S-1/A 1 d728713ds1a.htm AMENDMENT NO. 7 TO FORM S-1 Amendment No. 7 to form S-1
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 19, 2015

Registration No. 333-196615

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT

NO. 7 TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

 

 

GoDaddy Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware 7370 46-5769934

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

14455 N. Hayden Road

Scottsdale, Arizona 85260

(480) 505-8800

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Blake J. Irving

Chief Executive Officer

GoDaddy Inc.

14455 N. Hayden Road

Scottsdale, Arizona 85260

(480) 505-8800

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Jeffrey D. Saper, Esq.

Allison B. Spinner, Esq.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.

650 Page Mill Road

Palo Alto, California 94304

(650) 493-9300

 

Nima Kelly, Esq.

Executive Vice President

& General Counsel

Matthew Forkner, Esq.

Deputy General Counsel

GoDaddy Inc.

14455 N. Hayden Road

Scottsdale, Arizona 85260

(480) 505-8800

 

Alan F. Denenberg, Esq.

Sarah K. Solum, Esq.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

1600 El Camino Real

Menlo Park, California 94025

(650) 752-2000

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box:  ¨

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨      Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   x    (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)   Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

Title of each Class of

Securities to be Registered

Amount
to be
Registered(1)
  Proposed
Maximum
Offering Price
Per Share
  Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price(1)(2)
  Amount of
Registration Fee(3)
 

Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share

     25,300,000       $ 19.00       $ 480,700,000       $ 57,117.34   

 

 
(1) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Includes an additional 3,300,000 shares that the underwriters have the option to purchase to cover over-allotments, if any.
(2) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
(3) The Registrant previously paid $12,880 of the registration fee in connection with the initial filing of this registration statement on June 9, 2014.

 

 

 


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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)

Issued March 19, 2015

22,000,000 SHARES

 

LOGO

CLASS A COMMON STOCK

 

 

GoDaddy Inc. is offering 22,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock. This is our initial public offering, and no public market exists for our Class A common stock. We anticipate that the initial public offering price will be between $17.00 and $19.00 per share.

 

 

We have been approved to list our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GDDY.”

GoDaddy Inc. has two classes of authorized common stock: the Class A common stock offered hereby and Class B common stock, each of which has one vote per share. Following this offering, affiliates of certain members of our board of directors will hold substantially all of our issued and outstanding Class B common stock and will control more than a majority of the combined voting power of our common stock. As a result of their ownership, they will be able to control any action requiring the general approval of our stockholders, including the election of our board of directors, the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the approval of any merger or sale of substantially all of our assets. We will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of the New York Stock Exchange. See “Organizational Structure” and “Management—Controlled Company.”

 

 

Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19.

 

 

PRICE $             A SHARE

 

 

 

      

Price to

Public

      

Underwriting
Discounts

and
Commissions(1)

      

Proceeds to
GoDaddy

 

Per share

       $                            $                            $                    

Total

       $                               $                               $                       

 

(1) See “Underwriters” for a description of the compensation payable to the underwriters.

We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional 3,300,000 shares of Class A common stock to cover over-allotments at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discount.

Certain entities affiliated with the principal beneficial holders of our Class A common stock, each an affiliate of a member of our board of directors, have indicated an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of $50 million of shares of our Class A common stock (or an aggregate of 2,777,778 shares based on the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth above) offered pursuant to this prospectus directly from us at the initial public offering price. To the extent these affiliates purchase any such shares from us, the number of shares to be sold to the underwriters will accordingly be reduced. Because these indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, these affiliates may elect not to purchase shares in this offering. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting discounts or commissions from our sales of shares to these affiliates.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of Class A common stock to purchasers on                     , 2015.

 

 

 

Morgan Stanley   J.P. Morgan   Citigroup

 

Barclays   Deutsche Bank Securities    RBC Capital Markets

 

KKR     Stifel   Piper Jaffray      Oppenheimer & Co.    JMP Securities

                    , 2015


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LOGO

GoDaddy by the NUMBERS
1997 Formed as Jomax Technologies
1998 Launched First Website Building Software & Hosting
1999 Changed Name to GoDaddy
2000 Became ICANN Accredited
2001 Became Cash Flow Positive
2002
2003
2004 Launched SSL Certificate Offering $100MM Annual Revenue
2005 2MM Customers First Super Bowl Ad Reached 500 Customer Care Specialists Launched Domain Name Aftermarket 10MM Domains
2006
2007 4MM Customers 20MM Domains
2008 6MM Customers Partnered with Microsoft to Launched Hosted Exchange 30MM Domains
2009 Reached 1 Million International Customers $500MM Annual Revenue
2010 8MM Customers 40MM Domains
2011 Received Majority Investment from KKR, Silver Lake & TCV 50MM Domains
2012 Launched India, First Localized Market Outside the US 10MM Customers $1 Billion Annual Revenue
2013 Partnered with Microsoft to Launch Office 365 for Small Business Introduced Website Builder 7.0
2014 Localized Solutions in 37 Countries ~13MM Customers ~58MM Domains


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LOGO

 

GET STARTED CLAIM YOUR DIGITAL IDENTITY WITH A UNIQUE DOMAIN NAME .shop .com .guru .uno GET ONLINE EASILY BUILD AN ELEGANT AND DYNAMIC WEB PRESENCE
“With GoDaddy’s help, my website is the last thing I worry about”
Marc Rosenblum
Cruz Ale Works Santa Cruz, CA
“GoDaddy took my business to the next level”
Dave Cox
Digital Coconut
Toronto, Canada
GET CONNECTED MARKET YOUR VENTURE WITH SIMPLE YET POWERFULL CLOUD TOOLS AND SERVICES
GET HELP 24/7 CUSTOMER CARE WITH IN-REGION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS THAT TALK WITH YOU AT YOUR LEVEL
GET FOUND MANAGE YOUR REPUTATION AND LISTINGS, ALL WHILE AMPLYFING YOUR DISCOVERABILITY
GET PAID ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS, MANAGE YOUR BOOKS AND PREPARE FOR TAXES WITH EASE
GET SMART SINGLE PLATFORM FOR A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE ACROSS ALL OF OUR PRODUCTS
“I’ve got everything I could possibly need through GoDaddy”
Chelle Stafford
Recipe for Fitness
Scottsdale, AZ
FROM INSPIRATION TO SUCCESS
“GoDaddy is a global technology provider focused on helping individuals easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. Claiming a digital identity is the first step to operating a modern business today and GoDaddy’s leadership in domains makes us the natural onramp for extended services over the lifecycle of a business – from brand and marketing services to pro email, bookkeeping and back office tools.”
It’s go Time GoDaddy


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

Through and including                     , 2015 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

 

 

This prospectus contains statistical data, estimates and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications, other publicly available information and information based on our internal sources.

 

 

Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. We take no responsibility for, and provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

For investors outside the United States: Neither we nor any of the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. You are required to inform yourselves about, and to observe any restrictions relating to, this offering and the distribution of this prospectus.

 

 

Unless expressly indicated or the context suggests otherwise, references in this prospectus to “GoDaddy,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer (i) prior to the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions described under “Organizational Structure—Reorganization Transactions,” to Desert Newco, LLC (“Desert Newco”) and its consolidated subsidiaries and (ii) after the Reorganization Transactions described under “Organizational Structure—Reorganization Transactions,” to GoDaddy Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Desert Newco. We refer to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (together with its affiliates, “KKR”), Silver Lake Partners (together with its affiliates, “Silver Lake” and together with KKR, the “Sponsors”), Technology Crossover Ventures (together with its affiliates, “TCV”) and the other owners of Desert Newco prior to the Reorganization Transactions, collectively, as our “existing owners.”


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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read the following summary together with the more detailed information appearing in this prospectus, including “Risk Factors,” “Selected Consolidated Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes before deciding whether to purchase shares of our Class A common stock.

GODADDY INC.

Our customers have bold aspirations—the drive to be their own boss, write their own story and take a leap of faith to pursue their dreams. Launching that brewery, running that wedding planning service, organizing that fundraiser, expanding that web-design business or whatever sparks their passion. We are inspired by our customers and are dedicated to helping them turn their powerful ideas into meaningful action. Our vision is to radically shift the global economy toward small business by empowering passionate individuals to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures.

Who We Are

Our approximately 13 million customers are people and organizations with vibrant ideas—businesses, both large and small, entrepreneurs, universities, charities and hobbyists. They are defined by their guts, grit and the determination to transform their ideas into something meaningful. They wear many hats and juggle many responsibilities, and they need to make the most of their time. Our customers need help navigating today’s dynamic Internet environment and want the benefits of the latest technology to help them compete. Since our founding in 1997, we have been a trusted partner and champion for organizations of all sizes in their quest to build successful online ventures.

We are a leading technology provider to small businesses, web design professionals and individuals, delivering simple, easy to use cloud-based products and outcome-driven, personalized Customer Care. We operate the world’s largest domain marketplace, where our customers can find that unique piece of digital real estate that perfectly matches their idea. We provide website building, hosting and security tools to help customers easily construct and protect their online presence and tackle the rapidly changing technology landscape. As our customers grow, we provide applications that help them connect to their customers, manage and grow their businesses and get found online.

Often technology companies force their customers to choose between technology and support, delivering one but not the other. At GoDaddy, we break that compromise and strive to deliver both great technology and great support to our customers. We believe engaging with our customers in a proactive, consultative way helps them knock down the technology hurdles they face. And, through the thousands of conversations we have with our customers every day, we receive valuable feedback that enables us to continually evolve our products and solutions.

Our people and unique culture have been integral to our success. We live by the same principles that enable new ventures to survive and thrive: hard work, perseverance, conviction, an obsession with customer satisfaction and a belief that no one can do it better. We take responsibility for driving successful outcomes and are accountable to our customers, which we believe has been a key factor in enabling our rapid customer and revenue growth. We have one of the most recognized brands in technology. Our tagline—“It’s Go Time”—captures the spirit and drive of our customers and links our brand to their experience.

 

 

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Our Opportunity

Our customers represent a large and diverse market which we believe is largely underserved. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there were approximately 28 million small businesses in 2012. Most small businesses have fewer than five employees, and most small business owners identify themselves as having little to no technology skills. According to the International Labor Organization Statistics Database, there were more than 200 million people outside the United States identified as self-employed in 2012. We believe our addressable market extends beyond small businesses and includes individuals and organizations, such as universities, charities and hobbyists.

Despite the ubiquity and importance of the Internet to individual consumers, many small businesses and organizations have remained offline given their limited resources and inadequate tools. As of January 2013, more than 50% of small businesses in the United States still did not have a website according to a study we commissioned from Beall Research. However, as proliferation of mobile devices blurs the online/offline distinction into an “always online” world, having an impactful online presence is becoming a “must have” for small businesses worldwide.

Our customers share common traits, such as tenacity and determination, yet their specific needs vary depending on the type and stage of their ventures. They range from individuals who are thinking about starting a business to established ventures that are up and running but need help attracting customers, growing their sales or expanding their operations. While our customers have differing degrees of resources and technical capabilities, they all share a universal need for simple and easy to use technology to build their online presence and grow their ventures. Although our customers’ needs change depending on where they are in their lifecycles, the most common customer needs we serve include:

 

    Getting online and finding a great domain name. Every great idea needs a great name. Staking a claim with a domain name has become the de facto first step in establishing an idea online. Our customers want to find a name that perfectly identifies their business, hobby or passion. When inspiration strikes, we are there to provide our customers with high-quality search, discovery and recommendation tools as well as the broadest selection of domains to help them find the right name for their venture.

 

    Turn their domain into a dynamic online presence. Our products enable anyone to build an elegant website or online store—for both desktop and mobile—regardless of technical skill. Our products, powered by a unified cloud platform, enable our customers to get found online by extending their website and its content to where they need to be—from search engine results (e.g. Google) to social media (e.g. Facebook) to vertical marketplaces (e.g. Yelp and OpenTable)—all from one location. For more technically-sophisticated web designers, developers and customers, we provide high-performance, flexible hosting and security products that can be used with a variety of open source design tools. We design these solutions to be easy to use, effective, reliable, flexible and a great value.

 

    Growing their business and running their operations. Our customers want to spend their time on what matters most to them—selling their products or services or helping their customers do the same. We provide our customers with productivity tools such as domain-specific email, online storage, invoicing, bookkeeping and payment solutions to help run their ventures as well as robust marketing products to attract and retain customers. In today’s online world, these activities are increasingly linked to a customer’s online presence.

 

   

Easy to use products with help from a real Customer Care specialist when needed. Our customers want products that are easy to use, and sometimes they need help from real people to set up their website, launch a new feature or try something new. We build products that are intuitive for beginners to use yet robust and feature-rich to address the needs of expert designers and power-users. Our Customer Care team consists of more than 3,400 specialists who are available 24/7/365 and are capable of providing care to customers with different levels of technical sophistication. Our specialists

 

 

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are measured on customer outcomes and the quality of the experience they provide, not other common measures like handle time and cost per call. We strive to provide high-quality, personalized care and deliver a distinctive experience that helps us create loyal customers who renew their subscriptions, purchase additional products and refer their family and friends to us.

 

    Technology solutions that grow with them over time. Our customers need a simple platform and set of tools that enable their domain, website and other solutions to easily work together as their business grows and becomes more complex, and they need that platform to be simple to manage. Our API-driven technology platform is built on state-of-the-art, open source technologies like Hadoop, OpenStack and other large-scale, distributed systems. Simply put, we believe our products work well together and are more valuable and easier to use together than if our customers purchased these products individually from other companies and tried to integrate them.

 

    Reliability, security and performance on a global technology platform. Our customers expect products that are reliable, and they want to be confident that their digital presence is secure. In 2014, we handled an average of over 11.6 billion domain name system, or DNS, queries per day and hosted approximately 9.3 million websites across more than 40,000 servers around the world. In addition, we have 35 petabytes in data storage capacity. We focus on online security, customer privacy and reliable infrastructure to address the evolving needs of our customers.

 

    Affordable solutions. Our customers often have limited financial resources and are unable to make large, upfront investments in the latest technology. Our customers need affordable solutions that level the playing field and give them the tools to look and act like bigger businesses. We price most of our products at a few dollars per month while providing our customers with both robust features and functionality and personalized Customer Care.

Our Competitive Advantages

We believe the following strengths provide us with competitive advantages in realizing the potential of our opportunity:

 

    We are the leading domain name marketplace, the key on-ramp in establishing a digital identity. We are the global market leader in domain name registration with approximately 59 million domains under management as of December 31, 2014, which represented approximately 21% of the world’s domains according to VeriSign’s Domain Name Industry Brief.

 

    We combine an integrated cloud-technology platform with rich data science. At our core, we are a product and technology company. As of December 31, 2014, we had 794 engineers, 144 issued patents and 218 pending patent applications in the United States. Our investment in technology and development and our data science capabilities enable us to innovate and deliver a personalized experience to our customers.

 

    We operate an industry-leading Customer Care team that also drives bookings. We give our customers much more than typical customer support. Our team is unique, blending personalized Customer Care with the ability to evaluate our customers’ needs, which allows us to help and advise them as well as drive incremental bookings for our business. Our Customer Care team contributed approximately 23% of our total bookings in 2014. Our customers respond to our personalized approach with high marks for customer satisfaction. Our proactive Customer Care model is a key component that helps create a long-term customer relationship which is reflected in our high retention rates.

 

   

Our brand and marketing efficiency. With a U.S. aided brand awareness score of 81% as of December 31, 2014 according to a survey we commissioned from BrandOutlook, GoDaddy ranks among the most recognized technology brands in the United States. Our tagline “It’s Go Time” reflects

 

 

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the spirit and initiative of our customers and links our brand to their experience. Through a combination of cost-effective direct-marketing, brand advertising and customer referrals, we have increased our total customers from approximately 8 million as of December 31, 2010 to approximately 13 million as of December 31, 2014.

 

    Our people and our culture. We are a company whose people embody the grit and determination of our customers. Our world-class engineers, scientists, designers, marketers and Customer Care specialists share a passion for technology and its ability to change our customers’ lives. We value hard work, extraordinary effort, living passionately, taking intelligent risks and working together toward successful customer outcomes. Our relentless pursuit of doing right for our customers has been a crucial ingredient to our growth.

 

    Our financial model. We have developed a stable and predictable business model driven by efficient customer acquisition, high customer retention rates and increasing lifetime spend. In each of the five years ended December 31, 2014, our customer retention rate exceeded 85% and our retention rate for customers who had been with us for over three years was approximately 90%. We believe that the breadth and depth of our product offerings and the high quality and responsiveness of our Customer Care team build strong relationships with our customers and are key to our high level of customer retention.

 

    Our scale. We have achieved significant scale in our business which enables us to efficiently acquire new customers, serve our existing customers and continue to invest to support our growth.

 

    As of December 31, 2014, we had approximately 12.7 million customers, and in 2014, we added more than 1.1 million customers.

 

    In 2014, we generated $1.7 billion in total bookings up from $939 million in 2010, representing a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 16%.

 

    In 2014, we had $1.4 billion of revenue up from $741 million in 2010, representing a CAGR of 17%.

 

    In the five years ended December 31, 2014, we invested to support our growth with $976 million and $656 million in technology and development expenses and marketing and advertising expenses, respectively.

 

 

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Our Key Metrics

We generate bookings and revenue from sales of product subscriptions, including domain products, hosting and presence offerings and business applications. We use total bookings as a performance measure, given that we typically collect payment at the time of sale and recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. We believe total bookings is an indicator of the expected growth in our revenue and the operating performance of our business. We have two primary sales channels: our website and our Customer Care team. In 2014, we derived approximately 76% and 23% of our total bookings through our website and our Customer Care team, respectively. In 2014, 25% of our total bookings was attributable to customers outside of the United States.

 

LOGO

Our Strategy

We are pursuing the following principal strategies to drive our business:

 

    Expand and innovate our product offerings. Our product innovation priorities include:

 

    Deliver the next generation of naming. With over 280 million existing domains registered, it may be increasingly difficult for customers to find the name that best suits their needs. As a result, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, has authorized the introduction of more than 1,300 new generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, over the next several years. These newly introduced gTLDs include names that are geared toward professions (e.g. .photography), personal interests (e.g. .guru), geographies (e.g. .london, .nyc and .vegas) and just plain fun (e.g. .ninja). Additionally, we believe there is great potential in the emerging secondary market to match buyers to sellers who already own the domains. We are continuing to invest in search, discovery and recommendation tools and transfer protocols for the combined markets of primary and secondary domains.

 

    Power elegant and effortless presence. We will continue to invest in tools, templates and technology to make the process of building a professional looking mobile or desktop website simple and easy. Additionally, we are investing in products that help our customers drive their customer acquisition efforts (e.g. Get Found) by managing their presence across search engines, social networks and vertical marketplaces.

 

    Make the business of business easy. Our business applications range from domain-specific email to payment and bookkeeping tools and help our customers grow their ventures. We intend to continue investing in the breadth of our product offerings that help our customers connect with their customers and run their businesses.

 

 

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    Win the Web Pros. We are investing in our end-to-end web professional offerings ranging from open application programming interfaces, or APIs, to our platform, delegation products and administrative tools as well as dedicated Customer Care resources. Our acquisition of Media Temple, Inc., or Media Temple, further expanded our web professional offerings, bolstered our dedicated Customer Care team and extended our reach into the web professional community.

 

    Go global. As of December 31, 2014, approximately 28% of our customers were located in international markets, notably Canada, India and the United Kingdom. We began investing in the localization of our service offerings in markets outside of the United States in 2012 and, as of December 31, 2014, we offered localized products and Customer Care in 37 countries, 44 currencies and 17 languages. To support our international growth, we will continue investing to develop our local capabilities across products, marketing programs, data centers and Customer Care.

 

    Partner up. Our flexible platform also enables us to acquire companies and quickly launch new products for our customers, including the launch of a series of partnerships ranging from Microsoft Office 365 for email to PayPal for payments. We also acquired companies and technologies in 2013 and 2014 that bolstered our product offerings. We intend to continue identifying technology acquisition targets and partnership opportunities that add value for our customers.

 

    Make it personal. We are beginning to leverage data and insights to personalize the product and Customer Care experiences of our customers as well as tailor our solutions and marketing efforts to each of our customer groups. We are constantly seeking to improve our website, marketing programs and Customer Care to intelligently reflect where customers are in their lifecycle and identify their specific product needs. We intend to continue investing in our technology and data platforms to further enable our personalization efforts.

 

    Wrap it with Care. We believe that our highly-rated Customer Care team is distinctive and essential to the lifetime value proposition we offer our customers. We are continuing to invest in improving the quality of our Customer Care resources as well as to introduce improved tools and processes across our expanding global footprint.

Risks Affecting Us

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary and elsewhere in this prospectus. These risks represent challenges to the successful implementation of our strategy and to the growth and future profitability of our business. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

    our inability to attract and retain customers and increase sales to new and existing customers;

 

    our inability to successfully develop and market products that respond promptly to the needs of our customers;

 

    our failure to promote and maintain a strong brand;

 

    the occurrence of service interruptions and security or privacy breaches;

 

    system failures or capacity constraints;

 

    evolving technologies and resulting changes in customer behavior or practices;

 

    our failure to successfully or cost-effectively manage our marketing efforts and channels;

 

    our failure to provide high-quality Customer Care;

 

    significant competition; and

 

    the business risks of international operations.

 

 

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Summary of Offering Structure

As used in this prospectus, “existing owners” refers to the owners of Desert Newco, collectively, prior to the Reorganization Transactions, and “Continuing LLC Owners” refers to those existing owners who will retain their equity ownership in Desert Newco in the form of LLC Units after the Reorganization Transactions.

 

    This offering is being conducted through what is commonly referred to as an “Up-C” structure, which is often used by partnerships and limited liability companies when they decide to undertake an initial public offering.

 

    The Up-C structure allows existing owners of a partnership or limited liability company to continue to realize the tax benefits associated with their ownership in an entity that is treated as a partnership for income tax purposes following an initial public offering, and provides tax benefits and associated cash flow to both the issuer corporation in the initial public offering and the existing owners of the partnership or limited liability company.

 

    After the completion of this offering, we will operate and control the business affairs of Desert Newco as its sole managing member, conduct our business through Desert Newco and its subsidiaries and include Desert Newco in our consolidated financial statements.

 

    Investors in this offering will purchase shares of our Class A common stock.

 

    GoDaddy Inc. intends to use all of the proceeds from the sale of its Class A common stock in this offering to purchase, directly and indirectly through a wholly owned subsidiary, LLC Units from Desert Newco at a purchase price per unit equal to the initial public offering price per share of Class A common stock in this offering net of underwriting discounts and commissions. The aggregate number of LLC Units purchased will be equal to the number of shares of Class A common stock sold to the public in this offering.

 

    Generally, the existing owners of Desert Newco, including affiliates of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Bob Parsons, will continue to hold units with economic, non-voting interests in Desert Newco, or LLC Units, and will be issued a number of shares of our Class B common stock equal to the number of LLC Units held by them upon completion of this offering.

 

    As of December 31, 2014 and prior to the Reorganization Transactions, LLC Units were owned as follows:

 

    affiliates of KKR owned 36,008,011 LLC Units, or approximately 27.9% of the outstanding LLC Units;

 

    affiliates of Silver Lake owned 36,008,011 LLC Units, or approximately 27.9% of the outstanding LLC Units;

 

    affiliates of TCV owned 16,148,992 LLC Units, or approximately 12.5% of the outstanding LLC Units;

 

    affiliates of Mr. Parsons owned 36,058,011 LLC Units, or approximately 28.0% of the outstanding LLC Units; and

 

    other existing owners owned 4,779,975 LLC Units, or approximately 3.7% of the outstanding LLC Units.

 

    The Class A and Class B common stock will generally vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

 

    The Class B common stock will not be publicly traded and will not entitle its holders to receive dividends or distributions upon a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of GoDaddy Inc.

 

 

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    Continuing LLC Owners will have the right to exchange their LLC Units, together with the corresponding shares of Class B common stock (which will be cancelled in connection with the exchange) for shares of our Class A common stock pursuant to the terms of an exchange agreement to be entered into in connection with this offering, or the Exchange Agreement.

 

    In addition, LLC Units held by certain affiliates of KKR, Silver Lake and TCV will, prior to completion of this offering, be distributed to their affiliated corporate owners. These entities, which we refer to as the Blocker Companies, as described under “Organizational Structure,” will then merge separately with and into newly formed subsidiaries of GoDaddy Inc., and each of the surviving entities from such mergers will then merge with and into GoDaddy Inc. We refer to such transactions as the “Investor Corp Mergers.” Affiliates of the Blocker Companies, referred to as the Reorganization Parties, will receive a number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the number of LLC Units held by the Blocker Companies prior to the Investor Corp Mergers.

 

    As a result of these transactions and this offering (assuming certain of our affiliates do not purchase shares from us in this offering), upon completion of this offering:

 

    Our Class A common stock will be held as follows:

 

    22,000,000 shares (or 25,300,000 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) by investors in this offering; and

 

    38,824,171 shares by the Reorganization Parties.

 

    Our Class B common stock (together with the same amount of LLC Units) will be held as follows:

 

    90,397,599 shares and LLC Units by the Continuing LLC Owners.

 

    The combined voting power in GoDaddy Inc. will be as follows:

 

    14.5% for investors in this offering (or 16.4% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock);

 

    25.7% for the Reorganization Parties (or 25.1% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock); and

 

    59.8% for the Continuing LLC Owners (or 58.5% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock).

 

    Under various tax receivables agreements, or TRAs, to be entered into in connection with this offering, GoDaddy Inc. generally will retain approximately 15% of certain tax savings that are available to it under the tax rules applicable to the Up-C structure, and generally will be required to pay approximately 85% of such tax savings to the existing owners.

 

   

Our ability to make payments under the TRAs and to pay our own tax liabilities to taxing authorities will require that we receive distributions from Desert Newco. These tax distributions will include pro rata distributions to us and the other holders of LLC Units, including the Sponsors, calculated by reference to the taxable income of Desert Newco. Generally, these tax distributions will be computed based on an assumed income tax rate equal to the sum of (i) the maximum marginal federal income tax rate applicable to an individual (including, solely in the case of any current owner of The Go Daddy Group Inc., the 3.8% tax on net investment income to the extent such tax is applicable to Desert Newco income allocable to such owner) and (ii) 7%, which represents an assumed blended state income tax rate. As of December 31, 2014, this assumed income tax rate was 46.6% (which would increase to 50.4% with respect to a current owner of The Go Daddy Group Inc. if the tax on net investment income were to apply to all of its allocable share of income from Desert Newco). It is not expected that the tax on net investment income will apply to a significant portion of the income of Desert Newco allocable to current owners of The Go Daddy Group, Inc. Notwithstanding the potential differences, described above, in the assumed tax rate applicable in respect of different

 

 

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owners, Desert Newco will make tax distributions pro rata to LLC Unit ownership. In addition, under the tax rules, Desert Newco is required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its unit holders in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions will be determined based on the holder of LLC Units who is allocated the largest amount of taxable income on a per unit basis, but will be made pro rata based on ownership, Desert Newco will be required to make tax distributions that will likely exceed the actual tax liability incurred by many of the existing owners of Desert Newco in respect of their ownership of Desert Newco and that, in the aggregate, will likely exceed the amount of taxes that Desert Newco would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate applicable to current owners of The Go Daddy Group, Inc.

See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Organizational Structure,” “Organizational Structure” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

The diagram below depicts our organizational structure immediately following this offering assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock.

LOGO

 

 

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Corporate Background and Information

We were incorporated in Delaware on May 28, 2014. We are a newly formed corporation, have no material assets and have not engaged in any business or other activities except in connection with the Reorganization Transactions described under “Organizational Structure.” Our principal executive offices are located at 14455 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 and our telephone number is (480) 505-8800. Our website is www.godaddy.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider information on our website to be part of this prospectus.

GoDaddy, the GoDaddy design logo and other GoDaddy trademarks and service marks included in this prospectus are the property of GoDaddy Inc. This prospectus contains additional trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other companies.

 

 

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THE OFFERING

 

Class A common stock offered by us

22,000,000 shares.

Class A common stock to be outstanding after this offering


60,824,171 shares (or 151,221,770 shares if all then outstanding exchangeable LLC Units were exchanged for newly-issued shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis).

Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering


90,397,599 shares.

Voting power held by holders of Class A common stock after giving effect to this offering



40.2%

Voting power held by holders of Class B common stock after giving effect to this offering



59.8%

Option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock


We have granted the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days after the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an additional 3,300,000 shares of Class A common stock.

Use of proceeds

We estimate that the gross proceeds from the sale of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering will be approximately $396 million (or approximately $455 million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock), based upon an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

We intend to contribute approximately $25 million of these proceeds to GD Subsidiary Inc. and to use the remaining proceeds, and to cause GD Subsidiary Inc. to use the proceeds contributed to it, to purchase newly-issued LLC Units from Desert Newco, as described under “Organizational Structure—Reorganization Transactions.” We intend to cause Desert Newco to (i) pay the unpaid expenses of this offering payable by us, including the assumed underwriting discounts and commissions, which we estimate will be $33 million in the aggregate, (ii) make a final payment, which we estimate will be $26 million in the aggregate, to the Sponsors and TCV upon the termination of the transaction and monitoring fee agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering, (iii) make a payment of $3 million to Bob Parsons upon the termination of the executive chairman services agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering and (iv) make a payment of $315 million to repay the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest). Any remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. Our intended uses for general corporate purposes may include working capital, sales and marketing activities, solution and platform development, general

 

 

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and administrative matters, and capital expenditures, although we do not currently have any specific or preliminary plans with respect to the use of proceeds for such purposes. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Voting rights

Following the Reorganization Transactions, unit holders of Desert Newco (other than GoDaddy Inc. and GD Subsidiary Inc.) will hold one share of Class B common stock for each LLC Unit held by them. The shares of Class B common stock have no economic rights.

