Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year The Company’s fiscal year ends on January 31. For example, references to fiscal 2021 refer to the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of PresentationThe accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Snowflake Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Segment Information	Segment InformationThe Company has a single operating and reportable segment. The Company’s chief operating decision maker is its Chief Executive Officer, who reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for purposes of making operating decisions, assessing financial performance, and allocating resources.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Such estimates include, but are not limited to, stand-alone selling prices (SSP) for each distinct performance obligation, internal-use software development costs, expected period of benefit for deferred commissions, the useful lives of long-lived assets, the carrying value of operating lease right-of-use assets, valuation of the Company’s common stock prior to the IPO, stock-based compensation, and accounting for income taxes. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and also on assumptions that management considers reasonable. The Company assesses these estimates on a regular basis; however, actual results could differ from these estimates. The World Health Organization declared in March 2020 that the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) constituted a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused general business disruption worldwide beginning in January 2020. While the Company has experienced, and may continue to experience an adverse impact on certain parts of its business as a result of governmental restrictions and other measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including a lengthening in the sales cycle for some prospective customers and delays in the delivery of professional services and trainings to customers, the Company’s results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition have not been adversely impacted in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021. However, if the Company’s customers or partners experience downturns or uncertainty in their own business operations or revenue resulting from the spread or resurgence of COVID-19, they may decrease or delay their spending, request pricing discounts, or seek renegotiations of their contracts, any of which may result in decreased revenue and cash receipts for the Company in future periods. In addition, the Company may experience customer losses, including due to bankruptcy or customers ceasing operations, which may result in an inability to collect accounts receivable from these customers. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic, including any new strains or mutations, will directly or indirectly impact the Company’s business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted. In addition, in response to the spread of COVID-19, the Company has required virtually all of its employees to work remotely to minimize the risk of the virus to the employees and the communities in which it operates, and may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that it determines are in the best interests of its employees, customers, and business partners. Given the uncertainty regarding the length, severity, and ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the impact on its future results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. As of the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements, the Company is not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require it to update its estimates, its judgments, or the carrying value of its assets or liabilities. These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and any such differences may be material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Foreign Currency	Foreign Currency The reporting currency of the Company is the United States dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar or the Euro. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates. Revenue and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates. The resulting translation adjustments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity (deficit). Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recognized in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations, and have not been material for any of the periods presented.
Revenue Recognition, Allocation of Overhead Costs, Cost of Revenue, Deferred Commissions, Deferred Revenue	Revenue Recognition The Company accounts for revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue From Contracts With Customers (ASC 606) for all periods presented. The Company delivers its platform over the internet as a service. Customers choose to consume the platform under either capacity arrangements, in which customers commit to a certain amount of consumption at specified prices, or under on-demand arrangements, in which the Company charges for use of the platform monthly in arrears. Under capacity arrangements, from which a majority of revenue is derived, the Company typically bills its customers annually in advance of their consumption. Revenue from on-demand arrangements typically relates to initial consumption as part of customer onboarding and, to a lesser extent, overage consumption beyond a customer’s contracted usage amount or following the expiration of a customer’s contract. Revenue from on-demand arrangements represented 4%, 4%, and 5% of the Company’s revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company recognizes revenue as customers consume compute, storage, and data transfer resources under either of these arrangements. In limited instances, customers pay an annual deployment fee to gain access to a dedicated instance of a virtual private deployment. Deployment fees are recognized ratably over the contract term. Customers do not have the contractual right to take possession of the Company’s platform. Pricing for the platform includes embedded support services, data backup and disaster recovery services, as well as future updates, when and if available, offered during the contract term. Customer contracts for capacity typically have a term of one to four years. To the extent customers enter into such contracts and either consume the platform in excess of their capacity commitments or continue to use the platform after expiration of the contract term, they are charged for their incremental consumption. In many cases, customer contracts permit customers to roll over any unused capacity to a subsequent order, generally on the purchase of additional capacity. Customer contracts are generally non-cancelable during the contract term, although customers can terminate for breach if the Company materially fails to perform. For those customers who do not have a capacity arrangement, the Company’s on-demand arrangements generally have a monthly stated contract term and can be terminated at any time by either the customer or the Company. For storage resources, consumption for a given customer is based on the average terabytes per month of all of such customer’s data stored in the platform. For compute resources, consumption is based on the type of compute resource used and the duration of use or, for some features, the volume of data processed. For data transfer resources, consumption is based on terabytes of data transferred, the public cloud provider used, and the region to and from which the transfer is executed. The Company’s revenue also includes professional services and other revenue, which consists of consulting, on-site technical solution services, and training related to the platform. Professional services revenue is recognized over time based on input measures, including time and materials costs incurred relative to total costs, with consideration given to output measures, such as contract deliverables, when applicable. Other revenue consists of fees from customer training delivered on-site or through publicly available classes. Professional services and other revenue represented 6%, 5%, and 1% of the Company’s revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company determines revenue recognition in accordance with ASC 606 through the following five steps: 1) Identify the contract with a customer. The Company considers the terms and conditions of the contracts and the Company’s customary business practices in identifying its contracts under ASC 606. The Company determines it has a contract with a customer when the contract has been approved by both parties, it can identify each party’s rights regarding the services to be transferred and the payment terms for the services, it has determined the customer to have the ability and intent to pay, and the contract has commercial substance. At contract inception, the Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the combined or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s payment history or, in the case of a new customer, credit and financial information pertaining to the customer. 2) Identify the performance obligations in the contract. Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from the Company, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the services is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. The Company treats consumption of its platform for compute, storage, and data transfer resources as one single performance obligation because they are consumed by customers as a single, integrated offering. The Company does not make any one of these resources available for consumption without the others. Instead, each of compute, storage, and data transfer work together to drive consumption on the Company’s platform. The Company treats its virtual private deployments for customers, professional services, on-site technical solution services, and training each as a separate and distinct performance obligation. Some customers have negotiated an option to purchase additional capacity at a stated discount. These options generally do not provide a material right as they are priced at the Company’s SSP, as described below, as the stated discounts are not incremental to the range of discounts typically given. 