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Udemy Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results

Udemy Business full-year 2023 revenue grew 34% year-over-year, driven by the global transformation to a skills-based economy and demand for generative AI professional skills

Platform adds 10 million learners and more than 1,800 net new Enterprise customers in 2023

Board of Directors approved share repurchase program of up to $100 million

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY), a leading online skills marketplace and learning platform, today reported results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023. Udemy also announced today in a separate news release that its Board of Directors approved its first share repurchase program.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Key Operating Data Summary
(in millions, except customers, percentages and basis points)

    Three Months Ended December 31,   % Change   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,   % Change
    2023   2022   YoY   2023   2022   YoY
Revenue   $ 189.5       $ 165.3       15   %   $ 728.9       $ 629.1       16   %
Gross Profit   $ 109.9       $ 91.3       20   %   $ 419.3       $ 353.8       19   %
Gross Margin     58   %     55   %   300   bps     58   %     56   %   200   bps
Non-GAAP Gross Profit   $ 112.5       $ 94.0       20   %   $ 429.2       $ 362.0       19   %
Non-GAAP Gross Margin     59   %     57   %   200   bps     59   %     58   %   100   bps
Net Loss   $ (20.2 )     $ (52.2 )     (61 ) %   $ (107.3 )     $ (153.9 )     (30 ) %
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss)   $ 3.8       $ (22.8 )     (117 ) %   $ 1.9       $ (68.3 )     (103 ) %
Adjusted EBITDA   $ 4.0       $ (20.2 )     (120 ) %   $ 7.8       $ (48.7 )     (116 ) %
Adjusted EBITDA Margin     2   %     (12 ) %   1,400   bps     1   %     (8 ) %   900   bps
                                             
Enterprise Segment                                            
Total Customers     15,726         13,920       13   %                      
Annual Recurring Revenue   $ 466.0       $ 371.7       25   %                      
Net Dollar Retention     106   %     115   %   (900 ) bps                      
UB Large Customer Net Dollar Retention     113   %     123   %   (1,000 ) bps                      
Segment Revenue   $ 114.7       $ 90.6       27   %   $ 420.6       $ 314.0       34   %
Segment Gross Profit   $ 79.1       $ 60.4       31   %   $ 283.4       $ 209.5       35   %
Segment Gross Margin     69   %     67   %   200   bps     67   %     67   %     bps
                                             
Consumer Segment                                            
Monthly Average Buyers     1.37         1.36       1   %     1.38         1.34       3   %
Segment Revenue   $ 74.9       $ 74.7         %   $ 308.3       $ 315.1       (2 ) %
Segment Gross Profit   $ 38.3       $ 37.4       3   %   $ 163.8       $ 165.8       (1 ) %
Segment Gross Margin     51   %     50   %   100   bps     53   %     53   %     bps

“Udemy ended the year with solid fourth quarter and full year 2023 results that exceeded expectations as we executed on all of our strategic priorities,” said Greg Brown, Udemy’s President and CEO. “Companies around the world are partnering with us to support their transformation to becoming skills-based organizations and to stay current with technological advancements, such as generative AI, resulting in more than 13 billion minutes of learning on Udemy’s platform in 2023. With a disciplined approach to operational efficiency throughout the organization, we delivered our first full year of positive adjusted EBITDA ahead of plan. While the challenging operating environment creates some near-term headwinds, we remain as positive as ever about the long-term growth opportunities available to us.

“Finally, our share repurchase program underscores the confidence that our board and management team have in our strategy and the future of Udemy and reinforces our commitment to deliver returns for Udemy shareholders,” concluded Brown.

Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights:

Business and Operational Highlights

Share Repurchase Program

Udemy’s Board of Directors has approved its first share repurchase program under which the Company is authorized to repurchase up to $100 million of Udemy common stock. These shares may be purchased in either the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, in accordance with SEC regulations.

Financial Outlook

Udemy provides guidance based on current market conditions and expectations. Actual results may differ materially. Please refer to the comments below regarding forward-looking statements.