 

Each share of Class A common stock and Class B common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally.

 

Holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law. See “Description of Capital Stock.”

 

When LLC Units and a corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock are exchanged for Class A common stock by a holder of LLC units pursuant to the Exchange Agreement described below, such shares of Class B common stock will be cancelled.

Dividend policy

We do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

Immediately following this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will be a holding company, and either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiary GD Subsidiary Inc., its principal asset will be a controlling equity interest in Desert Newco. If GoDaddy Inc. decides to pay a dividend in the future, it would need to cause Desert Newco to make distributions to GoDaddy Inc. in an amount sufficient to cover such dividend. If Desert Newco makes such distributions to GoDaddy Inc., the other holders of LLC Units will be entitled to receive pro rata distributions.

 

Our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock is limited by our existing indebtedness, and may be further restricted by the terms of any future debt or preferred securities incurred or issued by us or our subsidiaries. See “Dividend Policy” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

Exchange agreement

Prior to this offering, we will enter into the Exchange Agreement with Continuing LLC Owners so that they may, subject to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, exchange their LLC Units, together with the corresponding shares of Class B common stock, for shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to customary conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, reclassifications and other similar transactions. When a LLC Unit, together with a share of our Class B common stock, is exchanged for a share of our Class A common stock, the corresponding share of our Class B common stock will be cancelled.

 

 

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Tax receivable agreements

Future exchanges of LLC Units, together with the corresponding shares of Class B common stock, for shares of our Class A common stock are expected to produce favorable tax attributes for us, as are the Investor Corp Mergers described under “Organizational Structure.” These tax attributes would not be available to us in the absence of those transactions. Upon the closing of this offering, we will be a party to five TRAs. Under these agreements, we generally expect to retain the benefit of approximately 15% of the applicable tax savings after our payment obligations below are taken into account.

 

Under the first of those agreements, we generally will be required to pay to Continuing LLC Owners approximately 85% of the applicable savings, if any, in income tax that we are deemed to realize (using the actual applicable U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and local income tax rate) as a result of:

 

•    certain tax attributes that are created as a result of the exchanges of their LLC Units, together with the corresponding shares of Class B common stock, for shares of our Class A common stock;

 

•    any existing tax attributes associated with their LLC Units the benefit of which is allocable to us as a result of the exchanges of their LLC Units, together with the corresponding shares of Class B common stock, for shares of our Class A common stock (including the portion of Desert Newco’s existing tax basis in its assets that is allocable to the LLC Units, together with the corresponding shares of Class B common stock, that are exchanged);

 

•    tax benefits related to imputed interest; and

 

•    payments under such TRA.

 

Under the other TRAs, we generally will be required to pay to each Reorganization Party described under “Organizational Structure” approximately 85% of the amount of savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax that we are deemed to realize (using the actual U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and local income tax rate) as a result of:

 

•    any existing tax attributes associated with LLC Units acquired in the applicable Investor Corp Merger the benefit of which is allocable to us as a result of such Investor Corp Merger (including the allocable share of Desert Newco’s existing tax basis in its assets);

 

•    net operating losses available as a result of the applicable Investor Corp Merger; and

 

•    tax benefits related to imputed interest.

 

For purposes of calculating the income tax savings we are deemed to realize under the TRAs, we will calculate the U.S. federal income tax savings using the actual applicable U.S. federal income tax rate and will calculate the state and local income tax savings using 5% for the assumed combined state

 

 

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and local tax rate, which represents an approximation of our combined state and local income tax rate, net of federal income tax benefits. See “Organizational Structure” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements.”

Controlled company

Upon the completion of this offering, affiliates of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Bob Parsons, our founder, will control approximately 82.1% of the combined voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” under the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards. Under these standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance standards. See “Management—Controlled Company.”

New York Stock Exchange trading symbol

“GDDY”

Risk factors

See “Risk Factors” for a discussion of risks you should carefully consider before investing in our Class A common stock.

Conflicts of interest

KKR Capital Markets LLC, an underwriter of this offering, is an affiliate of KKR, the investment adviser to certain of our existing owners. Because these existing owners will own more than 10% of our outstanding capital stock, a “conflict of interest” is deemed to exist under Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, Rule 5121(f)(5)(B). Accordingly, this offering is being made in compliance with the requirements of Rule 5121(a)(1)(A). Pursuant to that rule, the appointment of a “qualified independent underwriter” is not required in connection with this offering as the member primarily responsible for managing the public offering does not have a conflict of interest, is not an affiliate of any member that has a conflict of interest and meets the requirements of paragraph (f)(12)(E) of Rule 5121. In accordance with Rule 5121, KKR Capital Markets LLC will not sell any of our securities to a discretionary account without receiving written approval from the account holder.

Certain entities affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Bob Parsons, each a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our capital stock and an affiliate of a member of our board of directors, have indicated an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of $50 million of shares of our Class A common stock offered pursuant to this prospectus on a pro rata basis based on their existing ownership (assuming the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, 805,183, 805,183, 361,111 and 806,301 shares of our Class A common stock, respectively) directly from us at the initial public offering price. To the extent these affiliates purchase any such shares from us, the number of shares to be sold to the underwriters will accordingly be reduced. Because these indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, these affiliates may elect not to purchase shares in this offering. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting discounts or commissions from our sales of shares to these affiliates. Any shares purchased by such affiliates will be subject to lock-up restrictions described in the section entitled “Underwriters.”

 

 

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In this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated, the number of shares of our Class A common stock outstanding and the other information based thereon does not reflect:

 

    26,647,614 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of options to purchase LLC Units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2014, with a weighted-average exercise price of $8.27 per unit, that become exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock immediately following this offering;

 

    115,538 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase LLC Units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2014, with an exercise price of $7.44 per unit, that become exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock immediately following this offering;

 

    86,992 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units, or RSUs, with respect to LLC Units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2014;

 

    6,048,871 additional shares of Class A common stock, subject to increase on an annual basis, reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, which will become effective in connection with the completion of this offering, plus 4,193,132 shares of Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2011 Unit Incentive Plan, which shares will be added to the shares of Class A common stock to be reserved under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan upon its effectiveness;

 

    2,000,000 additional shares of Class A common stock, subject to increase on an annual basis, reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or our ESPP, which will become effective in connection with the completion of this offering; and

 

    90,397,599 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of the same number of LLC Units (together with the same number of shares of our Class B common stock) that will be held by certain of our existing owners immediately following this offering.

Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus assumes:

 

    a one-for-two reverse split of LLC Units, which became effective in March 2015;

 

    no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional 3,300,000 shares of Class A common stock from us in this offering; and

 

    no purchase of shares of our Class A common stock by certain of our affiliates in this offering. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Participation in our Initial Public Offering.”

 

 

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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following tables present our summary consolidated financial data. The consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2013 and 2014 is derived from Desert Newco’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary consolidated financial data presented below is not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. You should read the following summary consolidated financial data in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2012     2013     2014  
    (in thousands, except per share or per unit
data)
 

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

     

Total revenue

  $ 910,903      $ 1,130,845      $ 1,387,262   

Costs and operating expenses:

     

Cost of revenue

    430,299        473,868        518,382   

Technology and development

    175,406        207,941        254,440   

Marketing and advertising

    130,123        145,482        164,671   

Customer care

    132,582        150,932        190,503   

General and administrative

    106,377        143,980        168,383   

Depreciation and amortization

    138,620        140,567        152,759   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

  1,113,407      1,262,770      1,449,138   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

  (202,504   (131,925

 

 

 

(61,876

 

Interest expense

  (79,092   (70,978   (84,997

Other income (expense), net

  2,326      1,877   

 

 

 

744

 

  

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before taxes

  (279,270   (201,026

 

 

 

(146,129

 

Benefit (provision) for taxes

  218      1,142   

 

 

 

2,824

 

  

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

$ (279,052 $ (199,884

 

 

$

 

 

(143,305

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share or per unit

$ (2.21 $ (1.58

 

 

$

 

 

(1.11

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average common shares or units outstanding—basic and diluted

  126,098      126,663   

 

 

 

 

 

128,567

 

 

  

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share (unaudited)(1)

     

 

 

$

 

 

(0.82

 

 

     

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted-average common shares outstanding (unaudited)(2)

        56,303   
     

 

 

 

 

(1) Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share have been adjusted to reflect $28,682 of lower interest expense related to the repayment of the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest), using a portion of the proceeds of this offering as if such indebtedness had been repaid as of the beginning of the period.
(2) Pro forma weighted-average shares includes approximately 17.5 million shares of common stock to be issued in this offering, representing only those shares whose proceeds will be used to repay the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest), at an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The issuance of such shares is assumed to have occurred as of the beginning of the period.

 

 

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     As of December 31, 2014  
     Actual      Pro Forma
As  Adjusted(1)(2)
 
     (unaudited, in thousands,
except per share data)
 

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 138,968       $ 158,140   

Prepaid domain name registry fees

     425,651         425,651   

Property and equipment, net

     220,905         220,905   

Total assets

     3,264,805         3,276,936   

Deferred revenue

     1,252,512         1,252,512   

Long-term debt, including current portion

     1,418,922         1,126,364   

Total liabilities

     2,854,414         2,723,717   

Total members’/stockholders’ equity

     410,391         553,219   

 

(1) Pro forma as adjusted balance sheet data presents balance sheet data on a pro forma as adjusted basis for GoDaddy Inc. after giving effect to (i) the Reorganization Transactions described under “Organizational Structure,” (ii) the creation of certain tax assets in connection with this offering and the Reorganization Transactions, (iii) the creation of related liabilities in connection with entering into the TRAs with certain of our existing owners and (iv) the sale by us of 22.0 million shares of Class A common stock pursuant to this offering and the application of the proceeds from this offering as described in “Use of Proceeds,” based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.
(2) A $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price would increase or decrease, as applicable, cash and cash equivalents and total equity by approximately $20.7 million, assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions. Similarly, an increase or decrease of one million shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, cash and cash equivalents and total equity by approximately $16.9 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions.

Key Metrics

We monitor the following key metrics to help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets and assess operational performance. In addition to our results determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, we believe the following non-GAAP and operational measures are useful in evaluating our business:

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2012      2013      2014  
     (unaudited; in thousands, except ARPU)  

Total bookings

   $ 1,249,565       $ 1,397,936       $ 1,675,198   

Total customers at period end

     10,236         11,584         12,709   

Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the trailing 12 months ended

   $ 93       $ 104       $ 114   

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 173,875       $ 196,323       $ 271,497   

Total bookings. Total bookings represents gross cash receipts from the sale of products to customers in a given period before giving effect to certain adjustments, primarily net refunds granted in the period. Total bookings provides valuable insight into the sales of our products and the performance of our business given that we typically collect payment at the time of sale and recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. We report total bookings without giving effect to refunds granted in the period. Refunds often occur in periods different from the period of sale for reasons unrelated to the marketing efforts leading to the initial sale. Accordingly, by excluding net refunds, we believe total bookings reflects the effectiveness of our sales efforts in a given period.

 

 

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Total customers. We define total customers as those that, as of the end of a period, have an active subscription. A single user may be counted as a customer more than once if the user maintains active subscriptions in multiple accounts. Total customers is an indicator of the scale of our business and is a critical factor in our ability to increase our revenue base.

Average revenue per user (ARPU). We calculate average revenue per user, or ARPU, as total revenue during the preceding 12 month period divided by the average of the number of total customers at the beginning and end of the period. ARPU provides insight into our ability to sell additional products to customers, though the impact to date has been muted due to our continued growth in total customers. The impact of purchase accounting adjustments makes comparisons of ARPU among historical periods less meaningful; however, in future periods, as the effects of purchase accounting decrease, ARPU will become a more meaningful metric. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Impact of Purchase Accounting.”

Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of our performance that aligns our bookings and operating expenditures, and is the primary metric management uses to evaluate the profitability of our business. We calculate adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense (net), provision (benefit) for income taxes, equity-based compensation expense, change in deferred revenue, change in prepaid and accrued registry costs, acquisition and sponsor-related costs and a non-recurring reserve for sales taxes. Acquisition and sponsor-related costs include (i) retention and acquisition-specific employee costs, (ii) acquisition-related professional fees, (iii) adjustments to the fair value of contingent consideration, (iv) costs incurred under the transaction and monitoring fee agreement with the Sponsors and TCV, which will cease following a final payment in connection with the completion of this offering, (v) costs incurred under the executive chairman services agreement, which will cease following a payment in connection with the completion of this offering and (vi) costs associated with consulting services provided by KKR Capstone. As a result of our business model, we typically collect payment at the time of sale and generally recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. At the time of a domain sale, we also incur the obligation for the domain name registry fees associated with the customer contract. As a result, sales to customers increase our deferred revenue and prepaid and accrued registry costs. We therefore adjust net loss for changes in deferred revenue and changes in the associated prepaid and accrued registry costs to facilitate a better comparison of our performance from period to period.

See “Selected Consolidated Financial Data—Key Metrics” for more information and reconciliations of our key metrics to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

This offering and an investment in our Class A common stock involve a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below and all other information contained in this prospectus, before you decide to buy our Class A common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our Class A common stock would likely decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

If we are unable to attract and retain customers and increase sales to new and existing customers, our business and operating results would be harmed.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain customers and increase sales to new and existing customers. We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from domains and our hosting and presence products. The rate at which new and existing customers purchase and renew subscriptions to our products depends on a number of factors, including those outside of our control. Although our total customers and revenue have grown rapidly in recent periods, we cannot be assured that we will achieve similar growth rates in future periods. In future periods, our total customers and revenue could decline or grow more slowly than we expect. Our sales could fluctuate or decline as a result of lower demand for domain names, websites and related products, declines in our customers’ level of satisfaction with our products and our Customer Care, the timeliness and success of product enhancements and introductions by us and those of our competitors, the pricing offered by us and our competitors, the frequency and severity of any system outages, breaches and technological change. Our revenue has grown historically due in large part to sustained customer growth rates and strong renewal sales of subscriptions to our domain name registration and hosting and presence products. Our future success depends in part on maintaining strong renewal sales. Our costs associated with renewal sales are substantially lower than costs associated with generating revenue from new customers and costs associated with generating sales of additional products to existing customers. Therefore, a reduction in renewals, even if offset by an increase in other revenue, would reduce our operating margins in the near term. Any failure by us to continue to attract new customers or maintain strong renewal sales could have a material adverse effect on our business, growth prospects and operating results. In addition, we also offer business application products such as personalized email accounts and recently expanded our product offerings to include a wider array of these products. If we are unable to increase sales of these additional products to new and existing customers, our growth prospects may be harmed.

If we do not successfully develop and market products that anticipate or respond promptly to the needs of our customers, our business and operating results may suffer.

The markets in which we compete are characterized by constant change and innovation, and we expect them to continue to evolve rapidly. Our historical success has been based on our ability to identify and anticipate customer needs and design products that provide small businesses and ventures with the tools they need to create, manage and augment their digital identity. To the extent we are not able to continue to identify challenges faced by small businesses and ventures and provide products that respond in a timely and effective manner to their evolving needs, our business, operating results and financial condition will be adversely affected.

The process of developing new technology is complex and uncertain. If we fail to accurately predict customers’ changing needs or emerging technological trends, or if we fail to achieve the benefits expected from our investments in technology (including investments in our internal development efforts, acquisitions or partner programs), our business could be harmed. We must continue to commit significant resources to develop our technology in order to maintain our competitive position, and these commitments will be made without knowing whether such investments will result in products the market will accept. Our new products or product enhancements could fail to attain meaningful market acceptance for many reasons, including:

 

    delays in releasing new products or product enhancements, or those of companies we may acquire, to the market;

 

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    our failure to accurately predict market demand or customer preferences;

 

    defects, errors or failures in product design or performance;

 

    negative publicity about product performance or effectiveness;

 

    introduction of competing products (or the anticipation thereof) by other market participants;

 

    poor business conditions for our customers or poor general macroeconomic conditions;

 

    the perceived value of our products or product enhancements relative to their cost; and

 

    changing regulatory requirements adversely affecting the products we offer.

There is no assurance that we will successfully identify new opportunities, develop and bring new products to market on a timely basis, or that products and technologies developed by others will not render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results. If our new products or enhancements do not achieve adequate acceptance in the market, or if our new products do not result in increased sales or subscriptions, our competitive position will be impaired, our anticipated revenue growth may not be achieved and the negative impact on our operating results may be particularly acute because of the upfront technology and development, marketing and advertising and other expenses we may incur in connection with the new product or enhancement.

Our brand is integral to our success. If we fail to effectively protect or promote our brand, our business and competitive position may be harmed.

Effectively protecting and maintaining awareness of our brand is important to our success, particularly as we seek to attract new customers globally. We have invested, and expect to continue to invest, substantial resources to increase our brand awareness, both generally and in specific geographies and to specific customer groups, such as web professionals, or Web Pros. There can be no assurance that our brand development strategies will enhance the recognition of our brand or lead to increased sales. Furthermore, our international branding efforts may prove unsuccessful due to language barriers and cultural differences. If our efforts to effectively protect and promote our brand are not successful, our operating results may be adversely affected. In addition, even if our brand recognition and loyalty increases, our revenue may not increase at a level that is commensurate with our marketing spend.

Our brand campaigns have historically included high-visibility events, such as the Super Bowl, and have involved celebrity endorsements or provocative themes. Some of our past advertisements have been controversial. During 2013 and 2014, we began re-orienting our brand position to focus more specifically on how we help individuals start, grow and run their own ventures. For example, one of our 2014 Super Bowl commercials featured one of our customers leaving her job as an operating engineer to pursue her dream of opening her own business. There can be no assurance that we will succeed in repositioning our brand, or that by doing so we will grow our total customers, increase our revenue or maintain our current high level of brand recognition. If we fail in these branding efforts, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

A security breach or network attack could delay or interrupt service to our customers, harm our reputation or subject us to significant liability.

Our operations depend on our ability to protect our network and systems against interruption or damage from unauthorized entry, computer viruses, denial of service attacks and other security threats beyond our control. In addition, from time to time, we may suspend a customer’s domain name when certain activity on their site breaches our terms of service (for example, phishing or resource misuse) or harms other customers’ websites that share the same resources. We regularly experience denial or disruption of service, or DDOS, attacks by hackers aimed at disrupting service to our customers and placing illegal or abusive content on our or our customers’ websites, and we may be subject to DDOS attacks or content abuse in the future. We may also

 

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suspend a customer’s website if it is repeatedly targeted by DDOS attacks that disrupt other customers’ websites or servers or otherwise impacts our infrastructure. We cannot guarantee that our backup systems, regular data backups, security protocols, network protection mechanisms and other procedures currently in place, or that may be in place in the future, will be adequate to prevent network and service interruption, system failure, damage to one or more of our systems or data loss. Also, our products are cloud-based, and the amount of data we store for our customers on our servers has been increasing as our business has grown. Despite the implementation of security measures, our infrastructure may be vulnerable to computer viruses, worms, other malicious software programs, illegal or abusive content or similar disruptive problems caused by our customers, employees, consultants or other Internet users who attempt to invade or disrupt public and private data networks. Any actual or perceived breach of our security could damage our reputation and brand, expose us to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, require us to expend significant capital and other resources to alleviate problems caused by the breach, and deter customers from using our products, any of which would harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

If the security of the confidential information or personally identifiable information we maintain, including that of our customers and the visitors to our customers’ websites stored in our systems, is breached or otherwise subjected to unauthorized access, our reputation may be harmed and we may be exposed to liability.

Our business involves the storage and transmission of confidential information, including personally identifiable information. We take steps to protect the security, integrity and confidentiality of the personal information and other sensitive information, including payment card information, that we collect, store or transmit, but cannot guarantee that inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure will not occur or that third parties will not gain unauthorized access to this information despite our efforts. If third parties succeed in penetrating our network security or that of our vendors and partners, or in otherwise accessing or obtaining without authorization the payment card information or other sensitive or confidential information that we or our vendors and partners maintain, we could be subject to liability. Hackers or individuals who attempt to breach our network security or that of our vendors and partners could, if successful, cause the unauthorized disclosure, misuse, or loss of personally identifiable information or other confidential information, including payment card information, suspend our web-hosting operations or cause malfunctions or interruptions in our networks.

If we or our partners experience any breaches of our network security or sabotage, or otherwise suffer unauthorized use or disclosure of, or access to, personally identifiable information or other confidential information, including payment card information, we might be required to expend significant capital and resources to protect against or address these problems. We may not be able to remedy any problems caused by hackers or other similar actors in a timely manner, or at all. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until after they are launched against a target, we and our vendors and partners may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Advances in computer capabilities, discoveries of new weaknesses and other developments with software generally used by the Internet community, such as the recently discovered Heartbleed vulnerability, which is a vulnerability in Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, or the Shellshock vulnerability in the Bash shell, also increase the risk that we will suffer a security breach. We and our partners also may suffer security breaches or unauthorized access to personally identifiable information and other confidential information, including payment card information, due to employee error, rogue employee activity, unauthorized access by third parties acting with malicious intent or who commit an inadvertent mistake or social engineering. If an actual or perceived breach of our security occurs, the perception of the effectiveness of our security measures and our reputation could be harmed and we could lose current and potential customers.

Security breaches or other unauthorized access to personally identifiable information and other confidential information, including payment card information, could result in claims against us for unauthorized purchases with payment card information, identity theft or other similar fraud claims as well as for other misuses of personally identifiable information, including for unauthorized marketing purposes, which could result in a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. Moreover, these claims could cause us to incur

 

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penalties from payment card associations (including those resulting from our failure to adhere to industry data security standards), termination by payment card associations of our ability to accept credit or debit card payments, litigation and adverse publicity, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We are exposed to the risk of system failures and capacity constraints.

We have experienced, and may in the future experience, system failures and outages that disrupt the operation of our websites or our products such as web-hosting and email, or the availability of our Customer Care operations. For example, certain of our customers experienced a service outage in September 2012, which led to our granting of $10.4 million of service disruption credits to certain customers. Our revenue depends in large part on the volume of traffic to our websites, the number of customers whose websites we host on our servers and the availability of our Customer Care operations. Accordingly, the performance, reliability and availability of our websites and servers for our corporate operations and infrastructure, as well as in the delivery of products to customers, are critical to our reputation and our ability to attract and retain customers.

We are continually working to expand and enhance our website features, technology and network infrastructure and other technologies to accommodate substantial increases in the volume of traffic on our godaddy.com and affiliated websites, the number of customer websites we host and our overall total customers. We may be unsuccessful in these efforts, or we may be unable to project accurately the rate or timing of these increases. In the future, we may be required to allocate resources, including spending substantial amounts, to build, purchase or lease data centers and equipment and upgrade our technology and network infrastructure in order to handle increased customer traffic, as well as increased traffic to customer websites that we host. We cannot predict whether we will be able to add network capacity from third-party suppliers or otherwise as we require it. In addition, our network or our suppliers’ networks might be unable to achieve or maintain data transmission capacity high enough to process orders or download data effectively in a timely manner. Our failure, or our suppliers’ failure, to achieve or maintain high data transmission capacity could significantly reduce consumer demand for our products. Such reduced demand and resulting loss of traffic, cost increases, or failure to accommodate new technologies could harm our business, revenue and financial condition.

Our systems, including those of our data centers and Customer Care operations, are also vulnerable to damage from fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, physical and electronic break-ins and similar events. The property and business interruption insurance coverage we carry may not be adequate to compensate us fully for losses that may occur.

Evolving technologies and resulting changes in customer behavior or customer practices may impact the value of and demand for domain names.

Historically, Internet users would typically navigate to a website by directly typing its domain name into a web browser or navigation bar. The domain name serves as a branded, unique identifier not unlike a phone number or email address. People now use multiple methods in addition to direct navigation to access websites. For example, people increasingly use search engines to find and access websites as an alternative to typing a website address directly into a web browser navigation bar. People are also using social networking and microblogging sites more frequently to find and access websites. Further, as people continue to access the Internet more frequently through applications on mobile devices, domain names become less prominent and their value may decline. These evolving technologies and changes in customer behavior may have an adverse effect on our business and prospects.

We rely on our marketing efforts and channels to promote our brand and acquire new customers. These efforts may require significant expense and may not be successful or cost-effective.

We use a variety of marketing channels to promote our brand, including online keyword search, sponsorships and celebrity endorsements, television, radio and print advertising, email and social media

 

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marketing. If we lose access to one or more of these channels, such as online keyword search, because the costs of advertising become prohibitively expensive or for other reasons, we may become unable to promote our brand effectively, which could limit our ability to grow our business. Further, if our marketing activities fail to generate traffic to our website, attract customers and lead to new and renewal sales of our subscriptions at the levels that we anticipate, our business and operating results would be adversely affected. There can be no assurance that our marketing efforts will succeed or be cost-efficient, and if our customer acquisition costs increase, our business, operating results and financial performance could be adversely affected.

Our ability to increase sales of our products is highly dependent on the quality of our Customer Care. Our failure to provide high-quality Customer Care would have an adverse effect on our business, brand and operating results.

Our Customer Care team has historically contributed significantly to our total bookings. In 2014, we generated approximately 23% of our total bookings from sales that originated through our Customer Care team.

The majority of our current offerings are designed for customers who often self-identify as having limited to no technology skills. Our customers depend on our Customer Care to assist them as they create, manage and grow their digital identities. After launching their sites and leveraging our product offerings, customers depend on our Customer Care team to quickly resolve any issues relating to those offerings. Notwithstanding our commitment to Customer Care, our customers will occasionally encounter interruptions in service and other technical challenges and it is therefore critical that we are there to provide ongoing, high-quality support to help ensure high renewal rates and cross-selling of our products. Additionally, we recently expanded our focus to include Web Pros and are also expanding into non-U.S. markets. We must continue to refine our efforts in Customer Care so that we can adequately serve these customer groups as we expand.

If we do not provide effective ongoing Customer Care, our ability to sell our products to new and existing customers could be harmed, our subscription renewal rates may decline and our reputation may suffer, any of which could adversely affect our business, reputation and operating results.

We face significant competition for our products in the domain name registration and web-hosting markets and other markets in which we compete, which we expect will continue to intensify, and we may not be able to maintain or improve our competitive position or market share.

We provide cloud-based solutions that enable individuals, businesses and organizations to establish an online presence, connect with customers and manage their ventures. The market for providing these solutions is highly fragmented with some vendors providing part of the solution and highly competitive with many existing competitors. These solutions are also rapidly evolving, creating opportunity for new competitors to enter the market addressing specific solutions or segments of the market. In some instances, we have commercial partnerships with companies with whom we also compete. Given our broad product portfolio, we compete with niche point-solution products and broader solution providers. Our competitors include providers of traditional domain registration services and web-hosting solutions, website creation and management solutions, e-commerce enablement providers, cloud computing service and online security providers, alternative web presence and marketing solutions providers and providers of productivity tools such as business-class email.

We expect competition to increase in the future from competitors in the domain and hosting and presence markets, such as Endurance, United Internet, Web.com and Rightside, as well as competition from companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, all of which are providers of web-hosting and other cloud-based services and have recently entered the domain name registration business as upstream registries, and eBay and Facebook, both of which offer robust Internet marketing platforms. Google recently launched a beta version of its new Google Domains service, whereby it intends to sell domain name registration services to third-parties. Some of our current and potential competitors have greater resources, more brand recognition and consumer awareness, more diversified product offerings, greater international scope and larger customer bases than we do, and we may

 

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therefore not be able to effectively compete with them. If these competitors and potential competitors decide to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of products in the markets in which we compete, or if the products offered by these companies are more attractive to or better meet the evolving needs of our customers, our market share, growth prospects and operating results may be adversely affected.

In addition, in an attempt to gain market share, competitors may offer aggressive price discounts or alternative pricing models on the products they offer, such as so-called “freemium” pricing in which a basic offering is provided for free with advanced features provided for a fee, or increase commissions paid to their referral sources. As a result, increased competition could result in lower sales, price reductions, reduced margins and the loss of market share.

Furthermore, conditions in our market could change rapidly and significantly as a result of technological advancements, partnering by our competitors or continuing market consolidation. New start-up companies that innovate and large competitors that are making significant investments in technology and development may invent similar or superior products and technologies that compete with our products and technology. Our current and potential competitors may also establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their ability to compete. The continued entry of competitors into the domain name registration and web-hosting markets, and the rapid growth of some competitors that have already entered each market, may make it difficult for us to maintain our market position. Our ability to compete will depend upon our ability to provide a better product than our competitors at a competitive price and supported by superior Customer Care. To remain competitive, we may be required to make substantial additional investments in research, development, marketing and sales in order to respond to competition, and there can be no assurance that these investments will achieve any returns for us or that we will be able to compete successfully in the future.

The future growth of our business depends in significant part on increasing our international bookings. Our recent and continuing international expansion efforts subject us to additional risks.