3) Determine the transaction price. The transaction price is determined based on the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring services to the customer. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue recognized under the contract will not occur. Variable consideration is estimated based on expected value, primarily relying on the Company’s history. In certain situations, the Company may also use the most likely amount as the basis of its estimate. None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental entities (e.g., sales and other indirect taxes). 4) Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract. If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative SSP. The determination of a relative SSP for each distinct performance obligation requires judgment. The Company determines SSP for performance obligations based on an observable standalone selling price when it is available, as well as other factors, including the overall pricing objectives, which take into consideration market conditions and customer-specific factors, including a review of internal discounting tables, the services being sold, the volume of capacity commitments, and other factors. The observable standalone selling price is established based on the price at which products and services are sold separately. If an SSP is not observable through past transactions, the Company estimates it using available information including, but not limited to, market data and other observable inputs. 5) Recognize revenue when or as the Company satisfies a performance obligation. Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring the promised service to a customer. Revenue is recognized when control of the services is transferred to the customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. The Company determined an output method to be the most appropriate measure of progress because it most faithfully represents when the value of the services is simultaneously received and consumed by the customer, and control is transferred. Virtual private deployment fees are recognized ratably over the term of the deployment as the deployment service represents a stand-ready performance obligation provided throughout the deployment term. Allocation of Overhead Costs Overhead costs that are not substantially dedicated for use by a specific functional group are allocated based on headcount. Such costs include costs associated with office facilities, depreciation of property and equipment, and information technology (IT) related personnel and other expenses, such as software and subscription services. Cost of Revenue Cost of revenue consists primarily of third-party (i) cloud infrastructure expenses incurred in connection with the customers’ use of the Snowflake platform and deploying and maintaining the platform on public clouds, including different regional deployments, (ii) personnel-related costs associated with the Company’s customer support team, engineering team that is responsible for maintaining the Company's service availability and security of its platform, and professional services and training departments, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, and stock-based compensation, and (iii) costs of contracted third-party partners for professional services. Cost of revenue also includes amortization of internal-use software development costs, amortization of acquired developed technology intangible assets, expenses associated with software and subscription services dedicated for use by the Company’s customer support team and engineering team responsible for maintaining the Company's service, and allocated overhead. Deferred CommissionsSales commissions tied to new customer or customer expansion contracts earned by the Company’s sales force and the associated payroll taxes and fringe benefits, and certain referral fees earned by third parties, are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These incremental costs are deferred and then amortized over a period of benefit that is determined to be five years. The Company determined the period of benefit by taking into consideration the length of terms in its customer contracts, life of the technology, and other factors. Amounts expected to be recognized within one year of the balance sheet date are recorded as deferred commissions, current, and the remaining portion is recorded as deferred commissions, non-current, on the consolidated balance sheets. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. As a result of modifications to the Company’s sales compensation plan during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021, a portion of the sales commissions paid to the sales force is earned based on the rate of the customers’ consumption of the Company’s platform, in addition to a portion of the commissions earned upon the origination of the new customer or customer expansion contract. Sales commissions tied to customers’ consumption are not considered incremental costs and are expensed in the same period as they are earned. Deferred commissions are periodically analyzed for impairment. Deferred Revenue The Company records deferred revenue when the Company receives customer payments in advance of satisfying the performance obligations on the Company’s contracts. Capacity arrangements are generally billed and paid in advance of satisfaction of performance obligations, and the Company’s on-demand arrangements are billed in arrears generally on a monthly basis. Deferred revenue also includes amounts that have been invoiced but not yet collected, classified as accounts receivable, when the Company has an enforceable right to invoice for capacity arrangements. Deferred revenue relating to the Company’s capacity arrangements that have a contractual expiration date of less than 12 months are classified as current. For capacity arrangements that have a contractual expiration date of greater than 12 months, the Company apportions deferred revenue between current and non-current based upon an assumed ratable consumption of these capacity arrangements over the entire term of the arrangement, even though it does not recognize revenue ratably over the term of the contract as customers have flexibility in their consumption and revenue is generally recognized on consumption. In addition, in many cases, the Company’s customer contracts also permit customers to roll over any unused capacity to a subsequent order, generally on the purchase of additional capacity. As such, the current or non-current classification of deferred revenue may not reflect the actual timing of revenue recognition. Remaining performance obligations (RPO) represents the amount of contracted future revenue that has not yet been recognized, including both deferred revenue and non-cancelable contracted amounts that will be invoiced and recognized as revenue in future periods. The Company’s RPO excludes performance obligations from on-demand arrangements as there are no minimum purchase commitments associated with these arrangements, and certain time and materials contracts that are billed in arrears.However, the amount and timing of revenue recognition are generally driven by customers’ consumption, which can extend beyond the original contract term in cases where customers are permitted to roll over unused capacity to future periods, generally on the purchase of additional capacity at renewal.
Research and Development Costs	Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred, unless they qualify as internal-use software development costs. Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses associated with the Company’s research and development staff, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, and stock-based compensation. Research and development expenses also include contractor or professional services fees, third-party cloud infrastructure expenses incurred in developing the Company’s platform, computer equipment, software and subscription services dedicated for use by the Company’s research and development organization, and allocated overhead.
Advertising Costs	Advertising CostsAdvertising costs are expensed as incurred and are included in sales and marketing expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company is subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining its provision for income taxes and deferred tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles and complex tax laws. The Company records a provision for income taxes for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Under this method, the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts for financial reporting purposes and the tax bases of assets and liabilities, as well as for loss and tax credit carryforwards. The deferred assets and liabilities are measured using the statutorily enacted tax rates anticipated to be in effect when those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established if, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company considers all available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. The Company’s tax positions are subject to income tax audits by multiple tax jurisdictions throughout the world. The Company recognizes the tax benefit of an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the position will be sustainable upon examination by the taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. This evaluation is based on all available evidence and assumes that the tax authorities have full knowledge of all relevant information concerning the tax position. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not (greater than 50% likely) to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the taxing authority. The Company recognizes interest accrued and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. The Company makes adjustments to these reserves in accordance with the income tax guidance when facts and circumstances change, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences may affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition and operating results.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation The Company measures and recognizes compensation expense for all stock-based awards, including stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units (RSUs) granted to employees, directors, and non-employees, and stock purchase rights granted under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP Rights) to employees, based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. The fair value of each stock option granted and ESPP Right is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The determination of the grant-date fair value using an option-pricing model is affected by the estimated fair value of the Company’s common stock as well as assumptions regarding a number of other complex and subjective variables. These variables include expected stock price volatility over an expected term, actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors, the risk-free interest rate for an expected term, and expected dividends. The fair value of each RSU is based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Stock-based compensation is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company also grants certain awards that have performance-based vesting conditions. Stock-based compensation expense for such awards is recognized using an accelerated attribution method from the time it is deemed probable that the vesting condition will be met through the time the service-based vesting condition has been achieved. If an award contains a provision whereby vesting is accelerated upon a change in control, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis, as a change in control is considered to be outside of the Company’s control and is not considered probable until it occurs. Forfeitures are accounted for in the period in which they occur.
Stock Split and Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Class A and Class B Common Stockholders	Stock Split In November 2018, a 2-for-1 forward stock split of the Company’s then-outstanding common stock and redeemable convertible preferred stock was effected without any change in the par value per share. All information related to the Company’s common stock, redeemable convertible preferred stock, and stock awards has been retroactively adjusted to give effect to the 2-for-1 forward stock split. Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Class A and Class B Common Stockholders Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. Prior to the automatic conversion of all of its redeemable convertible preferred stock outstanding into Class B common stock upon the completion of the IPO, the Company considered all series of its redeemable convertible preferred stock and unvested common stock to be participating securities as the holders of such stock have the right to receive nonforfeitable dividends on a pari passu basis in the event that a dividend is paid on common stock. Under the two-class method, the net loss attributable to common stockholders is not allocated to the redeemable convertible preferred stock as the preferred stockholders do not have a contractual obligation to share in the Company’s losses. Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents to the extent they are dilutive. For purposes of this calculation, redeemable convertible preferred stock, stock options, restricted stock awards, RSUs, ESPP, early exercised stock options, and common stock warrants are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive for all periods presented. The rights, including the liquidation and dividend rights, of the holders of Class A and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting, converting, and transfer rights. As the liquidation and dividend rights are identical, the undistributed earnings are allocated on a proportionate basis to each class of common stock and the resulting basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders are, therefore, the same for both Class A and Class B common stock on both individual and combined basis.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash	Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original or remaining maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Restricted Cash Restricted cash primarily consists of collateralized letters of credit established in connection with lease agreements for the Company’s facilities. Restricted cash is included in current assets for leases that expire within one year and is included in non-current assets for leases that expire more than one year from the balance sheet date.
Investments and Strategic Investments	Investments The Company’s investments in marketable debt securities have been classified and accounted for as available-for-sale and are recorded at estimated fair value. The Company classifies its marketable debt securities as either short-term or long-term at each balance sheet based on each instrument’s underlying contractual maturity date. Short-term investments are investments with original maturities of less than one year when purchased. Unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The Company evaluates its investments to assess whether those with unrealized loss positions are other than temporarily impaired, and considers impairments to be other than temporary if they are related to deterioration in credit risk or if it is more likely than not that the Company will sell the securities before the recovery of their cost basis. If the Company does not intend to sell a security and it is not more likely than not that it will be required to sell the security before recovery, the unrealized loss is separated into an amount representing the credit loss, which is recognized in other income (expense), net, and the amount related to all other factors, which is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses and declines in value judged to be other than temporary are determined based on the specific identification method and are reported in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. Strategic Investments The Company’s strategic investments consist of non-marketable debt and equity investments in privately-held companies in which the Company does not have a controlling interest or significant influence. The Company’s non-marketable equity securities are recorded at cost and adjusted for observable transactions for same or similar investments of the same issuer (refer to as the measurement alternative) or impairment. The Company’s debt investments in privately-held companies are classified as available-for-sale and are recorded at their estimated fair value with changes in fair value recorded through accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Strategic investments are subject to periodic impairment analysis, which would involve an assessment of both qualitative and quantitative factors, including the investee’s financial metrics, market acceptance of the investee’s product or technology, and the rate at which the investee is using its cash. If the investment is considered impaired, the Company recognizes an impairment through other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations and establishes a new carrying value for the investment.
Concentration of Credit Risk	Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk primarily consist of cash, cash equivalents, investments, restricted cash, and accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash, cash equivalents, investments, and restricted cash with high-quality financial institutions with investment-grade ratings. For accounts receivable, the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of nonpayment by customers to the extent of the amounts recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. For purposes of assessing concentration of credit risk and significant customers, a group of customers under common control or customers that are affiliates of each other are regarded as a single customer.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments The Company accounts for certain of its financial assets at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the reporting date. The accounting guidance establishes a three-tiered hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value as follows: Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date. Level 2 Inputs: Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date. The carrying amounts reflected in the consolidated balance sheets for accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate their respective fair values due to the short maturities of those instruments. Available-for-sale debt securities are recorded at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company determines the fair value of its security holdings based on pricing from the Company’s service providers and market prices from industry-standard independent data providers. Such market prices may be quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1 inputs) or pricing determined using inputs other than quoted prices that are observable either directly or indirectly (Level 2 inputs), such as yield curve, volatility factors, credit spreads, default rates, loss severity, current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments or debt, broker and dealer quotes, as well as other relevant economic measures.
