Edgar Filing: AMAZON COM INC

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

____________________________________

FORM 10-Q

____________________________________

(Mark One)



x	QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2016



¨	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to .

Commission File No. 000-22513

____________________________________

AMAZON.COM, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

____________________________________



Delaware		91-1646860
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109-5210

(206) 266-1000

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

____________________________________

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨

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



Large accelerated filer	x	Accelerated filer	¨

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x

474,073,542 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding as of July 20, 2016

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended June 30, 2016

INDEX



		Page
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1	Financial Statements	3
	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	3
	Consolidated Statements of Operations	4
	Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)	5
	Consolidated Balance Sheets	6
	Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	7
Item 2	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	17
Item 3	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	32
Item 4	Controls and Procedures	33

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1	Legal Proceedings	34
Item 1A	Risk Factors	34
Item 2	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	43
Item 3	Defaults Upon Senior Securities	43
Item 4	Mine Safety Disclosures	43
Item 5	Other Information	43
Item 6	Exhibits	43
Signatures		44

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION



Item 1.	Financial Statements

AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in millions)

(unaudited)



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,						Twelve Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015			2016			2015
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD	$	12,470		$	10,237		$	15,890		$	14,557		$	10,269		$	5,057
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income (loss)	857			92			1,370			35			1,931			(188		)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash from operating activities:
Depreciation of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, and other amortization, including capitalized content costs	1,909			1,504			3,736			2,930			7,087			5,557
Stock-based compensation	768			563			1,312			969			2,461			1,755
Other operating expense (income), net	53			42			97			87			166			153
Losses (gains) on sales of marketable securities, net	1			1			3			2			6			(1		)
Other expense (income), net	31			18			(21		)	109			115			229
Deferred income taxes	106			(43		)	117			(45		)	243			(130		)
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	(113		)	(95		)	(320		)	(117		)	(323		)	(1		)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Inventories	(57		)	(27		)	712			693			(2,167		)	(1,291		)
Accounts receivable, net and other	(1,184		)	(430		)	(772		)	11			(2,538		)	(1,456		)
Accounts payable	977			373			(4,793		)	(3,876		)	3,377			2,901
Accrued expenses and other	(15		)	(129		)	(972		)	(1,068		)	1,007			387
Additions to unearned revenue	2,340			1,397			5,154			3,200			9,355			5,647
Amortization of previously unearned revenue	(2,208		)	(1,269		)	(4,318		)	(2,432		)	(7,994		)	(4,582		)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	3,465			1,997			1,305			498			12,726			8,980
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net	(1,711		)	(1,213		)	(2,890		)	(2,084		)	(5,395		)	(4,607		)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and other	(14		)	(8		)	(30		)	(374		)	(452		)	(1,287		)
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	931			470			2,069			845			4,249			2,639
Purchases of marketable securities	(1,645		)	(625		)	(2,281		)	(1,610		)	(4,762		)	(3,379		)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(2,439		)	(1,376		)	(3,132		)	(3,223		)	(6,360		)	(6,634		)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	113			95			320			117			323			1
Proceeds from long-term debt and other	66			44			75			226			202			6,236
Repayments of long-term debt and other	(70		)	(215		)	(245		)	(531		)	(1,366		)	(797		)
Principal repayments of capital lease obligations	(1,116		)	(580		)	(1,917		)	(1,082		)	(3,298		)	(1,832		)
Principal repayments of finance lease obligations	(32		)	(35		)	(61		)	(74		)	(108		)	(155		)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(1,039		)	(691		)	(1,828		)	(1,344		)	(4,247		)	3,453
Foreign currency effect on cash and cash equivalents	64			102			286			(219		)	133			(587		)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	51			32			(3,369		)	(4,288		)	2,252			5,212
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD	$	12,521		$	10,269		$	12,521		$	10,269		$	12,521		$	10,269
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Cash paid for interest on long-term debt	$	143		$	152		$	145		$	169		$	301		$	212
Cash paid for interest on capital and finance lease obligations	48			35			95			67			180			119
Cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds)	88			65			226			119			380			188
Property and equipment acquired under capital leases	1,422			1,384			2,297			2,338			4,676			4,710
Property and equipment acquired under build-to-suit leases	231			153			582			256			870			813

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in millions, except per share data)

(unaudited)



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Net product sales	$	21,116		$	17,104		$	41,697		$	34,187
Net service sales	9,288			6,081			17,835			11,714
Total net sales	30,404			23,185			59,532			45,901
Operating expenses:
Cost of sales	19,180			15,160			38,047			30,555
Fulfillment	3,878			2,876			7,565			5,634
Marketing	1,546			1,150			2,982			2,233
Technology and content	3,880			3,020			7,405			5,774
General and administrative	580			467			1,077			894
Other operating expense (income), net	55			48			100			92
Total operating expenses	29,119			22,721			57,176			45,182
Operating income	1,285			464			2,356			719
Interest income	24			12			45			23
Interest expense	(116		)	(114		)	(233		)	(228		)
Other income (expense), net	(14		)	—			66			(131		)
Total non-operating income (expense)	(106		)	(102		)	(122		)	(336		)
Income before income taxes	1,179			362			2,234			383
Provision for income taxes	(307		)	(266		)	(782		)	(337		)
Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	(15		)	(4		)	(82		)	(11		)
Net income	$	857		$	92		$	1,370		$	35
Basic earnings per share	$	1.81		$	0.20		$	2.90		$	0.07
Diluted earnings per share	$	1.78		$	0.19		$	2.84		$	0.07
Weighted-average shares used in computation of earnings per share:
Basic	473			467			472			466
Diluted	483			476			482			475

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(in millions)

(unaudited)



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Net income	$	857	$	92	$	1,370	$	35
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $36, $1, $13, and $0	11		128		113		(114		)
Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized gains (losses), net of tax of $(17), $(8), $(17), and $(8)	31		6		37		7
Reclassification adjustment for losses (gains) included in “Other income (expense), net,” net of tax of $0, $0, $(1), and $(1)	1		1		2		1
Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities	32		7		39		8
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	43		135		152		(106		)
Comprehensive income (loss)	$	900	$	227	$	1,522	$	(71	)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in millions, except per share data)



