including a covenant that we maintain a consolidated leverage ratio of not more than 5.25 to 1.0, or 5.75 to 1.0 if we acquire assets or business in an aggregate amount greater than $250 million, and restrictions on indebtedness, liens, investments, stock repurchases, and dividends (with exceptions permitting our regular quarterly dividend and other specific capital returns). As of April 2, 2021, we were in compliance with all debt covenants.
Dividends - On May 10, 2021, we announced a cash dividend of $0.125 per share of common stock to be paid in June 2021. Any future dividends will be subject to the approval of our Board of Directors.
Stock repurchases - Under our stock repurchase program, we may purchase shares of our outstanding common stock through accelerated stock repurchase transactions, open market transactions (including through trading plans intended to qualify under Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act,) and privately-negotiated transactions. As of April 2, 2021, the remaining balance of our stock repurchase authorization is $274 million and does not have an expiration date. On May 4, 2021, our Board of Directors approved an incremental share repurchase authorization of $1,500 million, bringing the total authorized amount under the stock repurchase program to $1,774 million. The authorization does not have an expiration date. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and other investment opportunities.
Restructuring - Under our restructuring plans approved by our Board of Directors in November 2019 and December 2020, we have incurred cash expenditures primarily for severance and termination benefits, contract terminations, and other exit and disposal costs. The November 2019 Plan was completed in fiscal 2021 with total cash payments of $139 million during the fiscal year. As of April 2, 2021, we estimate that we will incur total costs up to $20 million in connection with the December 2020 Plan. During fiscal 2021, we made $9 million in cash payments related to the December 2020 Plan. These actions are expected to be
completed in fiscal 2022. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further cash flow information associated with our restructuring activities.
Contractual obligations
The following is a schedule of our significant contractual obligations as of April 2, 2021, including those associated with our discontinued operations. The expected timing of payments of the obligations in the following table is estimated based on current information. Timing of payments and actual amounts paid may be different, depending on the time of receipt of goods or services, or changes to agreed-upon amounts for some obligations.
| Payments Due by Period | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions) | Total | Less than 1 Year | 1 - 3 Years | 3 - 5 Years | Over 5 Years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Debt | $ | 3,620 | $ | 313 | $ | 1,153 | $ | 2,149 | $ | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest payments on debt (1) | 367 | 110 | 162 | 94 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (2) | 380 | 296 | 70 | 9 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deemed repatriation taxes (3) | 594 | 69 | 196 | 329 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating leases (4) | 100 | 29 | 41 | 21 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 5,061 | $ | 817 | $ | 1,622 | $ | 2,602 | $ | 20 |
(1)Interest payments were calculated based on the contractual terms of the related Senior Notes, Convertible Senior Notes, and credit facility. Interest on variable rate debt was calculated using the interest rate in effect as of April 2, 2021. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on the Senior Notes, Convertible Senior Notes, and Term loans.
(2)These amounts are associated with agreements for purchases of goods or services generally including agreements that are enforceable and legally binding and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum, or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. The table above also includes agreements to purchase goods or services that have cancellation provisions requiring little or no payment. The amounts under such contracts are included in the table above because management believes that cancellation of these contracts is unlikely, and we expect to make future cash payments according to the contract terms or in similar amounts for similar materials.
(3)These amounts represent the transition tax on previously untaxed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which may be paid through July 2025.
(4)We have entered into various non-cancelable operating lease agreements that expire on various dates through fiscal 2028. The amounts in the table above exclude expected sublease income. See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on leases.
