Item 1. Business
OVERVIEW
Who We Are
IAC operates Vimeo, Dotdash and Care.com, among many other businesses, and also has majority ownership of ANGI Homeservices, which operates HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List and Handy.
As used herein, “IAC,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” and other similar terms refer to IAC/InterActiveCorp and its subsidiaries (unless the context requires otherwise).
Our History
IAC began as a hybrid media/electronic retailing company over twenty-five years ago. Since then, IAC (directly and through predecessor entities) has transformed itself into a leading Internet company through the development, building, acquisition and distribution to its stockholders of a number of businesses over two decades, and IAC continues to build companies and invest opportunistically.
From and after the late 1990s, we acquired a number of e-commerce companies, including Ticketmaster Group, Hotel Reservations Network (later renamed Hotels.com), Expedia.com, Match.com, LendingTree, TripAdvisor, HomeAdvisor and AskJeeves, as well as Interval International.
In 2005, we completed the separation of our travel and travel-related businesses and investments into an independent public company called Expedia, Inc. (now known as Expedia Group, Inc.). In 2008, we separated into five independent, publicly traded companies: IAC, HSN, Inc. (now part of Qurate Retail, Inc.), Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (now part of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation), Ticketmaster (now part of Live Nation, Inc.) and Tree.com, Inc. (now LendingTree, Inc.). Following this transaction, we continued to invest in and acquire e-commerce companies, including About.com (now known as Dotdash) and a number of online dating companies in the United States and various jurisdictions abroad.
In 2017, we completed the combination of the businesses in our former HomeAdvisor financial reporting segment with those of Angie’s List, Inc. under a new publicly traded holding company that we control, ANGI Homeservices Inc. (“ANGI Homeservices”). And in 2018, through ANGI Homeservices, we acquired Handy Technologies, Inc., a leading platform in the United States for connecting consumers looking for household services (primarily cleaning and handyman services) with top-quality, pre-screened independent service professionals.
In February 2020, we acquired Care.com, the leading online destination for families to easily connect with caregivers for their children, aging parents, pets and homes and for a wide variety of caregivers to easily connect with families. In June 2020, we completed the separation of our online dating businesses into an independent public company called Match Group, Inc. In August 2020, we announced that we had acquired an approximate 12% interest in MGM Resorts International, a leader in gaming, hospitality and leisure (“MGM”), for an aggregate of approximately $1 billion, introducing a new opportunity for us in the online gaming space.
In December 2020, we announced that the IAC board of directors had approved a plan to spin-off our full stake in our Vimeo business to IAC stockholders. Our Vimeo business will be separated from the remaining businesses of IAC through a series of transactions (which we refer to as the “Spin-off”) which, if completed in their entirety, will result in the transfer of our Vimeo business to Vimeo Holdings, Inc. (a newly formed subsidiary of IAC), which will be an independent, separately traded public company following the Spin-off (“New Vimeo”). The proposed transaction, which is subject to a number of conditions (including final approval by the IAC board of directors, certain IAC stockholder approvals and other customary conditions and approvals), is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.
EQUITY OWNERSHIP AND VOTE
IAC has outstanding shares of common stock, with one vote per share, and shares of Class B common stock, with ten votes per share and which are convertible into common stock on a share for share basis. As of the date of this report, Barry Diller, IAC’s Chairman and Senior Executive, his spouse (Diane von Furstenberg) and his stepson (Alexander von Furstenberg), collectively hold 5,789,499 shares of Class B common stock representing 100% of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock. Together with shares of common stock held as of the date of this report by Mr. Diller personally (172,708), Mr. von Furstenberg personally (66,004), a trust for the benefit of certain members of Mr. Diller’s family (136,711) and a family foundation (1,711), these holdings collectively represent approximately 41.4 % of the total outstanding voting power of IAC (based on the number of shares of common and Class B common stock outstanding on January 29, 2021). As of the date of this report, Mr. Diller also holds 1,000,000 vested options to purchase shares of common stock.
Pursuant to that certain voting agreement, dated as of November 5, 2020, by and among Mr. Diller and the trustees of certain trusts through which all 5,789,499 shares of Class B common stock and 136,711 shares of common stock are held (the “Diller Parties”), on the one hand, and Joseph M. Levin, IAC’s Chief Executive Officer, on the other hand, (the “Voting Agreement”):
•the Diller Parties agreed to vote all shares of common stock and Class B common stock held by them in favor of Mr. Levin’s election to the IAC board of directors at each meeting of IAC stockholders at which Mr. Levin stands for election;
•prior to a vote being taken on specified Contingent Matters (a material acquisition or disposition of any assets or business by IAC or its subsidiaries, the entry by IAC into a material new line of business and the spin-off or split-off to IAC stockholders of (or similar transaction involving) a material business of IAC (excluding Vimeo, Inc.)) submitted for the approval of IAC stockholders, Mr. Diller (or following Mr. Diller’s death or disability or Mr. Diller ceasing to serve as a director or executive officer of IAC, Alexander von Furstenberg or his successor), in consultation with the other Diller Parties, and Mr. Levin, will seek agreement on how to vote the shares of common stock and Class B common stock held by the Diller Parties, provided, however, that if an agreement is not reached to support any such proposal, the Diller Parties have agreed to vote all shares of common stock and Class B common stock held by them against any such proposal; and
•if any of the Diller Parties determines to sell shares of Class B common stock to a person other than Mr. Diller, his family members or certain entities controlled by such persons, they will discuss with Mr. Levin selling such shares to him before selling to any other party.
The Voting Agreement will automatically terminate upon a "Change in Control" of IAC (as defined in the Restricted Stock Agreement between Mr. Levin and the Company dated November 5, 2020) or the termination of Mr. Levin’s employment with IAC.
In addition, pursuant to an amended and restated governance agreement between IAC and Mr. Diller, for so long as Mr. Diller serves as IAC’s Chairman and Senior Executive and he beneficially owns (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) at least 5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock and/or common stock in which he has a pecuniary interest (including IAC securities beneficially owned by him directly and indirectly through trusts for the benefit of certain members of his family), he generally has the right to consent to certain limited matters specified in the governance agreement in the event that IAC’s ratio of total debt to EBITDA (as defined in the governance agreement) equals or exceeds four to one over a continuous twelve-month period.
As a result of IAC securities beneficially owned by Mr. Diller and certain members of his family, Mr. Diller and these family members are, collectively, currently in a position to influence, subject to IAC’s organizational documents and Delaware law, the composition of the IAC board of directors and the outcome of corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, such as mergers, business combinations and dispositions of assets, among other corporate transactions. In addition, as a result of the Voting Agreement, Mr. Levin is currently in a position, subject to IAC’s organizational documents and Delaware law, to influence his election to IAC's board of directors and influence the outcome of Contingent Matters (as defined in the Voting Agreement).
DESCRIPTION OF IAC BUSINESSES
ANGI Homeservices
Overview
Our ANGI Homeservices segment includes the North American (United States and Canada) and European businesses and operations of ANGI Homeservices Inc. (“ANGI” or “ANGI Homeservices”), a publicly traded company formed on September 29, 2017 to facilitate the combination of the businesses in our former HomeAdvisor financial reporting segment and Angie’s List, Inc. (“Angie’s List”). As of December 31, 2020, IAC’s economic and voting interest in ANGI Homeservices was 84.3% and 98.2%, respectively.
Through ANGI’s various brands, including HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List and Handy, we connect quality home service professionals across more than 500 different categories, from repairing and remodeling to cleaning and landscaping, with consumers.
Through ANGI, we acquired Handy Technologies, Inc. (“Handy”), a leading platform in the United States for connecting individuals looking for household services (primarily cleaning and handyman services) with top-quality, pre-screened independent service professionals, in October 2018. ANGI also owns and operates Fixd Repair, a home warranty and service company, mHelpDesk, a provider of cloud-based field service software for small to mid-size businesses, and CraftJack, a third party lead generation service that connects home service professionals with consumers looking to complete home projects.
In addition to ANGI’s leading U.S. operations, ANGI owns leading home services online marketplaces in France (Travaux), Germany (MyHammer), Netherlands (Werkspot) and Italy (Instapro), owns controlling stakes in leading home services online marketplaces in the United Kingdom (MyBuilder) and Canada (HomeStars), and has operations in Austria through its MyHammer business.
Services
Overview. The HomeAdvisor digital marketplace service (“HomeAdvisor”) connects consumers with service professionals nationwide for home repair, maintenance and improvement projects. HomeAdvisor provides consumers with tools and resources to help them find local, pre-screened and customer-rated service professionals, as well as instantly book appointments online. HomeAdvisor also connects consumers with service professionals instantly by telephone, as well as offers several home services-related resources, such as cost guides for different types of home services projects. Handy connects consumers looking for household services (primarily cleaning and handyman services) with top-quality, pre-screened independent service professionals. Consumers request and pay for household services directly through the Handy platform and Handy fulfills these requests through the use of independently established home services providers engaged in a trade, occupation and/or business that customarily provides such services. Together, we refer to the HomeAdvisor and Handy businesses in the United States as the “Marketplace.” All Marketplace matching and pre-priced booking services and related tools and directories are provided to consumers free of charge.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2020, the Marketplace had a network of approximately 208,000 transacting service professionals, each of whom paid for consumer matches and/or or performed a job sourced through HomeAdvisor and/or Handy. Collectively, this service professional network provided services in more than 500 categories and 400 discrete geographical areas in the United States. The Marketplace generated approximately 32 million service requests during the year ended December 31, 2020. Service requests consist of fully completed and submitted domestic customer service requests submitted to HomeAdvisor and pre-priced bookings sourced through the HomeAdvisor and Handy platforms.
Angie’s List connects consumers with service professionals for local services through a nationwide online directory of service professionals in over 700 service categories, as well as provides consumers with valuable tools, services and content (including verified reviews of local service professionals), to help them research, shop and hire for local services. Consumers can access the Angie’s List nationwide directory and related basic tools and services free of charge, as well as via purchased membership packages. Angie’s List also sells time-based website, mobile and call center advertising to service professionals.
Marketplace Consumer Services. Consumers can submit a request to be matched with a service professional through the HomeAdvisor and Handy platforms, as well as through certain paths on the Angie’s List platform and various third party affiliate platforms. Depending on the nature of the service request and the path through which it was submitted, consumers are generally matched with up to four HomeAdvisor service professionals, a Handy service professional or a combination of HomeAdvisor service professionals and service professionals from the Angie’s List nationwide directory (as and if available for the given service request).
Matches made through HomeAdvisor platforms and paths and various third party affiliate platforms are made by way of HomeAdvisor’s proprietary algorithm, based on several factors (including the type of services desired, location and the number of service professionals available to fulfill the request). Matches made through the Handy platform and path are based on the type of service desired, location and the date and time the consumer wants the service to be provided.
In all cases, service professionals may contact consumers with whom they have been matched (or who have booked a job) directly and consumers can generally review profiles, ratings and reviews of presented service professionals and select the service professional whom they believe best meets their specific needs. Consumers are under no obligation to work with any service professional(s) referred by or found through any of ANGI’s branded platforms or third party affiliate platforms.
For matches described above, in the case of HomeAdvisor service professionals, consumers are responsible for booking the service and paying the service professional directly, which can be done by the consumer independently or via the HomeAdvisor Pro-Pay App. In 2020, we expanded the features of this app to provide consumers with the ability to finance payments to service providers through a third party in addition to the ability to pay service professionals directly through the app. In the case of Handy service professionals, consumers book and pay for services directly through the Handy platform and then the Handy platform fulfills the booking with independently established home services providers engaged in a trade, occupation and/or business that customarily provides such services.
In addition to the general matching services described above, HomeAdvisor provides several on-demand services, including Instant Booking and Instant Connect. Also, in the case of certain tasks, HomeAdvisor provides pre-priced booking services, pursuant to which consumers can request services through a HomeAdvisor platform and pay HomeAdvisor for the services directly. HomeAdvisor then fulfills the booking with independently established home services providers engaged in a trade, occupation and/or business that customarily provides such services. Lastly, consumers can also access the online HomeAdvisor True Cost Guide, which provides project cost information for more than 400 project types nationwide, as well as a library of home services-related content.
In addition to the general matching services described above, in certain markets, consumers can also submit a request to book a specific Handy service professional for a given job. Also, consumers who purchase furniture, electronics, appliances and other home-related items from select third party retail partners online (and in certain markets, in store) can simultaneously purchase assembly, installation and other related services to be fulfilled by Handy service professionals, which are then paid for directly through the applicable third party retail partner platform.
Marketplace Service Professional Services. HomeAdvisor service professionals pay fees for consumer matches and subscription fees for HomeAdvisor memberships, which are available for purchase through our sales force. The basic HomeAdvisor annual membership package includes membership in the HomeAdvisor network of service professionals, as well as access to consumer matches (for which additional fees are paid) through HomeAdvisor platforms and a listing in the HomeAdvisor online directory and certain other affiliate directories, among other benefits.
In addition to the commercial membership terms, in order to be admitted to the HomeAdvisor network, service professionals must satisfy certain criteria, including verification of any state-level licensure requirements and owners or principals of businesses affiliated with service professionals passing certain criminal background checks. Service professionals must maintain at least a three-star customer rating to remain in the HomeAdvisor network. If a service professional in the HomeAdvisor network fails to meet any eligibility criteria during the applicable membership term, refuses to participate in our complaint resolution process and/or engages in what we determine to be prohibited behavior through any of our service channels, the service professional will be subject to removal from the HomeAdvisor network.
Service professionals on the Handy platform are provided with access to a pool of consumers seeking service professionals. In order to be admitted to the Handy platform, service professionals must verify their home services experience, as well as satisfy certain credential verification and background checks, either as individual service professionals or as owners or principals of businesses affiliated with service professionals. Service professionals must maintain an acceptable customer service rating to remain on the Handy platform and access to the platform will be revoked in the case of service professionals who repeatedly receive low customer service ratings.
Angie’s List Consumer Services. Through Angie’s List, consumers can register and search for a service professional in the Angie’s List nationwide online directory and/or be matched with a service professional. Consumers who register can access ratings and reviews and search for service professionals, as well as access certain promotions. Two premium membership packages are available for a fee, which include varying degrees of online and phone support, access to exclusive promotions and features and the award-winning Angie’s List print magazine.