Accounts Receivable	Accounts ReceivableAccounts receivable includes billed and unbilled receivables, net of allowance of doubtful accounts. Trade accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts and do not bear interest. The expectation of collectability is based on a review of credit profiles of customers, contractual terms and conditions, current economic trends, and historical payment experience. The Company regularly reviews the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts by considering the age of each outstanding invoice and the collection history of each customer to determine the appropriate amount of allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts when identified.Unbilled accounts receivable represents revenue recognized on contracts for which billings have not yet been presented to customers largely due to overage and on-demand capacity usage, as well as time-and-materials billed in arrears. The unbilled accounts receivable balance is due within one year.
Internal-Use Software Development Costs	Internal-Use Software Development Costs The Company capitalizes qualifying internal-use software development costs related to its cloud platform. The costs consist of personnel costs (including related benefits and stock-based compensation) that are incurred during the application development stage. Capitalization of costs begins when two criteria are met: (1) the preliminary project stage is completed, and (2) it is probable that the software will be completed and used for its intended function. Capitalization ceases when the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use, including the completion of all significant testing. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post-implementation operating activities are expensed as incurred. Capitalized costs are included in property and equipment, net on the consolidated balance sheets. These costs are amortized over the estimated useful life of the software, which is three years, on a straight-line basis, which represents the manner in which the expected benefit will be derived. The amortization of costs related to the platform applications is primarily included in cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.
Property and Equipment, Net	Property and Equipment, Net Property and equipment, net is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related asset, ranging from generally three to seven years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of estimated useful life or the remaining lease term. Expenses that improve an asset or extend its remaining useful life are capitalized. Costs of maintenance or repairs that do not extend the lives of the respective assets are charged to expenses as incurred.
Business Combinations	Business Combinations The Company applies a screen test to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets to determine whether a transaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition or business combination. When the Company acquires a business, the purchase consideration is allocated to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated respective fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. The Company’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable, and as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Accounting for Impairment of Long-Lived Assets (Including Goodwill and Intangible Assets)	Accounting for Impairment of Long-Lived Assets (Including Goodwill and Intangible Assets) Long-lived assets with finite lives include property and equipment, capitalized development software costs, and acquired intangible assets. The Company evaluates long-lived assets, including acquired intangible assets and capitalized internal-use software development costs, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets held and used is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or an asset group to estimated undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds these estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the asset or asset group. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but rather tested for impairment at least annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may exist. Goodwill impairment is recognized when the quantitative assessment results in the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeding its fair value, in which case an impairment charge is recorded to goodwill to the extent the carrying value exceeds the fair value, limited to the amount of goodwill. The Company did not recognize any impairment of goodwill for all periods presented.
Leases	Leases The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception by evaluating various factors, including if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration and other facts and circumstances. Lease classification is determined at the lease commencement date. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, current, and operating lease liabilities, noncurrent on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company did not have any material finance leases for all periods presented. Right-of-use assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make payments arising from the lease. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Lease payments consist primarily of the fixed payments under the arrangement, less any lease incentives. Variable lease payments are expensed as incurred and include certain non-lease components, such as maintenance and other services provided by the lessor to the extent the charges are variable. The Company uses an estimate of its incremental borrowing rate (IBR) based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments, unless the implicit rate is readily determinable. In determining the appropriate IBR, the Company considers various factors, including, but not limited to, its credit rating, the lease term, and the currency in which the arrangement is denominated. For leases that commenced prior to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), the IBR as of February 1, 2018 was used. The Company’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company does not separate non-lease components from lease components for its facility asset portfolio. In addition, the Company does not recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases, which have a lease term of 12 months or less and do not include an option to purchase the underlying asset that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. Lease cost for short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. In addition, the Company subleases certain of its unoccupied facilities to third parties. Any impairment to the associated right-of-use assets, leasehold improvements, or other assets as a result of a sublease is recognized in the period the sublease is executed and recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company recognizes sublease income on a straight-line basis over the sublease term. Sublease income is recorded as a reduction to the Company’s operating lease costs.
Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted and Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted	Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted In February 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which permits a company to reclassify the disproportionate income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on items within accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. The Company adopted this guidance on February 1, 2019, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Non-Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which expands the scope of Topic 718, to include share-based payments issued to non-employees for goods or services. The new standard supersedes Subtopic 505-50. The Company adopted this guidance effective February 1, 2018 on a modified retrospective basis, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which amends its conceptual framework to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in notes to financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance on February 1, 2019, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires a financial asset measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected, with further clarifications made more recently. For trade receivables, loans, and other financial instruments, the Company will be required to use a forward-looking expected loss model rather than the incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses which reflects losses that are probable. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities are required to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. This guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2023 and interim periods within that fiscal year, and requires a cumulative effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. Early adoption is permitted. The Company plans to early adopt this guidance effective February 1, 2021 on a modified retrospective basis and does not expect the adoption will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract, which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). The accounting for the service element of a hosting arrangement that is a service contract is not affected by this new guidance. This new guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2021 and interim periods within its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2022, and early adoption is permitted. The Company plans to early adopt this guidance effective February 1, 2021 on a prospective basis and does not expect the adoption will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating some exceptions to the general approach in ASC 740, Income Taxes in order to reduce cost and complexity of its application. This new guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2022 and interim periods within its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2023, and early adoption is permitted. Most amendments within this guidance are required to be applied on a prospective basis, while certain amendments must be applied on a retrospective or modified retrospective basis. The Company plans to early adopt this guidance effective February 1, 2021 and does not expect the adoption will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2021

