Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of consolidation and presentation	Basis of consolidation and presentation— The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation, and all other normal and recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the periods presented have been made.
Segment information	Segment information— On March 1, 2023, Greg Brown succeeded Gregg Coccari as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). The Company defines its segments as those operations the CODM regularly reviews to allocate resources and assess performance. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company operated under two operating and reportable segments: Enterprise and Consumer. The Company continually monitors and reviews its segment reporting structure in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 280, Segment Reporting, to determine whether any changes have occurred that would impact its reportable segments. For further information on the Company’s segment reporting, see Note 14 – Segment and geographic information.
Use of estimates	Use of estimates— The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the results of operations during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in the consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, allowance for credit losses, capitalization of internally developed software and associated useful lives, stock-based compensation, determination of the income tax valuation allowance and the potential outcome of uncertain tax positions, estimated service period for consumer single course purchases, the period of benefit for deferred commissions, the fair value and associated useful lives of intangible assets and goodwill acquired via business combinations, the valuation of privately-held strategic investments, including impairments, and the carrying value of our operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets. Management periodically evaluates such estimates and assumptions for continued reasonableness. Actual results may ultimately differ from management’s estimates and such differences could be material to the Company’s financial position and results of operations.
Concentration of credit risk	Concentration of credit risk— Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, restricted cash, and accounts receivable. For cash and restricted cash, the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of default by the financial institutions to the extent the amounts recorded on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are in excess of federal insurance limits. The Company’s investments that are classified as cash equivalents and marketable securities consist of high-credit-quality instruments and fixed-income securities. The Company generally does not require collateral or other security in support of accounts receivable. To reduce credit risk, management performs ongoing evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and maintains an allowance based upon expected credit losses of outstanding receivables.
Revenue recognition and Cost of revenues	Revenue recognition— The Company accounts for revenue under ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company’s two sources of revenues are its Enterprise and Consumer business channels. Enterprise revenue— The Company primarily generates revenue by selling subscription licenses to a variety of enterprise and government customers. The Company’s subscription contracts with enterprise customers generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and consist of a fixed quantity of seat licenses, which allows each seat to access an unlimited number of course enrollments during the contract term. Enterprise license subscriptions include Team Plan, Enterprise Plan, Udemy Business Pro, and Leadership Academy. Subscribers retain access to the courses in which they enroll for the duration of their subscriptions (including any renewal period), even if the instructor subsequently elects to remove the course from the Company’s subscription programs. Enterprise contracts are typically evidenced by a fully executed Master Services Agreement with an accompanying executed Order Form specifying the contractual subscription term and pricing. Revenue is recognized ratably over the respective contractual subscription term beginning on the date that the platform is made available to the customer. Enterprise revenue recognized from professional services was immaterial for the periods presented. Standard subscription agreements have auto-renewal clauses, which allow the agreement to continue after the expiration of the initial term. The Company’s standard billing terms are to invoice upfront annually for contracts with terms of one year or longer. For contracts that are less than one year, the Company generally bills in advance on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. The Company recognizes unbilled receivables that relate to consideration for services completed but not billed as of period end. Unbilled receivables are recorded in accounts receivable, net, and were not material for any period presented. Consumer revenue— The Company generates revenue by selling access to course content on the Udemy platform directly to individual learners. Consumer revenues consist of (i) single course purchases and (ii) consumer subscriptions. All contracts with consumer customers are billed in advance and require payment via credit card by the customer prior to accessing any course content, or in the case for new consumer subscription customers, upon expiration of a 7-day free trial available to new customers in certain jurisdictions. After checkout, consumer customers purchasing a single course receive a lifetime access license to the digital course content in addition to stand-ready access to the Udemy platform online services needed to access the content. Consumer subscription plans offer on-demand access to a library of courses over a subscription term, as well as additional features and functionalities. Consumer revenue transactions are governed by Udemy’s standard terms of use. The time between a customer’s payment and the receipt of funds is not significant. Payment terms are generally fixed and do not include variable consideration. Consumer revenues are recorded net of actual and estimated refunds and exclude any taxes that are collected from learners and remitted to governmental authorities. Consumer revenue arrangements do not include significant obligations associated with warranties. Consumer subscriptions are either one-month or one-year in duration and paid in advance, with new customers in certain jurisdictions able to sign up for a 7-day free trial period. Once the free trial period lapses and advance payment is made, there is no right to a refund (unless otherwise required by applicable law). Subscribers have continuous access to enroll in and consume an unlimited number of curated courses included in the subscription catalog on the platform during the subscription term. Subscribers retain access to the courses in which they enroll for the duration of their subscriptions (including any renewal period), even if the instructor subsequently elects to remove the course from the Company’s subscription programs. The continual access to the platform represents a series of distinct services, as the Company continually provides access to, and fulfills its obligation to, the customer over the contract term. Consumer subscriptions automatically renew at the end of the subscription term. Customers may cancel renewal of their subscription at any point but will retain their access to the platform until the end of the current subscription term. Revenue from contracts with customers is recognized when control of promised services is transferred. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for these services. The Company accounts for revenue contracts with customers using the five-step model under ASC Topic 606: 1) Identify the contract with a customer Udemy determines a contract with a customer to exist when the contract is approved, each party’s rights regarding the services to be transferred can be identified, the payment terms for the services can be identified, the customer has the ability and intent to pay, and the contract has commercial substance. At contract inception, the Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the combined or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s historical payment experience if available. 2) Identify the performance obligations in the contract Performance obligations committed in a contract are identified based on the services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from Udemy, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the services and the products is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. Customers do not have the ability to take possession of the software supporting the platform and, as a result, contracts are accounted for as service arrangements. The non-exclusive lifetime access license associated with single course purchases and the licensed content associated with subscriptions are not considered distinct from the Udemy platform, because the course content is significantly integrated, and highly interdependent with the platform. Specifically, the learner does not obtain control of the course content’s intellectual property and functionality without the Udemy platform. Accordingly, management concluded there is a single, combined performance obligation, which is customer’s access to the online content on the Udemy platform, representing a series of distinct services as the Company continually provides access to and fulfills its obligation to allow access to licensed content and platform functionality to the learner. 3) Determine the transaction price The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which Udemy expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring services to the customer. The prices for Consumer and Enterprise, or Udemy Business (“UB”), contracts are fixed at contract inception and do not contain significant estimates related to variable consideration. With respect to single course purchases, consumers may request a full refund within 30 days after the initial purchase transaction. The Company estimates and establishes a refund reserve based on historical refund rates, which has historically been immaterial. None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component. Revenue excludes taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental entities (e.g., sales and other indirect taxes). 4) Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on each performance obligation’s relative standalone selling price. As access to content is not considered distinct from the Udemy platform hosting services, the transaction price is allocated to a single performance obligation. 5) Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring the control of the promised service to a customer. Revenue is recognized in an amount that reflects the consideration that Udemy expects to receive in exchange for those services. Udemy has a stand ready obligation to deliver its services continually throughout the requisite contract period, which is either lifetime access for consumer single course purchases or the contractual subscription term for UB and consumer subscription customers. As such, the Company recognizes revenue on a straight-line basis as it satisfies the performance obligation, using an estimated service period for consumer single course purchases and the contractual subscription term for UB and consumer subscription customers. The Company records contract liabilities to deferred revenue for amounts billed to customers in advance of the performance obligations being satisfied, and primarily consists of the unearned portion of enterprise and consumer services. The amount of revenue recognized in the periods presented from performance obligations satisfied (or partially satisfied) in prior periods was not material. Other than the circumstances noted below, no significant judgment has historically been required in determining the amount and timing of revenue from the Company’s contracts with customers. Principal vs. agent—In order to determine if revenue should be reported gross or net of either payments to third-party instructors or amounts retained by reseller partners who sell access to Enterprise subscription offerings, the Company evaluated whether Udemy acts as the principal in sales of its online course offerings. An entity is the principal if it controls a good or service before it is transferred to the end customer. Key indicators that management evaluated in determining gross versus net treatment included but are not limited to: •the nature of the Company’s promise to the customer, as well as the distinct performance obligation identified; •the underlying contract terms and conditions between the parties to the transaction; •which party is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified good or service to the end customer; •which party has inventory risk before the specified good or service has been transferred to the end customer; and •which party has discretion in establishing the price for the specified good or service. Based on an evaluation of the above indicators, management determined that the Company is the principal to learners who purchase access to online course content via direct or reseller sales of its enterprise and consumer offerings. The Company controls the promised goods or services (i.e., access to course content via the Udemy platform) before it is transferred to the customer and is primarily responsible for fulfillment with respect to delivering access to course content. The Company is the entity which licenses content to learners as the agreements with instructors grant the Company the right to sub-license content to its learners at its discretion. The Company also has substantial discretion to determine the pricing of its offerings. Therefore, the Company reports the gross purchase price paid by the customer related to these arrangements in the revenue caption of the consolidated statements of operations. The Company records payments to instructors as content costs within cost of revenues, while amounts retained by reseller partners for Enterprise sales are recognized as customer support costs within cost of revenues and deferred sales commissions within sales and marketing, based on the nature of the partnership transaction. Estimated service period for consumer single course purchases—The Company considers a variety of data points when determining the estimated service period for a consumer single course purchase over which revenue is recognized. Quantitative data points considered include, but are not limited to, the average time period between a learner’s purchase date and the last date the learner accesses the purchased content, the average total hours consumed for a given purchase, and the time period over which learner activity stabilizes. Management also considers certain qualitative factors such as the nature of the Company’s consumer offerings, known online trends, and, to the extent publicly available, service periods of competitors’ online content that is similar in nature to those offered by the Company. The Company believes consideration of all of these factors enables the Company to determine the best representation of the time period during which consumer learners access the online course content on the Company’s platform and therefore the service period over which the Company provides services to learners. Determining the estimated service period is subjective and requires management’s judgment. Future usage patterns may differ from historical usage patterns, and the estimated service period may change in the future. The estimated service period for consumer single course purchase transactions is four months from the date of enrollment. Cost of revenues— Costs of revenues are related to content costs (which are payments to instructors), payment and mobile processing fees, costs associated with the hosting of digital content, employee-related expenses for the customer support organization, including salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation, facilities and other expenses, depreciation of network equipment, and amortization of capitalized software.
Advertising and sponsorship costs	Advertising and sponsorship costs— Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. In general, sponsorship costs are expensed on a straight-line basis over the contractual sponsorship term. Prepayments made under sponsorship contracts are included in the prepaid expenses and other current assets caption of the consolidated balance sheets.
Research and development	Research and development— Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation, costs related to the ongoing management, maintenance, and expansion of features and services offered on the Company’s platform. Research and development costs also include contracted services, supplies, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Stock-based compensation	Stock-based compensation— The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation pursuant to ASC Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of stock-based awards using the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. Stock-based awards include stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based restricted stock units (“PSUs”), stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), and restricted stock granted to employees, directors, and non-employees, and stock purchase rights granted to employees under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP Rights”). No stock options or SARs have been granted since the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) in 2021. The Company estimates the fair value of RSUs, PSUs, and restricted stock based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options, SARs, and ESPP Rights using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires the use of the following subjective and complex assumptions: Expected term— For stock options and SARs, the Company has elected to use the midpoint of the vesting term and contractual expiration period to compute the expected term, as the Company does not have sufficient historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. For ESPP Rights, the expected term is equal to the purchase periods in a given offering period. Risk-free interest rate— The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with maturities approximately equal to the award’s expected term. Expected volatility— The Company estimates future expected volatility by considering both the average volatility of a peer group of representative public companies with sufficient trading history and, to the extent available, its historical volatility over the expected term. Dividend yield— The expected dividend was assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid dividends and has no current plans to do so. Stock appreciation rights granted to employees are settled in cash upon exercise. The Company accounts for SARs in the other liabilities, non-current caption in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Vested and outstanding SARs are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the assumptions described above, and any change in fair value is recognized as a component of expense. The Company adjusts the fair value of the liability for vested and outstanding SARs until the earlier of the exercise or expiration of the SARs. For awards with only service-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes the resulting stock-based compensation on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards. For awards that are subject to both performance and service-based vesting conditions, the Company separately attributes stock-based compensation expense for each vesting tranche of the award over their requisite service periods. The Company accounts for forfeitures in the period they occur. Management estimates the number of PSUs that are expected to vest based on the anticipated achievement of the specified performance metrics. If the performance-based vesting condition is considered probable of being achieved, the Company recognizes expense over the requisite service period based on the probable outcome of achievement. If the performance goals are not met, or are considered improbable, no compensation cost is recognized, and any previously recognized compensation cost is reversed. During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company's began funding withholding taxes due upon the vesting of employee RSUs and the exercise of stock options in certain jurisdictions by net share settlement, rather than its previous approach of selling shares of the Company’s common stock. The amount of withholding taxes related to net share settlement is reflected as (i) a reduction to additional paid-in-capital and (ii) cash outflows for financing activities when the payments are made. The shares withheld by the Company as a result of net share settlement are returned to the pool of shares available for future issuance. Therefore, they are not considered issued and outstanding and do not impact the calculation of net loss per share, basic and diluted, attributable to common stockholders.