Angie’s List Service Professional Services. Angie’s List provides service professionals with a variety of services and tools, including certification. Generally, service professionals with an overall member grade below a “B” are not eligible for certification. Service professionals must satisfy certain criteria for certification, including retaining the requisite member grade, and owners or principals of businesses affiliated with service professionals must pass certain criminal background checks and attest to applicable licensure requirements. Once eligibility criteria are satisfied, service professionals must purchase term-based advertising to obtain certification. As of December 31, 2020, there were approximately 39,000 certified service professionals under contract for advertising.
Certified service professionals rotate among the first service professionals listed in directory search results for an applicable category, with non-certified service professionals appearing below certified service professionals in directory search results. Certified service professionals can also provide exclusive promotions to members. When consumers choose to be matched with a service professional, HomeAdvisor’s proprietary algorithm will determine where a given service professional appears within related results.
Revenue
ANGI revenue is primarily derived from consumer connection revenue, which consists of fees paid by HomeAdvisor service professionals for consumer matches (regardless of whether the service professional ultimately provides the requested service) and revenue from completed jobs sourced through the HomeAdvisor and Handy platforms. Consumer connection revenue varies based upon several factors, including the service requested, product experience offered and geographic location of service.
ANGI revenue is also derived from: (i) sales of time-based website, mobile and call center advertising to service professionals, (ii) HomeAdvisor service professional membership subscription fees, (iii) membership subscription fees from consumers and (iv) service warranty subscription and other services.
Marketing
ANGI markets its products and services to consumers primarily through digital marketing (primarily paid search engine marketing, display advertising and third party affiliate agreements) and traditional offline marketing (national television and radio campaigns), as well as through free search engine marketing and email. Pursuant to third party affiliate agreements, third parties agree to advertise and promote certain of our products and services (and those of certain of our service professionals) on their platforms. In exchange for these efforts, these third parties are paid a fixed fee when visitors from their platforms click through and submit a valid service request through the applicable ANGI platform, or when visitors submit a valid service request on the affiliate platform and the affiliate transmits the service request the applicable ANGI platform. ANGI also markets its products and services to consumers through relationships with select third party retail partners and, to a lesser extent, through partnerships with other contextually related websites and direct mail.
ANGI markets HomeAdvisor matching services and membership subscriptions to service professionals primarily through its sales force, which is based in various locations across the United States (the Denver, Colorado area: Lenexa, Kansas; New York, New York; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Chicago, Illinois), as well as through remotely-based sales representatives. These products and services are also marketed, together with Handy products, pre-priced booking services and various directories, through paid search engine marketing, digital media advertising and direct relationships with trade associations and manufacturers. Term-based advertising and related products are marketed to service professionals primarily through the Indianapolis-based sales force.
Competition
The home services industry is highly competitive and fragmented, and in many important respects, local in nature. ANGI businesses compete with, among others: (i) search engines and online directories, (ii) home and/or local services-related platforms, (iii) providers of consumer ratings, reviews and referrals and (iv) various forms of traditional offline advertising (primarily local in nature), including radio, direct marketing campaigns, yellow pages, newspapers and other offline directories. ANGI also competes with local and national retailers of home improvement products that offer or promote installation services. ANGI believes its biggest competition comes from the traditional methods most people currently use to find service professionals, which are by word-of-mouth and through referrals.
We believe that ANGI’s ability to compete successfully will depend primarily upon the following factors:
•the size, quality, diversity and stability of ANGI’s network of service professionals and the breadth of its online directory listings;
•its ability to consistently generate service requests, jobs and pre-priced bookings through the Marketplace and leads through ANGI’s online directories that generate business for service professionals in a cost-effective manner;
•its ability to increasingly engage with consumers directly through its platforms, including its various mobile applications (rather than through search engine marketing or via free search engine referrals);
•the functionality of the websites and mobile applications of ANGI’s various brands and the attractiveness of their features and ANGI’s products and services generally to consumers and service professionals, as well as ANGI’s continued ability to introduce new products and services that resonate with consumers and service professionals generally;
•its ability to continue to build and maintain awareness of, and trust in and loyalty to, ANGI’s various brands, particularly its Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor and Handy brands; and
•the quality and consistency of service professional pre-screening processes and ongoing quality control efforts, as well as the reliability, depth and timeliness of customer ratings and reviews.
Vimeo
Overview
Through Vimeo, we operate the world’s leading all-in-one video software solution, providing the full breadth of video tools through a software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) model. Vimeo’s comprehensive tools empower its users to create and communicate through high-quality video on a single, integrated platform. At December 31, 2020, IAC held 89.7% of Vimeo’s Class A voting common stock and 97.6% of Vimeo's Class B non-voting common stock, or 93.2% of Vimeo's total outstanding capital stock.
Services
Vimeo offers its services on basic (free), self-serve subscription plan and enterprise subscription plan bases, effectively employing a “freemium” pricing strategy that offers free membership and access to its video tools alongside paid subscription plans for advanced video capabilities.
Any user can access a basic (free) Vimeo membership by signing up with an email address. With a basic membership, users can create, record, upload and share videos through Vimeo’s website and native apps for free. Basic users are subject to weekly and total caps on uploaded videos and do not have access to advanced video capabilities, such as live streaming or the ability to add team members. Vimeo provides opportunities for basic users to upgrade to a paid subscription at natural points in the user experience, such as when a basic user nears or hits an uploaded video cap. Vimeo also highlights the advanced video capabilities of its subscription plans natively within the basic user experience.
Vimeo also offers various subscription plans on a “self-serve” basis, which means that users can sign up directly through Vimeo’s website and native apps and pay related subscription fees by way of a credit card or in-app purchase mechanisms. Subscription fees for self-serve plans vary depending upon the precise mix of capabilities within a given plan type, which include video creation, collaboration, distribution, hosting, marketing, monetization and analytics, and in the case of higher-priced plan types, the ability to add multiple team members to the plan.
Vimeo also offers various enterprise subscription plans through its sales force. Enterprise plans provide users with additional capabilities beyond the self-serve plans described immediately above, as well as options for dedicated support, account management, service level agreements and professional live event services. Types of enterprise plans currently include: (i) Vimeo Enterprise, an organization-wide video solution that includes secure unlimited live streaming of events, a corporate video portal, single-sign-on support, content delivery network optimization to improve quality-of-service in corporate networks and the ability to use Vimeo technology on a fully branded basis (so that the company’s own branding is featured instead of Vimeo branding), (ii) Vimeo OTT, an over-the-top (OTT) video monetization solution that allows users to launch and run their own video streaming channels directly to their respective audiences through a branded web portal, mobile apps and Internet-enabled TV apps, and (iii) Vimeo Custom, custom plans designed and optimized for high-volume users (for example, plans that offer significantly higher storage or bandwidth).
As of December 31, 2020, there were approximately 1.5 million subscribers to Vimeo’s various self-serve and enterprise plans and its video player was embedded on millions of websites and powered billions of views a month, with over 300,000 new videos being uploaded to the Vimeo platform each day.
Marketing
Vimeo acquires subscribers primarily through: (i) the conversion of basic (free) users to subscribers through organic efforts, including word-of-mouth referrals and in-product messaging, (ii) the acquisition of subscribers through marketing spend, primarily through digital media channels (including paid search engine marketing, social media, email campaigns and display advertising), (iii) in the case of subscribers to its enterprise services, its sales force, and (iv) the acquisition of subscribers through third party partnerships and integrations.
Revenue
Vimeo revenue is derived primarily from annual and monthly SaaS subscription fees paid by subscribers for self-serve and enterprise subscription plans, with the most common subscription being an annual subscription.
Competition
Vimeo competes with large social media platforms (such as Facebook and YouTube) that allow users to share videos for free, as well as provide users with a built-in audience, social media-specific capabilities and the ability to monetize video through advertising. Unlike Vimeo, these platforms generally do not allow users to control whether advertising accompanies their videos (and if so, the type of advertising). Vimeo also competes with a variety of companies that provide niche video services focused on a specific user segment or video use case.
We believe that Vimeo differentiates itself from its competitors by providing an ad-free, high quality centralized video solution that eliminates the need for users to connect and pay for multiple software providers and is easy to use and affordable. We also believe that the diversity, size and engagement of Vimeo’s creative community is an asset that is difficult for others to replicate.
We believe that Vimeo’s ability to compete successfully will depend primarily upon the following factors:
•the quality of its technology platforms, video tools and user and subscriber experience;
•whether its SaaS subscription plans resonate with subscribers, particularly with small business and enterprise subscribers;
•its ability to drive visitors to its platforms and acquire subscribers in a sustainable manner through its sales and marketing efforts;
•its ability to retain existing subscribers by continuing to provide a compelling value proposition and convert users of its basic (free) service into subscribers;
•the continued ability of users and subscribers to distribute Vimeo-hosted content across third party platforms (including social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest), vertical content websites, apps and marketplaces) and the prominence and visibility of such content within search engine results and third-party platforms;
•its ability to continue to host and stream high-bandwidth video on a scalable platform; and
•the recognition and strength of the Vimeo brand relative to competitor brands.
Dotdash
Overview
Dotdash is a portfolio of digital publishing brands that collectively provide expert information and inspiration in select vertical content categories to over 90 million users each month.
Content
As of the date of this annual report, Dotdash consisted of the following brands:
•the Verywell family of brands, which provides information and resources through which users can explore a full spectrum of health and wellness topics, from comprehensive information on medical conditions to advice on fitness, nutrition, mental health, pregnancy and more;
•the Spruce family of brands, which provides information and resources relating to home decor, home repair, recipes, cooking techniques, pets and crafts, as well as practical, real-life tips and inspiration to help users create their best home;
•the Balance family of brands, which provides information and resources relating to personal finance, career and small business topics that makes personal finance easy to understand and clear, practical and straightforward personal financial advice;
•Investopedia, an online resource that provides investment and personal finance education and information;
•Lifewire, a leading online technology information property that provides expert-created, real-world technology information, resources and content with informative visuals and straightforward instruction to help users fix tech gadgets, learn how to perform specific tech tasks and find the best tech products;
•TripSavvy, a travel website written by real experts (not anonymous reviewers) where users can find useful travel advice and inspiration from destinations all over the world;
•Simply Recipes, a food and cooking website that provides original recipes designed to help people get easy and delicious food on the table for themselves and their families;
•Serious Eats, a leading online resource for all things food and drink, including meticulously tested recipes, in-depth, science-based explanations of cooking techniques, detailed reviews of cooking equipment and guides to ingredients, dishes and cuisines, as well as food-focused essays, investigations and profiles;
•Byrdie and MyDomaine, beauty and lifestyle websites where users can find beauty, style and healthy relationship advice, as well as curated home-design inspiration and fresh recipes;
•Brides, a leading online resource that inspires and guides users as they make decisions from pre-engagement to honeymoon and that is committed to bringing its users an inclusive look at the world of weddings (every type of couple, wedding and celebration);
•Liquor.com, a website dedicated to good drinking and good living that features award-winning articles, hand-selected cocktail recipes, bar guides and more;
•TreeHugger.com, a leading online resource for news and information related to sustainability, as well as green news, solutions and product information;
•ThoughtCo, a leading online information and reference site with a focus on expert-created education content where users can find answers to questions and information regarding a broad range of disciplines, including science, technology and math, languages, the humanities and the arts; and
•the general information websites, Liveabout.com and Aboutespanol.com.
Through these brands, Dotdash provides original and engaging digital content in a variety of formats, including articles, illustrations, videos and images. Dotdash works with hundreds of experts in their respective fields to create the content that it publishes, including doctors, chefs and certified financial advisors, among others.
Revenue
Dotdash revenue consists principally of display advertising revenue and performance marketing revenue. Display advertising revenue is generated primarily through digital display advertisements sold directly by the Dotdash sales team and through programmatic advertising networks. Performance marketing revenue includes affiliate commerce and performance marketing commissions. Affiliate commerce commission revenue is generated when Dotdash refers users to commerce partner websites resulting in a purchase or transaction. Performance marketing commissions are generated on a cost-per-click or cost-per-action basis.
Marketing
Dotdash markets its content through a variety of digital distribution channels, including search engines, social media platforms and via direct navigation to Dotdash sites. Users who engage with Dotdash brands are invited to share Dotdash content and sign up for Dotdash email newsletters.
Competition
Dotdash competes with a wide variety of parties in connection with its efforts to attract and retain users and advertisers. Competitors primarily include other online publishers and destination websites with brands in similar vertical content categories and social channels.
Some of Dotdash’s current competitors have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger user bases and/or greater financial, technical or marketing resources than Dotdash does. As a result, they have the ability to devote comparatively greater resources to the development and promotion of their content, which could result in greater market acceptance of their content relative to Dotdash content.
We believe that Dotdash’s ability to compete successfully will depend primarily upon the following factors:
•the quality and freshness of the content and features on Dotdash websites, relative to those of its competitors;
•its ability to successfully create or acquire content (or the rights thereto) in a cost-effective manner;
•the relevance, expertise and authority of the content featured on Dotdash websites; and
•its ability to successfully drive visitors to Dotdash’s portfolio of digital brands in a cost-effective manner.
Search
Overview
Our Search segment consists of Ask Media Group and our Desktop business. Through Ask Media Group, we primarily provide general search services, and to a lesser extent, content, through a variety of owned and operated websites that help users find the information they need. Ask Media Group’s websites include, among others, Ask.com, Smarter.com, Consumersearch.com and Shopping.net, each of which contains a mix of search services and/or content targeted to various user or segment demographics. Through our Desktop business, we are a leading provider of advertising-driven desktop applications.
Products, Services and Content
Through Ask Media Group, we provide search services that generally involve the generation and display on a search results page of a set of hyperlinks to web pages deemed relevant to search queries entered by users. In addition to these algorithmic search results, paid listings are also generally displayed in response to search queries. Paid listings are advertisements displayed on search results pages that generally contain a link to an advertiser’s website. Paid listings are generally displayed based on keywords selected by the advertiser and relevancy to the search query. Through certain of Ask Media Group’s various websites, digital content in a variety of formats, primarily articles with images and/or illustrations, as well as slideshows or more in-depth presentations, is also provided in addition to general search services. Display advertisements and/or native advertising (or advertising that matches the look, feel and function of the content alongside which it appears) generally appear alongside digital content.
