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Tag: Alibaba

  • Former Walmart CEO says Amazon is “Predatory” Almost by Definition

    Former Walmart CEO says Amazon is “Predatory” Almost by Definition

    Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon says that Amazon has been “predatory” by selling goods below cost subsidized by profits from their cloud and advertising businesses. Simon says that this strategy put major competitors like Circuit City and Toys R Us out of business allowing Walmart to then raise the price of Prime without losing their customers.

    Bill Simon, a former Walmart CEO, discussed Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba in an interview on Fox Business which can be watched below:

    Amazon Behavior Has Been Predatory by Definition

    I’ve not been an advocate of breaking Amazon up. I’ve been an advocate of really looking at them hard and maybe having them report more details in segment reporting. They just sort of smush everything up into one number and report and I don’t think that gives clarity to the investor. If you really think about it their behavior has been predatory almost by definition. In 2014 they took the price of Prime up right after Circuit City and some others went out of business. They took another price increase to $129 for Prime and Toys R Us is gone.

    The consumer loves them, it’s awesome, I use them all the time, it’s really great to have the stuff delivered. But you see them putting people out of business and raising their price, and then again putting people out of business and raising their price, and that’s just not right.

    Didn’t Walmart Put Competitors Out of Business? Walmart did it for years and years by being a good retailer, not by selling below cost and subsidizing it from income from the cloud and from advertising. Walmart just bought well, moved it well, shipped it well, sold it well, and did it better than anybody else. That’s a different play. It’s sort of like if Exxon decided to get into the restaurant business and used oil revenue to drive restaurant companies out of business.

    How Does Alibaba Compare to Amazon? I love Alibaba. I’ve been in their stock for a while and it is just a terrific business. They’ve got a little bit of a different business model than Amazon. They built it differently because they have much more population density across their key markets than Amazon does other than the main metro’s in the US. I think they have a better opportunity to move the product and eventually, one day make money. I don’t think Amazon has that.

    Walmart Successfully Went After Digital Business

    Walmart stated a couple of years ago that they were really going to go after the digital business and they’ve done that. They have done it really well. They bought Jet, they just invested in Flipkart, they bought Bonobos, and they’ve bought a lot of other things. It sort of puts some juice back in the business.

    On the other hand, three years ago they delivered $29 billion in operating income, last year they delivered $20 billion, and they have already sort of warned that they are going to be below that this year. It’s come at a really steep price but they are doing exactly what they said they are going to do and if you are an investor who likes that strategy you’re buying.

    People Don’t Want Their Groceries Delivered

    Grocery is hard, it’s really hard. It took Walmart 20-25 years to get average at it, nevermind good. When Amazon bought Whole Foods, they not only bought a grocer, they bought a premium fresh grocer. That’s really hard to deliver and to deliver consistently and I think they are finding that out. Part of the problem is that people generally don’t want to have their groceries delivered.

    Most cities, other than New York and San Francisco and older cities, were built in and around the time and grew with the interstate highway system. So people in Dallas commute to and from work and they pass 20 grocery stores. They don’t need it delivered to them. They don’t want it sitting on their doorstep but it would be really nice if they could pick it up on their way home and not have to shop for it. That’s the theory behind Click and Collect and I think that’s a winner.

  • Alibaba Acquires Food Delivery Service Ele.me for $9.5 Billion

    Alibaba Acquires Food Delivery Service Ele.me for $9.5 Billion

    Alibaba is set to gain full control of Ele.me as it revs up on its plan to have a stronger foothold in China’s burgeoning market for quick delivery services.

    A statement released by Alibaba hinted of an enterprise valuation for Ele.me pegged at $9.5 billion. However, the company has not given any exact figures on how much it’s paying for the startup. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, its affiliate Ant Financial and Micro Financial Services Group Co. already have 43 percent of Ele.me’s voting shares. The online retail giant has reportedly paid for the deal in cash and has already acquired all of Baidu Inc.’s shares.

    Ele.me, which roughly translates to “hungry yet?” operates a multitude of delivery personnel on motorbikes all across the country. The company is known for its 30-minute delivery commitment to users. Ele.me is also fighting for top spot in the local delivery service industry against Meituan Dianping, a fellow startup backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., a fierce rival of Alibaba.

    Delivery service is one of the fastest growing industries in China as more and more consumers are using their mobile devices to order food, purchase movie tickets, schedule beauty treatments or book hotel rooms. Capturing this market is also a strategic move for both Alibaba and Tencent as it also puts their payment services systems in the spotlight.

    The idea was mostly confirmed in an internal email sent by Daniel Zhang, Alibaba’s chief executive officer to his staff. In it, Zhang emphasized how “food delivery is the single most important entry point in the local services sector because its one of the most commonly used applications.”

    “We can already see that a vast, multi-dimensional local instant delivery network formed through a food delivery service will be an essential piece of the commerce infrastructure,” Zhang wrote.

    Alibaba’s acquisition of Ele.me is just the latest in a series of moves aimed to help the company deal with an increasingly competitive environment. The company is also taking over delivery partner Cainiao and has recently invested another $2 billion in the Lazada Group.

  • Alibaba Invests Additional $2 Billion in Lazada, Seeks to Dominate SE Asia eCommerce Market

    Alibaba Invests Additional $2 Billion in Lazada, Seeks to Dominate SE Asia eCommerce Market

    Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba announced Monday that it would be investing an extra $2 billion in Lazada as part of the company’s continued expansion in Southeast Asia.

    Alibaba gained control of the Singapore-based company way back in 2016 with an initial investment of $1 billion. Jack Ma’s company further strengthened its hold on the online retailer last year when it poured in another billion dollars of investment. With it, Alibaba’s stakes in Lazada increased from 51 percent to 83 percent.

    Taking into account the recent announcement, Alibaba has already invested a total of $4 billion on Lazada. The online retailer conducts operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

    Along with the investment came news of some major changes in Lazada’s organization. Lucy Peng, Lazada’s current chairwoman and Alibaba co-founder, will be taking over as CEO from current chief Maximilian Bittner. Meanwhile, Bittner will be taking on a senior advisory post to help in the transition. He will also be assisting in developing strategies for the company’s future international growth.

    Alibaba’s move is not surprising, as Southeast Asia is fast becoming a very profitable market for eCommerce businesses now that millions of Internet users have discovered the joys of online shopping.

    Peng knows this too well, saying in a statement that due to the “young population, high mobile penetration and just 3 percent of the region’s retail sales currently conducted online,” Alibaba is extremely confident in its decision to double down on the region.

    “Lazada is well-positioned for the next phase of development of Internet-enabled commerce in this region, and we are excited about the incredible opportunities for supercharged growth,” Peng added.

    The region’s online economy is expected to grow by as much as $200 billion by 2025, with this growth largely driven by eCommerce.

    Other companies are also trying to get a piece of the eCommerce pie. Last year, Amazon launched Prime Now in Singapore and introduced its same-day express delivery system to the country.

    [Featured image via Alibaba]

  • Alibaba CEO Jack Ma Makes Multi-Million Dollar Investment in ‘Rent the Runway’ Fashion Business

    Alibaba CEO Jack Ma Makes Multi-Million Dollar Investment in ‘Rent the Runway’ Fashion Business

    It seems that Chinese billionaire investor Jack Ma is planning to expand his business interests to include women’s fashion. Mr. Ma and his Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai, are now eyeing a stake in Rent the Runway, a New York-based designer clothing rental for women.

    Jack Ma and Joe Tsai, through Blue Pool Capital, will inject $20 million in fresh capital into Rent the Runway based on details on a filing uncovered by research firm Lagniappe Labs. Blue Pool Capital is a multi-billion dollar fund tasked with investing the wealth of Ma, Tsai and other Alibaba executives.

    With the additional capital, Rent the Runway is now valued at a little under $800 million. During the company’s previous fundraising activity, it was valued at $750 million after it was able to secure $60 million in Series E investment led by Fidelity back in 2016. The latest deal with Blue Pool will carry the same terms as the Series E deal.

    Rent the Runway was established in 2019 by Harvard Business School students Jennifer Fleiss and Jennifer Hyman. It was previously a purely online-based service business that allowed women to rent designer dresses for special occasions rather than spending a substantial amount to buy them.

    The business idea became a hit and, veering from its pure eCommerce model, Rent the Runway soon opened up retail locations in major US cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington DC. Now, the company rents other high-end accessories such as handbags and jewelry.

    Aside from rental earnings and such, Rent the Runway’s revenue is now boosted by sales in lingerie, cosmetics, shapewear, and tights. In addition, the company introduced a subscription model where clients can rent a rotating closet assuring a wider variety of clothing options even for everyday wear.

    It is still unclear if Ma and Tsai plan to eventually acquire Rent the Runway. According to Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway co-founder and CEO, the deal is “good for us whether we IPO, or we sell the business, or we stay private.”

    [Featured image via YouTube]

  • Yahoo Reverses Spinoff To Sell Core Business And Keep Alibaba Stake

    Yahoo Reverses Spinoff To Sell Core Business And Keep Alibaba Stake

    After a report from CNBC came out saying that Yahoo will halt its spinoff of its stake in Alibaba and explore a potential deal for its core business, Yahoo put out an official announcement.

    It says the board of directors has unanimously decided to suspend work on the pending plan announced earlier this year to spin off Yahoo’s remaining holdings in Alibaba. It says the board will now evaluate “alternative transaction structures to separate the Alibaba stake, focusing specifically on a reverse of the previously announced spin transaction.”

    It goes on to say that Yahoo’s assets and liabilities other than the Alibaba stake would be transferred to a newly formed company. The stock of this company would be distibuted pro rata to Yahoo shareholders resulting in two separate publicly-traded companies.

    “We believe that the previously announced spin off would be tax free to Yahoo and its shareholders,” said Maynard Webb, Chairman of Yahoo’s Board of Directors. “However, in consideration of developments since the original spin off plan was announced and after significant deliberations, we are suspending work on the Aabaco spin off. Among other factors, we were concerned about the market’s perception of tax risk, which would have impaired the value of Aabaco stock until resolved. Informed by our intimate familiarity with Yahoo’s unique circumstances, the Board remains committed to accomplishing the significant business purposes and shareholder benefits that can be realized by separating the Alibaba stake from the rest of Yahoo. To achieve this, we will now focus our efforts on the reverse spin off plan.”

    CEO Marissa Mayer said, “In addition to our efforts to increase value and diminish uncertainty for investors, the ultimate separation of our Alibaba stake will be important to our continued business transformation. In 2016, we will tighten our focus and prioritize investments to drive profitability and long-term growth. A separation from our Alibaba stake, via the reverse spin, will provide more transparency into the value of Yahoo’s business.”

    The company notes that the “reverse spinoff” is expected to require third party consents, preparation of audited financial statements, shareholder approval, and SEC filings and clearance. Yahoo hopes to get things done as quickly as possible, but warns that it could take a year or more.

    Yahoo is hosting a conference call at 9AM Eastern on Wednesday to discuss the announcement further.

    Yahoo also filed an 8K regarding Max Levchin’s resignation from its Board of Directors.

    A Yahoo spokesperson said, “Yahoo today announced that Max Levchin has resigned as a Director to focus on his responsibilities as chief executive officer of Affirm. Max previously resigned nearly all of his other board commitments, including his director roles at Yelp and Evernote, to focus on his work at Affirm. We are grateful for his contributions, including his active role in and support of the board’s unanimous decision to suspend work on the proposed spinoff of the company’s remaining holdings in Alibaba Group. We wish him success in all of his future endeavors.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Report: Yahoo Won’t Move Forward With Alibaba Spinoff

    Report: Yahoo Won’t Move Forward With Alibaba Spinoff

    Over the first week+ of December, there have been numerous rumors about Yahoo. It has been reported (but not officially confirmed) that the company is considering selling its core web business, including search and advertising.

    This was the big story last week as board members prepared to meet for discussions. One report named Verizon, IAC/Interactive, News Corp., and Time as parties interested in a potential purchase.

    Activist investor Starboard has been calling on Yahoo to put a stop to its plan to spin off its Alibaba stake, which is supposed to happen next month. Starboard wants Yahoo to sell its core web businesses instead.

