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The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Company

We are a global technology company that enables commerce through two reportable segments: Marketplaces and Payments. Our Marketplaces segment includes our eBay.com platform and its localized counterparts and our other online platforms, such as our online classifieds sites and StubHub. Our Payments segment is comprised of our PayPal business.

During the second quarter of 2015, our Board of Directors approved a plan to sell the businesses underlying our Enterprise segment. As a result, we have classified the results of our Enterprise segment as discontinued operations in our condensed consolidated statement of income for all periods presented. Additionally, the related assets and liabilities associated with the discontinued operations are classified as held for sale in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. On July 16, 2015, we signed a definitive agreement to sell these businesses and, subject to customary closing conditions, we expect to close this transaction in the second half of 2015. See "Note 4 - Discontinued Operations" for additional information.

On September 30, 2014, we announced that our Board of Directors, following a strategic review of our growth strategies and structure, approved a plan to separate PayPal (consisting of our Payments segment) into an independent publicly traded company. On July 17, 2015, we completed the distribution of 100% of the outstanding common stock of PayPal Holdings, Inc. to our stockholders (the "Distribution"). See "Note 18 - Subsequent Events" for additional information.

We are required to comply with various regulations worldwide in order to operate our businesses, particularly our Payments business. We also partner with banks and other financial institutions to offer our Payments services globally. Changes in laws or regulations, non-compliance with laws or regulations or loss of key bank or financial institution partners could have a significant adverse impact on our ability to operate our Payments business; therefore, we monitor these areas closely with the goal of mitigating potential adverse impacts.

When we refer to “we,” “our,” “us” or “eBay” in this document, we mean the current Delaware corporation (eBay Inc.) and its California predecessor, as well as all of our consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

Use of estimates

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to provisions for transaction and loan losses, legal contingencies, income taxes, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, goodwill and the recoverability of intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of consolidation and basis of presentation

The accompanying condensed financial statements are consolidated and include the financial statements of eBay Inc., our wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities (“VIE”) where we are the primary beneficiary. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Minority interests are recorded as a noncontrolling interest. A qualitative approach is applied to assess the consolidation requirement for VIEs. Investments in entities where we hold at least a 20% ownership interest and have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the investee are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. For such investments, our share of the investees' results of operations is included in interest and other, net and our investment balance is included in long-term investments. Investments in entities where we hold less than a 20% ownership interest are generally accounted for using the cost method of accounting, and our share of the investees' results of operations is included in our condensed consolidated statement of income to the extent dividends are received.

These condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. We have evaluated all subsequent events through the date these condensed consolidated financial statements were issued. In the opinion of management, these condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are necessary for fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial statements for interim periods.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In 2014, the FASB issued new guidance related to reporting discontinued operations. This new standard raises the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation and requires new disclosures of both discontinued operations and certain other disposals that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. The new standard is now effective for the Company. The standard impacted the presentation of our Enterprise segment during the second quarter of 2015 related to the financial statement presentation of assets held for sale and required additional disclosures as presented in "Note 4 - Discontinued Operations." In a similar manner, the standard will also impact our financial statements that are issued after the Distribution.

In 2014, the FASB issued new accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. This new standard will replace all current GAAP guidance on this topic and eliminate all industry-specific guidance. The new revenue recognition guidance provides a unified model to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration for which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. In July 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date to January 1, 2018 with early adoption beginning January 1, 2017. We are evaluating the impact of adopting this new accounting guidance on our financial statements.

In 2014, the FASB issued new guidance related to development-stage entities. The new standard removes all incremental financial reporting requirements from GAAP for development-stage entities. The accounting standards update also removes an exception provided to development stage entities in consolidations for determining whether an entity is a variable interest entity. As of the first annual period beginning after December 15, 2014, the presentation and disclosure requirements in Topic 915 will no longer be required. The revised consolidation standards are effective one year later, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of the presentation and disclosure requirements in Topic 915 did not have a material impact on our financial statements. We are evaluating the impact, if any, of adopting the remaining new accounting guidance on our financial statements.

In 2014, the FASB issued new guidance on the disclosures related to going concern. The new standard provides guidance around management's responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.

In 2014, the FASB issued new guidance related to pushdown accounting. The new guidance provides an acquired entity with an option to apply pushdown accounting in its separate financial statements upon occurrence of an event in which an acquirer obtains control of the acquired entity. The amendments are effective on November 18, 2014. We adopted this guidance, as required, on November 18, 2014. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In 2015, the FASB issued new guidance related to consolidations. The new standard amends the guidelines for determining whether certain legal entities should be consolidated and reduces the number of consolidation models. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. We are evaluating the impact, if any, of adopting this new accounting guidance on our financial statements.

In 2015, the FASB issued new guidance related to presentation of debt issuance costs. The new standard requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.

In 2015, the FASB issued new guidance related to accounting for fees paid in a cloud computing arrangement. The new standard provides guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. We are evaluating the impact, if any, of adopting this new accounting guidance on our financial statements.

In 2015, the FASB issued new guidance related to pushdown accounting. The new guidance removes references to the SEC guidance on pushdown accounting from the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The amendments therefore conform the FASB’s guidance on pushdown accounting with the SEC’s guidance. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements.