Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes, before making a decision to invest in our Class A common stock. Our business, operating results, financial condition, or prospects could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks and uncertainties. If any of these risks actually occurs, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment. Our business, operating results, financial performance, or prospects could also be harmed by risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe are material.
Risks Related to Our Business
We operate in a highly competitive market. If we do not compete effectively, our prospects, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
The wearable device market is highly competitive, with companies offering a variety of products and services. Wearables can be broadly defined as trackers, fitness watches, smartwatches and devices beyond the wrist. We expect competition in our market to intensify in the future as new and existing competitors introduce new or enhanced products and services that are potentially more competitive than our products and services. In terms of units sold, we have primarily operated in the health and fitness tracker and smartwatch segments of the wearables device market. The wearable device market has a multitude of participants, including specialized consumer electronics companies, such as Garmin and Withings, and traditional watch companies such as Fossil.
In addition, many large, broad-based consumer electronics companies either compete in our market or adjacent markets or have announced plans to do so, including Apple, Google, LG and Samsung. For example, Apple sells the Apple Watch, which is a smartwatch with broad-based functionalities, including some health and fitness tracking capabilities, and Apple has sold a significant volume of its smartwatches since introduction. Moreover, smartwatches with health and fitness functionalities may displace the market for traditional tracker devices. For example, Apple’s recently introduced Apple Watch includes ECG functionality and fall detection capability. We also face competition from manufacturers of lower-cost devices, such as Xiaomi and its Mi Band devices. In addition, we compete with a wide range of stand-alone health and fitness-related mobile apps that can be purchased or downloaded through mobile app stores.
We believe many of our competitors and potential competitors have significant advantages, including longer operating histories, ability to leverage their sales efforts and marketing expenditures across a broader portfolio of products and services, larger and broader customer bases, more established relationships with a larger number of suppliers, contract manufacturers, and channel partners, greater brand recognition, ability to leverage app stores which they may operate, experience manufacturing
particular wearable devices, such as smartwatches, and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we do.
Some of our competitors may aggressively discount their products and services in order to gain market share, which could result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins, lost market share, or a failure to grow market share for us. In addition, new products may have lower selling prices or higher costs than legacy products, which could negatively impact our gross margins and operating results. Our competitors and potential competitors may also be able to develop products or services that are equal or superior to ours, achieve greater market acceptance of their products and services, and increase sales by utilizing different distribution channels than we do.
Furthermore, current or potential competitors may be acquired by third parties with greater available resources. As a result of such acquisitions, our current or potential competitors might be able to adapt more quickly to new technologies and consumer needs, devote greater resources to the promotion or sale of their products and services, initiate or withstand substantial price competition, take advantage of acquisition or other opportunities more readily or develop and expand their products and services more quickly than we do. If we are not able to compete effectively against our current or potential competitors, our prospects, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
If we are unable to anticipate and satisfy consumer preferences in a timely manner, our business may be adversely affected.
Our success depends on our ability to anticipate and satisfy consumer preferences in a timely manner. All of our products and services are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. In terms of units sold, we have primarily operated in the tracker segment of the wearables device market. However, consumer preference has increasingly shifted to the smartwatch segment of the wearables device market. Although we are building out our smartwatch offerings, consumers may ultimately decide not to purchase our products and services as their preferences could shift rapidly to different types of wearable devices or away from these types of products and services altogether. In addition, adoption of our products may vary by geographic region. Our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to shifts in consumer preferences. If we do not anticipate such shifts in a timely manner, our reputation and business may be adversely affected.
Our newer products and services that have additional features or new product designs, such as Fitbit Versa, may also have higher prices than many of our earlier products and the products of some of our competitors, which may not appeal to consumers or only appeal to a smaller subset of consumers. It is also possible that competitors could introduce new products and services that negatively impact consumer preference for our wearable devices, which could result in decreased sales of our products and services and a loss in market share.
In addition, although we intend to build out our recurring non-device revenue offerings, such as with a premium experience that offers a variety of features, insights and programs, it is possible that consumers or enterprise customers may not be receptive to these new services or that revenue from these offerings may continue to be immaterial. For example, in the first quarter of 2018, we acquired Twine Health, Inc., or Twine Health, a health coaching platform and in the third quarter of 2018, we introduced Fitbit Care, a connected health platform for health plans and employers, and revenue from these offerings is an immaterial portion of our overall revenue. In addition, we have limited experience operating services outside of our core device business, and our ability to forecast revenue and other financial and operating results for any new service, such as Fitbit Care, is inherently uncertain, and our actual results may vary significantly from what we desire or predict or the estimates of analysts.
Accordingly, if we fail to anticipate and satisfy consumer preferences in a timely manner, or if it is perceived that our future products and services will not satisfy consumer preferences, our business may be adversely affected.
If we are unable to successfully develop, timely introduce, and effectively manage the introduction of new products and services or enhance existing products and services, our business may be adversely affected.
We must continually develop and introduce new products and services and improve and enhance our existing products and services to maintain or increase our sales. We believe that our future growth depends on continuing to engage and expand our user base by introducing new form factors, software services and other offerings. For example, in the first quarter of 2018, we started shipping Fitbit Versa, our second smartwatch; in the second quarter of 2018, we started shipping Fitbit Ace, our activity tracker designed for kids ages 8 and older; and in the third quarter of 2018, we started shipping Fitbit Charge 3, our newest activity tracker. In addition, in the first quarter of 2018, we acquired Twine Health, and in the third quarter of 2018, we introduced Fitbit Care. The success of new or enhanced products and services may depend on a number of factors including, among other things, anticipating and effectively addressing consumer preferences and demand, timely and successful research and development, the success of our
sales and marketing efforts, effective forecasting and management of product demand, purchase commitments, and inventory levels, effective management of manufacturing and supply costs, and the quality of or defects in our products.
The development of our products and services is complex and costly, and we typically have several products and services in development at the same time. Given the complexity, we occasionally have experienced, and could experience in the future, delays in completing the development and introduction of new and enhanced products and services, product costs that are higher than planned, or lower than expected manufacturing yields of new and enhanced products, which may adversely affect our revenue and gross margins.
If revenues decline, we may be forced to reduce costs and may not be able to compete effectively. Unanticipated problems in developing products and services could also divert substantial research and development resources, which may impair our ability to develop new products and services and enhancements of existing products and services, and could substantially increase our costs. Problems in the design or quality of our products or services may also have an adverse effect on our brand, business, financial condition, and operating results.
We must also successfully manage introductions of new or enhanced products or services. Introductions of new or enhanced products or services could also adversely impact the sales of our existing products to retailers and consumers. For instance, retailers often purchase less of our existing products in advance of new product launches. Furthermore, we may experience greater returns from retailers or users of existing products, or retailers may be granted stock rotation rights and price protection. Moreover, consumers may decide to purchase new or enhanced products instead of existing products. We may face challenges managing the inventory of existing products, which could lead to excess inventory and discounting of our existing products. In addition, new products may have lower selling prices or higher costs than legacy products, which could negatively impact our gross margins and operating results. We have also historically incurred higher levels of sales and marketing expenses accompanying each product introduction. Accordingly, if we fail to effectively manage introductions of new or enhanced products, our operating results could be harmed.
Our operating results could be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast consumer demand for our products and services and adequately manage our inventory.
If we fail to accurately forecast consumer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products available for sale. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products and services could be affected by many factors, including an increase or decrease in consumer demand for our products and services or for the products and services of our competitors, product and service introductions by us and our competitors, channel inventory levels, sales promotions by us or our competitors, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, and the weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions. To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and expenses and place orders sufficiently in advance with our suppliers and contract manufacturers based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. We have previously faced and may continue to face challenges acquiring adequate and timely supplies of our products to satisfy demand, particularly in connection with new product introductions, which we believe may negatively affect our revenue. For example, during the three months ended June 30, 2018, we were impacted by supply constraints associated with Fitbit Versa, which limited our ability to fully satisfy all of the current demand for this product. As we continue to introduce new products, we may face challenges managing the inventory of existing products. No assurance can be given that we will not incur additional charges in future periods related to our inventory management or that we will not underestimate or overestimate forecasted sales in a future period.
Inventory levels in excess of consumer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs and the sale of inventory at discounted prices, which have caused and may continue to cause our gross margin to decline and could impair the strength of our brand. For example, during the fourth quarter of 2016, as a result of reduced demand, we recorded write-downs for excess and obsolete inventory, accelerated depreciation of manufacturing and tooling equipment, and recorded a liability to our contract manufacturers for unutilized manufacturing capacity and components. In addition, we offered, and recorded reserves for, additional rebates and promotions during the fourth quarter of 2016 to retailers and distributors. During 2017, we recorded additional write-downs for excess and obsolete inventory, accelerated depreciation of manufacturing and tooling equipment due to continued reduced demand, price protection on certain products, and rebates. Reserves and write-downs for rebates, promotions, excess inventory, tooling and manufacturing capacity are recorded based on our forecast of future demand. Actual future demand could be less than our forecast which may result in additional reserves and write-downs in the future or actual demand could be stronger than forecast which may result in a reduction to previously recorded reserves and write-downs in the future and increase the volatility of our operating results.
Conversely, if we underestimate consumer demand for our products, we may in future periods be unable to meet customer, retailer or distributor demand for our products. We may also be required to incur higher costs to secure the necessary production capacity and components if we underestimate demand and our business and operating results could be adversely affected, including damage to our brand and customer relationships.
Our quarterly operating results or other operating metrics may fluctuate significantly, which could cause the trading price of our Class A common stock to decline.