	June 30, 2016			December 31, 2015
	(unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	12,521		$	15,890
Marketable securities	4,019			3,918
Inventories	9,588			10,243
Accounts receivable, net and other	6,092			5,654
Total current assets	32,220			35,705
Property and equipment, net	25,190			21,838
Goodwill	3,774			3,759
Other assets	3,892			3,445
Total assets	$	65,076		$	64,747
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	16,123		$	20,397
Accrued expenses and other	9,613			10,372
Unearned revenue	3,851			3,118
Total current liabilities	29,587			33,887
Long-term debt	8,212			8,227
Other long-term liabilities	10,739			9,249
Commitments and contingencies (Note 3)
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value:
Authorized shares — 500
Issued and outstanding shares — none	—			—
Common stock, $0.01 par value:
Authorized shares — 5,000
Issued shares — 497 and 494
Outstanding shares — 474 and 471	5			5
Treasury stock, at cost	(1,837		)	(1,837		)
Additional paid-in capital	15,026			13,394
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(571		)	(723		)
Retained earnings	3,915			2,545
Total stockholders’ equity	16,538			13,384
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	65,076		$	64,747

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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AMAZON.COM, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

Note 1 — ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Unaudited Interim Financial Information

We have prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial reporting. These consolidated financial statements are unaudited and, in our opinion, include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals necessary for a fair presentation of our consolidated balance sheets, operating results, and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for 2016 due to seasonal and other factors. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Prior Period Reclassifications

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation, including the allocation of stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net” to segment results within “Note 7 — Segment Information.” These revised segment results reflect the way the Company evaluates its business performance and manages its operations. In Q1 2016, current deferred tax assets and current deferred tax liabilities were reclassified as non-current. See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” below. We also reclassified our capitalized debt issuance costs from “Other assets” to “Long-term debt” as a result of the adoption of new accounting guidance. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Amazon.com, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and those entities in which we have a variable interest and of which we are the primary beneficiary, including certain entities in India and China (collectively, the “Company”). Intercompany balances and transactions between consolidated entities are eliminated.

Use of Estimates

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares including the dilutive effect of stock awards as determined under the treasury stock method. In periods when we have a net loss, stock awards are excluded from our calculation of earnings per share as their inclusion would have an antidilutive effect.

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The following table shows the calculation of diluted shares (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,		Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016	2015	2016	2015
Shares used in computation of basic earnings per share	473	467	472	466
Total dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	10	9	10	9
Shares used in computation of diluted earnings per share	483	476	482	475

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) amending revenue recognition guidance and requiring more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. In August 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of the revenue recognition guidance to reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We are continuing to evaluate our method of adoption and the impact this ASU, and related amendments and interpretations, will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2015, the FASB issued an ASU amending the accounting for income taxes and requiring all deferred tax assets and liabilities to be classified as non-current on the consolidated balance sheets. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The ASU may be adopted either prospectively or retrospectively. We adopted this ASU in Q1 2016 and retrospectively adjusted prior periods. Upon adoption, current deferred tax assets of $769 million and current deferred tax liabilities of $13 million in our December 31, 2015 consolidated balance sheet were reclassified as non-current.

In February 2016, the FASB issued an ASU amending the accounting for leases. The new guidance requires the recognition of lease assets and liabilities for operating leases with terms of more than 12 months, in addition to those currently recorded, on our consolidated balance sheets. Presentation of leases within the consolidated statements of operations and consolidated statements of cash flows will be generally consistent with the current lease accounting guidance. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the ASU; however, we expect the ASU will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements, primarily to the consolidated balance sheets and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued an ASU amending the accounting for stock-based compensation and requiring excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be recognized as a component of income tax expense rather than equity. This guidance also requires excess tax benefits to be presented as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows and allows an entity to make an accounting policy election to either estimate expected forfeitures or to account for them as they occur. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the ASU; however, we expect the ASU will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Note 2 — CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND MARKETABLE SECURITIES

As of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities primarily consisted of cash, U.S. and foreign government and agency securities, AAA-rated money market funds, and other investment grade securities. Cash equivalents and marketable securities are recorded at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. To increase the comparability of fair value measures, the following hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation methodologies used to measure fair value:

Level 1—Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.

Level 2—Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3—Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting our own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. These valuations require significant judgment.

We measure the fair value of money market funds and equity securities based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. All other financial instruments were valued either based on recent trades of securities in inactive markets or based on quoted market prices of similar instruments and other significant inputs derived from or corroborated by

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observable market data. We did not hold any cash, cash equivalents, or marketable securities categorized as Level 3 assets as of June 30, 2016, or December 31, 2015.

The following tables summarize, by major security type, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy (in millions):



	June 30, 2016										December 31, 2015
	Cost or Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Total Estimated Fair Value			Total Estimated Fair Value
Cash	$	6,126	$	—	$	—		$	6,126		$	6,201
Level 1 securities:
Money market funds	6,802		—		—			6,802			8,025
Equity securities	23		57		—			80			15
Level 2 securities:
Foreign government and agency securities	50		—		—			50			49
U.S. government and agency securities	3,180		4		(3		)	3,181			5,167
Corporate debt securities	538		2		—			540			477
Asset-backed securities	147		—		(1		)	146			117
Other fixed income securities	70		1		—			71			42
	$	16,936	$	64	$	(4	)	$	16,996		$	20,093
Less: Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities (1)								(456		)	(285		)
Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities								$	16,540		$	19,808

___________________

(1)

We are required to pledge or otherwise restrict a portion of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt, real estate leases, and amounts due to third-party sellers in certain jurisdictions. We classify cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities with use restrictions of less than twelve months as “Accounts receivable, net and other” and of twelve months or longer as non-current “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. See “Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies.”

The following table summarizes the contractual maturities of our cash equivalents and marketable fixed-income securities as of June 30, 2016 (in millions):



	Amortized Cost		Estimated Fair Value
Due within one year	$	9,138	$	9,140
Due after one year through five years	1,272		1,275
Due after five years through ten years	155		154
Due after ten years	222		221
Total	$	10,787	$	10,790

Actual maturities may differ from the contractual maturities because borrowers may have certain prepayment conditions.

We also hold equity warrant assets giving us the right to acquire stock of other companies. As of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, these warrants had a fair value of $133 million and $16 million, and are recorded within “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. The related gain (loss) recorded in “Other income (expense), net” was $(26) million and $0 in Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $(20) million and $2 million in the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. These assets are primarily classified as Level 2 assets.

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Note 3 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

We have entered into non-cancellable operating, capital, and finance leases for equipment and office, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, data center, and renewable energy facilities. Rental expense under operating lease agreements was $336 million and $267 million for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $657 million and $533 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.

The following summarizes our principal contractual commitments, excluding open orders for purchases that support normal operations, as of June 30, 2016 (in millions):



	Six Months Ended December 31,		Year Ended December 31,
	2016		2017		2018		2019		2020		Thereafter		Total
Debt principal and interest	$	166	$	1,324	$	312	$	1,272	$	246	$	9,157	$	12,477
Capital lease obligations, including interest (1)	1,607		3,251		1,995		691		268		184		7,996
Finance lease obligations, including interest (2)	88		177		181		185		188		1,582		2,401
Operating leases	670		1,140		1,034		909		848		3,553		8,154
Unconditional purchase obligations (3)	341		699		506		263		123		35		1,967
Other commitments (4) (5)	736		573		430		339		283		2,062		4,423
Total commitments	$	3,608	$	7,164	$	4,458	$	3,659	$	1,956	$	16,573	$	37,418

___________________


(1)	Excluding interest, current capital lease obligations of $3.4 billion and $3.0 billion are recorded within “Accrued expenses and other” as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, and $4.3 billion and $4.2 billion are recorded within “Other long-term liabilities” as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015.


(2)	Excluding interest, current finance lease obligations of $107 million and $99 million are recorded within “Accrued expenses and other” as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, and $1.8 billion and $1.7 billion are recorded within “Other long-term liabilities” as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015.

(3)

Includes unconditional purchase obligations related to long-term agreements to acquire and license digital media content that are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. For those agreements with variable terms, we do not estimate the total obligation beyond any minimum quantities and/or pricing as of the reporting date. Purchase obligations associated with renewal provisions solely at the option of the content provider are included to the extent such commitments are fixed or a minimum amount is specified.


(4)	Includes the estimated timing and amounts of payments for rent and tenant improvements associated with build-to-suit lease arrangements and equipment lease arrangements that have not been placed in service and digital media content liabilities associated with long-term digital media content assets with initial terms greater than one year.


(5)	Excludes $1.6 billion of tax contingencies for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment, if any.

Pledged Assets

As of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, we have pledged or otherwise restricted $581 million and $418 million of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, and certain property and equipment as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt relating to certain international operations, real estate leases, and amounts due to third-party sellers in certain jurisdictions.

Other Contingencies

As previously disclosed, we recently determined that we processed and delivered orders of consumer products for certain individuals and entities located outside Iran covered by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act or other United States sanctions and export control laws. The consumer products included books, music, other media, apparel, home and kitchen, health and beauty, jewelry, office, consumer electronics, software, lawn and patio, grocery, and automotive products. Our review is ongoing and we have voluntarily reported these orders to the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. We intend to cooperate fully with OFAC and BIS with respect to their review, which may result in the imposition of penalties. For additional information, see Item 5 of Part II, “Other Information - Disclosure Pursuant to Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act.”

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Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved from time to time in claims, proceedings, and litigation, including the matters described in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Note 7 — Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Proceedings” of our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Item 1 of Part 1, “Financial Statements — Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Proceedings” of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Period Ended March 31, 2016, as supplemented by the following:

In December 2013, Appistry, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 8,200,746, entitled “System And Method For Territory-Based Processing Of Information,” and 8,341,209, entitled “System And Method For Processing Information Via Networked Computers Including Request Handlers, Process Handlers, And Task Handlers.” The complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, treble damages, costs, and interest. In March 2015, the case was transferred to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. In July 2015, the court granted our motion for judgment on the pleadings and invalidated the patents-in-suit. In August 2015, the court entered judgment in our favor. In September 2015, the plaintiff appealed that judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and filed a new complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The 2015 complaint alleges, among other things, that Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud, Simple Workflow, and Herd infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 8,682,959, entitled “System And Method For Fault Tolerant Processing Of Information Via Networked Computers Including Request Handlers, Process Handlers, And Task Handlers,” and 9,049,267, entitled “System And Method For Processing Information Via Networked Computers Including Request Handlers, Process Handlers, And Task Handlers.” The 2015 complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, treble damages, costs, and interest. In July 2016, the court invalidated the patents asserted in the 2015 complaint and granted our motion to dismiss the complaint with prejudice. In July 2016, Appistry appealed that judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in these matters.

In March 2014, Kaavo, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Amazon Web Services’ Elastic Beanstalk and CloudFormation infringe U.S. Patent No. 8,271,974, entitled “Cloud Computing Lifecycle Management For N-Tier Applications.” The complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, costs, and interest. In June 2015, the case was stayed pending resolution of a motion for judgment on the pleadings in a related case. In May 2016, the case was reopened for claim construction discovery. In July 2015, Kaavo Inc. filed another complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The 2015 complaint alleges, among other things, that CloudFormation infringes U.S. Patent No. 9,043,751, entitled “Methods And Devices For Managing A Cloud Computing Environment.” The 2015 complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, enhanced damages, attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest. In January 2016, the 2015 case was stayed pending resolution of a motion for judgment on the pleadings. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in these matters.

In March 2015, Zitovault, LLC filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon.com, LLC, Amazon Web Services, Inc., and Amazon Web Services, LLC for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleges that Elastic Compute Cloud, Virtual Private Cloud, Elastic Load Balancing, Auto-Scaling, and Elastic Beanstalk infringe U.S. Patent No. 6,484,257, entitled “System and Method for Maintaining N Number of Simultaneous Cryptographic Sessions Using a Distributed Computing Environment.” The complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of damages, enhanced damages, attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest. In January 2016, the case was transferred to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. In June 2016, the case was stayed pending resolution of a review petition we filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.

The outcomes of our legal proceedings and other contingencies are inherently unpredictable, subject to significant uncertainties, and could be material to our operating results and cash flows for a particular period. In addition, for some matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably possible, an estimate of the amount of loss or range of losses is not possible and we may be unable to estimate the possible loss or range of losses that could potentially result from the application of non-monetary remedies.

See also “Note 6 — Income Taxes.”

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Note 4 — LONG-TERM DEBT

In December 2014, and November 2012, we issued $6.0 billion and $3.0 billion of unsecured senior notes, of which $8.3 billion is outstanding, as described in the table below (collectively, the “Notes”). As of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, the unamortized discount on the Notes was $94 million and $97 million. We also have other long-term debt with a carrying amount, including the current portion, of $97 million and $312 million as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015. The face value of our total long-term debt obligations is as follows (in millions):



	June 30, 2016			December 31, 2015
1.20% Notes due on November 29, 2017 (1)	$	1,000		$	1,000
2.50% Notes due on November 29, 2022 (1)	1,250			1,250
2.60% Notes due on December 5, 2019 (2)	1,000			1,000
3.30% Notes due on December 5, 2021 (2)	1,000			1,000
3.80% Notes due on December 5, 2024 (2)	1,250			1,250
4.80% Notes due on December 5, 2034 (2)	1,250			1,250
4.95% Notes due on December 5, 2044 (2)	1,500			1,500
Other long-term debt	97			312
Total debt	8,347			8,562
Less current portion of long-term debt	(41		)	(238		)
Face value of long-term debt	$	8,306		$	8,324

_____________________________


(1)	Issued in November 2012, effective interest rates of the 2017 and 2022 Notes were 1.38% and 2.66%.