Bookings outside of the United States represented 22%, 24% and 25% of our totals for 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. In 2012, we began the process of localizing our products in numerous markets, languages and currencies, expanding our systems to accept payments in forms that are common outside of the United States, focusing our marketing efforts in numerous non-U.S. geographies, tailoring our Customer Care offerings to serve these markets, expanding our infrastructure in various non-U.S. locations and establishing Customer Care operations in overseas locations. We intend to continue our international expansion efforts. As a result, we must continue to hire and train experienced personnel to staff and manage our international expansion. Our international expansion efforts may be slow or unsuccessful to the extent that we experience difficulties in recruiting, training, managing and retaining qualified personnel with international experience, language skills and cultural competencies in the geographic markets we target. Furthermore, as we continue to expand internationally, it may prove difficult to maintain our corporate culture, which we believe has been critical to our success. In addition, we have limited experience operating in foreign jurisdictions. Conducting and expanding international operations subjects us to new risks that we have not generally faced in the United States, including the following:

 

    management, communication and integration problems resulting from language barriers, cultural differences and geographic dispersion of our customers and personnel;

 

    the success of our efforts to localize and adapt our products for specific countries, including language translation of, and associated Customer Care support for, our products;

 

    compliance with foreign laws, including laws regarding online disclaimers, advertising, liability of online service providers for activities of customers especially with respect to hosted content and more stringent laws in foreign jurisdictions relating to consumer privacy and protection of data collected from individuals and other third parties;

 

    accreditation and other regulatory requirements to provide domain name registration, web-hosting and other products in foreign jurisdictions;

 

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    greater difficulty in enforcing contracts, including our universal terms of service and other agreements;

 

    increased expenses incurred in establishing and maintaining office space and equipment for our international operations;

 

    greater costs and expenses associated with international marketing and operations;

 

    greater risk of unexpected changes in regulatory practices, tariffs and tax laws and treaties;

 

    different or lesser degrees of protection for our or our customers’ intellectual property and free speech rights in certain countries;

 

    increased exposure to foreign currency risks;

 

    increased risk of a failure of employees to comply with both U.S. and foreign laws, including export and antitrust regulations, anti-bribery regulations and any trade regulations ensuring fair trade practices;

 

    heightened risk of unfair or corrupt business practices in certain geographies;

 

    the potential for political, social or economic unrest, terrorism, hostilities or war; and

 

    multiple and possibly overlapping tax regimes.

In addition, the expansion of our existing international operations and entry into additional international markets has required and will continue to require significant management attention and financial resources. We may also face pressure to lower our prices in order to compete in emerging markets, which could adversely affect revenue derived from our international operations. These and other factors associated with our international operations could impair our growth prospects and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Mobile devices are increasingly being used to access the Internet, and our cloud-based and mobile support products may not operate or be as effective when accessed through these devices, which could harm our business.

We offer our products across a variety of operating systems and through the Internet. Historically, we designed our web-based products for use on a desktop or laptop computer; however, mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are increasingly being used as the primary means for accessing the Internet and conducting e-commerce. We are dependent on the interoperability of our products with third-party mobile devices and mobile operating systems, as well as web browsers that we do not control. Any changes in such devices, systems or web browsers that degrade the functionality of our products or give preferential treatment to competitive products could adversely affect usage of our products. In addition, because a growing number of our customers access our products through mobile devices, we are dependent on the interoperability of our products with mobile devices and operating systems. In 2013, we acquired M.dot Inc., or M.dot, a leading mobile application for small business website creation and management that helps customers leverage mobile e-commerce services. Improving mobile functionality is integral to our long-term product development and growth strategy. In the event that our customers have difficulty accessing and using our products on mobile devices, our customer growth, business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We have made significant investments in recent periods to support our growth strategy. These investments may not succeed. If we do not effectively manage future growth, our operating results will be adversely affected.

We continue to increase the breadth and scope of our product offerings and operations. To support future growth, we must continue to improve our information technology and financial infrastructure, operating and administrative systems and ability to effectively manage headcount, capital and processes. We must also continue to increase the productivity of our existing employees and hire, train and manage new employees as needed while

 

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maintaining our unique corporate culture. If we fail to manage our growth or change in a manner that fails to preserve the key aspects of our corporate culture, the quality of our platform, products and Customer Care may suffer, which could negatively affect our brand and reputation and harm our ability to retain and attract customers and employees.

We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses relating to our investments in international operations and infrastructure, such as the expansion of our marketing presence in India, Europe and Latin America; our targeted marketing spending to attract new customer groups, such as Web Pros and customers in non-U.S. markets; and investments in software systems and additional data center resources to keep pace with the growth of our cloud infrastructure and cloud-based product offerings. In 2013 and 2014, we made significant investments in product development, corporate infrastructure and technology and development, and we intend to continue investing in the development of our products and infrastructure and our marketing and Customer Care teams.

We are likely to recognize the costs associated with these investments earlier than some of the anticipated benefits, and the return on these investments may be lower or may develop more slowly than we expect. If we do not achieve the benefits anticipated from these investments, or if the achievement of these benefits is delayed, our operating results may be adversely affected.

We have experienced rapid growth over the last several years, which has placed a strain on our management, administrative, operational and financial infrastructure. The scalability and flexibility of our infrastructure depends on the functionality and bandwidth of our data centers, peering sites and servers. The significant growth in our total customers and the increase in the number of transactions that we process have increased the amount of our stored customer data. Any loss of data or disruption in our ability to provide our product offerings due to disruptions in our infrastructure could result in harm to our brand or reputation. Moreover, as our customer base continues to grow and uses our platform for more complicated tasks, we will need to devote additional resources to improve our infrastructure and continue to enhance its scalability and security. If we do not manage the growth of our business and operations effectively, the quality of our platform and efficiency of our operations could suffer, which could harm our results of operations and business.

We are in the process of evaluating new enterprise resource planning systems and are likely to select and implement a new system prior to the end of 2017. However, we may experience difficulties in managing improvements to our systems and processes or in connection with third-party software, which could disrupt our operations and the management of our finances. Our failure to improve our systems and processes, or their failure to operate in the intended manner, may result in our inability to manage the growth of our business and to accurately forecast and report our results.

We may acquire other businesses or talent, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our operating results.

As part of our business strategy, we have in the past made, and may in the future make, acquisitions or investments in companies, talent, products and technologies that we believe will complement our business and address the needs of our customers. With respect to our most recent acquisitions, we cannot ensure that we will be able to successfully integrate the acquired products, talent and technology or benefit from increased subscriptions and revenue. For example, we may be unsuccessful in capturing the Web Pro market or in helping our customers attract new customers to their businesses from sites like Google, Yahoo!, Facebook and Yelp, which were key considerations behind the acquisitions of Media Temple and Locu, Inc., or Locu. In the future, we may not be able to find suitable acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to complete such acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. If we do complete acquisitions, we may be unsuccessful in achieving the anticipated benefits of the acquisition and may fail to integrate the acquired business and operations effectively. In addition, any future acquisitions we complete could be viewed negatively by our customers, investors and industry analysts.

 

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We may have to pay cash, incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for future acquisitions, each of which could adversely affect our financial condition or the value of our Class A common stock. Equity issuances in connection with potential future acquisitions may also result in dilution to our stockholders. In addition, our future operating results may be impacted by performance earnouts or contingent bonuses. Furthermore, acquisitions may involve contingent liabilities, adverse tax consequences, additional equity-based compensation expense, adjustments for fair value of deferred revenue, the recording and subsequent amortization of amounts related to certain purchased intangible assets and, if unsuccessful, impairment charges resulting from the write-off of goodwill or other intangible assets associated with the acquisition, any of which could negatively impact our future results of operations.

In addition, if we are unsuccessful at integrating such acquisitions, or the operations or technologies associated with such acquisitions, into our company, the revenue and operating results of the combined company could be adversely affected. We may fail to identify all of the problems, liabilities or other shortcomings or challenges of an acquired company, including issues related to intellectual property, solution quality or architecture, regulatory compliance practices and customer or sales channel issues. Any integration process may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and require significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully. In particular, we may encounter difficulties assimilating or integrating the companies, solutions, technologies, accounting systems, personnel or operations we acquire, particularly if the key personnel are geographically dispersed or choose not to work for us. We may also experience difficulty in effectively integrating or preserving the different cultures and practices of the companies we acquire. Acquisitions may also disrupt our core business, divert our resources and require significant management attention that would otherwise be available for development of our business. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired technology, intellectual property or personnel, or accurately forecast the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges. If we fail to properly evaluate, execute or integrate acquisitions or investments, the anticipated benefits may not be realized, we may be exposed to unknown or unanticipated liabilities, and our business and prospects could be harmed.

If the rate of growth of small businesses and ventures is significantly lower than our estimates or if demand for our products does not meet expectations, our ability to generate revenue and meet our financial targets could be adversely affected.

Although we expect continued demand from small businesses and ventures for our products, it is possible that the rate of growth may not meet our expectations, or the market may not grow at all, either of which would adversely affect our business. Our expectations for future revenue growth are based in part on assumptions reflecting our industry knowledge and experience serving small businesses and ventures, as well as our assumptions regarding demographic shifts, growth in the availability and capacity of Internet infrastructure internationally and the general economic climate. If any of these assumptions proves to be inaccurate, our revenue growth could be significantly lower than expected.

Our ability to compete successfully depends on our ability to offer an integrated and comprehensive suite of products that enable our diverse base of customers to start, grow and run their businesses. The success of our domains, hosting, presence and business application offerings is predicated on the assumption that an online presence is, and will continue to be, an important factor in our customers’ abilities to establish, expand and manage their businesses quickly, easily and affordably. If we are incorrect in this assumption, for example due to the introduction of a new technology or industry standard that supersedes the importance of an online presence or renders our existing or future products obsolete, then our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers could be adversely affected, which could harm our ability to generate revenue and meet our financial targets.

 

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We rely on search engines to attract a meaningful portion of our customers. If search engines change their search algorithms or policies regarding advertising, increase their pricing or suffer problems, our ability to attract new customers may be impaired.

Many of our customers locate our website and products through Internet search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. The prominence of our website in response to search inquiries is a critical factor in attracting potential customers to our websites. If we are listed less prominently or fail to appear in search results for any reason, visits to our websites by customers and potential customers could decline significantly, and we may not be able to replace this traffic. Search engines revise their algorithms from time to time in an attempt to optimize their search results. If search engines on which we rely for algorithmic listings modify their algorithms, our websites may appear less prominently or not at all in search results, which could result in reduced traffic to our websites. Additionally, if the costs of search engine marketing services, such as Google AdWords, increase, we may incur additional marketing expenses or be required to allocate a larger portion of our marketing spend to this channel and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

Furthermore, competitors may in the future bid on our brand names and other search terms that we use to drive traffic to our websites. Such actions could increase our advertising costs and result in decreased traffic to our websites. In addition, search engines or social networking sites may change their advertising policies from time to time. If any change to these policies delays or prevents us from advertising through these channels, it could result in reduced traffic to our website and sales of our subscriptions.

If we are unable to increase sales of our products to Web Pros, our business, growth prospects and operating results will be adversely affected.

Historically, our business has been focused on serving individuals who are thinking about starting a business to small businesses and ventures that are up and running but need help growing and expanding their digital capabilities. As a result, our products were less suited to the needs of more technically skilled individuals or web developers and other Web Pros. Furthermore, we did not target Web Pros with our marketing activities or provide Customer Care resources that were tailored to this customer group. We recently expanded our customer focus to include Web Pros in order to increase our total customers and grow our revenue. In October 2013, we acquired Media Temple, a premium provider of web-hosting and other premium products specifically geared towards Web Pros. We are also working to tailor our marketing efforts to, and build dedicated Customer Care resources for, Web Pros. If we are unable to develop products and provide Customer Care that address the needs of Web Pros, successfully target them with our marketing efforts or successfully leverage the Media Temple brand to capture a greater portion of the Web Pros market, our business, growth prospects and operating results could be adversely affected.

We maintain a network of different types of partners, some of which create integrations with our products. For example, we partnered with Microsoft Corporation to offer Office 365 email and other productivity tools to our customers and SiteLock, LLC, or SiteLock, to offer website security products to our customers, and we have worked to make certain of our products interoperable with services such as Yelp. We have invested and will continue to invest in partner programs to provide new product offerings to our customers and help us attract additional customers. However, our relationships with our partners may not be as successful in generating new customers as we anticipate, which could adversely affect our ability to increase our total customers. Further, these programs could require substantial investment while providing no assurance of return or incremental revenue. We also rely on some of our partners to create integrations with third-party applications and platforms used by our customers, such as Office 365 and SiteLock. If our partners fail to create such integrations, or if they change the features of their applications or alter the terms governing use of their applications in an adverse manner, demand for our products could decrease, which would harm our business and operating results. If we are unable to maintain our contractual relationships with existing partners or establish new contractual relationships with potential partners, we may not be able to offer the products and related functionality that our customers expect, and we may experience delays and increased costs in adding customers and may lose customers, which

 

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could have a material adverse effect on us. Any ineffectiveness of our partner programs could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our quarterly and annual operating results may be adversely affected due to a variety of factors, which could make our future results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below investor or analyst expectations.

Our quarterly and annual operating results and key metrics have varied from period to period in the past, and we expect that they may continue to fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including:

 

    our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers;

 

    the timing and success of introductions of new products;

 

    changes in the growth rate of small businesses and ventures;

 

    changes in renewal rates for our subscriptions and our ability to sell additional products to existing customers;

 

    refunds to our customers could be higher than expected;

 

    the timing of revenue recognition relative to the recording of the related expense;

 

    any negative publicity or other actions which harm our brand;

 

    the timing of our marketing expenditures;

 

    the mix of products sold;

 

    our ability to maintain a high level of personalized Customer Care and resulting customer satisfaction;

 

    competition in the market for our products;

 

    our ability to expand internationally;

 

    changes in foreign currency exchange rates;

 

    rapid technological change, frequent new product introductions and evolving industry standards;

 

    systems, data center and Internet failures, breaches and service interruptions;

 

    changes in U.S. or foreign regulations that could impact one or more of our product offerings or changes to regulatory bodies, such as ICANN, as well as increased regulation by governments or multi-governmental organizations, such as the International Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations or the European Union, that could affect our business and our industry;

 

    a delay in the authorization of new top-level domains, or TLDs, by ICANN or our ability to successfully on-board new TLDs which would impact the breadth of our customer offerings;

 

    shortcomings in, or misinterpretations of, our metrics and data which cause us to fail to anticipate or identify market trends;

 

    terminations of, disputes with, or material changes to our relationships with third-party partners, including referral sources, product partners and payment processors;

 

    reductions in the selling prices for our products;

 

    costs and integration issues associated with any acquisitions that we may make;

 

    changes in legislation that affect our collection of sales and use taxes both in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions;

 

    threatened or actual litigation; and

 

    loss of key employees.

 

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Any one of the factors above, or the cumulative effect of some of the factors referred to above, may result in significant fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results, including fluctuations in our key financial and operating metrics. This variability and unpredictability could result in our failing to meet our revenue, bookings or operating results expectations or those of securities analysts or investors for any period. In addition, a significant percentage of our operating expenses are fixed in nature and based on forecasted revenue and bookings trends. Accordingly, in the event of revenue or bookings shortfalls, we are generally unable to mitigate the negative impact on operating results in the short term. If we fail to meet or exceed such expectations for these or any other reasons, our business and stock price could be materially and adversely affected and we could face costly lawsuits, including securities class action suits.

We have a history of operating losses and may not be able to achieve profitability in the future.

We had net losses on a GAAP basis of $279 million, $200 million and $143 million in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. While we have experienced revenue growth over these same periods, we may not be able to sustain or increase our growth or achieve profitability in the future or on a consistent basis. We have incurred substantial expenses and expended significant resources upfront to market, promote and sell our products. We also expect to continue to invest for future growth. In addition, as a public company, we expect to incur significant accounting, legal and other expenses that we have not incurred to date as a private company.

As a result of our increased expenditures, we will have to generate and sustain increased revenue to achieve future profitability. Achieving profitability will require us to increase revenues, manage our cost structure and avoid significant liabilities. Revenue growth may slow or decline, or we may incur significant losses in the future for a number of possible reasons, including general macroeconomic conditions, increased competition, a decrease in the growth of the markets in which we operate, or if we fail for any reason to continue to capitalize on growth opportunities. Additionally, we may encounter unforeseen operating expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may result in losses in future periods. If these losses exceed our expectations or our revenue growth expectations are not met in future periods, our financial performance will be harmed, and our stock price could be volatile or decline.

We may need additional equity, debt or other financing in the future, which we may not be able to obtain on acceptable terms, or at all, and any additional financing may result in restrictions on our operations or substantial dilution to our stockholders.

We may need to raise funds in the future, for example, to develop new technologies, expand our business, respond to competitive pressures and make acquisitions. We may try to raise additional funds through public or private financings, strategic relationships or other arrangements. Although our credit agreement limits our ability to incur additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions and may be amended with the consent of our lenders. Accordingly, under certain circumstances, we may incur substantial additional debt.

Our ability to obtain debt or equity funding will depend on a number of factors, including market conditions, interest rates, our operating performance and investor interest. Additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to reduce expenditures, including curtailing our growth strategies, foregoing acquisitions or reducing our product development efforts. If we succeed in raising additional funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities, then existing stockholders could experience substantial dilution. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of debt securities or preferred stock, these new securities would have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the holders of our Class A common stock. In addition, any such issuance could subject us to restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Further, to the extent that we incur additional indebtedness or such other obligations, the risks associated with our substantial leverage described elsewhere in this prospectus, including our possible inability to service our debt, would increase.

 

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Because we are required to recognize revenue for our products over the term of the applicable agreement, changes in our sales may not be immediately reflected in our operating results.

We recognize revenue from our customers ratably over the respective terms of their subscriptions in accordance with GAAP. Our subscription terms are typically one year but can range from monthly terms to multi-annual terms of up to 10 years depending on the product. Accordingly, increases in sales during a particular period do not translate into immediate, proportional increases in revenue during that period, and a substantial portion of the revenue that we recognize during a quarter is derived from deferred revenue from customer subscriptions that we entered into during previous quarters. As a result, our margins may suffer despite substantial sales activity during a particular period, since GAAP does not permit us to recognize all of the revenue from these sales immediately. Conversely, the existence of substantial deferred revenue may prevent deteriorating sales activity from becoming immediately observable in our consolidated statement of operations.

In addition, we may not be able to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected bookings shortfall, and any significant shortfall in bookings relative to planned expenditures could negatively impact our business and results of operations.

Our failure to properly register or maintain our customers’ domain names could subject us to additional expenses, claims of loss or negative publicity that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

System and process failures related to our domain name registration product may result in inaccurate and incomplete information in our domain name database. Despite testing, system and process failures may remain undetected or unknown, which could result in compromised customer data, loss of or delay in revenues, failure to achieve market acceptance, injury to our reputation or increased product costs, any of which could harm our business. Furthermore, the requirements for securing and renewing domain names vary from registry to registry and are subject to change. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to readily adopt and comply with the various registry requirements. Our failure or inability to properly register or maintain our customers’ domain names, even if we are not at fault, might result in significant expenses and subject us to claims of loss or to negative publicity, which could harm our business, brand and operating results.

We rely heavily on the reliability, security and performance of our internally developed systems and operations. Any difficulties in maintaining these systems may result in damage to our brand, service interruptions, decreased customer service or increased expenditures.

The reliability and continuous availability of the software, hardware and workflow processes that underlie our internal systems, networks and infrastructure and the ability to deliver our products are critical to our business, and any interruptions that result in our inability to timely deliver our products or Customer Care, or that materially impact the efficiency or cost with which we provide our products and Customer Care, would harm our brand, profitability and ability to conduct business. In addition, many of the software and other systems we currently use will need to be enhanced over time or replaced with equivalent commercial products or services, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Enhancing or replacing our systems, networks or infrastructure could entail considerable effort and expense. If we fail to develop and execute reliable policies, procedures and tools to operate our systems, networks or infrastructure, we could face a substantial decrease in workflow efficiency and increased costs, as well as a decline in our revenue.

We rely on a limited number of data centers to deliver most of our products. If we are unable to renew our data center agreements on favorable terms, or at all, our operating margins and profitability could be adversely affected and our business could be harmed.

We own one of our data centers and lease our remaining data center capacity from wholesale providers. We occupy our leased data center capacity pursuant to co-location service agreements with third-party data center facilities, which have built and maintain the co-located data centers for us and other parties. We currently serve all our customers from our GoDaddy-owned, Arizona-based data center as well as six domestic and two

 

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international co-located data center facilities located in Arizona, California, Virginia, the Netherlands and Singapore. Although we own the servers in these co-located data centers and engineer and architect the systems upon which our platforms run, we do not control the operation of these facilities, and we depend on the operators of these facilities to ensure their proper security and maintenance.

Despite precautions taken at our data centers, these facilities may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from break-ins, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, acts of terrorism, vandalism or sabotage, power loss, telecommunications failures, fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and similar events. The occurrence of any of these events or other unanticipated problems at these facilities could result in loss of data (including personal or payment card information), lengthy interruptions in the availability of our services and harm to our reputation and brand. While we have disaster recovery arrangements in place, they have only been tested in very limited circumstances and not during any large-scale or prolonged disasters or similar events.

The terms of our existing co-located data center agreements vary in length and expire on various dates through 2026. Only some of our agreements with our co-located data centers provide us with options to renew under negotiated terms. We also have agreements with other critical infrastructure vendors who provide all of our facilities, including our data centers, with bandwidth, fiber optics and electrical power. None of these infrastructure vendors are under any obligation to continue to provide these services after the expiration of their respective agreements with us, nor are they obligated to renew the terms of those agreements.

Our existing co-located data center agreements may not provide us with adequate time to transfer operations to a new facility in the event of early termination. If we were required to move our equipment to a new facility without adequate time to plan and prepare for such migration, we would face significant challenges due to the technical complexity, risk and high costs of the relocation. Any such migration could result in significant costs for us and may result in data loss and significant downtime for a significant number of our customers which could damage our reputation, cause us to lose current and potential customers and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Undetected or unknown defects in our products could harm our business and future operating results.

The products we offer or develop, including our proprietary technology and technology provided by third parties, could contain undetected defects or errors. The performance of our products could have unforeseen or unknown adverse effects on the networks over which they are delivered as well as, more broadly, on Internet users and consumers and third-party applications and services that utilize our solutions. These adverse effects, defects and errors, and other performance problems relating to our products could result in legal claims against us that harm our business and damage our reputation. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could result in compromised customer data, loss of or delay in revenues, an increase in our annual refund rate, which has ranged from 6.4% to 6.9% of total bookings from 2012 to 2014, loss of market share, failure to achieve market acceptance, diversion of development resources, injury to our reputation or brand and increased costs. In addition, while our terms of service specifically disclaim certain warranties, and contain limitations on our liability, courts may still hold us liable for such claims if asserted against us.

Privacy concerns relating to our technology could damage our reputation and deter existing and new customers from using our products.

From time to time, concerns have been expressed about whether our products or processes compromise the privacy of customers and others. Concerns about our practices with regard to the collection, use, disclosure or security of personally identifiable information, including payment card information, or other privacy related matters, even if unfounded, could damage our reputation and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, as nearly all of our products are cloud-based, the amount of data we store for our customers on our servers (including personally identifiable information) has been increasing. Any systems failure or compromise of our security that results in the release of our users’ or customers’ data could seriously limit the adoption of our

 

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product offerings, as well as harm our reputation and brand and, therefore, our business. We expect to continue to expend significant resources to protect against security breaches. The risk that these types of events could seriously harm our business is likely to increase as we expand the number of cloud-based products we offer and operate in more countries.

We are subject to privacy and data protection laws and regulations as well as contractual privacy and data protection obligations. Our failure to comply with these or any future laws, regulations or obligations could subject us to sanctions and damages and could harm our reputation and business.

We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations, including regulation by various federal government agencies, including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, and state and local agencies. We collect personally identifiable information, including payment card information, and other data from our current and prospective customers and others. The U.S. federal and various state and foreign governments have adopted or proposed limitations on, or requirements regarding, the collection, distribution, use, security and storage of personally identifiable information of individuals, including payment card information, and the FTC and many state attorneys general are applying federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards on the online collection, use and dissemination of data. Self-regulatory obligations, other industry standards, policies, and other legal obligations may apply to our collection, distribution, use, security or storage of personally identifiable information or other data relating to individuals, including payment card information. These obligations may be interpreted and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with one another, other regulatory requirements or our internal practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with U.S., E.U. or other foreign privacy or security laws, policies, industry standards or legal obligations or any security incident that results in the unauthorized access to, or acquisition, release or transfer of, personally identifiable information or other customer data, including payment card information, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation, fines and penalties or adverse publicity and could cause our customers to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation and business.

We expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws, regulations and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection and information security in the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and we cannot yet determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business. Future laws, regulations, standards and other obligations could impair our ability to collect or use information that we utilize to provide targeted advertising to our customers, thereby impairing our ability to maintain and grow our total customers and increase revenue. Future restrictions on the collection, use, sharing or disclosure of our users’ data or additional requirements for express or implied consent of users for the use and disclosure of such information could require us to modify our products, possibly in a material manner, and could limit our ability to develop new products and features.

In addition, several foreign countries and governmental bodies including the European Union and Canada, have laws and regulations concerning the collection and use of personally identifiable information obtained from their residents, including payment card information, which are often more restrictive than those in the United States. Laws and regulations in these jurisdictions apply broadly to the collection, use, storage, disclosure and security of personally identifiable information, including payment card information, that identifies or may be used to identify an individual, such as names, email addresses and, in some jurisdictions, Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses. Although we are working to comply with those laws and regulations that apply to us, these and other obligations may be modified and they may be interpreted in different ways by courts, and new laws and regulations may be enacted in the future. Within the European Union, legislators are currently considering a regulation that would supersede the 1995 European Union Data Protection Directive, and which may include more stringent operational requirements for processors and controllers of personally identifiable information, including payment card information, and impose significant penalties for non-compliance.

Any such new laws, regulations, other legal obligations or industry standards, or any changed interpretation of existing laws, regulations or other standards may require us to incur additional costs and restrict our business

 

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operations. If our privacy or data security measures fail to comply with current or future laws, regulations, policies, legal obligations or industry standards, we may be subject to litigation, regulatory investigations, fines or other liabilities, as well as negative publicity and a potential loss of business. Moreover, if future laws, regulations, other legal obligations or industry standards, or any changed interpretations of the foregoing limit our customers’ ability to use and share personally identifiable information, including payment card information, or our ability to store, process and share such personally identifiable information or other data, demand for our products could decrease, our costs could increase, and our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed.

Failure to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could substantially harm our business and operating results.

The success of our business depends in part on our ability to protect and enforce our patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights. We attempt to protect our intellectual property under patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, and through a combination of confidentiality procedures, contractual provisions and other methods, all of which offer only limited protection.

As of December 31, 2014, we had 144 issued patents in the United States covering various aspects of our product offerings. Additionally, as of December 31, 2014, we had 218 pending U.S. patent applications and intend to file additional patent applications in the future. The process of obtaining patent protection is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. We may choose not to seek patent protection for certain innovations and may choose not to pursue patent protection in certain jurisdictions, and under the laws of certain jurisdictions, patents or others intellectual property may be unavailable or limited in scope. Furthermore, it is possible that our patent applications may not issue as granted patents, that the scope of our issued patents will be insufficient or not have the coverage originally sought, that our issued patents will not provide us with any competitive advantages, and that our patents and other intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative processes or litigation. In addition, issuance of a patent does not assure that we have an absolute right to practice the patented invention, or that we have the right to exclude others from practicing the claimed invention. As a result, we may not be able to obtain adequate patent protection or to enforce our issued patents effectively.

In addition to patented technology, we rely on our unpatented proprietary technology and confidential proprietary information, including trade secrets and know-how. Despite our efforts to protect the proprietary and confidential nature of such technology and information, unauthorized parties may attempt to misappropriate, reverse engineer or otherwise obtain and use them. The contractual provisions in confidentiality agreements and other agreements that we generally enter into with employees, consultants, partners, vendors and customers may not prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of our proprietary technology or intellectual property rights and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our proprietary technology or intellectual property rights. Moreover, policing unauthorized use of our technologies, products and intellectual property is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not be as protective of intellectual property rights as those in the United States and where mechanisms for enforcement of intellectual property rights may be weak. To the extent we expand our international activities, our exposure to unauthorized copying and use of our products and proprietary information may increase. We may be unable to determine the extent of any unauthorized use or infringement of our products, technologies or intellectual property rights.

As of December 31, 2014, we had 396 registered trademarks in 55 countries, including the GoDaddy logo and mark in all international markets in which we operate or intend to operate. We have also registered, or applied to register, the trademarks associated with several of our leading brands in the United States and in certain other countries. Competitors and others may have adopted, and in the future may adopt, tag lines or service or product names similar to ours, which could impede our ability to build our brands’ identities and

 

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possibly lead to confusion. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered and common law trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of the terms or designs of one or more of our trademarks and opposition filings made when we apply to register our trademarks.

From time to time, legal action by us may be necessary to enforce our patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the intellectual property rights of others or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, distract management and technical personnel and negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, we may find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage to others who need not incur the additional expense, time and effort required to create the innovative products that have enabled us to be successful to date. Any inability on our part to protect adequately our intellectual property may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Assertions by third parties of infringement or other violations by us of their intellectual property rights, or other lawsuits brought against us, could result in significant costs and substantially harm our business and operating results.

In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the United States and abroad involving patents and other intellectual property rights. Companies providing web-based and cloud-based products are increasingly bringing, and becoming subject to, suits alleging infringement of proprietary rights, particularly patent rights. The possibility of intellectual property infringement claims also may increase to the extent we face increasing competition and become increasingly visible as a publicly-traded company. Any claims that we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. In addition, our exposure to risks associated with the use of intellectual property may increase as a result of acquisitions that we make or our use of software licensed from or hosted by third parties, as we have less visibility into the development process with respect to such technology or the care taken to safeguard against infringement risks. Third parties may make infringement and similar or related claims after we have acquired or licensed technology that had not been asserted prior to our acquisition or license. We currently face, and expect to face in the future, claims by third parties that we infringe upon or misappropriate their intellectual property rights.