Our quarterly operating results and other operating metrics have fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. We expect that this trend will continue as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control and may be difficult to predict, including:
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the level of demand for our wearable devices and our ability to maintain or increase the size and engagement of our community of users;
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the timing and success of new product and service introductions by us and the transition from legacy products;
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the timing and success of new product and service introductions by our competitors or any other change in the competitive landscape of our market;
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the mix of products sold in a quarter;
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the continued market acceptance of, and the growth of the market for, wearable devices, and evolution of this market into smartwatches and other form factors;
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pricing pressure as a result of competition or otherwise;
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delays or disruptions in our supply, manufacturing, or distribution chain;
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errors in our forecasting of the demand for our products, which could lead to lower revenue or increased costs, or both;
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seasonal buying patterns of consumers;
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increases in levels of channel inventory resulting from sales to our retailers and distributors in anticipation of future demand;
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increases in and timing of sales and marketing and other operating expenses that we may incur to grow and expand our operations and to remain competitive;
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impact of sales and marketing efforts and promotions by competitors, which are difficult to predict;
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insolvency, credit, or other difficulties faced by our distributors and retailers, affecting their ability to purchase or pay for our products;
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insolvency, credit, or other difficulties confronting our suppliers, contract manufacturers, or logistics providers leading to disruptions in our supply or distribution chain;
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levels of product returns, stock rotation, and price protection rights;
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levels of warranty claims or estimated costs of warranty claims;
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adverse litigation judgments, settlements, or other litigation-related costs;
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changes in the legislative or regulatory environment, such as with respect to privacy, information security, health and wellness devices, consumer product safety, advertising, and taxes;
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product recalls, regulatory proceedings, or other adverse publicity about our products;
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fluctuations in foreign exchange rates;
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costs related to the acquisition of businesses, talent, technologies, or intellectual property, including potentially significant amortization costs and possible write-downs; and
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general economic conditions in either domestic or international markets, including potential changes in tariffs.
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Any one of the factors above or the cumulative effect of some of the factors above may result in significant fluctuations in our operating results.
The variability and unpredictability of our quarterly operating results or other operating metrics could result in our failure to meet our expectations, those of any analysts that publish financial coverage of us, or investors with respect to revenue or other operating results for a particular period. If we fail to meet or exceed such expectations for these or any other reasons, the market price of our Class A common stock could fall substantially, and we could face costly lawsuits, including securities class action suits.
We may not be able to achieve revenue growth or profitability in the future.
Our historical revenue growth should not be considered indicative of our future performance. Our revenue has declined in recent periods, and we expect our revenue growth to be slower than in the past or to decline in future periods due to a number of factors which may include slowing demand for our products and services, increasing competition, a decrease in the growth of our overall market, our failure, for any reason, to capitalize on growth opportunities, or the maturation of our business.
From 2014 to 2016, our annual revenue grew rapidly from $745.4 million to $2.2 billion. However, in recent quarters, our revenue growth has declined, and our historical growth should not be considered as indicative of our future performance. Although our annual revenue in 2016 was up 17% compared to 2015, our annual revenue in 2017 declined 26% compared to 2016, and our revenue in 2018 declined 6% compared to 2017. In future periods, we could again experience a decline in revenue, or revenue could grow more slowly than we expect, which could have a material negative effect on our future operating results.
Because we have only a limited history operating our business at its current scale, it is difficult to evaluate our current business and future prospects, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. Our limited operating experience at this scale, combined with the rapidly evolving nature of the market in which we sell our products and services, substantial uncertainty concerning how these markets may develop, and other economic factors beyond our control, reduces our ability to accurately forecast quarterly or annual revenue. As such, any predictions about our future revenue and expenses may not be as accurate as they would be if we had a longer operating history or operated in a more developed and predictable market. Failure to manage our future growth effectively could have an adverse effect on our business, which, in turn, could have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.
In addition, we have not consistently achieved profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. For example, we recorded a net loss of
$185.8 million
in 2018 and a net loss of $277.2 million in 2017. Lower levels of revenue and higher levels of operating expenses may result in limited profitability or losses in the future.
If we fail to manage our operating expenses effectively, our financial performance may be negatively impacted.
Our success also depends on our ability to manage our operating expenses effectively. Our employee headcount and the scope and complexity of our business have increased significantly during recent years and we had 1,694 employees as of
December 31, 2018
. We have incurred significant net losses of
$185.8 million
, $277.2 million and $102.8 million in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
In addition, we are also investing in areas we believe will grow revenue and our operating expenses might increase as a result of these investments. The development of our products and services is complex and costly, and we typically have several products and services in development at the same time. Our research and development efforts may require us to incur substantial expenses to support the development of our next generation devices and other new products and services. Our research and development expenses were
$332.2 million
,
$343.0 million
and
$320.2 million
, for 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
We could also be required to continue to expand our sales and marketing, product development, and distribution functions, to upgrade our business information technology systems and other processes and technology, and to obtain more space for our expanding workforce. These efforts could increase the strain on our resources, and we could experience serious operating difficulties, including difficulties in hiring, training, and managing employees.
If our continued investments do not result in future revenue as expected, we may incur greater than expected losses and our liquidity position may be materially adversely affected.
Conversely, in the future, we may again need to strategically realign our resources, adjust our product line and/or enact price reductions in order to stimulate demand, implement additional restructuring and workforce reductions or downsize our facilities for our reduced workforce. Any such actions may result in the recording of special charges including inventory-related write-offs, workforce reductions, or other restructuring costs. Additionally, our estimates with respect to the useful life or ultimate recoverability of our assets, including purchased intangible assets and tooling, could also change and result in impairment charges.
If we are unable to operate efficiently and manage our costs, we may continue to incur significant losses in the future and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability.
Because some of the key components in our products come from a limited number or single source of supply, we are susceptible to supply shortages, long lead times for components, and supply changes, any of which could disrupt our supply chain.
Some of the key components used to manufacture our products come from a limited or single source of supply. Our contract manufacturers generally purchase these components on our behalf, subject to certain approved supplier lists. We are subject to the risk of shortages and long lead times in the supply of these components and the risk that our suppliers discontinue or modify components used in our products. In addition, the lead times associated with certain components are lengthy and preclude rapid changes in quantities and delivery schedules. We have in the past experienced and may in the future experience component shortages, and the predictability of the availability of these components may be limited. While component shortages have historically been immaterial, they could be material in the future. In the event of a component shortage or supply interruption from suppliers of these components, we may not be able to develop suitable alternate sources in a timely manner. In addition, some of our suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers may have more established relationships with our competitors, and as a result of such relationships, such suppliers may choose to limit or terminate their relationship with us. Developing suitable alternate sources of supply for these components may be time-consuming, difficult, and costly and we may not be able to source these components on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, which may adversely affect our ability to meet our requirements or to fill our orders in a timely or cost-effective manner. Any interruption or delay in the supply of any of these parts or components, or the inability to obtain these parts or components from alternate sources at acceptable prices and within a reasonable amount of time, would harm our ability to meet our scheduled product deliveries to our customers and users. This could harm our relationships with our channel partners and users and could cause delays in shipment of our products and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, increased component costs could result in lower gross margins. If we are unable to buy these components in quantities sufficient to meet our requirements on a timely basis, we will not be able to deliver products and services to our customers and users, which could adversely impact our revenue, gross margins, and operating results.
Our future success depends on the continuing efforts of our key employees, including our founders, James Park and Eric N. Friedman, and on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel and senior management.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to attract and retain highly skilled personnel. In particular, we are highly dependent on the contributions of our co-founders, James Park and Eric N. Friedman, as well as other members of our management team. The loss of any key personnel could make it more difficult to manage our operations and research and development activities to deliver on our product road map, reduce our employee retention and revenue, and impair our ability to compete. Although we have generally entered into employment offer letters with our key personnel, these agreements have no specific duration and provide for at-will employment, which means they may terminate their employment relationship with us at any time.
Competition for highly skilled personnel is often intense, especially in the San Francisco Bay area where we are located, and we may incur significant costs to attract them. We may not be successful in attracting, integrating, or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. We have, from time to time, experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. Job candidates and existing employees often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment, and the significant decline in the price of our Class A common stock since our initial public offering may adversely affect our ability to attract or retain highly skilled employees. Fluctuations in the price of our Class A common stock may also make it more difficult or costly to use equity awards to motivate, incentivize and retain our employees. Furthermore, there can be no assurances that the number of shares reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plans will be sufficient to grant equity awards adequate to recruit new employees and to compensate existing employees. Additionally, changes in immigration laws may make it harder to attract and retain highly skilled employees. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects could be severely harmed.
We spend significant amounts on advertising and other marketing campaigns to acquire new users, which may not be successful or cost effective.
We spend significant amounts on advertising and other marketing campaigns, such as television, cinema, print advertising, and social media, to acquire new users and we expect to continue to spend significant amounts marketing our products and services to acquire new users and increase awareness of our products and services. In 2018, 2017 and 2016, advertising expenses, excluding
co-op advertising and rebates which are recorded as contra-revenue, were
$161.5 million
, $226.3 million and $316.8 million, respectively, representing approximately 11%, 14% and 15% of our revenue, respectively. Co-op advertising costs were
$80.3 million
, $45.0 million, and $52.9 million for 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. A significant portion of our advertising and marketing spend is typically incurred in the fourth quarter as part of our holiday promotions, as well as when new products are released. While we seek to structure our advertising campaigns in the manner that we believe is most likely to encourage people to buy our products and services, we may fail to identify advertising opportunities that satisfy our anticipated return on advertising spend as we scale our investments in marketing, accurately predict user acquisition, or fully understand or estimate the conditions and behaviors that drive user behavior. Particularly during the holiday season, there is significant competition for holiday spending; if competitors or other products offer more compelling promotions or products, we may not realize our expected sales or recover our advertising and promotional spend. If new products do not meet customer expectations, we may not recover our advertising and promotional spend for new product introductions. If for any reason any of our advertising campaigns prove less successful than anticipated in attracting new users, we may not be able to recover our advertising spend, and our rate of user acquisition may fail to meet market expectations, either of which could have an adverse effect on our business. There can be no assurance that our advertising and other marketing efforts will result in increased sales of our products and services. Further, promotional activity may adversely affect our gross margin.
