Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	(1) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (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. As discussed in Note 2, Recent Accounting Standards, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) and its subsequent amendments (“ASU 2016-02”) effective January 1, 2019. Comparative prior period Consolidated Financial Statements have not been restated and are not directly comparable to the current period Consolidated Financial Statements. 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, 2018. There have been no significant changes in the Company’s accounting policies since December 31, 2018, except as discussed below with respect to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2016-02. 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. The Company is not aware of any subsequent event that would require recognition or disclosure. (b) Leases ASU 2016-02 defines a lease as a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to both (i) obtain economic benefits from and (ii) direct the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Under ASU 2016-02, the Company evaluates its contracts to determine if they contain a lease and classifies any lease components identified as an operating or finance lease. For each lease component, the Company recognizes a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability. ROU assets and lease liabilities are presented separately for operating and finance leases; however, the Company currently has no material finance leases. The Company’s operating leases are primarily related to office space in the United States and foreign locations. In a contract that contains a lease, a component is an item or activity that transfers a good or service to the lessee. Such contracts may be comprised of lease components, non-lease components, and elements that are not components. Each lease component represents a lessee’s right to use an underlying asset in the contract if the lessee can benefit from the right of use of the asset either on its own or together with other readily available resources and if the right of use is neither highly dependent nor highly interrelated with other rights of use. Non-lease components include items such as common area maintenance and utilities provided by the lessor. The Company has elected the practical expedient provided in ASU 2016-02 to not separate lease components from non-lease components for office space, which is the Company’s only material underlying asset class. For each lease within this asset class, the non-lease components and related lease components are accounted for as a single lease component. Items or activities that do not transfer goods or services to the lessee, such as administrative tasks to set up the contract and reimbursement or payment of lessor costs, are not components of the contract and therefore no contract consideration is allocated to such items or activities. Consideration in the contract is comprised of any fixed payments and variable payments that depend on an index or rate. Payments in the Company's operating lease arrangements are typically comprised of base office rent and parking fees. Costs related to the Company’s non-lease components, as described above, are generally variable and do not depend on an index or rate and are therefore excluded from the contract consideration allocated to the lease components. The Company’s operating lease arrangements generally do not contain any payments related to items or activities that are not components. Operating lease liabilities are initially and subsequently measured at the present value of unpaid lease payments, discounted at the discount rate of the lease. Operating lease ROU assets are initially measured as the sum of the initial lease liability, any initial direct costs incurred, and any prepaid lease payments, less any lease incentives received. The ROU asset is amortized over the term of the lease. A single lease expense is recorded within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Variable lease payments that are not included in the measurement of the lease liability are recognized in the period when the obligations for those payments are incurred. In the Company's lease agreements, these variable payments typically include certain taxes, utilities, and maintenance costs, and other fees. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate for all of its leases, as the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable in any of its lease contracts. In determining the incremental borrowing rate, the Company considers its credit risk profile, the currency of the contract, the economic environment in which the lease exists, and the term of the lease. The Company does not recognize lease liabilities or ROU assets for any short-term leases with a non-cancellable lease term of 12 months or less. Instead the lease payments for these short-term leases are expensed on a straight-line basis over the lease term, and any variable payments are recognized in the period when the obligations for those payments are incurred. The Company believes that, using this methodology, expense reasonably reflects the Company’s short-term lease commitments.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(1) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(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.

As discussed in Note 2, Recent Accounting Standards, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) and its subsequent amendments (“ASU 2016-02”) effective January 1, 2019. Comparative prior period Consolidated Financial Statements have not been restated and are not directly comparable to the current period Consolidated Financial Statements.

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, 2018. There have been no significant changes in the Company’s accounting policies since December 31, 2018, except as discussed below with respect to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2016-02.

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. The Company is not aware of any subsequent event that would require recognition or disclosure.

(b) Leases

ASU 2016-02 defines a lease as a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to both (i) obtain economic benefits from and (ii) direct the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Under ASU 2016-02, the Company evaluates its contracts to determine if they contain a lease and classifies any lease components identified as an operating or finance lease. For each lease component, the Company recognizes a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability. ROU assets and lease liabilities are presented separately for operating and finance leases; however, the Company currently has no material finance leases. The Company’s operating leases are primarily related to office space in the United States and foreign locations.

In a contract that contains a lease, a component is an item or activity that transfers a good or service to the lessee. Such contracts may be comprised of lease components, non-lease components, and elements that are not components. Each lease component represents a lessee’s right to use an underlying asset in the contract if the lessee can benefit from the right of use of the asset either on its own or together with other readily available resources and if the right of use is neither highly dependent nor highly interrelated with other rights of use. Non-lease components include items such as common area maintenance and utilities provided by the lessor. The Company has elected the practical expedient provided in ASU 2016-02 to not separate lease components from non-lease components for office space, which is the Company’s only material underlying asset class. For each lease within this asset class, the non-lease components and related lease components are accounted for as a single lease component. Items or activities that do not transfer goods or services to the lessee, such as administrative tasks to set up the contract and reimbursement or payment of lessor costs, are not components of the contract and therefore no contract consideration is allocated to such items or activities.

Consideration in the contract is comprised of any fixed payments and variable payments that depend on an index or rate. Payments in the Company's operating lease arrangements are typically comprised of base office rent and parking fees. Costs related to the Company’s non-lease components, as described above, are generally variable and do not depend on an index or rate and are therefore excluded from the contract consideration allocated to the lease components. The Company’s operating lease arrangements generally do not contain any payments related to items or activities that are not components.

Operating lease liabilities are initially and subsequently measured at the present value of unpaid lease payments, discounted at the discount rate of the lease. Operating lease ROU assets are initially measured as the sum of the initial lease liability, any initial direct costs incurred, and any prepaid lease payments, less any lease incentives received. The ROU asset is amortized over the term of the lease. A single lease expense is recorded within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Variable lease payments that are not included in the measurement of the lease liability are recognized in the period when the obligations for those payments are incurred. In the Company's lease agreements, these variable payments typically include certain taxes, utilities, and maintenance costs, and other fees.

The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate for all of its leases, as the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable in any of its lease contracts. In determining the incremental borrowing rate, the Company considers its credit risk profile, the currency of the contract, the economic environment in which the lease exists, and the term of the lease.

The Company does not recognize lease liabilities or ROU assets for any short-term leases with a non-cancellable lease term of 12 months or less. Instead the lease payments for these short-term leases are expensed on a straight-line basis over the lease term, and any variable payments are recognized in the period when the obligations for those payments are incurred. The Company believes that, using this methodology, expense reasonably reflects the Company’s short-term lease commitments.