Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

(a) Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements of MicroStrategy Incorporated (“MicroStrategy” or the “Company”) are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of financial position and results of operations have been included. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature, unless otherwise disclosed. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.

The Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are presented as required by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and do not contain certain information included in the Company’s annual financial statements and notes. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and the notes thereto filed with the SEC in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. There have been no significant changes in the Company’s accounting policies since December 31, 2022.

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Digital Assets

The Company accounts for its digital assets, which are comprised solely of bitcoin, as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other. The Company’s digital assets are initially recorded at cost. Subsequently, they are measured at cost, net of any impairment losses incurred since acquisition. Impairment losses are recognized as “Digital asset impairment losses” in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations in the period in which the impairment occurs. Gains (if any) are not recorded until realized upon sale, at which point they are presented net of any impairment losses in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. In determining the gain to be recognized upon sale, the Company calculates the difference between the sales price and carrying value of the specific bitcoins sold immediately prior to sale.

Income Taxes

The Company computes its year-to-date provision for (benefit from) income taxes by applying the estimated annual effective tax rate to year-to-date pretax income or loss and adjusts the provision for (benefit from) income taxes for discrete tax items recorded in the period. The estimated effective tax rate is subject to fluctuation based on the level and mix of earnings and losses by tax jurisdiction, foreign tax rate differentials, and the relative impact of permanent book to tax differences. Each quarter, a cumulative adjustment is recorded for any fluctuations in the estimated annual effective tax rate as compared to the prior quarter.

Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share

The impact from potential shares of common stock on the diluted earnings per share calculation are included when dilutive.Potential shares of class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options, the vesting of restricted stock units, and in connection with the 2021 ESPP are computed using the treasury stock method. Potential shares of class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes are computed using the if-converted method. In computing diluted earnings per share, the Company first calculates the earnings per incremental share (“EPIS”) for each class of potential shares of common stock and ranks the classes

from the most dilutive (i.e., lowest EPIS) to the least dilutive (i.e., highest EPIS). Basic earnings per share is then adjusted for the effect of each class of shares, in sequence and cumulatively, until a particular class no longer produces further dilution.