Through our Desktop business, we own and operate a portfolio of desktop browser applications that provide users with access to a wide variety of online content, tools and services. Aligned around the common theme of making the lives of users easier in just a few clicks, these products span a myriad of categories, including: FromDocToPDF, through which users can convert documents from one format into various others; MapsGalaxy, through which users can access accurate street maps, local traffic conditions and aerial and satellite street views; and A-Z Manuals, through which users can access product instruction manuals online. Users who download our desktop browser applications are provided with new tab search services, as well as the option of default browser search services. Desktop browser applications are distributed to consumers free of charge on an opt-in basis directly through direct to consumer (primarily the Chrome Web Store) distribution channels. Through our Desktop business, we also develop, distribute and provide a suite of Slimware-branded desktop-support software and services.
Revenue
Ask Media Group revenue consists principally of advertising revenue generated principally through the display of paid listings in response to search queries, as well as from display advertisements appearing alongside content on its various websites and, to a lesser extent, affiliate commerce commission revenue. Paid listings are advertisements displayed on search results pages that generally contain a link to advertiser websites. The majority of the paid listings displayed by Ask Media Group businesses is supplied to us by Google Inc. (“Google”) pursuant to a services agreement with Google. Pursuant to this agreement, Ask Media Group businesses transmit search queries to Google, which in turn transmits a set of relevant and responsive paid listings back to these businesses for display in search results. This ad-serving process occurs independently of, but concurrently with, the generation of algorithmic search results for the same search queries. Google paid listings are displayed separately from algorithmic search results and are identified as sponsored listings on search results pages. Paid listings are priced on a price per click basis and when a user submits a search query through an Ask Media Group business and then clicks on a Google paid listing displayed in response to the query, Google bills the advertiser that purchased the paid listing and shares a portion of the fee charged to the advertiser with us. In cases where the user’s click is generated due to the efforts of a third party, we recognize the amount due from Google as revenue and record a revenue share or other payment obligation to the third party as traffic acquisition costs. See “Item 1A—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Operations—Certain of our businesses depend upon arrangements with Google.”
Desktop revenue largely consists of advertising revenue generated principally through the display of paid listings in response to search queries. The majority of the paid listings displayed by our Desktop businesses are supplied to us by Google in the manner, and pursuant to the services agreement with Google, described above. To a lesser extent, Desktop revenue also includes fees paid by subscribers for downloadable desktop applications as well as display advertisements.
Marketing
Ask Media Group’s various properties are marketed primarily through the acquisition of traffic from major search engines and their syndication networks, which involves the purchase of keyword-based sponsored listings that link to search results pages of Ask Media Group properties, and other types of display media (primarily banner advertisements).
Ask Media Group content is also marketed through a variety of digital distribution channels, including search engines, social media platforms, display advertising networks and native advertising networks, as well as a number of advertising agencies that acquire traffic via these channels for certain Ask Media Group properties.
Our various desktop applications are marketed to users primarily through digital display advertisements and paid search engine marketing efforts.
Competition
In the case of general search services, Ask Media Group’s competitors include Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other destination search websites and search-centric portals that engage in marketing efforts similar to those of Ask Media Group, such as System1, CBSi and Verizon Media, among others. In the case of content, Ask Media Group’s competitors primarily include online publishers and destination websites with brands in similar vertical content categories and social channels. We believe that Ask Media Group’s ability to compete successfully will depend primarily upon:
•its continued ability to monetize search traffic via paid search listings;
•its continued ability to market its search websites in a cost-effective manner;
•the relevance and authority of search results, answers and other content displayed on its various properties;
•its continued ability to differentiate Ask Media Group search websites (which depends primarily upon it continued ability to deliver quality, authoritative and trustworthy content to users), as well as the ability to attract advertisers to these websites;
•its ability to successfully create or acquire content (or the rights thereto) in a cost-effective manner; and
•its ability to monetize content pages with display and native advertising and other forms of digital advertising.
Our Desktop business competes with a number of other companies that develop and market similar desktop browser application products and distribute them through direct-to-consumer and third party agreements. Our Desktop business also competes with search engines to provide users with new tab, homepage and/or default search services. We believe that the ability of our Desktop business to compete successfully will depend primarily upon the following factors:
•its ability to maintain industry-leading monetization solutions for desktop browser applications in response to evolving technology and changing requirements from operators of large platforms, including Google;
•the size and stability of its global base of installed desktop application products and the ability to grow this base;
•the continued creation of desktop browser applications that resonate with consumers, which depends upon the continued ability to bundle attractive features, content and services (some of which may be owned by third parties);
•its ability to differentiate its desktop browser applications from those of competitors; and
•its ability to market and distribute desktop browser applications through direct-to-consumer (primarily the Chrome Web Store) channels in a cost-effective manner.
Some competitors of Ask Media Group and our Desktop business have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger user bases and/or greater financial, technical or marketing resources than these businesses do. As a result, they have the ability to devote comparatively greater resources to the development and promotion of their products, services and/or content, which could result in greater market acceptance of their products, services and/or content relative to those of Ask Media Group and our Desktop business.
Emerging & Other
Overview
Our Emerging & Other segment primarily includes:
•Mosaic Group, a leading developer and provider of global subscription mobile applications;
•Care.com, the leading online destination for families to easily connect with caregivers for their children, aging parents, pets and homes and for a wide variety of caregivers to easily connect with families;
•Bluecrew, a technology driven staffing platform exclusively for flexible W-2 work;
•The Daily Beast, a website dedicated to news, commentary, culture and entertainment that publishes original reporting and opinion from its roster of full-time journalists and contributors;
•NurseFly, a platform to efficiently connect healthcare professionals with job opportunities; and
•IAC Films, a provider of production and producer services for feature films, primarily for initial sale and distribution through theatrical releases and video-on-demand services in the United States and internationally.
Mosaic Group
Overview. Through Mosaic Group, we are a leading developer and provider of global subscription mobile applications. As of December 31, 2020, Mosaic Group had approximately 3.8 million mobile paying subscribers.
Through Mosaic Group, collectively, we operated 44 branded mobile applications in over 28 languages across 192 countries as of December 31, 2020. These branded mobile applications consist of applications spanning a variety of categories, each designed to meet the varying and unique needs of subscribers and enhance their daily lives, including: iTranslate, through which subscribers can connect and communicate across numerous languages; TelTech, which develops and distributes unique and innovative mobile communications applications that help protect consumer privacy; Robokiller, which thwarts both telemarketing and illegal spam phone calls; NOAA Radar, which provides up-to-date weather information and storm tracking worldwide; Scanner for Me, which allows users to create, sign and edit PDFs using the camera on their mobile phones; Productive, a goal-setting and habit-tracking app that allows consumers to better plan and control their lives; Planes Live, a go-to companion application for frequent fliers; and Daily Burn, which provides streaming fitness and workout videos. Mosaic Group’s various branded mobile applications are distributed to subscribers primarily through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
We believe that Mosaic Group has the personnel, systems and expertise necessary to build and scale leading mobile applications and grow mobile subscription businesses. By applying these resources and skills to both organically developed and acquired mobile applications, Mosaic Group has demonstrated success in scaling mobile applications across a wide variety of utility and productivity categories. With a deep commitment to delivering continuing value to its subscribers and users and a continued focus on entering new categories, data-driven decision-making based on key performance indicators and best-in-class data modeling, user acquisition and optimization teams, Mosaic Group has grown to become one of the world’s leading mobile subscription businesses.
Revenue. Mosaic Group revenue consists primarily of fees paid by subscribers for downloadable mobile applications distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and directly from consumers, as well as revenue generated from display advertisements.
Marketing. We market our mobile applications to users primarily through digital storefronts (primarily the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) and digital display advertisements on social media, messaging and media platforms, as well as in-app and cross-app advertising.
Competition. The applications industry is competitive and has no single, dominant desktop or mobile application brand globally.
We believe that the ability of Mosaic Group to compete successfully will depend primarily upon the following factors:
•the continued growth of consumer adoption of free and paid mobile applications generally and related engagement levels;
•its ability to operate its various mobile applications as a scalable platform;
•its ability to retain existing subscribers and acquire new subscribers in a cost-effective manner;
•its ability to market and distribute its mobile applications through third party digital app stores, including the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, in a cost-effective manner;
•its ability to continue to optimize its marketing and monetization strategies;
•the continued growth of smartphone adoption in certain regions of the world, particularly emerging markets;
•the continued strength of Mosaic Group brands; and
•its ability to introduce new and enhanced mobile applications in response to competitor offerings, consumer preferences, platform demands, social trends and evolving technological landscape.
Care.com
Overview. Through Care.com, we are the leading online destination for families to easily connect with caregivers for their children, aging parents, pets and homes and for a wide variety of caregivers to easily connect with families. Care.com is building a premier destination for families, caregivers and enterprises (through which they can provide care-related benefits to their employees) that features a portfolio of products and services spanning the entire care journey, including guidance for care options, searching for and matching with caregivers for a wide range of care options (such as a nannies for children or home health care aides for seniors), care management features and access to care-related activities and resources.
Services. Through Care.com, we primarily offer online consumer matching and consumer payment solutions for families searching for care for their loved ones and enterprise solutions seeking to provide care-related benefits to their employees.
•Consumer matching solutions. Through free and paid memberships to consumer matching services, Care.com offers a variety of resources designed to match and guide families toward the best care for their loved ones. Resources include online matches with potential caregivers and related resources, augmented by assistance from subject matter experts. Free basic membership provides families with the ability to set up an account, post a job, search and review caregiver profiles and receive applications for caregivers. Paid premium membership, in addition to basic membership features, provides families with the ability to contact caregivers to schedule interviews, request caregiver background checks, reply to applications and messages from caregivers and access certain promotions and discounts.
Through our consumer matching solutions, families are matched with caregivers (in-home and out-of-home) who meet their diverse and evolving care needs (long term, short term and occasional at irregular intervals). Matching is facilitated by algorithms designed to highlight the most relevant caregiver(s) (based on the type and frequency of care requested, hourly rate for the job and responsibilities and other job requirements), as well as an internally monitored messaging system. In-home caregivers create and post detailed Care.com profiles that include photos, bios, work histories and reviews, the type of care they primarily provide, their experience, certifications and qualifications and their availability, hourly rate and payment details, among other information. Out-of-home caregivers and other care-related businesses (such as senior care facilities, tutoring companies, camps and activities) can also market their services, as well as recruit individual caregivers for employment, through Care.com.
To enhance the safety of our consumer matching solutions, we require all individual caregivers on our matching platform in the United States to complete CareCheck, a background check conducted by a third party consumer reporting agency. We also offer multiple levels of additional background check options through third party consumer reporting agencies for purchase by families and caregivers. While we believe that CareCheck and additional background checks are good practice and recommend them to families and caregivers, they have limitations and, even with these safety measures, no assurances can be provided regarding the future behavior of any caregiver on our platform.
We also maintain a safety center that provides resources and information designed to help families and caregivers
make safer and more informed hiring and job selection decisions, including recommendations to families for
screening, interviewing and ongoing monitoring of caregivers, as well as recommendations to caregivers for avoiding
scams. We also encourage members to contact us if they believe another member may have violated our community
guidelines.
•Consumer payment solutions. Through Care.com, we also offer consumer payments solutions that provide families with several options to manage their financial relationship with their caregiver, as well as help caregivers professionalize and manage their careers. These payment solutions include:
•HomePay, our payroll and tax product for families that employ nannies, housekeepers or other domestic employees. HomePay is a technology-based, turnkey service that includes automated payroll processing and household employer-related tax filings at the federal, state and local levels. In addition, caregivers paid through HomePay may qualify for important benefits, such as unemployment insurance and social security. HomePay is available to anyone (not just members of our consumer matching solutions) for a fee; and
•our peer-to-peer payments solution, which enables families to make electronic payments to their caregivers directly through our website or mobile applications. We believe that this solution is particularly applicable to (and helpful in the case of) families who pay caregivers who provide care services at irregular intervals (such as babysitters, after-school caregivers or tutors, or in varying amounts each time services are performed).
•Enterprise solutions. Through Care.com, we also offer Care@Work, a comprehensive suite of services that employers can offer their employees as an employee benefit. Currently, employers can choose from a number of services, including:
•our consumer matching solutions;
•back-up care services for employees who need alternative care arrangements for their child or senior when their regular care is not available (for example, school closures or the illness of their child or regular caregiver); and
•access to consultation and referral services to support work-life challenges faced by employees, such as senior care planning services to assist employees with finding the most suitable care option for their aging family member and related financial guidance, legal services and educational assistance.
.
Employers generally pay for our enterprise solutions on a per employee per year basis and have access to features that allow them to manage employee access and track aggregate usage. Depending on the suite of services selected and the employer’s preference, the employer may subsidize all, a portion or none of the cost of these solutions for employees.
Revenue. Care.com generates revenue primarily through subscription fees from families and caregivers for its suite of products and services, as well as through annual contracts with corporate employers who provide access to Care.com’s suite of products and services as an employee benefit and through contracts with businesses that recruit employees through its platform.
Marketing. Care.com markets its various products and services to families and caregivers through a diverse mix of free and paid offline and online marketing, as well as its sales team. We believe that most families and caregivers currently find Care.com through unpaid marketing channels, primarily through word-of-mouth, referrals and online communities and forums, as well as search engine marketing (free and paid) and repeat users. Paid direct marketing efforts include offline channels, such as network cable TV, OTT channels and direct mail, as well as through paid search engine marketing, display advertising, third party affiliate agreements and select paid job board sites. In addition, Care.com markets its employee-benefit product offerings directly to enterprises through its sales team.
Competition. In the case of consumer matching solutions, Care.com primarily competes with traditional offline consumer resources for finding caregivers, as well as online job boards and other online care marketplaces. We believe Care.com’s biggest competition comes from the traditional offline methods through which most consumers find caregivers, which are by word-of-mouth, referrals and online communities and forums. In the case of payment solutions, Care.com primarily competes with similar products offered by providers of online and offline payroll services. Care.com also competes for a share of the overall recruiting and advertising budgets of care-related businesses with traditional, offline media companies and other online marketing providers. In the case of enterprise solutions, Care.com primarily competes with other providers of employer-sponsored care services and employee benefit products, particularly those that provide backup child and senior care services.
We believe that Care.com’s ability to compete successfully will depend primarily upon the following factors:
•the size, quality, diversity and stability of its network of families and caregivers;
•the functionality and reliability of its websites and mobile applications and the attractiveness of their features (and Care.com’s various products and services) generally to families and caregivers;
•its continued ability to introduce new products and services that resonate with families and caregivers;
•the quality, completeness and consistency of caregiver profiles and job postings, as well the reliability of background check and other security measures and trustworthiness and reliability of caregivers;
•its ability to continue to build and maintain awareness of, and trust in and loyalty to, Care.com brands
•its ability to continue expand its enterprise solutions business; and
•its ability to continue to expand its businesses in jurisdictions outside of the United States.