The Company’s fiscal year ends on January 31. For example, references to fiscal 2021 refer to the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021.

Basis of Presentation

Basis of PresentationThe accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Snowflake Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Segment Information

Segment InformationThe Company has a single operating and reportable segment. The Company’s chief operating decision maker is its Chief Executive Officer, who reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for purposes of making operating decisions, assessing financial performance, and allocating resources.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Such estimates include, but are not limited to, stand-alone selling prices (SSP) for each distinct performance obligation, internal-use software development costs, expected period of benefit for deferred commissions, the useful lives of long-lived assets, the carrying value of operating lease right-of-use assets, valuation of the Company’s common stock prior to the IPO, stock-based compensation, and accounting for income taxes.

The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and also on assumptions that management considers reasonable. The Company assesses these estimates on a regular basis; however, actual results could differ from these estimates.

The World Health Organization declared in March 2020 that the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) constituted a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused general business disruption worldwide beginning in January 2020. While the Company has experienced, and may continue to experience an adverse impact on certain parts of its business as a result of governmental restrictions and other measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including a lengthening in the sales cycle for some prospective customers and delays in the delivery of professional services and trainings to customers, the Company’s results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition have not been adversely impacted in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021. However, if the Company’s customers or partners experience downturns or uncertainty in their own business operations or revenue resulting from the spread or resurgence of COVID-19, they may decrease or delay their spending, request pricing discounts, or seek renegotiations of their contracts, any of which may result in decreased revenue and cash receipts for the Company in future periods. In addition, the Company may experience customer losses, including due to bankruptcy or customers ceasing operations, which may result in an inability to collect accounts receivable from these customers. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic, including any new strains or mutations, will directly or indirectly impact the Company’s business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted. In addition, in response to the spread of COVID-19, the Company has required virtually all of its employees to work remotely to minimize the risk of the virus to the employees and the communities in which it operates, and may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that it determines are in the best interests of its employees, customers, and business partners.

Given the uncertainty regarding the length, severity, and ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the impact on its future results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. As of the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements, the Company is not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require it to update its estimates, its judgments, or the carrying value of its assets or liabilities. These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and any such differences may be material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Foreign Currency

The reporting currency of the Company is the United States dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar or the Euro. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates. Revenue and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates. The resulting translation adjustments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity (deficit). Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recognized in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations, and have not been material for any of the periods presented.

Revenue Recognition, Allocation of Overhead Costs, Cost of Revenue, Deferred Commissions, Deferred Revenue

Revenue Recognition

The Company accounts for revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue From Contracts With Customers (ASC 606) for all periods presented.

The Company delivers its platform over the internet as a service. Customers choose to consume the platform under either capacity arrangements, in which customers commit to a certain amount of consumption at specified prices, or under on-demand arrangements, in which the Company charges for use of the platform monthly in arrears. Under capacity arrangements, from which a majority of revenue is derived, the Company typically bills its customers annually in advance of their consumption. Revenue from on-demand arrangements typically relates to initial consumption as part of customer onboarding and, to a lesser extent, overage consumption beyond a customer’s contracted usage amount or following the expiration of a customer’s contract. Revenue from on-demand arrangements represented 4%, 4%, and 5% of the Company’s revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company recognizes revenue as customers consume compute, storage, and data transfer resources under either of these arrangements. In limited instances, customers pay an annual deployment fee to gain access to a dedicated instance of a virtual private deployment. Deployment fees are recognized ratably over the contract term.

Customers do not have the contractual right to take possession of the Company’s platform. Pricing for the platform includes embedded support services, data backup and disaster recovery services, as well as future updates, when and if available, offered during the contract term.

Customer contracts for capacity typically have a term of one to four years. To the extent customers enter into such contracts and either consume the platform in excess of their capacity commitments or continue to use the platform after expiration of the contract term, they are charged for their incremental consumption. In many cases, customer contracts permit customers to roll over any unused capacity to a subsequent order, generally on the purchase of additional capacity. Customer contracts are generally non-cancelable during the contract term, although customers can terminate for breach if the Company materially fails to perform. For those customers who do not have a capacity arrangement, the Company’s on-demand arrangements generally have a monthly stated contract term and can be terminated at any time by either the customer or the Company.

For storage resources, consumption for a given customer is based on the average terabytes per month of all of such customer’s data stored in the platform. For compute resources, consumption is based on the type of compute resource used and the duration of use or, for some features, the volume of data processed. For data transfer resources, consumption is based on terabytes of data transferred, the public cloud provider used, and the region to and from which the transfer is executed.

The Company’s revenue also includes professional services and other revenue, which consists of consulting, on-site technical solution services, and training related to the platform. Professional services revenue is recognized over time based on input measures, including time and materials costs incurred relative to total costs, with consideration given to output measures, such as contract deliverables, when applicable. Other revenue consists of fees from customer training delivered on-site or through publicly available classes. Professional services and other revenue represented 6%, 5%, and 1% of the Company’s revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The Company determines revenue recognition in accordance with ASC 606 through the following five steps:

1) Identify the contract with a customer. The Company considers the terms and conditions of the contracts and the Company’s customary business practices in identifying its contracts under ASC 606. The Company determines it has a contract with a customer when the contract has been approved by both parties, it can identify each party’s rights regarding the services to be transferred and the payment terms for the services, it has determined the customer to have the ability and intent to pay, and the contract has commercial substance. At contract inception, the Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the combined or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s payment history or, in the case of a new customer, credit and financial information pertaining to the customer.