Our current and future products and services may experience quality problems from time to time that can result in adverse publicity, product recalls, litigation, regulatory proceedings, and warranty claims resulting in significant direct or indirect costs, decreased revenue and operating margin, and harm to our brand.
We sell complex products and services that could contain design and manufacturing defects in their materials, hardware, and firmware. These defects could include defective materials or components, or “bugs,” that can unexpectedly interfere with the products’ intended operations or cause injuries to users or property. Although we extensively test new and enhanced products and services before their release, there can be no assurance we will be able to detect, prevent, or fix all defects. For example, our products may fail to provide accurate measurements and data to all users under all circumstances, or there may be reports or claims of inaccurate measurements under certain circumstances.
Failure to detect, prevent, or fix defects, or an increase in defects could result in a variety of consequences including a greater number of returns of products than expected from users and retailers, increases in warranty costs, regulatory proceedings, product recalls, and litigation, which could harm our revenue and operating results. For example, in 2016, we experienced an increase in actual and estimated warranty claims of $108.5 million as compared to 2015, which caused a 4% decline in gross margin in 2016 as compared to 2015. We generally provide a 45-day right of return for purchases through Fitbit.com and a 12-month limited warranty on all of our products, though warranty duration and scope may vary by jurisdiction in compliance with applicable local law. The occurrence of real or perceived quality problems or material defects in our current and future products could expose us to warranty claims in excess of our current reserves. Moreover, we may offer stock rotation rights and price protection to our distributors. If we experience greater returns from retailers or users, or greater warranty claims, in excess of our reserves, our business, revenue, gross margin, and operating results could be harmed. In addition, any negative publicity or lawsuits filed against us related to the perceived quality and safety of our products could also affect our brand and decrease demand for our products and services, adversely affecting our operating results and financial condition.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers, and each of our products is manufactured by a single contract manufacturer.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers. In particular, we use contract manufacturers located in Asia, and each of our products is manufactured by a single contract manufacturer. Our reliance on a sole contract manufacturer for each of our products increases the risk that in the event of an interruption from any one of these contract manufacturers, including, without limitation, due to a natural catastrophe, labor dispute or increased tariffs on goods produced in certain countries, we may not be able to develop an alternate source without incurring material additional costs and substantial delays. Accordingly, an interruption from any key supplier, contract manufacturer, or logistics provider could adversely impact our revenue, gross margins, and operating results.
If we experience a significant increase in demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier, contract manufacturer, or logistics provider or move our contract manufacturing to a different country, we may be unable to supplement or replace such supply, contract manufacturing, or logistics capacity on terms that are acceptable to us, which may adversely impact our ability to deliver our products to customers in a timely manner. For example, for certain of our products, it may take a significant amount of time to onboard a contract manufacturer that has the capability and resources to build the product to our specifications in sufficient volume. Identifying suitable suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers is an extensive process that requires
us to become satisfied with their quality control, technical capabilities, responsiveness and service, financial stability, regulatory compliance, and labor and other ethical practices. In addition, our contract manufacturers often make significant investments to build capacity based upon our forecasted production. If we experience a significant decrease in demand as compared to our forecast, our contract manufacturers may seek to renegotiate the terms of their commitments or choose to limit or terminate their relationship with us. Accordingly, a loss of any key supplier, contract manufacturer, or logistics provider could adversely impact our revenue, gross margins, and operating results.
We have limited control over our suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers, which subjects us to significant risks, including the potential inability to obtain or produce quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity.
We have limited control over our suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers, including aspects of their specific manufacturing processes and their labor, environmental, or other practices, which subjects us to significant risks, including the following:
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inability to satisfy demand for our products;
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reduced control over delivery timing and product reliability;
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reduced ability to oversee the manufacturing process and components used in our products;
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reduced ability to monitor compliance with our product manufacturing specifications;
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insolvency, credit problems, or other financial difficulties confronting our suppliers, contract manufacturers, or logistic providers;
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difficulties in establishing additional or alternative contract manufacturing relationships if we experience difficulties with our existing suppliers, contract manufacturers or logistic providers;
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shortages of materials or components;
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misappropriation of our intellectual property;
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suppliers, contract manufacturers, and logistics providers may choose to limit or terminate their relationship with us;
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exposure to natural catastrophes, political unrest, terrorism, labor disputes, and economic instability resulting in the disruption of trade from foreign countries in which our products are manufactured;
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changes in local economic conditions in countries where our suppliers, contract manufacturers, or logistics providers are located;
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the imposition of new laws and regulations, including those relating to labor conditions, quality and safety standards, imports, duties, taxes, and other charges on imports, as well as trade restrictions and restrictions on currency exchange or the transfer of funds and tariffs; and
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insufficient warranties and indemnities on components supplied to our contract manufacturers.
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If there are defects in the manufacture of our products, we may face negative publicity, government investigations, and litigation, and we may not be fully compensated by our contract manufacturers for any financial or other liability that we suffer as a result.
To date, we have derived substantially all of our revenue from sales of our wearable devices, and revenue from our Fitbit Health Solutions channel has historically accounted for less than 10% of our revenue
To date, substantially all of our revenue has been derived from sales of our wearable devices, and we expect to continue to derive the substantial majority of our revenue from sales of these devices for the foreseeable future. In 2018 and 2017, we derived less than 10% of our revenue from sales of devices and software services through our Fitbit Health Solutions channel. However, in the future we plan to increase sales of devices and software services to employers, health plans and health systems through our Fitbit Health Solutions channel. For example, in September 2018, we launched Fitbit Care, a connected health platform for health plans, employers, and health systems that combines health coaching and virtual care, wearable devices, and personalized digital interventions to better support patients outside the walls of the clinical environment. If reception from employers, health plans, health systems or end users is unfavorable, or if we are unable to successfully further develop, and market and sell our devices
and software services through the Fitbit Health Solutions channel, we may be deprived of a potentially significant source of revenue in the future.
To date, we have derived substantially all of our revenue from sales of our wearable devices, and sales of our subscription-based premium services to consumers have historically accounted for less than 1% of our revenue.
To date, substantially all of our revenue has been derived from sales of our wearable devices, and we expect to continue to derive the substantial majority of our revenue from sales of these devices for the foreseeable future. In 2018 and 2017, we derived less than 1% of our revenue from sales of our subscription-based premium services to consumers. However, in the future we plan to increase sales of subscriptions to these services. For example, in October 2017, we launched Fitbit Coach, our premium guidance and coaching paid offering, and we intend to further build out our recurring non-device revenue offerings, such as with a premium experience that offers additional features, insights and programs. If consumer reception is unfavorable or we are unable to successfully further develop, and market and sell our premium services, we may be deprived of a potentially significant source of revenue in the future. In addition, sales of our premium services may lead to additional sales of our wearable devices and user engagement with our platform. As a result, our future growth and financial performance may depend, in part, on our ability to sell more subscriptions to our premium services.
We are, and may in the future, be subject to claims and lawsuits alleging that our products fail to provide accurate measurements and data to our users.
Our products and services are used to track and display various information about users’ activities, such as daily steps taken, calories burned, distance traveled, floors climbed, active minutes, sleep duration and quality, and heart rate and GPS-based information such as speed, distance, and exercise routes. We anticipate new features and functionality in the future, as well. From time to time, there have been reports and claims made against us alleging that our products do not provide accurate measurements and data to users, including claims asserting that certain features of our products do not operate as advertised. Such reports and claims have resulted in negative publicity, and, in some cases, have required us to expend time and resources to defend litigation. For example, in the first quarter of 2016, class action lawsuits were filed against us based upon claims that the PurePulse heart rate tracking technology in the Fitbit Charge HR, Fitbit Surge, and Fitbit Blaze do not consistently and accurately record users’ heart rates during high-intensity exercise. If our products fail to provide accurate measurements and data to users, or if there are reports or claims of inaccurate measurements, claims of false advertisement, or claims of inaccuracy regarding the overall health benefits of our products and services in the future, we may become the subject of negative publicity, litigation, including class action litigation, regulatory proceedings, and warranty claims, and our brand, operating results, and business could be harmed.
Our gross margins have declined, and may continue to decline, and we have experienced operating losses as a result of decreased revenues, increasing product costs and operating expenses.
Our business is subject to significant pressure on pricing and costs caused by many factors, including intense competition, new product introductions, the cost of components used in our products, labor costs, constrained sourcing capacity, inflationary pressure, pressure from users to reduce the prices we charge for our products and services, warranty claims, and changes in consumer demand. Costs for the components used in the manufacture of our products are affected by, among other things, energy prices, consumer demand, fluctuations in commodity prices and currency, tariffs, and other factors that are generally unpredictable and beyond our control. Any change to pricing and costs could have an adverse effect on, among other things, our average selling price, the cost of our products, gross margins, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Moreover, if we are unable to offset any decreases in our average selling price by increasing our sales volumes or by adjusting our product mix, or if our sales volume declines and we are not able to reduce our costs, our operating results and financial condition may be harmed.
A substantial portion of our expenses are personnel related and include salaries, stock-based compensation and benefits, which are not seasonal in nature. Accordingly, in the event of revenue shortfalls, we are generally unable to mitigate a negative impact on operating margins in the short term. To the extent such revenue shortfalls recur in future periods, our operating results would be harmed.
Our success depends on our ability to maintain our brand. If events occur that damage our brand, our business and financial results may be harmed.