Intellectual Property
We rely heavily upon our trademarks and related domain names and logos to market our brands and to build and maintain brand loyalty and recognition, as well as upon trade secrets, and regard this intellectual property as critical to our success. We also rely, to a lesser extent, upon patented and patent-pending proprietary technologies with expiration dates ranging from August 2021 to July 2037.
We have generally registered and continue to apply to register and renew (or secure by contract where appropriate) trademarks and service marks as they are developed and used, and reserve, register and renew domain names as we deem appropriate. We also generally seek to apply for patents or for other similar statutory protections (as and if we deem appropriate) based on then current facts and circumstances, and intend to continue to do so in the future.
We rely on a combination of internal and external controls, including applicable laws, rules and regulations, and restrictions with employees, customers, suppliers, affiliates and others to establish, protect and otherwise control our various intellectual property rights.
Government Regulation
We are subject to a variety of domestic and foreign laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad involving matters that are important to (or may otherwise impact) our various businesses, such as broadband internet access, online commerce, privacy and data security, advertising, intermediary liability, consumer protection, taxation, worker classification and securities compliance. These domestic and foreign laws and regulations, which in some cases can be enforced by private parties in addition to government entities, are continually evolving and can be subject to significant change. As a result, the application, interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations (and any amended, proposed or new laws and regulations) are
often uncertain, particularly in the Internet industry, and may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and over time, which could result in conflicts with the current policies and practices of IAC and its various businesses.
Because we conduct substantially all of our business on the Internet, we are particularly sensitive to laws and regulations that could adversely impact the popularity or growth in use of the Internet and/or online products and services generally, restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact whether or how we may provide our products and services, regulate the practices of third parties upon which we rely to provide our products and services and/or undermine an open and neutrally administered Internet access. For example, in December 2017, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) adopted the Restoring Internet Freedom Order. This order, which was released in January 2018 and took effect in June 2018, reversed net neutrality protections in the United States that had been in place since 2015, including the repeal of specific rules against blocking, throttling or “paid prioritization” of content or services by Internet service providers. Also, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (“Section 230”), which generally provides immunity for website publishers from liability for third party content appearing on their platforms and the good faith removal of third party content from their platforms that they may deem obscene or offensive (even if constitutionally protected speech), since its adoption has been (and continues to be) subject to a number of challenges. The immunities conferred by Section 230 could also be narrowed or eliminated through amendment, regulatory action or judicial interpretation. In 2018, the U.S. Congress amended Section 230 to remove certain immunities and most recently, in 2020, various members of the U.S. Congress introduced bills to further limit Section 230, and a petition was filed by a Department of Commerce entity with the Federal Communications Commission to commence a rulemaking to further limit Section 230. Any future adverse changes to Section 230 could result in additional compliance costs for us and/or exposure for additional liabilities.
Because we receive, store and use a substantial amount of information received from or generated by our users and subscribers, we are also impacted by laws and regulations governing privacy, the storage, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal data and data security, primarily in the case of our operations in the United States and the European Union and the handling of personal data of users located in the United States and the European Union. Recent examples of comprehensive regulatory initiatives in the area of privacy and data security include a comprehensive European Union privacy and data protection reform, the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), which became effective in May 2018. The GDPR, which applies to certain companies that are organized in the European Union or otherwise provide services to (or monitor) consumers who reside in the European Union, imposes significant penalties (monetary and otherwise) for non-compliance, as well as provides a private right of action for individual claimants. The GDPR will continue to be interpreted by European Union data protection regulators, which may require us to make changes to our business practices and could generate additional risks and liabilities. The European Union is also considering an update to its Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive to impose stricter rules regarding the use of cookies.
In addition, in October 2015, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) invalidated the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework that had been in place since 2000 for the transfer of personal data from the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) to the U.S., and on July 16, 2020, the ECJ invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield as an adequate safeguard when transferring personal data from the EEA to the U.S. These regulations continue to evolve and may ultimately require us to devote resources towards compliance and/or make changes to our business practices to ensure compliance, all of which could be costly. Also, the exit from the European Union by the United Kingdom could result in the application of new and conflicting data privacy and protection laws and standards to our operations in the United Kingdom and our handling of personal data of users located in the United Kingdom. At the same time, many jurisdictions abroad in which we do business have already or are currently considering adopting privacy and data protection laws and regulations.
Moreover, while multiple legislative proposals concerning privacy and the protection of user information are being considered by the U.S. Congress and various U.S. state legislatures, certain U.S. state legislatures have already enacted privacy legislation, one of the strictest and most comprehensive of which is the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which became effective on January 1, 2020 (the “CCPA”). The CCPA provides new data privacy rights for California consumers, and restricts the ability of certain of our businesses to use personal California user and subscriber information in connection with their various products, services and operations. The CCPA also provides consumers with a private right of action for security breaches, as well as provides for statutory damages. In addition, on November 3, 2020, California voters approved Proposition 24 (the “California Privacy Rights Act of 2020”), which amends certain provisions of the CCPA and becomes effects January 1, 2023, will further restrict the ability of certain of our businesses to use personal California user and subscriber information in connection with their various products, services and operations and/or impose additional operational requirements on such businesses. Lastly, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has also increased its focus on privacy and data security practices, as evidenced by the first-of-its-kind, $5 billion dollar fine against a social media platform for privacy violations in 2019. As a result, we could be subject to various private and governmental claims and actions in this area. See “Risks Relating to Our Business and Operations — General Risk Factors — The processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal data could give rise to liabilities and increased costs.”
As a provider of certain subscription-based products and services, we are also impacted by laws or regulations affecting whether and how our businesses may periodically charge users for membership or subscription renewals. For example, the European Union Payment Services Directive, which became effective in 2018, could impact the ability of certain of our businesses to process auto-renewal payments for, as well as offer promotional or differentiated pricing to, users who reside in the European Union. Similar laws exist in the U.S., including the federal Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act and various U.S. state laws, and legislative and regulatory enactments or amendments are under consideration in a number of U.S. states.
We are also sensitive to the adoption of new tax laws. The European Commission and several European countries have recently adopted (or intend to adopt) proposals that would change various aspects of the current tax framework under which certain of our European businesses are taxed, including proposals to change or impose new types of non-income taxes (including taxes based on a percentage of revenue).
In addition, in the case of certain businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment and, to a lesser extent, our Care.com business, we are particularly sensitive to the adoption of worker classification laws, specifically, laws that could effectively require us to change the classification of certain of the service professionals and caregivers affiliated these businesses from independent contractors to employees, as well as changes to state and local laws or judicial decisions relating to the definition and/or classification of independent contractors. For example, California’s worker classification statute (AB 5) effectively narrows the definition of an independent contractor by requiring hiring entities to use a different, stricter test to determine a given worker’s classification. In addition, AB 5 places the burden of proof for classifying workers as independent contractors on hiring entities and provides enforcement powers to the state and certain cities. Also, AB 5 has been the subject of widespread national discussion and it is possible that other jurisdictions, including New York and New Jersey, may enact similar laws. Since we currently treat certain of the service professionals (and, in limited cases, the caregivers) affiliated certain businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment and Care.com as independent contractors for all purposes, we do not withhold federal, state and local income or other employment related taxes, make federal or state unemployment tax or Federal Insurance Contributions Act payments or provide workers’ compensation insurance with respect to such individuals. If we are required as the result of new or amended laws or regulations to reclassify these individuals as employees, it could be exposed to various liabilities and additional costs, including exposure (for prior and future periods) under federal, state and local tax laws, and workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, and employment laws, as well as potential liability for penalties and interest.
Also, in the case of the businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment, we may be subject to certain U.S. state and local licensure requirements related to the provision of pre-priced booking services. If so, typically, licenses must be renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended by the licensing authority for cause at any time. Moreover, in some jurisdictions, the loss of a license for cause could result in the loss of licenses in other jurisdictions and/or could make it more difficult to obtain new and/or renewal licenses. Obtaining and renewing such license and related compliance could be costly and the failure to comply with licensure requirements could result in bad publicity and related damage to our reputation, brands and brand-building efforts and/or actions by governmental and regulatory authorities and/or litigation, as well as generate additional risks and liabilities (including the imposition of penalties).
We are also subject to laws, rules and regulations governing the marketing and advertising activities of our various businesses conducted by or through telephone, email, mobile digital devices and the Internet, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the CAN-SPAM act and similar state laws, rules and regulations, as well as local laws, rules and regulations and relevant agency guidelines governing background screening.
Lastly, as a company based in the U.S. with foreign offices in various jurisdictions worldwide, we are subject to a variety of foreign laws governing the foreign operations of its various businesses, as well as U.S. laws that restrict trade and certain practices, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Human Capital
Overview
IAC’s future success depends upon our continued ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce across our various businesses worldwide. While policies and practices related to the identification, hiring, development, motivation and retention of employees vary across IAC and our various businesses, at their core, such policies and practices are generally designed to: (i) increase long-term IAC stockholder value by attracting, retaining, motivating and rewarding employees with the competence, character, experience and ambition necessary to enable the Company to meet its growth objectives, (ii) encourage and support the professional development of, and engender loyalty among, employees who have demonstrated the strength, vision and determination necessary to overcome obstacles and unlock their true professional potential by providing them with appropriate opportunities within IAC and its businesses and (iii) help foster a diverse and entrepreneurial culture across our various businesses.
In order to achieves these objectives, we believe that we must continue to provide competitive compensation packages and otherwise incentivize employees in unique and attractive ways, as well as develop and promote talent from within and remain committed to building inclusive workplaces and workforces that reflect the diversity of the global population using our products and services each day.
As of December 31, 2020, IAC had approximately 8,200 employees, substantially all of which were full-time employees and the substantial majority of which were based in the United States.
Compensation and Benefits
We believe that we must continue to provide competitive compensation packages and other benefits to our workforce. While compensation packages vary across IAC and our various businesses, compensation packages generally consist of base salary (plus commissions in the case of sales and other similar positions) and annual cash bonuses (on a discretionary basis), and equity or equity-based awards.
We also provide comprehensive health, welfare and retirement benefits. Healthcare benefits are significantly subsidized by the Company and the coverage provided reflects our commitment to inclusivity and the physical and mental well-being of all employees.
In the case of welfare benefits, we maintain generous paid time off and paid leave policies across our businesses and offer subsidized backup child and elder care for our employees. We believe in giving back to the causes and charities that are important to our employees and match charitable contributions made by our employees to qualifying charities on a dollar-for-dollar basis, subject to an annual cap per employee. We also encourage our employees to support the communities in which they live and work and provide our employees with paid time off each year to volunteer for charitable and community service projects.
In the case of retirement benefits, in the U.S., we offer our employees a retirement savings program with employer contributions that are among the most generous in our industry. Specifically, for U.S. full-time employees, we match all pre-tax contributions to IAC’s 401(k) plan, as well as post-tax contributions to Roth individual retirement accounts, dollar for dollar in an amount of up to 10% of an employee’s eligible compensation (subject to an annual cap). We believe that we have a responsibility to encourage, and contribute to, the retirement readiness of each of our employees, and believes that this generous 401(k) match is a meaningful commitment to the long-term welfare and security of our workforce.
Talent Development
We generally develop talent from within and supplement with external hires. As a result, senior management across the Company and our businesses generally possesses a great depth of knowledge and experience regarding the Company and our businesses, which is critical for effective succession planning, and with external hires providing a fresh perspective. The human resources teams across the Company and our businesses use internal and external resources to recruit highly skilled, talented and diverse employees, and employee referrals for open positions are encouraged.
In addition, we actively seek to identify the next generation of leaders in technology early and often through the IAC Fellows program, a first-of-its-kind program connecting students from under-served and under-resourced backgrounds with academic and leadership opportunities. IAC Fellows join the program as early as high school and stay for up to six years, rotating across a diverse set of IAC businesses during that time in the form of competitively paid internships that put IAC Fellows in the trenches, testing their skills in real world scenarios. Through these experiences, IAC Fellows gain exposure to different business models, functions and roles within IAC, as well as access to IAC senior leadership as mentors and coaches. IAC Fellows also receive an academic stipend following the completion of each paid internship. If an IAC Fellow is hired by IAC or any of its businesses following the completion of his or her paid internships and stay for a period of three years, IAC will pay off his or her school loans in their entirety.
To be eligible for the IAC Fellows program, students must be from low-income backgrounds or families with financial need, with eligibility assessed individually based on the composition and income of a given student’s family, and with first-generation college students being given priority consideration. Students must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and possess the following personal attributes: (i) leadership abilities, (ii) a strong interest in science, technology, computer science and/or math, (iii) demonstrated intellectual curiosity and devotion to study, (iv) a hunger to learn and achieve academically and (v) ethics, integrity and strength of character.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We are committed to building inclusive workplaces and workforces that reflect the diversity of the global population using our products and services each day. Accordingly, we view diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts as integral to our success. While DE&I efforts, policies and practices vary across our businesses, they include (in addition to the IAC Fellows program discussed above) at certain of our businesses: (i) pay equity analyses conducted on an annual basis to ensure that employees from traditionally under-represented groups are not adversely impacted by pay bias, (ii) employee community
resource groups (ECGs) led and supported by senior executives (and in certain cases, funded by the relevant business), (iii) incentivizing DE&I by tying bonus structure to diversity goals and metrics and (iv) launching DE&I councils at certain of our businesses that collaborate directly with senior executives to roll out DE&I training, as well to determine ways to diversify product and service experiences, attract a more diverse population of employees and invest in building diverse and equitable local communities.
Additional Information
Company Website and Public Filings
The Company maintains a website at www.iac.com. Neither the information on the Company’s website, nor the information on the website of any IAC business, is incorporated by reference into this annual report, or into any other filings with, or into any other information furnished or submitted to, the SEC.
The Company makes available, free of charge through its website, its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K (including related amendments) as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been electronically filed with (or furnished to) the SEC.