2) Identify the performance obligations in the contract. Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from the Company, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the services is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. The Company treats consumption of its platform for compute, storage, and data transfer resources as one single performance obligation because they are consumed by customers as a single, integrated offering. The Company does not make any one of these resources available for consumption without the others. Instead, each of compute, storage, and data transfer work together to drive consumption on the Company’s platform. The Company treats its virtual private deployments for customers, professional services, on-site technical solution services, and training each as a separate and distinct performance obligation. Some customers have negotiated an option to purchase additional capacity at a stated discount. These options generally do not provide a material right as they are priced at the Company’s SSP, as described below, as the stated discounts are not incremental to the range of discounts typically given.

3) Determine the transaction price. The transaction price is determined based on the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring services to the customer. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue recognized under the contract will not occur. Variable consideration is estimated based on expected value, primarily relying on the Company’s history. In certain situations, the Company may also use the most likely amount as the basis of its estimate. None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental entities (e.g., sales and other indirect taxes).

4) Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract. If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative SSP. The determination of a relative SSP for each distinct performance obligation requires judgment. The Company determines SSP for performance obligations based on an observable standalone selling price when it is available, as well as other factors, including the overall pricing objectives, which take into consideration market conditions and customer-specific factors, including a review of internal discounting tables, the services being sold, the volume of capacity commitments, and other factors. The observable standalone selling price is established based on the price at which products and services are sold separately. If an SSP is not observable through past transactions, the Company estimates it using available information including, but not limited to, market data and other observable inputs.

5) Recognize revenue when or as the Company satisfies a performance obligation. Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring the promised service to a customer. Revenue is recognized when control of the services is transferred to the customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. The Company determined an output method to be the most appropriate measure of progress because it most faithfully represents when the value of the services is simultaneously received and consumed by the customer, and control is transferred. Virtual private deployment fees are recognized ratably over the term of the deployment as the deployment service represents a stand-ready performance obligation provided throughout the deployment term.

Allocation of Overhead Costs

Overhead costs that are not substantially dedicated for use by a specific functional group are allocated based on headcount. Such costs include costs associated with office facilities, depreciation of property and equipment, and information technology (IT) related personnel and other expenses, such as software and subscription services.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue consists primarily of third-party (i) cloud infrastructure expenses incurred in connection with the customers’ use of the Snowflake platform and deploying and maintaining the platform on public clouds, including different regional deployments, (ii) personnel-related costs associated with the Company’s customer support team, engineering team that is responsible for maintaining the Company's service availability and security of its platform, and professional services and training departments, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, and stock-based compensation, and (iii) costs of contracted third-party partners for professional services. Cost of revenue also includes amortization of internal-use software development costs, amortization of acquired developed technology intangible assets, expenses associated with software and subscription services dedicated for use by the Company’s customer support team and engineering team responsible for maintaining the Company's service, and allocated overhead.

Deferred CommissionsSales commissions tied to new customer or customer expansion contracts earned by the Company’s sales force and the associated payroll taxes and fringe benefits, and certain referral fees earned by third parties, are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These incremental costs are deferred and then amortized over a period of benefit that is determined to be five years. The Company determined the period of benefit by taking into consideration the length of terms in its customer contracts, life of the technology, and other factors. Amounts expected to be recognized within one year of the balance sheet date are recorded as deferred commissions, current, and the remaining portion is recorded as deferred commissions, non-current, on the consolidated balance sheets. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. As a result of modifications to the Company’s sales compensation plan during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021, a portion of the sales commissions paid to the sales force is earned based on the rate of the customers’ consumption of the Company’s platform, in addition to a portion of the commissions earned upon the origination of the new customer or customer expansion contract. Sales commissions tied to customers’ consumption are not considered incremental costs and are expensed in the same period as they are earned. Deferred commissions are periodically analyzed for impairment.

Deferred Revenue

The Company records deferred revenue when the Company receives customer payments in advance of satisfying the performance obligations on the Company’s contracts. Capacity arrangements are generally billed and paid in advance of satisfaction of performance obligations, and the Company’s on-demand arrangements are billed in arrears generally on a monthly basis. Deferred revenue also includes amounts that have been invoiced but not yet collected, classified as accounts receivable, when the Company has an enforceable right to invoice for capacity arrangements. Deferred revenue relating to the Company’s capacity arrangements that have a contractual expiration date of less than 12 months are classified as current. For capacity arrangements that have a contractual expiration date of greater than 12 months, the Company apportions deferred revenue between current and non-current based upon an assumed ratable consumption of these capacity arrangements over the entire term of the arrangement, even though it does not recognize revenue ratably over the term of the contract as customers have flexibility in their consumption and revenue is generally recognized on consumption. In addition, in many cases, the Company’s customer contracts also permit customers to roll over any unused capacity to a subsequent order, generally on the purchase of additional capacity. As such, the current or non-current classification of deferred revenue may not reflect the actual timing of revenue recognition.

Remaining performance obligations (RPO) represents the amount of contracted future revenue that has not yet been recognized, including both deferred revenue and non-cancelable contracted amounts that will be invoiced and recognized as revenue in future periods. The Company’s RPO excludes performance obligations from on-demand arrangements as there are no minimum purchase commitments associated with these arrangements, and certain time and materials contracts that are billed in arrears.However, the amount and timing of revenue recognition are generally driven by customers’ consumption, which can extend beyond the original contract term in cases where customers are permitted to roll over unused capacity to future periods, generally on the purchase of additional capacity at renewal.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred, unless they qualify as internal-use software development costs. Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses associated with the Company’s research and development staff, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, and stock-based compensation. Research and development expenses also include contractor or professional services fees, third-party cloud infrastructure expenses incurred in developing the Company’s platform, computer equipment, software and subscription services dedicated for use by the Company’s research and development organization, and allocated overhead.

