Item 2. OPERATING EXPENSES

OPERATING EXPENSES

Research and Development

(In millions, except percentages)		Three Months Ended December 31,								Percentage Change				Six Months Ended December 31,								Percentage Change
		2024				2023								2024				2023
Research and development		$	7,917			$	7,142				11%			$	15,461			$	13,801				12%
As a percent of revenue			11%				12%				(1)ppt				11%				12%				(1)ppt

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

Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Three Months Ended December 31, 2023

Research and development expenses increased $775 million or 11% driven by investments in cloud engineering.

Six Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Six Months Ended December 31, 2023

Research and development expenses increased $1.7 billion or 12% driven by investments in cloud engineering and the impact of the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

Sales and Marketing

(In millions, except percentages)		Three Months Ended December 31,								Percentage Change				Six Months Ended December 31,								Percentage Change
		2024				2023								2024				2023
Sales and marketing		$	6,440			$	6,246				3%			$	12,157			$	11,433				6%
As a percent of revenue			9%				10%				(1)ppt				9%				10%				(1)ppt

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

Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Three Months Ended December 31, 2023

Sales and marketing expenses increased $194 million or 3% driven by investments in commercial sales.

Six Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Six Months Ended December 31, 2023

Sales and marketing expenses increased $724 million or 6% driven by the impact of the Activision Blizzard acquisition and investments in commercial sales.

General and Administrative

(In millions, except percentages)		Three Months Ended December 31,								Percentage Change				Six Months Ended December 31,								Percentage Change
		2024				2023								2024				2023
General and administrative		$	1,823			$	1,977				(8)%			$	3,496			$	3,451				1%
As a percent of revenue			3%				3%				0ppt				3%				3%				0ppt

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

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Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Three Months Ended December 31, 2023

General and administrative expenses decreased $154 million or 8% driven by Gaming, offset in part by investments in corporate functions.

Six Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Six Months Ended December 31, 2023

General and administrative expenses increased $45 million or 1% primarily driven by investments in corporate functions, offset in part by the impact of the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET

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

(In millions)		Three Months Ended December 31,								Six Months Ended December 31,
		2024				2023				2024				2023
Interest and dividends income		$	600			$	734			$	1,281			$	1,900
Interest expense			(594	)			(909	)			(1,176	)			(1,434	)
Net recognized gains (losses) on investments			(860	)			69				(397	)			(38	)
Net losses on derivatives			(116	)			(267	)			(454	)			(174	)
Net gains (losses) on foreign currency remeasurements			(153	)			36				23				(65	)
Other, net			(1,165	)			(169	)			(1,848	)			(306	)
Total		$	(2,288	)		$	(506	)		$	(2,571	)		$	(117	)

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

Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Three Months Ended December 31, 2023

Interest and dividends income decreased primarily due to lower portfolio balances. Interest expense decreased primarily due to maturities of commercial paper, offset in part by higher finance lease interest expense. Net recognized losses on investments increased primarily due to higher impairments and lower gains on equity investments in the current period. Net losses on derivatives decreased primarily due to lower losses on equity derivatives in the current period. Other, net primarily reflects net recognized losses on equity method investments, including OpenAI.

Six Months Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with Six Months Ended December 31, 2023

Interest and dividends income decreased primarily due to lower portfolio balances. Interest expense decreased primarily due to maturities of commercial paper, offset in part by higher finance lease interest expense. Net recognized losses on investments increased primarily due to higher impairments, offset in part by higher gains on equity investments in the current period. Net losses on derivatives increased primarily due to higher losses on equity derivatives in the current period. Other, net primarily reflects net recognized losses on equity method investments, including OpenAI.

INCOME TAXES

Effective Tax Rate

Our effective tax rate was 18% for both the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, and 18% for both the six months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. Our effective tax rate for the three and six months ended December 31, 2024 was primarily impacted by tax benefits from tax law changes in the prior fiscal year, including the delay of the effective date of final foreign tax credit regulations, and changes in the mix of our earnings and tax expenses between the U.S. and foreign countries.

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Our effective tax rate was lower than the U.S. federal statutory rate for the three and six months ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to earnings taxed at lower rates in foreign jurisdictions resulting from producing and distributing our products and services through our foreign regional operations center in Ireland.

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

Uncertain Tax Positions

We remain under audit by the IRS for tax years 2014 to 2017. With respect to the audit for tax years 2004 to 2013, on September 26, 2023, we received Notices of Proposed Adjustment (“NOPAs”) from the IRS. The primary issues in the NOPAs relate to intercompany transfer pricing. In the NOPAs, the IRS is seeking an additional tax payment of $28.9 billion plus penalties and interest. As of December 31, 2024, we believe our allowances for income tax contingencies are adequate. We disagree with the proposed adjustments and will vigorously contest the NOPAs through the IRS’s administrative appeals office and, if necessary, judicial proceedings. We do not expect a final resolution of these issues in the next 12 months. Based on the information currently available, we do not anticipate a significant increase or decrease to our income tax contingencies for these issues within the next 12 months.