(2)	Issued in December 2014, effective interest rates of the 2019, 2021, 2024, 2034, and 2044 Notes were 2.73%, 3.43%, 3.90%, 4.92%, and 5.11%.

Interest on the Notes issued in 2014 is payable semi-annually in arrears in June and December. Interest on the Notes issued in 2012 is payable semi-annually in arrears in May and November. We may redeem the Notes at any time in whole, or from time to time, in part at specified redemption prices. We are not subject to any financial covenants under the Notes. The proceeds from the Notes are used for general corporate purposes. The estimated fair value of the Notes was approximately $9.1 billion and $8.5 billion as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, which is based on quoted prices for our publicly-traded debt as of those dates.

The other debt, including the current portion, had a weighted-average interest rate of 2.45% and 3.74% as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015. We used the net proceeds from the issuance of this debt primarily to fund certain international operations. The estimated fair value of the other long-term debt, which is based on Level 2 inputs, approximated its carrying value as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015.

On May 20, 2016, we entered into an unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Agreement”) with a syndicate of lenders that provides us with a borrowing capacity of up to $3.0 billion. This Credit Agreement replaces the prior credit agreement entered into on September 5, 2014. The Credit Agreement has a term of three years, but it may be extended for up to three additional one-year terms if approved by the lenders. The initial interest rate applicable to outstanding balances under the Credit Agreement is the London interbank offered rate (“LIBOR”) plus 0.60%, with a commitment fee of 0.05% on the undrawn portion of the credit facility, under our current credit ratings. If our credit ratings are downgraded these rates could increase to as much as LIBOR plus 1.00% and 0.09%, respectively. There were no borrowings outstanding under the credit agreements as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015.

Note 5 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Stock Repurchase Activity

In February 2016, the Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $5 billion of our common stock, with no fixed expiration. This stock repurchase authorization replaces the previous $2 billion stock repurchase authorization, approved by the Board of Directors in 2010. There were no repurchases of common stock in Q2 2016 or Q2 2015.

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Stock Award Activity

Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying outstanding stock awards totaled 495 million as of June 30, 2016, and 490 million as of December 31, 2015. These totals include all vested and unvested stock awards outstanding, including those awards we estimate will be forfeited. Stock-based compensation expense is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Fulfillment	$	186	$	132	$	302	$	222
Marketing	80		50		136		84
Technology and content	419		319		737		552
General and administrative	83		62		137		111
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	768	$	563	$	1,312	$	969

The compensation expense for stock options, the total intrinsic value for stock options outstanding, the amount of cash received from the exercise of stock options, and the related tax benefits were not material for the six months ended June 30, 2016.

The following table summarizes our restricted stock unit activity for the six months ended June 30, 2016 (in millions):



	Number of Units		Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015	18.9		$	362
Units granted	6.3		609
Units vested	(3.1	)	309
Units forfeited	(1.2	)	401
Outstanding as of June 30, 2016	20.9		$	443

Scheduled vesting for outstanding restricted stock units as of June 30, 2016, is as follows (in millions):



	Six Months Ended December 31,	Year Ended December 31,
	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	Thereafter	Total
Scheduled vesting—restricted stock units	3.1	7.1	6.9	2.7	0.8	0.3	20.9

As of June 30, 2016, there was $4.5 billion of net unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock-based compensation arrangements. This compensation is recognized on an accelerated basis with approximately half of the compensation expected to be expensed in the next twelve months, and has a weighted-average recognition period of 1.2 years.

Note 6 — INCOME TAXES

Our tax provision or benefit from income taxes for interim periods is determined using an estimate of our annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any, that are taken into account in the relevant period. Each quarter we update our estimate of the annual effective tax rate, and if our estimated tax rate changes, we make a cumulative adjustment.

Our quarterly tax provision, and our quarterly estimate of our annual effective tax rate, is subject to significant variation due to several factors, including variability in accurately predicting our pre-tax and taxable income and loss and the mix of jurisdictions to which they relate, changes in how we do business, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments, audit-related developments, foreign currency gains (losses), tax law developments (including changes in statutes, regulations, case law, and administrative practices), and relative changes of expenses or losses for which tax benefits are not recognized. Additionally, our effective tax rate can be more or less volatile based on the amount of pre-tax income or loss. For example, the impact of discrete items and non-deductible expenses on our effective tax rate is greater when our pre-tax income is lower.

For 2016, our effective tax rate will be favorably affected by the impact of the U.S. federal research and development credit, an increase in amount of pre-tax income relative to income tax expense, an increase in amortization deductions for which we will realize a tax benefit, and a decline in the proportion of nondeductible expenses and losses for which we may not realize a related tax benefit. We record valuation allowances against the deferred tax assets associated with losses for which we

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may not realize a related tax benefit. Our effective tax rate will also be adversely affected by state income taxes. We will generate income and losses in lower tax jurisdictions primarily related to our European operations, which are headquartered in Luxembourg.

Our income tax provision for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $782 million, which included $70 million of discrete tax benefits primarily attributable to audit-related and tax law developments. Our income tax provision for the six months ended June 30, 2015 was $337 million, which included $41 million of discrete tax expense primarily attributed to acquisition integrations. Cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds) was $88 million and $65 million in Q2 2016 and Q2 2015 and $226 million and $119 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.

As of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, tax contingencies were $1.6 billion and $1.2 billion. We expect the total amount of tax contingencies will grow in 2016. In addition, changes in state, federal, and foreign tax laws may increase our tax contingencies. The timing of the resolution of income tax examinations is highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from the amounts accrued. It is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months we will receive additional assessments by various tax authorities or possibly reach resolution of income tax examinations in one or more jurisdictions. These assessments or settlements may or may not result in changes to our contingencies related to positions on prior years’ tax filings.

We are under examination, or may be subject to examination, by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the calendar year 2005 and thereafter. These examinations may lead to ordinary course adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes or our net operating losses with respect to years under examination as well as subsequent periods. As previously disclosed, we have received Notices of Proposed Adjustment from the IRS for transactions undertaken in the 2005 and 2006 calendar years relating to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries. The IRS is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income by an amount that would result in additional federal tax of approximately $1.5 billion, subject to interest. To date, we have not resolved this matter administratively and are currently contesting it in U.S. Tax Court. We continue to disagree with these IRS positions and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter. In addition to the risk of additional tax for 2005 and 2006 transactions, if this litigation is adversely determined or if the IRS were to seek transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature for transactions in subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities.