Our success depends on our ability to maintain the value of the “Fitbit” brand. The “Fitbit” name is integral to our business as well as to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. Maintaining, promoting, and positioning our brand will depend largely on the success of our marketing and merchandising efforts, our ability to provide consistent, high quality
products and services, and our ability to successfully secure, maintain, and defend our rights to use the “Fitbit” mark and other trademarks important to our brand. Our brand could be harmed if we fail to achieve these objectives or if our public image or brand were to be tarnished by negative publicity. For example, there has been media coverage of some of the users of our products reporting skin irritation, as well as personal injury lawsuits filed against us relating to the Fitbit Zip, Fitbit One, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Charge HR, and Fitbit Surge products. We also believe that our reputation and brand may be harmed if we fail to maintain a consistently high level of customer service. In addition, we believe the popularity of the “Fitbit” brand makes it a target for counterfeiting or imitation, with third parties attempting to sell counterfeit and “knock-off” products that attempt to replicate our products and infringe on our intellectual property.
In addition, our products may be diverted from our authorized retailers, distributors, and other business partners and sold on the “gray market.” Gray market products result in shadow inventory that is not visible to us, thus making it difficult to forecast demand accurately. Also, when gray market products enter the market, we and our channel partners compete with often heavily discounted gray market products, which adversely affects demand for our products and negatively impacts our margins. In addition, our inability to control gray market activities could result in user satisfaction issues, which may have a negative impact on our brand. When products are purchased outside our authorized retailers and distributors, there is a risk that our customers are buying substandard products, including products that may have been designated for scrap, altered, mishandled, damaged, or used products represented as new.
Any occurrence of counterfeiting, imitation, or confusion with our brand could adversely affect our reputation, place negative pricing pressure on our products, reduce sales of our products, and impair the value of our brand. Additionally, counterfeit and unauthorized grey market sales may result in secondary warranty replacement and service costs. Maintaining, protecting, and enhancing our brand may require us to make substantial investments, and these investments may not be successful. If we fail to successfully maintain, promote, and position our brand and protect our reputation or if we incur significant expenses in this effort, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.
If significant tariffs or other restrictions are placed on our goods imported into the United States from China or any related counter-measures are taken by China, our revenue, gross margin, and results of operations may be materially harmed.
If significant tariffs or other restrictions are placed on our goods imported into the United States from China or any related counter-measures are taken by China, our revenue and results of operations may be materially harmed. Between July and September 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative imposed additional duties, ranging from 10% to 25%, on a variety of goods imported from China. While these tariffs do not currently apply to our products, if additional tariffs that cover our products are imposed, the cost of our products may increase. In addition, any such additional tariffs may also make our products more expensive for consumers, which may reduce consumer demand. We may need to offset the financial impact by, among other things, moving our product manufacturing to other locations, modifying other business practices or raising prices. If we are not successful in offsetting the impact of any such tariffs, our revenue, gross margins, and operating results may be adversely affected.
Any insolvency, credit problems, or other financial difficulties impacting our retailers and distributors could expose us to financial risk.
Some of our retailers and distributors have experienced and may continue to experience financial difficulties. Insolvency, credit challenges, or other financial difficulties may impact our retailers and distributors and could expose us to significant financial risk. In addition, if the credit capacity of any retailer or distributor declines due to deterioration in their financial condition or increases in their outstanding payable balance to us, we may be subject to additional financial risk. Financial difficulties of our retailers and distributors could impede their effectiveness and also expose us to risks if they are unable to pay for the products they purchase from us. For example, Wynit Distribution, LLC, or Wynit, historically our largest customer, filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2017, which caused us to incur $7.6 million in net bad debt expenses and $1.4 million in net cost of revenues in 2017. Credit and financial difficulties of our retailers and distributors may also lead to a reduction in sales, price reductions, increased returns of our products, and adverse effects on our brand and operating results. We maintain credit insurance for the majority of our customer balances, perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers, and maintain allowances for potential credit losses on customers’ accounts when deemed necessary. Credit and financial difficulties may lead to an increase in our credit insurance premiums and make it more difficult or impossible to obtain sufficient coverage, which could increase our exposure and result in increased bad debt expense or additional write-offs. We also may not have sufficient insurance coverage to cover losses resulting from the credit and financial difficulties of our retailers and distributors. Any reduction in sales by our current retailers or distributors, loss of large retailers or distributors, or decrease in revenue from our retailers or distributors could adversely affect our revenue, operating results, and financial condition.
We depend on retailers and distributors to sell and market our products, and our failure to maintain and further develop our sales channels could harm our business.
We primarily sell our products through retailers and distributors and depend on these third-parties to sell and market our products to consumers. Any changes to our current mix of retailers and distributors could adversely affect our gross margin and could negatively affect both our brand image and our reputation. Our sales depend, in part, on retailers adequately displaying our products, including providing attractive space and point of purchase displays in their stores, and training their sales personnel to sell our products. Our retailers also often offer products and services of our competitors in their stores. If our retailers and distributors are not successful in selling our products or overestimate demand for our products or promote competing products and services more effectively than our products and services, our revenue would decrease and our gross margins could decline due to increased product returns or price protection claims. In addition, our success in expanding and entering into new markets internationally will depend on our ability to establish relationships with new retailers and distributors. We also sell and will need to continue to expand our sales through online retailers, such as Amazon.com, and through our direct channel, Fitbit.com, as consumers increasingly make purchases online. If we do not maintain our relationship with existing retailers and distributors or develop relationships with new retailers and distributors our ability to sell our products and services could be adversely affected and our business may be harmed.
In 2018 and 2017, our five largest retailers and distributors accounted for approximately 42% and 43%, respectively, of our revenue. Of these retailers and distributors, D&H Distribution Company and Amazon.com each accounted for approximately 10% of our revenue for 2018, and Amazon.com accounted for approximately 13% of our revenue for 2017. No other retailers or distributors accounted for 10% or more of our revenue during these periods. Accordingly, the loss of a small number of our large retailers and distributors, or the reduction in business with one or more of these retailers and distributors, could have a significant adverse impact on our operating results. For example, Wynit, historically our largest customer at the time, filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2017. While we have agreements with these large retailers and distributors, these agreements do not require them to purchase any meaningful amount of our products.
Consolidation of retailers or concentration of retail market share among a few retailers may increase and concentrate our credit risk and impair our ability to sell products.
The electronics retail and sporting goods markets in some countries, including the United States, our largest market, are dominated by a few large retailers with many stores. These retailers have in the past increased their market share and may continue to do so in the future by expanding through acquisitions and construction of additional stores. This can further concentrate our credit risk to a relatively small number of retailers, and, if any of these retailers were to experience credit or liquidity issues, it would increase the risk that our receivables from these customers may not be paid. In addition, increasing market share concentration among one or a few retailers in a particular country or region increases the risk that if any one of them substantially reduces their purchases of our wearable devices, we may be unable to find a sufficient number of other retail outlets for our products to sustain the same level of sales. These situations also may result in pricing pressure to us. Any reduction in sales by our retailers would adversely affect our revenue, operating results, and financial condition.
Our business is affected by seasonality and if our sales fall below our forecasts, our overall financial conditions and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our revenue and operating results are affected by general seasonal spending trends associated with holidays. For example, our fourth quarter has typically been our strongest quarter in terms of revenue and operating income, reflecting our historical strength in sales during the holiday season. We generated approximately 38%, 35% and 26% of our full year revenue during the fourth quarters of 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Accordingly, any shortfall in expected fourth quarter revenue would adversely affect our annual operating results, as was the case in the fourth quarter of 2016. In addition, although we expect to achieve cash flow breakeven in 2019, we expect to incur net cash outflows in the first and second quarters of 2019, and positive cash flows in the third and fourth quarters of 2019. Any shortfall in revenue, particularly in the fourth quarter of 2019, would negatively affect our ability to achieve cash flow breakeven in 2019, and may adversely affect our liquidity. We may also experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products available for sale if we fail to accurately forecast consumer demand for the holiday season.
Furthermore, our growth rate in recent years may obscure the extent to which seasonality trends have affected our business and may continue to affect our business. Accordingly, yearly or quarterly comparisons of our operating results may not be useful and our results in any particular period will not necessarily be indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. Seasonality in our business can also be significantly impacted by introductions of new or enhanced products and services, including the costs associated with such introductions.
We collect, store, process, and use personal information and other customer data, which subjects us to governmental regulation and other legal obligations related to privacy, information security, and data protection, and any security breaches or our actual or perceived failure to comply with such legal obligations could harm our business.
We collect, store, process, and use personal information and other user data, and we rely on third parties that are not directly under our control to do so. Our users’ exercise and activity-related data and other personal information may include, among other information, names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, payment account information, height, weight, and information such as heart rates, sleeping patterns, GPS-based location, and activity patterns.
Due to the volume of the personal information and data we manage and the nature of our products, the security features of our platform and information systems are critical. If our security measures, some of which we manage using third-party solutions, are breached or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to obtain access to or acquire our users’ data. Furthermore, if third-party service providers that host user data on our behalf experience security breaches or violate applicable laws, agreements, or our policies, such events may also put our users’ information at risk and could in turn have an adverse effect on our business. Additionally, if we or any third-party, including third-party applications, with which our users choose to share their Fitbit data were to experience a breach of systems compromising our users’ personal data, our brand and reputation could be adversely affected, use of our products and services could decrease, and we could be exposed to a risk of loss, litigation, and regulatory proceedings.
Depending on the nature of the information compromised, in the event of a data breach or other unauthorized access to or acquisition of our user data, we may also have obligations to notify users about the incident and we may need to provide some form of remedy, such as a subscription to a credit monitoring service, for the individuals affected by the incident. A growing number of legislative and regulatory bodies have adopted consumer notification requirements in the event of unauthorized access to or acquisition of certain types of personal data. Such breach notification laws continue to evolve and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another. Complying with these obligations could cause us to incur substantial costs and could increase negative publicity surrounding any incident that compromises user data. Our users may also inadvertently disclose or lose control of their passwords, creating the perception that our systems are not secure against third-party access. While we maintain insurance coverage that, subject to policy terms and conditions and a significant self-insured retention, is designed to address certain aspects of cyber risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise in the event we experience a security breach. In addition, any such security breaches may result in negative publicity, adversely affect our brand, decrease demand for our products and services, and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
Our failure to comply with U.S. and foreign laws related to privacy, data security, and data protection, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which has broad scope, raised standards, and substantial penalties, and requires an adequate legal mechanism for the transfer of personal data outside of Europe, could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, and our brand.