Income taxes	Income taxes— The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), which requires an asset and liability approach in accounting for income taxes. Under this method, the tax provision includes taxes currently due plus the net change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities arise from the temporary differences between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its reported amount in the consolidated financial statements, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax amounts are determined by using the tax rates expected to be in effect when the taxes will actually be paid or refund received, as provided for under currently enacted tax law. A valuation allowance is provided for the amount of deferred tax assets that, based on available evidence, is not expected to be realized. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attributes for financial statement disclosure of tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Under this guidance, the impact of an uncertain income tax position on the income tax return must be recognized at the largest amount that is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. The Company recognizes interest accrued related to uncertain tax positions as a component of the provision for income taxes. There was no accrued interest or penalties associated with any uncertain tax positions, nor was any interest expense recognized during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021. The Company does not currently anticipate that any significant increase or decrease to uncertain tax positions will be recorded during the next twelve months.
Translation of foreign currency	Translation of foreign currency— The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The Company determines the functional currency for each of its foreign subsidiaries by reviewing their operations and currencies used in their primary economic environments. Assets and liabilities for foreign subsidiaries with functional currency other than U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the rate of exchange existing at the balance sheet date. Statements of operations amounts are translated at average exchange rates for the period. Translation gains and losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity (deficit). Remeasurement gains and losses are included in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. Monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date and nonmonetary assets and liabilities are measured at historical exchange rates.
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders	Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders— Prior to the completion of the Company’s IPO and the conversion of all outstanding preferred shares into common stock, basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders was computed in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. The Company considered all series of its redeemable convertible preferred stock to be participating securities as the holders of such stock had the right to receive nonforfeitable dividends on a pari passu basis in the event that a dividend was paid on common stock. Under the two-class method, the net loss attributable to common stockholders was not allocated to the redeemable convertible preferred stock as the preferred stockholders did not have a contractual obligation to share in the Company’s losses. Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents to the extent they are dilutive. For purposes of this calculation, common stock options, RSUs, PSUs, restricted stock, and contingently issuable shares under the Company’s ESPP plan are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive for the periods presented. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, outstanding redeemable convertible preferred stock and redeemable convertible preferred stock warrants were also considered to be common stock equivalents, but were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect was anti-dilutive.
Comprehensive loss	Comprehensive loss— Comprehensive loss consists of two components, net loss attributable to common stockholders and other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, refers to revenue, expenses, gains, and losses that under GAAP are recorded as an element of stockholders’ equity (deficit) but are excluded from net loss attributable to common stockholders.
Fair value of financial instruments	Fair value of financial instruments— The Company considers fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability, an exit price, in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value are either observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect a reporting entity’s pricing based on their own market assumptions. The Company utilizes the following three-level fair value hierarchy to establish the priorities of the inputs used to measure fair value: Level 1— Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2— Inputs are observable, unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in an active market, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable and market-corroborated inputs which are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data; and Level 3— Inputs are derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or value drivers are unobservable. The carrying amounts of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the relatively short-term maturities and are classified as current assets and liabilities, as appropriate, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s money market funds and sweep account are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted prices in active markets. The Company’s investments in U.S. government securities are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because they have been valued using inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are directly or indirectly observable. The Company’s strategic investment is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy because it has been valued using significant unobservable inputs for which the Company has been required to develop its own assumptions.
Cash and cash equivalents	Cash and cash equivalents— Cash and cash equivalents include on demand deposits, money market funds, and other highly liquid investments with original or remaining maturities of less than 90 days when purchased. Cash equivalents also include amounts in transit from certain payment processors for credit and debit card transactions, which typically settle within five business days.
Restricted cash	Restricted cash— Restricted cash primarily consists of cash restricted in connection with lease agreements for the Company’s facilities. Restricted cash is included in current assets for leases that expire within one year from the balance sheet date and in non-current assets for leases that expire in more than one year from the balance sheet date.
Marketable securities	Marketable securities— Marketable securities consist of obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury and other U.S. federal agencies, corporate debt, and commercial paper securities, with an original maturity greater than 90 days at the date of purchase and are classified as available-for-sale securities. As the Company views these securities as available to support current operations, it has classified all available-for-sale securities as current assets. Available-for-sale securities are initially recorded at cost and periodically adjusted to fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity (deficit), while realized gains and losses are reported within other income (expense), net as a component of net loss attributable to common stockholders.
Accounts receivable, net	Accounts receivable, net— Accounts receivable primarily represent amounts owed to the Company for Enterprise subscriptions. Also included in accounts receivable are amounts due from payment processors or mobile application store partners that settle over a period longer than five business days. Accounts receivable balances are recorded at the invoiced amount and are non-interest-bearing. Accounts receivable is presented net of allowance for credit losses in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company maintains an allowance based upon expected credit losses of outstanding receivables. Management derives its estimate using a variety of factors, including historical collection and loss patterns; the current aging of receivables; geographic and other customer-specific credit risk factors; and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions which inform adjustments to historical loss patterns. The provision for expected credit losses is recorded in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Accounts receivable deemed to be uncollectible are written off, net of expected or actual recoveries.