    A new report from CNBC indicates that the company is poised to do just that. Sources on this are not disclosed. The report says:

    Yahoo will not move forward with a spin-off of its stake in Alibaba, and instead examine a deal involving its core business, sources told CNBC on Tuesday.

    The report comes amid others that suggest Yahoo is working on some additional restructuring including making cuts and closing down some properties in its media business.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Yahoo To Discuss Selling Web Business This Week [Report]

    Yahoo To Discuss Selling Web Business This Week [Report]

    The Wall Street Journal reported late on Tuesday that Yahoo has meetings on Wednesday through Friday to discuss the possibility of selling its internet businesses and getting more out of its stake in Alibaba Group Holding.

    According to this report, Yahoo’s board of directors are expected to talk about whether or not to spin off the Alibaba stake, find a buyer for Yahoo’s web properties (possibly a private equity firm), or both.

    The New York Times also reported the news citing people briefed on the plans.

    Yahoo shareholders haven’t been incredibly thrilled with the Marissa Mayer-led company after three years. Activist shareholder Starboard called on Yahoo last month to put a stop to its plan to spin off the Alibaba stake, which is otherwise expected to happen next month. Starboard wants Yahoo to sell its core web businesses (search and advertising) instead.

    Unsurprisingly, Yahoo isn’t offering up any official comment on the reports.

    According to Kara Swisher, who has a long history of reporting on insider Yahoo information (previously for the Journal in fact), Yahoo’s board is behind Mayer and doesn’t want to sell the core Web business.

    Swisher also says her sources indicate the company has already selected a CEO for Abaco Holdings, which is the what the Alibaba stake’s spinoff is called.

    After the Journal’s report, Yahoo shares jumped 7% in extended trading.

    Yahoo Mail and Yahoo News combined for 210 million visitors in the U.S. in October according to comScore.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Alibaba Buys ‘China’s YouTube’ for $3.7 Billion

    Alibaba Buys ‘China’s YouTube’ for $3.7 Billion

    Alibaba has announced that it has acquired Youku Tudou for around $3.7 billion.

    Youku Tudou is commonly referred to as “China’s YouTube”. E-commerce giant Alibaba had previously offered a little less to purchase the company last October.

    Alibaba already owned about a fifth of Youku Tudou.

    “We believe this combination with Alibaba maximizes value for Youku Tudou shareholders and significantly benefits our customers, users and team,” said Victor Koo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Youku Tudou. “We are eager to work with Alibaba to grow our multi-screen entertainment and media ecosystem. We are confident that we will strengthen our market position and further accelerate our growth through the integration of our advertising and consumer businesses with Alibaba’s platform and Alipay services. With Alibaba’s support, Youku Tudou’s future as the leading multi-screen entertainment and media platform in China has been firmly secured.”

    Youku Tudou is one of China’s biggest video platforms, counting over a half a billion users.

    Alibaba reported strong earnings last month, beating Wall Street expectations as its revenue jumped 32% to $3.5 billion.

  • Alibaba Group Earnings Impress, Revenue Jumps 32%

    Alibaba Group Earnings Impress, Revenue Jumps 32%

    Alibaba Group reported its financial results for the quarter ended September 30 on Tuesday, beating Wall Street expectations as its revenue jumped 32% to $3.5 billion. EPS was $0.57.

    Gross merchandise volume (GMV), which refers to the total sales value for merchandise sold, was particularly good at $112 billion, up $25 billion from the same period last year.

    The company boasted 386 million active buyers over the past year, which is up from 36 million for the same period a year ago. It reported 346 million mobile monthly active users, which is up 59% year over year (and 13% quarter over quarter).

    “This was a great quarter for Alibaba Group, with strong growth across the board and particular outperformance in mobile. We continued our efforts to drive healthy GMV growth, deliver an unparalleled consumer experience and help quality merchants do business on our platform,” said CEO Daniel Zhang. “We are winning in mobile and remain focused on our top strategic priorities, including internationalization, expanding our ecosystem from cities to villages, and building a
    world-class cloud computing business.”

    CFO Maggie Wu added, “We had very strong results this quarter. GMV grew to US$112 billion, a year-on-year increase of US$25 billion in this quarter. We also made significant progress in monetization and our revenue growth accelerated. Meanwhile, we generated strong free cash flow of US$2.1 billion this quarter. The fundamental strength of our business gives us the confidence to invest in our strategic priorities.”

    The company saw a 128% year-over-year increase in revenue from its cloud computing and Internet infrastructure business, which brought in $102 million.

    Alibaba Group claims to have made significant progress on monetization, which it says reflects its focus on “high-quality merchants and delivering better value proposition” to them.

    Alibaba Group shares quickly jumped 10% when the results were released.

  • Alibaba Group’s Cloud Business Expands With New Data Center

    Alibaba Group’s Cloud Business Expands With New Data Center

    Aliyun, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced that it will set up a new cloud data center in Singapore, where the company will also base the headquarters for its overseas business. The center will launch next month.

    The company notes that the center utilizes a $1 billion investment in cloud computing from Alibaba Group, which will lead to more businesses being able to take advantage of the company’s cloud services.

    “Singapore is a natural destination to be our headquarters for overseas expansion. The city state is a natural springboard into the Asia Pacific region, not only for us, but for our target audience. We are seeing healthy demand for cloud-related data management services in Singapore because of the ease of doing business, comprehensive transport and telecommunications connections and robust intellectual property regime. The stable geo-political climate and abundance of highly skilled talent are advantages too,” said Sicheng (Ethan) Yu, Vice President of Aliyun.

    The Singapore center will have direct connections to Aliyun’s data center network in Beijing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Silicon Valley.

    “The cloud data center in Singapore is a key milestone in our strategy to help businesses of all sizes innovate and scale, wherever they are based, and however they choose to grow,” Yu said. “Aliyun offers a unique combination of services for success in the cloud, including high-volume cloud-based transaction support and quality assurance for cloud computing services.”

    The company notes that in the June quarter, Aliyun’s revenue growth from cloud computing and Internet infrastructure increased 106% year-over-year.

    Image via Aliyun

  • Alibaba Is Starting A Netflix-Like Service Called TBO

    Alibaba Is Starting A Netflix-Like Service Called TBO

    Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba Grouip is getting into online streaming video, readying a Netflix-type service in the country, according to multiple reports. The news comes as Netflix is trying to figure out its own entry into China.

    Alibaba’s head of digital entertainment reportedly said on Sunday that the company will launch the service, called TBO (Tmall Box Office) in two months, utilizing content purchased fro China and other countries and its own productions. Via Reuters:

    “Our mission, the mission of all of Alibaba, is to redefine home entertainment,” said Liu. “Our goal is to become like HBO in the United States, to become like Netflix in the United States.”

    It was not immediately clear how the service would fit with Youku Tudou Inc (YOKU.N), one of China’s biggest video streaming platforms in which Alibaba bought a 16.5 percent stake last year.

    It’s unclear if Alibaba plans to take the service outside of China in countries like the U.S. where its stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Last week, founder Jack Ma spoke in the U.S. about how the company wants to help small businesses reach the growing Chinese consumer market.

    Netflix will launch in three more countries this October. The company previously expressed its goal to complete its global expansion by 2017.

    Image via YouTube

  • Alibaba Wants To Help US Small Businesses Sell More In China

    Alibaba Wants To Help US Small Businesses Sell More In China

    Alibaba Group founder and Executive Chairman Jack Ma wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal in which he talked about the company’s strategy for the U.S. market. According to him, it’s “simple and clear” in that it wants to help U.S. entrepreneurs and small business owners, as well as businesses of all sizes, sell goods to a growing Chinese consumer class.

    Ma said that with this strategy, Chinese consumers will get to buy “all the American products they want,” while American jobs are created and U.S. exports are increased.

    Ma is visiting the United States this week to meet with potential partners on ways to make it easier to sell American goods to Chinese customers.

    “I feel most at home with entrepreneurs because a group of friends and I founded Alibaba Group 16 years ago believing that we could use technology to level the playing field, giving anyone who wanted to participate in global commerce a chance to succeed,” he wrote. “We connect buyers with sellers, supplying aspiring entrepreneurs with everything they need to start, run and grow a business—including financing, payments, logistics, marketing, analytics and even cloud computing. Today there are about 10 million entrepreneurs running small businesses on Alibaba’s retail marketplaces in China, and our ecosystem has generated 14 million jobs.”

    “Alibaba Group was founded in China but created for the world. We want to connect small businesses in the West with the largest, fastest-growing market in the East,” he added. “This strategy may come as a surprise to some, because many people view China through an outdated lens. The China of 2015 is virtually unrecognizable from the country a decade ago. While the first wave of globalization created a large working class in China, the next wave of growth has created a thriving middle class.”

    According to Ma, how the growing Chinese middle class spends its income is important for small businesses in America. He noted that China doesn’t have near the brick-and-mortar store presence that America does, with online shopping having “leapfrogged’ in-person shopping. Consumers are “eager to buy goods from abroad,” he said.

    Ma said he considers American entrepreneurs “strong role models for the world,” and that he feels a “great kinship” with the U.S.

    Here’s a speech Ma gave to the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday:

    In the speech, Ma talked about the difference between Alibaba and Amazon.

    “We are different,” he said. “The difference between us and Amazon is we don’t buy and sell. We help small businesses buy and sell every day. We do not deliver our packages ourselves, though we have two million people who help [deliver] over 30 million packages per day… we don’t hold inventory, but we do have 350 million buyers.”

    The main message Ma has been trying to get across appears to be that Alibaba isn’t here to “invade America,” but wants to have American businesses expand their offerings in China.

    Image via YouTube

  • About Daniel Zhang, The New CEO Of Alibaba Group

    About Daniel Zhang, The New CEO Of Alibaba Group

    Alibaba managed to take the title for the largest global IPO ever in September, and the company is about to be under new (yet familiar) leadership .

    Alibaba reported its March 2015 and fiscal year 2015 financial results on Thursday while also announcing that COO Daniel Zhang will become CEO of Alibaba Group starting May 10. He will replace Jonathan Lu, who will reaamin on the board of directors as Vice Chairman, and will work with Zhang through a transition period over the coming months.

    “I’m excited to take on this new challenge,” said Zhang. “It is an immense responsibility, and I’m grateful to every member of the Alibaba team for their commitment and dedication to excellence.”

    “I’m proud of the Alibaba team and all that we have accomplished together,” added Lu. “Over many years, I have seen just how critical Alibaba’s culture and talent are to our success, and I’m excited to take on this new role helping to develop the next generation of leaders at our company.”

    Executive Chairman Jack Ma said, “Daniel is a proven international business leader and innovator with a strong track record of delivering results. He has the confidence of our entire management team, and there is no better person to lead Alibaba Group as we embark on the next stage of our growth on top of the strong foundation that Jonathan helped build. I am grateful to Jonathan Lu for his excellent leadership and management over the past several years, and I look forward to his continued contribution as a key leader in helping Alibaba Group train and develop the next generation of leaders. Alibaba Group has a strong and deep bench of talented executives who will help lead the company for the years to come. Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to continuing to develop strong leadership from within.”

    Who is Daniel Zhang?

    Zhang has been with the company for eight years, holding different top management positions in that time. He’s one of the founding members of the Alibaba partnership, and has been COO since September 2013. In this role, he oversaw the operations of all Alibaba Group business in China as well as internationally.

    Zhang joined Alibaba as CFO of Taobao Marketplace in 2007. The following year he was appointed COO of Taobao Marketplace and GM of Taobao Mall. According to Alibaba, Taobao Mall “rapidly” became one of the company’s most important businesses under his leadership. In 2011, he was named president when it became an independent business unit, Tmall.com, which the company refers to as “one of the world’s largest online B2C platforms.”

    The company says he was also a “key architect” of the November 11 Shopping Festival, and led it to what it calls the world’s largest online shopping event.

    Before joining Alibaba Group, Zhang was CFO of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, an online game developer and operator. Before that, he was senior manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Audit and Business Advisory Division in Shanghai. Before that he worked in the Shanghai office of Arthur Andersen for seven years.

    He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and is a member of the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also serves on the boards of directors of CITIC 21 and Haier. Both of these are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In addition to those seats, he’s been serving on the board of directors of Weibo for about a year.

    Alibaba beat Wall Street expectations on its earnings report with quarterly sales of $2.8 billion (up 45%) and adjusted earnings per share of $0.43.