We are or may become subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and abroad regarding privacy, data protection, and data security. These laws and regulations are continuously evolving and developing. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly with respect to foreign laws.
In particular, there are numerous U.S. federal, state, and local laws and regulations and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy and the collection, sharing, use, processing, disclosure, and protection of personal data. Such laws and regulations often have changes in scope, may be subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among different jurisdictions. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, became effective in May 2018. The GDPR includes operational requirements for companies that receive or process personal data of residents of the European Union that are more stringent than those previously in place in the European Union, and that will include significant penalties for non-compliance, including fines of up to €20 million or 4% of total worldwide revenue. Additionally, in June 2018, California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, provides new data privacy rights for consumers and new operational requirements for companies, effective in 2020. Fines for noncompliance may be up to $7,500 per violation. The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the GDPR and CCPA may limit the use and adoption of our products and services and could have an adverse impact on our business.
Additionally, we rely on various legal mechanisms for transferring certain personal data outside of the European Economic Area, or EEA, including the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework, or Privacy Shield, and EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or SCCs. In November 2016, the US Department of Commerce approved our Privacy Shield self-certification, which is available on the Department’s Privacy Shield website. Both Privacy Shield and the SCCs are the subject of ongoing legal challenges in European courts. If we fail or are perceived to fail to meet the Privacy Shield principles or our obligations under the SCCs, or if any of these
legal mechanisms for transferring data from the EEA are invalidated by European courts or otherwise become defunct, EU data protection authorities or the Federal Trade Commission could bring enforcement actions seeking to prohibit or suspend our data transfers or alleging unfair or deceptive practices. In such cases, we could be required to make potentially expensive changes to our information technology infrastructure and business operations, and we could face legal liability, fines, negative publicity, and resulting loss of business.
Certain privacy laws and regulations also apply to the collection of personal information from children, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, and GDPR. In the first quarter of 2018, we introduced Fitbit Ace, our first activity tracker designed for kids ages 8 and up and Fitbit family accounts. If these products no not comply with any applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to claims, legal liabilities, penalties, fines, and negative publicity, which could harm our operating results.
We strive to comply with all applicable laws, policies, legal obligations, and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy, data security, and data protection. However, given that the scope, interpretation, and application of these laws and regulations are often uncertain and may be conflicting, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us or third-party service-providers to comply with our privacy or security policies or privacy-related legal obligations, or the failure or perceived failure by third-party apps with which our users choose to share their Fitbit data to comply with their privacy policies or privacy-related legal obligations as they relate to the Fitbit data shared with them, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personal data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation, or negative publicity, and could have an adverse effect on our brand and operating results.
Certain health-related laws and regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, may have an impact on our business. For example, in September 2015 we announced that we intend to offer HIPAA compliant capabilities to certain customers of Fitbit Health Solutions who are “covered entities” under HIPAA, which may include our execution of Business Associate Agreements with such covered entities. In addition, changes in applicable laws and regulations may result in the user data we collect being deemed protected health information, or PHI, under HIPAA and HITECH. Furthermore, because we accept payment via credit cards, we are subject to payment card association operating rules and certification requirements, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or PCI DSS. If we are unable to comply with the applicable privacy and security requirements under HIPAA, HITECH, or PCI DSS, or we fail to comply with Business Associate Agreements that we enter into with covered entities, we could be subject to claims, legal liabilities, penalties, fines, and negative publicity, which could harm our operating results.
Governments are continuing to focus on privacy and data security and it is possible that new privacy or data security laws will be passed or existing laws will be amended in a way that is material to our business. Any significant change to applicable laws, regulations, or industry practices regarding our users’ data could require us to modify our services and features, possibly in a material manner, and may limit our ability to develop new products, services, and features. Although we have made efforts to design our policies, procedures, and systems to comply with the current requirements of applicable state, federal, and foreign laws, changes to applicable laws and regulations in this area could subject us to additional regulation and oversight, any of which could significantly increase our operating costs.
Cybersecurity risks could adversely affect our business and disrupt our operations.
The threats to network and data security are increasingly diverse and sophisticated. Despite our efforts and processes to prevent breaches, our devices, as well as our servers, computer systems, and those of third parties that we use in our operations are vulnerable to cybersecurity risks, including cyber-attacks such as viruses and worms, phishing attacks, denial-of-service attacks, physical or electronic break-ins, employee theft or misuse, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our servers and computer systems or those of third parties that we use in our operations, which could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of critical data, unauthorized access to user data, and loss of consumer confidence. In addition, we may be the target of email scams that attempt to acquire personal information or company assets. Despite our efforts to create security barriers to such threats, we may not be able to entirely mitigate these risks. Any cyber-attack that attempts to obtain our or our users’ data and assets, disrupt our service, or otherwise access our systems, or those of third parties we use, if successful, could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition, be expensive to remedy, and damage our reputation. In addition, any such breaches may result in negative publicity, adversely affect our brand, decrease demand for our products and services, and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
Any material disruption of our information technology systems, or those of third-party partners and data center providers could materially damage user and business partner relationships, and subject us to significant reputational, financial, legal, and operational consequences.
We depend on our information technology systems, as well as those of third parties, to develop new products and services, operate our website, host and manage our services, store data, process transactions, respond to user inquiries, and manage inventory and our supply chain. Any material disruption or slowdown of our systems or those of third parties whom we depend upon, including a disruption or slowdown caused by our failure to successfully manage significant increases in user volume or successfully upgrade our or their systems, system failures, or other causes, could cause outages or delays in our services, which could harm our brand and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, such disruption could cause information, including data related to orders, to be lost or delayed which could---especially if the disruption or slowdown occurred during the holiday season---result in delays in the delivery of products to stores and users or lost sales, which could reduce demand for our merchandise, harm our brand and reputation, and cause our revenue to decline. Problems with our third-party data center service providers, the telecommunications network providers with whom they contract, or with the systems by which telecommunications providers allocate capacity among their users could adversely affect the experience of our users. Our third-party data center service providers could decide to close their facilities or cease providing us services without adequate notice. Any changes in third-party service levels at our data centers or any errors, defects, disruptions, or other performance problems with our platform could harm our brand and may damage the data of our users. If changes in technology cause our information systems, or those of third parties whom we depend upon, to become obsolete, or if our or their information systems are inadequate to handle our growth, we could lose users and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our failure or inability to protect our intellectual property rights, or claims by others that we are infringing upon or unlawfully using their intellectual property could diminish the value of our brand and weaken our competitive position, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, and prospects.
We currently rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition laws, as well as confidentiality agreements and procedures and licensing arrangements, to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. We have devoted substantial resources to the development of our proprietary technologies and related processes. In order to protect our proprietary technologies and processes, we rely in part on trade secret laws and confidentiality agreements with our employees, licensees, independent contractors, commercial partners, and other advisors. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. We cannot be certain that the steps taken by us to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent infringement of such rights by others, including imitation of our products and misappropriation of our brand. Additionally, the process of obtaining patent or trademark protection is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file, apply for or prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications or trademark applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. We have obtained and applied for U.S. and foreign trademark registrations for the “Fitbit” brand and a variety of our product names, and will continue to evaluate the registration of additional trademarks as appropriate. However, we cannot guarantee that any of our pending trademark or patent applications will be approved by the applicable governmental authorities. Moreover, intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries where laws or law enforcement practices may not protect our intellectual property rights as fully as in the United States, and it may be more difficult for us to successfully challenge the use of our intellectual property rights by other parties in these countries. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and our failure or inability to obtain or maintain trade secret protection or otherwise protect our proprietary rights could adversely affect our business.
We are and may in the future be subject to patent infringement and trademark claims and lawsuits in various jurisdictions, and we cannot be certain that our products or activities do not violate the patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights of third-party claimants. Companies in the technology industry and other patent, copyright, and trademark holders seeking to profit from royalties in connection with grants of licenses own large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks, domain names, and trade secrets and frequently commence litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, or other violations of intellectual property or other rights. Companies and individuals may also be subject to criminal prosecution for trade secret theft under 18 U.S.C. section 1832. As we face increasing competition, the intellectual property rights claims against us and asserted by us have grown and will likely continue to grow. For example, we have been involved in litigation with Jawbone, as well as in a related federal criminal investigation concerning alleged theft of Jawbone’s trade secrets, which is described in Note 7 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, on June 14, 2018, the six former Jawbone employees who were named as individual defendants in the state trade secret case were charged in a federal indictment with being in possession of certain Jawbone trade secrets.
We intend to vigorously defend and prosecute litigation matters against us. However, litigation is inherently uncertain, and any judgment or injunctive relief entered against us or any adverse settlement could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, operating results, and prospects. In addition, litigation can involve significant management time and attention and can be expensive, regardless of outcome. During the course of these litigation matters, there may be announcements of the results of hearings and motions, and other interim developments related to the litigation matters. If securities analysts or investors regard these announcements as material and negative, the market price of our Class A common stock may decline.
Further, from time to time, we have received and may continue to receive letters from third parties alleging that we are infringing upon their intellectual property rights. Successful infringement claims against us could result in significant monetary liability, prevent us from selling some of our products and services, or require us to change our branding. In addition, resolution of claims may require us to redesign our products, license rights from third parties at a significant expense, or cease using those rights altogether. We have also in the past and may in the future bring claims against third parties for infringing our intellectual property rights. Costs of supporting such litigation and disputes may be considerable, and there can be no assurances that a favorable outcome will be obtained. Patent infringement, trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and other intellectual property claims and proceedings brought against us or brought by us, whether successful or not, could require significant attention of our management and resources and have in the past and could further result in substantial costs, harm to our brand, and have an adverse effect on our business.