Advertising Costs

Advertising CostsAdvertising costs are expensed as incurred and are included in sales and marketing expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

Income Taxes

The Company is subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining its provision for income taxes and deferred tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles and complex tax laws.

The Company records a provision for income taxes for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Under this method, the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts for financial reporting purposes and the tax bases of assets and liabilities, as well as for loss and tax credit carryforwards. The deferred assets and liabilities are measured using the statutorily enacted tax rates anticipated to be in effect when those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the enactment date.

A valuation allowance is established if, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company considers all available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income in assessing the need for a valuation allowance.

The Company’s tax positions are subject to income tax audits by multiple tax jurisdictions throughout the world. The Company recognizes the tax benefit of an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the position will be sustainable upon examination by the taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. This evaluation is based on all available evidence and assumes that the tax authorities have full knowledge of all relevant information concerning the tax position. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit which is more likely than not (greater than 50% likely) to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the taxing authority. The Company recognizes interest accrued and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. The Company makes adjustments to these reserves in accordance with the income tax guidance when facts and circumstances change, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences may affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition and operating results.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company measures and recognizes compensation expense for all stock-based awards, including stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units (RSUs) granted to employees, directors, and non-employees, and stock purchase rights granted under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP Rights) to employees, based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. The fair value of each stock option granted and ESPP Right is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The determination of the grant-date fair value using an option-pricing model is affected by the estimated fair value of the Company’s common stock as well as assumptions regarding a number of other complex and subjective variables. These variables include expected stock price volatility over an expected term, actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors, the risk-free interest rate for an expected term, and expected dividends. The fair value of each RSU is based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.

Stock-based compensation is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company also grants certain awards that have performance-based vesting conditions. Stock-based compensation expense for such awards is recognized using an accelerated attribution method from the time it is deemed probable that the vesting condition will be met through the time the service-based vesting condition has been achieved. If an award contains a provision whereby vesting is accelerated upon a change in control, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis, as a change in control is considered to be outside of the Company’s control and is not considered probable until it occurs. Forfeitures are accounted for in the period in which they occur.

Stock Split and Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Class A and Class B Common Stockholders

Stock Split

In November 2018, a 2-for-1 forward stock split of the Company’s then-outstanding common stock and redeemable convertible preferred stock was effected without any change in the par value per share. All information related to the Company’s common stock, redeemable convertible preferred stock, and stock awards has been retroactively adjusted to give effect to the 2-for-1 forward stock split.

Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Class A and Class B Common Stockholders

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

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents to the extent they are dilutive. For purposes of this calculation, redeemable convertible preferred stock, stock options, restricted stock awards, RSUs, ESPP, early exercised stock options, and common stock warrants are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive for all periods presented.

The rights, including the liquidation and dividend rights, of the holders of Class A and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting, converting, and transfer rights. As the liquidation and dividend rights are identical, the undistributed earnings are allocated on a proportionate basis to each class of common stock and the resulting basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders are, therefore, the same for both Class A and Class B common stock on both individual and combined basis.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original or remaining maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash

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

Investments and Strategic Investments

Investments

The Company’s investments in marketable debt securities have been classified and accounted for as available-for-sale and are recorded at estimated fair value. The Company classifies its marketable debt securities as either short-term or long-term at each balance sheet based on each instrument’s underlying contractual maturity date. Short-term investments are investments with original maturities of less than one year when purchased. Unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The Company evaluates its investments to assess whether those with unrealized loss positions are other than temporarily impaired, and considers impairments to be other than temporary if they are related to deterioration in credit risk or if it is more likely than not that the Company will sell the securities before the recovery of their cost basis. If the Company does not intend to sell a security and it is not more likely than not that it will be required to sell the security before recovery, the unrealized loss is separated into an amount representing the credit loss, which is recognized in other income (expense), net, and the amount related to all other factors, which is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses and declines in value judged to be other than temporary are determined based on the specific identification method and are reported in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations.

Strategic Investments

The Company’s strategic investments consist of non-marketable debt and equity investments in privately-held companies in which the Company does not have a controlling interest or significant influence. The Company’s non-marketable equity securities are recorded at cost and adjusted for observable transactions for same or similar investments of the same issuer (refer to as the measurement alternative) or impairment. The Company’s debt investments in privately-held companies are classified as available-for-sale and are recorded at their estimated fair value with changes in fair value recorded through accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

Strategic investments are subject to periodic impairment analysis, which would involve an assessment of both qualitative and quantitative factors, including the investee’s financial metrics, market acceptance of the investee’s product or technology, and the rate at which the investee is using its cash. If the investment is considered impaired, the Company recognizes an impairment through other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations and establishes a new carrying value for the investment.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk primarily consist of cash, cash equivalents, investments, restricted cash, and accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash, cash equivalents, investments, and restricted cash with high-quality financial institutions with investment-grade ratings. For accounts receivable, the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of nonpayment by customers to the extent of the amounts recorded on the consolidated balance sheets.

For purposes of assessing concentration of credit risk and significant customers, a group of customers under common control or customers that are affiliates of each other are regarded as a single customer.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company accounts for certain of its financial assets at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the reporting date. The accounting guidance establishes a three-tiered hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date.

Level 2 Inputs: Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date.

