Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2023 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation | Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which include the assets, liabilities, results of operations and cash flows of the Company have been prepared in accordance with: (i) generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information; (ii) the instructions to Form 10-Q; and (iii) the guidance of Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), for financial statements required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). As permitted under such rules, certain notes and other financial information normally required by U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. The Company believes the condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows as of and for the periods presented herein. The Company’s results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 may not be indicative of the Company’s future results. These condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The condensed consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2022 was derived from the audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP on an annual reporting basis.
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| Use of Estimates | Use of Estimates The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported herein. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on historical experience and on various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Significant items subject to such estimates include, but are not limited to, the measurement of provisions for credit losses, implied price concessions, acquired intangible assets, the recoverability of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, deferred tax assets, and the fair value of the convertible senior notes. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods may be affected by changes in those estimates. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis.
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| Fair Value Measurements | Fair Value Measurements The carrying amounts of certain assets and liabilities, including cash and cash equivalents, receivables, advances to university clients, accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities, approximate their respective fair values due to their short-term nature. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, based on the Company’s principal or, in the absence of a principal, most advantageous, market for the specific asset or liability. U.S. GAAP provides for a three-tier fair value hierarchy to classify and disclose all assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, as well as assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis, in periods subsequent to their initial measurement. Generally, assets are recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis as a result of impairment charges. The Company remeasures non-financial assets such as goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets at fair value when there is an indicator of impairment, and records them at fair value only when recognizing an impairment loss. The fair value hierarchy requires the Company to use observable inputs when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value. Refer to Note 3 for further discussion of assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. The three tiers are defined as follows: •Level 1—Observable inputs that reflect quoted market prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets; •Level 2—Observable inputs, other than quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly in the marketplace for identical or similar assets and liabilities; and •Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market data, which require the Company to develop its own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. The Company has financial instruments, including cash deposits, receivables, accounts payable and debt. The carrying values for such financial instruments, other than the Company’s convertible senior notes, each approximated their fair values as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
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| Goodwill | Goodwill Goodwill is the excess of purchase price over the fair value of identified net assets of businesses acquired. The Company’s goodwill balance relates to its acquisitions of GetSmarter in July 2017, Trilogy in May 2019 and edX in November 2021. The Company tests goodwill at the reporting unit level, which is an operating segment or one level below an operating segment. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company completed the update of its internal financial reporting structure to better align with the executive structure following the 2022 Strategic Realignment. As a result of this update, the Company’s three reporting units within the Alternative Credential Segment (Executive Education, Boot Camp, and Open Courses) were combined into a single reporting unit (Alternative Credential). The Degree Program Segment continues to have one reporting unit (Degree Program). The Company performed impairment assessments before and after the change in reporting units. Refer to the Interim Impairment Assessments section below for further information regarding the results of these assessments. The Company initially assesses qualitative factors to determine if it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment review. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment using a quantitative approach if it decides to bypass the qualitative assessment or determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value based on a qualitative assessment. Upon completion of a quantitative assessment, the Company may be required to recognize an impairment based on the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the reporting unit. The Company determines the fair value of a reporting unit by utilizing a weighted combination of income-based and market-based approaches. The income-based approach requires the Company to make significant assumptions and estimates. These assumptions and estimates primarily include, but are not limited to, discount rates, terminal growth rates, and forecasts of revenue and margins. When determining these assumptions and preparing these estimates, the Company considers each reporting unit’s historical results and current operating trends, revenue, profitability, cash flow results and forecasts, and industry trends. These estimates can be affected by a number of factors including, but not limited to, general economic and regulatory conditions, market capitalization, the continued efforts of competitors to gain market share and prospective student enrollment patterns. In addition, the value of a reporting unit using the market-based approach is estimated by comparing the reporting unit to other publicly traded companies and/or to publicly-disclosed business mergers and acquisitions in similar lines of business. The value of a reporting unit is based on pricing multiples of certain financial parameters observed in the comparable companies. The Company also makes estimates and assumptions for market values to determine a reporting unit’s estimated fair value.