Certain of our subsidiaries are under examination or investigation or may be subject to examination or investigation by the French Tax Administration (“FTA”) for calendar year 2006 and thereafter. These examinations may lead to ordinary course adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes. In September 2012, we received proposed tax assessment notices for calendar years 2006 through 2010 relating to the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions. In June 2015, we received final tax collection notices for these years assessing additional French tax of €196 million, including interest and penalties through September 2012. We disagree with the assessment and intend to contest it vigorously. We plan to pursue all available administrative remedies, and if we are not able to resolve this matter, we plan to pursue judicial remedies. In addition to the risk of additional tax for years 2006 through 2010, if this litigation is adversely determined or if the FTA were to seek adjustments of a similar nature for subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. In addition, in October 2014, the European Commission opened a formal investigation to examine whether decisions by the tax authorities in Luxembourg with regard to the corporate income tax paid by certain of our subsidiaries comply with European Union rules on state aid. If this matter is adversely resolved, Luxembourg may be required to assess, and we may be required to pay, additional amounts with respect to current and prior periods from 2003 onwards and our taxes in the future could increase. We are also subject to taxation in various states and other foreign jurisdictions including Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. We are under, or may be subject to, audit or examination and additional assessments by the relevant authorities in respect of these particular jurisdictions primarily for 2008 and thereafter.

Note 7 — SEGMENT INFORMATION

We have organized our operations into three segments: North America, International, and AWS. We allocate to segment results the operating expenses “Fulfillment,” “Marketing,” “Technology and content,” and “General and administrative” based on usage, which is generally reflected in the segment in which the costs are incurred. The majority of technology infrastructure expenses are allocated to the AWS segment based on usage. The majority of the remaining non-infrastructure technology costs are incurred in the U.S. and are allocated to our North America segment. In Q1 2016, we began allocating stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net” to our segment results. In our segment results, these amounts are combined and titled “Stock-based compensation and other.” There are no internal revenue transactions between our reportable segments. These segments reflect the way the Company evaluates its business performance and manages its operations.

North America

The North America segment primarily consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products (including from sellers) and subscriptions through North America-focused websites such as www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.com.mx. This segment includes export sales from these websites.

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International

The International segment primarily consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products (including from sellers) and subscriptions through internationally-focused websites such as www.amazon.com.au, www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.in, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.nl, www.amazon.es, and www.amazon.co.uk. This segment includes export sales from these internationally-focused websites (including export sales from these sites to customers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada), but excludes export sales from our North American websites.

AWS

The AWS segment consists of amounts earned from global sales of compute, storage, database, and other AWS service offerings for start-ups, enterprises, government agencies, and academic institutions.

Information on reportable segments and reconciliation to consolidated net income is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
North America
Net sales	$	17,674		$	13,796		$	34,670		$	27,202
Operating expenses	16,517			13,093			32,590			25,982
Operating income before stock-based compensation and other	1,157			703			$	2,080		$	1,220
Stock-based compensation and other	455			355			790			617
Operating income	$	702		$	348		$	1,290		$	603
International
Net sales	$	9,844		$	7,565		$	19,410		$	15,310
Operating expenses	9,756			7,584			19,301			15,405
Operating income (loss) before stock-based compensation and other	88			(19		)	$	109		$	(95	)
Stock-based compensation and other	223			170			364			288
Operating income (loss)	$	(135	)	$	(189	)	$	(255	)	$	(383	)
AWS
Net sales	$	2,886		$	1,824		$	5,452		$	3,389
Operating expenses	2,023			1,433			3,873			2,734
Operating income before stock-based compensation and other	863			391			$	1,579		$	655
Stock-based compensation and other	145			86			258			156
Operating income	$	718		$	305		$	1,321		$	499
Consolidated
Net sales	$	30,404		$	23,185		$	59,532		$	45,901
Operating expenses	28,296			22,110			55,764			44,121
Operating income before stock-based compensation and other	2,108			1,075			3,768			1,780
Stock-based compensation and other	823			611			1,412			1,061
Operating income	1,285			464			2,356			719
Total non-operating income (expense)	(106		)	(102		)	(122		)	(336		)
Provision for income taxes	(307		)	(266		)	(782		)	(337		)
Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	(15		)	(4		)	(82		)	(11		)
Net income	$	857		$	92		$	1,370		$	35

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We have aggregated our products and services into groups of similar products and services and provided the supplemental disclosure of net sales (in millions) below. We evaluate whether additional disclosure is appropriate when a product or service category begins to approach a significant level of net sales. For the periods presented, no individual product or service represented more than 10% of net sales.



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Net Sales:
Media	$	5,211	$	4,714	$	10,899	$	10,002
Electronics and other general merchandise	21,963		16,412		42,507		32,041
AWS	2,886		1,824		5,452		3,389
Other (1)	344		235		674		469
Consolidated	$	30,404	$	23,185	$	59,532	$	45,901

___________________


(1)	Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as certain advertising services and our co-branded credit card agreements.

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Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding guidance, industry prospects, or future results of operations or financial position, made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are forward-looking. We use words such as anticipates, believes, expects, future, intends, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons, including, among others, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and customer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet, online commerce, and cloud services, the amount that Amazon.com invests in new business opportunities and the timing of those investments, the mix of products and services sold to customers, the mix of net sales derived from products as compared with services, the extent to which we owe income taxes, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international growth and expansion, the outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and data center optimization, risks of inventory management, seasonality, the degree to which we enter into, maintain, and develop commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, payments risks, and risks of fulfillment throughput and productivity. In addition, the current global economic climate amplifies many of these risks. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations, are described in greater detail in Item 1A of Part II, “Risk Factors.”

For additional information, see Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Overview” of our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Judgments

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. The SEC has defined a company’s critical accounting policies as the ones that are most important to the portrayal of the company’s financial condition and results of operations, and which require the company to make its most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting policies and judgments addressed below. We also have other key accounting policies, which involve the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that are significant to understanding our results. For additional information, see Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Note 1 — Description of Business and Accounting Policies,” of our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 1 — Accounting Policies,” of this Form 10-Q. Although we believe that our estimates, assumptions, and judgments are reasonable, they are based upon information presently available. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments, or conditions.

Inventories

Inventories, consisting of products available for sale, are primarily accounted for using the first-in first-out method, and are valued at the lower of cost or market value. This valuation requires us to make judgments, based on currently-available information, about the likely method of disposition, such as through sales to individual customers, returns to product vendors, or liquidations, and expected recoverable values of each disposition category. These assumptions about future disposition of inventory are inherently uncertain and changes in our estimates and assumptions may cause us to realize material write-downs in the future. As a measure of sensitivity, for every 1% of additional inventory valuation allowance as of June 30, 2016, we would have recorded an additional cost of sales of approximately $110 million.

In addition, we enter into supplier commitments for certain electronic device components. These commitments are based on forecasted customer demand. If we reduce these commitments, we may incur additional costs.

