NOTE 4: STOCK BASED AWARDS AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS

Stock-based Compensation Expense

The following table presents the amount of stock-based compensation related to stock-based awards, primarily stock options and RSUs, on our consolidated statements of operations during the periods presented:

	Year ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
	(in millions)
Selling and marketing	$	13		$	11		$	5
Technology and content		27			21			11
General and administrative		23			17			14
Total stock-based compensation		63			49			30
Income tax benefit from stock-based compensation		(24	)		(18	)		(10	)
Total stock-based compensation, net of tax effect	$	39		$	31		$	20

During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, we capitalized $8 million and $5 million, respectively, of stock-based compensation as website development costs. This amount was immaterial for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Stock and Incentive Plan

On December 20, 2011, our 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan became effective and we filed Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form S-8 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-178637) (the “Prior Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), registering a total of 17,500,000 shares of our common stock, of which 17,400,000 shares were issuable in connection with grants of equity-based awards under our 2011 Incentive Plan (7,400,000 of which shares were originally registered on the Form S-4 and 10,000,000 of which shares were first registered on the Prior Registration Statement) and 100,000 shares were issuable under our Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors (refer to “Note 13— Employee Benefit Plans” below for information on our Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors).

At our annual meeting of stockholders held on June 28, 2013 (the “Annual Meeting”), our stockholders approved an amendment to our 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the aggregate number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance thereunder by 15,000,000 shares. We refer to our 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan, as amended by the amendment as the “2011 Incentive Plan.” A summary of the material terms of the 2011 Incentive Plan can be found in “Proposal 3: Approval of the 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan, as amended” in our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting.

On September 12, 2014, we filed a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to up to 100,595 shares of our common stock for issuance under the Viator, Inc. 2010 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Viator Plan”). Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger among TripAdvisor LLC; Vineyard Acquisition Corporation and Viator, Inc., dated as of July 24, 2014 (the “Merger Agreement”), Vineyard Acquisition Corporation merged with and into Viator, Inc. with Viator, Inc. surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. In accordance with the Merger Agreement, we assumed certain outstanding options to purchase shares of common stock of Viator granted under the Viator Plan (the “Assumed Options”). As a result of this assumption, the Assumed Options were converted into options to purchase shares of our common stock. We do not intend to grant new equity or equity-based awards under the Viator Plan.

Pursuant to the 2011 Annual Incentive Plan, we may, among other things, grant RSUs, restricted stock, stock options and other stock-based awards to our directors, officers, employees and consultants. The summary of the material terms of the 2011 Incentive Plan is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2011 Incentive Plan previously filed.

As of December 31, 2014, the total number of shares available for issuance under the 2011 Incentive Plan is 17,691,977 shares. All shares of common stock issued in respect of the exercise of options or other equity awards since Spin-Off have been issued from authorized, but unissued common stock.

Stock Based Award Activity and Valuation

2014 Stock Option Activity

During the year ended December 31, 2014, we have issued 679,568 of primarily service based non-qualified stock options primarily from the 2011 Incentive Plan. These stock options generally have a term of ten years from the date of grant and generally vest equitably over a four-year requisite service period.

A summary of our stock option activity is presented below:

				Weighted		Weighted
				Average		Average
				Exercise		Remaining		Aggregate
	Options			Price Per		Contractual		Intrinsic
	Outstanding			Share		Life		Value
	(in thousands)					(in years)		(in millions)
Options outstanding at December 31, 2013		9,470			40.18
Assumed options from acquisition		101			16.36
Granted		579			95.87
Exercised (1)		(1,202	)		32.87
Cancelled or expired		(297	)		45.40
Options outstanding at December 31, 2014		8,651		$	44.47		5.0	$	273
Exercisable as of December 31, 2014		4,080		$	32.05		2.7	$	174
Vested and expected to vest after December 31, 2014		8,445		$	44.11		4.9	$	269

(1)

Inclusive of 628,010 options, which were not converted into shares due to net share settlement in order to cover the aggregate exercise price and the minimum amount of required employee withholding taxes. Potential shares which had been convertible under stock options that were withheld under net share settlement remain in the authorized but unissued pool under the 2011 Incentive Plan and can be reissued by the Company. We began net-share settling the majority of our stock option exercises during the third quarter of 2013. Total payments for the employees’ tax obligations to the taxing authorities due to net share settlements are reflected as a financing activity within the consolidated statements of cash flows.

Aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the closing stock price of our common stock and the exercise price of outstanding, in-the-money options. Our closing stock price as reported on NASDAQ as of December 31, 2014 was $74.66. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 were $75 million, $58 million, and $25 million, respectively.

The fair value of stock option grants under the 2011 Plan and Viator Plan has been estimated at the date of grant using the Black–Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions for the periods presented:

	December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Risk free interest rate		1.79	%		1.41	%		1.03	%
Expected term (in years)		5.80			6.06			6.21
Expected volatility		44.04	%		50.78	%		53.46	%
Expected dividend yield	— %			— %			— %

The weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted, excluding assumed acquisition-related options, was $46.65, $28.30, and $20.36 for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The weighted-average grant date fair value of assumed acquisition-related options was $80.31 for the year ended December 31, 2014. There were no assumed acquisition-related options granted for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012. The total fair value of stock options vested for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 were $34 million, $27 million, and $10 million, respectively.

2014 RSU Activity

During the year ended December 31, 2014, we issued 752,460 RSUs under the 2011 Incentive Plan for which the fair value was measured based on the quoted price of our common stock on the date of grant. These RSUs generally vest over a four-year requisite service period.

The following table presents a summary of our RSU activity:

				Weighted
				Average
				Grant-		Aggregate
	RSUs			Date Fair		Intrinsic
	Outstanding			Value Per Share		Value
	(in thousands)					(in millions)
Unvested RSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2013		1,135			49.64
Granted		752			93.36
Vested and released (1)		(307	)		46.78
Cancelled		(132	)		67.50
Unvested RSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2014		1,448		$	71.33	$	108

(1)

Inclusive of 103,641 RSUs withheld to satisfy employee minimum tax withholding requirements due to net share settlement. Potential shares which had been convertible under RSUs that were withheld under net share settlement remain in the authorized but unissued pool under the 2011 Plan and can be reissued by the Company. Total payments for the employees’ tax obligations to the taxing authorities due to net share settlements are reflected as a financing activity within the consolidated statements of cash flows.

Other Equity Activity

Upon Spin-Off, we entered into a warrant agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”) with Mellon Investor Services LLC and issued warrants exercisable for TripAdvisor common stock in respect of previously outstanding warrants exercisable for Expedia common stock that were adjusted on account of Expedia’s reverse stock split and the Spin-Off. In total, at Spin-Off, the warrants could have been converted into a maximum of 8,046,698 shares of our common stock without any further adjustments to the Warrant Agreement and had an expiration date of May 7, 2012.

One tranche of warrants (issued in respect of Expedia warrants that had featured an exercise price of $12.23 per warrant prior to adjustment) were exercisable for 0.25 (one-quarter) of a share of TripAdvisor common stock at an exercise price equal to $6.48 per warrant, and the other tranche of warrants (issued in respect of Expedia warrants that had featured an exercise price of $14.45 per warrant prior to adjustment) were exercisable for 0.25 (one-quarter) of a share of TripAdvisor common stock at an exercise price equal to $7.66 per warrant. The exercise price could have been paid in cash or via “cashless exercise” as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, and prior to the expiration date, there were a total of 32,186,791 warrants exercised which resulted in a total of 7,952,456 shares of our common stock being issued during that period, which included 31,641,337 warrants for which the exercise price was paid in cash at a weighted average price of $27.11. We received total exercise proceeds of $215 million related to these warrant exercises, which is reflected as a financing activity within the consolidated statement of cash flows. In addition there were 545,454 cashless warrants exercised with a weighted average exercise price of $25.92 of which we did not receive any exercise proceeds. We currently have no outstanding warrants remaining which could be convertible to shares of our common stock.

Unrecognized Stock-Based Compensation

A summary of our remaining unrecognized compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, and the weighted average remaining amortization period at December 31, 2014 related to our non-vested stock options and RSU awards is presented below (in millions, except per year information):

	Stock
	Options		RSUs
Unrecognized compensation expense (net of forfeitures)	$	84	$	70
Weighted average period remaining (in years)		2.7		2.9