Due to the uncertainty with respect to the timing of future cash flows associated with our unrecognized tax benefits and other long-term taxes as of April 2, 2021, we are unable to make reasonably reliable estimates of the period of cash settlement with the respective taxing authorities. Therefore, $525 million in long-term income taxes payable has been excluded from the contractual obligations table. See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Indemnifications
In the ordinary course of business, we may provide indemnifications of varying scope and terms to customers, vendors, lessors, business partners, subsidiaries, and other parties with respect to certain matters, including, but not limited to, losses arising out of our breach of agreements or representations and warranties made by us. In connection with the sale of Veritas and the sale of our Enterprise Security business to Broadcom, we assigned several leases to Veritas Technologies LLC or Broadcom and/or their related subsidiaries. In addition, our bylaws contain indemnification obligations to our directors, officers, employees, and agents, and we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and certain of our officers to give such directors and officers additional contractual assurances regarding the scope of the indemnification set forth in our bylaws and to provide additional procedural protections. We maintain director and officer insurance, which may cover certain liabilities arising from our obligation to indemnify our directors and officers. Refer to Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our indemnifications.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We are exposed to various market risks related to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. We may use derivative financial instruments to mitigate certain risks in accordance with our investment and foreign exchange policies. We do not use derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
Interest rate risk
Our short-term investments and cash equivalents primarily consist of corporate bonds and certificate of deposits, respectively. A change in interest could have an adverse impact on their market value. As of April 2, 2021, the carrying value and fair value of our short-term investments and cash equivalents was $18 million. A hypothetical change in the yield curve of 100 basis points would not result in a significant reduction in fair value.
As of April 2, 2021, we had $2.4 billion in aggregate principal amount of fixed-rate Senior Notes and convertible debt outstanding, with a carrying amount and a fair value of $2.4 billion, based on Level 2 inputs. Since these notes bear interest at
fixed rates, they do not result in any financial statement risk associated with changes in interest rates. However, the fair value of these notes fluctuates when interest rates change.
As of April 2, 2021, we also had $1.2 billion outstanding debt with variable interest rates based on the London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR). A reasonably possible hypothetical adverse change of 100 basis points in LIBOR would not result in a significant increase in interest expense on an annualized basis.
In addition, we have a $1 billion revolving credit facility that if drawn bears interest at a variable rate based on LIBOR and would be subject to the same risks associated with adverse changes in LIBOR.
Foreign currency exchange rate risk
We conduct business in numerous currencies through our worldwide operations, and our entities hold monetary assets or liabilities, earn revenues, or incur costs in currencies other than the entity’s functional currency, primarily in Euro, Japanese Yen, British Pound, Israeli New Shekel, Swiss Franc, Singapore Dollar and Indian Rupee. In addition, we charge our international subsidiaries for their use of intellectual property and technology and for certain corporate services we provide. Our cash flow, results of operations and certain of our intercompany balances that are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations may differ materially from expectations, and we may record significant gains or losses due to foreign currency fluctuations and related hedging activities. As a result, we are exposed to foreign exchange gains or losses which impacts our operating results.
We have a foreign exchange exposure management program designed to identify material foreign currency exposures, manage these exposures, and reduce the potential effects of currency fluctuations on our results of operations through which we enter into foreign exchange forward contracts on our assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of our subsidiaries with up to twelve months in duration. We do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative trading purposes, nor do we hedge our foreign currency exposure in a manner that entirely offsets the effects of the changes in foreign exchange rates. The gains and losses on these foreign exchange contracts are recorded in Other income (expense), net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As of April 2, 2021 and April 3, 2020, we had open foreign currency forward contracts with notional amounts of $338 million and $419 million, respectively, to hedge foreign currency balance sheet exposure, with an insignificant fair value. A hypothetical ten percent depreciation of foreign currency would result in a reduction in fair value of our forward contracts of $20 million and $30 million for fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, respectively. This analysis disregards the possibilities that the rates can move in opposite directions and that losses from one geographic area may be offset by gains from another geographic area.
Additional information with respect to our derivative instruments is included in Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures included in Part IV, Item 15 of this annual report are incorporated by reference into this Item 8.