The carrying amounts reflected in the consolidated balance sheets for accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate their respective fair values due to the short maturities of those instruments. Available-for-sale debt securities are recorded at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company determines the fair value of its security holdings based on pricing from the Company’s service providers and market prices from industry-standard independent data providers. Such market prices may be quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1 inputs) or pricing determined using inputs other than quoted prices that are observable either directly or indirectly (Level 2 inputs), such as yield curve, volatility factors, credit spreads, default rates, loss severity, current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments or debt, broker and dealer quotes, as well as other relevant economic measures.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts ReceivableAccounts receivable includes billed and unbilled receivables, net of allowance of doubtful accounts. Trade accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts and do not bear interest. The expectation of collectability is based on a review of credit profiles of customers, contractual terms and conditions, current economic trends, and historical payment experience. The Company regularly reviews the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts by considering the age of each outstanding invoice and the collection history of each customer to determine the appropriate amount of allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts when identified.Unbilled accounts receivable represents revenue recognized on contracts for which billings have not yet been presented to customers largely due to overage and on-demand capacity usage, as well as time-and-materials billed in arrears. The unbilled accounts receivable balance is due within one year.

Internal-Use Software Development Costs

The Company capitalizes qualifying internal-use software development costs related to its cloud platform. The costs consist of personnel costs (including related benefits and stock-based compensation) that are incurred during the application development stage. Capitalization of costs begins when two criteria are met: (1) the preliminary project stage is completed, and (2) it is probable that the software will be completed and used for its intended function. Capitalization ceases when the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use, including the completion of all significant testing. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post-implementation operating activities are expensed as incurred.

Capitalized costs are included in property and equipment, net on the consolidated balance sheets. These costs are amortized over the estimated useful life of the software, which is three years, on a straight-line basis, which represents the manner in which the expected benefit will be derived. The amortization of costs related to the platform applications is primarily included in cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment, net is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related asset, ranging from generally three to seven years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of estimated useful life or the remaining lease term. Expenses that improve an asset or extend its remaining useful life are capitalized. Costs of maintenance or repairs that do not extend the lives of the respective assets are charged to expenses as incurred.

Business Combinations

The Company applies a screen test to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets to determine whether a transaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition or business combination. When the Company acquires a business, the purchase consideration is allocated to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated respective fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. The Company’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable, and as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.

Accounting for Impairment of Long-Lived Assets (Including Goodwill and Intangible Assets)

Long-lived assets with finite lives include property and equipment, capitalized development software costs, and acquired intangible assets. The Company evaluates long-lived assets, including acquired intangible assets and capitalized internal-use software development costs, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets held and used is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or an asset group to estimated undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds these estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the asset or asset group.

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but rather tested for impairment at least annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may exist. Goodwill impairment is recognized when the quantitative assessment results in the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeding its fair value, in which case an impairment charge is recorded to goodwill to the extent the carrying value exceeds the fair value, limited to the amount of goodwill. The Company did not recognize any impairment of goodwill for all periods presented.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception by evaluating various factors, including if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration and other facts and circumstances. Lease classification is determined at the lease commencement date. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, current, and operating lease liabilities, noncurrent on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company did not have any material finance leases for all periods presented.

Right-of-use assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make payments arising from the lease. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Lease payments consist primarily of the fixed payments under the arrangement, less any lease incentives. Variable lease payments are expensed as incurred and include certain non-lease components, such as maintenance and other services provided by the lessor to the extent the charges are variable. The Company uses an estimate of its incremental borrowing rate (IBR) based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments, unless the implicit rate is readily determinable. In determining the appropriate IBR, the Company considers various factors, including, but not limited to, its credit rating, the lease term, and the currency in which the arrangement is denominated. For leases that commenced prior to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), the IBR as of February 1, 2018 was used. The Company’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The Company does not separate non-lease components from lease components for its facility asset portfolio. In addition, the Company does not recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases, which have a lease term of 12 months or less and do not include an option to purchase the underlying asset that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. Lease cost for short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

In addition, the Company subleases certain of its unoccupied facilities to third parties. Any impairment to the associated right-of-use assets, leasehold improvements, or other assets as a result of a sublease is recognized in the period the sublease is executed and recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company recognizes sublease income on a straight-line basis over the sublease term. Sublease income is recorded as a reduction to the Company’s operating lease costs.

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted and Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

In February 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which permits a company to reclassify the disproportionate income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on items within accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. The Company adopted this guidance on February 1, 2019, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Non-Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which expands the scope of Topic 718, to include share-based payments issued to non-employees for goods or services. The new standard supersedes Subtopic 505-50. The Company adopted this guidance effective February 1, 2018 on a modified retrospective basis, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which amends its conceptual framework to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in notes to financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance on February 1, 2019, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires a financial asset measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected, with further clarifications made more recently. For trade receivables, loans, and other financial instruments, the Company will be required to use a forward-looking expected loss model rather than the incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses which reflects losses that are probable. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities are required to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. This guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2023 and interim periods within that fiscal year, and requires a cumulative effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. Early adoption is permitted. The Company plans to early adopt this guidance effective February 1, 2021 on a modified retrospective basis and does not expect the adoption will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract, which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). The accounting for the service element of a hosting arrangement that is a service contract is not affected by this new guidance. This new guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2021 and interim periods within its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2022, and early adoption is permitted. The Company plans to early adopt this guidance effective February 1, 2021 on a prospective basis and does not expect the adoption will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating some exceptions to the general approach in ASC 740, Income Taxes in order to reduce cost and complexity of its application. This new guidance is effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2022 and interim periods within its fiscal year beginning February 1, 2023, and early adoption is permitted. Most amendments within this guidance are required to be applied on a prospective basis, while certain amendments must be applied on a retrospective or modified retrospective basis. The Company plans to early adopt this guidance effective February 1, 2021 and does not expect the adoption will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.