Many companies are devoting significant resources to obtaining patents that could affect many aspects of our business. This may prevent us from deterring patent infringement claims, and our competitors and others may now and in the future have larger and more mature patent portfolios than we have.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure. In addition, during the course of any such litigation, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock.

Regardless of whether claims that we are infringing patents or infringing or misappropriating other intellectual property rights have any merit, these claims are time-consuming and costly to evaluate and defend, and can impose a significant burden on management and employees. The outcome of any litigation is inherently uncertain, and we may receive unfavorable interim or preliminary rulings in the course of litigation. There can be no assurances that favorable final outcomes will be obtained in all cases. We may decide to settle lawsuits and disputes on terms that are unfavorable to us. Some of our competitors and other third parties have substantially greater resources than we do and are able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation to a greater degree and for longer periods of time than we could.

 

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Any intellectual property litigation to which we might become a party, or for which we are required to defend or to provide indemnification, may require us to do one or more of the following:

 

    cease selling or using products that incorporate or rely upon the intellectual property that our products allegedly infringe;

 

    make substantial payments for legal fees, settlement payments or other costs or damages;

 

    subject us to indemnification obligations or obligations to refund fees to, and adversely affect our relationships with, our customers;

 

    divert the attention and resources of management and technical personnel;

 

    obtain a license, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, to sell or use the relevant technology; or

 

    redesign the allegedly infringing products to avoid infringement, or make other technology or branding changes to our solutions, each of which could be costly, time-consuming or impossible.

If we are required to make substantial payments or undertake any of the other actions noted above as a result of any intellectual property infringement claims against us, our business or operating results could be harmed.

Our use of open source technology could impose limitations on our ability to commercialize our products.

We use open source software in our business, including in our products. It is possible that some such open source software is governed by licenses containing requirements that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon the open source software, and that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of a particular open source license or other license granting third parties certain rights of further use. By the terms of certain open source licenses, we could be required to release the source code of our proprietary software, and to make our proprietary software available under open source licenses, if we combine our proprietary software with open source software in certain manners.

Although we monitor our use of open source software in an effort to avoid subjecting our products to conditions we do not intend, we cannot be certain that all open source software is reviewed prior to use in our proprietary software, that programmers working for us have not incorporated open source software into our proprietary software, or that they will not do so in the future. Any requirement to disclose our proprietary source code or to make it available under an open source license could be harmful to our business, operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, the terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. courts. As a result, there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products. In such an event, we could be required to seek licenses from third parties to continue offering our products, to make our proprietary code generally available in source code form, to re-engineer our products or to discontinue the sale of our products if re-engineering could not be accomplished on a timely basis, any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our business depends on our customers’ continued and unimpeded access to the Internet and the development and maintenance of Internet infrastructure. Internet access providers may be able to block, degrade or charge for access to certain of our products, which could lead to additional expenses and the loss of customers.

Our products depend on the ability of our customers to access the Internet. Currently, this access is provided by companies that have significant market power in the broadband and Internet access marketplace, including incumbent telephone companies, cable companies, mobile communications companies and government-owned service providers. The adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth, popularity or use of the Internet, including laws impacting Internet neutrality, could decrease the demand for our products and increase our operating costs. The legislative and regulatory landscape regarding the regulation of the Internet

 

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and, in particular, Internet neutrality, in the United States are in flux. For example, to the extent any laws, regulations or rulings permit Internet service providers to charge some users higher rates than others for the delivery of their content, Internet service providers could attempt to use this ruling to impose higher fees or deliver our content with less speed, reliability or otherwise on a non-neutral basis as compared to other market participants, and our business could be adversely impacted. Internationally, government regulation concerning the Internet, and in particular, network neutrality, may be developing or non-existent. Within such a regulatory environment, we could experience discriminatory or anti-competitive practices that could impede both our and our customers’ domestic and international growth, increase our costs or adversely affect our business.

Our corporate culture has contributed to our success, and if we cannot maintain this culture, we could lose the innovation, creativity and teamwork fostered by our culture, and our business may be harmed.

We believe that a critical contributor to our success has been our corporate culture, which we believe fosters innovation, creativity, a customer-centric focus, collaboration and loyalty. Our corporate culture is central to our devoted Customer Care team which is a key component of the value we offer our customers. As we continue to evolve our business, we may find it difficult to maintain these important aspects of our corporate culture, which could limit our ability to innovate and operate effectively. Difficulty in preserving our corporate culture will be exacerbated as we continue to expand internationally, grow our employee base and expand our solutions. Any failure to preserve our culture could also negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit personnel, continue to perform at current levels or execute on our business strategy.

Our business is exposed to risks associated with credit card and other online payment chargebacks and fraud.

A majority of our revenue is processed through credit cards and other online payments. If our refunds or chargebacks increase, our processors could require us to increase reserves or terminate their contracts with us, which would have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our failure to limit fraudulent transactions conducted on our websites, such as through the use of stolen credit card numbers, could also subject us to liability. Under credit card association rules, penalties may be imposed at the discretion of the association for inadequate fraud protection. Any such potential penalties would be imposed on our credit card processor by the association. Under our contracts with our payment processors, we are required to reimburse our processors for such penalties. However, we face the risk that we may fail to maintain an adequate level of fraud protection and that one or more credit card associations or other processors may, at any time, assess penalties against us or terminate our ability to accept credit card payments or other form of online payments from customers, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We could also incur significant fines or lose our ability to give customers the option of using credit cards to pay their fees to us if we fail to follow payment card industry data security standards, even if there is no compromise of customer information. Although we believe we are in compliance with payment card industry data security standards and do not believe that there has been a compromise of customer information, it is possible that at times either we or any of our acquired companies may not have been in full compliance with these standards. Accordingly, we could be fined or our products could be suspended, which would cause us to be unable to process payments using credit cards. If we are unable to accept credit card payments, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

In addition, we could be liable if there is a breach of the payment information we store. Online commerce and communications depend on the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks. We rely on encryption and authentication technology to authenticate and secure the transmission of confidential information, including customer credit card numbers. However, we cannot ensure that this technology will prevent breaches of the systems that we use to protect customer payment data. Although we maintain network security insurance, we cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to us on reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, some of our partners also collect or possess information about our customers, and we may be subject to litigation or our reputation may be harmed if our partners fail to protect our customers’ information or if they use it in a manner that is inconsistent

 

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with our practices. Data breaches can also occur as a result of non-technical issues. Under our contracts with our processors, if there is unauthorized access to, or disclosure of, credit card information that we store, we could be liable to the credit card issuing banks for their cost of issuing new cards and related expenses.

Activities of customers or the content of their websites could damage our reputation and brand or harm our business and financial results.

As a provider of domain name registration and hosting and presence products, we may be subject to potential liability for the activities of our customers on or in connection with their domain names or websites or for the data they store on our servers. Although our terms of service prohibit illegal use of our products by our customers and permit us to take down or suspend websites or take other appropriate actions for illegal use, customers may nonetheless engage in prohibited activities or upload or store content with us in violation of applicable law or the customer’s own policies, which could subject us to liability. Furthermore, our reputation and brand may be negatively impacted by the actions of customers that are deemed to be hostile, offensive or inappropriate. We do not proactively monitor or review the appropriateness of the domain names our customers register or the content of their websites, and we do not have control over customer activities. The safeguards we have in place may not be sufficient to avoid harm to our reputation and brand, especially if such hostile, offensive or inappropriate use is high profile.

Several U.S. federal statutes may apply to us with respect to various activities of our customers, including: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, or the DMCA, which provides recourse for owners of copyrighted material who believe that their rights under U.S. copyright law have been infringed on the Internet; the Communications Decency Act of 1996, or the CDA, which regulates content on the Internet unrelated to intellectual property; and the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, or the ACPA, which provides recourse for trademark owners against cybersquatters. The DMCA and the CDA generally protect online service providers like us that do not own or control website content posted by customers from liability for certain activities of customers, such as the posting of defamatory or obscene content, unless the online service provider is participating in the unlawful conduct. For example, the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA shield Internet service providers and other intermediaries from direct or indirect liability for copyright infringement. However, under the DMCA, we must follow the procedures for handling copyright infringement claims set forth in the DMCA including expeditiously removing or disabling access to the allegedly infringing material upon the receipt of a proper notice from, or on behalf of, a copyright owner alleging infringement of copyrighted material located on websites we host. Under the CDA, we are generally not responsible for the customer-created content hosted on our servers and thus are generally immunized from liability for torts committed by others. Consequently, we do not monitor hosted websites or prescreen the content placed by our customers on their sites. Under the safe harbor provisions of the ACPA, domain name registrars are shielded from liability in many circumstances, including cybersquatting, although the safe harbor provisions may not apply if our activities are deemed outside the scope of registrar functions.

Although these statutes and case law in the United States have generally shielded us from liability for customer activities to date, court rulings in pending or future litigation may narrow the scope of protection afforded us under these laws. Neither the DMCA nor the CDA generally apply to claims of trademark violations, and thus they may be inapplicable to many of the claims asserted against our company. Furthermore, notwithstanding the exculpatory language of these bodies of law, the activities of our customers may result in threatened or actual litigation against us. If such claims are successful, our business and operating results could be adversely affected, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and adversely affect our business and operating results.

In addition, laws governing these activities are unsettled in many international jurisdictions, or may prove difficult or impossible for us to comply with in some international jurisdictions. Also, other existing bodies of law, including the criminal laws of various states, may be deemed to apply or new statutes or regulations may be adopted in the future, any of which could expose us to further liability and increase our costs of doing business.

 

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We may face liability or become involved in disputes over registration and transfer of domain names and control over websites.

As a provider of web-based and cloud-based products, including as a registrar of domain names and related products, we from time to time become aware of disputes over ownership or control of customer accounts, websites or domain names. We could face potential claims of tort law liability for our failure to renew a customer’s domain. We could also face potential tort law liability for our role in the wrongful transfer of control or ownership of accounts, websites or domain names. The safeguards and procedures we have adopted may not be successful in insulating us against liability from such claims in the future. In addition, we face potential liability for other forms of account, website or domain name “hijacking,” including misappropriation by third parties of our network of customer accounts, websites or domain names and attempts by third parties to operate accounts, websites or domain names or to extort the customer whose accounts, websites or domain names were misappropriated. Furthermore, we are exposed to potential liability as a result of our domain privacy product, wherein the identity and contact details for the domain name registrant are masked. Although our terms of service reserve our right to take certain steps when domain name disputes arise related to our privacy product, including the removal of our privacy service, the safeguards we have in place may not be sufficient to avoid liability, which could increase our costs of doing business.

Occasionally one of our customers may register a domain name that is identical or similar to a third party’s trademark or the name of a living person. These occurrences have in the past and may in the future lead to our involvement in disputes over such domain names. Disputes involving registration or control of domain names are often resolved through the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, or the UDRP, ICANN’s administrative process for domain name dispute resolution, or less frequently through litigation under the ACPA, or under general theories of trademark infringement or dilution. The UDRP generally does not impose liability on registrars, and the ACPA provides that registrars may not be held liable for registration or maintenance of a domain name absent a showing of the registrar’s bad faith intent to profit. However, we may face liability if we act in bad faith or fail to comply in a timely manner with procedural requirements under these rules. In addition, domain name registration disputes and compliance with the procedures under the ACPA and URDP typically require at least limited involvement by us and, therefore, increase our cost of doing business. The volume of domain name registration disputes may increase in the future as the overall number of registered domain names increases.

We are dependent on the continued services and performance of our senior management and other key employees, the loss of any of whom could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our future performance depends on the continued services and contributions of our senior management and other key employees to execute on our business plan and to identify and pursue new opportunities and product innovations. The loss of services of senior management or other key employees could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our development and strategic objectives. In addition, some of the members of our current management team have only been working together for a short period of time, which could adversely impact our ability to achieve our goals. The loss of the services of our senior management or other key employees for any reason could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

If we are unable to hire, retain and motivate qualified personnel, our business would suffer.

Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to attract and retain highly skilled personnel. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel, the inability to attract or retain qualified personnel or delays in hiring required personnel, may seriously harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Our ability to continue to attract and retain highly skilled personnel, specifically employees with technical and engineering skills and employees with language skills and cultural knowledge of the geographic markets that we have recently expanded to or that we intend to expand to in the near future, will be critical to our future success. Competition for highly skilled personnel is frequently intense. In addition, many of our employees have

 

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outstanding options or other equity awards. The ability to either exercise those options or sell their stock in a public market after the completion of this offering may lead to a larger than normal turnover rate. We intend to issue stock options or other equity awards as key components of our overall compensation and employee attraction and retention efforts. In addition, we are required under GAAP to recognize compensation expense in our operating results for employee equity-based compensation under our equity grant programs, which may negatively impact our operating results and may increase the pressure to limit equity-based compensation. We may not be successful in attracting, assimilating or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. Also, to the extent we hire personnel from competitors, we may be subject to allegations that they have been improperly solicited or divulged proprietary or other confidential information.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources.

As a public company, we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. We expect that the requirements of these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming and costly, and place significant strain on our personnel, systems and resources. Management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. We continue to develop and refine our disclosure controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we will file with the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that information required to be disclosed in reports under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our principal executive and financial officers. We also continue to improve our internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, we have expended, and anticipate that we will continue to expend, significant resources, including legal and accounting-related costs and significant management oversight.

We are not currently required to comply with the SEC rules that implement Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and are therefore not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. As a public company, we will be required to provide an annual management report on, and have our independent auditor attest to, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting commencing with our second annual report on Form 10-K.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.

Our current internal controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business or changes in the applicable laws, regulations and standards. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls, or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement, could harm our operating results, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, result in a restatement of our financial statements for prior periods or adversely affect the results of management evaluations and independent registered public accounting firm audits of our internal control over financial reporting that we will eventually be required to include in our periodic reports that will be filed with the SEC. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the future.

 

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Adverse economic conditions in the United States and international economies may adversely impact our business and operating results.

Unfavorable general economic conditions, such as a recession or economic slowdown in the United States or in one or more of our other major markets, could adversely affect demand for our products. The recent national and global economic downturn affected many sectors of the economy and resulted in, among other things, declines in overall economic growth, consumer and corporate confidence and spending, increases in unemployment rates and uncertainty about economic stability. Changing macroeconomic conditions may affect our business in a number of ways, making it difficult to accurately forecast and plan our future business activities. In particular, spending patterns of small businesses and ventures are difficult to predict and are sensitive to the general economic climate, the economic outlook specific to small businesses and ventures, the then-current level of profitability experienced by small businesses and ventures and overall consumer confidence. Our products may be considered discretionary by many of our current and potential customers. As a result, people considering whether to purchase or renew subscriptions to our products may be influenced by macroeconomic factors that affect small businesses and ventures and consumer spending. Although we continued to grow through the most recent recession, we may be unable to do so in future economic slowdowns.

To the extent conditions in the national and global economy deteriorate, our business could be harmed as customers may reduce or postpone spending or choose not to purchase or renew subscriptions to our products. Weakening economic conditions may also adversely affect third parties with which we have entered into relationships and upon which we depend in order to grow our business. Uncertain and adverse economic conditions may also lead to a decline in the ability of our customers to use or access credit, including through credit cards, as well as increased refunds and chargebacks, any of which could adversely affect our business.

We are subject to export controls and economic sanctions laws that could impair our ability to compete in international markets and subject us to liability if we are not in full compliance with applicable laws.

Our business activities are subject to various restrictions under U.S. export controls and trade and economic sanctions laws, including the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations and economic and trade sanctions regulations maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties and reputational harm. U.S. export control laws and economic sanctions laws also prohibit certain transactions with U.S. embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments, persons and entities.

As part of our due diligence in connection with the acquisition of Media Temple in 2013, we learned that Media Temple had apparently provided services during the previous five years to a limited number of persons located in countries that are the subject of U.S. embargoes. Media Temple filed with OFAC an initial voluntary disclosure in September 2013 and a final voluntary disclosure in January 2014. Additionally, as part of our due diligence in connection with the August 2014 acquisition of Mad Mimi, LLC, or Mad Mimi, we and our counsel reviewed and assessed various business data provided by Mad Mimi and learned that Mad Mimi had provided services during the previous five years to a limited number of persons located in countries that are the subject of U.S. embargoes. As a result of that review and in connection with the closing of our acquisition, Mad Mimi filed an initial voluntary disclosure with OFAC in August 2014, terminated the unauthorized accounts, and filed a final report with OFAC in February 2015. OFAC has not yet responded to Media Temple or Mad Mimi’s voluntary disclosures and we cannot predict when it will complete its review and determine whether any violations occurred. In the case of an apparent violation, OFAC could decide not to impose penalties and only issue a no action or cautionary letter. However, we could face civil and criminal penalties and may suffer reputational harm if we or any of our subsidiaries or acquired companies, including Media Temple or Mad Mimi, are found to have violated U.S. sanctions or export control laws. We have undertaken and are continuing to implement a number of screening and other remedial measures designed to prevent users in embargoed countries and prohibited persons from purchasing or accessing our products or services. Even though we take precautions to prevent transactions with U.S. sanctions targets, there is risk that in the future we could provide our products to such targets despite such precautions.

 

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Changes in the list of embargoed countries and regions or prohibited persons may require us to modify these procedures in order to comply with governmental regulations. This could result in negative consequences to us, including government investigations, penalties and reputational harm.

Changes in our products or changes in export and import regulations may create delays in the introduction and sale of our products in international markets or, in some cases, prevent the sale of our products to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any change in export or import regulations, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our products or decreased ability to sell our products to existing or potential customers. Any decreased use of our products or limitation on our ability to sell our products internationally could adversely affect our growth prospects.

Due to the global nature of our business, we could be adversely affected by violations of anti-bribery laws.

The global nature of our business creates various domestic and local regulatory challenges. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign government officials and other persons for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. In addition, companies are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions and have an adequate system of internal accounting controls. We operate in areas of the world that experience corruption by government officials to some degree and, in certain circumstances, compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We operate in several countries and sell our products to customers around the world, which geographically stretches our compliance obligations. In addition, changes in laws could result in increased regulatory requirements and compliance costs which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure that our employees or other agents will not engage in prohibited conduct and render us responsible under the FCPA or the U.K. Bribery Act. If we are found to be in violation of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act or other anti-bribery laws (either due to acts or inadvertence of our employees, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others), we could suffer criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions, and our domestic and international tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

 

    changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;

 

    expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;

 

    expiration of, or detrimental changes in, research and development tax credit laws;

 

    tax effects of equity-based compensation;

 

    costs related to intercompany restructurings;

 

    changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof; or

 

    future earnings being lower than anticipated in countries where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated earnings in countries where we have higher statutory tax rates.

In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal and state and foreign tax authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

 

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Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fire, power outages, floods and other catastrophic events and to interruption by man-made problems such as terrorism.

A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire or flood could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Natural disasters could lead to significant power outages and otherwise affect our data centers as well as our infrastructure vendors’ abilities to provide connectivity and perform services on a timely basis. In the event our or our service providers’ IT systems abilities are hindered by any of the events discussed above, we and our customers’ websites could experience downtime, and our products could become unavailable. In addition, acts of terrorism and other geopolitical unrest could cause disruptions in our business or the business of our infrastructure vendors, partners or customers or the economy as a whole. Any disruption in the business or operations of our data center hosting providers or customers could have a significant adverse effect on our operating results and financial performance in a given period. All of the aforementioned risks may be further increased if our disaster recovery plans prove to be ineffective in the event of such a disaster.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Governmental and regulatory policies or claims concerning the domain name registration system and the Internet in general, and industry reactions to those policies or claims, may cause instability in the industry and disrupt our business.

ICANN is a multi-stakeholder, private sector, not-for-profit corporation formed in 1998 that operates pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Commerce for the express purposes of overseeing a number of Internet related tasks, including managing the DNS allocation of IP addresses, accreditation of domain name registrars and registries and the definition and coordination of policy development for all of these functions. We are accredited by ICANN as a domain name registrar and thus our ability to offer domain name registration products is subject to our ongoing relationship with, and accreditation by, ICANN.

ICANN has been subject to strict scrutiny by the public, the U.S. government and other governments around the world, as well as multi-governmental organizations such as the United Nations, with many of those bodies becoming increasingly interested in Internet governance. On March 14, 2014, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, the U.S. Department of Commerce agency with oversight over ICANN, announced its intention to transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multi-stakeholder community. This transition could take place as early as the expiration of the current contract between NTIA and ICANN on September 30, 2015. At this time there is uncertainty concerning the timing, nature and significance of any transition from U.S. oversight of ICANN to oversight of ICANN by another body or bodies.

Additionally, we continue to face the possibility that:

 

    the U.S. or any other government may reassess ICANN’s role in overseeing the domain name registration market;

 

    the Internet community, the U.S. government or other governments may (i) refuse to recognize ICANN’s authority or support its policies, (ii) attempt to exert pressure on ICANN, or (iii) enact laws in conflict with ICANN’s policies, each of which could create instability in the domain name registration system;

 

    some of ICANN’s policies and practices, such as ICANN’s position on privacy and proxy domain name registrations, and the policies and practices adopted by registries and registrars, could be found to conflict with the laws of one or more jurisdictions, or could be materially changed in a way that negatively impacts the sale of our products;

 

    the terms of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement, or the RAA, under which we are accredited as a registrar, could change in ways that are disadvantageous to us or under certain circumstances could be terminated by ICANN, thereby preventing us from operating our registrar service, or ICANN could adopt unilateral changes to the RAA that are unfavorable to us, that are inconsistent with our current or future plans, or that affect our competitive position;

 

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    International regulatory or governing bodies, such as the International Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations, or the European Union, may gain increased influence over the management and regulation of the domain name registration system, leading to increased regulation in areas such as taxation, privacy and the monitoring of our customers’ hosted content;

 

    ICANN or any third-party registries may implement policy changes that would impact our ability to run our current business practices throughout the various stages of the lifecycle of a domain name;

 

    the U.S. Congress or other legislative bodies in the United States could take action that is unfavorable to us or that influences customers to move their business from our products to those located outside the United States;

 

    ICANN could fail to maintain its role, potentially resulting in instability in DNS services administration;

 

    some governments and governmental authorities outside the United States have in the past disagreed, and may in the future disagree, with the actions, policies or programs of ICANN, the U.S. government and registries relating to the DNS, which could fragment the single, unitary Internet into a loosely-connected group of one or more networks, each with different rules, policies and operating protocols; and

 

    multi-party review panels established by the governing agreement between ICANN and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the so-called Affirmation of Commitments, or by successors to this agreement, may take positions that are unfavorable to our business.

If any of these events occur, they could create instability in the domain name registration system and may make it difficult for us to continue to offer existing products and introduce new products, or serve customers in certain international markets. These events could also disrupt or suspend portions of our domain name registration product and subject us to additional restrictions on how the registrar and registry products businesses are conducted, which would result in reduced revenue.

ICANN recently authorized the introduction of new TLDs, and we may not have the right to register new domain names to our customers based on such TLDs, which could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

ICANN has periodically authorized the introduction of new TLDs and made domain names related to them available for registration. Our competitive position depends in part on our ability to secure access to these new TLDs. A significant portion of our business relies on our ability to sell domain name registrations to our customers, and any limitations on our access to newly-created TLDs could adversely impact our ability to sell domain name registrations to customers, and thus adversely impact our business.

In 2013, ICANN significantly expanded the number of gTLDs, which resulted in the delegation of new gTLDs commencing in 2014, which we refer to as the Expansion Program. We and certain of our competitors have expended resources filing gTLD applications under the Expansion Program to pursue the acquisition of gTLD operator rights. We continue to pursue the rights to become the registry for .godaddy, a gTLD. The Expansion Program could substantially change the domain name industry in unexpected ways and is expected to result in an increase in the number of domains registered by our competitors. If we do not properly manage our response to the change in business environment, and accurately predict the market’s preference for specific gTLDs, it could adversely impact our competitive position or market share.

The relevant domain name registry and ICANN impose a charge upon each registrar for the administration of each domain name registration. If these fees increase, it would have a significant impact upon our operating results.

Each registry typically imposes a fee in association with the registration of each domain name. For example, VeriSign, Inc., or VeriSign, the registry for .com and .net, has a current list price of a $7.85 annual fee for each .com registration, and ICANN currently charges an $0.18 annual fee for most domain names registered in the

 

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gTLDs that fall within its purview. The fee charged by VeriSign for each .com registration increased from $6.86 per year to $7.34 per year in July 2010 and increased again to $7.85 per year in January 2012. We have no control over ICANN, VeriSign or any other domain name registries and cannot predict their future fee structures.

Per the extended registry agreement between ICANN and VeriSign that was approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce on November 30, 2012, VeriSign will continue as the exclusive registry for the .com gTLD through November 30, 2018. The terms of the extension set a maximum price, with certain exceptions, for registry products for each calendar year beginning January 1, 2012, which shall not exceed 107% of the highest price charged during the preceding year. In addition, pricing of new gTLDs is generally not set or controlled by ICANN, which in certain instances has resulted in aggressive price increases on certain particularly successful new gTLDs. The increase in these fees with respect to any new gTLD either must be included in the prices we charge to our customers, imposed as a surcharge or absorbed by us. If we absorb such cost increases or if surcharges result in decreases in domain registrations, our business, operating results and financial performance may be adversely affected.

Our business and financial condition could be harmed materially if small consumers and small businesses and ventures were no longer able to rely upon the existing domain name registration system.

The domain name registration market continues to develop and adapt to changing technology. This development may include changes in the administration or operation of the Internet, including the creation and institution of alternate systems for directing Internet traffic without using the existing domain name registration system. The widespread acceptance of any alternative system, such as mobile applications or closed networks, could eliminate the need to register a domain name to establish an online presence and could materially and adversely affect our business.

Changes in state taxation laws and regulations may discourage the registration or renewal of domain names for e-commerce.

Due to the global nature of the Internet, it is possible that any U.S. or foreign federal, state or local taxing authority might attempt to regulate our transmissions or levy transaction, income or other taxes relating to our activities. Tax authorities at the international, federal, state and local levels are regularly reviewing the appropriate treatment of companies engaged in Internet commerce. New or revised international, federal, state or local tax regulations may subject either us or our customers to additional sales, income and other taxes. We cannot predict the effect of current attempts to impose sales, income or other taxes on commerce over the Internet. New or revised taxes, in particular sales and other transaction taxes, would likely increase the cost of doing business online and decrease the attractiveness of advertising and selling goods and services over the Internet. New taxes could also create significant increases in internal costs necessary to capture data and to collect and remit taxes. Any of these events could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Company and Our Organizational Structure

Our ability to pay taxes and expenses, including payments under the TRAs, may be limited by our structure.

Upon the consummation of this offering, our principal asset, either directly or through our wholly owned subsidiary GD Subsidiary Inc., will be a controlling equity interest in Desert Newco. As such, we will have no independent means of generating revenue. Desert Newco will continue to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated to holders of its LLC Units, including us. Accordingly, we will incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of Desert Newco and will also incur expenses related to our operations. Pursuant to the amended and restated limited liability company agreement of Desert Newco, or the New LLC Agreement, Desert Newco will make cash distributions to the owners of LLC Units, calculated using an assumed tax rate, to help fund their tax obligations in respect of the cumulative taxable income in excess of cumulative

 

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taxable losses of Desert Newco that is allocated to them. In addition to tax expenses, we also will incur expenses related to our operations, plus payments under the TRAs, which we expect will be significant. We intend to cause Desert Newco to make distributions or, in the case of certain expenses, payments in an amount sufficient to allow us to pay our taxes and operating expenses, including distributions to fund any ordinary course payments due under the TRAs. However, Desert Newco’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions. We will be a holding company with no operations and will rely on Desert Newco to provide us with funds necessary to meet any financial obligations. If we do not have sufficient funds to pay tax or other liabilities or to fund our operations (as a result of Desert Newco’s inability to make distributions due to various limitations and restrictions or as a result of the acceleration of our obligations under the TRAs), we may have to borrow funds and thus our liquidity and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the TRAs for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest at a rate equal to one year LIBOR plus 500 basis points until paid (although a rate equal to one year LIBOR plus 100 basis points will apply if the inability to make payments under the TRAs is due to limitations imposed on us or any of our subsidiaries by a debt agreement in effect on the date of this prospectus).

We will be required to pay certain of our existing owners for certain tax benefits we may claim, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make will be substantial.

Future exchanges of LLC Units and shares of Class B common stock for shares of our Class A common stock are expected to produce favorable tax attributes for us, as are the Investor Corp Mergers described under “Organizational Structure.” When we acquire LLC Units from our existing owners through these exchanges, both the existing tax basis and anticipated tax basis adjustments are likely to increase (for tax purposes) our depreciation and amortization deductions and therefore reduce the amount of income tax we would be required to pay in the future in the absence of this existing and increased basis. This existing and increased tax basis may also decrease gain (or increase loss) on future dispositions of certain assets to the extent the tax basis is allocated to those assets. In addition, we expect that certain net operating losses and other tax attributes will be available to us as a result of the Investor Corp Mergers. Under the TRAs, we generally expect to retain the benefit of approximately 15% of the applicable tax savings after our payment obligations below are taken into account.

Upon the closing of this offering, we will be a party to five TRAs. Under the first of those agreements, we generally will be required to pay to the existing owners of Desert Newco approximately 85% of the applicable savings, if any, in income tax that we are deemed to realize (using the actual applicable U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and local income tax rate) as a result of (1) certain tax attributes that are created as a result of the exchanges of their LLC Units for shares of our Class A common stock, (2) any existing tax attributes associated with their LLC Units, the benefit of which is allocable to us as a result of the exchanges of their LLC Units for shares of our Class A common stock (including the portion of Desert Newco’s existing tax basis in its assets that is allocable to the LLC Units that are exchanged), (3) tax benefits related to imputed interest and (4) payments under such TRA. Under the other TRAs, we generally will be required to pay to each Reorganization Party described under “Organizational Structure,” approximately 85% of the amount of savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax that we are deemed to realize (using the actual U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and local income tax rate) as a result of (1) any existing tax attributes of LLC Units acquired in the applicable Investor Corp Merger the benefit of which is allocable to us as a result of such Investor Corp Merger (including the allocable share of Desert Newco’s existing tax basis in its assets), (2) net operating losses available as a result of the applicable Investor Corp Merger and (3) tax benefits related to imputed interest.