    Image via Alibaba

  • Alibaba Releases First Earnings Report As A Public Company

    Alibaba Releases First Earnings Report As A Public Company

    Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which held its IPO here in the United States in September, just released its first earnings report as a public company, and it was a good one. The company beat Wall Street expectations with revenue of $2.74 billion and earnings per share of $0.45.

    Alibaba Group CEO Jonathan Lu had this to say: “We delivered a strong quarter with significant growth across our key operating metrics. Our business continues to perform well, and our results reflect both the strength of our ecosystem and the strong foundation we have for sustainable growth.”

    “On our China retail marketplaces, gross merchandise volume for the quarter increased 49% and annual active buyers increased 52% year on year,” Lu added. “We extended our unrivaled leadership in mobile with 217 million monthly active users on our mobile commerce apps in September and US$95 billion in mobile GMV for the twelve months ended September 2014. We are also encouraged by continued improvement of mobile monetization which demonstrates the strong commercial intent of our users.”

    Stock was up at least 4% in premarket trading. It should be an interesting day for the company that recently launched the biggest tech IPO ever.

    Here’s the earnings release in its entirety:

    HANGZHOU, China–()–Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) today announced its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2014.

    “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures”

    “We delivered a strong quarter with significant growth across our key operating metrics,” said Jonathan Lu, chief executive officer of Alibaba Group. “Our business continues to perform well, and our results reflect both the strength of our ecosystem and the strong foundation we have for sustainable growth. On our China retail marketplaces, gross merchandise volume for the quarter increased 49% and annual active buyers increased 52% year on year. We extended our unrivaled leadership in mobile with 217 million monthly active users on our mobile commerce apps in September and US$95 billion in mobile GMV for the twelve months ended September 2014. We are also encouraged by continued improvement of mobile monetization which demonstrates the strong commercial intent of our users.”

    “Our financial performance this quarter was robust, with revenue growing 54% year on year,” said Maggie Wei Wu, chief financial officer of Alibaba Group. “We continue to execute our focused growth strategy, and the fundamental strength of our business gives us the confidence to invest in new initiatives to add new users, improving engagement and customer experience, expand our products and services and drive long-term shareholder value.”

    September Quarter Operational and Financial Highlights

    Operational highlights:

    September 30, June 30, September 30,
    2013 2014 2014 % Change
    RMB RMB RMB US$(1) YoY QoQ
    (in millions, except percentages)
    GMV(2) 373,659 500,916 555,666 90,529 48.7% 10.9%
    Mobile GMV as a percentage of total GMV(2) 14.7% 32.8% 35.8%
    Annual Active Buyers(3) 202 279 307 52.0% 10.0%
    Mobile Monthly Active Users (MAUs)(4) 91 188 217 138.5% 15.4%

    Financial highlights:

    Three months ended September 30,
    2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$(1) YoY % Change
    (in millions, except percentages and per share amounts)
    Revenue 10,950 16,829 2,742 53.7%
    Mobile Revenue 332 3,719 606 1,020.2%
    Income from Operations 5,248 4,345 708 (17.2%)*
    Non-GAAP EBITDA(5) 6,505 8,493 1,384 30.6%
    Non-GAAP EBITDA Margin(5) 59.4% 50.5%
    Net Income 4,937 3,030 494 (38.6%)*
    Non-GAAP Net Income(5) 5,893 6,808 1,109 15.5%
    Diluted Earnings per Share/ADS (EPS) 2.13 1.24 0.20 (41.8%)*
    Non-GAAP Diluted EPS(5) 2.55 2.79 0.45 9.4%

    _______________

    * Decrease primarily due to the significant increase in share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets in the September quarter 2014, as discussed in details below.
    (1) This release contains translation of certain Renminbi (“RMB”) into U.S. dollars (“US$”) for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations of RMB into US$ were made at RMB6.1380 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on September 30, 2014. The percentages stated in this release are calculated based on the RMB amounts.
    (2) For the three months ended on the respective dates. Based on the aggregate value of confirmed orders of products and services on our marketplaces, regardless of how, or whether, the buyer and seller settle the transaction.
    (3) For the twelve months ended on the respective dates. Active buyers are user accounts that confirmed one or more orders on the relevant marketplace in that period, regardless of whether or not the buyer and seller settle the transaction.
    (4) For the month ended on the respective dates. Based on the aggregate mobile MAUs of apps that contribute GMV on our China retail marketplaces.
    (5) See the sections entitled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures” for more information about the non-GAAP measures referred to within this release.

    GMV – GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB555,666 million (US$90,529 million), an increase of 48.7% compared to the same quarter of 2013. GMV transacted on Taobao Marketplace in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB379,832 million (US$61,882 million), an increase of 38.2% compared to the same quarter of 2013. GMV transacted on Tmall in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB175,834 million (US$28,647 million), an increase of 77.8% compared to the same quarter of 2013. The growth was primarily driven by an increase in number of active buyers.

    Mobile GMV – Mobile GMV in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB199,054 million (US$32,430 million), or 35.8% of total GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces in this quarter, compared to 32.8% in the quarter ended June 30, 2014 and 14.7% in the same quarter of 2013. The growth was primarily driven by increases in the monthly active users accessing our platforms through mobile devices.

    Annual active buyers – China retail marketplaces had 307 million annual active buyers in the twelve months ended September 30, 2014, compared to 279 million in the twelve months ended June 30, 2014 and 202 million in the twelve months ended September 30, 2013, representing an increase of 52.0% compared to the same period in 2013.

    Mobile MAUs – Mobile MAUs grew to 217 million in the month ended September 30, 2014, compared to 188 million in the month ended June 30, 2014, representing a net addition of 29 million MAUs in three months, and a 138.5% increase from 91 million in the month ended September 30, 2013.

    Revenue – Revenue increased by 53.7% to RMB16,829 million (US$2,742 million) in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to RMB10,950 million in the same quarter of 2013. Revenue from China commerce retail business increased by 47.7% to RMB12,769 million (US$2,080 million), compared to RMB8,645 million in the same quarter of 2013, mainly driven by the growth in online marketing service revenue and commission revenue. Mobile revenue increased by 1,020.2% to RMB3,719 million (US$606 million) in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to RMB332 million in the same quarter of 2013.

    Income from operations – Income from operations in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB4,345 million (US$708 million), or 25.8% of revenue, a decrease of 17.2% compared to RMB5,248 million in the same quarter of 2013. The decrease was primarily due to share-based compensation charges (see “Share-based compensation expense” below) and an increase in amortization of intangible assets.

    Non-GAAP EBITDA – Non-GAAP EBITDA increased by 30.6% to RMB8,493 million (US$1,384 million) in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to RMB6,505 million in the same quarter of 2013. Non-GAAP EBITDA margin was 50.5% in the quarter ended September 30, 2014. This was a decrease from 59.4% in the September quarter of 2013 and from 54.4% in the June quarter of 2014. The decrease in non-GAAP EBITDA margin was primarily due to (i) the consolidation of newly acquired businesses, mainly including UCWeb Inc., or UCWeb, AutoNavi Holding Limited, or AutoNavi, (ii) planned investments in new business initiatives, such as our mobile operating system, local services and digital entertainment, and (iii) increased tactical marketing spending during the September quarter.

    Net income – Our net income in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB3,030 million (US$494 million), a decrease of 38.6% compared to RMB4,937 million in the same quarter of 2013. The decrease was primarily due to the share-based compensation charges and increased amortization expense as discussed above, and an increase in our effective tax rate.

    Non-GAAP net income – Non-GAAP net income increased by 15.5% to RMB6,808 million (US$1,109 million) in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to RMB5,893 million in the same quarter of 2013.

    Diluted EPS and non-GAAP diluted EPS – Diluted EPS in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB1.24 (US$0.20) on 2,438 million diluted shares outstanding, a decrease of 41.8% compared to RMB2.13 on 2,317 million diluted shares outstanding in the same quarter of 2013. Non-GAAP diluted EPS in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB2.79 (US$0.45) on 2,438 million diluted shares outstanding, an increase of 9.4% compared to RMB2.55 on 2,317 million diluted shares outstanding in the same quarter of 2013.

    September Quarter Financial Results

    Revenue – Revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB16,829 million (US$2,742 million), an increase of 53.7% compared to RMB10,950 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was mainly driven by the continuing rapid growth of our China commerce retail business.

    • China commerce retail business – Revenue from China commerce retail business in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB12,769 million (US$2,080 million), or 75.9% of total revenue, an increase of 47.7% compared to RMB8,645 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was mainly driven by the growth in online marketing services revenue and commission revenue. Commission revenue accounted for 33.5% of China commerce retail revenue in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to 24.8% in the same quarter of 2013. Revenue growth during this period occurred in the context of and reflected an increase of 48.7% in GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces, which was primarily driven by a 52.0% increase in the number of active buyers. Monetization rate remained stable at 2.30% in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to 2.31% in the same quarter of 2013. Mobile revenue in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB3,719 million (US$606 million), representing 29.1% of China commerce retail business revenue, compared to 19.4% in the quarter ended June 30, 2014 and 3.8% in the same quarter of 2013. Mobile revenue increased as a result of increased mobile GMV and increased mobile monetization rate to 1.87%, up from 1.49% in the quarter ended June 30, 2014 and 0.61% in the same quarter of 2013.
    • China commerce wholesale business – Revenue from our China commerce wholesale business in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB790 million (US$129 million), an increase of 39.1% compared to RMB568 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase in revenue was due to an increase in paying members and an increase in average revenue from paying members.
    • International commerce retail business – Revenue from our international commerce retail business in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB419 million (US$68 million), nearly doubling from RMB210 million in the same quarter of 2013. The main reason for this increase was an increase in GMV transacted on AliExpress.
    • International commerce wholesale business – Revenue from our international commerce wholesale business in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB1,198 million (US$195 million), an increase of 24.0% compared to RMB966 million in the same quarter of 2013. The main reason for this increase was an increase in the number of paying members.

    Cost of revenue – Cost of revenue in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB5,596 million (US$912 million), or 33.3% of revenue, compared to RMB3,001 million, or 27.4% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in share-based compensation expense caused by the re-measurement at period end to fair value of share-based awards granted to the employees of Zhejiang Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Company, Ltd., or Ant Financial, and (ii) an increase in co-location, bandwidth and depreciation expenses as a result of our investments in Alibaba Cloud Computing and our data platform.

    Product development expenses – Product development expenses in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 were RMB2,581 million (US$421 million), or 15.3% of revenue, compared to RMB1,168 million, or 10.7% of revenue in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was primarily due to an increase in payroll and benefit expense including share-based compensation expense. Our product development headcount increased as we continue to focus on new and existing product development and as a result of our acquisitions of UCWeb and AutoNavi.

    Sales and marketing expenses – Sales and marketing expenses in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 were RMB1,749 million (US$285 million), or 10.4% of revenue, compared to RMB657 million, or 6.0% of revenue in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was primarily due to an increase in tactical advertising and promotional spending mainly to promote our China retail marketplaces during this quarter when intense global interest in Alibaba enhanced the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Additionally, the consolidation of marketing expense in acquired businesses, including UCWeb and AutoNavi, and an increase in promoting new business initiatives (including local services and digital entertainment) also contributed to the increase of sales and marketing expenses in this quarter.

    General and administrative expenses – General and administrative expenses in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 were RMB1,960 million (US$319 million), or 11.6% of revenue, compared to RMB793 million, or 7.2% of revenue in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expense.

    Share-based compensation expense – Share-based compensation expense included in respective cost or expense items above in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB3,010 million (US$490 million), or 17.9% of revenue, an increase of 248.4% compared to RMB864 million, or 7.9% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2013. Share-based compensation expense as a percentage of revenue increased due to performance-based and retention grants of share-based awards to our employees and members of executive management prior to our initial public offering, with vesting periods ranging from four to six years, as well as the re-measurement charge relating to share-based awards granted to the employees of Ant Financial as described under Cost of Revenue above.

    Amortization of intangible assets – Amortization of intangible assets in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB598 million (US$97 million), a significant increase from RMB39 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was primarily related to the strategic acquisitions, including UCWeb and AutoNavi.