Code of Ethics
The Company’s code of ethics applies to all employees (including IAC’s principal executive officers, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) and directors and is posted on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at ir.iac.com under the “Code of Ethics” tab. This code of ethics complies with Item 406 of SEC Regulation S-K and the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. Any changes to the code of ethics that affect the provisions required by Item 406 of Regulation S-K (and any waivers of such provisions of the code of ethics for IAC’s executive officers, senior financial officers or directors) will also be disclosed on IAC’s website.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This annual report on Form 10-K contains “forward‑looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “plans” and “believes,” among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to: IAC’s future financial performance, IAC’s business prospects and strategy, including the separation of the Vimeo business from IAC, anticipated trends and prospects in the industries in which IAC’s businesses operate and other similar matters. These forward-looking statements are based on IAC management's expectations and assumptions about future events as of the date of this annual report, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict.
Actual results could differ materially from those contained in these forward‑looking statements for a variety of reasons, including, among others, the risk factors set forth below. Other unknown or unpredictable factors that could also adversely affect IAC’s business, financial condition and results of operations may arise from time to time. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward‑looking statements discussed in this annual report may not prove to be accurate. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which only reflect the views of IAC management as of the date of this annual report. IAC does not undertake to update these forward‑looking statements.
Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Business, Operations and Ownership
Marketing efforts designed to drive visitors to our various brands and businesses may not be successful or cost-effective.
Traffic building and conversion initiatives involve considerable expenditures for online and offline advertising and marketing. We have made, and expect to continue to make, significant expenditures for search engine marketing (primarily in the form of the purchase of keywords, which we purchase primarily through Google and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft and Yahoo!), online display advertising and traditional offline advertising (including television and radio campaigns) in connection with these initiatives, which may not be successful or cost-effective. Also, to continue to reach consumers and users, we will need to identify and devote more of our overall marketing expenditures to newer digital advertising channels (such as online video and other digital platforms), as well as target consumers and users via these channels. Since these channels are undeveloped and unproven relative to traditional channels (such as television), it could be difficult to assess returns on related marketing investments. Historically, we have had to increase advertising and marketing expenditures over time in order to attract and convert consumers, retain users and sustain our growth.
Our ability to market our brands and businesses on any given property or channel is subject to the policies of the relevant third party seller, publisher (including search engines and social media platforms with extraordinarily high levels of traffic and numbers of users) or marketing affiliate. As a result, we cannot assure you that these parties will not limit or prohibit us from purchasing certain types of advertising (including the purchase of advertising with preferential placement or for certain of our products and services) and/or using one or more current or prospective marketing channels in the future. If a significant marketing channel took such an action generally, for a significant period of time and/or on a recurring basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, if we fail to comply with the policies of third party sellers, publishers and/or marketing affiliates, our advertisements could be removed without notice and/or our accounts could be suspended or terminated, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely heavily on free search engine marketing to drive traffic to our properties. The display, including rankings, of search results can be affected by a number of factors, many of which are not in our direct control, and may change frequently. Search engines have made changes in the past to their ranking algorithms, methodologies and design layouts that have reduced the prominence of links to websites offering our products and services, and negatively impacted traffic to such websites, and we expect that search engines will continue to make such changes from time to time in the future. However, we may not know how (or otherwise be in a position) to influence actions of this nature taken by search engines. With respect to search results in particular, even when search engines announce the details of their methodologies, their parameters may change from time to time, be poorly defined or be inconsistently interpreted.
Our failure to respond successfully to rapid and frequent changes in the operating and pricing dynamics of search engines, as well as changing policies and guidelines applicable to keyword advertising (which may be unilaterally updated by search engines without advance notice), could adversely affect our paid and free search engine marketing efforts. Specifically, such changes could adversely affect paid listings (both their placement and pricing), as well as the ranking of links to websites offering our products and services within search results, any or all of which could increase our marketing costs (particularly if free traffic is replaced with paid traffic) and adversely affect the effectiveness of our marketing efforts overall.
Lastly, certain of our businesses also enter into various arrangements with third parties (including advertising agencies) to drive traffic to their various brands and businesses and generate leads, which arrangements are generally more cost-effective than traditional marketing efforts. If these businesses are unable to renew existing (and/or enter into new) arrangements of this nature, sales and marketing costs as a percentage of revenue would increase over the long-term, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the quality and convertibility of traffic and leads generated through third party arrangements are dependent on many factors, most of which are outside of our control. If the quality and/or convertibility of traffic and leads do not meet the expectations of the users of our various products and services, paid listings providers and/or advertisers, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We rely on search engines to drive traffic to our various properties. Certain search engine operators offer products and services that compete directly with our products and services. If links to websites offering our products and services are not displayed prominently in search results, traffic to our properties could decline and our business could be adversely affected.
As discussed above, the amount of traffic we attract through search engines is due in large part to how and where information from (and links to websites offering our products and services) are displayed on search engine results pages. Certain search engine operators offer products and services that compete directly with our products and service and may change their displays or rankings in order to promote their products or services, or the products or services of one or more of our competitors. Any such action could negatively impact the search rankings of links to websites offering our products and services, or the prominence with which such links appear in search results. Our success depends on the ability of links to websites offering our products and services maintaining a prominent position in search results, and in the event operators of search engines promote their own competing products in the future in a manner that has the effect of reducing the prominence or ranking of links to websites offering our products and services, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Certain of our businesses depend upon arrangements with Google.
A meaningful portion of our consolidated revenue (and a substantial portion of our net cash from operations that we can freely access) is attributable to a services agreement with Google. Pursuant to this agreement, we display and syndicate paid listings provided by Google in response to search queries generated through the businesses within our Search segment. In exchange for making our search traffic available to Google, we receive a share of the revenue generated by the paid listings supplied to us, as well as certain other search related services. Our agreement with Google expires on March 31, 2023; provided, however, that only in September of each year, we or Google may, after discussion with the other party, terminate the services agreement, effective on September 30 of the year following the year such notice is given.
The amount of revenue we receive from Google depends on a number of factors outside of our control, including the amount Google charges for advertisements, the efficiency of Google’s system in attracting advertisers and serving up paid listings in response to search queries and parameters established by Google regarding the number and placement of paid listings displayed in response to search queries. In addition, Google makes judgments about the relative attractiveness (to advertisers) of clicks on paid listings from searches performed on our properties and these judgments factor into the amount of revenue we receive. Google also makes judgments about the relative attractiveness (to users) of paid listings from searches performed on our properties and these judgments factor into the number of advertisements that we can purchase. Changes to the amount Google charges advertisers, the efficiency of Google’s paid listings network, Google’s judgment about the relative attractiveness to advertisers of clicks on paid listings from our properties or to the parameters applicable to the display of paid listings generally could result in a decrease in the amount of revenue we receive from Google and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Such changes could come about for a number of reasons, including general market conditions, competition or policy and operating decisions made by Google.
Our services agreement with Google also requires that we comply with certain guidelines for the use of Google brands and services, including the Chrome browser and Chrome Web Store. These guidelines govern which of our products and applications may access Google services or be distributed through its Chrome Web Store, and the manner in which Google’s paid listings are displayed within search results across various third party platforms and products (including our properties). Our services agreement also requires that we establish guidelines to govern certain activities of third parties to whom we syndicate paid listings, including the manner in which these parties drive search traffic to their websites and display paid listings. Google may generally unilaterally update its policies and guidelines without advance notice, whether under the services agreement or otherwise, which could in turn require modifications to, or prohibit and/or render obsolete certain of our products, services and/or business practices, which could be costly to address or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Noncompliance with Google’s guidelines by us or the third parties to whom we are permitted to syndicate paid listings or through which we secure distribution arrangements for the businesses within our Search segment could result in the suspension of some or all Google services to us (and/or the websites of our third party partners) and/or the termination of our services agreement by Google. Google has, in the past, made policy changes generally and under the services agreement, which had a negative impact on the historical and expected future results of operations of our Desktop business, and may do so in the future. In addition, in the last quarter of 2020, Google suspended services with respect to some of our Desktop products and may take continued or further action with respect to our products and businesses in the future.
The termination of our services agreement by Google, the curtailment of our rights under the services agreement (including the failure to allow our products to access Google services, whether pursuant to the terms thereof or otherwise), the failure of Google to perform its obligations under the agreement and/or policy changes implemented by Google under the services agreement or otherwise would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these events were to occur, we may not be able to find another suitable alternate provider of paid listings (or if an alternate provider were found, the economic and other terms of the agreement and the quality of paid listings may be inferior relative to our arrangements with (and the paid listings supplied by) Google) or otherwise replace the lost revenues.
Our success depends, in substantial part, on our continued ability to market, distribute and monetize our products and services through search engines, digital app stores and social media platforms.
The marketing, distribution and monetization of our products and services depends on our ability to cultivate and maintain cost-effective and otherwise satisfactory relationships with search engines, digital app stores and social media platforms, in particular, those operated by Apple, Google and Facebook. These platforms could decide not to market and distribute some or all of our products and services, change their terms and conditions of use at any time (and without notice), favor their own products and services over our products and services and/or significantly increase their fees. While we expect to maintain cost-effective and otherwise satisfactory relationships with these platforms, no assurances can be provided that we will be able to do so and our inability to do so in the case of one or more of these platforms could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In particular, as consumers increasingly access our products and services through applications (both mobile and desktop), we increasingly depend upon the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Google’s Chrome Web Store to distribute our mobile and desktop browser applications. Both Apple and Google have broad discretion to change their respective terms and conditions applicable to the distribution of our applications, including those relating to the amount of (and requirement to pay) certain fees associated with purchases facilitated by Apple and Google through our applications, their ability to interpret their respective terms and conditions in ways that may limit, eliminate or otherwise interfere with our ability to distribute our applications through their stores, the features that we may provide in our products and services, our ability to access information about our subscribers and users that they collect and the manner in which we market in-app products. Apple or Google could also make changes to their operating systems or payment services that could negatively affect us. No assurances can be provided that Apple and/or Google will not interpret their respective terms and conditions in the manner described above and to the extent either or both of them do so, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
While some of our mobile applications are generally free to download from the Apple App and Google Play Stores, many of them are subscription-based. While we determine the prices at which these subscriptions are sold, currently, all related purchases must be processed through the in-app payment systems provided by these stores, for which we pay these stores a meaningful share (generally 30%) of the related revenue they receive. Given the increasing distribution of our mobile applications through digital app stores and strict in-app payment system requirements, we may need to offset increased digital app store fees by decreasing traditional marketing expenditures as a percentage of revenue, increasing user volume or monetization per user or engaging in other efforts to increase revenue or decrease costs generally, or our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our success depends, in part, upon the continued migration of certain markets and industries online and the continued growth and acceptance of online products and services as effective alternatives to traditional offline products and services.
Through our various businesses, we provide a variety of online products and services that continue to compete with their traditional offline counterparts. We believe that the continued growth and acceptance of online products and services generally will depend, to a large extent, on the continued growth in commercial use of the Internet (particularly abroad) and the continued migration of traditional offline markets and industries online.
For example, the success of the businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment and our Care.com business depends, in substantial part, on the continued migration of the home services and care-related services markets online. If for any reason these markets do not migrate online as quickly as (or at lower levels than) we expect and consumers and service professionals (and subscribers and caregivers) continue, in large part, to rely on traditional offline efforts to connect with one another, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Lastly, the success of our advertising-supported businesses also depends, in part, on their ability to compete for a share of available advertising expenditures as more traditional offline and emerging media companies continue to enter the online advertising market, as well as on the continued growth and acceptance of online advertising generally. Any lack of growth in the market for online advertising could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, on our continued ability to develop and monetize versions of our products and services for mobile and other digital devices.
As consumers increasingly access our products and services through mobile and other digital devices (including through digital voice assistants), we will need to continue to devote significant time and resources to ensure that our products and services are accessible across these platforms (and multiple platforms generally). If we do not keep pace with evolving online, market and industry trends (including the introduction of new and enhanced digital devices and changes in the preferences and needs of consumers generally), offer new and/or enhanced products and services in response to such trends that resonate with consumers, monetize products and services for mobile and other digital devices as effectively as our traditional products and services and/or maintain related systems, technology and infrastructure in an efficient and cost-effective manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
In addition, the success of our mobile and other digital products and services depends on their interoperability with various third party operating systems, technology, infrastructure and standards, over which we have no control. Any changes to any of these things that compromise the quality or functionality of our mobile and digital products and services could adversely affect their usage levels and/or our ability to attract consumers and advertisers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, on the ability of ANGI Homeservices and Care.com to establish and maintain relationships with quality and trustworthy service professionals and caregivers.
We must continue to attract, retain and grow the number of skilled and reliable service professionals who can provide services across ANGI Homeservices platforms and caregivers who can provide care-related services through the Care.com platform. If we do not offer innovative products and services that resonate with consumers and service professionals (and subscribers and caregivers) generally, as well provide service professionals and caregivers with an attractive return on their marketing and advertising investments, the number of service professionals and caregivers affiliated with ANGI Homeservices and Care.com platforms, respectively, would decrease. Any such decrease would result in smaller and less diverse networks and directories of service professionals and caregivers, and in turn, decreases in service requests, pre-priced bookings and directory searches, as well as subscriber requests for caregivers, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to skill and reliability, consumers and families want to work with service professionals and caregivers whom they can trust to work in their homes and with their family members and with whom they can feel safe. While there are screening processes and certain other safety-related measures in place at these businesses (which generally include certain, limited background checks) to try and prevent unsuitable service professionals and caregivers from joining and remaining on our platforms, these processes have limitations and, even with these safety measures, no assurances can be provided regarding
the future behavior of any service provider or caregiver on our platforms. Inappropriate and/or unlawful behavior on the part of service professionals and caregivers generally (particularly any such behavior that compromises their trustworthiness and/or of the safety of consumers and families) could result in decreases in service requests and subscriber requests for caregivers and related care services, bad publicity and related damage to our reputation, brands and brand-building efforts and/or actions by governmental and regulatory authorities, criminal proceedings and/or litigation. The occurrence or any of these events could, in turn, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, on the ability of ANGI Homeservices to expand pre-priced booking services.
Through certain businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment, we provide pre-priced booking services, pursuant to which we contract with service professionals to perform specific tasks for specific consumers at an agreed upon price. In contrast to Marketplace service requests, pursuant to which we match service professionals to consumer opportunities, through our pre-priced booking services we contract directly with a service professional to perform a contracted task at a contracted price. Increases in pre-priced bookings (which we expect to be the case over time) could reduce the level of service provider responses to service requests through the Marketplace and our directories.