Deferred contract costs	Deferred contract costs— Sales commissions earned by the Company’s sales force on both new and renewal business are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These costs are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated period of benefit of four years, as commissions paid for initial and renewal contracts are generally not considered commensurate. The Company determined the period of benefit by taking into consideration the length of terms in its Enterprise customer contracts, changes and enhancements in course offerings, and other factors. In addition, a portion of the revenue share retained by enterprise reseller partners from sales to UB customers is considered an incremental and recoverable cost of obtaining a contract with a customer. This cost is deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the service term of the corresponding contractual subscription term, as commissions paid to resellers on initial and renewal contracts are generally commensurate. Amounts expected to be recognized within one year of the consolidated balance sheet dates are recorded as deferred contract costs, current, while the remaining portion is recorded as deferred contract costs, non-current in the consolidated balance sheets. Deferred contract costs are periodically analyzed for impairment. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Property and equipment, net	Property and equipment, net— Property, equipment, and purchased software are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, which are generally three years for computers, purchased software, and equipment, and five years for furniture and fixtures. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the term of the related lease. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. Upon disposition or retirement, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is reflected as operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Capitalized software, net	Capitalized software, net— The Company capitalizes costs to develop software for internal use incurred during the application development stage. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, qualifying internal and external costs are capitalized until the software feature is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Capitalized qualifying costs are amortized on a straight-line basis when the software is ready for its intended use over an estimated useful life, which is generally three years. The Company evaluates the useful lives of these assets and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets.
Operating leases	Operating leases— The Company leases real estate facilities under non-cancelable operating leases. The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception based on whether there is an identified tangible asset and whether the Company controls the use of the identified asset throughout the period of use. The Company adopted Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) on January 1, 2022. Operating leases are included in operating lease ROU assets and in operating lease liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Operating lease ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. The Company measures its operating lease liabilities at lease commencement date based on the present value of total lease payments over the lease term. Total lease payments are discounted to present value using the more readily determinable of (i) the rate implicit in the lease or (ii) the Company’s incremental borrowing rate (which is the estimated rate the Company would be required to pay for a collateralized borrowing equal to the total lease payments over the term of the lease). Because the Company’s operating leases generally do not provide an implicit rate, the Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate using information available at the lease commencement date, including but not limited to credit rating, lease term, and the currency in which the arrangement is denominated. The Company’s operating lease ROU assets are equal to the corresponding operating lease liability, adjusted for payments made to the lessor at or before the commencement date, initial direct costs incurred, and tenant incentives under the lease. The Company does not assume renewals or early terminations unless it is reasonably certain to exercise these options at commencement. The Company does not allocate consideration between lease and non-lease components. Variable lease payments, such as those for common area maintenance or property taxes, are not included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities and are expensed as incurred. In addition, the Company does not recognize operating ROU assets or operating lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less for all asset classes. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Lease accounting prior to the adoption of Topic 842 The Company recorded total rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term consistent with Topic 840, Leases.
Strategic investments	Strategic investments— The Company holds an investment in equity securities of a privately held company without a readily determinable fair value and in which the Company does not have a controlling interest. Investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair values are initially recorded at cost and are subsequently adjusted to fair value only in the event of either price changes from observable transactions in the same or a similar security from the same issuer or impairment, as discussed below. This practice is referred to as the measurement alternative. Privately held equity securities are valued using significant unobservable inputs or data in inactive markets. This valuation requires judgment due to the absence of market prices and inherent lack of liquidity and are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. In determining the estimated fair value of investments in privately held companies, the Company utilizes the most recent data available including observed transactions, such as equity financing transactions of the investees and sales of the existing shares of the investees’ securities. In addition, the determination of whether an observed transaction is similar to the equity securities held by the Company requires significant management judgment based on the rights and preferences of the securities. The Company evaluates its strategic investment for impairment at each reporting period. This evaluation consists of several potential qualitative and quantitative impairment indicators including, but not limited to, the investee's financial metrics, whether there were any significant adverse changes in the economic environment or general market conditions of the geographies and industries in which the investee operates, and any other publicly available information that may affect the value of the investment. Based on assessments performed during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized impairment losses of $1.8 million and $2.9 million, respectively, which are recorded in other income (expense), net in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. No impairment losses were recorded in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Goodwill and intangible assets	Goodwill and intangible assets— Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Each period, the Company evaluates the estimated remaining useful life of its intangible assets and whether events or changes in circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. Management tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets. No such triggering events were noted for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021. Goodwill represents the excess purchase price over net assets acquired in the Company’s business combinations. The Company evaluates and tests the recoverability of its goodwill for impairment at least annually, during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, or more often if and when circumstances indicate that goodwill may not be recoverable. No impairments were recorded during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021 as the result of these assessments.
Impairment of long-lived assets	Impairment of long-lived assets— The Company evaluates the carrying value of long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset, including disposition, are less than the carrying value of the asset. The impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the assets. The Company did not identify any impairment losses on long-lived assets for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021.
Self-insurance	Self-insurance— The Company is self-insured for medical benefits offered to certain employees, up to certain stop-loss limits. Such costs are accrued based on known claims and estimates of incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. IBNR claims are estimated using historical claim information and actuarial estimates. As of December 31, 2023, the accrued liability for self-insurance totaled $1.3 million and is included in accrued compensation and benefits on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company was not self-insured as of or prior to December 31, 2022.
Business combinations	Business combinations— In accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Company estimates the fair value of acquired assets and assumed liabilities as of the acquisition date of business combinations. The purchase consideration is allocated to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values. The purchase price is determined based on the fair value of the assets transferred, liabilities assumed, and equity interests issued, after considering any transactions that are separate from the business combination. The excess of fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from acquired customer relationships and developed technology, costs to recreate acquired vendor relationships, royalty rates, and discount rates. The estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to revision as additional information is obtained during the measurement period for an acquisition, which may last up to one year from the acquisition date. During the measurement period, management may record adjustments to the fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with a corresponding offset to goodwill. After the conclusion of the measurement period or the final determination of the fair value of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to earnings.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2023 There are no recently issued accounting pronouncements that were adopted by the Company during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which aims to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through additional disclosures about significant segment expenses and the chief operating decision maker. The standard will become effective for the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and interim periods during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of the new standard on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires disclosure of disaggregated income taxes paid, prescribes standard categories for the components of the effective tax rate reconciliation, and modifies other income tax-related disclosures. The standard will become effective for the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of the new standard on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Basis of consolidation and presentation— The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation, and all other normal and recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the periods presented have been made.