    Income from operations – Income from operations in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB4,345 million (US$708 million), or 25.8% of revenue, a decrease of 17.2% compared to RMB5,248 million, or 47.9% of revenue, in the same quarter of 2013. The decrease was primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expense and an increase in amortization of intangible assets.

    Non-GAAP EBITDA – Non-GAAP EBITDA increased by 30.6% to RMB8,493 million (US$1,384 million) in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to RMB6,505 million in the same quarter of 2013. Non-GAAP EBITDA margin was 50.5% in the quarter ended September 30, 2014. This was a decrease from 59.4% in the September quarter of 2013 and from 54.4% in the June quarter of 2014. The decrease in non-GAAP EBITDA margin was primarily due to (i) the consolidation of newly acquired businesses, mainly including UCWeb and AutoNavi, (ii) planned investments in new business initiatives, such as our mobile operating system, local services and digital entertainment, and (iii) increased tactical marketing spending during the September quarter. A reconciliation of income from operations to non-GAAP EBITDA is included at the end of this release.

    Interest and investment income, net – Interest and investment income, net in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB468 million (US$76 million), an increase of 47.2% compared to RMB318 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase in net interest and investment income was primarily due to a net gain recognized with respect to the revaluation of previously held equity interests relating to the merger of AutoNavi, and an increase in interest income as a result of higher cash balance during the period, partially offset by losses recognized with respect to the revaluation of convertible bonds in connection with our strategic investments in publicly traded entities.

    Interest expense – Interest expense in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB521 million (US$85 million), an increase of 39.3% compared to RMB374 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase in interest expense was primarily due to an increase in average loan amount outstanding during the period following the drawdown in April 2014 of the remaining US$3.0 billion under a US$8.0 billion credit facility.

    Other income, net – Other income, net in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB378 million (US$62 million), a decrease of 2.8% compared to RMB389 million in the same quarter of 2013. For the quarter ended September 30, 2014, other income, net, primarily included royalty fees and software technology service fees received from Ant Financial which increased to RMB430 million (US$70 million) in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 from RMB204 million in the same quarter of 2013, and RMB195 million of expenses relating to the sale of shares by existing shareholders in our initial public offering.

    Income tax expenses – Income tax expenses in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 were RMB1,339 million (US$218 million), an increase of 110.2% compared to RMB637 million in the same quarter of 2013. The increase was primarily due to the increase in taxable income from our operations in China. Our effective tax rate increased to 28.7% in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 from 11.4% in the same quarter of 2013. Excluding share-based compensation expense which is not deductible for income tax purposes, and gain on revaluation of investments which are not subject to income tax, our effective tax rate would have been 17.6% in the quarter ended September 30, 2014, compared to 9.9% in the same quarter of 2013. Such increase was primarily because the enterprise income tax, or EIT, exemption period of one of our major subsidiaries expired and such subsidiary became subject to an EIT rate of 12.5% (or 50% of the statutory EIT rate) in calendar year 2014.

    Net income and non-GAAP net income – As a result of the foregoing, our net income in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB3,030 million (US$494 million), a decrease of 38.6% compared to RMB4,937 million in the same quarter of 2013. Excluding the effects of share-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets and certain other items, non-GAAP net income in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB6,808 million (US$1,109 million), an increase of 15.5% compared to RMB5,893 million in the same quarter of 2013. A reconciliation of net income to non-GAAP net income is included at the end of this release.

    Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders – Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB2,976 million (US$485 million), a decrease of 39.1% compared to RMB4,883 million in the same quarter of 2013.

    Diluted EPS and non-GAAP diluted EPS – Diluted EPS in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB1.24 (US$0.20) on 2,438 million diluted shares outstanding, a decrease of 41.8% compared to RMB2.13 on 2,317 million diluted shares outstanding in the same quarter of 2013. Excluding the effects of share-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets and certain other items, non-GAAP diluted EPS in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB2.79 (US$0.45), an increase of 9.4% compared to RMB2.55 in the same quarter of 2013. A reconciliation of diluted EPS to the non-GAAP diluted EPS is included at the end of this release.

    Cash – As of September 30, 2014, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were RMB109,911 million (US$17,906 million), compared to RMB43,632 million as of March 31, 2014.

    Cash flow from operating activities and free cash flow – Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB5,865 million (US$955 million), an increase of 29.6% compared to RMB4,526 million in the same quarter of 2013. Capital expenditures in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 were RMB3,396 million (US$553 million), compared to RMB1,140 million in the same quarter of 2013. Capital expenditures in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 included cash outflow for acquisition of land use rights and construction in progress of RMB1,703 million. Free cash flow, a non-GAAP measurement of liquidity, in the quarter ended September 30, 2014 was RMB8,938 million (US$1,456 million), an increase of 33.7% compared to RMB6,683 million in the same quarter of 2013. A reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow, the non-GAAP measure of liquidity, is included at the end of this release.

    Net cash used in investing activities – During the quarter ended September 30, 2014, net cash used in investing activities of RMB32,555 million (US$5,304 million) mainly included disbursements for short-term investments of RMB13,807 million (US$2,249 million), capital expenditure of RMB3,396 million (US$553 million) as well as investment and acquisition activities of RMB15,912 million (US$2,592 million). The cash outflows related to our previously announced investment and acquisition activities included: (i) the merger of AutoNavi, a leading provider of digital map content and navigation and location-based solutions in China, of RMB6,348 million; (ii) investment in Intime Retail (Group) Company Limited, one of China’s leading department store operators, of RMB4,264 million; (iii) investment in Singapore Post Limited, the national postal service provider in Singapore and a leading provider of ecommerce and logistics solutions in the Asia-Pacific region, of RMB1,548 million; and (iv) investment in Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club, China’s first-ever winner of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Cup, of RMB1,200 million.

    Webcast and Conference Call Information

    A live webcast of the earnings conference call, which will be held shortly following the release of this announcement, can be accessed at http://www.alibabagroup.com/en/ir/earnings. An archived webcast will be available through the same link following the call. A replay of the conference call will be available for two weeks (dial-in number: +1 855-859-2056; conference ID: 24286757).

    Please visit Alibaba Group’s Investor Relations website at http://www.alibabagroup.com/en/ir/home on November 4, 2014 to view the earnings release and accompanying slides prior to the conference call.

    About Alibaba Group

    Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company is the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with hundreds of millions of consumers and other businesses.

    Alibaba Group’s major businesses include:

    • Taobao Marketplace (www.taobao.com), China’s largest online shopping destination
    • Tmall.com (www.tmall.com), China’s largest third-party platform for brands and retailers
    • Juhuasuan (www.juhuasuan.com), China’s most popular online group buying marketplace
    • Alitrip (www.alitrip.com), a leading online travel booking platform
    • AliExpress (www.aliexpress.com), a global online marketplace for consumers to buy directly from China
    • Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com), China’s largest global online wholesale platform for small businesses
    • 1688.com (www.1688.com), a leading online wholesale marketplace in China
    • Alibaba Cloud Computing (www.aliyun.com), a provider of cloud computing services to businesses and entrepreneurs

    Alibaba Group also provides payment and/or escrow services on its marketplaces through its contractual arrangements with Ant Financial Services Group, a related company of Alibaba Group that operates Alipay (www.alipay.com).

    Through China Smart Logistics (or Zhejiang Cainiao Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.), a 48%-owned affiliate, Alibaba Group operates a central logistics information system that connects a network of express delivery companies in China.

    Safe Harbor Statements

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “targets” and similar statements. Among other things, statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Alibaba’s beliefs and expectations, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Alibaba’s strategic and operational plans, are or contain forward-looking statements. Alibaba may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Alibaba’s goals and strategies; Alibaba’s future business development; Alibaba’s ability to maintain the trusted status of its ecosystem, reputation and brand; Alibaba’s ability to retain or increase engagement of buyers, sellers and other participants in its ecosystem and enable new offerings; Alibaba’s ability to successfully monetize traffic on its mobile platform; risks associated with limitation or restriction of services provided by Alipay; risks associated with increased investments in Alibaba’s business; risks associated with acquisitions; privacy and regulatory concerns; competition; security breaches; the continued growth of the e-commerce market in China and globally; and fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and globally and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Alibaba’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release and are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date, and Alibaba does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, Alibaba Group uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP EBITDA (including non-GAAP EBITDA margin), non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS and free cash flow. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the table captioned “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures” in this press release.

    Alibaba Group believes that non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS help identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the expenses that Alibaba Group includes in income from operations, net income and diluted EPS. Alibaba Group believes that non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS provide useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making. Alibaba Group considers free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by its business that can be used for strategic corporate transactions, including investing in its new business initiatives, making strategic investments and acquisitions and strengthening its balance sheet. Non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS and free cash flow should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to net income, diluted EPS, cash flows or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of Alibaba Group’s operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data.

    Non-GAAP EBITDA represents income from operations (which excludes interest and investment income, net, interest expense, other income, net, income tax expenses and share of results of equity investees) before certain non-cash expenses, consisting of share-based compensation expense, amortization, depreciation and impairment of goodwill and intangible assets that Alibaba Group does not believe are reflective of its core operating performance during the periods presented.

    Non-GAAP net income represents net income before share-based compensation expense, amortization, impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and investments, gain (loss) on deemed disposals/disposals/revaluation of investments, amortization of excess value receivable arising from the restructuring of commercial arrangement with Ant Financial, and a one-time expense item consisting of the expenses relating to the sale of shares by existing shareholders in our initial public offering.

    Non-GAAP diluted EPS represents non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the periods on a diluted basis, including accounting for the effects of the assumed conversion of convertible preference shares.

    Free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities as presented in Alibaba Group’s consolidated cash flow statement less purchases of property and equipment and intangible assets (excluding acquisition of land use rights and construction in progress) and adjusted for changes in loan receivables relating to micro loans of its SME loan business. Alibaba Group presents the adjustment for changes in loan receivables because such receivables are reflected under cash flow from operating activities, whereas the secured borrowings and other bank borrowings used to finance them are reflected under cash flows from financing activities, and accordingly, the adjustment is made to show cash flows from operating activities net of the effect of changes in loan receivables.

    The tables captioned “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures” in this press release has more details on the non-GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to GAAP financial measures and the related reconciliations between these financial measures.

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    UNAUDITED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS

    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions, except per share data) (in millions, except per share data)
    Revenue 10,950 16,829 2,742 21,728 32,600 5,311
    Cost of revenue (3,001) (5,596) (912) (5,728) (10,181) (1,658)
    Product development expenses (1,168) (2,581) (421) (2,186) (4,533) (739)
    Sales and marketing expenses (657) (1,749) (285) (1,370) (2,961) (482)
    General and administrative expenses (793) (1,960) (319) (1,658) (2,904) (473)
    Amortization of intangible assets (39) (598) (97) (74) (832) (136)
    Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets (44) (44)
    Income from operations 5,248 4,345 708 10,668 11,189 1,823
    Interest and investment income, net 318 468 76 784 7,296 1,189
    Interest expense (374) (521) (85) (1,455) (931) (152)
    Other income, net 389 378 62 630 1,089 177
    Income before income tax and share of results of equity investees 5,581 4,670 761 10,627 18,643 3,037
    Income tax expenses (637) (1,339) (218) (1,228) (2,784) (453)
    Share of results of equity investees (7) (301) (49) (14) (391) (64)
    Net income 4,937 3,030 494 9,385 15,468 2,520
    Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 6 (2) 2 (36) (6)
    Net income attributable to Alibaba Group Holding Limited 4,943 3,028 494 9,387 15,432 2,514
    Accretion of Convertible Preference Shares (8) (7) (1) (16) (15) (2)
    Dividends accrued on Convertible Preference Shares (52) (45) (8) (104) (97) (16)
    Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders 4,883 2,976 485 9,267 15,320 2,496
    Earnings per share attributable to ordinary shareholders
    Basic 2.26 1.33 0.22 4.28 6.91 1.13
    Diluted 2.13 1.24 0.20 4.06 6.40 1.04
    Weighted average number of share used in calculating net income per ordinary share
    Basic 2,165 2,238 2,166 2,218
    Diluted 2,317 2,438 2,311 2,411
    Share-based compensation expense by function:
    Cost of revenue 247 1,155 188 398 1,748 285
    Product development expenses 218 700 114 340 945 154
    Sales and marketing expenses 57 173 28 91 235 38
    General and administrative expenses 342 982 160 431 1,155 188
    Total 864 3,010 490 1,260 4,083 665

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    REVENUE

    The following table sets forth the principal components of our revenue for the periods indicated:

    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions) (in millions)
    China commerce
    Retail (i) 8,645 12,769 2,080 17,312 25,408 4,139
    Wholesale (ii) 568 790 129 1,094 1,499 244
    Total China commerce 9,213 13,559 2,209 18,406 26,907 4,383
    International commerce
    Retail (iii) 210 419 68 389 777 127
    Wholesale (iv) 966 1,198 195 1,904 2,309 376
    Total international commerce 1,176 1,617 263 2,293 3,086 503
    Cloud computing and Internet infrastructure (v) 190 285 47 364 521 85
    Others (vi) 371 1,368 223 665 2,086 340
    Total 10,950 16,829 2,742 21,728 32,600 5,311
     
    (i) Revenue from China commerce retail is primarily generated from our China retail marketplaces.
    (ii) Revenue from China commerce wholesale is primarily generated from 1688.com.
    (iii) Revenue from International commerce retail is primarily generated from AliExpress.
    (iv) Revenue from International commerce wholesale is primarily generated from Alibaba.com.
    (v) Revenue from cloud computing and Internet infrastructure is primarily generated from the provision of services, such as data storage, elastic computing, database and large scale computing services, as well as web hosting and domain name registration.
    (vi) Other revenue mainly represents interest income generated from micro loans.