In addition, while pre-priced booking services offer potentially higher profit opportunities, they also involve greater financial risk because we bear the impact of cost overruns, which could result in increased costs and expenses. For example, we could miscalculate the costs, materials and/or or time needed to complete consumer requests or consumers could provide us with inaccurate information, which could result in us charging consumers too little for contracted tasks, which in turn would result in us having to absorb the actual, higher cost for contracted tasks or risk not being able to find service professionals to perform contracted tasks at contracted rates. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if our actual costs exceed the assumptions used in offering contracted tasks through our pre-priced booking services.
Our ability to engage directly with our users, subscribers, consumers, service professionals and caregivers directly on a timely basis is critical to our success.
As consumers increasingly communicate via mobile and other digital devices and messaging and social media apps, usage of email (particularly among younger consumers) has declined and we expect this trend to continue. In addition, deliverability and other restrictions could limit or prevent our ability to send emails to users, subscribers, consumers, service professionals and caregivers. A continued and significant erosion in our ability to engage with users, subscribers, consumers, service professionals and caregivers via email could adversely impact the user experience, engagement levels and conversion rates, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that any alternative means of communication (for example, push notifications and text messaging) will be as effective as email has been historically.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to access, collect and use personal data about our users and subscribers.
We depend on search engines, digital app stores and social media platforms (in particular, those operated by Google, Apple and Facebook) to market, distribute and monetize our products and services. Our users and subscribers engage with these platforms directly, and in the case of digital app stores, may be subject to requirements regarding the use of their payment systems for various transactions. As a result, these platforms may receive personal data about our users and subscribers that we would otherwise receive if we transacted with our users and subscribers directly. Certain of these platforms have restricted our access to personal data about our users and subscribers obtained through their platforms. If these platforms limit or increasingly limit, eliminate or otherwise interfere with our ability to access, collect and use personal data about our users and subscribers that they have collected, our ability to identify and communicate with a meaningful portion of our user and subscriber bases may be adversely impacted. If so, our customer relationship management efforts, our ability to identify, target and reach new segments of our user and subscriber bases and the population generally, the efficiency of our paid marketing efforts, the rates we are able to charge advertisers seeking to reach users and subscribers on our various properties and our ability to develop and implement safety features, policies and procedures for certain of our products and services could be adversely affected. We cannot assure you that the search engines, digital app stores and social media platforms upon which we rely will not limit or increasingly limit, eliminate or otherwise interfere with our ability to access, collect and use personal data about our users and subscribers that they have collected. To the extent that any or all of them do so, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Mr. Diller, certain members of his family and Mr. Levin are able to exercise significant influence over the composition of IAC’s Board of Directors, matters subject to stockholder approval and/or IAC’s operations.
As of the date of this report, Mr. Diller, his spouse, Diane von Furstenberg, and his stepson, Alexander von Furstenberg, collectively held shares of Class B common stock and common stock that represented approximately 41.4% of the total outstanding voting power of IAC (based on the number of shares of common stock and Class B common stock outstanding and entitled to vote as of January 29, 2021) and they will collectively hold shares of Class B common stock and common stock
representing the same percentage of the total outstanding voting power of IAC following the completion of the Spin-off as they hold immediately before the Spin-off.
As a result of IAC securities held by Mr. Diller and the members of his family described above, such individuals will be, collectively, in a position to influence (subject to IAC’s organizational documents and Delaware law), the composition of IAC’s Board of Directors and the outcome of corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, such as mergers, business combinations and dispositions of assets, among other corporate transactions. These shares are also subject to a voting agreement with Mr. Levin, IAC’s Chief Executive Officer, and will continue to be following the completion of the Spin-off. As a result of the Voting Agreement, Mr. Levin is currently in a position, subject to IAC’s organizational documents and Delaware law, to influence his election to IAC's board of directors and influence the outcome of Contingent Matters (as defined in the Voting Agreement). This concentration of investment and voting power could discourage others from initiating a potential merger, takeover or other change of control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to IAC and its shareholders, which could adversely affect the market price of IAC securities.
In addition, the holders of the Class B common stock could sell all or a portion of those shares to a third party, which could result in the purchaser obtaining significant influence over IAC, the composition of IAC’s Board of Directors, matters subject to stockholder approval and IAC’s operations, without consideration being paid to holders of shares of common stock, and without holders of shares of common stock having a right to consent to the identity of such purchaser. Pursuant to the Voting Agreement, if any of the holders of the Class B common stock were to determine to sell shares of Class B common stock to a person other than Mr. Diller, his family members or certain entities controlled by such persons, they have agreed that they will discuss with Mr. Levin selling such shares to him before selling to any other party. See “Part I—Item 1—Equity Ownership and Vote.”
We may not freely access the cash of ANGI Homeservices and its subsidiaries.
Potential sources of cash for us include our available cash balances, net cash from the operating activities of certain of our subsidiaries and proceeds from asset sales, including marketable securities. While the ability of our operating subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments or advances to us depends on their individual operating results and applicable statutory, regulatory or contractual restrictions generally, in the case of ANGI Homeservices, the terms of its indebtedness limit its ability to pay dividends or make distributions, loans or advances to stockholders (including IAC) in certain circumstances. In addition, because ANGI Homeservices is a separate and distinct legal entity with public shareholders, it has no obligation to provide us with funds.
You may experience dilution with respect to your investment in IAC, and we may experience dilution with respect to our investment in ANGI Homeservices, as a result of compensatory equity awards.
We have issued various compensatory equity awards, including stock options, shares of restricted stock, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock unit awards denominated in shares of IAC common stock, as well as in the equity of certain of our consolidated subsidiaries, including ANGI Homeservices. The issuance of shares of IAC common stock in settlement of these equity awards could dilute your ownership interest in IAC. And ANGI Homeservices compensatory equity awards that are settled in shares of ANGI Homeservices could dilute our ownership interest in ANGI Homeservices. The dilution of our ownership stake in ANGI Homeservices could impact our ability, among other things, to maintain ANGI Homeservices as part of our consolidated tax group for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to effect a tax-free distribution of our ANGI Homeservices stake to IAC stockholders or to maintain control of ANGI Homeservices. As we generally have the right to maintain our level of ownership in ANGI Homeservices to the extent ANGI Homeservices issues additional shares of its capital stock in the future pursuant to an investor rights agreement, we do not intend to allow any of the foregoing to occur.
With respect to awards denominated in shares of our non-publicly traded subsidiaries, we estimate the dilutive impact of those awards based on our estimated fair value of those subsidiaries. Those estimates may change from time to time, and the fair value we determine in connection with vesting and liquidity events could lead to more or less dilution than reflected in our diluted earnings per share calculation.
The total addressable market of our Vimeo business may prove to be smaller than it expects.
While we believe, based upon internal data, that every small and midsized business and every larger enterprise will need an online video presence to succeed, the number of entities that are willing and able to pay fees for software-based video services may not be as large as our Vimeo business expects and we have not conducted research by a third party to validate its data and thesis.
Our Vimeo business may not have the right product/market fit.
Our Vimeo business depends upon attracting new subscribers and retaining existing ones. To do so, it must provide products with an attractive value proposition. Our Vimeo business may fail to do that if it:
•fails to innovate and provide new and useful features that its users and subscribers want;
•releases products that fail to reliably operate (due to bugs or service interruptions);
•releases products too late relative to competitors;
•prices its products in an uncompetitive manner; or
•fails to educate its users and subscribers about its features.
Our Vimeo business may not be able to convert its free users into subscribers.
An essential part of the strategy of our Vimeo business for attracting subscribers depends upon offering basic services for free and converting a certain portion of free users into subscribers over time. While a majority of subscribers began as free users, only a small percentage of free users become paying users over time. The ability of our Vimeo business to convert users into subscribers at this or a higher rate may not materialize if:
•the number of free users declines, which could occur due to (among other things) reduced visibility of the Vimeo brand or services;
•our Vimeo business overestimates the number of free users who have the propensity to pay due to issues with duplicative, fraudulent or spam accounts;
•free users do not repeatedly use the free product, either because they are unaware of the features our Vimeo business offers or because the features are not perceived as useful;
•our Vimeo business fails to optimize the conversion of free users by communicating the value of its subscription plans;
•our Vimeo business experiences headwinds in its international expansion due to variety of reasons, including language and cultural barriers, as well as unfavorable regulatory environments; or
•service offerings and pricing are not competitive.
If efforts to convert free users into subscribers do not succeed, our Vimeo business will have to rely more heavily on paid marketing efforts to acquire new subscribers and therefore achieve growth. Such a shift would cause our Vimeo business to incur higher costs in acquiring users, which would reduce its profits.
Our Vimeo business may not be able to scale its business effectively.
Our Vimeo business may not be able to capitalize on the market’s demand for video if it cannot scale its operations. For example, Vimeo might experience delays in onboarding new user and subscribers and responding to increased customer support tickets, and it may not be able to handle increased loads on its servers during peak times. All of these things would result in missed opportunities or user and subscriber frustration that could negatively affect user and Vimeo’s subscriber growth and retention, which could in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our Vimeo business may experience service interruptions.
Our Vimeo business typically does not provide 100% uptime across its video services in any given month. This may be due to technical errors (bugs), human error (by employees and contractors), interruptions experienced by key vendors (such as cloud-based service or payment providers), higher than anticipated traffic and/or cyberattacks. Interruptions in key aspects of Vimeo’s video services (notably, video delivery and payment processing) could result in lost business, credits payable to subscribers with service level agreements, increased user and subscriber support tickets, remediation costs and increased subscriber churn (lost renewals). In severe cases, our Vimeo business could face litigation or reputational risk, particularly if an interruption occurs during a high-profile event. Any such interruptions and/or related effects could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The hosting and delivery costs borne by our Vimeo business may increase unexpectedly.
Hosting and delivery costs comprise the largest component of cost of goods sold for our Vimeo business and as a result, these costs materially influence its gross margin. These costs could increase unexpectedly if Vimeo experiences rapid growth over a short period of time (either in terms of users and subscribers or bandwidth consumed), fails to address subscribers who use more bandwidth than its plans permit (either by failing to charge them overage fees or by failing to limit their bandwidth) or fails to distribute increased bandwidth across its content delivery network (CDN) vendors in a cost-optimal manner by, for example, moving traffic to the lowest-cost provider. Vimeo may not be able to pass these costs to its subscribers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
General Risk Factors
Our businesses operate in especially competitive and evolving industries.
The industries in which our brands and businesses operate are competitive, with a consistent and growing stream of new products and entrants. Some of our competitors may enjoy better competitive positions in certain geographical areas, user demographics and/or other key areas that we currently serve or may serve in the future. Generally (and particularly in the case of the businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment), we compete with search engine providers and online marketplaces that can market their products and services online in a more prominent and cost-effective manner than we can. We also generally compete with social media platforms with access to large existing pools of potential users and their personal information, which means these platforms can drive visitors to their products and services, as well as better tailor products and service to individual users, at little to no cost relative to our efforts. Any of these advantages could enable our competitors to offer products and services that are more appealing to consumers than our products and services, respond more quickly and/or cost effectively than we do to evolving market opportunities and trends and/or display their own integrated or related products and services in a more prominent manner than our products and services in search results, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, costs to switch among products and services are low or non-existent and consumers generally have a propensity to try new products and services (and use multiple products and services simultaneously). As a result, we expect the continued emergence of new products and services, entrants and business models in the various industries in which its brands and businesses operate. Our inability to continue to innovate and compete effectively against new products, services and competitors could result in decreases in the size and levels of engagement of our various user and subscriber bases, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our businesses are sensitive to general economic events or trends, particularly those that adversely impact advertising spending levels and consumer confidence and spending behavior.
A significant portion of our consolidated revenue (and a substantial portion of our net cash from operations that we can freely access), is attributable to online advertising, primarily revenue from the businesses within our Dotdash and Search segments. Accordingly, events and trends that result in decreased advertising expenditures and/or levels of consumer confidence and discretionary spending could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Similarly, the businesses within our ANGI Homeservices segment are particularly sensitive to events and trends that could result in consumers delaying or foregoing home services projects (including difficulties obtaining financing for such projects) and service professionals being less likely to pay for consumer matches, pre-priced bookings, Marketplace subscriptions and/or time-based advertising, which could result in decreases in Marketplace service requests, pre-priced bookings and directory searches. Any such decreases could result in turnover at the Marketplace and/or any ANGI Homeservices directories, adversely impact the number and quality of service professionals at the Marketplace and in any ANGI Homeservices directories and/or adversely impact the reach of (and breath of services offered through) the Marketplace and ANGI Homeservices directories, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, negative changes in capital markets could adversely impact the ability of the third party with which ANGI Homeservices has contracted to offer a consumer financing option through the HomeAdvisor Pro-Pay App to fulfill its obligations, which could adversely impact the launch and ongoing rollout of this option, and in turn, our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to build, maintain and/or enhance our various brands.
Through our various businesses, we own and operate a number of widely known consumer brands with strong brand appeal and recognition within their respective markets and industries, as well as a number of emerging brands that we are in the process of building. We believe that our success depends, in large part, on our continued ability to maintain and enhance our established brands, as well as build awareness of (and loyalty to) our emerging brands. Events that could adversely impact our brands and brand-building efforts include (among others): product and service quality concerns, consumer complaints or lawsuits, lack of awareness of the policies of our various businesses and/or how they are applied in practice, our failure to respond to user, service professional and caregiver feedback, ineffective advertising, inappropriate and/or unlawful actions taken by users, service professionals and caregivers, actions taken by governmental or regulatory authorities, data protection and security breaches and related bad publicity. The occurrence or any of these events could, in turn, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 and other similar outbreaks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic or pandemic, including the continuing outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has been declared a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization. The continuing outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a widespread global health crisis, and governments in affected regions have implemented measures designed to curb its spread, such as social distancing, government-imposed quarantines
and lockdowns, travel bans and other public health safety measures. These measures have resulted in significant social disruption and have had (and are likely to continue to have) an adverse effect on economic conditions generally, advertising expenditures and consumer confidence and spending, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Since the initial outbreak, the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses has varied from business to business and from month to month. To date, demand for certain of our products and services and advertising rates have generally decreased and, despite increased service requests at our ANGI Homeservices business, the limited ability of service professionals to fulfill these requests as a result of labor and material constraints has negatively impacted the ability of ANGI Homeservices to monetize these requests. ANGI Homeservices continued to experience strong demand for home services in the second half of 2020. Also, to date our Vimeo business has seen strong revenue growth as the demand for communication via video has increased due to the pandemic. Lastly, certain of our advertising-supported businesses experienced a decline in revenue due, in part, to decreased advertising due to COVID-19, and we recorded impairments during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 related to our desktop business and certain securities (see “Item 7— Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —Overview—Consolidated and Combined Results”).
