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FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value at December 31, 2020 and nonrecurring fair value measurements are classified in the categories described in the tables below (in millions):


	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Recurring fair value measurements
ASSETS:
Cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents:
Money market fund investments	$	10,208	$	—	$	—	$	10,208

Time deposits and certificates of deposit	32		—		—		32





Short-term investments:
Trip.com Group convertible debt securities	—		501		—		501
Long-term investments:
Investments in private companies:
Debt securities	—		—		200		200
Other long-term investments:
Trip.com Group convertible debt securities	—		24		—		24
Equity securities	3,080		—		—		3,080
Derivatives:
Foreign currency exchange derivatives	—		9		—		9
Total assets at fair value	$	13,320	$	534	$	200	$	14,054

LIABILITIES
Foreign currency exchange derivatives	$	—	$	7	$	—	$	7

Nonrecurring fair value measurements
Investments in equity securities of private companies (1)	$	—	$	—	$	404	$	404
Goodwill of the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit (2)	—		—		1,000		1,000
Total nonrecurring fair value measurements	$	—	$	—	$	1,404	$	1,404

(1) At March 31, 2020, the investment in Didi Chuxing was written down to its estimated fair value of $400 million, resulting in an impairment charge of $100 million (see Note 5).

(2) At March 31, 2020, the goodwill of the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit was written down to its estimated fair value of $1.5 billion, resulting in an impairment charge of $489 million. At September 30, 2020, the goodwill was further written down to its estimated fair value of $1.0 billion, resulting in an additional impairment charge of $573 million (see Note 11).

Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value at December 31, 2019 are classified in the categories described in the tables below (in millions):


	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Recurring fair value measurements
ASSETS:
Cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents:
Money market fund investments	$	5,734	$	—	$	—	$	5,734
Corporate debt securities	—		2		—		2
Time deposits and certificates of deposit	29		—		—		29


Short-term investments:
International government securities	—		109		—		109
U.S. government securities	—		138		—		138
Corporate debt securities	—		751		—		751

Long-term investments:
Investments in private companies:
Debt securities	—		—		250		250
Other long-term investments:
International government securities	—		68		—		68
U.S. government securities	—		135		—		135
Corporate debt securities	—		963		—		963
Trip.com Group convertible debt securities	—		767		—		767
Equity securities	1,793		—		—		1,793
Derivatives:
Foreign currency exchange derivatives	—		12		—		12
Total assets at fair value	$	7,556	$	2,945	$	250	$	10,751

LIABILITIES
Foreign currency exchange derivatives	$	—	$	5	$	—	$	5

There are three levels of inputs to measure fair value. The definition of each input is described below:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets that are accessible by the Company at the measurement date for identical assets and liabilities.

Level 2: Inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly. Such prices may be based upon quoted prices for identical or comparable securities in active markets or inputs not quoted on active markets, but corroborated by market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available.

Investments

See Note 5 for additional information related to the Company's investments.

The valuation of investments in corporate debt securities, U.S. and international government securities and Trip.com Group convertible debt securities are considered "Level 2" valuations because the Company has access to quoted prices, but does not have visibility into the volume and frequency of trading for these investments. A market approach is used for recurring fair value measurements and the valuation techniques use inputs that are observable, or can be corroborated by observable data, in an active marketplace.

Investments in private companies measured using Level 3 inputs

The Company’s investments measured using Level 3 inputs primarily consist of preferred stock investments in privately-held companies that are classified as either debt securities or equity securities without readily determinable fair values. Fair values of privately held securities are estimated using a variety of valuation methodologies, including both market and income approaches. The Company has used valuation techniques appropriate for the type of investment and the information available about the investee as of the valuation date to determine fair value. Recent financing transactions in the investee, such as new investments in preferred stock, are generally considered the best indication of the enterprise value and therefore used as a basis to estimate fair value. However, based on a number of factors, such as the proximity in timing to the valuation date or the volume or other terms of these financing transactions, the Company may also use other valuation techniques to supplement this data, including the income approach. In addition, an option-pricing model (“OPM”) is utilized to allocate value to the various classes of securities of the investee, including the class owned by the Company. The model includes assumptions around the investees' expected time to liquidity and volatility.