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    UNAUDITED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

    As of
    March 31, As of September 30,
    2014 2014
    RMB RMB US$
    (in millions)
    Assets
    Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents 33,045 88,089 14,351
    Short-term investments 10,587 21,822 3,555
    Restricted cash and escrow receivables 4,921 2,477 404
    Loan receivables 13,159 19,186 3,126
    Investment securities 1,442 1,896 309
    Prepayments, receivables and other assets 4,679 7,944 1,294
    Total current assets 67,833 141,414 23,039
    Investment in equity investees 17,666 26,076 4,248
    Investment securities 3,023 9,241 1,506
    Prepayments, receivables and other assets 2,087 4,535 739
    Property and equipment, net 5,581 8,561 1,395
    Land use rights 1,660 1,593 259
    Intangible assets 1,906 7,261 1,183
    Goodwill 11,793 33,661 5,484
    Total assets 111,549 232,342 37,853
    Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Shareholders’ Equity
    Current liabilities:
    Current bank borrowings 1,100 3,767 614
    Secured borrowings 9,264 10,584 1,724
    Income tax payable 1,267 1,441 235
    Escrow money payable 2,659
    Accrued expenses, accounts payable and other liabilities 11,887 17,398 2,834
    Merchant deposits 4,711 6,738 1,098
    Deferred revenue and customer advances 6,496 7,103 1,157
    Total current liabilities 37,384 47,031 7,662
    Deferred revenue 428 443 72
    Deferred tax liabilities 2,136 3,594 586
    Non-current bank borrowings 30,711 49,542 8,071
    Other liabilities 72 1,948 317
    Total liabilities 70,731 102,558 16,708

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    UNAUDITED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)

    As of
    March 31, As of September 30,
    2014 2014
    RMB RMB US$
    (in millions)
    Commitments and contingencies
    Mezzanine equity:
    Convertible Preference Shares 10,284
    Others 117 336 55
    Total mezzanine equity 10,401 336 55
    Alibaba Group Holding Limited shareholders’ equity:
    Ordinary shares, US$0.000025 par value; 2,797,400,000 and 4,000,000,000 shares authorized; 2,226,810,660 and 2,485,687,304 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively 1 1
    Additional paid-in capital 27,043 108,132 17,617
    Treasury shares at cost
    Restructuring reserve (1,284) (209)
    Subscription receivables (540) (367) (60)
    Statutory reserves 2,474 2,521 411
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (823) (553) (90)
    Retained earnings 1,183 16,206 2,640
    Total Alibaba Group Holding Limited shareholders’ equity 29,338 124,656 20,309
    Noncontrolling interests 1,079 4,792 781
    Total equity 30,417 129,448 21,090
    Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and equity 111,549 232,342 37,853

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions) (in millions)
    Net cash provided by operating activities 4,526 5,865 955 9,657 16,042 2,613
    Net cash used in investing activities (5,724) (32,555) (5,304) (16,652) (42,965) (7,000)
    Net cash provided by financing activities 2,297 62,864 10,242 4,819 81,954 13,352
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (17) 3 1 (101) 13 2
    Increase (Decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 1,082 36,177 5,894 (2,277) 55,044 8,967
    Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 27,037 51,912 8,457 30,396 33,045 5,384
    Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 28,119 88,089 14,351 28,119 88,089 14,351

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO THE NEAREST COMPARABLE GAAP MEASURES

    The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our income from operations to non-GAAP EBITDA for the periods indicated:
    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions) (in millions)
    Income from operations 5,248 4,345 708 10,668 11,189 1,823
    Add: Share-based compensation expense 864 3,010 490 1,260 4,083 665
    Add: Amortization of intangible assets 39 598 97 74 832 136
    Add: Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment and land use rights 310 540 89 553 963 157
    Add: Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets 44 44
    Non-GAAP EBITDA 6,505 8,493 1,384 12,599 17,067 2,781
    The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our net income to non-GAAP net income for the periods indicated:
    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions) (in millions)
    Net income 4,937 3,030 494 9,385 15,468 2,520
    Add: Share-based compensation expense 864 3,010 490 1,260 4,083 665
    Add: Amortization of intangible assets 39 598 97 74 832 136
    Add: Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and investments 53 69
    Add: (Gain) loss on deemed disposals/disposals/ revaluation of investments (60) (9) (312) (6,488) (1,057)
    Add: Amortization of excess value receivable arising from the restructuring of commercial arrangements with Ant Financial 35 6 35 6
    Add: Expenses relating to the sale of shares by existing shareholders in initial public offering 195 31 195 31
    Non-GAAP net income 5,893 6,808 1,109 10,476 14,125 2,301

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO THE NEAREST COMPARABLE GAAP MEASURES (CONTINUED)

    The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our diluted EPS to non-GAAP diluted EPS for the periods indicated:
    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions, except per share data) (in millions, except per share data)
    Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders 4,883 2,976 485 9,267 15,320 2,496
    Add: Reversal of accretion upon assumed conversion of Convertible Preference Shares 8 7 1 16 15 2
    Add: Dividend eliminated upon assumed conversion of Convertible Preference Shares 52 45 8 104 97 16
    Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing diluted EPS 4,943 3,028 494 9,387 15,432 2,514
    Add: Non-GAAP adjustments to net income(a) 956 3,778 615 1,091 (1,343) (219)
    Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing non-GAAP diluted EPS 5,899 6,806 1,109 10,478 14,089 2,295
    Weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis 2,317 2,438 2,311 2,411
    Diluted EPS(b) 2.13 1.24 0.20 4.06 6.40 1.04
    Add: Non-GAAP adjustments to net income per share(c) 0.42 1.55 0.25 0.47 (0.56) (0.09)
    Non-GAAP diluted EPS(d) 2.55 2.79 0.45 4.53 5.84 0.95
    (a) See the table above about the reconciliation of net income to non-GAAP net income for more information of these non-GAAP adjustments.
    (b) Diluted EPS is derived from net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing diluted EPS divided by weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis.
    (c) Non-GAAP adjustments to net income per share is derived from non-GAAP adjustments to net income divided by weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis.
    (d) Non-GAAP diluted EPS is derived from non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing non-GAAP diluted EPS divided by weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis.
    The table below sets forth a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for the periods indicated:
    Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$
    (in millions) (in millions)
    Net cash provided by operating activities 4,526 5,865 955 9,657 16,042 2,613
    Less: Purchase of property and equipment and intangible assets (excluding land use rights and construction in progress) (996) (1,693) (276) (1,823) (2,848) (464)
    Add: Changes in loan receivables, net 3,153 4,766 777 4,939 6,338 1,033
    Free cash flow 6,683 8,938 1,456 12,773 19,532 3,182

    ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

    SELECTED OPERATING DATA

    GMV

    The table below sets forth the GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces and mobile GMV as a percentage of GMV for the periods indicated:
    Three months ended
    Jun 30, Sep 30, Dec 31, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30, Dec 31, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30,
    2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014
    (in billions of RMB except percentages)
    GMV
    Taobao Marketplace GMV 167 179 255 223 257 275 346 295 342 380
    Tmall GMV 42 49 91 71 88 99 183 135 159 176
    Total GMV 209 228 346 294 345 374 529 430 501 556
    Mobile GMV (as a percentage of total GMV) 4.6% 5.6% 7.4% 10.7% 12.0% 14.7% 19.7% 27.4% 32.8% 35.8%

    Annual active buyers

    The table below sets forth the number of active buyers on our China retail marketplaces for the periods indicated:
    Twelve months ended
    Jun 30, Sep 30, Dec 31, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30, Dec 31, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30,
    2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014
    (in millions)
    Annual active buyers 133 145 160 172 185 202 231 255 279 307

    Mobile

    The table below sets forth information with respect to mobile GMV, mobile revenue and mobile rates of monetization realized in respect of our China retail marketplaces for the periods presented:
    Three months ended
    Jun 30, Sep 30, Dec 31, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30, Dec 31, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30,
    2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014
    (in millions of RMB except percentages)
    China retail marketplaces:
    GMV 209,221 228,068 345,696 294,184 345,134 373,659 528,709 430,085 500,916 555,666
    Mobile GMV 9,583 12,703 25,661 31,507 41,299 54,823 104,391 118,001 164,428 199,054
    as a percentage of GMV 4.6% 5.6% 7.4% 10.7% 12.0% 14.7% 19.7% 27.4% 32.8% 35.8%
    Revenue 5,028 5,600 9,588 6,754 8,667 8,645 16,149 9,371 12,639 12,769
    Mobile revenue 42 60 140 147 240 332 1,171 1,162 2,454 3,719
    as a percentage of revenue 0.8% 1.1% 1.5% 2.2% 2.8% 3.8% 7.3% 12.4% 19.4% 29.1%
    Monetization rate 2.40% 2.46% 2.77% 2.30% 2.51% 2.31% 3.05% 2.18% 2.52% 2.30%
    Mobile monetization rate 0.44% 0.47% 0.55% 0.47% 0.58% 0.61% 1.12% 0.98% 1.49% 1.87%

    Image via NYSE

  • Alibaba Prices Huge IPO, To Trade On NYSE

    Alibaba Prices Huge IPO, To Trade On NYSE

    Alibaba priced its shares at $68 on Thursday, which should make its IPO the largest ever for a company in the U.S., despite the fact that the business is Chinese. It’s expected to raise at least $21.8 billion.

    Shares are to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday under the BABA ticker symbol. The event is streaming live here.

    The Wall Street Journal sheds some light on the IPO:

    Some analysts and investors have said the deal price gives the stock room to rise on the open market, though its performance could depend heavily on whether markets are volatile on Friday—possibly because of uncertainty around the long-term effects of Scotland’s independence vote—and whether bankers correctly read the intentions of investors.

    Another wild card: A group of early investors holding more than $8 billion of Alibaba stock aren’t subject to a so-called lockup, an arrangement that typically restricts share sales immediately after an IPO.

    According to that report, the IPO could raise as much as $25 billion.

    The $68 per share price puts the company’s valuation higher than Amazon’s, but lower than Facebook’s, according to Forbes.

    Alibaba announced an online shopping marketplace for U.S. customers called 11 Main in June. It aims to emulate the Main Street shopping experience that takes place in towns across the country.

    Image via NYSE

  • Snapchat Is Apparently Worth $10 Billion

    Snapchat Is Apparently Worth $10 Billion

    Snapchat has been reported as the fastest-growing social app. It’s inspired an absolutely pointless ripoff from a huge international company. It’s so popular among teens that it’s making them lose their frickin’ minds.

    But is it really worth $10 billion?

    Apparently, according to a new report from Bloomberg. They quote people familiar with the matter who say that Snapchat is in talks with a variety of investors, including Alibaba, for a new round of funding that would give the company that lofty valuation.