The payment obligations under the TRAs are obligations of GoDaddy Inc., and we expect that the payments we will be required to make under the TRAs will be substantial. Assuming no material changes in the relevant tax law and that we earn sufficient taxable income to realize all tax benefits that are subject to the TRAs, we expect that the tax savings associated with (1) the Investor Corp Mergers and (2) future exchanges of LLC Units and shares of Class B common stock as described above would aggregate to approximately $1.6 billion over 15 years from the date of this offering based upon an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share of our Class A common stock, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover

 

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page of this prospectus, and assuming all future exchanges would occur one year after this offering. Under such scenario we would be required to pay the other parties to the TRAs approximately 85% of such amount, or $1.4 billion, over the 15 year period from the date of this offering. The actual amounts may materially differ from these hypothetical amounts, as potential future tax savings that we will be deemed to realize, and TRA payments by us, will be calculated based in part on the market value of our Class A common stock at the time of exchange and the prevailing applicable federal tax rate (plus the assumed combined state and local tax rate) applicable to us over the life of the TRAs and will be dependent on our generating sufficient future taxable income to realize the benefit. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements.” Payments under the TRAs are not conditioned on our existing owners’ continued ownership of us after this offering.

The actual existing tax basis and increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under these agreements, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of exchanges by the holders of LLC Units, the price of our Class A common stock at the time of the exchange, whether such exchanges are taxable, the amount and timing of the taxable income we generate in the future, the federal tax rate then applicable and the portion of our payments under the TRAs constituting imputed interest. Payments under the TRAs are expected to give rise to certain additional tax benefits attributable to either further increases in basis or in the form of deductions for imputed interest, depending on the TRA and the circumstances. Any such benefits are covered by the TRAs and will increase the amounts due thereunder. In addition, the TRAs will provide for interest, at a rate equal to one year LIBOR plus 100 basis points, accrued from the due date (without extensions) of the corresponding tax return to the date of payment specified by the TRAs. Under the TRAs, to avoid interest charges, we have the right, but not the obligation, to make TRA payments in advance of the date the payments are otherwise due.

Payments under the TRAs will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine. Although we are not aware of any issue that would cause the IRS to challenge existing tax basis, a tax basis increase or other tax attributes subject to the TRAs, if any subsequent disallowance of tax basis or other benefits were so determined by the IRS, we would not be reimbursed for any payments previously made under the applicable TRAs (although we would reduce future amounts otherwise payable under such TRAs). In addition, the actual state or local tax savings we realize may be different than the amount of such tax savings we are deemed to realize under the TRAs, which will be based on an assumed combined state and local tax rate applied to our reduction in taxable income as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the tax attributes subject to the TRAs. As a result, payments could be made under the TRAs in excess of the tax savings that we realize in respect of the attributes to which the TRAs relate.

In certain cases, payments under the TRAs to our existing owners may be accelerated or significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the TRAs.

The TRAs provide that (1) in the event that we materially breach any of our material obligations under the agreements, whether as a result of failure to make any payment within three months of when due (provided we have sufficient funds to make such payment), failure to honor any other material obligation required thereunder or by operation of law as a result of the rejection of the agreements in a bankruptcy or otherwise or (2) if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the agreements, our (or our successor’s) obligations under the applicable agreements (with respect to all LLC Units, whether or not LLC Units have been exchanged or acquired before or after such transaction) would accelerate and become payable in a lump sum amount equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits calculated based on certain assumptions, including that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the deductions arising from the tax deductions, tax basis and other tax attributes subject to the applicable TRAs. Under the terms of the TRAs, we may not elect an early termination of the TRAs without the consent of (i) each of certain affiliates of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Mr. Parsons until such affiliate has exchanged all of its LLC Units (and Class B common stock) for shares of Class A common stock and (ii) a majority of our directors other than directors designated or nominated by stockholders affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Mr. Parsons.

 

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Additionally, the TRAs provide that upon certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control, our (or our successor’s) tax savings under the applicable agreements for each taxable year after any such event would be based on certain assumptions, including that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the deductions arising from the tax deductions, tax basis and other tax attributes subject to the applicable TRAs. Furthermore, the TRAs will determine the tax savings by excluding certain tax attributes that we obtain the use of after the closing date of this offering as a result of acquiring other entities to the extent such tax attributes are the subject of tax receivable agreements that we enter into in connection with such acquisitions.

As a result of the foregoing, (1) we could be required to make payments under the TRAs that are greater than or less than the specified percentage of the actual tax savings we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the agreements and (2) if we materially breach a material obligation under the agreements or if we elect to terminate the agreements early, we would be required to make an immediate lump sum payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax savings, which payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization of such future tax savings. In these situations, our obligations under the TRAs could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to fund or finance our obligations under the TRAs. If we were permitted to elect to terminate the TRAs immediately after this offering, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share of our Class A common stock, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and a discount rate equal to one year LIBOR plus 100 basis points, we estimate that we would be required to pay $1.4 billion in the aggregate under the TRAs. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements.”

In certain circumstances, Desert Newco will be required to make distributions to us and the existing owners of Desert Newco and the distributions that Desert Newco will be required to make may be substantial.

Desert Newco will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated to holders of its LLC Units, including us. Pursuant to the New LLC Agreement, Desert Newco will make pro rata cash distributions, or tax distributions, to the owners of LLC Units, calculated using an assumed tax rate, to help each of the holders of the LLC Units to pay taxes on such holder’s allocable share of the cumulative taxable income, reduced by cumulative taxable losses. Under the tax rules, Desert Newco is required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its unit holders in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions will be determined based on the holder of LLC Units who is allocated the largest amount of taxable income on a per unit basis, but will be made pro rata based on ownership, Desert Newco will be required to make tax distributions that, in the aggregate, will likely exceed the amount of taxes that Desert Newco would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate.

Funds used by Desert Newco to satisfy its tax distribution obligations will not be available for reinvestment in our business. Moreover, the tax distributions that Desert Newco will be required to make may be substantial, and may exceed (as a percentage of Desert Newco’s income) the overall effective tax rate applicable to a similarly situated corporate taxpayer. In addition, because these payments will be calculated with reference to an assumed tax rate, and because of the disproportionate allocation of net taxable income, these payments will likely significantly exceed the actual tax liability for many of the existing owners of Desert Newco.

As a result of potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and to the existing owners of Desert Newco, as well as the use of an assumed tax rate in calculating Desert Newco’s distribution obligations, we may receive distributions significantly in excess of our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the TRAs. To the extent, as currently expected, we do not distribute such cash balances as dividends on our Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to Desert Newco, the existing owners of Desert Newco would benefit from any value attributable to such

 

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accumulated cash balances as a result of their ownership of Class A common stock following an exchange of their LLC Units. See “Organizational Structure—Reorganization Transactions—Amendment of the Limited Liability Company Agreement of Desert Newco” and “Organizational Structure—Following this Offering.”

We will not be reimbursed for any payments made to our existing investors under the TRAs in the event that any tax benefits are disallowed.

If the IRS challenges the tax basis or net operating losses, or NOLs, that give rise to payments under the TRAs and the tax basis or NOLs are subsequently disallowed, the recipients of payments under those agreements will not reimburse us for any payments we previously made to them. Any such disallowance would be taken into account in determining future payments under the TRAs and would, therefore, reduce the amount of any such future payments. Nevertheless, if the claimed tax benefits from the tax basis or NOLs are disallowed, our payments under the TRAs could exceed our actual tax savings, and we may not be able to recoup payments under the TRAs that were calculated on the assumption that the disallowed tax savings were available.

GoDaddy Inc. will be controlled by our existing owners, whose interests may differ from those of our public stockholders.

Immediately following this offering and the application of net proceeds from this offering, our existing owners will control approximately 85.5% of the combined voting power of our Class A and Class B common stock. Pursuant to the New LLC Agreement, our existing owners will generally be required to limit transfers in order to avoid a technical tax termination, which may have the effect of prolonging the concentration of our ownership. Additionally, prior to this offering, GoDaddy Inc. and Desert Newco will enter into a stockholder agreement with funds affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake and TCV as well as Mr. Parsons and certain specified other holders of LLC Units from time to time, including our executive officers. The stockholder agreement will provide that our stockholders affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake and Mr. Parsons will be entitled to nominate members of our board of directors as described in “Management—Board of Directors.” The parties to the stockholder agreement will agree to vote for these nominees as well as other directors recommended by our nominating and governance committee. In addition, the stockholder agreement will provide that, for so long as their affiliated funds hold specified amounts of our stock, our board of directors will maintain an executive committee consisting of one KKR Director, one Silver Lake Director and one Parsons Director as defined in “Management—Board of Directors.” The stockholder agreement and the charter for the executive committee will further provide that, for so long as their affiliated funds hold specified amounts of our stock, in addition to the approval of our board of directors, the approvals of KKR and Silver Lake, in their capacity as stockholders, and a majority of the members of the executive committee shall be required for corporate actions such as change in control transactions, acquisitions with a value in excess of $50 million and any material change in the nature of the business conducted by us or our subsidiaries. See “Management—Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholder Agreement—KKR and Silver Lake Approvals” and “Management—Board of Directors—Committees of the Board of Directors—Executive Committee.” As a result, based on their ownership of our voting stock and the approval rights in the stockholder agreement, certain of our existing owners will have the ability to elect all of the members of our board of directors, and thereby to control our management and affairs. In addition, they will be able to determine the outcome of all matters requiring stockholder approval, including mergers and other material transactions, and will be able to cause or prevent a change in the composition of our board of directors or a change in control of our company that could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their Class A common stock as part of a sale of our company and might ultimately affect the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, immediately following this offering and the application of net proceeds therefrom, the Continuing LLC Owners will own 59.8% of the LLC Units. Because they hold their ownership interest in our business through Desert Newco, rather than through the public company, these existing owners may have conflicting interests with our public stockholders. For example, the Continuing LLC Owners may have different tax positions from us which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to dispose of assets, whether and when to incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, especially in light of the existence of the TRAs that we entered in connection with this offering, and whether and when GoDaddy Inc. should terminate the TRAs and accelerate its obligations thereunder;

 

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provided that any decision to terminate the TRAs and accelerate the obligation thereunder would also require the approval of a majority of the directors of GoDaddy Inc., other than directors designated or nominated by stockholders affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake, TCV or Mr. Parsons. In addition, the structuring of future transactions may take into consideration these Continuing LLC Owners’ tax or other considerations even where no similar benefit would accrue to us. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements.”

Further, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” will not apply to KKR, Silver Lake, TCV, Mr. Parsons or their respective affiliates, the directors they nominate or our other non-employee directors in a manner that would prohibit them from investing in competing businesses or doing business with our partners or customers. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholder Agreement—Other Provisions.”

In addition, under the terms of the TRAs, we may not elect an early termination of the TRAs without the consent of each of certain affiliates of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Mr. Parsons until such affiliate has exchanged all of its LLC Units (and Class B common stock) for shares of Class A common stock. Accordingly, we may be prevented from terminating the TRAs in circumstances where we determine it would be beneficial for us to do so, including potentially in connection with future strategic transactions.

Participation in this offering by certain of our existing owners would reduce the available public float for our shares.

Certain entities affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Bob Parsons, each a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our capital stock and an affiliate of a member of our board of directors, have indicated an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of $50 million of shares of our Class A common stock offered pursuant to this prospectus on a pro rata basis based on their existing ownership (assuming the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, 805,183, 805,183, 361,111 and 806,301 shares of our Class A common stock, respectively) directly from us at the initial public offering price. To the extent these affiliates purchase any such shares from us, the number of shares to be sold to the underwriters will accordingly be reduced. Because these indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, these existing affiliates may elect not to purchase shares in this offering. If these existing affiliates were to purchase all of these shares, they, together with our other directors, executive officers and each of the existing owners that is known to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class or series of our capital stock and their affiliates, in the aggregate, would own approximately 87.3% of our outstanding Class A common stock (and other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock) after giving effect to the Reorganization Transactions and this offering.

If these affiliates purchase all or a portion of the shares in which they have indicated an interest in this offering, such purchases would reduce the available public float for our shares because such affiliates would be restricted from selling the shares by a lock-up agreement they have entered into with our underwriters and by restrictions under applicable security laws. As a result, any purchase of shares by such affiliates in this offering may reduce the liquidity of our Class A common stock relative to what it would have been had these shares been purchased by investors that were not affiliated with us.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange listing standards and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

Upon the completion of this offering, our existing owners will continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our Class A and Class B common stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company”

 

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within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, including (1) the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors, (2) the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities and (3) the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities. Following this offering, we intend to rely on some or all of these exemptions. As a result, we will not have a majority of independent directors and our compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees will not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

Our substantial leverage could adversely affect our financial condition, our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, our ability to operate our business, our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, divert our cash flow from operations for debt payments and prevent us from meeting our debt obligations.

As of December 31, 2014, our total indebtedness was approximately $1.5 billion. Our substantial leverage could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition, including:

 

    requiring a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures and pursue future business opportunities;

 

    increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic, industry or competitive developments;

 

    exposing us to increased interest expense, as our degree of leverage may cause the interest rates of any future indebtedness, whether fixed or floating rate interest, to be higher than they would be otherwise;

 

    exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates because certain of our indebtedness bears interest at variable rates;

 

    making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, and any failure to comply with the obligations of any of our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants, could result in an event of default that accelerates our obligation to repay indebtedness;

 

    restricting us from making strategic acquisitions;

 

    limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product development, satisfaction of debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes; and

 

    limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business or market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who may be better positioned to take advantage of opportunities that our leverage prevents us from exploiting.

Substantially all of our indebtedness consists of indebtedness under our credit facility which matures in 2019 and 2021 and under our senior note which matures in 2019. We may not be able to refinance our existing indebtedness because of our high level of debt, debt incurrence restrictions under our debt agreements or adverse conditions in credit markets generally.

Furthermore, we may incur significant additional indebtedness in the future. Although the credit agreement and indenture that govern substantially all of our indebtedness contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness and entering into certain types of other transactions, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions. Additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. These restrictions also do not prevent us from incurring obligations, such as trade payables. To the extent we incur additional indebtedness, the substantial leverage risks described above would be exacerbated.

 

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Certain of our debt agreements impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our subsidiaries, which may prevent us from capitalizing on business opportunities.

The credit agreement that governs our credit facility imposes significant operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions limit the ability of our subsidiaries, and effectively limit our ability to, among other things:

 

    incur or guarantee additional debt or issue disqualified equity interests;

 

    pay dividends and make other distributions on, or redeem or repurchase, capital stock;

 

    make certain investments;

 

    incur certain liens;

 

    enter into transactions with affiliates;

 

    merge or consolidate;

 

    enter into agreements that restrict the ability of restricted subsidiaries to make certain intercompany dividends, distributions, payments or transfers; and

 

    transfer or sell assets.

The indenture that governs the senior note includes similar restrictions to those imposed by our credit agreement. However, the indenture provides that we will not be subject to certain restrictive covenants imposed under the indenture so long as Mr. Parsons or certain affiliates of Mr. Parsons own in the aggregate in excess of 20% of the outstanding principal amount of the senior note. As of December 31, 2014, such restrictive covenants were suspended as a result of Mr. Parsons’ ownership of the senior note. We intend to use a portion of the proceeds from this offering to repay the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest). See “Use of Proceeds.”

As a result of the restrictions described above, we will be limited as to how we conduct our business and we may be unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business opportunities. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain compliance with these covenants in the future and, if we fail to do so, that we will be able to obtain waivers from the lenders or amend the covenants.

Our failure to comply with the restrictive covenants described above as well as other terms of our indebtedness or the terms of any future indebtedness from time to time could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in our being required to repay these borrowings before their due date. If we are forced to refinance these borrowings on less favorable terms or are unable to refinance these borrowings, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Some provisions of Delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may deter third parties from acquiring us and diminish the value of our Class A common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide for, among other things:

 

    a classified board of directors with staggered three year terms;

 

    the ability of our board of directors to issue one or more series of preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could have the effect of impeding the success of an attempt to acquire us or otherwise effect a change in control;

 

    advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at stockholder meetings;

 

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    certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings; and

 

    certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that may be amended only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of all outstanding shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, if affiliates of KKR and Silver Lake (together with affiliates of TCV, for so long as TCV is required to vote at the direction of KKR and Silver Lake) collectively own less than 40% in voting power of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.

In addition, while we have opted out of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

    prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

    upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the votes of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or

 

    at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the votes of our outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of the votes of our outstanding voting stock. For purposes of this provision, “voting stock” means any class or series of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that KKR, Silver Lake, Mr. Parsons, their respective affiliates and any of their respective direct or indirect designated transferees (other than in certain market transfers and gifts) and any group of which such persons are a party do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with our company for a three year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring us to negotiate in advance with our board of directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction that results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

These provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company that is in the best interest of our minority stockholders. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our Class A common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to nominate directors for election to our board of directors and take other corporate actions.

Risks Relating to Owning Our Class A Common Stock and This Offering

An active trading market for our Class A common stock may never develop or be sustained.

We have been approved to list our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GDDY.” However, we cannot assure you that an active trading market for our Class A common stock

 

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will develop on that exchange or elsewhere or, if developed, that any market will be sustained. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of your ability to sell your shares of Class A common stock when desired or the prices that you may obtain for your shares.

Our share price may be volatile, and you may be unable to sell your shares at or above the offering price.

Technology stocks have historically experienced high levels of volatility. The trading price of our Class A common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. Factors that may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate include:

 

    price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;

 

    significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of technology companies in general, and of companies in our industry;

 

    actual or anticipated changes in our results of operations or fluctuations in our operating results;

 

    whether our operating results meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors;

 

    changes in the expectations of investors or securities analysts;

 

    actual or anticipated developments in our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape generally;

 

    litigation involving us, our industry or both;

 

    regulatory developments in the United States, foreign countries or both;

 

    general economic conditions and trends;

 

    major catastrophic events;

 

    sales of large blocks of our stock; or

 

    departures of key personnel.

In addition, if the market for technology stocks or the stock market in general experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, operating results or financial condition. The trading price of our common stock might also decline in reaction to events that affect other companies in our industry even if these events do not directly affect us.

In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. If our stock price is volatile, we may become the target of securities litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources from our business, and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Sales of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock into the market in the future could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to drop significantly.

If our existing stockholders sell, or indicate an intent to sell, substantial amounts of our Class A common stock in the public market after the market standoff, lock-up and other legal restrictions on resale lapse, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline. After this offering, 151,221,770 shares of Class A and Class B common stock will be outstanding. Of these shares, the 22,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock to be sold in this offering will be freely tradable, unless such shares are held by “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act.

 

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Each of our executive officers and directors, KKR, Silver Lake, TCV, Mr. Parsons and the holders of substantially all of the shares of our common stock and securities exercisable for our common stock (including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of LLC Units) are subject to market standoff agreements with us or lock-up agreements with the underwriters during the period ending 180 days after the date of this prospectus (subject to extension) that prevent them from selling their shares prior to the expiration of this lock-up period, subject to certain exceptions. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC may, however, in their sole discretion, permit shares subject to these agreements to be sold prior to their expiration. See “Underwriters” for additional information.

After the lock-up agreements pertaining to this offering expire, up to an additional 38,824,171 shares of Class A common stock (excluding 90,397,599 shares issuable upon exchange of LLC Units) will be eligible for sale in the public market, of which 38,824,171 will be held by affiliates and subject to volume limitations under Rule 144 under the Securities Act and various vesting agreements.

Before the completion of this offering, we will enter into a stockholder agreement with Desert Newco and each of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Mr. Parsons. Pursuant to the stockholder agreement, each of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Mr. Parsons will agree, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, sell, exchange, assign, pledge, hypothecate, convey or otherwise dispose of or encumber any shares of our Class A common stock (including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exchange of LLC Units) during the three-year period following this offering without the consent of each of KKR and Silver Lake, for so long as each of KKR and Silver Lake is entitled to nominate at least one director to our board of directors. Pursuant to agreements with us, members of our senior management team and independent directors and certain holders of more than 100,000 shares of our Class A common stock (including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exchange of LLC Units) and/or options to purchase Class A common stock may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, transfer, sell, exchange, assign, pledge, hypothecate, convey or otherwise dispose of or encumber any shares of our Class A common stock (including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of LLC Units) during the one-year period following this offering.

In addition, following the completion of this offering, we intend to file a registration statement to register all shares of Class A common stock subject to options or RSUs that are currently outstanding or that are reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans. If these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for additional information.

If you purchase shares of our Class A common stock in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution.

If you purchase shares of our Class A common stock in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution of $48.54 per share, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the net tangible book value per share of the Class A common stock that you acquire. This dilution is due in large part to the fact that our existing investors paid substantially less than the initial public offering price when they purchased their equity. In addition, investors who purchase shares in this offering will contribute approximately 28% of the total amount of equity capital raised by us through the date of this offering, in exchange for acquiring approximately 15% of our outstanding shares. In addition, we have issued options at prices significantly below the assumed initial public offering price and have also issued RSUs with no exercise price. To the extent outstanding options are ultimately exercised and RSUs vest, there will be further dilution to investors in this offering.

 

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If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our stock could decline.

The trading market for our Class A common stock could be influenced by any research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not currently have, and may never obtain, research coverage by securities analysts. If no securities analysts commence coverage of our company, the trading price for our stock would be negatively impacted. In the event securities analysts cover our company and one or more of these analysts downgrade our stock or publish unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds that we receive in this offering.

The principal purposes of this offering are to repay the senior note, raise additional capital, create a public market for our Class A common stock and facilitate our future access to the public equity markets. GoDaddy Inc. intends to contribute $25 million of the proceeds from this offering to GD Subsidiary Inc. and to use the remaining proceeds, and to cause GD Subsidiary Inc. to use the proceeds contributed to it, to purchase newly-issued LLC Units from Desert Newco, as described under “Organizational Structure—This Offering.” We also intend to cause Desert Newco to (i) pay the unpaid expenses of this offering payable by us, including the assumed underwriting discounts and commissions, which we estimate will be $33 million in the aggregate, (ii) make a final payment, which we estimate will be $26 million in the aggregate, to the Sponsors and TCV upon the termination of the transaction and monitoring fee agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering, (iii) make a payment of $3 million to Bob Parsons upon the termination of the executive chairman services agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering and (iv) make a payment of $315 million to repay the senior note, including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest. Any remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. Our intended uses for general corporate purposes may include working capital, sales and marketing activities, solution and platform development, general and administrative matters, and capital expenditures, although we do not currently have any specific or preliminary plans with respect to the use of proceeds for such purposes. Until the application of the proceeds as set forth above, our management will have broad discretion over the investment of the proceeds that we receive in this offering and might not be able to obtain a significant return, if any, on investment of these proceeds. Investors in this offering will need to rely upon the judgment of our management with respect to the use of proceeds. If we do not use the net proceeds that we receive in this offering effectively, our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed.

We do not intend to pay dividends following the completion of this offering.

We do not expect to pay dividends to the holders of our Class A common stock following the completion of this offering for the foreseeable future. Our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock is limited by our existing indebtedness, and may be further restricted by the terms of any future debt incurred or preferred securities issued by us or our subsidiaries or by law. Payments of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our business, operating results and financial condition, current and anticipated cash needs, plans for expansion and any legal or contractual limitations on our ability to pay dividends. As a result, any capital appreciation in the price of our Class A common stock may be your only source of gain on your investment in our Class A common stock.

If, however, we decide to pay a dividend in the future, we would need to cause Desert Newco to make distributions to GoDaddy Inc. in an amount sufficient to cover such dividend. Deterioration in the consolidated financial condition, earnings or cash flow of Desert Newco for any reason could limit or impair its ability to make distributions to us.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the sections entitled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Organizational Structure,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” contains forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the following:

 

    our ability to continue to add new customers and increase sales to our existing customers;

 

    our ability to develop new solutions and bring them to market in a timely manner;

 

    our ability to timely and effectively scale and adapt our existing solutions;

 

    our dependence on establishing and maintaining a strong brand;

 

    the occurrence of service interruptions and security or privacy breaches;

 

    system failures or capacity constraints;

 

    the rate of growth of, and anticipated trends and challenges in, our business and in the market for our products;

 

    our future financial performance, including our expectations regarding our revenue, cost of revenue, operating expenses, including changes in technology and development, marketing and advertising, general and administrative and Customer Care expenses, and our ability to achieve and maintain, future profitability;

 

    our ability to continue efficiently acquiring customers, maintaining our high customer retention rates and maintaining the level of our customers’ lifetime spend;

 

    our ability to provide high quality Customer Care;

 

    the effects of increased competition in our markets and our ability to compete effectively;

 

    our ability to expand internationally;

 

    our ability to effectively manage our growth and associated investments;

 

    our ability to integrate recent or potential future acquisitions;

 

    our ability to maintain our relationships with our partners;

 

    adverse consequences of our substantial level of indebtedness;

 

    our ability to maintain, protect and enhance our intellectual property;

 

    our ability to maintain or improve our market share;

 

    sufficiency of cash and cash equivalents to meet our needs for at least the next 12 months;

 

    beliefs and objectives for future operations;

 

    our ability to stay in compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or may become applicable to our business both in the United States and internationally;

 

    economic and industry trends or trend analysis;

 

    the attraction and retention of qualified employees and key personnel;

 

    the amount and timing of any payments we make under the New LLC Agreement and the TRAs; and

 

    the future trading prices of our Class A common stock.

 

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These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. Moreover, we operate in very competitive and rapidly changing environments, and new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in our forward-looking statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances described in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Moreover, neither we, nor any other person, assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this prospectus to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as required by law.

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect.

 

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MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this prospectus concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate, including our general expectations and market position, is based on information from management estimates and independent industry analysts and third-party sources, consisting of reports from VeriSign, dated January 2015, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, dated April 2014, publicly available information on the website of Netcraft Ltd., or Netcraft, as well as studies we commissioned from BrandOutlook, LLC, or BrandOutlook, dated September 2014, and Beall Research, Inc., or Beall Research, dated January 2013. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions, which we believe to be reasonable, made by us based on such data, as well as our knowledge of our industry, customers and products. Projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industries in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

 

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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Organizational Structure Prior to this Offering

The following diagram depicts our organizational structure prior to the Reorganization Transactions. This chart is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to represent all legal entities within our organizational structure.

 

LOGO

 

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Organizational Structure Following this Offering

The diagram below depicts our organizational structure immediately following this offering assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock. As used in this prospectus, “existing owners” refers to the owners of Desert Newco, collectively, prior to the Reorganization Transactions, and “Continuing LLC Owners” refers to those existing owners who will retain their equity ownership in Desert Newco in the form of LLC Units after the Reorganization Transactions.

LOGO

Immediately following this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will be a holding company and either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiary GD Subsidiary Inc., its principal asset will be a controlling equity interest in Desert Newco. As the sole managing member of Desert Newco, GoDaddy Inc. will operate and control all of the business and affairs of Desert Newco and, through Desert Newco and its subsidiaries, conduct our business. GoDaddy Inc. will consolidate Desert Newco in its consolidated financial statements and will report a non-controlling interest related to the LLC Units held by the Continuing LLC Owners on its consolidated financial statements.

Our post-offering organizational structure will allow the Continuing LLC Owners to retain their equity ownership in Desert Newco, an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in the form of LLC Units. Investors participating in this offering will, by contrast, hold equity in GoDaddy Inc., a Delaware corporation that is a domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in the form of shares

 

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of our Class A common stock. We believe that the Continuing LLC Owners generally find it advantageous to hold their equity interests in an entity that is not taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Continuing LLC Owners and GoDaddy Inc. will incur U.S. federal, state and local income taxes on their proportionate share of any taxable income of Desert Newco as calculated pursuant to the New LLC Agreement (as defined below). As described below, each of the Continuing LLC Owners will also hold a number of shares of Class B common stock of GoDaddy Inc. equal to the number of LLC Units held by such person. Although these shares have no economic rights, they will allow such owners to directly exercise voting power at GoDaddy Inc., which will be the managing member of Desert Newco, at a level that is consistent with their overall equity ownership of our business. Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, each share of Class B common stock shall be entitled to one vote. When a LLC Unit is exchanged by a Continuing LLC Owner (which we would generally expect to occur in connection with a sale or other transfer), a corresponding share of Class B common stock held by the exchanging owner is also exchanged and will be cancelled.

Incorporation of GoDaddy Inc.

GoDaddy Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on May 28, 2014. GoDaddy Inc. has not engaged in any business or other activities except in connection with its incorporation. GoDaddy Inc.’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize two classes of common stock, Class A common stock and Class B common stock, each having the terms described in “Description of Capital Stock.”

Following this offering, each Continuing LLC Owner will hold a number of shares of our Class B common stock equal to the number of LLC Units held by such Continuing LLC Owner, each of which provides its holder with no economic rights but entitles the holder to one vote on matters presented to GoDaddy Inc.’s stockholders, as described in “Description of Capital Stock—Capital Stock—Common Stock—Class B Common Stock.” Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Reorganization Transactions

Before the completion of this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will incorporate in Delaware a new subsidiary that will be wholly owned by it. We expect that this subsidiary will be named GD Subsidiary Inc. GoDaddy Inc. intends to contribute approximately $25 million of the net proceeds from this offering to GD Subsidiary Inc. and to cause GD Subsidiary Inc. to use the proceeds contributed to it, to purchase newly-issued LLC Units from Desert Newco.