Segment information

Segment information— On March 1, 2023, Greg Brown succeeded Gregg Coccari as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). The Company defines its segments as those operations the CODM regularly reviews to allocate resources and assess performance. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company operated under two operating and reportable segments: Enterprise and Consumer. The Company continually monitors and reviews its segment reporting structure in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 280, Segment Reporting, to determine whether any changes have occurred that would impact its reportable segments. For further information on the Company’s segment reporting, see Note 14 – Segment and geographic information.

Use of estimates

Use of estimates— The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the results of operations during the reporting periods.

Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in the consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, allowance for credit losses, capitalization of internally developed software and associated useful lives, stock-based compensation, determination of the income tax valuation allowance and the potential outcome of uncertain tax positions, estimated service period for consumer single course purchases, the period of benefit for deferred commissions, the fair value and associated useful lives of intangible assets and goodwill acquired via business combinations, the valuation of privately-held strategic investments, including impairments, and the carrying value of our operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets. Management periodically evaluates such estimates and assumptions for continued reasonableness.

Actual results may ultimately differ from management’s estimates and such differences could be material to the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

Concentration of credit risk

Concentration of credit risk— Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, restricted cash, and accounts receivable. For cash and restricted cash, the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of default by the financial institutions to the extent the amounts recorded on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are in excess of federal insurance limits. The Company’s investments that are classified as cash equivalents and marketable securities consist of high-credit-quality instruments and fixed-income securities.

The Company generally does not require collateral or other security in support of accounts receivable. To reduce credit risk, management performs ongoing evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and maintains an allowance based upon expected credit losses of outstanding receivables.

Revenue recognition and Cost of revenues

Revenue recognition— The Company accounts for revenue under ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company’s two sources of revenues are its Enterprise and Consumer business channels.

Enterprise revenue— The Company primarily generates revenue by selling subscription licenses to a variety of enterprise and government customers.

The Company’s subscription contracts with enterprise customers generally have annual or multi-year contractual terms and consist of a fixed quantity of seat licenses, which allows each seat to access an unlimited number of course enrollments during the contract term. Enterprise license subscriptions include Team Plan, Enterprise Plan, Udemy Business Pro, and Leadership Academy. Subscribers retain access to the courses in which they enroll for the duration of their subscriptions (including any renewal period), even if the instructor subsequently elects to remove the course from the Company’s subscription programs. Enterprise contracts are typically evidenced by a fully executed Master Services Agreement with an accompanying executed Order Form specifying the contractual subscription term and pricing. Revenue is recognized ratably over the respective contractual subscription term beginning on the date that the platform is made available to the customer. Enterprise revenue recognized from professional services was immaterial for the periods presented.

Standard subscription agreements have auto-renewal clauses, which allow the agreement to continue after the expiration of the initial term. The Company’s standard billing terms are to invoice upfront annually for contracts with terms of one year or longer. For contracts that are less than one year, the Company generally bills in advance on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. The Company recognizes unbilled receivables that relate to consideration for services completed but not billed as of period end. Unbilled receivables are recorded in accounts receivable, net, and were not material for any period presented.

Consumer revenue— The Company generates revenue by selling access to course content on the Udemy platform directly to individual learners. Consumer revenues consist of (i) single course purchases and (ii) consumer subscriptions. All contracts with consumer customers are billed in advance and require payment via credit card by the customer prior to accessing any course content, or in the case for new consumer subscription customers, upon expiration of a 7-day free trial available to new customers in certain jurisdictions.

After checkout, consumer customers purchasing a single course receive a lifetime access license to the digital course content in addition to stand-ready access to the Udemy platform online services needed to access the content. Consumer subscription plans offer on-demand access to a library of courses over a subscription term, as well as additional features and functionalities.

Consumer revenue transactions are governed by Udemy’s standard terms of use. The time between a customer’s payment and the receipt of funds is not significant. Payment terms are generally fixed and do not include variable consideration. Consumer revenues are recorded net of actual and estimated refunds and exclude any taxes that are collected from learners and remitted to governmental authorities. Consumer revenue arrangements do not include significant obligations associated with warranties.

Consumer subscriptions are either one-month or one-year in duration and paid in advance, with new customers in certain jurisdictions able to sign up for a 7-day free trial period. Once the free trial period lapses and advance payment is made, there is no right to a refund (unless otherwise required by applicable law). Subscribers have continuous access to enroll in and consume an unlimited number of curated courses included in the subscription catalog on the platform during the subscription term. Subscribers retain access to the courses in which they enroll for the duration of their subscriptions (including any renewal period), even if the instructor subsequently elects to remove the course from the Company’s subscription programs. The continual access to the platform represents a series of distinct services, as the Company continually provides access to, and fulfills its obligation to, the customer over the contract term. Consumer subscriptions automatically renew at the end of the subscription term. Customers may cancel renewal of their subscription at any point but will retain their access to the platform until the end of the current subscription term.

Revenue from contracts with customers is recognized when control of promised services is transferred. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for these services. The Company accounts for revenue contracts with customers using the five-step model under ASC Topic 606:

1) Identify the contract with a customer

Udemy determines a contract with a customer to exist when the contract is approved, each party’s rights regarding the services to be transferred can be identified, the payment terms for the services can be identified, the customer has the ability and intent to pay, and the contract has commercial substance. At contract inception, the Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the combined or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s historical payment experience if available.

2) Identify the performance obligations in the contract

Performance obligations committed in a contract are identified based on the services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from Udemy, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the services and the products is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. Customers do not have the ability to take possession of the software supporting the platform and, as a result, contracts are accounted for as service arrangements.

The non-exclusive lifetime access license associated with single course purchases and the licensed content associated with subscriptions are not considered distinct from the Udemy platform, because the course content is significantly integrated, and highly interdependent with the platform. Specifically, the learner does not obtain control of the course content’s intellectual property and functionality without the Udemy platform. Accordingly, management concluded there is a single, combined performance obligation, which is customer’s access to the online content on the Udemy platform, representing a series of distinct services as the Company continually provides access to and fulfills its obligation to allow access to licensed content and platform functionality to the learner.

