Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

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Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Description of Business
MaxLinear, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in September 2003. MaxLinear, Inc., together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, collectively referred to as MaxLinear, or the Company, is a provider of radio-frequency, mixed-signal and high-performance analog integrated circuits for the connected home, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multi-market applications. MaxLinear's customers include electronics distributors, module makers, original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and original design manufacturers, or ODMs, who incorporate the Company’s products in a wide range of electronic devices including cable, terrestrial, and satellite video set-top boxes and gateways, cable DOCSIS data and voice gateways, hybrid analog and digital televisions, smartphones, direct broadcast satellite outdoor units, optical modules for data center, metro, and long-haul transport network applications, RF transceivers and modem solutions for wireless carrier infrastructure applications, wireline connectivity devices for in-home networking applications and last-mile broadband access, and power management and interface products for enterprise networking, infrastructure, industrial, and multi-market applications. The Company is a fabless semiconductor company focusing its resources on the design, sale and marketing of its products.
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MaxLinear, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. All intercompany transactions and investments have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management, the Company’s unaudited consolidated interim financial statements contain adjustments, including normal recurring accruals necessary to present fairly the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows.

The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 was derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements at that date. The accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on February 9, 2017, or the Annual Report. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation. Interim results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the unaudited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Refer to the Company’s Annual Report for a summary of significant accounting policies. There have been no material changes to our significant accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2017.
Restricted Cash
As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company has restricted cash of $2.5 million and $1.8 million, respectively. The restricted cash is on deposit in connection with guarantees for certain office leases.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires inventory to be subsequently measured using the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. ASU 2015-11 is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017 and has been applied prospectively. The adoption of ASU No. 2015-11 by the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Share-Based Compensation to simplify certain aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions associated with income taxes, classification as equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2017, including interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted. Early adoption, if elected, must be completed for all of the amendments in the same period. The new guidance requires, among other things, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recorded on a prospective basis in the income statement in the provision for income taxes when awards vest or are settled. On the statement of cash flows, excess tax benefits must be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity on either a prospective transition method or a retrospective transition method. Also, because excess tax benefits are no longer recognized in additional paid-in capital, the assumed proceeds from applying the treasury stock method when computing earnings per share is amended to exclude the amount of excess tax benefits that would be recognized in additional paid-in capital. The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-09 during the quarter ended June 30, 2016, as previously described in the Company's Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2016 filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on August 8, 2016. There was no cumulative effect on retained earnings in the consolidated balance sheet upon adoption since the Company had a full valuation allowance against U.S. deferred tax assets at the time of adoption. The Company elected to continue to estimate forfeitures of share-based awards resulting in no impact to stock-based compensation expense, and is also continuing to classify cash paid by the Company when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes in cash flows from financing activities. On the statement of cash flows, excess tax benefits were classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity upon adoption on a prospective basis.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740) to improve the accounting for the income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. Current GAAP prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. The FASB decided that an entity should recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The amendments in this update should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, including interim reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted as of the first quarter of fiscal 2017, or the beginning of the annual reporting period only. The Company elected to early adopt the amendments in this update beginning in the three months ended March 31, 2017. Due to a full valuation allowance on U.S. and certain foreign deferred tax assets at the time of adoption, the adoption of the amendments in this update did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash. The amendments in this update require that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. When cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents are presented in more than one line item within the statement of financial position, an entity shall, for each period that a statement of financial position is presented, disclose the line items and amounts of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents disaggregated by the line item in which they appear within the statement of financial position, with a sum to the total amount of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company beginning in fiscal 2018, including interim periods within that year and should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes the interim period. The Company elected to early adopt the amendments in this update beginning in the three months ended March 31, 2017. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated cash flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The amendments in this update clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions of assets or businesses and provides a screen to determine when a set is not a business. The screen requires that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. This screen reduces the number of transactions that need to be further evaluated. If the screen is not met, the amendments in this update (1) require that to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and (2) remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2018 and are required to be applied prospectively on or after the effective date. No disclosures are required at transition. Early application is allowed for transactions for which the acquisition date occurs before the issuance date or effective date of the amendments, only when the transaction has not been reported in financial statements that have been issued or made available for issuance. The Company has elected to early adopt the amendments in this update for 2017 acquisitions. Such adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which provides for new accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. This new standard will replace all current U.S. GAAP guidance on this topic and eliminate all industry-specific guidance. The new revenue recognition standard provides a unified model to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration for which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 and can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company plans to apply the guidance prospectively with an adjustment to retained earnings for the cumulative effect of adoption. Adoption of the amendments in this guidance is expected to accelerate the timing of the Company’s revenue recognition on products sold via distributors, which will change from the sell-through method to the sell-in method under this guidance. The Company has performed a preliminary assessment of the impact of adopting this new accounting standard on its consolidated financial position and results of operations following the acquisition of Exar Corporation (Note 3), which has a significant amount of sales through distributors. The impact of adoption of this new accounting standard will vary depending on the level of inventory remaining at the adoption date at distributors for which we currently recognize revenue on a sell-through basis, and therefore could have a material impact on the Company's revenues for the year ending December 31, 2018 and comparative periods expected to be presented. As a result of applying the guidance prospectively with an adjustment to retained earnings for the cumulative effect of adoption, revenues that would have been recognized on a sell-through basis for the amount of deferred revenue and profit remaining as of the adoption date will not be recognized in earnings for any period.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The amendments in this update include a requirement to measure equity investments (except equity method investments) at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income; previously changes in fair value were recognized in other comprehensive income. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. The adoption of the amendments in this update are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The amendments in this update require a lessee to recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term for all leases with terms greater than twelve months. For leases less than twelve months, an entity is permitted to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. If a lessee makes this election, it should recognize lease expense for such leases generally on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2019, including interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of the amendments in this update on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations; however, adoption of the amendments in this update is expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) to clarify the revenue recognition implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The amendments in this update clarify that when another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer, an entity that is the principal has obtained control of a good or service before it is transferred to a customer, and provides indicators to assist an entity in determining whether it controls a specified good or service prior to the transfer to the customer. An entity that is the principal recognizes revenue in the gross amount of consideration to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for the specified good or service transferred to the customer, whereas an agent recognizes revenue in the amount of any fee or commission to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for arranging for the specified good or service to be provided by the other party. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, concurrent with the new revenue recognition standard. The adoption of the amendments in this update is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments to eliminate the diversity in practice regarding the presentation and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments, including, among other things, contingent consideration payments made following a business combination and proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims in the statement of cash flows. Cash payments not made soon after the acquisition date up to the amount of the contingent consideration liability recognized at the acquisition date should be classified as financing activities, with any excess payments classified as operating activities, whereas cash payments made soon after the acquisition date to settle the contingent consideration should be classified as investing activities. Cash proceeds received from settlement of insurance claims should be classified on the basis of the nature of the related losses. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2018, including interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected have a material impact on the Company's consolidated statement of cash flows.