Goodwill

We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. The measurement date of our annual goodwill impairment test is April 1. In testing goodwill for impairment, we may elect to utilize a qualitative assessment to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If our qualitative assessment indicates that goodwill impairment is more likely than not, we perform a two-step impairment test. We test goodwill for impairment under the two-step impairment test by first comparing the book value of net assets to the fair value of the reporting units. If the fair value is determined to be less than the book value or qualitative factors indicate that it is more likely than not that goodwill is impaired,

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a second step is performed to compute the amount of impairment as the difference between the estimated fair value of goodwill and the carrying value. We estimate the fair value of the reporting units using discounted cash flows. Forecasts of future cash flows are based on our best estimate of future net sales and operating expenses, based primarily on expected category expansion, pricing, market segment share, and general economic conditions. Certain estimates of discounted cash flows involve businesses and geographies with limited financial history and developing revenue models. Changes in these forecasts could significantly change the amount of impairment recorded, if any.

We completed the required annual testing of goodwill for impairment for all reporting units as of April 1, 2016, and determined that goodwill was not impaired. During the quarter, management monitored the actual performance of the business relative to the fair value assumptions used during our annual goodwill impairment test. For the periods presented, no triggering events were identified that required an interim impairment test. As a measure of sensitivity, a 10% decrease in the fair value of any of our reporting units as of April 1, 2016, would have had no impact on the carrying value of our goodwill.

Financial and credit market volatility directly impacts the fair value measurement through our weighted-average cost of capital that we use to determine a discount rate and through our stock price that we use to determine our market capitalization. During times of volatility, significant judgment must be applied to determine whether credit or stock price changes are short-term in nature or a longer-term trend. We have not made any significant changes to the accounting methodology used to evaluate goodwill for impairment. Changes in our estimated future cash flows and asset fair values may cause us to realize material impairment charges in the future. As a measure of sensitivity, a prolonged 20% decrease from our June 30, 2016 closing stock price would not be an indicator of possible impairment.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure compensation cost for stock awards at fair value and recognize it as compensation expense over the service period for awards expected to vest. The fair value of restricted stock units is determined based on the number of shares granted and the quoted price of our common stock and the fair value of stock options is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes model. The estimated number of stock awards that will ultimately vest requires judgment, and to the extent actual results or updated estimates differ from our current estimates, such amounts will be recorded as a cumulative adjustment in the period estimates are revised. We consider many factors when estimating expected forfeitures, including employee level, economic conditions, time remaining to vest, and historical forfeiture experience. We update our estimated forfeiture rate quarterly. We have not made any significant changes to the accounting methodology used to evaluate stock-based compensation. Changes in our estimates and assumptions may cause us to realize material changes in stock-based compensation expense in the future. As a measure of sensitivity, a 1% change to our estimated forfeiture rate would have had an approximately $60 million impact on our Q2 2016 operating income. Our estimated forfeiture rate as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, was 28%.

We utilize the accelerated method, rather than the straight-line method, for recognizing compensation expense. For example, over 50% of the compensation cost related to an award vesting ratably over four years is expensed in the first year. If forfeited early in the life of an award, the compensation expense adjustment is much greater under an accelerated method than under a straight-line method.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. (federal and state) and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Tax laws, regulations, and administrative practices in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change due to economic, political, and other conditions, and significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision and accruals for these taxes. There are many transactions that occur during the ordinary course of business for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our effective tax rates could be affected by earnings being lower than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory rates, losses incurred in jurisdictions for which we are not able to realize the related tax benefit, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, entry into new businesses and geographies and changes to our existing businesses, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments, changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation, and changes in the relevant tax, accounting, and other laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations, including fundamental changes to the tax laws applicable to corporate multinationals. The U.S., the European Union and its member states, and a number of other countries are actively pursuing changes in this regard.

Except as required under U.S. tax laws, we do not provide for U.S. taxes on our undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that have not been previously taxed since we intend to invest such undistributed earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S. If our intent changes or if these funds are needed for our U.S. operations, we would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes on some or all of these undistributed earnings and our effective tax rate would be adversely affected. We are also currently subject to audit in various jurisdictions, and these jurisdictions may assess additional income tax liabilities against us.

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Developments in an audit, litigation, or the relevant laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles, and interpretations could have a material effect on our operating results or cash flows in the period or periods for which that development occurs, as well as for prior and subsequent periods. For instance, the IRS is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income related to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries for transactions undertaken in 2005 and 2006, and we are currently contesting the matter in U.S. Tax Court. In addition to the risk of additional tax for 2005 and 2006 transactions, if this litigation is adversely determined or if the IRS were to seek transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature for transactions in subsequent years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. In addition, in October 2014, the European Commission opened a formal investigation to examine whether decisions by the tax authorities in Luxembourg with regard to the corporate income tax paid by certain of our subsidiaries comply with European Union rules on state aid. If this matter is adversely resolved, Luxembourg may be required to assess, and we may be required to pay, additional amounts with respect to current and prior periods and our taxes in the future could increase. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final outcome of tax audits, investigations, and any related litigation could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 1 — Accounting Policies — Recent Accounting Pronouncements.”

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash flow information is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,						Twelve Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015			2016			2015
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities	$	3,465		$	1,997		$	1,305		$	498		$	12,726		$	8,980
Investing activities	(2,439		)	(1,376		)	(3,132		)	(3,223		)	(6,360		)	(6,634		)
Financing activities	(1,039		)	(691		)	(1,828		)	(1,344		)	(4,247		)	3,453

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash flows generated from operations and our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances, which, at fair value, were $16.5 billion and $19.8 billion as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015. Amounts held in foreign currencies were $5.9 billion and $7.3 billion as of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, and were primarily Euros, Japanese Yen, and British Pounds.