3) Determine the transaction price

The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which Udemy expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring services to the customer. The prices for Consumer and Enterprise, or Udemy Business (“UB”), contracts are fixed at contract inception and do not contain significant estimates related to variable consideration. With respect to single course purchases, consumers may request a full refund within 30 days after the initial purchase transaction. The Company estimates and establishes a refund reserve based on historical refund rates, which has historically been immaterial. None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component. Revenue excludes taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental entities (e.g., sales and other indirect taxes).

4) Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract

Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on each performance obligation’s relative standalone selling price.

As access to content is not considered distinct from the Udemy platform hosting services, the transaction price is allocated to a single performance obligation.

5) Recognize revenue when or as performance obligations are satisfied

Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring the control of the promised service to a customer. Revenue is recognized in an amount that reflects the consideration that Udemy expects to receive in exchange for those services. Udemy has a stand ready obligation to deliver its services continually throughout the requisite contract period, which is either lifetime access for consumer single course purchases or the contractual subscription term for UB and consumer subscription customers. As such, the Company recognizes revenue on a straight-line basis as it satisfies the performance obligation, using an estimated service period for consumer single course purchases and the contractual subscription term for UB and consumer subscription customers.

The Company records contract liabilities to deferred revenue for amounts billed to customers in advance of the performance obligations being satisfied, and primarily consists of the unearned portion of enterprise and consumer services. The amount of revenue recognized in the periods presented from performance obligations satisfied (or partially satisfied) in prior periods was not material.

Other than the circumstances noted below, no significant judgment has historically been required in determining the amount and timing of revenue from the Company’s contracts with customers.

Principal vs. agent—In order to determine if revenue should be reported gross or net of either payments to third-party instructors or amounts retained by reseller partners who sell access to Enterprise subscription offerings, the Company evaluated whether Udemy acts as the principal in sales of its online course offerings. An entity is the principal if it controls a good or service before it is transferred to the end customer. Key indicators that management evaluated in determining gross versus net treatment included but are not limited to:

•the nature of the Company’s promise to the customer, as well as the distinct performance obligation identified;

•the underlying contract terms and conditions between the parties to the transaction;

•which party is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified good or service to the end customer;

•which party has inventory risk before the specified good or service has been transferred to the end customer; and

•which party has discretion in establishing the price for the specified good or service.

Based on an evaluation of the above indicators, management determined that the Company is the principal to learners who purchase access to online course content via direct or reseller sales of its enterprise and consumer offerings. The Company controls the promised goods or services (i.e., access to course content via the Udemy platform) before it is transferred to the customer and is primarily responsible for fulfillment with respect to delivering access to course content. The Company is the entity which licenses content to learners as the agreements with instructors grant the Company the right to sub-license content to its learners at its discretion. The Company also has substantial discretion to determine the pricing of its offerings. Therefore, the Company reports the gross purchase price paid by the customer related to these arrangements in the revenue caption of the consolidated statements of operations. The Company records payments to instructors as content costs within cost of revenues, while amounts retained by reseller partners for Enterprise sales are recognized as customer support costs within cost of revenues and deferred sales commissions within sales and marketing, based on the nature of the partnership transaction.

Estimated service period for consumer single course purchases—The Company considers a variety of data points when determining the estimated service period for a consumer single course purchase over which revenue is recognized. Quantitative data points considered include, but are not limited to, the average time period between a learner’s purchase date and the last date the learner accesses the purchased content, the average total hours consumed for a given purchase, and the time period over which learner activity stabilizes. Management also considers certain qualitative factors such as the nature of the Company’s consumer offerings, known online trends, and, to the extent publicly available, service periods of competitors’ online content that is similar in nature to those offered by the Company. The Company believes consideration of all of these factors enables the Company to determine the best representation of the time period during which consumer learners access the online course content on the Company’s platform and therefore the service period over which the Company provides services to learners. Determining the estimated service period is subjective and requires management’s judgment. Future usage patterns may differ from historical usage patterns, and the estimated

service period may change in the future. The estimated service period for consumer single course purchase transactions is four months from the date of enrollment.

Cost of revenues— Costs of revenues are related to content costs (which are payments to instructors), payment and mobile processing fees, costs associated with the hosting of digital content, employee-related expenses for the customer support organization, including salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation, facilities and other expenses, depreciation of network equipment, and amortization of capitalized software.

Advertising and sponsorship costs

Advertising and sponsorship costs— Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. In general, sponsorship costs are expensed on a straight-line basis over the contractual sponsorship term. Prepayments made under sponsorship contracts are included in the prepaid expenses and other current assets caption of the consolidated balance sheets.

Research and development

Research and development— Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation, costs related to the ongoing management, maintenance, and expansion of features and services offered on the Company’s platform. Research and development costs also include contracted services, supplies, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Stock-based compensation

Stock-based compensation— The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation pursuant to ASC Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of stock-based awards using the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. Stock-based awards include stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based restricted stock units (“PSUs”), stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), and restricted stock granted to employees, directors, and non-employees, and stock purchase rights granted to employees under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP Rights”). No stock options or SARs have been granted since the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) in 2021.

The Company estimates the fair value of RSUs, PSUs, and restricted stock based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options, SARs, and ESPP Rights using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires the use of the following subjective and complex assumptions:

Expected term— For stock options and SARs, the Company has elected to use the midpoint of the vesting term and contractual expiration period to compute the expected term, as the Company does not have sufficient historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. For ESPP Rights, the expected term is equal to the purchase periods in a given offering period.

Risk-free interest rate— The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with maturities approximately equal to the award’s expected term.

Expected volatility— The Company estimates future expected volatility by considering both the average volatility of a peer group of representative public companies with sufficient trading history and, to the extent available, its historical volatility over the expected term.

Dividend yield— The expected dividend was assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid dividends and has no current plans to do so.

Stock appreciation rights granted to employees are settled in cash upon exercise. The Company accounts for SARs in the other liabilities, non-current caption in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Vested and outstanding SARs are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the assumptions described above, and any change in fair value is recognized as a component of expense. The Company adjusts the fair value of the liability for vested and outstanding SARs until the earlier of the exercise or expiration of the SARs.

For awards with only service-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes the resulting stock-based compensation on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards. For awards that are subject to both performance and service-based vesting conditions, the Company separately attributes stock-based compensation expense for each vesting tranche of the award over their requisite service periods. The Company accounts for forfeitures in the period they occur.