We are regularly subject to general litigation, regulatory disputes, and government inquiries.
We are regularly subject to claims, lawsuits, including potential class actions, government investigations, and other proceedings involving competition and antitrust, intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, accessibility claims, securities, tax, labor and employment, commercial disputes, and other matters. The number and significance of these disputes and inquiries have increased as our company has grown larger, our business has expanded in scope and geographic reach, and our products and services have increased in complexity.
The outcome and impact of such claims, lawsuits, government investigations, and proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Regardless of the outcome, such investigations and proceedings can have an adverse impact on us because of legal costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors. Determining reserves for our pending litigation is a complex, fact-intensive process that is subject to judgment calls. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments, fines, or penalties or to settle claims or proceedings, any of which could harm our business. These proceedings could also result in reputational harm, criminal sanctions, or orders preventing us from offering certain products, or services, or requiring a change in our business practices in costly ways, or requiring development of non-infringing or otherwise altered products or technologies. Any of these consequences could harm our business.
We may experience difficulties managing our cloud infrastructure migration.
We recently announced our move to the Google Cloud Platform. Cloud infrastructure migrations are complex, time-consuming, and can involve substantial expenditures. Our cloud service is critical to developing and providing products and services to our customers, scaling our business for future growth, accurately maintaining data and otherwise operating our business; any such implementation involves risks inherent in the conversion to a new system, including loss of information and potential disruption to our normal operations. We may discover deficiencies in our design or implementation or maintenance of the new cloud system that could adversely affect our business.
The market for wearable devices is still evolving and if it does not continue to grow, grows more slowly than we expect, or fails to grow as large as we expect, our business and operating results would be harmed.
The market for wearable devices, which includes both health and fitness trackers and smartwatches, is still evolving and it is uncertain whether wearable devices will sustain high levels of demand and wide market acceptance. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of people to widely adopt these products and services. In part, adoption of our products and services will depend on the increasing prevalence of wearable devices driven by the introduction of new form factors, related software services and other offerings. However, it is not certain whether consumers will respond to these new form factors, software services and other offerings, and if our offerings fail to satisfy consumer preferences, our business may be adversely affected.
Furthermore, some individuals may be reluctant or unwilling to use wearable devices because they have concerns regarding the risks associated with data privacy and security. If the wider public does not perceive the benefits of our wearable devices or chooses not to adopt them as a result of concerns regarding privacy or data security or for other reasons, then the market for these products and services may not further develop, it may develop more slowly than we expect, or it may not achieve the growth
potential we expect it to, any of which would adversely affect our operating results. The development and growth of this market may not be sustained.
Our active user metric is only an indicator of potential repeat behavior. Therefore, you should not rely on the active user metric as a guarantee of repeat purchasing behavior.
Our active user metric tracks the first instance of a Fitbit device (excluding Aria, Aria 2, Flyer and other accessories) pairing to a user account during the three months ending on the date of measurement, as well as a Fitbit user who previously activated another Fitbit device to his or her account.
The active user metric is only an indicator of potential repeat behavior. Actual repeat purchase behavior may depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to our ability to anticipate and satisfy consumer preferences. Therefore, you should not rely on our active user metric as a guarantee of repeat purchase behavior. Further, we do not believe that the active user metric has a direct effect on our revenue and operating results since substantially all of our revenue to date has been derived from sales of our wearable devices. However, we believe the size of our active user population is a potential indicator of future demand from repeat buyers for our devices and for other future monetization opportunities such as software services or coaching revenue.
See the sections titled, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Key Business Metrics-Activations,” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
Our business and products are subject to a variety of additional U.S. and foreign laws and regulations that are central to our business; our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could harm our business or our operating results.
We are or may become subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and abroad that involve matters central to our business, including laws and regulations regarding consumer protection, advertising, privacy, intellectual property, manufacturing, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, and economic or other trade prohibitions or sanctions.
The manufacturing, labeling, distribution, importation, marketing, and sale of our products are subject to extensive regulation by various U.S. state and federal and foreign agencies, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, FTC, FDA, Federal Communications Commission, and state attorneys general, as well as by various other federal, state, provincial, local, and international regulatory authorities in the countries in which our products and services are manufactured, distributed marketed or sold. If we fail to comply with any of these regulations, we could become subject to enforcement actions or the imposition of significant monetary fines, other penalties, or claims, which could harm our operating results or our ability to conduct our business.
The global nature of our business operations also create various domestic and foreign regulatory challenges and subject us to laws and regulations such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions, and our products are also subject to U.S. export controls, including the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations and various economic and trade sanctions regulations established by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls. If we become liable under these laws or regulations, we may be forced to implement new measures to reduce our exposure to this liability. This may require us to expend substantial resources or to discontinue certain products or services, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. In addition, the increased attention focused upon liability issues as a result of lawsuits, regulatory proceedings, and legislative proposals could harm our brand or otherwise impact the growth of our business. Any costs incurred as a result of compliance or other liabilities under these laws or regulations could harm our business and operating results.
Our international operations subject us to additional costs and risks, and our continued expansion internationally may not be successful.
We have entered into many international markets in a relatively short time and may enter into additional markets in the future. Outside of the United States, we currently have operations in Australia and a number of countries in Asia and Europe. There are significant costs and risks inherent in conducting business in international markets, including:
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establishing and maintaining effective controls at foreign locations and the associated increased costs;
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adapting our technologies, products, and services to non-U.S. consumers’ preferences and customs;
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variations in margins by geography;
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increased competition from local providers of similar products;
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longer sales or collection cycles in some countries;
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compliance with foreign laws and regulations;
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compliance with the laws of numerous taxing jurisdictions where we conduct business, potential double taxation of our international earnings, and potentially adverse tax consequences due to U.S. and foreign tax laws as they relate to our international operations;
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compliance with anti-bribery laws, such as the FCPA and the U.K. Bribery Act, by us, our employees, and our business partners;
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complexity and other risks associated with current and future foreign legal requirements, including legal requirements related to consumer protection, consumer product safety, and data privacy frameworks, such as the GDPR, and any applicable privacy and data protection laws in foreign jurisdictions where we currently conduct business or intend to conduct business in the future;
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currency exchange rate fluctuations and related effects on our operating results;
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economic and political instability in some countries, particularly those in China where we have expanded;
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the uncertainty of protection for intellectual property rights in some countries and practical difficulties of enforcing rights abroad;
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tariffs and customs duties and the classification of our products by applicable governmental bodies; and
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other costs of doing business internationally.
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Our products are manufactured overseas and imported into the United States, the European Union, and other countries and may be subject to duties, tariffs and anti-dumping penalties imposed by applicable customs authorities. Those duties and tariffs are based on the classification of each of our products and is routinely subject to review by the applicable customs authorities. We are unable to predict whether those authorities will agree with our classifications and if those authorities do not agree with our classifications additional duties, tariffs or other trade restrictions may be imposed on the importation of our products. Such actions could result in increases in the cost of our products generally and might adversely affect our sales and profitability.
These factors and other factors could harm our international operations and, consequently, materially impact our business, operating results, and financial condition. Further, we may incur significant operating expenses as a result of our international expansion, and it may not be successful. We have limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices internationally, and we may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in new markets. We may also encounter difficulty expanding into new international markets because of limited brand recognition in certain parts of the world, leading to delayed acceptance of our products and services by users in these new international markets. If we are unable to continue to expand internationally and manage the complexity of our global operations successfully, our financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our Aria scales are subject to FDA and corresponding regulations, and sales of this product or future regulated products could be adversely affected if we fail to comply with the applicable requirements.
Medical devices, including our Aria scales, are regulated by the FDA and corresponding state regulatory agencies in the United States and separate governmental authorities outside of the United States, and we may have future software features or hardware products that are regulated as medical devices by the FDA. In the United States, the medical device industry is regulated by governmental authorities, principally the FDA and corresponding state regulatory agencies. Before we can market or sell a new regulated product or make a significant modification to an existing medical device in the United States, we must comply with FDA Quality Management System regulations, and must obtain regulatory clearance or approval from the FDA, unless an exemption from pre-market review applies. In addition, certain future software functionality, whether standalone or embedded in existing or future devices, may be regulated as a medical device and require pre-market review and clearance or approval by the FDA. The process of obtaining regulatory clearances or approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time consuming, and we may not be able to obtain these clearances or approvals on a timely basis, or at all, for future products. Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, clearance or approval for any medical device products under development could prevent us from generating revenue from these products.
Medical devices are also subject to numerous ongoing compliance requirements under the regulations of the FDA and corresponding state regulatory agencies, which can be costly and time consuming. For example, under FDA regulations medical
device manufacturers are required to, among other things, (i) establish a quality management system to help ensure that their products consistently meet applicable requirements and specifications, (ii) establish and maintain procedures for receiving, reviewing, and evaluating complaints, (iii) establish and maintain a corrective and preventive action procedure, (iv) report certain device-related adverse events and product problems to the FDA, and (v) report to the FDA the removal or correction of a distributed product. If we experience any product problems requiring reporting to the FDA or if we otherwise fail to comply with applicable FDA regulations or the regulations of corresponding state regulatory agencies, with respect to our Aria scales or future regulated products, we could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and could be subject to enforcement actions such as fines, civil penalties, injunctions, recalls of products, delays in the introduction of products into the market, and refusal of the FDA or other regulators to grant future clearances or approvals, which could harm our reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition.
In addition, in the United States, the FDA has taken the position that device manufacturers are prohibited from promoting their products other than for the uses and indications set forth in the approved product labeling, and any failure to comply could subject us to significant civil or criminal exposure, administrative obligations and costs, and/or other potential penalties from, and/or agreements with, the federal government.
Government regulations outside the United States have, and may continue to, become increasingly stringent and common. In the European Union, for example, a new Medical Device Regulation was published in 2017 which, when it enters into full force in 2020, will include significant additional premarket and post-market requirements. Penalties for regulatory non-compliance could be severe, including fines and revocation or suspension of a company’s business license, mandatory price reductions, and criminal sanctions. Future laws and regulations may have a material adverse effect on us.