Cash provided by (used in) operating activities was $3.5 billion and $2.0 billion for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $1.3 billion and $498 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Our operating cash flows result primarily from cash received from our consumer, seller, developer, enterprise, and content creator customers, advertising agreements, and our co-branded credit card agreements, offset by cash payments we make for products and services, employee compensation (less amounts capitalized related to internal-use software that are reflected as cash used in investing activities), payment processing and related transaction costs, operating leases, and interest payments on our long-term obligations. Cash received from our customers and other activities generally corresponds to our net sales. Because consumers primarily use credit cards to buy from us, our receivables from consumers settle quickly. The increase in operating cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year period, was primarily due to the increase in net income, excluding non-cash charges such as depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation, offset by changes in working capital. Working capital at any specific point in time is subject to many variables, including seasonality, inventory management and category expansion, the timing of cash receipts and payments, vendor payment terms, and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Cash provided by (used in) investing activities corresponds with cash capital expenditures, including leasehold improvements, internal-use software and website development costs, cash outlays for acquisitions, investments in other companies and intellectual property rights, and purchases, sales, and maturities of marketable securities. Cash provided by (used in) investing activities was $(2.4) billion and $(1.4) billion for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $(3.1) billion and $(3.2) billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, with the variability caused primarily by our decision to purchase or lease property and equipment, purchases, maturities, and sales of marketable securities, and changes in cash paid for acquisitions. Cash capital expenditures were $1.7 billion and $1.2 billion during Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $2.9 billion and $2.1 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. This primarily reflects additional investments in support of continued business growth due to investments in technology infrastructure (the majority of which is to support AWS) and additional capacity to support our fulfillment operations. Capital expenditures included $118 million and $150 million for internal-use software and website development during Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $229 million and $279 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Stock-based compensation capitalized for internal-use software and website development costs does not affect cash flows. We made cash payments, net of acquired cash, related to acquisition and other investment activity of $14 million and $8 million during Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $30 million and $374 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.

Cash provided by (used in) financing activities was $(1.0) billion and $(691) million for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $(1.8) billion and $(1.3) billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Cash outflows from financing activities result from principal repayments on obligations related to capital leases and finance leases and repayments of long-term debt and other. Principal repayments on obligations related to capital leases and finance leases and repayments of long-term debt and other were $1.2 billion and $830 million in Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $2.2 billion and $1.7 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Property and equipment acquired under capital leases was $1.4 billion during Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $2.3 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, reflecting investments in support of continued business growth primarily due to investments in technology infrastructure for AWS, which investments we expect to continue over time. Cash inflows from financing activities primarily result from proceeds from long-term debt and other and tax benefits relating to excess stock-based compensation deductions. Proceeds from long-term debt and other were $66 million and $44 million in Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $75 million and $226 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Tax benefits relating to excess stock-based compensation deductions are presented as financing cash flows. Cash inflows from tax benefits related to stock-based compensation deductions were $113 million and $95 million in Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $320 million and $117 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.

We had no borrowings outstanding under our $3.0 billion Credit Agreement as of June 30, 2016. See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 4 — Long-Term Debt” for additional information.

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We recorded net tax provisions of $307 million and $266 million in Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $782 million and $337 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Except as required under U.S. tax laws, we do not provide for U.S. taxes on our undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that have not been previously taxed since we intend to invest such undistributed earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S. If our intent changes or if these funds are needed for our U.S. operations, we would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes on some or all of these undistributed earnings, and our effective tax rate would be adversely affected. We have tax benefits relating to excess stock-based compensation deductions and accelerated depreciation deductions that are being utilized to reduce our U.S. taxable income. In December 2015, U.S. legislation was enacted that extended accelerated depreciation deductions on qualifying property through 2019. Cash taxes paid (net of refunds) were $88 million and $65 million for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $226 million and $119 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. As of December 31, 2015, our federal net operating loss carryforward was approximately $1.1 billion and we had approximately $622 million of federal tax credits potentially available to offset future tax liabilities. Our federal tax credits are primarily related to the U.S. federal research and development credit, which was made permanent in 2015. As we utilize our federal net operating losses and tax credits, we expect cash paid for taxes to significantly increase. We endeavor to manage our global taxes on a cash basis, rather than on a financial reporting basis.

Our liquidity is also affected by restricted cash balances that are pledged as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt, and real estate leases. To the extent we process payments for third-party sellers or offer certain types of stored value to our customers, some jurisdictions may restrict our use of those funds. These restrictions would result in the reclassification of a portion of our cash and cash equivalents from “Cash and cash equivalents” to restricted cash, which is classified within “Accounts receivable, net and other” on our consolidated balance sheets. As of June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $456 million and $285 million. See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies” for additional discussion of our principal contractual commitments, as well as our pledged assets. Purchase obligations and open purchase orders, consisting of inventory and significant non-inventory commitments, were $8.7 billion as of June 30, 2016. Purchase obligations and open purchase orders are generally cancellable in full or in part through the contractual provisions.

On average, our high inventory velocity means we generally collect from consumers before our payments to suppliers come due. Inventory turnover¹ was 9 for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015. We expect variability in inventory turnover over time since it is affected by several factors, including our product mix, the mix of sales by us and by third-party sellers, our continuing focus on in-stock inventory availability and selection of product offerings, our investment in new geographies and product lines, and the extent to which we choose to utilize third-party fulfillment providers.

We believe that cash flows generated from operations and our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances, as well as borrowing available under our credit agreements, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated operating cash needs for at least the next 12 months. However, any projections of future cash needs and cash flows are subject to substantial uncertainty. See Item 1A of Part II, “Risk Factors.” We continually evaluate opportunities to sell additional equity or debt securities, obtain credit facilities, obtain capital, finance, and operating lease arrangements, repurchase common stock, pay dividends, or repurchase, refinance, or otherwise restructure our debt for strategic reasons or to further strengthen our financial position.

The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities would likely be dilutive to our shareholders. In addition, we will, from time to time, consider the acquisition of, or investment in, complementary businesses, products, services, capital infrastructure, and technologies, which might affect our liquidity requirements or cause us to secure additional financing, or issue additional equity or debt securities. There can be no assurance that additional lines-of-credit or financing instruments will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

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(1)	Inventory turnover is the quotient of trailing twelve month cost of sales to average inventory over five quarter ends.

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Results of Operations

We have organized our operations into three segments: North America, International, and AWS. In the first quarter of 2016, we began allocating stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net” to our segment results. These segments reflect the way the Company evaluates its business performance and manages its operations. See Item 1 of Part I, “Financial Statements — Note 7 — Segment Information.”

Net Sales

Net sales include product and service sales. Product sales represent revenue from the sale of products and related shipping fees and digital media content where we record revenue gross. Service sales represent third-party seller fees earned (including commissions) and related shipping fees, AWS sales, digital content subscriptions, advertising services, and our co-branded credit card agreements. Amazon Prime membership fees are allocated between product sales and service sales and amortized over the life of the membership according to the estimated delivery of services. Net sales information is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Net Sales:
North America	$	17,674		$	13,796		$	34,670		$	27,202
International	9,844			7,565			19,410			15,310
AWS	2,886			1,824			5,452			3,389
Total consolidated	$	30,404		$	23,185		$	59,532		$	45,901
Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
North America	28		%	26		%	27		%	25		%
International	30			3			27			1
AWS	58			81			61			65
Total consolidated	31			20			30			17
Year-over-year Percentage Growth, excluding the effect of foreign exchange rates:
North America	28		%	26		%	28		%	25		%
International	28			22			27			18
AWS	58			81			61			65
Total consolidated	30			27			30			24
Net Sales Mix:
North America	58		%	59		%	58		%	59		%
International	32			33			33			33
AWS	10			8			9			8
Total consolidated	100		%	100		%	100		%	100		%

Sales increased 31% in Q2 2016 and 30% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates impacted net sales by $166 million and $(1.4) billion for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and by $(44) million and $(2.7) billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. For a discussion of the effect on sales growth of foreign exchange rates, see “Effect of Foreign Exchange Rates” below.