The amendment of the limited liability company agreement of Desert Newco, the investors’ reorganization transactions and entry into the Exchange Agreement, all described below, are collectively referred to as the “Reorganization Transactions.”

Amendment of the Limited Liability Company Agreement of Desert Newco

Before the completion of this offering, the limited liability company agreement of Desert Newco will be amended and restated to, among other things, appoint GoDaddy Inc. as its sole managing member and reclassify its outstanding limited liability company units as non-voting units. We refer to such units as the “LLC Units.” We refer to the limited liability company agreement of Desert Newco, as in effect at the time of this offering, as the “New LLC Agreement.”

As the sole managing member of Desert Newco, GoDaddy Inc. will have the right to determine when distributions will be made to the unit holders of Desert Newco and the amount of any such distributions (subject to the requirements with respect to the tax distributions described below). If GoDaddy Inc. authorizes a distribution, such distribution will be made to the holders of LLC Units, including GoDaddy Inc., pro rata in accordance with their respective ownership of Desert Newco, provided that GoDaddy Inc. as sole managing member will be entitled to non-pro rata distributions for certain fees and expenses.

 

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Upon the consummation of this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will be a holding company and either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiary GD Subsidiary Inc., its principal asset will be a controlling equity interest in Desert Newco. As such, GoDaddy Inc. will have no independent means of generating revenue. Desert Newco will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated to holders of LLC Units, including GoDaddy Inc. Accordingly, GoDaddy Inc. will incur income taxes on its allocable share of any net taxable income of Desert Newco and will also incur expenses related to its operations. Pursuant to the New LLC Agreement, Desert Newco will make pro rata cash distributions to the holders of LLC Units, calculated using an assumed tax rate, to help to fund their tax obligations in respect of the cumulative taxable income, reduced by cumulative taxable losses, of Desert Newco that is allocated to them. Generally, these tax distributions will be computed based on an assumed income tax rate equal to the sum of (i) the maximum marginal federal income tax rate applicable to an individual (including, solely in the case of any current owner of The Go Daddy Group Inc., the 3.8% tax on net investment income to the extent such tax is applicable to Desert Newco income allocable to such owner) and (ii) 7%, which represents an assumed blended state income tax rate. As of December 31, 2014, this assumed income tax rate was 46.6% (which would increase to 50.4% with respect to a current owner of The Go Daddy Group Inc. if the tax on net investment income were to apply to all of its allocable share of income from Desert Newco). It is not expected that the tax on net investment income will apply to a significant portion of the income of Desert Newco allocable to current owners of The Go Daddy Group, Inc. Notwithstanding the potential differences, described above, in the assumed tax rate applicable in respect of different owners, Desert Newco will make tax distributions pro rata to LLC Unit ownership. In addition, under the tax rules, Desert Newco is required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its unit holders in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions will be determined based on the holder of LLC Units who is allocated the largest amount of taxable income on a per unit basis, but will be made pro rata based on ownership, Desert Newco will be required to make tax distributions that will likely exceed the actual tax liability incurred by many of the existing owners of Desert Newco in respect of their ownership in Desert Newco and that, in the aggregate, will likely exceed the amount of taxes that Desert Newco would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate applicable to current owners of The Go Daddy Group, Inc. In addition to tax expenses, GoDaddy Inc. also will incur expenses related to its operations, plus payments under the TRAs, which GoDaddy Inc. expects will be significant. GoDaddy Inc. intends to cause Desert Newco to make distributions or, in the case of certain expenses, payments in an amount sufficient to allow GoDaddy Inc. to pay its taxes and operating expenses, including distributions to fund any ordinary course payments due under the TRAs.

The New LLC Agreement will also provide that as a general matter a Continuing LLC Owner will not have the right to transfer LLC Units if GoDaddy Inc. determines that such transfer would be prohibited by law or regulation or would violate other agreements with GoDaddy Inc. to which the Continuing LLC Owner may be subject or would cause a technical tax termination of Desert Newco. However, each of KKR, Silver Lake, TCV and Mr. Parsons may transfer all its LLC Units even if such transfer could result in a technical tax termination if the transferring member indemnifies the other members of Desert Newco (including Go Daddy Inc.) for certain adverse tax consequences arising from any such technical tax termination and indemnifies Desert Newco for related costs.

Investors’ Reorganization Transactions

Prior to the completion of this offering, (1) KKR 2006 Fund (GDG) L.P., an affiliate of KKR, will make a distribution of LLC Units to KKR 2006 GDG Blocker Sub L.P. in an amount proportional to KKR 2006 GDG Blocker Sub L.P.’s ownership in KKR 2006 Fund (GDG) L.P.; (2) SLP GD Investors, L.L.C., an affiliate of Silver Lake, will make a distribution of LLC Units to SLP III Kingdom Feeder II, L.P. in an amount proportional to SLP III Kingdom Feeder II, L.P.’s ownership in SLP GD Investors, L.L.C., and subsequently, SLP III Kingdom Feeder II, L.P. will liquidate and distribute the LLC Units it received in the distribution from SLP GD Investors, L.L.C. to its partners, SLP III Kingdom Feeder Corp. as limited partner and Silver Lake Technology Associates III, L.P., as general partner; and (3) TCV VII (A) GD Investor, L.P., an affiliate of TCV, will liquidate and distribute all of its LLC Units to TCV VII (A) GD Investor, Inc., its limited partner. Each of KKR 2006 GDG Blocker Sub L.P., GDG Co-Invest Blocker Sub L.P., SLP III Kingdom Feeder Corp. and TCV VII

 

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(A) GD Investor, Inc. (such parties, the “Blocker Companies”) will then merge with one of four newly formed subsidiaries of GoDaddy Inc., and each of the surviving entities from such mergers will then merge with and into GoDaddy Inc., with GoDaddy Inc. surviving such merger (collectively, the “Investor Corp Mergers”). As a result of the Investor Corp Mergers, KKR 2006 GDG Blocker L.P., as limited partner of KKR 2006 GDG Blocker Sub L.P., GDG Co-Invest Blocker L.P., as limited partner of GDG Co-Invest Blocker Sub L.P., SLP III Kingdom Feeder I, L.P., as the sole stockholder of SLP III Kingdom Feeder Corp., and TCV VII (A) L.P., as the sole stockholder of TCV VII (A) GD Investor, Inc. (such parties, the “Reorganization Parties”) will each receive a number of shares of GoDaddy Inc.’s Class A common stock that is equal to its pro rata share of the number of LLC Units held by the Blocker Companies immediately before the Investor Corp Mergers, as well as certain rights under the applicable TRA.

Exchange Agreement

We and the Continuing LLC Owners will enter into the Exchange Agreement at the time of this offering under which they (or certain permitted transferees thereof) will have the right, subject to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, to exchange their LLC Units, together with a corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock, for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to customary conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, reclassifications and other similar transactions. The Exchange Agreement will provide, however, that such exchanges must be for a minimum of the lesser of 1,000 LLC Units or all of the vested LLC Units held by such owner. The New LLC Agreement will also provide that as a general matter a Continuing LLC Owner will not have the right to exchange LLC Units if we determine that such exchange would be prohibited by law or regulation or would violate other agreements with us to which the Continuing LLC Owner may be subject, including the New LLC Agreement. We may impose additional restrictions on exchange that we determine to be necessary or advisable so that Desert Newco is not treated as a “publicly traded partnership” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a holder exchanges LLC Units and Class B common stock for shares of Class A common stock, the number of LLC Units held by GoDaddy Inc. is correspondingly increased as it acquires the exchanged LLC Units, and a corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock are cancelled. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Exchange Agreement.”

As noted above, each of the Continuing LLC Owners will also hold a number of shares of our Class B common stock initially equal to the number of LLC Units held by such person. Although these shares have no economic rights, they will allow such Continuing LLC Owners to directly exercise voting power at GoDaddy Inc., the managing member of Desert Newco, at a level that is consistent with their overall equity ownership of our business. Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, each share of Class B common stock will be entitled to one vote.

This Offering

In connection with the completion of this offering, GoDaddy Inc. intends to contribute approximately $25 million of the proceeds it receives from this offering to GD Subsidiary Inc., and to use the remaining proceeds, and to cause GD Subsidiary Inc. to use the proceeds contributed to it, to purchase LLC Units from Desert Newco at a purchase price per unit equal to the initial public offering price per share of Class A common stock in this offering net of underwriting discounts and commissions. Assuming that the shares of Class A common stock to be sold in this offering are sold at $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, at the time of this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will purchase from Desert Newco 22,000,000 LLC Units for an aggregate of $396 million (or 25,300,000 LLC Units for an aggregate of $455 million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock). Desert Newco will bear or reimburse GoDaddy Inc. for all of the expenses of this offering. Accordingly, following this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will hold a number of LLC Units that is equal to the number of shares of Class A common stock that it has issued, a relationship that we believe fosters transparency because it results in a single share of Class A common stock representing (albeit indirectly) the same percentage ownership in Desert Newco as a single LLC Unit.

 

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Following This Offering

The Continuing LLC Owners may, subject to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, exchange their LLC Units, together with a corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock, for shares of Class A common stock of GoDaddy Inc. on a one-for-one basis. These exchanges are expected to result in increases in the tax basis of the assets of Desert Newco that otherwise would not have been available. Both existing tax basis acquired by GoDaddy Inc. in such exchanges and increases in tax basis resulting from such exchanges may reduce the amount of tax that GoDaddy Inc. would otherwise be required to pay in the future. This tax basis may also decrease gains (or increase losses) on future dispositions of certain assets to the extent tax basis is allocated to those assets. In addition, the Investor Corp Mergers will result in favorable tax attributes to GoDaddy Inc.

GoDaddy Inc. will enter into a TRA with the Continuing LLC Owners that will provide for the payment by GoDaddy Inc. of approximately 85% of the amount of the calculated tax savings, if any, that GoDaddy Inc. is deemed to realize as a result of this existing and increased tax basis and certain other tax benefits related to it entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA. Mr. Robel and Ms. Rafael, each a member of our board of directors, intend to forego their rights to be a party to the TRA. GoDaddy Inc. will also enter into TRAs with each of the Reorganization Parties that will provide for the payment by GoDaddy Inc. to each Reorganization Party of approximately 85% of the amount of the calculated tax savings, if any, that GoDaddy Inc. is deemed to realize as a result of the tax attributes of the units it acquires in the applicable Investor Corp Merger, any net operating losses available as a result of the applicable Investor Corp Merger and certain other tax benefits related to entering into the applicable TRA. These payment obligations are obligations of GoDaddy Inc. and not of Desert Newco. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements.”

GoDaddy Inc. may accumulate cash balances in future years resulting from distributions from Desert Newco exceeding our tax or other liabilities. To the extent GoDaddy Inc. does not use such cash balances to pay a dividend on or repurchase shares of Class A common stock and instead decides to hold or recontribute such cash balances to Desert Newco for use in its operations, Continuing LLC Owners who exchange LLC Units and shares of Class B common stock for shares of Class A common stock in the future could also benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Exchange Agreement.”

As a result of the Reorganization Transactions and this offering (assuming certain of our affiliates do not purchase shares from us in this offering), upon completion of this offering:

 

    Our Class A common stock will be held as follows:

 

    22,000,000 shares (or 25,300,000 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) by investors in this offering; and

 

    38,824,171 shares by the Reorganization Parties.

 

    Our Class B common stock (together with the same amount of LLC Units) will be held as follows:

 

    90,397,599 shares and LLC Units by the Continuing LLC Owners.

 

    The combined voting power in GoDaddy Inc. will be as follows:

 

    14.5% for investors in this offering (or 16.4% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock);

 

    25.7% for the Reorganization Parties (or 25.1% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock); and

 

    59.8% for the Continuing LLC Owners (or 58.5% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock).

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the proceeds to GoDaddy Inc. from this offering will be approximately $396 million (or $455 million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock), based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

GoDaddy Inc. intends to contribute approximately $25 million of these proceeds to GD Subsidiary Inc. and to use the remaining proceeds, and to cause GD Subsidiary Inc. to use the proceeds contributed to it, to purchase newly-issued LLC Units from Desert Newco, as described under “Organizational Structure—Reorganization Transactions.” We intend to cause Desert Newco to (i) pay the unpaid expenses of this offering payable by us, including the assumed underwriting discounts and commissions, which we estimate will be $33 million in the aggregate, (ii) make a final payment, which we estimate will be $26 million in the aggregate, to the Sponsors and TCV upon the termination of the transaction and monitoring fee agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering, (iii) make a payment of $3 million to Bob Parsons upon the termination of the executive chairman services agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering and (iv) make a payment of $315 million to repay the senior note, including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest. Any remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. Our intended uses for general corporate purposes may include working capital, sales and marketing activities, solution and platform development, general and administrative matters, and capital expenditures, although we do not currently have any specific or preliminary plans with respect to the use of proceeds for such purposes. The senior note has an aggregate principal amount of $300 million, bears interest at a rate of 9.0% per annum and matures on December 15, 2019 and contains prepayment premium provisions. Our repayment of the senior note will require that we pay 104.5% of the principal amount to be repaid plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Senior Note Payable to The Go Daddy Group, Inc.”

Pending specific application of these proceeds, we expect to invest them primarily in short term, investment-grade interest-bearing securities such as money market accounts, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

A $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price would increase or decrease, as applicable, cash and cash equivalents and total equity by approximately $20.7 million, assuming the number of shares offered, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same.

Similarly, an increase or decrease of one million shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering would increase or decrease, as applicable, cash and cash equivalents and total equity by approximately $16.9 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future.

Immediately following this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will be a holding company, and either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiary GD Subsidiary Inc., its principal asset will be a controlling equity interest in Desert Newco. If, however, GoDaddy Inc. decides to pay a dividend in the future, it would need to cause Desert Newco to make distributions to GoDaddy Inc. in an amount sufficient to cover such dividend. If Desert Newco makes such distributions to GoDaddy Inc., the other holders of LLC Units will be entitled to receive pro rata distributions.

Our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock is limited by the covenants of our indebtedness and may be further restricted by the terms of any future debt or preferred securities incurred or issued by us or our subsidiaries. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” In addition, Desert Newco is generally prohibited under Delaware law from making a distribution to unit holders (including us) to the extent that, at the time of the distribution, after giving effect to the distribution, liabilities of Desert Newco (with certain exceptions) exceed the fair value of its assets. Subsidiaries of Desert Newco are generally subject to similar legal limitations on their ability to make distributions to Desert Newco.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of December 31, 2014:

 

    on an actual basis; and

 

    on a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (i) the Reorganization Transactions described under “Organizational Structure,” (ii) the creation of certain tax assets in connection with this offering and the Reorganization Transactions, (iii) the creation of related liabilities in connection with entering into the TRAs with the Reorganization Parties and (iv) the sale by us of 22,000,000 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to this offering and the application of the proceeds from this offering as described in “Use of Proceeds,” based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

This table should be read in conjunction with the information contained in this prospectus, including “Organizational Structure,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

     December 31, 2014  
     Actual     Pro Forma
As Adjusted(1)
 
     (in thousands, except share
and per share data)
 

Cash and cash equivalents

     $   138,968      $ 158,140   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Long-term debt, including current portion

  $1,418,922    $ 1,126,364   

Members’/stockholders’ equity:

Class A common stock, $0.001 par value per share, 1,000,000,000 shares authorized and 60,824,171 shares outstanding on a pro forma as adjusted basis

       61   

Class B common stock, $0.001 par value per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized and 90,397,599 shares outstanding on a pro forma as adjusted basis

       90   

Additional paid-in capital

       389,833   

Members’ interest

  1,086,206        

Accumulated deficit

  (675,815   (51,246

Non-controlling interest

       214,481   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total members’/stockholders’ equity

  $   410,391    $ 553,219   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

  $1,829,313    $ 1,679,583   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) A $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price would increase or decrease, as applicable, cash and cash equivalents and total equity by approximately $20.7 million, assuming the number of shares offered, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. Similarly, an increase or decrease of one million shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, cash and cash equivalents and total equity by approximately $16.9 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our Class A common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of Class A common stock in this offering and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of Class A common stock immediately after the completion of this offering.

Our pro forma net tangible book value as of December 31, 2014 was $(2,167,805,000) or $(55.84) per share of Class A common stock. Pro forma net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our tangible net worth, total tangible assets less total liabilities, by the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding prior to the completion of this offering.

After giving effect to the sale by us of the 22,000,000 shares of Class A common stock in this offering, at an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and the receipt and application of the estimated net proceeds, after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma net tangible book value at December 31, 2014 would have been $(1,857,611,000) or $(30.54) per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma net tangible book value to existing stockholders of $25.30 per share and an immediate dilution to new investors of $48.54 per share.

The following table illustrates this per share dilution:

 

Assumed initial public offering price

$ 18.00   

Pro forma net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2014

$ (55.84

Increase in pro forma net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors

  25.30   
  

 

 

   

Pro forma net tangible book value per share after offering

  (30.54
    

 

 

 

Dilution per share to new investors

$ 48.54   
    

 

 

 

If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after giving effect to this offering would be $(28.10) per share, and the dilution in net tangible book value per share to investors in this offering would be $46.10 per share.

The following table sets forth, on a pro forma as adjusted basis, as of December 31, 2014, the number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock purchased from us, the total consideration paid, or to be paid, and the average price per share paid, or to be paid, by existing stockholders and by the new investors, at an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, before deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us:

 

     Shares Purchased     Total Consideration     Average Price
Per Share
 
     Number      Percent     Amount      Percent    

Existing stockholders

     129,003,000         85.4   $ 1,020,427,000         72.0   $ 7.91   

New investors

     22,000,000         14.6        396,000,000         28.0        18.00   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

Total

  151,003,000      100 $ 1,416,427,000      100
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

The information discussed above is illustrative only and will change based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. A $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price would increase or decrease, as applicable, total consideration paid by new investors and total consideration paid by all stockholders by $20.7 million, assuming the number of shares offered by us,

 

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as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions. Similarly, an increase or decrease of one million shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, total consideration paid by new investors and total consideration paid by all stockholders by $16.9 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions.

The foregoing discussion and tables assume no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option or of outstanding stock options after December 31, 2014. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock, there will be further dilution to new investors.

The number of shares of our Class A common stock set forth in the table above is based on                      shares of our Class A common stock outstanding and does not reflect:

 

    26,647,614 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of options to purchase LLC Units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2014, with a weighted-average exercise price of $8.27 per unit, that become exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock immediately following this offering;

 

    115,538 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase LLC Units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2014, with an exercise price of $7.44 per unit, that become exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock immediately following this offering;

 

    86,992 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the vesting of RSUs with respect to LLC Units that were outstanding as of December 31, 2014;

 

    6,048,871 additional shares of Class A common stock, subject to increase on an annual basis, reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, which will become effective in connection with the completion of this offering, plus 4,193,132 shares of Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2011 Unit Incentive Plan, which shares will be added to the shares of Class A common stock to be reserved under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan upon its effectiveness;

 

    2,000,000 additional shares of Class A common stock, subject to increase on an annual basis, reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or our ESPP, which will become effective in connection with the completion of this offering; and

 

    90,397,599 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of the same number of LLC Units (together with the same number of shares of our Class B common stock) that will be held by certain of our existing owners immediately following this offering.

 

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014 presents the Reorganization Transactions described under “Organizational Structure” and this offering as if each had been completed as of January 1, 2014. The unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 presents the Reorganization Transactions and this offering as if each had been completed as of December 31, 2014.

The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information has been prepared based on Desert Newco’s historical consolidated financial statements and the assumptions and adjustments described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information below. The adjustments necessary to fairly present the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information are based on available information and assumptions we believe are reasonable and are presented for illustrative purposes only. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information does not purport to represent our consolidated results of operations or consolidated financial position that would actually have occurred had the transactions referred to above been consummated on the dates assumed or to project our consolidated results of operations or consolidated financial position for any future date or period. The presentation of the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information is prepared in conformity with Article 11 of Regulation S-X.

Desert Newco’s historical consolidated financial information has been derived from its consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. GoDaddy Inc. was formed on May 28, 2014 and will have no material assets or results of operations until the completion of this offering. Therefore, its historical financial position is not included in the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information.

The pro forma adjustments related to the Reorganization Transactions are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information and primarily include the following:

 

    the amendment and restatement of GoDaddy Inc.’s certificate of incorporation to, among other things, (i) provide for Class A common stock and Class B common stock and (ii) issue shares of Class B common stock to the Continuing LLC Owners equal to the number of LLC Units they own;

 

    the exchange by the Reorganization Parties of their LLC Units for an equal number of shares of Class A common stock;

 

    the approximately 69.9% non-controlling interest in Desert Newco, LLC represented by the LLC Units not held by GoDaddy Inc. after completion of the Reorganization Transactions; and

 

    the execution of the Tax Receivable Agreements and the recognition of the related payable under such agreements.

The pro forma adjustments related to this offering are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information and primarily include the following:

 

    the issuance of 22,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock to the purchasers in this offering in exchange for net proceeds of approximately $363.2 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses;

 

    the payment of $314.6 million to repay the senior note, which includes related prepayment premiums of $13.5 million and accrued interest of approximately $1.1 million;

 

    the payment of approximately $26.4 million to the Sponsors and TCV upon the termination of the transaction and monitoring fee agreement;

 

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    the payment of $3.0 million to Bob Parsons upon the termination of the executive chairman services agreement; and

 

    the approximately 59.7% non-controlling interest in Desert Newco, LLC represented by the LLC Units not held by GoDaddy Inc. after completion of this offering.

Except as otherwise indicated, the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information presented assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock. If the underwriters’ option is exercised in full, net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $419.0 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, and the ownership percentage represented by LLC Units not held by GoDaddy Inc. will be approximately 58.4%.

The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information should be read together with “Organizational Structure,” “Capitalization,” “Selected Consolidated Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Desert Newco’s consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

For the Year Ended December 31, 2014

 

     Desert Newco
Actual
    Reorganization
Transactions
Adjustments
    As Adjusted
Before
Offering
    Initial Public
Offering
Adjustments(3)
    GoDaddy Inc.
Pro Forma
 
     (in thousands, except per share data)  

Revenue:

          

Domains

   $ 763,273      $      $ 763,273      $      $ 763,273   

Hosting and presence

     507,880               507,880               507,880   

Business applications

     116,109               116,109               116,109   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

  1,387,262           1,387,262           1,387,262   

Costs and operating expenses:

Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

  518,382           518,382           518,382   

Technology and development

  254,440           254,440           254,440   

Marketing and advertising

  164,671           164,671           164,671   

Customer care

  190,503           190,503           190,503   

General and administrative

  168,383           168,383           168,383   

Depreciation and amortization

  152,759           152,759           152,759   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

  1,449,138           1,449,138           1,449,138   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

  (61,876        (61,876        (61,876

Interest expense

  (84,997        (84,997   28,682 (4)    (56,315

Other income (expense), net

  744           744           744   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

  (146,129        (146,129   28,682      (117,447

Benefit for income taxes(1)

  2,824           2,824           2,824   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

  (143,305        (143,305   28,682      (114,623

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

  

  (100,177 )(2)    (100,177   31,724 (5)    (68,453
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to GoDaddy Inc.

$ (143,305 $ 100,177    $ (43,128 $ (3,042 $ (46,170
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share—basic and diluted(6)(7)

$ (1.11 $ (0.82
      

 

 

     

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares, outstanding—basic and diluted(6)(7)

  38,824      56,303   
      

 

 

     

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations.

 

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Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Statement of Operations

(1) Desert Newco has been, and will continue to be, treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purposes. As such, Desert Newco’s profits and losses will flow through to its partners, including GoDaddy Inc., and are generally not subject to tax at the Desert Newco level. GoDaddy Inc. is subject to federal, state, local and foreign taxes. We have determined it is more-likely-than-not the tax benefits associated with the deferred tax assets arising from the Reorganization Transactions and this offering will not be realized. As a result, the pro forma consolidated statement of operations does not reflect an adjustment for deferred tax benefits.
(2) Upon completion of the Reorganization Transactions, GoDaddy Inc. will become the sole managing member of Desert Newco, and as a result, GoDaddy Inc. will initially own approximately 30.1% of the economic interest in Desert Newco, but will have 100% of the voting power and control the management of Desert Newco. Immediately following the Reorganization Transactions, the ownership percentage held by the non-controlling interest will be approximately 69.9%. Net loss attributable to the non-controlling interest will represent approximately 69.9% of net loss.
(3) These pro forma adjustments assume no exchanges of LLC Units held by the existing owners for shares of Class A common stock concurrent with this offering. These adjustments are attributable to deferred tax assets for the estimated income tax effects resulting from (i) any existing tax attributes associated with LLC Units acquired in the applicable Investor Corp Merger, the benefit of which is allocable to us as a result of such Investor Corp Merger (including existing tax basis in the Desert Newco assets), (ii) net operating losses available as a result of the applicable Investor Corp Merger and (iii) tax benefits related to imputed interest.
(4) Reflects a reduction in interest expense of $28.7 million, including the related accretion of original issue discount of $1.5 million and amortization of deferred financing costs of $0.2 million, as a result of the repayment of the senior note, as described in “Use of Proceeds,” as if such repayment occurred on January 1, 2014. The senior note currently bears interest at a rate of 9.0% per annum. Any net proceeds from this offering exceeding the amount used to repay the senior note are excluded from the pro forma consolidated statement of operations.
(5) Upon completion of the Reorganization Transactions, GoDaddy Inc. will become the sole managing member of Desert Newco. As a result of this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will own approximately 40.3% of the economic interest in Desert Newco, but will have 100% of the voting power and control the management of Desert Newco. Immediately following the completion of this offering, the ownership percentage held by the non-controlling interest will be approximately 59.7%. Net loss attributable to the non-controlling interest will represent approximately 59.7% of net loss.
(6) The basic and diluted pro forma net loss per share of Class A common stock represents net loss attributable to GoDaddy Inc. divided by the combination of 38.8 million shares of Class A common stock owned by the Blocker Companies after giving effect to the Reorganization Transactions and approximately 17.5 million shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering, representing only those shares whose proceeds will be used to repay the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest), based on the midpoint of the price range shown on the cover of this prospectus. See “Use of Proceeds.”
(7) The shares of Class B common stock do not share in our earnings and are therefore not included in the weighted-average shares outstanding or net loss per share. Net loss attributable to Class A common stock per share would not be significantly different if the assumed offering price changed by $1.00.

 

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

As of December 31, 2014

 

     Desert Newco
Actual
    Reorganization
Transactions
Adjustments
    As Adjusted
Before
Offering
    Initial Public
Offering
Adjustments
    GoDaddy Inc.
Pro Forma
 
     (in thousands)  

Assets

          

Current assets:

          

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 138,968      $      $ 138,968      $
19,172
(5) 
  $ 158,140   

Short-term investments

     3,003               3,003               3,003   

Accounts receivable

     3,527               3,527               3,527   

Registry deposits

     17,798               17,798               17,798   

Prepaid domain name registry fees

     272,803               272,803               272,803   

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     23,926               23,926        (182 )(5)      23,744   

Deferred tax assets(1)

     857               857               857   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

     460,882               460,882        18,990        479,872   

Property and equipment, net

     220,905               220,905               220,905   

Prepaid domain name registry fees, net of current portion

     152,848               152,848               152,848   

Goodwill

     1,661,177               1,661,177               1,661,177   

Intangible assets, net

     749,653               749,653               749,653   

Other assets

     17,830               17,830        (6,859 )(5)(6)      10,971   

Deferred tax assets, net of current portion(1)

     1,510               1,510               1,510   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 3,264,805      $      $ 3,264,805      $ 12,131      $ 3,276,936   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities and members’/stockholders’ equity

          

Current liabilities:

          

Accounts payable

   $ 31,924      $      $ 31,924      $      $ 31,924   

Accrued expenses

     112,558               112,558       
(5,505
)(5)(6) 
    107,053   

Current portion of deferred revenue

     823,284               823,284               823,284   

Current portion of long-term debt

     4,983               4,983               4,983   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     972,749               972,749        (5,505     967,244   

Deferred revenue, net of current portion

     429,228               429,228               429,228   

Long-term debt, net of current portion

     1,413,939               1,413,939        (292,558 )(5)      1,121,381   

Other long-term liabilities

     38,498               38,498               38,498   

Payable to related parties pursuant to tax receivable agreements

            167,366 (2)      167,366               167,366   

Commitments and contingencies

          

Members’/stockholders’ equity:

          

Class A common stock, $0.001 par value per share

            39 (3)      39       
22
(5) 
    61   

Class B common stock, $0.001 par value per share

            90 (3)      90               90   

Additional paid-in capital

            (43,986 )(2)(3)      (43,986     433,819 (2)(5)(6)      389,833   

Members’ interest

     1,086,206        (1,086,206 )(3)                      

Accumulated deficit

     (675,815     675,815 (3)             (51,246 )(5)      (51,246

Non-controlling interests

            286,882 (4)      286,882        (72,401 )(7)      214,481   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total members’/stockholders’ equity

     410,391        (167,366     243,025        310,194        553,219   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and members’/stockholders’ equity

   $   3,264,805      $      $ 3,264,805      $ 12,131      $ 3,276,936   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet.