In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-19, Technical Corrections and Improvements. The new standard is intended to provide clarity to the Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, or correct unintended application of the guidance that is not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice or create a significant administrative cost to most entities. ASU No. 2016-19 is effective for annual and interim fiscal reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 with respect to the amendments that require transition guidance, and early adoption is permitted. All other amendments were effective on issuance. The Company is currently evaluating the expected impact of the amendments that require transition guidance, but does not expect these to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. An entity no longer will determine goodwill impairment by calculating the implied fair value of goodwill by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all of its assets and liabilities as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. Instead, under the amendments in this update, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. The Board also eliminated the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company beginning with fiscal year 2020, including interim periods, with early adoption permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The adoption of the amendments in this update is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting to provide clarity and reduce both (1) diversity in practice and (2) cost and complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, to a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. The amendments in this update require the Company to account for the effects of a modification in a stock-based award unless the fair value, vesting conditions and classification of the modified award is the same as those of the original award immediately before the original award is modified. If the modification does not affect any of the inputs to the valuation technique that the entity uses to value the award, the entity is not required to estimate the value immediately before and after the modification. The amendments in this update are effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2018, including interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted in any interim period. The amendments in this update should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The adoption of this guidance is not expected have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In September 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-13, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), Leases (Topic 840), and Leases (Topic 842): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to the Staff Announcement at the July 20, 2017 EITF Meeting and Rescission of Prior SEC Staff Announcements and Observer Comments. The amendments in this update modify or supersede certain selected SEC paragraphs in the revenue and leases sections of the Codification and moves other paragraphs, upon adoption of ASC Topic 606 or ASC Topic 842. The amendments also provide updated guidance on the effective date of ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and ASC 842, Leases for certain entities that are considered public business entities only because their financial statements or financial information is required to be included in another entity’s SEC filing, but does not change the effective dates for the Company and other public business entities. The amendments in this update should be applied upon adoption of ASC Topics 606 and 842, respectively. The adoption of this guidance is not expected have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.