An economic downturn or economic uncertainty may adversely affect consumer discretionary spending and demand for our products and services.
Our products and services may be considered discretionary items for consumers. Factors affecting the level of consumer spending for such discretionary items include general economic conditions, and other factors, such as consumer confidence in future economic conditions, fears of recession, the availability and cost of consumer credit, levels of unemployment, and tax rates. As global economic conditions continue to be volatile or economic uncertainty remains, including economic conditions resulting from recent volatility in European markets, trends in consumer discretionary spending also remain unpredictable and subject to reductions. Unfavorable economic conditions may lead consumers to delay or reduce purchases of our products and services and consumer demand for our products and services may not grow as we expect. Our sensitivity to economic cycles and any related fluctuation in consumer demand for our products and services may have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Our financial performance is subject to risks associated with changes in the value of the U.S. dollar versus local currencies.
Our primary exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates relates to non-U.S. dollar denominated sales and operating expenses worldwide. Weakening of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, while beneficial to our operating expenses, adversely affects the U.S. dollar value of our foreign currency-denominated sales and earnings, and generally leads us to raise international pricing, potentially reducing demand for our products. In some circumstances, for competitive or other reasons, we may decide not to raise local prices to fully offset the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, or at all, which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of our foreign currency denominated sales and earnings. Conversely, a strengthening of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, while generally beneficial to our foreign currency-denominated sales and earnings, could cause us to reduce international pricing, incur losses on our foreign currency derivative instruments, and incur increased operating expenses, thereby limiting any benefit. Additionally, strengthening of foreign currencies may also increase our cost of product components denominated in those currencies, thus adversely affecting gross margins.
We use derivative instruments, such as foreign currency forward contracts, to hedge certain exposures to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The use of such hedging activities may not offset any, or more than a portion, of the adverse financial effects of unfavorable movements in foreign exchange rates over the limited time the hedges are in place. In addition, our counterparties may be unable to meet the terms of the agreements. We seek to mitigate this risk by limiting counterparties to major financial institutions and by spreading the risk across several major financial institutions.
Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities could adversely affect our earnings and financial condition.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions in which we do business. These foreign jurisdictions have statutory tax rates different from those in the United States. Accordingly, our provision for income taxes is
subject to volatility and could be adversely affected by earnings being lower than anticipated in countries where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in countries where we have higher statutory rates, by changes in foreign currency exchange rates, or by changes in the relevant tax, accounting, and other laws, regulations, principles, and interpretations, or by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. As we operate in numerous taxing jurisdictions, the application of tax laws can be subject to diverging and sometimes conflicting interpretations by tax authorities of these jurisdictions.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and application of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could materially affect our tax obligations and effective tax rate.
On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or the “2017 Tax Act,” was signed into law and includes several key tax provisions that affected us, including a reduction of the statutory corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, elimination of certain deductions, and changes to how the United States imposes income tax on multinational corporations, among others. The 2017 Tax Act requires complex computations to be performed that were not previously required in U.S. tax law, significant judgments to be made in interpretation of the provisions of the 2017 Tax Act, significant estimates in calculations, and the preparation and analysis of information not previously relevant or regularly produced. The U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, and other standard-setting bodies will continue to interpret or issue guidance on how provisions of the U.S. Tax Act will be applied or otherwise administered. As future guidance is issued, we may make adjustments to amounts that we have previously recorded that may materially impact our financial statements in the period in which the adjustments are made.
If we are unable to protect our domain names, our brand, business, and operating results could be adversely affected.
We have registered domain names for websites, or URLs, that we use in our business, such as Fitbit.com. If we are unable to maintain our rights in these domain names, our competitors or other third parties could capitalize on our brand recognition by using these domain names for their own benefit. In addition, although we own the “Fitbit” domain name under various global top level domains such as .com and .net, as well as under various country-specific domains, we might not be able to, or may choose not to, acquire or maintain other country-specific versions of the “Fitbit” domain name or other potentially similar URLs. The regulation of domain names in the United States and elsewhere is generally conducted by Internet regulatory bodies and is subject to change. If we lose the ability to use a domain name in a particular country, we may be forced to either incur significant additional expenses to market our solutions within that country, including the development of a new brand and the creation of new promotional materials, or elect not to sell our solutions in that country. Either result could substantially harm our business and operating results. Regulatory bodies could establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may not be able to acquire or maintain the domain names that utilize the name “Fitbit” in all of the countries in which we currently conduct or intend to conduct business. Further, the relationship between regulations governing domain names and laws protecting trademarks and similar proprietary rights varies among jurisdictions and is unclear in some jurisdictions. Domain names similar to ours have already been registered in the United States and elsewhere, and we may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that infringe, are similar to, or otherwise decrease the value of, our brand or our trademarks. Protecting and enforcing our rights in our domain names and determining the rights of others may require litigation, which could result in substantial costs, divert management attention, and not be decided favorably to us.
Our use of “open source” software could negatively affect our ability to sell our products and subject us to possible litigation.
A portion of the technologies we use incorporates “open source” software, and we may incorporate open source software in the future. From time to time, companies that incorporate open source software into their products have faced claims challenging the ownership of open source software or compliance with open source license terms. Therefore, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software or noncompliance with open source licensing terms. Some open source licenses may subject us to certain unfavorable conditions, including requirements that we offer our products and services that incorporate the open source software for no cost or that we make publicly available all or part of the source code for modifications or derivative works. Additionally, if a third-party software provider has incorporated open source software into software that we license or obtain from such provider, we could be required to disclose or provide at no cost all or part of our source code that incorporates such licensed software. If a copyright holder that distributes open source software that we use or license or other third party were to allege that we had not complied with the conditions of the applicable license, we could be required to incur significant legal expenses defending against such allegations and may be required to release portions of our proprietary source code, subject to significant damages, re-engineer our products and services, enjoined from the sale of our products and services that contained the open source software if re-engineering our products or services cannot be accomplished on a timely basis, or take other remedial action that may divert resources away from our development efforts. Any of the foregoing could disrupt the distribution and sale of our products and services and harm our business.
We may engage in merger and acquisition activities, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value, and adversely affect our operating results.
As part of our business strategy, we may make investments in other companies, products, or technologies. For example, in 2016, we acquired assets from Coin, Inc., Pebble Industries, Inc., and Vector Watch S.R.L and in 2018 we acquired Twine Health, Inc. We may not be able to find suitable acquisition candidates and we may not be able to complete acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. If we do complete acquisitions, we may not ultimately strengthen our competitive position or achieve our goals, and any acquisitions we complete could be viewed negatively by users or investors. In addition, if we fail to successfully integrate such acquisitions, or the technologies associated with such acquisitions, into our company, the revenue and operating results of the combined company could be adversely affected.
Acquisitions may disrupt our ongoing operations, divert management from their primary responsibilities, subject us to additional liabilities, increase our expenses, and adversely impact our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired technology and accurately forecast the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges. We would have to pay cash, incur debt, or issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition, each of which may affect our financial condition or the value of our capital stock and could result in dilution to our stockholders. If we incur more debt it would result in increased fixed obligations and could also subject us to covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations. Additionally, we may receive indications of interest from other parties interested in acquiring some or all of our business. The time required to evaluate such indications of interest could require significant attention from management, disrupt the ordinary functioning of our business, and adversely affect our operating results.
There have been reports that some users of certain of our devices have experienced skin irritations, which could result in additional negative publicity or otherwise harm our business. In addition, some of our users have filed personal injury lawsuits against us relating to certain of our devices, which could divert management’s attention from our operations and result in substantial legal fees and other costs.
Due to the nature of some of our wearable devices, some users have had in the past and may in the future experience skin irritations or other biocompatibility issues not uncommon with jewelry or other wearable products that stay in contact with skin for extended periods of time. There have been reports of some users of certain of our devices experiencing skin irritations. This negative publicity could harm sales of our products and also adversely affect our relationships with retailers that sell our products, including causing them to be reluctant to continue to sell our products. In addition, in the past, some of our users have filed personal injury lawsuits against us arising out of such claims relating to certain of our devices. While we do not believe that these lawsuits are material, due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any proceedings arising from such claims, and these actions or other third-party claims against us may result in the diversion of our management’s time and attention from other aspects of our business and may cause us to incur substantial litigation or settlement costs. If large numbers of users experience these problems, we could be subject to enforcement actions or the imposition of significant monetary fines, other penalties, or proceedings by the CPSC or other U.S. or foreign regulatory agencies and face additional personal injury or class action litigation, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
We may be subject to CPSC recalls, regulatory proceedings and litigation in various jurisdictions, including multi-jurisdiction federal and state class action and personal injury claims, which may require significant management attention and disrupt our business operations, and adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, and our brand.
We face product liability, product safety and product compliance risks relating to the marketing, sale, use, and performance of our products. The products we sell must be designed and manufactured to be safe for their intended purposes. Certain of our products must comply with certain federal and state laws and regulations. For example, all of our products are subject to the Consumer Product Safety Act and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which empower the CPSC. The CPSC is empowered to take action against hazards presented by consumer products, up to and including product recalls. We are required to report certain incidents related to the safety and compliance of our products to the CPSC, and failure to do so could result in a civil penalty.
Our products may, from time to time, be subject to recall for product safety and compliance reasons. For example, in March 2014, we recalled one of our products, the Fitbit Force, after some of our users experienced allergic reactions to adhesives in the wristband. These reactions included skin irritation, rashes, and blistering. The recall had a negative impact on our operating results,
primarily in our fourth quarter of 2013, the first quarter of 2014, and the fourth quarter of 2015. We have provided and are continuing to provide full refunds to consumers who return the Fitbit Force. If returns of the Fitbit Force or other costs related to the recall are higher than anticipated, we will be required to increase our reserves related to the recall which would negatively impact our operating results in the future.