We are subject to income tax in many jurisdictions outside the U.S. Our operations in certain jurisdictions remain subject to examination for tax years 1996 to 2024, some of which are currently under audit by local tax authorities. The resolution of each of these audits is not expected to be material to our consolidated financial statements.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

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

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Investments

Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaled $71.6 billion and $75.5 billion as of December 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024, respectively. Equity and other investments were $15.6 billion and $14.6 billion as of December 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024, respectively. Our short-term investments are primarily intended to facilitate liquidity and capital preservation. They consist predominantly of highly liquid investment-grade fixed-income securities, diversified among industries and individual issuers. The investments are predominantly U.S. dollar-denominated securities, but also include foreign currency-denominated securities to diversify risk. Our fixed-income investments are exposed to interest rate risk and credit risk. The credit risk and average maturity of our fixed-income portfolio are managed to achieve economic returns that correlate to certain fixed-income indices. The settlement risk related to these investments is insignificant given that the short-term investments held are primarily highly liquid investment-grade fixed-income securities.

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Item 2

Valuation

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

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

Cash Flows

Cash from operations increased $7.0 billion to $56.5 billion for the six months ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to an increase in cash received from customers, offset in part by an increase in cash paid to suppliers and employees and cash used to pay income taxes. Cash used in financing increased $32.4 billion to $27.8 billion for the six months ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to $6.7 billion in cash used for repayments of debt, net of proceeds in the current period compared to $23.6 billion in proceeds from the issuance of debt, net of repayments in the prior period. Cash used in investing decreased $42.1 billion to $29.3 billion for the six months ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $63.0 billion decrease in cash used for acquisitions of companies, net of cash acquired, and purchases of intangible and other assets, offset in part by an $11.1 billion increase in additions to property and equipment and an $8.5 billion decrease in cash from net investment purchases, sales, and maturities.

Debt Proceeds

We issue debt to take advantage of favorable pricing and liquidity in the debt markets, reflecting our credit rating. The proceeds of these issuances were or will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, funding for working capital, capital expenditures, repurchases of capital stock, acquisitions, and repayment of existing debt. Refer to Note 10 – Debt of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q) for further discussion.

Unearned Revenue

Unearned revenue comprises mainly unearned revenue related to volume licensing programs, which may include Software Assurance (“SA”) and cloud services. Unearned revenue is generally invoiced annually at the beginning of each contract period for multi-year agreements and recognized ratably over the coverage period. Unearned revenue also includes payments for other offerings for which we have been paid in advance and earn the revenue when we transfer control of the product or service.

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Item 2

The following table outlines the expected future recognition of unearned revenue as of December 31, 2024:

(In millions)
Three Months Ending
March 31, 2025		$	23,167
June 30, 2025			13,764
September 30, 2025			5,835
December 31, 2025			2,742
Thereafter			2,537
Total		$	48,045

If our customers choose to license cloud-based versions of our products and services rather than licensing transaction-based products and services, the associated revenue will shift from being recognized at the time of the transaction to being recognized over the subscription period or upon consumption, as applicable. Refer to Note 12 – Unearned Revenue of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q) for further discussion.

Material Cash Requirements and Other Obligations

Income Taxes

As a result of the TCJA, we are required to pay a one-time transition tax on deferred foreign income not previously subject to U.S. income tax. Under the TCJA, the transition tax is payable in interest-free installments over eight years, with 8% due in each of the first five years, 15% in year six, 20% in year seven, and 25% in year eight. As of December 31, 2024, our eighth transition tax installment of $4.4 billion is short-term and payable in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Share Repurchases

For the six months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we repurchased 15 million shares and 18 million shares of our common stock for $6.3 billion and $6.4 billion, respectively, through our share repurchase program. All repurchases were made using cash resources. As of December 31, 2024, $4.0 billion remained of our $60 billion share repurchase program. Refer to Note 15 – Stockholders’ Equity of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q) for further discussion.

Dividends

For the six months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, our Board of Directors declared dividends totaling $12.3 billion and $11.1 billion, respectively. We intend to continue returning capital to shareholders in the form of dividends, subject to declaration by our Board of Directors. Refer to Note 15 – Stockholders’ Equity of the Notes to Financial Statements (Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q) for further discussion.

Other Planned Uses of Capital

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

RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE

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

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Item 2

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

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

Revenue Recognition

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

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

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

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

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

Impairment of Investment Securities

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

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

Goodwill

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

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

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

Research and Development Costs

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

Legal and Other Contingencies

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

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Item 2

Income Taxes

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

Business Combinations – Valuation of Intangible Assets

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

PART I

Item 3, 4