The following table reflects Udemy’s financial outlook for its first quarter and full year ending December 31, 2024.

  Three Months Ending
March 31, 2024
  Year Ending
December 31, 2024
Revenue $193 – $196 million   $795 – $810 million
Adjusted EBITDA Margin1 Breakeven   1.5% – 2.0%
Weighted Average Share Count, Basic2 158 million   160 million
Weighted Average Share Count, Diluted2 163 million   167 million
1. Udemy has not provided a quantitative reconciliation of forecasted Adjusted EBITDA to forecasted GAAP net income (loss) within this earnings release because the Company is unable, without making unreasonable efforts, to calculate certain reconciling items with confidence.
2. Udemy’s outlook for weighted average share count, basic and diluted, excludes any impact from potential future repurchase activities under our share repurchase program.

The revenue guidance range above assumes historical changes in FX rates will not have a meaningful impact on total year-over-year revenue growth in the first quarter, but assumes an estimated negative impact of 3 percentage points for the full year 2024. Udemy’s revenue guidance assumes constant FX rates set at the start of the year.

Webcast Information

Udemy will host a conference call and webcast at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET today, Wednesday, February 14 to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2023 financial results and outlook. A link to the live webcast and recorded replay of the conference call will be available on the “Quarterly Results” section of Udemy’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.udemy.com/. The live call may also be accessed via telephone at (833) 630-1963 domestically and (412) 317-5702 internationally. The archived replay of the webcast will be available for approximately one year.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the consolidated financial statements prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined below. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results because our management team and board of directors use these non-GAAP financial measures for the purposes of assessing operating results and business planning. These non-GAAP financial measures also provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business by removing the effect of certain non-cash expenses and certain variable charges.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net loss determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding i) interest income; ii) interest expense; iii) provision for income taxes; iv) depreciation and amortization; v) other expense, net, including gains and losses from the remeasurement of foreign currency assets and liabilities into their functional currency; vi) stock-based compensation expense; and vii) restructuring charges. We calculate Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue for the same period. We have not reconciled our expectations for Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin to net loss and net loss margin, respectively, the most directly comparable GAAP measures, because certain items are out of our control or cannot be reasonably predicted and a reconciliation for the guidance for Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin is not available without unreasonable effort.

Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) and Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) Per Share, Basic and Diluted

We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net loss, adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and restructuring charges.

We define non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, basic, as non-GAAP net income (loss) divided by weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic. We define non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, diluted, as non-GAAP net income (loss) divided by weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, diluted, which adjusts for the potentially dilutive effects of our employee equity incentive plans.

Non-GAAP Gross Profit and Non-GAAP Gross Margin

We define non-GAAP gross profit as gross profit, adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense and the amortization of acquired intangible assets. We calculate non-GAAP gross margin as non-GAAP gross profit divided by revenue for the same period.

Udemy’s non-GAAP financial measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Because of the limitations of non-GAAP financial measures, you should consider the non-GAAP financial measures presented herein in conjunction with Udemy’s financial statements and the related notes thereto. Please refer to the non-GAAP reconciliations in this press release for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Key Business Metrics

Udemy Business customers

We count the total number of Udemy Business (“UB”) customers at the end of each period. To do so, we generally count unique customers using the concept of a domestic ultimate parent, defined as the highest business in the family tree that is in the same country as the contracted entity. In some cases, we deviate from this methodology, defining the contracted entity as a unique customer despite the existence of a domestic ultimate parent. This often occurs where the domestic ultimate parent is a financial owner, government entity, conglomerate, or acquisition target where we have contracted directly with the subsidiary. We define a UB customer as a customer who purchases Udemy via our direct sales force, reseller partnerships or through our self-service platform.

Udemy Business Annual Recurring Revenue

We disclose our UB ARR as a measure of our Enterprise revenue growth. ARR represents the annualized value of our UB customer contracts on the last day of a given period. Only revenue from closed UB contracts with active seats as of the last day of the period are included.