The recall was conducted in conjunction with the CPSC, which monitored recall effectiveness and compliance. In addition to the financial impacts discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, this recall required us to collect a significant amount of information for the CPSC, which takes significant time and internal and external resources.
A large number of lawsuits, including multi-jurisdiction complex federal and state class action and personal injury claims, were filed against us relating to the Fitbit Force. These litigation matters required significant attention of our management and resources and disrupted the ordinary course of our business operations. We have settled all of the class action lawsuits and related individual personal injury claims. In the fourth quarter of 2015, we received proceeds from the insurance policies that apply to these claims and related legal fees, and we recorded an accrual for liabilities arising under these claims that was immaterial and falls within the amount of the insurance proceeds received.
In addition, the CPSC has conducted investigations into several of our products. Although the CPSC did not find a substantial product hazard, there can be no assurances that investigations will not be conducted in the future or that product hazards or other defects will not be found in the future with respect to our products. The Fitbit Force product recall, regulatory proceedings, and litigation have had and may continue to have, and any future recalls, regulatory proceedings, and litigation could have an adverse impact on our financial condition, operating results, and brand. Furthermore, because of the global nature of our product sales, in the event we experience defects with respect to products sold outside the United States, we could become subject to recalls, regulatory proceedings, and litigation by foreign governmental agencies and private litigants, which could significantly increase the costs of managing any product issues. Any ongoing and future regulatory proceedings or litigation, regardless of their merits, could further divert management’s attention from our operations and result in substantial legal fees and other costs.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations of the applicable listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. We expect that the requirements of these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal, accounting, and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming, and costly, and place strain on our personnel, systems, and resources.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. We are also required to make a formal assessment and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, which must be attested to by our independent registered public accounting firm. In order to maintain the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, we have expended, and anticipate that we will continue to expend, resources, including accounting-related costs and management oversight.
As disclosed in Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we did not maintain effective controls over the accuracy of invoicing gross revenue. This represented a material weakness that did not result in the identification of any adjustments to our annual or interim consolidated financial statements. A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result of the material weakness identified, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2018, which was previously reported in Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. Management has identified and implemented changes to our internal control over financial reporting to remediate the control deficiencies that led to this material weakness. However, we cannot assure you that remediation efforts will be effective, and the enhanced controls and procedures could require increased management time and attention and resources.
Additional current controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business. Further, additional weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to maintain or develop effective controls or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and may result in a restatement of our financial statements for prior periods. Any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting also could adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and annual independent registered public accounting firm attestation
reports regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Our business is subject to the risk of political events, war, terrorism, other business interruptions, earthquakes, fire, power outages, floods, and other catastrophic events.
War, terrorism, geopolitical uncertainties, trade restrictions, public health issues, natural disasters and other business interruptions have caused and may cause damage or disruption to the economy and commerce on a global, regional or country-specific basis, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, our customers, and companies with which we do business. For example, the Trump Administration recently signaled that it may alter trade terms between China and the United States, including limiting trade with China and/or imposing tariffs on imports from China. Political uncertainty surrounding these trade terms could have a negative effect on consumer confidence and spending, which could adversely affect our business.
Our business is also vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods, power losses, telecommunications failures, human errors, break-ins, and similar events. The third-party systems and operations and contract manufacturers we rely on, such as the data centers we lease, are subject to similar risks. For example, a significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire, or flood, could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition, and our insurance coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur. Our corporate offices and one of our data center facilities are located in California, a state that frequently experiences earthquakes. In addition, the facilities at which our contract manufacturers manufacture our products are located in parts of Asia that frequently endure typhoons and earthquakes. Acts of terrorism, which may be targeted at metropolitan areas that have higher population density than rural areas, could also cause disruptions in our or our suppliers’, contract manufacturers’, and logistics providers’ businesses or the economy as a whole. We may not have sufficient protection or recovery plans in some circumstances, such as natural disasters affecting California or other locations where we have data centers or store significant inventory of our products. As we rely heavily on our data center facilities, computer and communications systems, and the Internet to conduct our business and provide high-quality customer service, these disruptions could negatively impact our ability to run our business and either directly or indirectly disrupt suppliers’ businesses, which could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies prove to be incorrect, our operating results could be adversely affected.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements include those related to revenue recognition, inventories, product warranty reserves, business combinations, accounting for income taxes, and stock-based compensation expense. Our operating results may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our operating results to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the price of our Class A common stock.
We are exposed to fluctuations in the market values of our investments.
Credit ratings and pricing of our investments can be negatively affected by liquidity, credit deterioration, financial results, economic risk, political risk, sovereign risk, changes in interest rates, or other factors. As a result, the value and liquidity of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities may fluctuate substantially. Therefore, although we have not realized any significant losses on our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, future fluctuations in their value could result in a significant realized loss, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
Regulations related to conflict minerals may cause us to incur additional expenses and could limit the supply and increase the costs of certain metals used in the manufacturing of our products.
We are subject to requirements under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which will require us to conduct due diligence on and disclose whether or not our products contain conflict minerals. The implementation of these requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, availability, and pricing of the materials used in the manufacture of components used in our products. In addition, we will incur additional costs to comply with the disclosure requirements, including costs related to conducting diligence procedures to determine the sources of minerals that may be used or necessary to the production of our products and, if applicable, potential changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a consequence of such due diligence activities. It is also possible that we may face reputational harm if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict free or if we are unable to alter our products, processes, or sources of supply to avoid such materials.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
The market price of our Class A common stock has been and will likely continue to be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
The market price of our Class A common stock has been, and will likely continue to be, volatile. Since shares of our Class A common stock were sold in our IPO in June 2015 at a price of $20.00 per share, our stock price has ranged from $4.23 to $51.90 through
December 31, 2018
. In addition, the trading prices of the securities of technology companies in general have been highly volatile.
The market price of our Class A common stock may continue to fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
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overall performance of the equity markets;
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and other operating results;
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changes in the financial projections we may provide to the public or our failure to meet these projections;
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failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
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recruitment or departure of key personnel;
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the economy as a whole and market conditions in our industry;
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negative publicity related to problems in our manufacturing or the real or perceived quality of our products, as well as the failure to timely launch new products that gain market acceptance;
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rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;
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announcements by us or our competitors of significant technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments;
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new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;
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lawsuits threatened or filed against us;
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other events or factors, including those resulting from war, incidents of terrorism, or responses to these events; and
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sales of shares of our Class A common stock by us or our stockholders.
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In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. We are currently subject to securities litigation, which is described in Note 7 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This or any future securities litigation could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and adversely affect our business.
Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock in the public markets, or the perception that they might occur, could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock into the public market, particularly sales by our directors, executive officers, and principal stockholders, or the perception that these sales might occur, could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.
As of
December 31, 2018
, there were 252.4 million shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding. All shares of our common stock are available for sale in the public market, subject in certain cases to volume limitations under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, various vesting agreements, as well as our insider trading policy.
In addition, as of
December 31, 2018
, we had stock options outstanding that, if fully exercised, would result in the issuance of 1.3 million shares of Class A common stock and 14.9 million shares of Class B common stock (which shares of Class B common stock generally convert to Class A common stock upon their sale or transfer). We also had restricted stock units, or RSUs, outstanding as of
December 31, 2018
that may be settled for 18.4 million shares of Class A common stock and 0.1 million shares of Class B common stock. As of
December 31, 2018
, all of the shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options or settlement of RSUs and the shares reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans, are registered for public resale under the Securities Act. Accordingly, these shares may be freely sold in the public market upon issuance subject to applicable vesting requirements.
In addition, certain holders of our capital stock have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements for the public resale of their shares or to include such shares in registration statements that we may file for us or other stockholders.
The dual class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting control with our founders and certain other holders of our Class B common stock, including our directors, executive officers, and significant stockholders. This will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other major corporate transaction requiring stockholder approval.
Our Class B common stock has ten votes per share and our Class A common stock has one vote per share. As of
December 31, 2018
, our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, and their respective affiliates, held a substantial majority of the voting power of our capital stock. Because of the ten-to-one voting ratio between our Class B and Class A common stock, our co-founders, who currently serve as our chief executive officer and chief technology officer, control a majority of the combined voting power of our common stock and therefore are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval until the earlier of June 17, 2027 or the date the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock choose to convert their shares. This concentrated control will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other major corporate transaction requiring stockholder approval. In addition, this may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our capital stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.
Transfers by holders of Class B common stock will generally result in those shares converting to Class A common stock, subject to limited exceptions, such as certain transfers effected for estate planning purposes. The conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock will have the effect, over time, of increasing the relative voting power of those holders of Class B common stock who retain their shares in the long term.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, the price of our Class A common stock and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If industry analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our common stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts’ cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Class A common stock could decrease, which might cause our Class A common stock price and trading volume to decline.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings for use in the development of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors.
Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments.
Provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management, limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees, and limit the market price of our common stock.
Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws include provisions that:
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provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors with staggered three-year terms at such time as the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock represent less than a majority of the combined voting power of our common stock;
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permit the board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships;
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require super-majority voting to amend some provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws;
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authorize the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that our board of directors could use to implement a stockholder rights plan;
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provide that only the chairman of our board of directors, our chief executive officer, or a majority of our board of directors will be authorized to call a special meeting of stockholders;
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provide for a dual class common stock structure in which holders of our Class B common stock have the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even if they own significantly less than a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class A and Class B common stock, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets;
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prohibit stockholder action by written consent, which requires all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;
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provide that the board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter, or repeal our bylaws; and
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establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at annual stockholder meetings.
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In addition, our restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for: any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our restated certificate of incorporation, or our restated bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Moreover, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company. Section 203 imposes certain restrictions on mergers, business combinations, and other transactions between us and holders of 15% or more of our common stock.