 

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Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Balance Sheet

(1) GoDaddy Inc. is subject to U.S. federal income taxes, in addition to state, local and foreign taxes. We are required to evaluate the realizability of deferred tax assets. After considering the history of losses, as well as all other available positive and negative evidence impacting the future realization of our deferred tax assets, we have concluded it is more-likely-than-not the deferred tax assets arising from the Reorganization Transactions and this offering will not be realized. Therefore, a valuation allowance has been recorded against all of these deferred tax assets. As a result, the pro forma consolidated balance sheet does not reflect an adjustment for deferred tax assets.
(2) We have reflected adjustments giving effect to certain of the TRAs described in “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Tax Receivable Agreements” and “Organizational Structure,” based on the following assumptions:

 

    we have reflected $167.4 million as an increase to the liabilities due to existing owners under the TRAs, with a corresponding decrease to additional paid-in capital, with respect to the Reorganization Transactions, representing our estimate of the amount we consider probable that we would be required to pay, which approximates 85% of the estimated realizable tax benefit resulting from (i) any existing tax attributes associated with LLC Units acquired in the applicable Investor Corp Merger, the benefit of which is allocable to us as a result of such Investor Corp Merger (including existing tax basis in the Desert Newco assets), (ii) net operating losses available as a result of the applicable Investor Corp Merger and (iii) tax benefits related to imputed interest. Our ability to realize the net cash savings previously described will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and timing of taxable income we generate in the future and any future limitations that may be imposed on our ability to use certain net tax assets; and
    concurrent with this offering, no LLC Units or shares of Class B common stock will be exchanged; therefore, no tax benefits have been recorded for any exchanges of LLC Units or shares of Class B common stock.
(3) Reflects the reclassification of Desert Newco’s historic members’ equity to Class A common stock, Class B common stock and additional paid-in capital as a result of the Reorganization Transactions.
(4) Upon completion of the Reorganization Transactions, GoDaddy Inc. will become the sole managing member of Desert Newco, and as a result, GoDaddy Inc. will initially own approximately 30.1% of the economic interest in Desert Newco, but will have 100% of the voting power and control the management of Desert Newco. Immediately following the Reorganization Transactions, the ownership percentage held by the non-controlling interest will be approximately 69.9%.
(5) We estimate that the proceeds to GoDaddy Inc. from this offering will be approximately $363.2 million (or approximately $419.0 million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock), based on an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting approximately $32.8 million of assumed underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated unpaid offering expenses payable by us. We intend to cause Desert Newco to (i) pay the unpaid expenses of this offering payable by us including the assumed underwriting discounts and commissions, (ii) make a final payment, which we estimate will be $26.4 million in the aggregate, to the Sponsors and TCV upon the termination of the transaction and monitoring fee agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering, (iii) make a payment of $3.0 million to Bob Parsons upon the termination of the executive chairman services agreement, in accordance with its terms, in connection with the completion of this offering and (iv) make a payment of $314.6 million to repay the senior note, which includes related prepayment premiums of $13.5 million and accrued interest of approximately $1.1 million, and the write-off of $7.4 million of unamortized original issue discount and $0.9 million of deferred financing costs. Any remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds.”
(6) We are deferring the direct costs associated with this offering. These costs, including amounts accrued, primarily represent legal, accounting and other direct costs and are recorded in other assets in Desert Newco’s consolidated balance sheet. Upon completion of this offering, $6.1 million of deferred costs will be charged against the proceeds from this offering as a reduction of additional paid-in capital.
(7) Upon completion of the Reorganization Transactions, GoDaddy Inc. will become the sole managing member of Desert Newco. As a result of this offering, GoDaddy Inc. will own approximately 40.3% of the economic interest of Desert Newco, but will have 100% of the voting power and will control the management of Desert Newco. Immediately following the completion of this offering, the ownership percentage held by the non-controlling interest will be approximately 59.7%.

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following tables present our selected consolidated financial data. In December 2011, certain investors acquired a controlling interest in Desert Newco in the Merger. Desert Newco was formed in contemplation of, and survived the Merger and was required to apply purchase accounting and a new basis of accounting beginning on December 17, 2011. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Impact of Purchase Accounting” for more information.

The consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2013 and 2014 are derived from Desert Newco’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. The consolidated statements of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2010, the period from January 1, 2011 through December 16, 2011 and the period from December 17, 2011 through December 31, 2011 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are derived from Desert Newco’s audited consolidated financial statements not included in this prospectus. The selected consolidated financial data presented below is not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. You should read the following selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

    Predecessor(1)          Successor(1)  
    Year Ended
December 31,

2010
    January 1
Through
December 16,

2011
         December 17
Through
December 31,

2011
    Year Ended
December 31,
 
               2012     2013     2014  
                                          
    (in thousands, except per share or per unit data)        

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

           

Total revenue

  $ 741,234      $ 862,978          $ 31,349      $ 910,903      $ 1,130,845      $ 1,387,262   

Costs and operating expenses:(2)

               

Cost of revenue

    313,345        357,525            16,500        430,299        473,868        518,382   

Technology and development

    117,161        212,987            8,078        175,406        207,941        254,440   

Marketing and advertising

    94,422        117,715            3,893        130,123        145,482        164,671   

Customer care

    94,105        115,416            5,114        132,582        150,932        190,503   

General and administrative

    87,575        280,521            41,811        106,377        143,980        168,383   

Depreciation and amortization

    39,667        49,155            5,445        138,620        140,567        152,759   
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

    746,275        1,133,319            80,841        1,113,407        1,262,770        1,449,138   

Operating income (loss)

    (5,041     (270,341         (49,492     (202,504     (131,925     (61,876

Interest expense

    (960     (2,962         (3,521     (79,092     (70,978     (84,997

Other income (expense), net

    1,926        2,621            (562     2,326        1,877        744   
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

    (4,075     (270,682         (53,575     (279,270     (201,026     (146,129

Benefit (provision) for income taxes

    (84     235            1        218        1,142        2,824   
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

  $ (4,159   $ (270,447       $ (53,574   $ (279,052   $ (199,884   $ (143,305
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share or per unit(3)

  $ (0.06   $ (3.85       $ (10.34   $ (2.21   $ (1.58   $ (1.11
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average common shares or units outstanding—basic and diluted(3)

    73,203        70,195            5,179        126,098        126,663        128,567   
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share (unaudited)(4)

                $ (0.82
               

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted-average common shares outstanding (unaudited)(5)

                  56,303   
               

 

 

 

 

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(1) Our company is referred to as the “Predecessor” for all periods prior to the Merger and is referred to as the “Successor” for all periods after the Merger. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Impact of Purchase Accounting” for more information.
(2) Costs and operating expenses include equity-based compensation expense as follows:

 

    Predecessor          Successor  
    Year Ended
December 31,

2010
    January 1
Through
December 16,

2011
         December 17
Through
December 31,

2011
    Year Ended
December 31,
 
               2012     2013     2014  
                     (in thousands)                    

Cost of revenue

  $      $ 37          $      $ 13      $ 21      $ 8   

Technology and development

           58,242            94        1,560        4,704        10,445   

Marketing and advertising

           15,069            94        1,581        2,585        6,122   

Customer care

           2,508            19        329        586        792   

General and administrative

           183,430            505        8,197        8,552        12,818   

 

(3) Net loss per share and weighted-average common shares outstanding during the Predecessor periods are not affected by the one-for-two reverse split of LLC Units, which became effective in March 2015.
(4) Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share has been adjusted to reflect $28,682 of lower interest expense related to the repayment of the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest) as described in “Use of Proceeds,” as if such repayment occurred on January 1, 2014. The senior note currently bears interest at a rate of 9.0% per annum.
(5) Pro forma weighted-average shares includes approximately 17.5 million shares of common stock to be issued in this offering, representing only those shares whose proceeds will be used to repay the senior note (including related prepayment premiums and accrued interest), at an assumed initial public offering price of $18.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The issuance of such shares is assumed to have occurred as of the beginning of the period.

 

    Predecessor          Successor  
    As of
December 31,

2010
         As of December 31,  
           2011     2012     2013     2014  
               (in thousands)              

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

             

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 44,384          $ 47,805      $ 59,463      $ 95,430      $ 138,968   

Prepaid domain name registry fees

    277,071            337,055        373,801        404,087        425,651   

Property and equipment, net

    156,831            195,550        159,714        183,248        220,905   

Total assets

    525,898            3,068,405        3,027,675        3,213,130        3,264,805   

Deferred revenue

    688,603            656,463        908,910        1,086,156        1,252,512   

Long-term debt, including current portion

    13,622            998,857        989,334        1,085,454        1,418,922   

Total liabilities

    772,506            1,738,500        1,981,625        2,342,382        2,854,414   

Total stockholders’/ members’ (deficit) equity

    (246,608         1,273,544        1,013,738        812,507        410,391   

Key Metrics

We monitor the following key metrics to help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets and assess operational performance. In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe the following non-GAAP and operational measures are useful in evaluating our business:

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2010(1)     2011(1)     2012(1)     2013(1)     2014(1)  
    (unaudited; in thousands, except ARPU)  

Total bookings

  $ 938,662      $ 1,124,840      $ 1,249,565      $ 1,397,936      $ 1,675,198   

Total customers at period end

    8,225        9,395        10,236        11,584        12,709   

Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the trailing 12 months ended

  $ 97      $ 102      $ 93      $ 104      $ 114   

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 127,618      $ 156,818      $ 173,875      $ 196,323      $ 271,497   

 

(1) The year ended December 31, 2010 represents the operations of our Predecessor. The year ended December 31, 2011 represents the combined periods of January 1, 2011 through December 16, 2011 (Predecessor) and December 17, 2011 through December 31, 2011 (Successor). All periods ending after December 31, 2011 represent the Successor’s operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information.

 

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Total bookings. Total bookings represents gross cash receipts from the sale of products to customers in a given period before giving effect to certain adjustments, primarily net refunds granted in the period. Total bookings provides valuable insight into the sales of our products and the performance of our business given that we typically collect payment at the time of sale and recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. We report total bookings without giving effect to refunds granted in the period. Refunds often occur in periods different from the period of sale for reasons unrelated to the marketing efforts leading to the initial sale. Accordingly, by excluding net refunds, we believe total bookings reflects the effectiveness of our sales efforts in a given period.

Total customers. We define total customers as those that, as of the end of a period, have an active subscription. A single user may be counted as a customer more than once if the user maintains active subscriptions in multiple accounts. Total customers is an indicator of the scale of our business and is a critical factor in our ability to increase our revenue base.

Average revenue per user (ARPU). We calculate average revenue per user, or ARPU, as total revenue during the preceding 12 month period divided by the average of the number of total customers at the beginning and end of the period. ARPU provides insight into our ability to sell additional products to customers, though the impact to date has been muted due to our continued growth in total customers. The impact of purchase accounting adjustments makes comparisons of ARPU among historical periods less meaningful; however, in future periods, as the effects of purchase accounting decrease, ARPU will become a more meaningful metric. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Impact of Purchase Accounting.”

Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of our performance that aligns our bookings and operating expenditures, and is the primary metric management uses to evaluate the profitability of our business. We calculate adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense (net), provision (benefit) for income taxes, equity-based compensation expense, change in deferred revenue, change in prepaid and accrued registry costs, acquisition and sponsor-related costs and a non-recurring reserve for sales taxes. Acquisition and sponsor-related costs include (i) retention and acquisition-specific employee costs, (ii) acquisition-related professional fees, (iii) adjustments to the fair value of contingent consideration, (iv) costs incurred under the transaction and monitoring fee agreement with the Sponsors and TCV, which will cease following a final payment in connection with the completion of this offering, (v) costs incurred under the executive chairman services agreement, which will cease following a payment in connection with the completion of this offering and (vi) costs associated with consulting services provided by KKR Capstone. As a result of our business model, we typically collect payment at the time of sale and generally recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. At the time of a domain sale, we also incur the obligation for the domain name registry fees associated with the customer contract. As a result, sales to customers increase our deferred revenue and prepaid and accrued registry costs. We therefore adjust net loss for changes in deferred revenue and changes in the associated prepaid and accrued registry costs to facilitate a better comparison of our performance from period to period.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Our non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results under GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of these non-GAAP financial measures versus their nearest GAAP equivalents. First, total bookings and adjusted EBITDA are not substitutes for total revenue and net loss, respectively. Second, these non-GAAP financial measures may not provide information directly comparable to measures provided by other companies in our industry, as those other companies may calculate their non-GAAP financial measures differently, particularly related to adjustments for acquisition accounting and non-recurring expenses. Third, adjusted EBITDA excludes certain recurring expenses that have been and will continue to be significant expenses of our business.

 

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The following tables reconcile the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to each of these non-GAAP financial measures.

 

                                                                                         
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2010(1)     2011(1)     2012(1)     2013(1)     2014(1)  
    (unaudited; in thousands)  

Total Bookings:

         

Total revenue

  $ 741,234      $ 894,327      $ 910,903      $ 1,130,845      $ 1,387,262   

Change in deferred revenue

    144,621        161,107        252,448        169,145        166,357   

Net refunds

    54,992        69,460        80,177        96,117        116,215   

Other

    (2,185     (54     6,037        1,829        5,364   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total bookings

  $ 938,662      $ 1,124,840      $ 1,249,565      $ 1,397,936      $ 1,675,198   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) The year ended December 31, 2010 represents the operations of our Predecessor. The year ended December 31, 2011 represents the combined periods of January 1, 2011 through December 16, 2011 (Predecessor) and December 17, 2011 through December 31, 2011 (Successor). All periods ending after December 31, 2011 represent the Successor’s operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information.

 

                                                                                         
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2010(1)     2011(1)     2012(1)     2013(1)     2014(1)  
    (unaudited; in thousands)  

Adjusted EBITDA:

         

Net loss

  $ (4,159   $ (324,021   $ (279,052   $ (199,884   $ (143,305

Interest expense

    960        6,483        79,092        70,978        84,997   

Interest income(2)

    (55     (39     (39     (85     (179

(Benefit) provision for income taxes

    84        (236     (218     (1,142     (2,824

Depreciation and amortization

    39,667        54,600        138,620        140,567        152,759   

Equity-based compensation expense

           259,998        11,680        16,448        30,185   

Change in deferred revenue

    144,621        161,107        252,448        169,145        166,357   

Change in prepaid and accrued registry costs(3)

    (53,500     (51,539     (34,206     (23,392     (20,872

Acquisition and sponsor-related costs(4)

           50,465        5,550        9,292       
4,962
  

Sales tax accrual(5)

                         14,396        (583
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 127,618      $    156,818      $    173,875      $    196,323      $    271,497   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) The year ended December 31, 2010 represents the operations of our Predecessor. The year ended December 31, 2011 represents the combined periods of January 1, 2011 through December 16, 2011 (Predecessor) and December 17, 2011 through December 31, 2011 (Successor). All periods ending after December 31, 2011 represent the Successor’s operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information.
(2) Interest income is included in “Other income (expense), net” in Desert Newco’s consolidated statements of operations.
(3) This amount includes the changes in prepaid domain name registry fees, registry deposits and registry payables.
(4) Acquisition and sponsor-related costs in 2011 include professional fees related to the completion of the Merger, which are included in “General and administrative” expenses in Desert Newco’s consolidated statements of operations. Cash paid for acquisition and sponsor-related costs were $50,702, $4,447, $13,037 and $3,277 for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
(5) This amount represents increases or decreases in the accrual for prior period sales tax obligations related to Desert Newco, LLC. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Indirect Taxes.”

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and analysis reflects our historical results of operations and financial position, and, except as otherwise indicated below, does not give effect to the Reorganization Transactions or to the completion of this offering. See “Organizational Structure.” This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans, expectations and beliefs involving risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and in other parts of this prospectus.

Overview

Over the past decade, GoDaddy has played an integral role in empowering individuals and organizations to establish and build successful online ventures. Our approximately 13 million customers are people and organizations with vibrant ideas—businesses, both large and small, entrepreneurs, universities, charities and hobbyists. They are defined by their guts, grit and the determination to transform their ideas into something meaningful. They wear many hats and juggle many responsibilities, and they need to make the most of their time. Our customers need help navigating today’s dynamic Internet environment and want the benefits of the latest technology to help them compete. Since our founding in 1997, we have been a trusted partner and champion for organizations of all sizes in their quest to build successful online ventures.

We were founded in 1997 by Bob Parsons and became an ICANN accredited domain name registrar in 2000. In 2005 we aired our first Super Bowl commercial and became the world’s largest domain name registrar in terms of total domain names registered. Our revenue exceeded $500 million and $1 billion in 2009 and 2013, respectively. As we have grown, our hosting, presence and business applications products have become increasingly important parts of our business, constituting over 49% of aggregate total bookings in 2014. We began investing in the localization of our service offerings in markets outside of the United States in 2012 and as of December 31, 2014 we offered localized products and Customer Care in 37 countries, 44 currencies and 17 languages. The following graphic highlights key milestones in our history and illustrates the increase in our domains under management, total customers and annual revenue.

 

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Our History

 

LOGO

 

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We are the global market leader in domain name registration. Securing a domain is a necessary first step to creating a digital identity and our domain products often serve as the starting point in our customer relationships. As of December 31, 2014, more than 92% of our customers had purchased a domain from us and we had approximately 59 million domains under management, which represented approximately 21% of the world’s registered domains according to VeriSign’s Domain Name Industry Brief. We also offer hosting, presence and business application products that enhance our value proposition to our customers by enabling them to create, manage and syndicate their digital identities, or in the case of Web Pros, the digital identities of their customers. These products are often purchased in conjunction with, or subsequent to, an initial domain name registration.

We have developed a stable and predictable business model driven by efficient customer acquisition, high customer retention rates and increasing lifetime spend. We grew our total customers from approximately 8 million as of December 31, 2010 to approximately 13 million as of December 31, 2014 primarily through a combination of brand advertising, direct marketing efforts and customer referrals. In each of the five years ended December 31, 2014, our customer retention rate exceeded 85% and our retention rate for customers who had been with us for over three years was approximately 90%. We believe that the breadth and depth of our product offerings and the high quality and responsiveness of our Customer Care team build strong relationships with our customers and are key to our high level of customer retention.

We generate bookings and revenue from sales of product subscriptions, including domain products, hosting and presence offerings and business applications. Payments are generally collected at the beginning of the subscription period. We offer our product subscriptions on a variety of terms, which are typically one year but can range from monthly terms to multi-annual terms of up to ten years depending on the product. We use total bookings as a performance measure, given that we typically collect payment at the time of sale and recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. Accordingly, we believe total bookings is an indicator of the expected growth in our revenue and the operating performance of our business. We have two primary sales channels: our website and our Customer Care team. In 2014, we derived approximately 76% and 23% of our total bookings through our website and our Customer Care team, respectively.

Domains. We generated 51% of our 2014 total bookings from the sale of domain products, primarily from domain name registrations and renewals, domain add-ons such as privacy and aftermarket sales. Total bookings from domains grew an average of 11% annually from 2010 to 2014.

Hosting and Presence. We generated 39% of our 2014 total bookings from the sale of hosting and presence products, primarily from a variety of web-hosting offerings, website builder products, SSL certificates and online commerce products. These products generally have higher margins than domains. Total bookings from hosting and presence products grew an average of 19% annually from 2010 to 2014.

Business Applications. We generated 10% of our 2014 total bookings from the sale of business applications products, primarily from productivity tools such as domain-specific email accounts, which also have higher margins than domains. Total bookings from business applications grew an average of 29% annually from 2010 to 2014.

 

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The chart below illustrates total bookings derived from our product categories in the five years ended December 31, 2014. Total bookings derived from all three of our product categories have increased in each of the last four years ended December 31, 2014, with our hosting, presence and business applications products growing faster in recent periods. This mix shift has favorably impacted our margins.

 

LOGO

See “Selected Consolidated Financial Data—Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of total revenue to total bookings.

In each of the five years ended December 31, 2014, greater than 87% of our total revenue, excluding the impact of purchase accounting, was generated by customers who were also customers in the prior year. To track our growth and the stability of our customer base, we monitor, among other things, revenue, retention rates and ARPU generated by our annual customer cohorts over time, as well as corresponding marketing and advertising spend. We define an annual customer cohort to include each customer who first became a customer of GoDaddy during a calendar year. For example, in calendar year 2010, we acquired 2.3 million customers, who we collectively refer to as our 2010 cohort. During the same time period, we spent $94 million in marketing and advertising expenses. By the end of 2014, the 2010 cohort had generated an aggregate of $811 million of total bookings, and we expect that this cohort will continue to generate bookings and revenue in the future. For the four years ended December 31, 2014, the average retention rate of the 2010 cohort was approximately 88%. Over this period, ARPU, excluding the impact of purchase accounting, for the 2010 cohort grew from $75 in 2011 to $121 in 2014, representing a CAGR of 17%. We selected the 2010 cohort for this analysis because we believe the 2010 cohort is representative of the spending patterns and revenue impact of our other cohorts. We believe our cohort analysis is important to illustrate the long-term value of our customers.

The growth of our business and our ability to achieve and maintain profitability will depend on many factors, including our ability to continue to expand our product offerings, efficiently acquire new customers and increase our sales to existing customers. In the five years ended December 31, 2014, to support our growth, we invested $976 million in technology and development expenses and $656 million in marketing and advertising expenses. From December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2014, our customer base grew from 10.2 million to 12.7 million customers, an increase of 24.2%. We invest capital from any potential source, whether debt or internally generated cash, depending on the adequacy and availability of that source of capital and which source may be used most efficiently and at the lowest cost at that point in time. Our total revenue was $910.9 million, $1.1 billion and $1.4 billion in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. We incurred net losses of $279.1 million, $199.9 million and $143.3 million in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. The impact on revenue related to purchase accounting for the Merger and other acquisitions limits the comparability of our revenue and net loss between periods. See “—Impact of Purchase Accounting.” As a result of the investments we are making to support our revenue growth, we do not expect to be profitable in the near future.

 

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Factors Affecting Our Performance

We believe that the growth of our business and our future success depend on various opportunities, challenges and other factors, including the following:

Small businesses transitioning online. Many small businesses and organizations remain offline, given limited resources and inadequate tools. Our growth will depend in part on how quickly these small businesses and ventures take steps to establish an online presence with domains and websites and, once online, the rate at which they adopt hosting, presence and business applications solutions to connect them to their customers and manage their businesses.

Evolution of the domains market. With over 280 million existing domains registered, it is becoming increasingly difficult for customers to find the name that best suits their needs. As a result, ICANN has authorized the introduction of more than 1,300 new gTLDs over the next several years that address a wide range of markets and interests, from professions to personal interests to geographies, which will significantly expand the inventory of available domains. Our pricing for domain name registrations for new gTLDs may be higher than that of first generation gTLDs due to differences in the way new gTLDs are regulated. Additionally, there is a growing secondary market for the resale of existing domains. Our growth will depend in part on the continued relevance of first generation TLDs, the timing and extent of adoption of new gTLDs, the continued development of the secondary domains market and pricing for domains.

International expansion. We recently increased our focus on international sales, launching localized versions of our products and regional Customer Care in 2012. We have experienced higher growth in sales to international customers than our domestic customers in recent periods. Sales to international customers constituted 22%, 24% and 25% of total bookings in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. We believe our global opportunity is significant, and to address this opportunity, we intend to continue to launch localized versions of our products and to invest in product marketing, infrastructure and personnel to support our international expansion efforts. Our growth will depend in part on the adoption of our products in international markets and our ability to market them successfully. We believe our investment in localized versions of our products, infrastructure and regional Customer Care will contribute to our revenue growth, but it may delay our ability to achieve profitability or reduce our profitability in the future.

Leveraging cloud-based technologies. We invested $976 million in technology and development expenses during the five year period ended December 31, 2014 and intend to continue to invest in product innovation to address the needs of our customers. Our revenue growth will depend in part on our ability to leverage our cloud-based technology platform and infrastructure to continue to launch new product offerings and offer them to our customers efficiently. While we believe these investments will enable us to grow our revenue, they may delay our ability to achieve profitability or reduce our profitability in the future.

Enhancements in brand and marketing. We expect to continue to dedicate significant resources to brand advertising and direct marketing efforts, particularly as we expand into new geographies and introduce new products. As illustrated by the 2010 cohort data discussed above, we have benefitted from high lifetime revenue per customer relative to the corresponding advertising and marketing spend. Given these attractive unit economics, we will continue to employ highly-analytic, metric-driven marketing efforts to acquire new customers. Our growth will depend in part on our ability to launch impactful marketing campaigns and appropriately balance our level of marketing spending with the benefits realized through new customer acquisitions and increased total bookings. We believe that our continued investment in brand advertising and direct marketing will help us acquire new customers, grow our revenue and improve our operating results; however, these investments may also delay our ability to achieve profitability or reduce our profitability in the future.

 

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Key Metrics

We monitor the following key metrics to help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets and assess operational performance. These metrics are supplemental to our GAAP results and include operational and non-GAAP measures. See “Selected Consolidated Financial Data—Key Metrics—Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

 

                                                     
     Year Ended December 31,  
     2012      2013      2014  
     (unaudited; in thousands, except ARPU)  

Total bookings

   $ 1,249,565       $ 1,397,936       $ 1,675,198   

Total customers at period end

     10,236         11,584         12,709   

Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the trailing 12 month period ended

   $ 93       $ 104       $ 114   

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 173,875       $ 196,323       $ 271,497   

Total bookings. Total bookings represents gross cash receipts from the sale of products to customers in a given period before giving effect to certain adjustments, primarily net refunds granted in the period. Total bookings provides valuable insight into the sales of our products and the performance of our business given that we typically collect payment at the time of sale and recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. We report total bookings without giving effect to refunds granted in the period. Refunds often occur in periods different from the period of sale for reasons unrelated to the marketing efforts leading to the initial sale. Accordingly, by excluding net refunds, we believe total bookings reflects the effectiveness of our sales efforts in a given period.

Total bookings increased 11.9% from $1.2 billion in 2012 to $1.4 billion in 2013 primarily resulting from a 13.2% increase in total customers from December 31, 2012 and a 5.0% increase in domains under management over the same period. Total bookings increased 19.8% to $1.7 billion in 2014 primarily resulting from a 9.7% increase in total customers from December 31, 2013 and a 3.5% increase in domains under management over the same period as well as $45.0 million of incremental bookings from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Total customers. We define total customers as those that, as of the end of a period, have an active subscription. A single user may be counted as a customer more than once if the user maintains active subscriptions in multiple accounts. Total customers is an indicator of the scale of our business and is a critical factor in our ability to increase our revenue base.

As of December 31, 2012, 2013 and 2014, we had 10.2 million, 11.6 million and 12.7 million total customers, respectively. Our customer growth resulted from increased brand awareness, our ongoing direct marketing and advertising initiatives, the offering of new and enhanced products and acquisitions.

Average revenue per user (ARPU). We calculate average revenue per user, or ARPU, as total revenue during the preceding 12 month period divided by the average of the number of total customers at the beginning and end of the period. ARPU provides insight into our ability to sell additional products to customers, though the impact to date has been muted due to our continued growth in total customers. The impact of purchase accounting adjustments makes comparisons of ARPU among historical periods less meaningful; however, in future periods, as the effects of purchase accounting decrease, ARPU will become a more meaningful metric. See “—Impact of Purchase Accounting.”

ARPU increased 11.7% from $93 during 2012 to $104 during 2013 primarily due to the reduced impact of purchase accounting adjustments and increased customer spend. ARPU increased 10.2% to $114 during 2014 primarily due to the impact of incremental revenue from acquisitions completed in the fourth quarter of 2013, the reduced impact of purchase accounting adjustments and increased customer spend.

 

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Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of our performance that aligns our bookings and operating expenditures, and is the primary metric management uses to evaluate the profitability of our business. We calculate adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense (net), provision (benefit) for income taxes, equity-based compensation expense, change in deferred revenue, change in prepaid and accrued registry costs, acquisition and sponsor-related costs and a non-recurring reserve for sales taxes. Acquisition and sponsor-related costs include (i) retention and acquisition-specific employee costs, (ii) acquisition-related professional fees, (iii) adjustments to the fair value of contingent consideration, (iv) costs incurred under the transaction and monitoring fee agreement with the Sponsors and TCV, which will cease following a final payment in connection with the completion of this offering, (v) costs incurred under the executive chairman services agreement, which will cease following a payment in connection with the completion of this offering and (vi) costs associated with consulting services provided by KKR Capstone. As a result of our business model, we typically collect payment at the time of sale and generally recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. At the time of a domain sale, we also incur the obligation for the domain name registry fees associated with the customer contract. As a result, sales to customers increase our deferred revenue and prepaid and accrued registry costs. We therefore adjust net loss for changes in deferred revenue and changes in the associated prepaid and accrued registry costs to facilitate a better comparison of our performance from period to period.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 12.9% from $173.9 million in 2012 to $196.3 million in 2013 and 38.3% to $271.5 million in 2014, primarily due to increases in the size of our business, improved operating efficiencies and the impact of acquisitions completed in the fourth quarter of 2013.

See “Selected Consolidated Financial Disclosures—Key Metrics” for more information and reconciliations of our key metrics to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

Impact of Purchase Accounting

On December 17, 2011, investment funds and entities affiliated with KKR, Silver Lake and TCV and other investors acquired a controlling interest in our company. We refer to this transaction as the “Merger.” Desert Newco was formed in contemplation of and survived the Merger, and as a result of the Merger, we applied purchase accounting and a new basis of accounting beginning on the date of the Merger. Our company is referred to as the “Predecessor” for all periods prior to the Merger and is referred to as the “Successor” for all periods after the Merger.

As a result of the Merger, we were required by GAAP to record all assets and liabilities, including deferred revenue, prepaid domain name registry fees and long-lived assets, at fair value as of the effective date of the Merger, which in some cases was different than their historical book values. This had the effect of reducing revenue and deferred revenue and increasing prepaid domain name registry fees and cost of revenue from that which would have otherwise been recognized, as described in more detail below.