Udemy Business Net Dollar Retention Rate and Udemy Business Large Customer Net Dollar Retention Rate

We disclose UB Net Dollar Retention Rate, or UB NDRR, as a measure of revenue growth for all UB customers within our Enterprise segment, including UB Large Customers, which we define as companies with at least 1,000 employees. We calculate UB NDRR as the total ARR at the end of a trailing twelve-month period divided by the total ARR at the beginning of a trailing twelve-month period for the cohort of all UB customers active at the beginning of the trailing twelve-month period. We calculate UB Large Customer NDRR as the total UB Large Customer ARR at the end of a trailing twelve-month period divided by the total Large Customer ARR at the beginning of a trailing twelve-month period for the cohort of UB customers with at least 1,000 employees active at the beginning of the trailing twelve-month period. Total ARR and Large Customer ARR at the end of a trailing twelve-month period are calculated as ARR and Large Customer ARR, respectively, at the beginning of a trailing twelve-month period that are then adjusted for upsells, downsells, and churns for the same cohort of customers during that period. Large Customer ARR represents the annualized value of contracts for UB customers with active seats and having at least 1,000 employees on the last day of a given period.

Monthly average buyers

A buyer is a consumer who purchases a course or subscription through our direct-to-consumer offering. We first determine the number of monthly buyers by taking the total buyers of single courses during a given month plus the total active, paid consumer subscribers at any point in that month, adjusting for duplicate buyers that may be present in both totals. We then calculate monthly average buyers by taking an average of the monthly buyer totals over a particular period, such as a fiscal year. Our monthly average buyer count is not intended as a measure of active engagement, as not all buyers are active at any given time or over any given period.

Segment revenue and segment gross profit

Segment revenue represents the revenue recognized from our two segments, Enterprise (or Udemy Business), and Consumer. Segment gross profit is defined as segment revenue less segment cost of revenue, which include content costs, hosting and platform costs, customer support services, and payment processing fees that are allocable to each segment. Segment gross profit excludes amortization of capitalized software, amortization of intangible assets, depreciation, and stock-based compensation allocated to cost of revenue as our chief operating decision maker does not include the information in his measurement of the performance of the operating segments.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Udemy’s expectations relating to future operating results and financial position, including the second quarter of 2023, the full year 2023, and future periods; anticipated future expenses and investments; our business strategy and plans; market growth; and our market position and potential market opportunities. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance.

The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted include, among others, those risks and uncertainties included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, without limitation, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on November 2, 2023. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and we undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.

About Udemy

Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY) transforms lives through learning by providing flexible, effective skill development to empower organizations and individuals. The Udemy marketplace platform, with thousands of up-to-date courses in dozens of languages, offers the tools learners, instructors and enterprises need to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Millions of people learn on the Udemy platform from real-world experts in topics ranging from programming and data science to leadership and team building. Udemy Business enables employers to offer on-demand learning for all employees, immersive learning for tech teams and cohort learning for leaders. Udemy Business customers include FenderⓇ, Glassdoor, On24, The World Bank and Volkswagen. Udemy is headquartered in San Francisco with hubs in Ankara and Istanbul, Türkiye; Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Dublin, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; and New Delhi, India.

 
Udemy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(unaudited)
 
  Three Months Ended December 31,   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023       2022       2023       2022  
Revenue $ 189,545     $ 165,330     $ 728,937     $ 629,097  
Cost of revenue (1) (2)   79,695       73,990       309,598       275,320  
Gross profit   109,850       91,340       419,339       353,777  
Operating expenses (1) (2)              
Sales and marketing   83,218       88,558       316,738       301,347  
Research and development   29,506       29,961       120,335       104,556  
General and administrative   22,786       26,917       93,898       99,064  
Restructuring charges               10,263        
Total operating expenses   135,510       145,436       541,234       504,967  
Loss from operations   (25,660 )     (54,096 )     (121,895 )     (151,190 )
Other income (expense)                  
Interest income   5,912       3,691       20,670       5,548  
Interest expense   (54 )     (356 )     (518 )     (1,251 )
Other income (expense), net   283       (257 )     (1,898 )     (4,696 )
Total other income (expense), net   6,141       3,078       18,254       (399 )
Net loss before taxes   (19,519 )     (51,018 )     (103,641 )     (151,589 )
Income tax provision   (729 )     (1,135 )     (3,653 )     (2,286 )
Net loss $ (20,248 )   $ (52,153 )   $ (107,294 )   $ (153,875 )
Net loss per share              
Basic and diluted $ (0.13 )   $ (0.36 )   $ (0.71 )   $ (1.09 )
Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share              
Basic and diluted   155,161,554       143,120,852       150,098,776       140,873,504  