Management estimates the number of PSUs that are expected to vest based on the anticipated achievement of the specified performance metrics. If the performance-based vesting condition is considered probable of being achieved, the Company recognizes expense over the requisite service period based on the probable outcome of achievement. If the performance goals are not met, or are considered improbable, no compensation cost is recognized, and any previously recognized compensation cost is reversed.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company's began funding withholding taxes due upon the vesting of employee RSUs and the exercise of stock options in certain jurisdictions by net share settlement, rather than its previous approach of selling shares of the Company’s common stock. The amount of withholding taxes related to net share settlement is reflected as (i) a reduction to additional paid-in-capital and (ii) cash outflows for financing activities when the payments are made. The shares withheld by the Company as a result of net share settlement are returned to the pool of shares available for future issuance. Therefore, they are not considered issued and outstanding and do not impact the calculation of net loss per share, basic and diluted, attributable to common stockholders.

Income taxes

Income taxes— The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), which requires an asset and liability approach in accounting for income taxes. Under this method, the tax provision includes taxes currently due plus the net change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities arise from the temporary differences between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its reported amount in the consolidated financial statements, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax amounts are determined by using the tax rates expected to be in effect when the taxes will actually be paid or refund received, as provided for under currently enacted tax law. A valuation allowance is provided for the amount of deferred tax assets that, based on available evidence, is not expected to be realized.

ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attributes for financial statement disclosure of tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Under this guidance, the impact of an uncertain income tax position on the income tax return must be recognized at the largest amount that is more likely than not to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. The Company recognizes interest accrued related to uncertain tax positions as a component of the provision for income taxes. There was no accrued interest or penalties associated with any uncertain tax positions, nor was any interest expense recognized during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021. The Company does not currently anticipate that any significant increase or decrease to uncertain tax positions will be recorded during the next twelve months.

Translation of foreign currency

Translation of foreign currency— The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The Company determines the functional currency for each of its foreign subsidiaries by reviewing their operations and currencies used in their primary economic environments. Assets and liabilities for foreign subsidiaries with functional currency other than U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the rate of exchange existing at the balance sheet date. Statements of operations amounts are translated at average exchange rates for the period. Translation gains and losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity (deficit). Remeasurement gains and losses are included in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. Monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date and nonmonetary assets and liabilities are measured at historical exchange rates.

Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders

Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders— Prior to the completion of the Company’s IPO and the conversion of all outstanding preferred shares into common stock, basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders was computed in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. The Company considered all series of its redeemable convertible preferred stock to be participating securities as the holders of such stock had the right to receive nonforfeitable dividends on a pari passu basis in the event that a dividend was paid on common stock. Under the two-class method, the net loss attributable to common stockholders was not allocated to the redeemable convertible preferred stock as the preferred stockholders did not have a contractual obligation to share in the Company’s losses.

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents to the extent they are dilutive. For purposes of this calculation, common stock options, RSUs, PSUs, restricted stock, and contingently issuable shares under the Company’s ESPP plan are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive for the periods presented. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, outstanding redeemable convertible preferred stock and redeemable convertible preferred stock warrants were also considered to be common stock equivalents, but were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect was anti-dilutive.

Comprehensive loss

Comprehensive loss— Comprehensive loss consists of two components, net loss attributable to common stockholders and other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, refers to revenue, expenses, gains, and losses that under GAAP are recorded as an element of stockholders’ equity (deficit) but are excluded from net loss attributable to common stockholders.

Fair value of financial instruments

Fair value of financial instruments— The Company considers fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability, an exit price, in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value are either observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect a reporting entity’s pricing based on their own market assumptions.

The Company utilizes the following three-level fair value hierarchy to establish the priorities of the inputs used to measure fair value:

Level 1— Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2— Inputs are observable, unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in an active market, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable and market-corroborated inputs which are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data; and

Level 3— Inputs are derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or value drivers are unobservable.

The carrying amounts of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the relatively short-term maturities and are classified as current assets and liabilities, as appropriate, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

The Company’s money market funds and sweep account are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted prices in active markets. The Company’s investments in U.S. government securities are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because they have been valued using inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are directly or indirectly observable. The Company’s strategic investment is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy because it has been valued using significant unobservable inputs for which the Company has been required to develop its own assumptions.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents— Cash and cash equivalents include on demand deposits, money market funds, and other highly liquid investments with original or remaining maturities of less than 90 days when purchased. Cash equivalents also include amounts in transit from certain payment processors for credit and debit card transactions, which typically settle within five business days.

Restricted cash

Restricted cash— Restricted cash primarily consists of cash restricted in connection with lease agreements for the Company’s facilities. Restricted cash is included in current assets for leases that expire within one year from the balance sheet date and in non-current assets for leases that expire in more than one year from the balance sheet date.

Marketable securities

Marketable securities— Marketable securities consist of obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury and other U.S. federal agencies, corporate debt, and commercial paper securities, with an original maturity greater than 90 days at the date of purchase and are classified as available-for-sale securities. As the Company views these securities as available to support current operations, it has classified all available-for-sale securities as current assets. Available-for-sale securities are initially recorded at cost and periodically adjusted to fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity (deficit), while realized gains and losses are reported within other income (expense), net as a component of net loss attributable to common stockholders.

Accounts receivable, net

Accounts receivable, net— Accounts receivable primarily represent amounts owed to the Company for Enterprise subscriptions. Also included in accounts receivable are amounts due from payment processors or mobile application store partners that settle over a period longer than five business days. Accounts receivable balances are recorded at the invoiced amount and are non-interest-bearing. Accounts receivable is presented net of allowance for credit losses in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

The Company maintains an allowance based upon expected credit losses of outstanding receivables. Management derives its estimate using a variety of factors, including historical collection and loss patterns; the current aging of receivables; geographic and other customer-specific credit risk factors; and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions which inform adjustments to historical loss patterns. The provision for expected credit losses is recorded in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Accounts receivable deemed to be uncollectible are written off, net of expected or actual recoveries.

Deferred contract costs

Deferred contract costs— Sales commissions earned by the Company’s sales force on both new and renewal business are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These costs are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated period of benefit of four years, as commissions paid for initial and renewal contracts are generally not considered commensurate. The Company determined the period of benefit by taking into consideration the length of terms in its Enterprise customer contracts, changes and enhancements in course offerings, and other factors.