The Company's investment in Grab, which is classified as a debt security for accounting purposes, had an aggregate estimated fair value of $200 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The Company measured this investment using Level 3 inputs and management's estimates that incorporate current market participant expectations of future cash flows considered alongside recent financing transactions of the investee and other relevant information.

For the investment in equity securities of Didi Chuxing, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company performed an impairment analysis as of March 31, 2020 resulting in an adjusted carrying value of $400 million at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2020. No additional impairment indicators were identified as of December 31, 2020. As discussed below, the Company used unobservable inputs in order to determine fair value. The Company used an income approach in estimating the fair value of Didi Chuxing as of March 31, 2020. The income approach estimates value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows are discounted to their present values using a discount rate based on a company’s weighted-average cost of capital, and is adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in its cash flows. The key unobservable inputs and ranges used include the weighted average cost of capital (12%-14%), terminal EBITDA multiple (13x-15x), volatility (60%-70%) and an estimated time to liquidity of 4 years. Significant changes in any of these inputs in isolation would result in significantly different fair value measurements. Generally, a change in the assumption used for terminal EBITDA multiples would result in a directionally similar change in the fair value and a change in the assumption used for weighted average cost of capital or volatility would result in a directionally opposite change in the fair value.

The determination of the fair values of investments, where the Company is a minority shareholder and has access to limited information from the investee, reflects numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding the investee’s expected growth rates and operating margin, expected length and severity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the investee and the shape and timing of the subsequent recovery, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of the Company's control, such as discount rates and market comparables. It requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than those judgments and estimates utilized in the fair value estimate. Future events and changing market conditions may lead the Company to re-evaluate the assumptions reflected in the valuation, particularly the assumptions related to the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shape and timing of the subsequent recovery and the overall impact on the investee’s business, which may result in a need to recognize an additional impairment charge that could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations.

Derivatives

The Company's derivative instruments are valued using pricing models. Pricing models take into account the contract terms as well as multiple inputs where applicable, such as interest rate yield curves, option volatility and foreign currency exchange rates. The valuation of derivatives are considered "Level 2" fair value measurements. The Company's derivative instruments are typically short-term in nature.

In the normal course of business, the Company is exposed to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. The Company mitigates these risks by following established risk management policies and procedures, including the use of derivatives. The Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge its exposure to the impact of movements in foreign currency exchange rates on its transactional balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. In periods prior to the second quarter of 2020, the Company also entered into foreign currency derivative contracts to hedge translation risks from short-term foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations for the Euro, British Pound Sterling and certain other currencies versus the U.S. Dollar. Since the first quarter of 2020, the Company has not entered into such derivative

instruments as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s operating results are highly uncertain. The Company does not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

The Company reports the fair values of its derivative assets and liabilities on a gross basis in the Consolidated Balance Sheets in "Other current assets" and "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities," respectively. Unless designated as hedges for accounting purposes, gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair values of derivative instruments are recognized in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period that the changes occur and cash flow impacts, if any, are classified within "Net cash provided by operating activities" in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company did not designate any derivatives as hedges for accounting purposes.

The table below provides estimated fair values and notional amounts of foreign currency exchange derivatives outstanding at December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in millions). The notional amount of a foreign currency forward contract is the contracted amount of foreign currency to be exchanged and is not recorded in the balance sheet.


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Estimated fair value of derivative assets	$	9	$	12
Estimated fair value of derivative liabilities	7		5

Notional amount:
Foreign currency purchases	898		1,770
Foreign currency sales	839		901

The effect of foreign currency exchange derivatives recorded in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 is as follows (in millions):


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Losses on foreign currency exchange derivatives	$	31	$	19	$	44

Other Financial Assets and Liabilities

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company's cash consisted of bank deposits. Cash equivalents principally include money market fund investments, time deposits and certificates of deposit. Other financial assets and liabilities, including restricted cash, accounts payable, accrued expenses and deferred merchant bookings, are carried at cost which approximates their fair value because of the short-term nature of these items. Accounts receivable and other financial assets measured at amortized cost are carried at cost less an allowance for expected credit losses to present the net amount expected to be collected (see Note 7). See Note 12 for the estimated fair value of the Company's outstanding senior notes and Note 5 for information related to an embedded derivative associated with the $25 million Trip.com Group convertible notes issued in 2016.

Goodwill

See Note 11 for nonrecurring fair value measurements related to the goodwill impairment test.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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