    Though Snapchat has always been cagey about definite user numbers, CEO Evan Spiegel did reveal that the company was handling over 700 million messages a day back in May. That’s roughly how many photos WhatsApp said they deal with every day a few months ago. For comparison, Facebook is currently acquiring WhatsApp for $19 billion.

    Snapchat’s potentially huge valuation would make the decision to turn down Facebook’s $3 billion offer last year look pretty damn good.

    Bloomberg also points out that Snapchat, with a $10 billion valuation, would join the ranks of a couple of other high-profile companies to recently raise at top-tier levels – including Airbnb and Dropbox at $10 billion and Uber at $17 billion.

    Image via Snapchat, Facebook

  • Yahoo Earnings Released, Revenue $1.04 Billion

    Yahoo Earnings Released, Revenue $1.04 Billion

    Yahoo just released its earnings report for the second quarter, missing Wall Street estimates with revenue of $1.04 billion. CEO Marissa Mayer didn’t sugar coat it.

    “Our top priority is revenue growth and by that measure, we are not satisfied with our Q2 results,” she said. “While several areas showed strength, their growth was offset by declines. Yahoo Search, for example, had a strong quarter, growing 6% year-over-year on a revenue ex-TAC basis and 19% year-over-year in search click-driven revenue.”

    “Our social, mobile, video and native areas also grew with significant momentum, collectively gaining nearly 90% year-over-year,” she continued. “However, display remains an area of investment and transition. In Q2, we saw display revenue decline, further highlighting the fact that we need to work faster to ameliorate the negative trends. I believe we can and will do better moving forward. Overall, I remain confident in Yahoo’s future, our strategy, and our return to long-term growth.”

    GAAP revenue was $1,084 million, down 4%, with revenue ex-TAC $1,040 million, down 3%. These are year-over-year declines. Mayer talked about the display woes. For search, GAAP revenue was $428 million, up 2%. Search revenue ex-TAC was up 6% at $428 million. Paid clicks increased by 3%, and price-per-click was up about 15%.

    The company announced that it has entered an amendment to its share repurchase agreement with Alibaba, reducing the number of shares Yahoo is to sell at the IPO from 208 million to 140 million.

    “We would like to take this opportunity to let our investors know that we are committed to return at least half of the after-tax IPO proceeds to shareholders, in line with our overarching commitment to maximizing shareholder value through prudent capital allocation,” said CFO Ken Goldman.

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

    Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) today reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.

    Q2 2013 Q2 2014 Percent
    Change
    GAAP revenue $1,135 million $1,084 million (4)%
    Revenue ex-TAC $1,071 million $1,040 million (3)%
    GAAP income from operations $137 million $38 million (72)%
    Non-GAAP income from operations $209 million $194 million (7)%
    GAAP net earnings per diluted share $0.30 $0.26 (15)%
    Non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share $0.35 $0.37 5%

    “Our top priority is revenue growth and by that measure, we are not satisfied with our Q2 results.  While several areas showed strength, their growth was offset by declines. Yahoo Search, for example, had a strong quarter, growing 6% year-over-year on a revenue ex-TAC basis and 19% year-over-year in search click-driven revenue.  Our social, mobile, video and native areas also grew with significant momentum, collectively gaining nearly 90% year-over-year.  However, display remains an area of investment and transition.  In Q2, we saw display revenue decline, further highlighting the fact that we need to work faster to ameliorate the negative trends.  I believe we can and will do better moving forward,” said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. “Overall, I remain confident in Yahoo’s future, our strategy, and our return to long-term growth.”

    GAAP revenue was $1,084 million for the second quarter of 2014, a 4 percent decrease from the second quarter of 2013. Revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs (“revenue ex-TAC”) was $1,040 million for the second quarter of 2014, a 3 percent decrease compared to the second quarter of 2013.

    Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2014 was $340 million, an 8 percent decrease compared to the second quarter of 2013.

    GAAP income from operations was $38 million for the second quarter of 2014 (which included restructuring charges of $53 million and pre-tax gains from sales of patents of $62 million), a 72 percent decrease from the second quarter of 2013 (which included restructuring charges of $4 million). Non-GAAP income from operations was $194 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared to $209 million in the second quarter of 2013.

    GAAP net earnings for the second quarter of 2014 was $270 million (which included restructuring charges of $33 million, net of tax, and gains from sales of patents of $43 million, net of tax), a 19 percent decrease compared to $331 million in the second quarter of 2013 (which included restructuring charges of $2 million, net of tax). Non-GAAP net earnings for the second quarter of 2014 was $382 million, a 1 percent decrease from the same period of 2013.

    GAAP net earnings per diluted share was $0.26 in the second quarter of 2014 (which included restructuring charges of $0.03 per diluted share and gains on sales of patents of $0.04 per diluted share), compared to $0.30 in the second quarter of 2013. Non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share was $0.37 for the second quarter of 2014, compared to $0.35 in the second quarter of 2013.

    Business Highlights

    • Yahoo requested and Alibaba Group agreed to an amendment to the share repurchase agreement that reduces the maximum number of shares that Yahoo is required to sell in connection with Alibaba’s initial public offering from 208 million shares to 140 million shares.
    • Yahoo continued to launch new products and improve existing properties in the second quarter, innovating for the daily habits of users around the world. The Company launched the Yahoo Aviate intelligent homescreen; Yahoo News Digest for Android, international and Canadian editions; Yahoo Screen for Android; a new version of Yahoo Mail for iPhone and Android; Flickr for iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android; a new Flickr experience on Apple TV; and three new digital magazines powered by Tumblr: Yahoo Travel, Yahoo Movies, and Yahoo Beauty. Notably, Yahoo’s recently launched News Digest won the Apple Design Award 2014.
    • In the advertising space, Yahoo introduced image-rich native ads designed to be mobile-first, seamlessly integrated with content, and targeted to the right consumer to drive results — all available through Yahoo Gemini. Yahoo also extended stream ads globally and announced Tumblr sponsored posts are now promoted across the Yahoo network.
    • Yahoo continued to strengthen its editorial content by investing in the first two original comedies in the Company’s new lineup of long-form shows: “Other Space” and “Sin City Saints.” The Company also announced that Season 6 of “Community” is coming to Yahoo Screen, as well as the new Live Nation Channel on Yahoo Screen, which will produce the largest collection of U.S. concert live streams on the web.
    • Yahoo Sports’ focus during the second quarter was on football: both the U.S. and the European varieties. Yahoo Sports launched Fantasy Football for iOS and Android leveraging original content from both Yahoo Sports Fantasy experts and NFL writers. The Company also launched Yahoo Sports World Football Pick‘em as World Cup 2014 kicked off. In collaboration with Yahoo Global Sports Ambassador Jose Mourinho, the Company designed the #Special1s campaign on Tumblr to identify 10 World Cup superstar fans.
    • Shareholders elected four new board members this quarter: David Filo, Co-Founder and Chief Yahoo; Charles Schwab, Chairman of The Charles Schwab Corporation; H. Lee Scott, Jr., former President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of Walmart; and Dr. Jane Shaw, former director and Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation and current director of McKesson Corporation.

    Second Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights

    Display:

    • GAAP display revenue was $436 million for the second quarter of 2014, an 8 percent decrease compared to $472 million for the second quarter of 2013.
    • Display revenue ex-TAC was $394 million for the second quarter of 2014, a 7 percent decrease compared to $423 million for the second quarter of 2013.
    • The number of Ads Sold increased approximately 24 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013.
    • Price-per-Ad decreased approximately 24 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013.

    Search:

    • GAAP search revenue was $428 million for the second quarter of 2014, a 2 percent increase compared to $418 million for the second quarter of 2013 (which included the Microsoft RPS guarantee).
    • Search revenue ex-TAC was $428 million for the second quarter of 2014, a 6 percent increase compared to $403 million for the second quarter of 2013 (which included the Microsoft RPS guarantee).
    • The number of Paid Clicks increased approximately 3 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013.
    • Price-per-Click increased approximately 15 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013.

    Cash Balance:

    • Cash, cash equivalents, and investments in marketable securities were $4.3 billion as of June 30, 2014 compared to $5 billion as of December 31, 2013, a decrease of $0.7 billion.
    • During the second quarter of 2014, Yahoo repurchased approximately 21 million shares for $719 million.

    “We are pleased to announce today that we have entered into an amendment to the share repurchase agreement with Alibaba, reducing the number of shares that Yahoo is required to sell at the IPO from 208 million shares to 140 million shares. In addition, we are aware that there has been much discussion around the allocation of the Alibaba IPO proceeds,” said Ken Goldman, CFO of Yahoo. “We would like to take this opportunity to let our investors know that we are committed to return at least half of the after-tax IPO proceeds to shareholders, in line with our overarching commitment to maximizing shareholder value through prudent capital allocation.”

    Live Stream

    Yahoo will live stream a video broadcast of the Company’s second quarter 2014 financial results at 2 p.m. Pacific Time/5 p.m. Eastern Time today. The live stream will be broadcast from Yahoo’s Sunnyvale studio and will be available exclusively on Yahoo Finance atfinance.yahoo.com. The Company will provide its business outlook for the third quarter during the presentation. Supplemental financial information can be accessed through the Company’s Investor Relations website at investor.yahoo.net. The video will be archived after the event atinvestor.yahoo.net and will be available for 90 days following the broadcast.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    This press release and its attachments include the following financial measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”): revenue ex-TAC; adjusted EBITDA; non-GAAP income from operations; non-GAAP net earnings; non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted; and free cash flow.

    Revenue ex-TAC is GAAP revenue less traffic acquisition costs. Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP income from operations, non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted, exclude from the most comparable GAAP financial measures certain gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of ongoing results, and exclude stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes taxes, depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, and net income attributable to noncontrolling interests. Free cash flow is GAAP net cash provided by operating activities (adjusted to include excess tax benefits from stock-based awards), less acquisition of property and equipment, net and dividends received from equity investees.

    These measures may be different than non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Explanations of the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations of these financial measures to the GAAP financial measures the Company considers most comparable are included in the accompanying “Note to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Supplemental Financial Data and GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations,” and “GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations.”

    About Yahoo

    Yahoo is focused on making the world’s daily habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company’s blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).

    “Affiliates” refers to the third-party entities that have integrated Yahoo’s advertising offerings into their Websites or other offerings (those Websites and other offerings, “Affiliate sites”).

    “Net earnings” means net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc., and “net earnings per diluted share” means net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted.

    “Ads Sold” consist of display ad impressions for paying advertisers on Yahoo Properties.

    “Paid Clicks” are clicks by end-users on sponsored search listings on Yahoo Properties and Affiliate sites.

    “Price-per-Ad” is defined as display revenue from Yahoo Properties divided by our total number of Ads Sold.

    “Price-per-Click” is defined as search revenue divided by our total number of Paid Clicks.

    We periodically review, refine and update our methodologies for monitoring, gathering, and counting numbers of Ads Sold and Paid Clicks, and for calculating Price-per-Ad and Price-per-Click.

    Additional information about how “Ads Sold,” “Paid Clicks,” “Price-per-Ad,” and “Price-per-Click” are defined and calculated is included under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, which is on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

    “Search Agreement” refers to the Search and Advertising Services and Sales Agreement between Yahoo and Microsoft Corporation, as amended.

    “Search click-driven revenue” or “Search click revenue” is gross search revenue (before TAC) excluding the Microsoft RPS guarantee.  

    “TAC” refers to traffic acquisition costs. TAC consists of payments to Affiliates and payments made to companies that direct consumer and business traffic to Yahoo Properties.

    “Yahoo Properties” refers to the online properties and services that Yahoo provides to users.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Yahoo’s expected financial performance and Yahoo’s strategic and operational plans (including, without limitation, the quotations from management). Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, acceptance by users of new products and services (including, without limitation, products and services for mobile devices and alternative platforms); Yahoo’s ability to compete with new or existing competitors; reduction in spending by, or loss of, advertising customers; risks associated with the Search Agreement with Microsoft Corporation; risks related to acquiring or developing compelling content; risks related to joint ventures and the integration of acquisitions; risks relating to possible impairment of goodwill or other assets; risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; risks related to Yahoo’s regulatory environment; Yahoo’s ability to protect its intellectual property and the value of its brands; adverse results in litigation; security breaches; interruptions or delays in the provision of Yahoo’s services; risks related to Yahoo’s international operations; risks related to the calculation of our key operational metrics; dependence on third parties for technology, services, content, and distribution; and general economic conditions. All information set forth in this press release and its attachments is as of July 15, 2014. Yahoo does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update this information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company’s business and financial results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, which are on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in those sections in Yahoo’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, which will be filed with the SEC in the third quarter of 2014.