In addition, a portion of the revenue share retained by enterprise reseller partners from sales to UB customers is considered an incremental and recoverable cost of obtaining a contract with a customer. This cost is deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the service term of the corresponding contractual subscription term, as commissions paid to resellers on initial and renewal contracts are generally commensurate.

Amounts expected to be recognized within one year of the consolidated balance sheet dates are recorded as deferred contract costs, current, while the remaining portion is recorded as deferred contract costs, non-current in the consolidated balance sheets. Deferred contract costs are periodically analyzed for impairment. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Property and equipment, net

Property and equipment, net— Property, equipment, and purchased software are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, which are generally three years for computers, purchased software, and equipment, and five years for furniture and fixtures. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the term of the related lease. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. Upon disposition or retirement, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is reflected as operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

Capitalized software, net

Capitalized software, net— The Company capitalizes costs to develop software for internal use incurred during the application development stage. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, qualifying internal and external costs are capitalized until the software feature is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Capitalized qualifying costs are amortized on a straight-line basis when the software is ready for its intended use over an estimated useful life, which is generally three years. The Company evaluates the useful lives of these assets and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets.

Operating leases

Operating leases— The Company leases real estate facilities under non-cancelable operating leases. The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception based on whether there is an identified tangible asset and whether the Company controls the use of the identified asset throughout the period of use.

The Company adopted Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) on January 1, 2022.

Operating leases are included in operating lease ROU assets and in operating lease liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Operating lease ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease.

The Company measures its operating lease liabilities at lease commencement date based on the present value of total lease payments over the lease term. Total lease payments are discounted to present value using the more readily determinable of (i) the rate implicit in the lease or (ii) the Company’s incremental borrowing rate (which is the estimated rate the Company would be required to pay for a collateralized borrowing equal to the total lease payments over the term of the lease). Because the Company’s operating leases generally do not provide an implicit rate, the Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate using information available at the lease commencement date, including but not limited to credit rating, lease term, and the currency in which the arrangement is denominated. The Company’s operating lease ROU assets are equal to the corresponding operating lease liability, adjusted for payments made to the lessor at or before the commencement date, initial direct costs incurred, and tenant incentives under the lease.

The Company does not assume renewals or early terminations unless it is reasonably certain to exercise these options at commencement. The Company does not allocate consideration between lease and non-lease components. Variable lease payments, such as those for common area maintenance or property taxes, are not included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities and are expensed as incurred. In addition, the Company does not recognize operating ROU assets or operating lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less for all asset classes. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Lease accounting prior to the adoption of Topic 842

The Company recorded total rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term consistent with Topic 840, Leases.

Strategic investments

Strategic investments— The Company holds an investment in equity securities of a privately held company without a readily determinable fair value and in which the Company does not have a controlling interest. Investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair values are initially recorded at cost and are subsequently adjusted to fair value only in the event of either price changes from observable transactions in the same or a similar security from the same issuer or impairment, as discussed below. This practice is referred to as the measurement alternative.

Privately held equity securities are valued using significant unobservable inputs or data in inactive markets. This valuation requires judgment due to the absence of market prices and inherent lack of liquidity and are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. In determining the estimated fair value of investments in privately held companies, the Company utilizes the most recent data available including observed transactions, such as equity financing transactions of the investees and sales of the existing shares of the investees’ securities. In addition, the determination of whether an observed transaction is similar to the equity securities held by the Company requires significant management judgment based on the rights and preferences of the securities.

The Company evaluates its strategic investment for impairment at each reporting period. This evaluation consists of several potential qualitative and quantitative impairment indicators including, but not limited to, the investee's financial metrics, whether there were any significant adverse changes in the economic environment or general market conditions of the geographies and industries in which the investee operates, and any other publicly available information that may affect the value of the investment. Based on assessments performed during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized impairment losses of $1.8 million and $2.9 million, respectively, which are recorded in other income (expense), net in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. No impairment losses were recorded in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill and intangible assets— Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Each period, the Company evaluates the estimated remaining useful life of its intangible assets and whether events or changes in circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. Management tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets. No such triggering events were noted for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021.

Goodwill represents the excess purchase price over net assets acquired in the Company’s business combinations. The Company evaluates and tests the recoverability of its goodwill for impairment at least annually, during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, or more often if and when circumstances indicate that goodwill may not be recoverable. No impairments were recorded during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021 as the result of these assessments.

Impairment of long-lived assets

Impairment of long-lived assets— The Company evaluates the carrying value of long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset, including disposition, are less than the carrying value of the asset. The impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the assets. The Company did not identify any impairment losses on long-lived assets for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021.

Self-insurance

Self-insurance— The Company is self-insured for medical benefits offered to certain employees, up to certain stop-loss limits. Such costs are accrued based on known claims and estimates of incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. IBNR claims are estimated using historical claim information and actuarial estimates. As of December 31, 2023, the accrued liability for self-insurance totaled $1.3 million and is included in accrued compensation and benefits on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company was not self-insured as of or prior to December 31, 2022.

Business combinations

Business combinations— In accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Company estimates the fair value of acquired assets and assumed liabilities as of the acquisition date of business combinations. The purchase consideration is allocated to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values. The purchase price is determined based on the fair value of the assets transferred, liabilities assumed, and equity interests issued, after considering any transactions that are separate from the business combination. The excess of fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from acquired customer relationships and developed technology, costs to recreate acquired vendor relationships, royalty rates, and discount rates.

The estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to revision as additional information is obtained during the measurement period for an acquisition, which may last up to one year from the acquisition date. During the measurement period, management may record adjustments to the fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with a corresponding offset to goodwill. After the conclusion of the measurement period or the final determination of the fair value of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to earnings.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2023

There are no recently issued accounting pronouncements that were adopted by the Company during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which aims to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through additional disclosures about significant segment expenses and the chief operating decision maker. The standard will become effective for the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and interim periods during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of the new standard on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires disclosure of disaggregated income taxes paid, prescribes standard categories for the components of the effective tax rate reconciliation, and modifies other income tax-related disclosures. The standard will become effective for the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of the new standard on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.