(1)  Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows (in thousands):

  Three Months Ended December 31,   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023     2022     2023     2022
Cost of revenue $ 1,876   $ 1,920   $ 7,006   $ 5,360
Sales and marketing   7,837     10,538     30,859     29,054
Research and development   6,539     7,547     26,301     20,850
General and administrative   6,866     8,245     30,672     26,029
Restructuring charges           1,208    
Total stock-based compensation expense $ 23,118   $ 28,250   $ 96,046   $ 81,293

(2)  Includes amortization of intangible assets as follows (in thousands):

  Three Months Ended December 31,   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023     2022     2023     2022
Cost of revenue $ 725   $ 725   $ 2,900   $ 2,900
Sales and marketing   229     341     1,208     1,366
Total amortization of intangible assets $ 954   $ 1,066   $ 4,108   $ 4,266
 
Udemy, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
 
  December 31,   December 31,
    2023       2022  
Assets      
Current assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents $ 305,564     $ 313,685  
Restricted cash, current   3,329        
Marketable securities   171,372       151,687  
Accounts receivable, net   92,555       104,530  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   20,924       14,878  
Deferred contract costs, current   38,584       30,234  
     Total current assets   632,328       615,014  
Property and equipment, net   4,439       7,012  
Capitalized software, net   31,388       27,412  
Operating lease right-of-use assets   5,691       11,377  
Restricted cash, non-current   659       3,629  
Deferred contract costs, non-current   35,790       35,411  
Strategic investments   10,311       12,104  
Intangible assets, net   5,223       9,331  
Goodwill   12,646       12,646  
Other assets   2,721       3,632  
     Total assets $ 741,196     $ 737,568  
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity      
Current liabilities:      
Accounts payable $ 2,506     $ 14,529  
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities   27,778       31,247  
Content costs payable   40,277       37,310  
Accrued compensation and benefits   24,332       22,882  
Operating lease liabilities, current   5,825       7,002  
Deferred revenue, current   279,414       273,937  
     Total current liabilities   380,132       386,907  
Operating lease liabilities, non-current   1,124       6,545  
Deferred revenue, non-current   3,000       4,342  
Other liabilities, non-current   48       464  
     Total liabilities   384,304       398,258  
       
Stockholders’ equity:      
Preferred stock          
Common stock   2       1  
Additional paid-in capital   1,076,508       951,946  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss   80       (233 )
Accumulated deficit   (719,698 )     (612,404 )
     Total stockholders’ equity   356,892       339,310  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 741,196     $ 737,568  
 
Udemy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
 
  Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023       2022  
Cash flows from operating activities:      
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $ (107,294 )   $ (153,875 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss attributable to common stockholders to net cash used in operating activities:      
Depreciation and amortization   24,588       21,216  
Amortization of deferred contract costs   48,161       32,279  
Stock-based compensation   96,046       81,293  
Allowance for credit losses   1,662       960  
Accretion of marketable securities   (7,492 )     (896 )
Non-cash operating lease expense   5,856       6,205  
Unrealized loss on strategic investments   1,793       2,896  
Other   1,178       690  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:      
  Accounts receivable   10,313       (32,309 )
  Prepaid expenses and other assets   (5,831 )     (4 )
  Deferred contract costs   (56,890 )     (53,379 )
  Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities   (14,429 )     (28,620 )
  Content costs payable   2,967       1,349  
  Operating lease liabilities   (6,768 )     (6,487 )
  Deferred revenue   4,135       67,725  
    Net cash used in operating activities   (2,005 )     (60,957 )
Cash flows from investing activities:      
Purchases of marketable securities   (307,706 )     (158,503 )
Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities   295,800       7,500  
Purchases of property and equipment   (632 )     (1,564 )
Capitalized software costs   (12,434 )     (14,160 )
Purchases of strategic investments         (5,000 )
Payments related to business combinations         (1,500 )
    Net cash used in investing activities   (24,972 )     (173,227 )
Cash flows from financing activities:      
Net proceeds from exercise of stock options   17,911       7,149  
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards   (6,760 )      
Proceeds from share purchases under employee stock purchase plan   8,044       9,192  
Payment of deferred offering costs         (1,586 )
    Net cash provided by financing activities   19,195       14,755  
       
Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash flows   20       (25 )
       
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   (7,762 )     (219,454 )
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash—Beginning of period   317,314       536,768  
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash—End of period $ 309,552     $ 317,314  
       
Udemy, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures
(in thousands, except percentages, share and per share amounts)
(unaudited)
 
  Three Months Ended December 31,   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023       2022       2023       2022  
Gross profit $ 109,850     $ 91,340     $ 419,339     $ 353,777  
Stock-based compensation expense   1,876       1,920       7,006       5,360  
Intangible asset amortization   725       725       2,900       2,900  
Non-GAAP gross profit $ 112,451     $ 93,985     $ 429,245     $ 362,037  
Gross margin (1)   58 %     55 %     58 %     56 %
Non-GAAP gross margin (2)   59 %     57 %     59 %     58 %

(1)  We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue for the same period.
(2)  We calculate non-GAAP gross margin as non-GAAP gross profit divided by revenue for the same period.

  Three Months Ended December 31,   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023       2022       2023       2022  
Net loss $ (20,248 )   $ (52,153 )   $ (107,294 )   $ (153,875 )
Stock-based compensation expense   23,118       28,250       94,838       81,293  
Intangible asset amortization   954       1,066       4,108       4,266  
Restructuring charges               10,263        
Non-GAAP net income (loss) $ 3,824     $ (22,837 )   $ 1,915     $ (68,316 )
               
Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic   155,161,554       143,120,852       150,098,776       140,873,504  
Effect of dilutive securities (3)   7,688,463             6,998,611        
Weighted-average shares used in computing non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, diluted   162,850,017       143,120,852       157,097,387       140,873,504  
               
Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.13 )   $ (0.36 )   $ (0.71 )   $ (1.09 )
Non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, basic $ 0.02     $ (0.16 )   $ 0.01     $ (0.48 )
Non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, diluted $ 0.02     $ (0.16 )   $ 0.01     $ (0.48 )

(3)  For periods presented with a non-GAAP net loss, we have excluded the effect of potentially dilutive securities as their inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

  Three Months Ended December 31,   Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
    2023       2022       2023       2022  
Net loss $ (20,248 )   $ (52,153 )   $ (107,294 )   $ (153,875 )
Adjusted to exclude the following:                  
Interest income   (5,912 )     (3,691 )     (20,670 )     (5,548 )
Interest expense   54       356       518       1,251  
Income tax provision   729       1,135       3,653       2,286  
Depreciation and amortization   6,519       5,600       24,588       21,216  
Stock-based compensation expense   23,118       28,250       94,838       81,293  
Other income (expense), net   (283 )     257       1,898       4,696  
Restructuring charges               10,263        
Adjusted EBITDA $ 3,977     $ (20,246 )   $ 7,794     $ (48,681 )
Net loss margin (4)   (11 )%     (32 )%     (15 )%     (24 )%
Adjusted EBITDA margin (5)   2 %     (12 )%     1 %     (8 )%

(4)  We calculate net loss margin as net loss divided by revenue for the same period.
(5)  We calculate adjusted EBITDA margin as adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue for the same period.

Investor Contact
Dennis Walsh
Vice President, Investor Relations
dennis.walsh@udemy.com

Media Contact
Abby Welch
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
abby.welch@udemy.com

 


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