    Yahoo!, Flickr, Aviate, Yahoo Screen, Yahoo Gemini, Yahoo News Digest, and the Yahoo logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. Tumblr is a registered trademark of Tumblr, Inc. All other marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (in thousands)
    December 31, June 30,
      2013   2014
    ASSETS
    Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,077,590 $ 1,114,586
    Short-term marketable securities 1,330,304 1,629,869
    Accounts receivable, net 979,559 824,472
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets 638,404 588,822
    Total current assets 5,025,857 4,157,749
    Long-term marketable securities 1,589,500 1,566,120
    Property and equipment, net 1,488,518 1,470,272
    Goodwill 4,679,648 4,693,656
    Intangible assets, net 417,808 364,332
    Other long-term assets 177,281 175,872
    Investments in equity interests 3,426,347 4,028,812
    Total assets $ 16,804,959 $ 16,456,813
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
    Current liabilities:
    Accounts payable $ 138,031 $ 121,933
    Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 907,782 784,345
    Deferred revenue 294,499 287,508
    Total current liabilities 1,340,312 1,193,786
    Convertible notes 1,110,585 1,140,112
    Long-term deferred revenue 258,904 186,348
    Capital lease and other long-term liabilities 116,605 153,511
    Deferred and other long-term tax liabilities, net 847,956 1,052,541
    Total liabilities 3,674,362 3,726,298
    Total Yahoo! Inc. stockholders’ equity 13,074,909 12,691,988
    Noncontrolling interests 55,688 38,527
    Total equity 13,130,597 12,730,515
    Total liabilities and equity $ 16,804,959 $ 16,456,813
    Yahoo! Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
    June 30, June 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    Revenue $ 1,135,244 $ 1,084,191 $ 2,275,612 $ 2,216,921
    Operating expenses:
    Cost of revenue – traffic acquisition costs 64,316 43,826 130,384 89,735
    Cost of revenue – other 271,262 271,148 549,269 551,992
    Sales and marketing 279,738 292,817 536,757 622,663
    Product development 246,198 303,659 465,778 585,291
    General and administrative 135,039 128,019 268,460 264,512
    Amortization of intangibles 8,084 15,164 15,449 33,504
    Gains on sales of patents (9,950 ) (61,500 ) (9,950 ) (61,500 )
    Restructuring charges (reversals), net 3,578 52,621 (3,484 ) 62,108
    Total operating expenses 998,265 1,045,754 1,952,663 2,148,305
    Income from operations 136,979 38,437 322,949 68,616
    Other income (expense), net 23,606 (13,589 ) 40,678 (27,042 )
    Income before income taxes and earnings in equity interests 160,585 24,848 363,627 41,574
    Provision for income taxes (50,267 ) (8,143 ) (80,003 ) (12,360 )
    Earnings in equity interests 224,690 255,852 442,278 557,254
    Net income 335,008 272,557 725,902 586,468
    Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (3,858 ) (2,850 ) (4,467 ) (5,183 )
    Net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 331,150 $ 269,707 $ 721,435 $ 581,285
    Net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted (1) $ 0.30 $ 0.26 $ 0.65 $ 0.55
    Shares used in per share calculation – diluted 1,094,694 1,014,692 1,101,395 1,023,056
    Stock-based compensation expense by function:
    Cost of revenue – other $ 3,029 $ 3,209 $ 6,607 $ 25,896
    Sales and marketing 23,775 33,380 39,820 86,018
    Product development 20,537 39,507 28,800 53,434
    General and administrative 20,795 26,349 37,514 46,278
    Supplemental Financial Data:
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 1,070,928 $ 1,040,365 $ 2,145,228 $ 2,127,186
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 369,182 $ 340,363 $ 754,787 $ 646,744
    Free cash flow $ 131,400 $ 185,915 $ 281,308 $ 299,877
    (1) The impact of outstanding stock awards of entities in which the Company holds equity interests that are accounted for using the equity method reduced the Company’s diluted earnings per share by $0.01 for the three months ended June 30, 2014, and by $0.01 and $0.02 for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
    Yahoo! Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (in thousands)
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
    June 30, June 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
    Net income $ 335,008 $ 272,557 $ 725,902 $ 586,468
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
    Depreciation 141,426 116,446 285,290 239,631
    Amortization of intangible assets 19,067 30,414 37,477 64,763
    Accretion of convertible notes discount 14,860 29,526
    Stock-based compensation expense 68,136 102,445 112,741 211,626
    Non-cash restructuring (credits) charges (7,031 ) 547 (7,031 )
    Loss from sale of investments, assets, and other, net 1,270 15,117 13,175 18,667
    Gains from sales of patents (9,950 ) (61,500 ) (9,950 ) (61,500 )
    Earnings in equity interests (224,690 ) (255,852 ) (442,278 ) (557,254 )
    Dividend income related to Alibaba Group Preference Shares (15,475 ) (35,726 )
    Tax benefits from stock-based awards 188 19,161 9,725 76,828
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based awards (5,706 ) (19,544 ) (18,513 ) (79,100 )
    Deferred income taxes (7,839 ) (303 ) (27,997 ) 14,185
    Dividends received from equity investees 123,058 83,685 135,058 83,685
    Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
    Accounts receivable, net 657 55,725 58,510 154,129
    Prepaid expenses and other (48,431 ) 22,803 (28,723 ) 13,592
    Accounts payable 11,381 (29,567 ) (59,754 ) (10,075 )
    Accrued expenses and other liabilities (7,183 ) 38,033 (130,656 ) (202,142 )
    Deferred revenue (50,089 ) (40,035 ) (75,318 ) (79,523 )
    Net cash provided by operating activities 330,828 357,414 549,510 496,475
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
    Acquisition of property and equipment, net (82,076 ) (107,358 ) (151,657 ) (192,013 )
    Purchases of marketable securities (763,009 ) (451,739 ) (2,244,302 ) (1,363,836 )
    Proceeds from sales of marketable securities 1,034,246 212,028 1,458,593 380,954
    Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities 279,306 408,356 462,406 690,018
    Proceeds related to the redemption of Alibaba Group Preference Shares 800,000 800,000
    Purchases of intangible assets (924 ) (984 ) (2,052 ) (2,174 )
    Proceeds from settlement of derivative hedge contracts 1,411 170,457 5,511 173,258
    Payments for settlement of derivative hedge contracts (7,720 ) (4,016 ) (7,720 ) (4,616 )
    Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (1,014,010 ) (1,024,157 ) (21,661 )
    Equity investments (10,399 )
    Proceeds from sales of patents 1,500 1,500
    Other investing activities, net (652 ) (74 ) (930 ) (640 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 246,572 228,170 (704,308 ) (349,609 )
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
    Proceeds from issuance of common stock 61,984 84,760 123,092 163,737
    Repurchases of common stock (652,750 ) (718,628 ) (1,427,825 ) (1,168,206 )
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based awards 5,706 19,544 18,513 79,100
    Tax withholdings related to net share settlements of restricted stock units (7,448 ) (34,178 ) (51,137 ) (159,581 )
    Distributions to noncontrolling interests (22,344 ) (22,344 )
    Other financing activities, net (1,373 ) (3,037 ) (2,778 ) (6,130 )
    Net cash used in financing activities (593,881 ) (673,883 ) (1,340,135 ) (1,113,424 )
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (15,929 ) 4,869 (30,622 ) 3,554
    Net change in cash and cash equivalents (32,410 ) (83,430 ) (1,525,555 ) (963,004 )
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 1,174,633 1,198,016 2,667,778 2,077,590
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 1,142,223 $ 1,114,586 $ 1,142,223 $ 1,114,586

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Note to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

    This press release and its attachments include the non-GAAP financial measures of revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs (“revenue ex-TAC”); adjusted EBITDA; non-GAAP income from operations; non-GAAP net earnings; non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share; and free cash flow, which are reconciled to revenue; net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. (in the case of adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net earnings); income from operations; net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted; and net cash provided by operating activities, which we believe are the most comparable GAAP measures. We use these non-GAAP financial measures for internal managerial purposes and to facilitate period-to-period comparisons. We describe limitations specific to each non-GAAP financial measure below. Management generally compensates for limitations in the use of non-GAAP financial measures by relying on comparable GAAP financial measures and providing investors with a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure or measures. Further, management uses non-GAAP financial measures only in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. These non-GAAP measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, revenue, net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc., income from operations, net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted, and net cash provided by operating activities calculated in accordance with GAAP.

    Revenue ex-TAC is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as GAAP revenue less TAC. TAC consists of payments made to third-party entities that have integrated our advertising offerings into their Websites or other offerings (those Websites and other offerings, “Affiliate sites”) and payments made to companies that direct consumer and business traffic to Yahoo’s online properties and services (“Yahoo Properties”). Based on the terms of the Search Agreement with Microsoft, Microsoft retains a revenue share of 12 percent of the net (after TAC) search revenue generated on Yahoo Properties and Affiliate sites in transitioned markets. Yahoo reports the net revenue it receives under the Search Agreement as revenue and no longer presents the associated TAC. Accordingly, for the current period Yahoo reports GAAP revenue associated with the Search Agreement on a net (after TAC) basis rather than a gross basis. For the 2013 comparison period, revenue from markets that had not yet transitioned to Microsoft’s platform was recorded on a gross basis, and the associated TAC was recorded as a part of operating expenses. We present revenue ex-TAC to provide investors a metric used by the Company for evaluation and decision-making purposes and to provide investors with comparable revenue numbers when comparing periods preceding, during and following the transition period. A limitation of revenue ex-TAC is that it is a measure which we have defined for internal and investor purposes that may be unique to the Company, and therefore it may not enhance the comparability of our results to other companies in our industry who have similar business arrangements but address the impact of TAC differently. Management compensates for these limitations by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measures of revenue and total operating expenses, which includes TAC in non-transitioned markets.

    Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. before taxes, depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and other gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing results. Yahoo presents adjusted EBITDA because the exclusion of certain gains, losses, and expenses facilitates comparisons of the operating performance of our Company on a period to period basis. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results reported under GAAP. These limitations include: adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments and such payments reflect a reduction in cash available to us; adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenues in our businesses; adjusted EBITDA does not include stock-based compensation expense related to the Company’s workforce; adjusted EBITDA also excludes other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and other gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing results, and these items may represent a reduction or increase in cash available to us; and adjusted EBITDA is a measure that may be unique to the Company, and therefore it may not enhance the comparability of our results to other companies in our industry. Management compensates for these limitations by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measure of net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc., which includes taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation expense, other income, net (which includes interest), earnings in equity interests, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and the other gains, losses and expenses that are excluded from adjusted EBITDA.

    Non-GAAP income from operations is defined as income from operations excluding certain gains, losses, and expenses that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing operating results and further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense. Because of the variety of equity awards used by companies, the varying methodologies for determining stock-based compensation expense, and the subjective assumptions involved in those determinations, we believe excluding stock-based compensation expense enhances the ability of management and investors to understand the impact of stock-based compensation expense on income from operations. We consider non-GAAP income from operations to be a profitability measure which facilitates the forecasting of our operating results for future periods and allows for the comparison of our results to historical periods. A limitation of non-GAAP income from operations is that it does not include all items that impact our income from operations for the period. Management compensates for this limitation by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measure of income from operations which includes the gains, losses, and expenses that are excluded from non-GAAP income from operations.

    Non-GAAP net earnings is defined as net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. excluding certain gains, losses, expenses, and their related tax effects that we do not believe are indicative of our ongoing results and further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense and its related tax effects. Because of the variety of equity awards used by companies, the varying methodologies for determining stock-based compensation expense, and the subjective assumptions involved in those determinations, we believe excluding stock-based compensation expense enhances the ability of management and investors to understand the impact of stock-based compensation expense on net income and net income per share. We consider non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share to be profitability measures which facilitate the forecasting of our results for future periods and allow for the comparison of our results to historical periods. A limitation of non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share is that they do not include all items that impact our net income and net income per diluted share for the period. Management compensates for this limitation by also relying on the comparable GAAP financial measures of net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. and net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted, both of which include the gains, losses, expenses and related tax effects that are excluded from non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP net earnings per diluted share.

    Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities (adjusted to include excess tax benefits from stock-based awards), less acquisition of property and equipment, net and dividends received from equity investees. We consider free cash flow to be a liquidity measure which provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the business after the acquisition of property and equipment, which can then be used for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, making strategic acquisitions, strengthening the balance sheet, and repurchasing stock. A limitation of free cash flow is that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in the cash balance for the period. Management compensates for this limitation by also relying on the net change in cash and cash equivalents as presented in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows prepared in accordance with GAAP which incorporates all cash movements during the period.

    Yahoo! Inc.
    Supplemental Financial Data and GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations
    (in thousands)
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
    June 30, June 30,
    2013 2014 2013 2014
    Revenue for groups of similar services:
    Display $ 471,742 $ 436,053 $ 926,813 $ 889,277
    Search 418,202 428,418 842,889 873,185
    Other 245,300 219,720 505,910 454,459
    Total revenue $ 1,135,244 $ 1,084,191 $ 2,275,612 $ 2,216,921
    Revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs (“revenue ex-TAC”) for groups of similar services:
    GAAP display revenue $ 471,742 $ 436,053 $ 926,813 $ 889,277
    TAC associated with display revenue (48,610 ) (42,217 ) (101,657 ) (86,579 )
    Display revenue ex-TAC $ 423,132 $ 393,836 $ 825,156 $ 802,698
    GAAP search revenue $ 418,202 $ 428,418 $ 842,889 $ 873,185
    TAC associated with search revenue (14,931 ) (784 ) (30,988 ) (1,470 )
    Search revenue ex-TAC $ 403,271 $ 427,634 $ 811,901 $ 871,715
    Other GAAP revenue $ 245,300 $ 219,720 $ 505,910 $ 454,459
    TAC associated with other GAAP revenue (775 ) (825 ) 2,261 (1,686 )
    Other revenue ex-TAC $ 244,525 $ 218,895 $ 508,171 $ 452,773
    Revenue ex-TAC:
    GAAP revenue $ 1,135,244 $ 1,084,191 $ 2,275,612 $ 2,216,921
    TAC (64,316 ) (43,826 ) (130,384 ) (89,735 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 1,070,928 $ 1,040,365 $ 2,145,228 $ 2,127,186
    Revenue ex-TAC by segment:
    Americas:
    GAAP revenue $ 828,537 $ 805,535 $ 1,670,732 $ 1,672,463
    TAC (37,120 ) (30,296 ) (74,642 ) (64,390 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 791,417 $ 775,239 $ 1,596,090 $ 1,608,073
    EMEA:
    GAAP revenue $ 97,387 $ 97,847 $ 192,211 $ 189,417
    TAC (11,372 ) (10,212 ) (22,908 ) (19,405 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 86,015 $ 87,635 $ 169,303 $ 170,012
    Asia Pacific:
    GAAP revenue $ 209,320 $ 180,809 $ 412,669 $ 355,041
    TAC (15,824 ) (3,318 ) (32,834 ) (5,940 )
    Revenue ex-TAC $ 193,496 $ 177,491 $ 379,835 $ 349,101
    Total revenue ex-TAC $ 1,070,928 $ 1,040,365 $ 2,145,228 $ 2,127,186
    Direct costs by segment (2):
    Americas $ 186,019 $ 180,713 $ 362,412 $ 360,119
    EMEA 41,913 38,536 80,458 78,266
    Asia Pacific 49,432 45,249 104,387 89,583
    Global operating costs (3) 424,382 435,504 843,184 952,474
    Restructuring charges (reversals), net 3,578 52,621 (3,484 ) 62,108
    Depreciation and amortization 160,489 146,860 322,581 304,394
    Stock-based compensation expense 68,136 102,445 112,741 211,626
    Income from operations $ 136,979 $ 38,437 $ 322,949 $ 68,616
    Reconciliation of net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. to adjusted EBITDA:
    Net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 331,150 $ 269,707 $ 721,435 $ 581,285
    Depreciation and amortization 160,489 146,860 322,581 304,394
    Stock-based compensation expense 68,136 102,445 112,741 211,626
    Restructuring charges (reversals), net 3,578 52,621 (3,484 ) 62,108
    Other income (expense), net (23,606 ) 13,589 (40,678 ) 27,042
    Provision for income taxes 50,267 8,143 80,003 12,360
    Earnings in equity interests (224,690 ) (255,852 ) (442,278 ) (557,254 )
    Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 3,858 2,850 4,467 5,183
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 369,182 $ 340,363 $ 754,787 $ 646,744
    Reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:
    Net cash provided by operating activities $ 330,828 $ 357,414 $ 549,510 $ 496,475
    Acquisition of property and equipment, net (82,076 ) (107,358 ) (151,657 ) (192,013 )
    Dividends received from equity investees (123,058 ) (83,685 ) (135,058 ) (83,685 )
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based awards 5,706 19,544 18,513 79,100
    Free cash flow $ 131,400 $ 185,915 $ 281,308 $ 299,877
    (2) Direct costs for each segment include cost of revenue-other, as well as other operating expenses that are directly attributable to the segment such as employee compensation expense (excluding stock-based compensation expense), local sales and marketing expenses, and facilities expenses.
    (3) Global operating costs include product development, service engineering and operations, general and administrative, and other corporate expenses that are managed on a global basis and that are not directly attributable to any particular segment.
    Yahoo! Inc.
    GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    Three Months Ended
    June 30,
    2013 2014
    GAAP income from operations $ 136,979 $ 38,437
    (a) Restructuring charges, net 3,578 52,621
    (b) Stock-based compensation expense 68,136 102,445
    Non-GAAP income from operations $ 208,693 $ 193,503
    GAAP net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 331,150 $ 269,707
    (a) Restructuring charges, net 3,578 52,621
    (b) Stock-based compensation expense 68,136 102,445
    (c) To adjust the provision for income taxes to exclude the tax impact of items (a) and (b) above for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2014 (16,995 ) (43,032 )
    Non-GAAP net earnings $ 385,869 $ 381,741
    GAAP net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted(1) $ 0.30 $ 0.26
    Non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted (4) $ 0.35 $ 0.37
    Shares used in per share calculation – diluted 1,094,694 1,014,692
    Six Months Ended
    June 30,
    2013 2014
    GAAP income from operations $ 322,949 $ 68,616
    (a) Restructuring (reversals) charges, net (3,484 ) 62,108
    (b) Stock-based compensation expense 112,741 211,626
    Non-GAAP income from operations $ 432,206 $ 342,350
    GAAP net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. $ 721,435 $ 581,285
    (a) Restructuring (reversals) charges, net (3,484 ) 62,108
    (b) Stock-based compensation 112,741 211,626
    (c) To adjust the provision for income taxes to exclude the tax impact of items (a) and (b) above for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2014 (24,641 ) (71,654 )
    Non-GAAP net earnings $ 806,051 $ 783,365
    GAAP net income attributable to Yahoo! Inc. common stockholders per share – diluted(1) $ 0.65 $ 0.55
    Non-GAAP net earnings per share – diluted (4) $ 0.73 $ 0.74
    Shares used in per share calculation – diluted 1,101,395 1,023,056
    (1) The impact of outstanding stock awards of entities in which the Company holds equity interests that are accounted for using the equity method reduced the Company’s diluted earnings per share by $0.01 for the three months ended June 30, 2014, and by $0.01 and $0.02 for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
    (4) The impact of outstanding stock awards of entities in which the Company holds equity interests that are accounted for using the equity method reduced the Company’s non-GAAP diluted earnings per share by $0.01 for the three months ended June 30, 2014, and by $0.01 and $0.02 for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2014, respectively.

  • Alibaba Announces New U.S. Main Street-Inspired Marketplace 11 Main

    Alibaba Announces New U.S. Main Street-Inspired Marketplace 11 Main

    Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, ahead of its United State-based IPO (said to be the largest ever for a tech company), announced a new U.S. online shopping marketplace called 11 Main. The site aims to emulate the Main Street shopping experience that takes place in towns across the country.

    11 Main combines specialty shops and boutiques, which are hand-selected by the site. The company says it “carefully selects” merchants, who make “some of the best and most differentiated boutiques available to shoppers.”

    The media is positioning 11 Main as a competitor to Amazon and eBay (which Alibaba itself already is), but this seems like more of an Etsy vibe, even if it’s not necessarily focused on handmade items. The above video gives us that impression at least.

    “At 11 Main, we’re passionate about the shops we invite and helping them grow,” said Mike Effle, president and general manager of 11 Main. “We’re constantly introducing new shop owners who represent the diversity of Main Street and featuring their new, amazing products in a beautifully designed experience.”

    “Alibaba believes in 11 Main’s vision and its commitment to helping small businesses grow,” said Michael Zeisser, chairman of U.S. Investments, Alibaba Group. “11 Main brings something incredibly unique to the U.S. market, and we’re very excited to support the 11 Main team as they begin to realize this vision.”

    The site is in beta for now, the company says, though if you visit it, it says it’s opening soon. You can request an invite. The site will feature the following categories: Fashion & Style, Home & Outdoor, Jewelry & Watches, Baby & Kids, Collecting & Art, and Crafts, Hobbies & Toys.

    If you think you might be interested in selling at 11 Main, here’s a seller’s guide. It’s starting with about 1,000 merchants.

    Image via YouTube

  • Alibaba IPO Gets The NMA Treatment

    Alibaba IPO Gets The NMA Treatment

    Next Media Animation is at it again. The Taiwanese animators have released this video depicting a predictably insane take on the Alibaba IPO. It involves a giant panda, some puppies, and a genie.

    The company filed for the IPO earlier this week. It’s said to be the largest ever for a tech company.

    The Chinese e-commerce giant dominates mobile commerce in that country, accounting for a reported 76% of all sales and roughly 136 million monthly active users. It detailed its financial performance for the first nine months of its fiscal year 2013, which includes revenue of $6.51 billion and net income of $2.85 billion.

    You can find the filing here.

    Alibaba expects to sell about 12% of its shares, which means that the IPO could generate around $20 billion, according to reports.

    Image via YouTube

  • Alibaba Finally Files For IPO, Which Is Said To Be Largest Ever For Tech Company

    Alibaba Finally Files For IPO, Which Is Said To Be Largest Ever For Tech Company

    As expected for quite a while, Alibaba has finally filed for its IPO, and word is that it will be the biggest one ever for a tech company.

    The Chinese e-commerce giant dominates mobile commerce in that country, accounting for a reported 76% of all sales and roughly 136 million MAUs.

    Alibaba also detailed its financial performance for the first nine months of its fiscal year 2013, which includes revenue of $6.51 billion and net income of $2.85 billion. Here’s the filing (via Mercury News):

    AlibabaF1050614.pdf

    The company expects to sell about 12% of its shares, which means that the IPO could bring in around $20 billion, according to reports.

    Here’s what the Twitterverse is saying about the company:


    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Alibaba Launches Search Engine Aliyun

    Alibaba Launches Search Engine Aliyun

    Alibaba has launched a new search engine called Aliyun, which makes use of the same brand as its mobile operating system. Both are actually operated by an Alibaba subsidiary, AliCloud.

    Google and Alibaba had a bit of a beef last year, regarding the OS. Acer was set to unveil a smartphone utilizing the OS, which (according to Google) is based on Android, but Google felt that it was a problem in that it was not compatible with the Android ecosystem. As TheNextWeb recaps:

    Rejecting Google’s claims that Aliyun OS is a forked version of Android, Alibaba pledged not to deviate from its mobile strategy. The company did, however, move to put some distance between it and Aliyun OS by spinning off the division.

    As Greg Sterling at Search Engine Land notes, Google only has less than 5% of the Chinese search market, but Aliyun’s search results pages more closely resemble Google’s (or at least an older version of Google’s) than they do market leader Baidu’s.

    Aliyun SERP

    Last month, Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma announced that he would shed his CEO title, but remain executive chairman. In December, the company, more known for its ecommerce offerings, announced that it had hit a huge annual sales milestone.