North America sales increased 28% in Q2 2016 and 27% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased unit sales, including sales by marketplace sellers. Increased unit sales were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers, including from our shipping offers, sales in faster growing categories such as electronics and other general merchandise, increased in-stock inventory availability, and increased selection of product offerings.

International sales increased 30% in Q2 2016 and 27% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased unit sales, including sales by marketplace sellers. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates impacted International net sales by $184 million and $(1.4) billion for Q2 2016 and Q2 2015, and $7 million and $(2.6) billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Increased unit sales were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers, including from our shipping offers, sales in faster growing

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categories such as electronics and other general merchandise, increased in-stock inventory availability, and increased selection of product offerings.

AWS sales increased 58% in Q2 2016 and 61% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased customer usage, partially offset by pricing changes. Pricing changes were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers.

Operating Income (Loss)

Operating income (loss) by segment is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Operating Income (Loss):
North America	$	702		$	348		$	1,290		$	603
International	(135		)	(189		)	(255		)	(383		)
AWS	718			305			1,321			499
Total consolidated	$	1,285		$	464		$	2,356		$	719

Operating income increased to $1.3 billion in Q2 2016, from $464 million in Q2 2015, and increased to $2.4 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2016, from $719 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. We believe that operating income is a more meaningful measure than gross profit and gross margin due to the diversity of our product categories and services.

The increase in North America operating income in absolute dollars in Q2 2016 and for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased unit sales, including sales by marketplace sellers, partially offset by increased levels of operating expenses to expand our fulfillment capacity and spending on technology infrastructure and marketing efforts. There was a favorable impact from foreign exchange rates of $5 million for Q2 2016 and $11 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016.

The decrease in International operating loss in absolute dollars in Q2 2016 and for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased unit sales, including sales by marketplace sellers, partially offset by increased levels of operating expenses to expand our fulfillment capacity and spending on technology infrastructure and marketing efforts. There was a favorable impact from foreign exchange rates of $40 million for Q2 2016 and $61 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016.

The increase in AWS operating income in absolute dollars in Q2 2016 and for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the comparable prior year periods, is primarily due to increased customer usage and cost structure productivity, partially offset by pricing changes and increased spending on technology infrastructure, which was primarily driven by additional investments to support the business growth. There was no impact from foreign exchange rates for Q2 2016 and a favorable impact of $24 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016.

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Supplemental Information

Supplemental information about outbound shipping results for our North America and International segments is as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Outbound Shipping Activity:
Shipping revenue (1)(2)(3)	$	2,000		$	1,399		$	3,819		$	2,698
Shipping costs (4)	(3,362		)	(2,340		)	(6,636		)	(4,649		)
Net shipping cost	$	(1,362	)	$	(941	)	$	(2,817	)	$	(1,951	)
Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
Shipping revenue	43		%	57		%	42		%	55		%
Shipping costs	44			29			43			28
Net shipping cost	45			2			44			3

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(1)	Excludes amounts charged on shipping activities by third-party sellers where we do not provide the fulfillment service.


(2)	Includes a portion of amounts earned from Amazon Prime memberships.


(3)	Includes amounts earned from Fulfillment by Amazon programs related to shipping services.


(4)	Includes sortation and delivery center costs.

We expect our cost of shipping to continue to increase to the extent our customers accept and use our shipping offers at an increasing rate, our product mix shifts to the electronics and other general merchandise category, we reduce shipping rates, we use more expensive shipping methods, and we offer additional services. We seek to mitigate costs of shipping over time in part through achieving higher sales volumes, optimizing placement of fulfillment centers, negotiating better terms with our suppliers, and achieving better operating efficiencies. We believe that offering low prices to our customers is fundamental to our future success, and one way we offer lower prices is through shipping offers.

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We have aggregated our North America and International segments’ products and services into groups of similar products and services and provided the supplemental disclosure of net sales (in millions) below. We evaluate whether additional disclosure is appropriate when a product or service category begins to approach a significant level of net sales. For the periods presented, no individual product or service represented more than 10% of net sales.



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Net Sales:
North America
Media	$	2,928		$	2,620		$	6,136		$	5,589
Electronics and other general merchandise	14,459			10,987			27,970			21,237
Other (1)	287			189			564			376
Total North America	$	17,674		$	13,796		$	34,670		$	27,202
International
Media	$	2,283		$	2,094		$	4,763		$	4,413
Electronics and other general merchandise	7,504			5,425			14,537			10,804
Other (1)	57			46			110			93
Total International	$	9,844		$	7,565		$	19,410		$	15,310
Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
North America
Media	12		%	6		%	10		%	6		%
Electronics and other general merchandise	32			31			32			31
Other	52			16			50			19
Total North America	28			26			27			25
International
Media	9		%	(12		)%	8		%	(12		)%
Electronics and other general merchandise	38			10			35			7
Other	25			(7		)	18			(10		)
Total International	30			3			27			1
Year-over-year Percentage Growth, excluding the effect of foreign exchange rates:
North America
Media	12		%	7		%	10		%	6		%
Electronics and other general merchandise	32			32			32			31
Other	52			16			50			19
Total North America	28			26			28			25
International
Media	7		%	3		%	8		%	2		%
Electronics and other general merchandise	36			31			35			26
Other	25			8			20			5
Total International	28			22			27			18

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(1)	Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as certain advertising services and our co-branded credit card agreements.

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Operating Expenses

Information about operating expenses follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Operating Expenses:
Cost of sales	$	19,180		$	15,160		$	38,047		$	30,555
Fulfillment	3,878			2,876			7,565			5,634
Marketing	1,546			1,150			2,982			2,233
Technology and content	3,880			3,020			7,405			5,774
General and administrative	580			467			1,077			894
Other operating expense (income), net	55			48			100			92
Total operating expenses	$	29,119		$	22,721		$	57,176		$	45,182
Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
Cost of sales	27		%	13		%	25		%	11		%
Fulfillment	35			21			34			20
Marketing	35			22			34			23
Technology and content	28			36			28			37
General and administrative	24			24			20			27
Other operating expense (income), net	14			71			9			47
Percent of Net Sales:
Cost of sales	63.0		%	65.4		%	63.9		%	66.6		%
Fulfillment	12.8			12.4			12.7