The selected quarterly financial data is no longer required, as we have elected to early adopt the amendment to Item 302 of Regulation S-K contained in SEC Release No. 33-10890, which became effective on February 10, 2021. There were no material retrospective changes to any quarters in the two most recent fiscal years that would require this disclosure.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The SEC defines the term “disclosure controls and procedures” to mean a company’s controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. “Disclosure controls and procedures” include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management. Our management (with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer) has conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act).
Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of the end of the period covered by this report.
b) Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) for NortonLifeLock. Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, has conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of April 2, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”).
We acquired Avira during January 2021. Management excluded Avira from its assessment of the effectiveness of NortonLifeLock Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 2, 2021. Total assets and total revenues of Avira represent approximately 1%, or $67 million and 1%, or $21 million, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of, and for the year ended, April 2, 2021. Management did not assess the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting at Avira due to the complexity associated with assessing internal control during integration efforts as well as the limited amount of time between the transaction date and the assessment date of April 2, 2021.
Our management has concluded that, as of April 2, 2021, our internal control over financial reporting was effective at the reasonable assurance level based on these criteria.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of April 2, 2021 has been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
c) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended April 2, 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. We have not experienced any significant impact to our internal controls over financial reporting despite the fact that a significant number of employees continue to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of our processes and controls allow for remote execution with accessibility to secure data. We are continually monitoring and assessing the COVID-19 situation to minimize the impact, if any, on the design and operating effectiveness on our internal controls.
d) Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected.
Item 9B. Other Information
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required by this item will be included under the caption “Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance” in our proxy statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of the fiscal year ended April 2, 2021 (the 2021 Proxy Statement) and is incorporated herein by reference. With regard to the information required by this item regarding compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, we will provide disclosure of delinquent Section 16(a) reports, if any, in the 2021 Proxy Statement, and such disclosure, if any, is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this item will be included under the caption “Executive Compensation” in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required by this item will be included under the caption “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by this item will be included under the caption “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a)
(1). Financial Statements
Upon written request, we will provide, without charge, a copy of this annual report, including the Consolidated Financial Statements and financial statement schedule. All requests should be sent to:
NortonLifeLock Inc.
Attn: Investor Relations
60 E. Rio Salado, Suite 1000
Tempe, Arizona 85281
(650) 527-8000
The following documents are filed as part of this report:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
NortonLifeLock Inc.:
Opinions on the Consolidated Financial Statements and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of NortonLifeLock Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of April 2, 2021 and April 3, 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended April 2, 2021, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 2, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of April 2, 2021 and April 3, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended April 2, 2021, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of April 2, 2021 based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
The Company acquired Avira during 2021, and management excluded from its assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 2, 2021, Avira’s internal control over financial reporting associated with total assets and total revenues of approximately 1%, or $67 million and 1%, or $21 million, respectively, included in the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended April 2, 2021. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting of the Company also excluded an evaluation of the internal control over financial reporting of Avira.
Basis for Opinions
The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
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Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Mountain View, State of California, on the 21st day of May 2021.
| NORTONLIFELOCK INC. | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ Vincent Pilette | |||||||
| Vincent Pilette Chief Executive Officer and Director |
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Vincent Pilette, Natalie Derse, and Bryan Ko, and each or any of them, his or her attorneys-in-fact, each with the power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments to this report on Form 10-K and any other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorneys-in-fact, or his or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. This Power of Attorney may be signed in several counterparts.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated below.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||||||||||||
| /s/ Vincent Pilette | Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Vincent Pilette | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Natalie Derse | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Natalie Derse | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Frank E. Dangeard | Chairman of the Board | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Frank E. Dangeard | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Sue Barsamian | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Sue Barsamian | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Eric K. Brandt | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Eric K. Brandt | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Nora Denzel | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Nora Denzel | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Peter A. Feld | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Peter A. Feld | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Kenneth Y. Hao | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Kenneth Y. Hao | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Emily Heath | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Emily Heath | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Sherrese M. Smith | Director | May 21, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Sherrese M. Smith |