In addition, the United States and Europe, which are the first and second largest markets for our products and services, respectively, experienced significant resurgences of COVID-19, with record levels of infection being reported during the fourth quarter of 2020 and continuing into the first quarter of 2021. These resurgences and government-imposed measures to control the spread of COVID-19 continue to adversely impact our ability to conduct ordinary course business activities for the foreseeable future and could adversely impact employee productivity and increase operating costs. Moreover, we may also experience business disruption if the ordinary course operations of our contractors, vendors and/or business partners are adversely affected. Any of these measures could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The extent to which developments related to COVID-19 and measures designed to curb its spread continue to impact our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments, all of which are highly uncertain and many of which are beyond our control, including the speed of contagion, the development and implementation of effective preventative measures and possible treatments, the scope of governmental and other restrictions on travel, discretionary services and other activity, and public reactions to these developments. For example, these developments and measures have resulted in rapid and adverse changes to the operating environment in which we do business, as well as significant uncertainty concerning the near and long term economic ramifications of the COVID-19 outbreak, which have adversely impacted our ability to forecast our results and respond in a timely and effective manner to trends related to COVID-19. The longer the global outbreak and measures designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 continue to adversely affect levels of consumer confidence, discretionary spending and the willingness of consumers to interact with other consumers, vendors and service providers face-to-face (and in turn, adversely affect demand for our various products and services), the greater the adverse impact is likely to be on our business, financial condition and results of operations and the more limited our ability will be to try and make up for delayed or lost revenues.
The COVID-19 outbreak may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this report and we will continue to evaluate the nature and extent of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, because COVID-19 did not begin to impact IAC’s results until late in the first quarter of 2020, any current or future impacts may not be directly comparable to any historical periods and are not necessarily indicative of any future impacts that COVID-19 may have on IAC’s results. The impact of COVID-19 on IAC’s revenues and expenses may also fluctuate differently over the duration of the pandemic.
We may not be able to protect our systems, technology and infrastructure from cyberattacks and cyberattacks experienced by third parties may adversely affect us.
We are regularly under attack by perpetrators of malicious technology-related events, such as botnets, malware or other destructive or disruptive software, distributed denial of service attacks, phishing, attempts to misappropriate user information and account login credentials and other similar malicious activities. The incidence of events of this nature (or any combination thereof) is on the rise worldwide. While we continuously develop and maintain systems designed to detect and prevent events of this nature from impacting our systems, technology, infrastructure, products, services and users, have invested (and continue to invest) heavily in these efforts and related personnel and training and deploy data minimization strategies (where appropriate), these efforts are costly and require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome preventative security measures become more sophisticated. Despite these efforts, some of our systems have experienced past security incidents, none of which had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and we could experience significant or material events of this nature in the future.
Any event of this nature that we experience could damage our systems, technology and infrastructure and/or those of our users, prevent us from providing our products and services, compromise the integrity of our products and services, damage our reputation, erode our brands and/or be costly to remedy, as well as subject us to investigations by regulatory authorities, fines and/or litigation that could result in liability to third parties. Even if we do not experience such events firsthand, the impact of any such events experienced by third parties upon which we rely and with which we contract for various products and services could have a similar effect. No assurances can be provided that we will not experience future events involving third party service providers that could adversely affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations in a significant or material manner. We may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses resulting from any of these events. If we (or any third party with which we do business or otherwise rely upon) experience(s) an event of this nature, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If personal, confidential or sensitive user information is breached or otherwise accessed by unauthorized persons, it may be costly for us to mitigate and our reputation could be harmed.
We receive, process, store and transmit a significant amount of personal, confidential and/or sensitive user and subscriber information and, in the case of certain of our products and services, enable users and subscribers to share their personal information with each other. While we continuously develop and maintain systems designed to protect the security, integrity and confidentiality of this information (and only engage third-parties to store this information who do the same), we cannot guarantee that inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure will not occur or that third parties will not gain unauthorized access to this information. When such events occur, we may not be able to remedy them, we may be required by law to notify regulators and impacted individuals and it may be costly for us to mitigate the impact of such events and to develop and implement protections to prevent future events of this nature from occurring. When breaches of security (our security or that of any third party we engage to store such information) occur, we could face governmental enforcement actions, significant fines, litigation (including consumer class actions) and the reputation of our brands and businesses could be harmed, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if any of the search engines, digital app stores or social media platforms through which we market, distribute and monetize our products and services were to experience a breach, third parties could gain unauthorized access to personal data about our users and subscribers, which could indirectly harm the reputation of our brands and businesses and, in turn, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal data could give rise to liabilities and increased costs.
We receive, transmit and store a large volume of personal information and other user and subscriber data (including private content, such as videos and correspondence) in connection with the processing of search queries, the provision of online products and services generally and the display of advertising on our various properties. The manner in which we share, store, use, disclose and protect this information is determined by the respective privacy and data security policies of our various businesses, as well as federal, state and foreign laws and regulations and evolving industry standards and practices, which are changing, and in some cases, inconsistent and conflicting and subject to differing interpretations. In addition, new laws, regulations, standards and practices of this nature are proposed and adopted from time to time. For a description of laws, regulations and rules concerning the processing, storage and use of disclosure of personal data, see “Item 1—Business—Description of IAC Businesses— Government Regulation.”
While we believe that we comply with applicable privacy and data protection policies, laws and regulations and industry standards and practices in all material respects, we could still be subject to claims of non-compliance that we may not be able to successfully defend and/or may result in significant fines and penalties. Moreover, any non-compliance or perceived non-compliance by us (and/or any third party we engage) or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access to (or use or transmission of) personal information could result in a variety of claims against us, including governmental enforcement actions, significant fines, litigation (including consumer class actions), claims of breach of contract and indemnity by third parties and adverse publicity. When such events occur, our reputation could be harmed and the competitive positions of our various brands and businesses could be diminished, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, to the extent multiple U.S. state-level (or European Union member-state level) laws are introduced with inconsistent or conflicting standards and there is no federal or European Union regulation to preempt such laws, compliance could be even more difficult to achieve and our potential exposure to the risks discussed above could increase.
Lastly, ongoing compliance with existing (and compliance with future) privacy and data protection laws worldwide could be costly. The devotion of significant costs to compliance (versus to the development of products and services) could result in delays in the development of new products and services, us ceasing to provide problematic products and services in existing jurisdictions and us being prevented from introducing products and services in new and existing jurisdictions, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, on the integrity, quality, efficiency and scalability of our systems, technology and infrastructure, and those of third parties.
We rely on our systems, technology and infrastructure to perform well on a consistent basis. From time to time in the past, we have experienced (and in the future we may experience) occasional interruptions that make some or all of this framework and related information unavailable or that prevent us from providing products and services; any such interruption could arise for any number of reasons. We also rely on third party data center service providers and cloud-based, hosted web service providers, as well as third party computer systems and a variety of communications systems and service providers in connection with the provision of our products and services generally, as well as to facilitate and process certain payment and other transactions with users. We have no control over any of these third parties or their operations and the interruption of any of the services provided by these parties could prevent us from accessing user and subscriber information and providing products and services.
The framework described above could be damaged or interrupted at any time due to fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, acts of God and other similar events or disruptions. Any event of this nature could prevent us from providing our products and services at all (or result in the provision of our products on a delayed or interrupted basis) and/or result in the loss of critical data. While we and the third parties upon whom we rely have certain backup systems in place for certain aspects of our and their respective frameworks, none of these frameworks are fully redundant and disaster recovery planning is not sufficient for all eventualities. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses from a major interruption. When such damages, interruptions or outages occur, our reputation could be harmed and the competitive positions of our various brands and businesses could be diminished, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We also continually work to expand and enhance the efficiency and scalability of our framework to improve the consumer experience, accommodate substantial increases in the number of visitors to our various platforms, ensure acceptable load times for our various products and services and keep up with changes in user and subscriber preferences. If we do not do so in a timely and cost-effective manner, user and subscribers experiences and demand across our brands and businesses could be adversely affected, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on our key personnel.
Our future success will depend upon our continued ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled, diverse and talented individuals worldwide, particularly in the case of senior management. Competition for well-qualified employees across IAC and its various businesses has been (and will continue to be) intense and we must attract new (and retain existing) employees to compete effectively. While we have established programs to attract new (and retain existing) employees, we may not be able to attract new (or retain existing) key and other employees in the future. In addition, if we do not ensure the effective transfer of knowledge to successors and smooth transitions (particularly in the case of senior management) across our various businesses, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Risks Relating to the Spin-off and IAC Securities Following the Spin-off
The Spin-off may be abandoned by IAC at any time prior to completion, and is subject to certain closing conditions that, if not satisfied or waived, will result in the Spin-off not being completed. If the Spin-off is not completed, the market price of IAC securities may decline.
The IAC board of directors may abandon the Spin-off at any time prior to completion. In addition, the completion of the Spin-off is subject to the satisfaction (or waiver) of a number of conditions, including the receipt of certain approvals from IAC stockholders and the final approval of the IAC board of directors. Some of the conditions to the completion of the Spin-off are outside of the control of IAC and New Vimeo. If any condition to the closing of the Spin-off is not satisfied or waived, or if the IAC board of directors otherwise determines to abandon the Spin-off, the Spin-off will not be completed.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social and economic disruption may increase the risk that one or more of the closing conditions will not be satisfied and the Spin-off will not occur or that the completion of the Spin-off will be significantly delayed.
If IAC and New Vimeo do not complete the Spin-off, the market price of IAC securities may fluctuate to the extent that the current market prices of those shares reflect a market assumption that the Spin-off will be completed. IAC will also be obligated to pay certain legal and accounting fees and related expenses in connection with the Spin-off, whether or not the Spin-off is completed. In addition, each of IAC and its Vimeo business has expended, and will continue to expend, significant management resources in an effort to complete the Spin-off. If the Spin-off is not completed, IAC and its Vimeo business will have incurred significant costs, including the diversion of management resources, for which they will have received little or no benefit.
IAC and New Vimeo may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that they expect to achieve through the Spin-off.
IAC and New Vimeo may be unable to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits expected to result from the Spin-off, or such benefits may be delayed or may never occur at all. The Spin-off is expected to provide the following benefits, among others:
•enabling each of IAC and New Vimeo to adopt a capital structure and to make investments best suited for their own respective objectives and needs, including allowing New Vimeo to raise equity capital without the constraint of investment considerations at the IAC level;
•creating a “pure play” New Vimeo equity currency in order to facilitate capital raising, strategic acquisitions and employee compensation;
•the potential increase in the aggregate equity value of the two companies, including by permitting New Vimeo to develop an investor base that focuses on companies similar to its business;
•increasing transparency at each of IAC and New Vimeo, including by allowing each business to be covered by equity analysts who specialize in their respective industries; and
•enhancing IAC’s ability to focus on building the scale of its remaining businesses and improving alignment among those businesses through the separation of its Vimeo business, which, as a “software as a service” company, does not currently align with the operating model of IAC’s other businesses.
IAC and New Vimeo may not achieve these or other anticipated benefits for a variety of reasons, including, among others: (i) the possibility that the Spin-off will be abandoned prior to completion, or will otherwise not be completed, (ii) the possibility that IAC’s non-Vimeo businesses will not be successful, and that IAC will not succeed in identifying new profitable acquisitions or other opportunities or in developing its existing businesses, (iii) the fact that IAC and New Vimeo will be more susceptible to market fluctuations and other adverse events following the consummation of the Spin-off, (iv) the risk of litigation, injunctions or other legal proceedings relating to the Spin-off, (v) the Spin-off will require significant amounts of management time and effort, which may divert management attention from operating and growing the respective businesses of IAC and New Vimeo and (vi) the other actions required to separate the respective businesses of IAC and New Vimeo prior to closing could disrupt the respective operations of IAC and New Vimeo. If IAC and New Vimeo fail to achieve some or all of the benefits expected to result from the Spin-off, or if such benefits are delayed, the business, financial condition and results of operations of IAC and/or New Vimeo could be materially and adversely affected.
Following the Spin-off, the financial profile of each of IAC and New Vimeo will change, and each will be a smaller, less diversified company than IAC prior to the Spin-off.
The Spin-off will result in each of IAC and New Vimeo being smaller, less diversified companies with more limited businesses, which in New Vimeo’s case will be concentrated in its industry, than IAC prior to the Spin-off. As a result, each of IAC and New Vimeo may be more vulnerable to changing market conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on their respective business, financial condition and results of operations and may subject them to increased volatility.
If the Spin-off were to fail to qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, IAC, New Vimeo and their respective stockholders could suffer material adverse consequences.
The completion of the Spin-off is conditioned upon, among other things, the receipt of a tax opinion from IAC’s outside counsel to the effect that the Spin-off will qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
This tax opinion will be based upon and rely on, among other things, various facts and assumptions, as well as certain representations, statements and undertakings of IAC and New Vimeo, including those relating to the past and future conduct of IAC and New Vimeo. If any of these representations, statements or undertakings is (or becomes) inaccurate or incomplete, or if any of the representations or covenants contained in any of the transaction-related agreements and documents or in any document relating to the tax opinion are inaccurate or not complied with by IAC or New Vimeo, the tax opinion may be invalid and the conclusions reached therein could be jeopardized.
Notwithstanding our receipt of the tax opinion, no assurances can be provided that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will agree that the Spin-off qualifies for tax-free treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes or that a court would not sustain a challenge to this treatment. In the event the IRS were to prevail with such a challenge, IAC and New Vimeo and their respective stockholders could suffer material adverse consequences.
If the Spin-off did not qualify as a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code, IAC would recognize a taxable gain as if it had sold the New Vimeo stock in a taxable sale for its fair market value. In such case, IAC stockholders who receive New Vimeo common stock in the Spin-off would be subject to tax as if they had received a taxable distribution equal to the fair market value of such shares. Even if the Spin-off were otherwise to
qualify as a tax-free transaction under Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code it may result in taxable gain to IAC (but not its stockholders) under Section 355(e) of the Code if the Spin-off were deemed to be part of a plan (or series of related transactions) pursuant to which one or more persons acquire, directly or indirectly, shares representing a 50 percent or greater interest (by vote or value) in IAC or New Vimeo within two years before or after the Spin-off.