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| Other Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets | Other Indefinite-lived Intangible AssetsIn November 2021, the Company acquired an indefinite-lived intangible asset, which represented the established edX trade name. The Company concluded that due to changes in facts and circumstances, effective July 1, 2023, the edX trade name should no longer have an indefinite useful life. The Company began amortizing the edX trade name on a straight-line basis over its estimated remaining useful life of 25 years. The impact of this change in accounting estimate was immaterial to the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations for each of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. The Company expects the impact to be immaterial in future quarters. |
| Interim Impairment Assessment | Interim Impairment Assessments During both the first and third quarter of 2022, the Company experienced a significant decline in its market capitalization. Management deemed these declines triggering events related to the Company’s goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset. The Company performed interim impairment assessments as of March 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022. For the quantitative interim impairment assessment performed as of March 1, 2022, management determined the carrying value of the Open Courses reporting unit and the carrying value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset, both within the Alternative Credential Segment, exceeded their respective estimated fair value. As a result, during the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company recorded impairment charges of $28.8 million and $30.0 million to goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible asset, respectively. These charges are included within operating expense on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The estimated fair value of each of the remaining reporting units exceeded their respective carrying value by approximately 10% or more. For the quantitative interim impairment assessment performed as of September 30, 2022, management determined the carrying value of two of the reporting units and the carrying value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset, each within the Company’s Alternative Credential Segment, exceeded their respective estimated fair value. As a result, during the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded impairment charges of $50.2 million to goodwill, of which $43.0 million related to the Open Courses reporting unit and $7.2 million related to the Executive Education reporting unit, and $29.3 million to the indefinite-lived intangible asset. These charges are included within operating expense on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The estimated fair value of each of the remaining reporting units exceeded their respective carrying value by approximately 10% or more. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company experienced a significant decline in its market capitalization, which management deemed to be a triggering event related to the Company’s goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset. In addition, as a result of the change in the Company’s reporting units in the second quarter of 2023, the Company performed interim impairment assessments before and after the change in reporting units. The Company performed these interim impairment assessments as of May 1, 2023. For the interim impairment assessment performed as of May 1, 2023, after the change in reporting units, management determined it was not more likely than not that the fair values of the Degree Program reporting unit and the Alternative Credential reporting unit were less than their respective carrying amounts. As such, the Company concluded that the goodwill relating to those reporting units was not impaired and further quantitative impairment assessment was not necessary. During the third quarter of 2023, the Company experienced a significant decline in its market capitalization, which management deemed to be a triggering event related to the Company’s goodwill. The Company performed a quantitative interim impairment assessment as of September 30, 2023. The estimated fair value of each of the Company’s reporting units exceeded their respective carrying value by more than 10%. It is possible that future changes in circumstances, such as a decline in our market capitalization, or in the variables associated with the judgments, assumptions and estimates used in assessing the fair value of our reporting units, could require us to record additional impairment charges in the future. For each of the interim impairment assessments, the Company utilized a weighted combination of the income-based approach and market-based approach to determine the fair value of each reporting unit and an income-based approach to determine the fair value of its long-lived intangible asset. Key assumptions used in the income-based approach included discount rates, terminal growth rates, royalty rates, and forecasts of revenue and margins based upon each respective reporting unit’s or indefinite-lived intangible asset’s weighted-average cost of capital adjusted for the risk associated with the operations at the time of the assessment. The income-based approach largely relied on inputs that were not observable to active markets, which would be deemed “Level 3” fair value measurements, as defined in the Fair Value Measurements section above. Key assumptions used in the market-based approach included the selection of appropriate peer group companies. Changes in the estimates and assumptions used to estimate fair value could materially affect the determination of fair value and the impairment test result.
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| Convertible Senior Notes, Debt Issuance Costs | Convertible Senior Notes In April 2020, the Company issued 2.25% convertible senior notes due May 1, 2025 (the “2025 Notes”) in an aggregate principal amount of $380 million, including the exercise by the initial purchasers of an option to purchase additional 2025 Notes, in a private offering. Refer to Note 8 for more information regarding the 2025 Notes. In January 2023, the Company issued 4.50% convertible senior notes due February 1, 2030 (the “2030 Notes”) in an aggregate principal amount of $147.0 million in a private offering. Refer to Note 8 for more information regarding the 2030 Notes. During the first quarter of 2022, the Company adopted ASU No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. Pursuant to this ASU, which simplified the accounting for convertible instruments, the Company’s convertible senior notes are accounted for as a single instrument. Refer to the Recent Accounting Pronouncements section below for further information regarding the Company’s adoption of ASU 2020-06. Debt Issuance Costs Debt issuance costs are incurred as a result of entering into certain borrowing transactions and are presented as a reduction from the carrying amount of the debt liability on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Debt issuance costs are amortized over the term of the associated debt instrument. The amortization of debt issuance costs is included as a component of interest expense on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. If the Company extinguishes debt prior to the end of the underlying instrument’s full term, some or all of the unamortized debt issuance costs may need to be written off, and a loss on extinguishment may need to be recognized. Refer to Note 8 for further information about the Company’s debt.
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| Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. This ASU simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including convertible instruments and contracts indexed to and potentially settled in an entity’s own equity. The new guidance eliminates the beneficial conversion and cash conversion accounting models for convertible instruments. As a result, in more cases, convertible debt will be accounted for as a single instrument. The guidance also removes certain conditions for equity classification related to contracts in an entity’s own equity and requires the application of the if-converted method for calculating diluted earnings per share. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. The Company adopted this ASU on a modified retrospective basis in the first quarter of 2022, effective as of January 1, 2022. As a result of the adoption, long-term debt increased $81.7 million, additional paid-in capital decreased $114.6 million, deferred tax liabilities decreased $22.1 million, and the Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening accumulated deficit of $32.8 million. Adoption of this ASU requires the use of the if-converted method for all convertible notes in the diluted net income (loss) per share calculation and the inclusion of the effect of potential share settlement of the convertible notes, if the effective is more dilutive. There was no impact to the number of potentially dilutive shares as a result of the adoption. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s liquidity or cash flows. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. This ASU is intended to provide optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, to ease the potential accounting and financial reporting burden associated with the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. This ASU may be applied as of the beginning of any interim period that includes its effective date (i.e., March 12, 2020) through December 31, 2022. On December 21, 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848. This ASU defers the sunset date from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024 and is effective immediately. The Company will adopt the standard when LIBOR is discontinued and does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU No 2022-02, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures. This ASU eliminates the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings by creditors that have adopted ASU 2016-13 and enhances the disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings when borrowers are experiencing financial difficulty. In addition, the ASU requires the disclosure of current-period gross write-offs for financing receivables by year of origination in the vintage disclosures. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2023. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
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