We assessed the fair value of deferred revenue acquired in the Merger to be $649.7 million, representing a decrease of $217.1 million from its historical book value. Recognizing deferred revenue at fair value reduces revenue in the periods subsequent to the Merger. The impact of the Merger to revenue was $130.7 million in 2012, $42.2 million in 2013 and $17.3 million in 2014. The effect of the Merger on the deferred costs was not material. To the extent our customers renew their contracts, the full amount of renewal revenue will be recognized in future periods.

Since the beginning of 2012, we completed seven acquisitions and, under GAAP, recorded the acquired assets and liabilities at fair value, which similarly impacted revenue to be recognized in future periods.

 

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The impact on revenue related to purchase accounting for the Merger and other acquisitions limits the comparability of our revenue between periods. The table below represents the impact of purchase accounting, primarily attributable to the Merger and to a lesser extent our other acquisitions, to our total revenue during the indicated periods.

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012      2013      2014  
     (unaudited; in thousands)  

Impact of purchase accounting:

        

Total revenue

   $ 910,903       $ 1,130,845       $ 1,387,262   

Impact of purchase accounting on revenue

     130,683         43,249         18,654   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue excluding impact of purchase accounting(1)

$ 1,041,586    $ 1,174,094    $ 1,405,916   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) This amount represents the amount of revenue we would have recognized if not for the impact of purchase accounting.

Reorganization Transactions

GoDaddy Inc. was incorporated in May 2014 and, pursuant to a reorganization into a holding corporation structure, will become a holding corporation whose principal asset, either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiary GD Subsidiary Inc., will be a controlling equity interest in Desert Newco. As the sole managing member of Desert Newco, GoDaddy Inc. will operate and control the business and affairs of Desert Newco and its subsidiaries. GoDaddy Inc. will consolidate Desert Newco in its consolidated financial statements and will report a non-controlling interest related to the LLC Units held by our Continuing LLC Owners in our consolidated financial statements.

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will execute several reorganization transactions described under “Organizational Structure—Reorganization Transactions,” as a result of which the limited liability company agreement of Desert Newco will be amended and restated to, among other things, reclassify its outstanding limited liability company units as non-voting units. Pursuant to the New LLC Agreement, GoDaddy Inc. will be the sole managing member of Desert Newco.

We will also enter into the Exchange Agreement with our Continuing LLC Owners under which they will have the right, subject to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, to exchange their LLC Units and shares of Class B common stock for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to customary conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, reclassifications and other similar transactions. See “Organizational Structure” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Exchange Agreement.”

Following this offering, each of our Continuing LLC Owners that held voting units before the Reorganization Transactions and that continues to hold LLC Units will also hold a number of shares of Class B common stock of GoDaddy Inc. equal to the number of LLC Units held by such person. The shares of Class B common stock have no economic rights but entitle the holder to one vote per share on matters presented to stockholders of GoDaddy Inc. The Class A and Class B common stock will generally vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders.

Basis of Presentation

Revenue

We generate substantially all of our revenue from sales of product subscriptions, including domain name registration, hosting and presence offerings and business applications. Our subscription terms are typically one year but can range from monthly terms to multi-annual terms of up to 10 years depending on the product. We generally collect the full amount of subscription fees at the time of sale, but recognize revenue from our subscriptions ratably over the applicable contractual terms.

 

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Domains revenue primarily consists of revenue from the sale of domain name registration subscriptions, domain add-ons and aftermarket sales. Domain name registrations provide a customer with the exclusive use of a domain during the applicable contract term. After the contract term expires, unless renewed, the customer can no longer access the domain. Hosting and presence revenue primarily consists of revenue from the sale of subscriptions to our website hosting products, website building products and SSL certificates. Business applications revenue primarily consists of revenue from the sale of subscriptions for email accounts, online calendar, online data storage, third-party productivity applications and email marketing tools. Revenue is presented net of refunds, and we maintain a reserve to provide for refunds granted to customers. Our reserve is an estimate based on historical refund experience. Refunds reduce deferred revenue at the time they are granted and result in a reduced amount of revenue recognized over the applicable subscription terms compared to the amount originally expected. Our annual refund rate has ranged from 6.4% to 6.9% of total bookings from 2012 to 2014.

Costs and Operating Expenses

Cost of revenue

Costs of revenue are the direct costs we incur in connection with selling an incremental product to our customers. Substantially all cost of revenue relates to domain name registration costs, payment processing fees and third-party commissions. Similar to our billing practices, we pay domain costs at the time of purchase, but recognize the costs of service ratably over the term of our customer contracts. We expect cost of revenue to increase in absolute dollars in future periods as we expand our domains business and our total customers. Domain costs include fees paid to the various domain registries and ICANN. We prepay these costs in advance for the life of the subscription. The terms of registry pricing are established by an agreement between registries and registrars. Cost of revenue may increase or decrease as a percentage of total revenue, depending on the mix of products sold in a particular period and the sales and marketing channels used.

Technology and development

Technology and development represents costs associated with creation, development and distribution of our products and websites. Technology and development expenses primarily consist of personnel costs associated with the design, development, deployment, testing, operation and enhancement of our products, as well as costs associated with the data centers and systems infrastructure supporting those products (excluding depreciation expense). We expect technology and development expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to enhance existing products, develop new products and geographically diversify our data center footprint. Technology and development expenses may increase or decrease as a percentage of total revenue depending on our level of investment in future headcount and our global infrastructure footprint.

Marketing and advertising

Marketing and advertising expense represents the costs associated with attracting and acquiring customers. Marketing and advertising expenses primarily consist of direct-marketing costs, television and radio advertising, spokesperson and event sponsorships, marketing-related personnel costs and affiliate program commissions. We expect marketing and advertising expenses to fluctuate both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of total revenue depending on the size and scope of our future discretionary marketing and advertising campaigns, particularly related to the size and scope of our new product introductions and international operations.

Customer care

Customer care expense represents the costs to consult, advise and service our customers’ needs. Customer care expenses primarily consist of personnel costs. We expect customer care expenses to increase in absolute dollars in the future as we expand our Customer Care team due to increases in total customers both domestically and internationally. We expect customer care expenses to fluctuate as a percentage of total revenue depending on the level of headcount required to support our continued growth.

 

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General and administrative

General and administrative expenses primarily consist of personnel costs for our administrative functions, professional service fees, office rent, all employee travel expenses, sponsor-based costs and other general costs. We expect general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars in the future as a result of our overall growth, increased personnel costs and expenses associated with being a public reporting company upon completion of this offering.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of charges relating to the depreciation of the property and equipment used in our business and the amortization of acquired intangible assets, particularly those resulting from the Merger. Depreciation and amortization may increase or decrease in absolute dollars in future periods depending on the future level of capital investments in hardware and other equipment as well as amortization expense associated with future acquisitions.

Income Taxes

Desert Newco is currently, and will be through consummation of the Reorganization Transactions, treated as a partnership for U.S. federal and most applicable state and local income tax purposes. As a partnership, its taxable income or loss is passed through to and included in the tax returns of its members, including us. Accordingly, the consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus do not include a provision for federal and most state and local income taxes. Pursuant to the New LLC Agreement, Desert Newco will make pro rata tax distributions to its unit holders, calculated using an assumed tax rate, to help fund their tax obligations in respect of the cumulative taxable income, reduced by cumulative losses, of Desert Newco that is allocated to them. Generally, these tax distributions will be computed based on an assumed income tax rate equal to the sum of (i) the maximum marginal federal income tax rate applicable to an individual (including, solely in the case of any current owner of The Go Daddy Group Inc., the 3.8% tax on net investment income to the extent such tax is applicable to Desert Newco income allocable to such owner) and (ii) 7%, which represents an assumed blended state income tax rate. As of December 31, 2014, this assumed income tax rate was 46.6% (which would increase to 50.4% with respect to a current owner of The Go Daddy Group Inc. if the tax on net investment income were to apply to all of its allocable share of income from Desert Newco). It is not expected that the tax on net investment income will apply to a significant portion of the income of Desert Newco allocable to current owners of The Go Daddy Group, Inc. Notwithstanding the potential differences, described above, in the assumed tax rate applicable in respect of different owners, Desert Newco will make tax distributions pro rata to LLC Unit ownership. In addition, under the tax rules, Desert Newco is required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its unit holders in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions will be determined based on the holder of LLC Units who is allocated the largest amount of taxable income on a per unit basis, but will be made pro rata based on ownership, Desert Newco will be required to make tax distributions that, in the aggregate, will likely to exceed the amount of taxes that Desert Newco would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate applicable to current owners of The Go Daddy Group, Inc. Desert Newco is subject to entity level taxation in certain states, and certain of its subsidiaries are subject to entity level U.S. and foreign income taxes. As a result, the accompanying consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income include tax expense related to those states and to U.S. and foreign jurisdictions where we operate. After consummation of the Reorganization Transactions, GoDaddy Inc. will become subject to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income taxes with respect to its allocable share of any taxable income of Desert Newco and will be taxed at the prevailing corporate tax rates. In addition to tax expenses, we also will incur expenses related to our operations, plus payments under the TRAs, which we expect will be significant. We intend to cause Desert Newco to make distributions or, in the case of certain expenses, payments in an amount sufficient to allow us to pay our taxes and operating expenses, including distributions to fund any ordinary course payments due under the TRAs.

 

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Results of Operations

The following tables set forth our results of operations for the periods presented and as a percentage of our total revenue for those periods. The period-to-period comparison of financial results is not necessarily indicative of future results.

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2012     2013     2014  
    (in thousands)  

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

     

Revenue:

     

Domains

  $ 588,500      $ 671,591      $ 763,273   

Hosting and presence

    271,433        380,649        507,880   

Business applications

    50,970        78,605        116,109   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

  910,903      1,130,845      1,387,262   

Costs and operating expenses:

Cost of revenue

  430,299      473,868      518,382   

Technology and development

  175,406      207,941      254,440   

Marketing and advertising

  130,123      145,482      164,671   

Customer care

  132,582      150,932      190,503   

General and administrative

  106,377      143,980      168,383   

Depreciation and amortization

  138,620      140,567      152,759   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

  1,113,407      1,262,770      1,449,138   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

  (202,504   (131,925   (61,876

Interest expense

  (79,092   (70,978   (84,997

Other income (expense), net

  2,326      1,877      744   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

  (279,270   (201,026   (146,129

Benefit for income taxes

  218      1,142      2,824   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

$ (279,052 $ (199,884 $ (143,305
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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    Year Ended December 31,  
    2012     2013     2014  
                   

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

     

Revenue:

     

Domains

    64.6     59.4     55.0

Hosting and presence

    29.8     33.7     36.6

Business applications

    5.6     6.9     8.4
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

  100.0   100.0   100.0

Costs and operating expenses:

Cost of revenue

  47.2   41.9   37.4

Technology and development

  19.3   18.4   18.4

Marketing and advertising

  14.3   12.9   11.9

Customer care

  14.5   13.3   13.7

General and administrative

  11.7   12.7   12.1

Depreciation and amortization

  15.2   12.4   11.0
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

  122.2   111.6   104.5
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

  (22.2 )%    (11.6 )%    (4.5 )% 

Interest expense

  (8.7 )%    (6.4 )%    (6.1 )% 

Other income (expense), net

  0.2   0.2   0.1
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

  (30.7 )%    (17.8 )%    (10.5 )% 

Benefit for income taxes

  0.1   0.1   0.2
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

  (30.6 )%    (17.7 )%    (10.3 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

Revenue

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Domains

   $ 588,500       $ 671,591       $ 763,273       $ 83,091         14   $ 91,682         14

Hosting and presence

     271,433         380,649         507,880         109,216         40     127,231         33

Business applications

     50,970         78,605         116,109         27,635         54     37,504         48
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

$ 910,903    $ 1,130,845    $ 1,387,262    $ 219,942      24 $ 256,417      23
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

2014 compared to 2013

Total revenue. Total revenue increased $256.4 million, or 22.7%, from $1.1 billion in 2013 to $1.4 billion in 2014. The increase primarily resulted from a $179.4 million increase in total revenue from new and existing customers, $52.4 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013 and a $24.6 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting. Total customers increased 1.1 million, or 9.7%, from 11.6 million as of December 31, 2013 to 12.7 million as of December 31, 2014.

Domains. Domains revenue increased $91.7 million, or 13.7%, from $671.6 million in 2013 to $763.3 million in 2014. The increase primarily resulted from a $73.2 million increase in revenue from new and existing customers, $10.3 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013 and an $8.2 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting. Domains under management increased 2.0 million, or 3.5%, from 56.9 million as of December 31, 2013 to 58.9 million as of December 31, 2014.

 

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Hosting and presence. Hosting and presence revenue increased $127.2 million, or 33.4%, from $380.6 million in 2013 to $507.9 million in 2014. The increase primarily resulted from a $72.8 million increase in revenue from new and existing customers, $41.1 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013 and a $13.3 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting.

Business applications. Business applications revenue increased $37.5 million, or 47.7%, from $78.6 million in 2013 to $116.1 million in 2014. The increase primarily resulted from a $33.4 million increase in revenue from new and existing customers, a $3.1 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting and $1.0 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013.

2013 compared to 2012

Total revenue. Total revenue increased $219.9 million, or 24.1%, from $910.9 million in 2012 to $1.1 billion in 2013. The increase primarily resulted from a $108.7 million increase in total revenue from new and existing customers, an $87.4 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting, $13.4 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013 and $10.4 million of service disruption credits granted to certain customers in connection with a service outage experienced in September 2012. Total customers increased 1.4 million, or 13.2%, from 10.2 million as of December 31, 2012 to 11.6 million as of December 31, 2013.

Domains. Domains revenue increased $83.1 million, or 14.1%, from $588.5 million in 2012 to $671.6 million in 2013. The increase primarily resulted from a $57.9 million increase in revenue from new and existing customers, a $21.5 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting and $3.7 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013. Domains under management increased 2.7 million, or 5.0%, from 54.2 million as of December 31, 2012 to 56.9 million as of December 31, 2013.

Hosting and presence. Hosting and presence revenue increased $109.2 million, or 40.2%, from $271.4 million in 2012 to $380.6 million in 2013. The increase primarily resulted from a $49.5 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting, a $43.4 million increase in revenue from new and existing customers, $9.5 million of incremental revenue from businesses acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013 and $6.8 million of service disruption credits recorded in 2012.

Business applications. Business applications revenue increased $27.6 million, or 54.2%, from $51.0 million in 2012 to $78.6 million in 2013. The increase primarily resulted from a $16.4 million reduction in the impact of purchase accounting, a $7.6 million increase in revenue from new and existing customers and $3.6 million of one-time service disruption credits recorded in 2012.

Costs and Operating Expenses

Cost of revenue

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Cost of revenue

   $ 430,299       $ 473,868       $ 518,382       $ 43,569         10   $ 44,514         9

2014 compared to 2013. Cost of revenue increased $44.5 million, or 9.4%, from $473.9 million in 2013 to $518.4 million in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to a $32.5 million increase in domain registration costs as a result of a 3.5% increase in domains under management, a $6.1 million increase in payment processing fees due to the overall revenue increase and a $5.4 million increase in third-party commissions, primarily attributable to our Afternic business acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013.

 

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2013 compared to 2012. Cost of revenue increased $43.6 million, or 10.1%, from $430.3 million in 2012 to $473.9 million in 2013. This increase was primarily attributable to a $35.0 million increase in domain registration costs as a result of a 5.0% increase in domains under management, a $4.0 million increase in payment processing fees due to the overall revenue increase and additional cost of international payment processing and a $1.3 million increase in third-party commissions, primarily attributable to our Afternic business acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Technology and development

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Technology and development

   $ 175,406       $ 207,941       $ 254,440       $ 32,535         19   $ 46,499         22

2014 compared to 2013. Technology and development expenses increased $46.5 million, or 22.4%, from $207.9 million in 2013 to $254.4 million in 2014. The increase was primarily attributable to an $18.9 million increase in compensation costs driven primarily by employee headcount increases during the second half of 2013, of which $6.4 million relates to our Media Temple business acquired in the fourth quarter of 2013 and $5.7 million relates to an increase in equity-based compensation expense. The remaining increase was primarily due to an $11.2 million increase in data center rent, of which $8.7 million relates to our Media Temple business, and a $9.6 million increase in independent contractor costs to support our internal development team and expedite delivery of product enhancements to our customers, as well as smaller increases in hosting licenses and telecommunications expenses. The investments in additional technology and development expenses were to enhance our integrated technology infrastructure and support our new product offerings, international expansion and the overall growth of our business.

2013 compared to 2012. Technology and development expenses increased $32.5 million, or 18.5%, from $175.4 million in 2012 to $207.9 million in 2013. The increase was primarily attributable to a $24.5 million increase in compensation costs due to a 17.9% increase in employee headcount, a $5.7 million increase in equipment and software support costs and a $4.6 million increase in independent contractor costs to support our internal development team and expedite delivery of product enhancements to our customers, as well as smaller increases in hosting licenses and telecommunications expenses. These increases were partially offset by a $5.9 million decrease in data center rent primarily due to charges of $2.7 million in 2012 for excess contracted space within our international data centers and $3.2 million from renegotiated rates for our co-located data center leases.

Marketing and advertising

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Marketing and advertising

   $ 130,123       $ 145,482       $ 164,671       $ 15,359         12   $ 19,189         13

2014 compared to 2013. Marketing and advertising expenses increased $19.2 million, or 13.2%, from $145.5 million in 2013 to $164.7 million in 2014. The increase was primarily attributable to a $15.8 million increase in discretionary brand development costs, of which $2.8 million is related to our Media Temple business, and a $3.4 million increase in compensation costs primarily driven by a 4.2% increase in employee headcount and an additional $3.2 million of equity-based compensation expense resulting from the modification of certain options.

2013 compared to 2012. Marketing and advertising expenses increased $15.4 million, or 11.8%, from $130.1 million in 2012 to $145.5 million in 2013. The increase was primarily attributable to an $8.5 million increase in costs related to the continued development of our brand domestically and internationally and a $6.9 million increase in compensation costs related to a 10.6% increase in employee headcount.

 

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Customer care

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Customer care

   $ 132,582       $ 150,932       $ 190,503       $ 18,350         14   $ 39,571         26

2014 compared to 2013. Customer care expenses increased $39.6 million, or 26.2%, from $150.9 million in 2013 to $190.5 million in 2014. The increase was primarily due to a $34.8 million increase in compensation-related costs primarily attributable to an 11.5% increase in employee headcount, of which $5.8 million is related to our Media Temple business, as well as $4.8 million of incremental costs associated with the expansion of our international third-party Customer Care locations.

2013 compared to 2012. Customer care expenses increased $18.4 million, or 13.8%, from $132.6 million in 2012 to $150.9 million in 2013, primarily due to compensation-related costs primarily attributable to a 26.2% increase in employee headcount.

General and administrative

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

General and administrative

   $ 106,377       $ 143,980       $ 168,383       $ 37,603         35   $ 24,403         17

2014 compared to 2013. General and administrative expenses increased $24.4 million, or 16.9%, from $144.0 million in 2013 to $168.4 million in 2014. The increase was primarily due to a $25.4 million increase in compensation-related costs, primarily driven by employee headcount increases during the second half of 2013 (including the addition of certain executives, retention bonuses, $4.7 million related to our Media Temple business and an increase of $4.3 million in equity-based compensation expense). The remaining increase was primarily due to a $7.7 million increase in travel and corporate functions and a $6.6 million increase in office rent related to the expansion of our facilities, as well as increases in other general expenses associated with the overall growth of our business. These increases were partially offset by a $13.8 million decrease related to sales tax reserves primarily recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013 and a $5.4 million decrease in professional service fees resulting primarily from a settlement agreement reached in December 2014 with an insurance carrier.

2013 compared to 2012. General and administrative expenses increased $37.6 million, or 35.3%, from $106.4 million in 2012 to $144.0 million in 2013. The increase was primarily due to a $14.4 million increase related to estimated sales tax liabilities, a $12.6 million increase in compensation costs due to the hiring of several executives in 2013, a $6.8 million increase in travel and corporate functions costs and a $3.3 million increase in office rent and utilities costs due to growth and expansion, partially offset by a $2.7 million decrease in professional service fees.

Depreciation and amortization

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change      % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Depreciation and amortization

   $ 138,620       $ 140,567       $ 152,759       $ 1,947         1   $ 12,192         9

2014 compared to 2013. Depreciation and amortization expense increased $12.2 million, or 8.7%, from $140.6 million in 2013 to $152.8 million in 2014. The increase results from a $6.8 million increase in amortization of intangible assets, primarily from acquisitions completed in the second half of 2013, and a

 

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$5.4 million increase in depreciation expense related to additional property and equipment from capital expenditures and assets assumed in acquisitions.

2013 compared to 2012. Depreciation and amortization expense increased $1.9 million, or 1.4%, from $138.6 million in 2012 to $140.6 million in 2013. The increase was driven by a $26.9 million increase in amortization of acquired intangible assets, partially offset by a $25.0 million decrease in depreciation expense due to assets revalued in the Merger becoming fully depreciated by the end of 2012.

Interest expense

 

     Year Ended December 31,      2013 to 2012     2014 to 2013  
     2012      2013      2014      $ change     % change     $ change      % change  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Interest expense

   $ 79,092       $ 70,978       $ 84,997       $ (8,114     (10 )%    $ 14,019         20

2014 compared to 2013. Interest expense increased $14.0 million, or 19.8%, from $71.0 million in 2013 to $85.0 million in 2014. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in our outstanding long-term debt from $1.1 billion as of December 31, 2013 to $1.5 billion as of December 31, 2014, partially offset by amendments to our long-term debt agreements during 2013 and 2014, which lowered our average effective interest rate to 5.2% as of December 31, 2014.

2013 compared to 2012. Interest expense decreased $8.1 million, or 10.3%, from $79.1 million in 2012 to $71.0 million in 2013. The decrease was driven by amendments to our long-term debt agreements in 2013, lowering our effective interest rate from 6.6% as of December 31, 2012 to 5.4% as of December 31, 2013.

 

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Quarterly Results of Operations

The following tables set forth selected unaudited quarterly statements of operations data for each of the eight quarters in the period ended December 31, 2014, as well as the percentage each line item represents of total revenue for each quarter. The information for each of these quarters has been prepared on the same basis as Desert Newco’s audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and, in the opinion of management, includes all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the results of operations for these periods in accordance with GAAP. This data should be read in conjunction with Desert Newco’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. These quarterly operating results are not necessarily indicative of Desert Newco’s operating results for a full year or any future period.

 

    Three Months Ended  
    Mar. 31,
2013
    Jun. 30,
2013
    Sep. 30,
2013
    Dec. 31,
2013
    Mar. 31,
2014
    June 30,
2014
    Sep. 30,
2014
    Dec. 31,
2014
 
    (unaudited; in thousands)        

Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:

               

Revenue:

               

Domains

  $ 157,930      $ 164,957      $ 170,876      $ 177,828      $ 180,502      $ 189,012      $ 194,588      $ 199,171   

Hosting and presence

    86,954        91,913        95,182        106,600        115,629        122,770        131,491        137,990   

Business applications

    17,888        19,148        20,068        21,501        24,063        26,752        30,794        34,500   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

  262,772      276,018      286,126      305,929      320,194      338,534      356,873      371,661   

Costs and operating expenses:

Cost of revenue

  114,537      116,498      119,774      123,059      125,858      127,001      131,759      133,764   

Technology and development

  46,972      45,347      53,567      62,055      61,586      63,398      62,398      67,058   

Marketing and advertising

  37,793      34,626      37,452      35,611      40,996      40,507      40,179      42,989   

Customer care

  34,462      33,388      39,576      43,506      46,399      45,267      48,931      49,906   

General and administrative

  26,149      30,638      32,784      54,409      42,780      42,963      41,827      40,813   

Depreciation and amortization

  35,120      33,486      34,067      37,894      36,726      37,765      38,531      39,737   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

  295,033      293,983      317,220      356,534      354,345      356,901      363,625      374,267   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

  (32,261   (17,965   (31,094   (50,605   (34,151   (18,367   (6,752   (2,606

Interest expense

  (18,630   (17,079   (17,156   (18,113   (17,617   (20,565   (23,094   (23,721

Other income (expense), net

  (553   56      1,540      834      (801   637      1,175      (267
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

  (51,444   (34,988   (46,710   (67,884   (52,569   (38,295   (28,671   (26,594

Benefit (provision) for income taxes

  (322   (351   (618   2,433      1,226      746      1,030      (178
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

$ (51,766 $ (35,339 $ (47,328 $ (65,451 $ (51,343 $ (37,549 $ (27,641 $ (26,772
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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The following table presents the unaudited consolidated statements of operations data as a percentage of total revenue.

 

    Three Months Ended  
    Mar. 31,
2013
    Jun. 30,
2013
    Sep. 30,
2013
    Dec. 31,
2013
    Mar. 31,
2014
    June 30,
2014
    Sep. 30,
2014
     Dec. 31,
2014
 

Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:

                

Revenue:

                

Domains

    60.1%        59.8%        59.7%        58.1%        56.4%        55.8%        54.5%         53.6

Hosting and presence

    33.1%        33.3%        33.3%        34.9%        36.1%        36.3%        36.9%         37.1

Business applications

    6.8%        6.9%        7.0%        7.0%        7.5%        7.9%        8.6%         9.3
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

  100.0%      100.0%      100.0%      100.0%      100.0%      100.0%      100.0%      100.0

Costs and operating expenses:

Cost of revenue

  43.6%      42.2%      41.9%      40.2%      39.3%      37.5%      36.9%      36.0

Technology and development

  17.9%      16.4%      18.7%      20.3%      19.2%      18.7%      17.5%      18.0

Marketing and advertising

  14.4%      12.6%      13.1%      11.6%      12.8%      12.0%      11.3%      11.6

Customer care

  13.1%      12.1%      13.8%      14.2%      14.5%      13.4%      13.7%      13.4

General and administrative

  9.9%      11.1%      11.5%      17.8%      13.4%      12.7%      11.7%      11.0

Depreciation and amortization

  13.4%      12.1%      11.9%      12.4%      11.5%      11.1%      10.8%      10.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

  112.3%      106.5%      110.9%      116.5%      110.7%      105.4%      101.9%      100.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating loss 

  (12.3)%      (6.5)%      (10.9)%      (16.5)%      (10.7)%      (5.4)%      (1.9)%      (0.7 )% 

Interest expense

  (7.1)%      (6.2)%      (5.9)%      (5.9)%      (5.5)%      (6.1)%      (6.5)%      (6.4 )% 

Other income (expense), net 

  (0.2)%      0.0%      0.5%      0.2%      (0.2)%      0.2%      0.4%      (0.1 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes 

  (19.6)%      (12.7)%      (16.3)%      (22.2)%      (16.4)%      (11.3)%      (8.0)%      (7.2 )% 

Benefit (provision) for income taxes

  (0.1)%      (0.1)%      (0.2)%      0.8%      0.4%      0.2%      0.3%      (0.0 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss 

  (19.7)%      (12.8)%      (16.5)%      (21.4)%      (16.0)%      (11.1)%      (7.7)%      (7.2 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Key Metrics

The following table presents key metrics for each of the eight quarters in the period ended December 31, 2014. In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe the following non-GAAP and operational measures are useful in evaluating our operating performance.

 

    Three Months Ended  
    Mar. 31,
2013
    Jun. 30,
2013
    Sep. 30,
2013
    Dec. 31,
2013
    Mar. 31,
2014
    June 30,
2014
    Sep. 30,
2014
     Dec. 31,
2014
 
    (unaudited; in thousands except ARPU)  

Key Metrics:

                

Total bookings

  $ 361,846      $ 341,356      $ 342,951      $ 351,783      $ 438,535      $ 410,301      $ 416,810       $ 409,552   

Total customers at period end

    10,602        10,884        11,196        11,584        11,942        12,173        12,452         12,709   

Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the trailing 12 month period ended 

  $ 96      $ 99      $ 102      $ 104      $ 105      $ 108      $ 112       $ 114   

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 59,539      $ 54,203      $ 41,805      $ 40,776      $ 79,726      $ 63,805      $ 71,561       $ 56,405   

 

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The following table reconciles total revenue to total bookings:

 

    Three Months Ended  
    Mar. 31,
2013
    Jun. 30,
2013
    Sep. 30,
2013
    Dec. 31,
2013
    Mar. 31,
2014
    June 30,
2014
    Sep. 30,
2014
    Dec. 31,
2014
 
    (unaudited; in thousands)  

Total Bookings:

               

Total revenue

  $ 262,772      $ 276,018      $ 286,126      $ 305,929      $ 320,194      $ 338,534      $ 356,873      $ 371,661   

Change in deferred revenue

    75,006        40,143        31,823        22,173        86,702        42,729        27,824        9,102   

Net refunds

    23,889        23,720        24,065        24,443        29,061        29,299        28,771        29,084   

Other

    179        1,475        937        (762     2,578        (261     3,342        (295
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total bookings

$ 361,846    $ 341,356    $ 342,951    $ 351,783    $ 438,535    $ 410,301    $ 416,810    $ 409,552   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following table reconciles net loss to adjusted EBITDA:

 

    Three Months Ended  
    Mar. 31,
2013
    Jun. 30,
2013
    Sep. 30,
2013
    Dec. 31,
2013
     Mar. 31, 
2014
     June 30, 
2014
     Sep. 30, 
2014
    Dec. 31,
2014
 
    (unaudited; in thousands)  

Adjusted EBITDA:

               

Net loss

  $ (51,766   $ (35,339   $ (47,328   $ (65,451   $ (51,343   $ (37,549   $ (27,641   $ (26,772

Interest expense

    18,630        17,079        17,156        18,113        17,617        20,565