IAC and New Vimeo will be parties to a tax matters agreement, pursuant to which, among other things, each of them will be responsible for certain tax liabilities and obligations following the Spin-off. In addition, pursuant to the agreement, New Vimeo will generally be required to indemnify IAC for any taxes resulting from the failure of the Spin-off to qualify for the intended tax-free treatment (and related amounts) to the extent that the failure to so qualify is attributable to: (i) an acquisition of all or a portion of the equity securities or assets of New Vimeo, whether by merger or otherwise (and regardless of whether New Vimeo participated in or otherwise facilitated the acquisition), (ii) certain other actions or inactions on the part of New Vimeo or (iii) any of the representations or undertakings made by New Vimeo in any of the transaction- related agreements and documents or in any documents relating to the tax opinion being incorrect or violated.
After the Spin-off, actual or potential conflicts of interest may develop between the management and directors of IAC, on the one hand, and the management and directors of New Vimeo, on the other hand, or between management and directors of either entity and the management and directors of Expedia Group, Inc. or Match Group, Inc.
After the completion of the Spin-off, the management and directors of IAC and New Vimeo may own both IAC capital stock and New Vimeo capital stock, and the parties anticipate that certain members of IAC’s senior management team may be directors of New Vimeo after the completion of the Spin-Off. This overlap could create (or appear to create) potential conflicts of interest when directors and executive officers of New IAC and New Vimeo face decisions that could have different implications for IAC and New Vimeo. For example, potential conflicts of interest could arise in connection with the resolution of any dispute between IAC and New Vimeo regarding terms of the agreements governing the Spin-off and the relationship between IAC and New Vimeo thereafter or any commercial agreements between the parties or their affiliates. Potential conflicts of interest could also arise if IAC and New Vimeo enter into any commercial arrangements in the future. Actual or potential conflicts of interest may also develop as a result of officers or directors of IAC and/or New Vimeo who are also officers or directors of Expedia Group, Inc. or Match Group, Inc.
The aggregate value of the IAC and New Vimeo securities that current holders of IAC capital stock receive in the Spin-off might be less than the value of the IAC securities that they held before the Spin-off.
If IAC completes the Spin-off, holders of IAC capital stock as of immediately prior to the Spin-off will receive a combination of shares of IAC capital stock and New Vimeo capital stock. The prices at which shares of IAC securities and/or New Vimeo securities may trade at post-Spin-off are unpredictable. Therefore, the combined market value of one share of IAC common stock and a to be determined number of shares of New Vimeo common stock post-Spin-off may be less than, equal to or greater than the market value of one share of IAC common stock prior to the Spin-off.
Additionally, the value of IAC securities and/or New Vimeo securities may be negatively impacted by a number of factors, after the completion of the Spin-off. Some of these matters are described in these risk factors and others may or may not have been identified by IAC or New Vimeo prior to the completion of the Spin-off, and many of them are not within the control of IAC or New Vimeo. Should any adverse circumstances, facts, changes or effects come to pass, the combined value of the IAC and New Vimeo securities could be less than the value of IAC securities before the Spin-off.
Substantial sales of IAC common stock following the Spin-off, or the perception that such sales might occur, could depress the market price of IAC common stock, which is already expected to be lower than the pre-Spin-off market price of IAC common stock due to IAC no longer having any ownership interest in its Vimeo business.
The post-Spin-off market price of IAC common stock is expected to be lower than the pre-Spin-off market price of IAC common stock, as IAC will no longer have an ownership interest in its Vimeo business. In addition, the smaller size and different investment characteristics of IAC may not appeal to the current investor base of IAC and/or could result in less equity analyst coverage, which could result in sales of substantial amounts of IAC common stock in the public market following the Spin-off, or the perception that such sales might occur. There is no assurance that there will be sufficient buying interest to offset any such sales, and, accordingly, the price of IAC common stock may be depressed by those sales and have periods of volatility.
After the Spin-off, financial institutions could remove IAC securities from investment indices. In addition, IAC securities may not meet the investment guidelines of institutional investors. In either case, these factors could negatively impact the price of IAC securities and could impair the ability of IAC to raise capital through the sale of securities.
Some holders of IAC securities are index funds tied to stock exchange and/or other stock or investment indices, or are institutional investors bound by various investment guidelines. Companies are generally selected for investment indices, and in some cases selected by institutional investors, based on factors such as market capitalization, industry, trading liquidity and
financial condition. The Spin-off will reduce IAC’s market capitalization. As a result, one or more investment indices may remove IAC securities from their indices. In addition, IAC securities that are received in the Spin-off may not meet the investment guidelines of some institutional investors. Consequently, these index funds and institutional investors may have to sell some or all of the securities they receive in the Spin-off, and the prices of IAC securities may fall as a result. Any such decline could impair the ability of IAC to raise capital through future sales of securities.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties
IAC believes that the facilities for its management and operations are generally adequate for its current and near-term future needs. IAC’s facilities, most of which are leased by IAC’s businesses in various cities and locations in the United States and various jurisdictions abroad, generally consist of executive and administrative offices, operations centers, data centers and sales offices.
IAC believes that its principal properties, whether owned or leased, are currently adequate for the purposes for which they are used and are suitably maintained for these purposes. IAC does not anticipate any future problems renewing or obtaining suitable leases on commercially reasonable terms for any of its principal businesses. IAC’s approximately 202,500 square foot corporate headquarters in New York, New York houses offices for IAC corporate and various IAC businesses within the following segments: Vimeo, Search and Emerging & Other.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
In the ordinary course of business, the Company and its subsidiaries are (or may become) parties to litigation involving property, personal injury, contract, intellectual property and other claims, as well as stockholder derivative actions, class action lawsuits and other matters. The amounts that may be recovered in such matters may be subject to insurance coverage. The litigation matters described below involve issues or claims that may be of particular interest to our stockholders, regardless of whether any of these matters may be material to our financial position or operations based upon the standard set forth in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tinder Optionholder Litigation against IAC and Match Group
On August 14, 2018, ten then-current and former employees of Match Group, LLC or Tinder, Inc. (“Tinder”), an operating business of Match Group, filed a lawsuit in New York state court against IAC and Match Group. See Sean Rad et al. v. IAC/InterActiveCorp and Match Group, Inc., No. 654038/2018 (Supreme Court, New York County). The complaint alleges that in 2017, the defendants: (i) wrongfully interfered with a contractually established process for the independent valuation of Tinder by two investment banks, resulting in a substantial undervaluation of Tinder and a consequent underpayment to the plaintiffs upon exercise of their stock options, and (ii) then wrongfully merged Tinder into Match Group, thereby depriving the plaintiffs of their contractual right to later valuations of Tinder on a stand‑alone basis. The complaint asserts claims for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, interference with contractual relations (as against Match Group only), and interference with prospective economic advantage, and seeks compensatory damages in the amount of at least $2 billion, as well as punitive damages. On August 31, 2018, four plaintiffs who were still employed by Match Group filed a notice of discontinuance of their claims without prejudice, leaving the six former employees as the remaining plaintiffs.
On October 9, 2018, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on various grounds, including that the 2017 valuation of Tinder by the investment banks was an expert determination any challenge to which is both time-barred under applicable law and available only on narrow substantive grounds that the plaintiffs have not pleaded in their complaint; the plaintiffs opposed the motion. On June 13, 2019, the court issued a decision and order: (i) granting the motion to dismiss the claims for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and for unjust enrichment, (ii) granting the motion to dismiss the merger-related claim for breach of contract as to two of the remaining six plaintiffs, and (iii) otherwise denying the motion to dismiss. On June 21, 2019, the defendants filed a notice of appeal from the trial court’s partial denial of their motion to dismiss, and the parties thereafter briefed the appeal. On October 29, 2019, the Appellate Division, First Department, issued an order affirming the lower court’s decision. On November 22, 2019, the defendants filed a motion for reargument or, in the alternative, leave to appeal the Appellate Division’s order to the New York Court of Appeals; the plaintiffs opposed the motion. On May 21, 2020, the Appellate Division issued an order: (i) granting the defendants’ motion for reargument, vacating its prior decision, and replacing it with a new decision that affirmed the lower court’s decision on different grounds, and (ii) denying the defendants’ motion for leave to appeal the initial (and now vacated) decision to the Court of Appeals, without prejudice to the defendants’ filing a motion for leave to appeal the new decision to the Court of Appeals. On June 5, 2020, the defendants filed a motion for leave to appeal the Appellate Division’s May 21 decision to the Court of Appeals; the plaintiffs opposed the motion. On July 24, 2020, the Appellate Division issued an order denying the motion.
On June 3, 2019, the defendants filed a second motion to dismiss and for other relief based upon certain provisions of the plaintiffs’ agreement with a litigation funding firm; the plaintiffs opposed the motion, which remains pending. On July 15, 2019, the defendants filed an answer denying the material allegations of the complaint, as well as counterclaims against former Tinder CEO Sean Rad for breach of contract and unjust enrichment based upon his alleged misappropriation of confidential company information. On September 13, 2019, the defendants filed an amended answer and counterclaims, adding claims based on Rad’s alleged unauthorized recording of conversations with company employees. On November 21, 2019, the defendants filed a second amended answer and counterclaims, adding claims based on Rad’s alleged unauthorized destruction of company information and breach of his non-solicitation obligations. On January 30, 2020, the parties participated in a mediation that did not result in the resolution of the matter.
Document discovery in the case is substantially complete; deposition discovery, which had been on hiatus in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, is nearing completion. On July 12, 2020, the four individuals who earlier had discontinued their claims in the lawsuit commenced separate arbitration proceedings against IAC and Match Group before the American Arbitration Association in California, asserting the same claims and seeking the same relief as the six remaining plaintiffs in the lawsuit. On September 14, 2020, the defendants filed a motion to stay the trial in the New York action in favor of the California arbitration; the plaintiffs opposed the motion. On November 16, 2020, the court denied the motion. The court has provisionally scheduled the New York action for trial commencing on November 8, 2021.
In the California arbitration, on December 8, 2020, the claimants filed a motion to stay the proceedings in favor of the New York lawsuit; the respondents opposed the motion. On December 22, 2020, the respondents requested permission to file a motion for summary judgment on the claims arising out of the merger of Tinder into Match Group; the claimants opposed the request. On January 28, 2021, the arbitrator issued a decision and order: (i) denying the claimants’ motion to stay the proceedings, (ii) granting the respondents’ request to file a motion for summary judgment on the merger claims, provided that the motion await the close of fact discovery in the New York lawsuit, and (iii) setting a provisional hearing date of February 7, 2022.
IAC believes that the allegations against it in the New York lawsuit and the California arbitration are without merit and will continue to defend vigorously against them.
Pursuant to the Transaction Agreement (as defined in “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—MTCH Separation”), Match Group has agreed to indemnify the Company for matters relating to any business of Match Group, including indemnifying the Company for costs related to the matter described above.
Shareholder Litigation Arising Out of the Separation of Match Group from IAC
On June 24, 2020, a shareholder class action and derivative lawsuit was filed in Delaware state court against then IAC/InterActiveCorp (now Match Group, Inc.), then IAC Holdings, Inc. (now IAC/InterActiveCorp), IAC’s Chairman and Senior Executive. Barry Diller, former Match Group (as a nominal defendant only), and the ten members of former Match Group’s Board of Directors at the time of the MTCH Separation (as defined in “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—MTCH Separation”), challenging, on behalf of a putative class of then Match Group public shareholders, the agreed-upon terms of the MTCH Separation. See David Newman v. IAC/InterActiveCorp et al., No. 2020-0505 (Delaware Chancery Court). The gravamen of the complaint is that the terms of the MTCH Separation are unfair to former Match Group and unduly beneficial to IAC as a result of undue influence by IAC and Mr. Diller over the then Match Group directors who unanimously approved the transaction. The complaint asserts direct and derivative claims for: (i) breach of fiduciary duty against IAC and Mr. Diller as former controlling shareholders of Match Group, (ii) breach of fiduciary duty against the Match Group directors who unanimously approved the MTCH Separation, (iii) breach of contract (i.e., a provision of former Match Group’s charter), (iv) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and (v) tortious interference with contract against IAC. The complaint seeks various declarations and damages in an unspecified amount. On September 24, 2020, the defendants filed motions to dismiss the complaint.
On January 8, 2021, instead of responding to the motions to dismiss, the plaintiff, joined by another plaintiff, Boilermakers National Annuity Trust, filed an amended complaint. In addition, on January 7, 2021, another complaint challenging the MTCH separation was filed against substantially the same defendants in the same court. See Construction Industry & Laborers Joint Pension Trust for Southern Nevada Plan A v. IAC/InterActiveCorp et al. (Delaware Chancery Court). The two cases have been consolidated under the caption In re Match Group, Inc. Derivative Litigation, No. 2020-0505. In light of the competing complaints, the court has scheduled a hearing for March 9, 2021 to determine who will serve as lead plaintiff(s) and lead counsel for the plaintiff(s) in this litigation.
IAC believes that the allegations in this litigation are without merit and will continue to defend vigorously against them.
Shareholder Litigation Regarding the Proposed Vimeo Spin-off
On January 22, 2021, a putative shareholder class action was filed in New York state court against IAC and the members of IAC’s board of directors. See Dean Drulias v. Joseph Levin et al., No. 650504/2021 (Supreme Court, New York County). The gravamen of the complaint is that the Company’s proposed spin-off of its Vimeo subsidiary is being driven by IAC’s controlling shareholder, Chairman and Senior Executive Barry Diller, allegedly in order to: (i) generate additional cash for IAC to invest in the gaming industry, (ii) decrease IAC’s stock price to facilitate additional share purchases by Mr. Diller and (iii) generate additional cash for Mr. Diller without diluting his controlling interest in IAC. The complaint also asserts claims under Delaware law against IAC’s board of directors for breach of fiduciary duty on account of its approval of the Spin-off and against IAC and its board of directors for their respective failures to include certain allegedly material information in the Company’s proxy materials related to the proposed transaction. The complaint seeks damages in an unspecified amount, as well as an order requiring the Company to include additional disclosures in the proxy materials related to the proposed transaction. IAC believes that the allegations in this lawsuit are without merit and will defend vigorously against them.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.