Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-K

 

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

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012

OR

 

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

For the Transition Period From                    to                    

Commission file number: 001-34666

MaxLinear, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   14-1896129

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

2051 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 100

Carlsbad, California

  92011
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

(760) 692-0711

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Class A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value   New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ¨     No   þ

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes   ¨     No   þ

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   þ     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 (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   þ     No   ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

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 the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   þ
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   þ

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2012, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $143 million (based on the closing sales price of the registrant’s Class A common stock on that date). Shares of the registrant’s Class A or Class B common stock held by each officer and director and each person known to the registrant to own 10% or more of the outstanding voting power of the registrant have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not a determination for other purposes.

As of January 25, 2013, the registrant has 23,187,879 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001, and 9,672,781 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001, outstanding.

 

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Information required by Part III of this Form 10-K is incorporated by reference to the registrant’s proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) for the 2013 annual meeting of stockholders, which proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Form 10-K.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page  
  

Part I

  
Item 1.   

Business

     1   
Item 1A.   

Risk Factors

     12   
Item 1B.   

Unresolved Staff Comments

     35   
Item 2.   

Properties

     35   
Item 3.   

Legal Proceedings

     36   
Item 4.   

Mine Safety Disclosures

     36   
  

Part II

  
Item 5.    Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities      37   
Item 6.   

Selected Financial Data

     39   
Item 7.   

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     41   
Item 7A.   

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

     52   
Item 8.   

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

     53   
Item 9.   

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

     53   
Item 9A.   

Controls and Procedures

     53   
Item 9B.   

Other Information

     55   
  

Part III

  
Item 10.   

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

     56   
Item 11.   

Executive Compensation

     56   
Item 12.    Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters      56   
Item 13.   

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

     56   
Item 14.   

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

     56   
  

Part IV

  
Item 15.   

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

     57   


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

PART I

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, or this Form 10-K, contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects and plans and objectives of management. The words “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “projects”, “will”, “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that we make. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the risks set forth in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Corporate Information

We incorporated in the State of Delaware in September 2003. Our executive offices are located at 2051 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 100, Carlsbad, California 92011, and our telephone number is (760) 692-0711. In this Form 10-K, unless the context otherwise requires, the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to MaxLinear, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Our website address is www.maxlinear.com . The contents of our website are not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K. We provide free of charge through a link on our website access to our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practical after the reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. The names “MxL” and “digIQ” are our registered trademarks. All other trademarks and trade names appearing in this Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners.

Overview

We are a provider of integrated, radio-frequency and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications. Our high performance radio-frequency, or RF, receiver products capture and process digital and analog signals to be decoded for various applications. These products include both RF receivers and RF receiver systems-on-chip, or SoCs, which incorporate our highly integrated radio system architecture and the functionality necessary to demodulate broadband signals. Our current products enable the display of broadband data and video content via a wide range of electronic devices, including cable and terrestrial set top boxes, DOCSIS data and voice gateways, digital televisions, mobile handsets, personal computers, netbooks and in-vehicle entertainment devices.

We combine our high performance RF and mixed-signal semiconductor design skills with our expertise in digital communications systems, software and embedded systems to provide highly integrated semiconductor devices that are manufactured using low-cost complementary metal oxide semiconductor, or CMOS, process technology. In addition, our ability to design analog and mixed-signal circuits in CMOS allows us to efficiently

 

1


Table of Contents

combine analog and digital signal processing functionality in the same integrated circuit. As a result, our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs have high levels of functional integration and performance, small silicon die size and low power consumption. Moreover, our proprietary CMOS-based radio system architecture provides to our customers the benefits of superior RF system performance, shorter design cycles, significant design flexibility and low system cost across a wide range of broadband communications applications.

We sell our products to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, module makers and original design manufacturers, or ODMs. During 2012, we sold our products to more than 80 end customers. From inception through December 31, 2012, we shipped 263 million RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. For the year ended December 31, 2012, our net revenue was $97.7 million as compared to $71.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2011.

Industry Background

Technological advances in the broadband data and broadcast TV markets are driving dramatic changes in the way consumers access the internet and experience multimedia content. These advances include the ongoing worldwide conversion from analog to digital television broadcasting; the increasing availability of high-speed broadband and wireless connectivity; rapid improvements in display technology; the transition from standard to high definition television; the proliferation of multi-channel digital video recording, or DVR; and the proliferation of multimedia content accessible through terrestrial broadcast digital television, cable, satellite and telecommunications carrier services. As a result, system designers are adding enhanced television functionality to set top boxes and digital televisions, and expanding voice, video and data access functions and capabilities to home broadband gateways. We believe that several trends, across multiple target markets, are creating revenue opportunities for providers of RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. These trends include the following:

 

   

Terrestrial: Increasingly, consumers are demanding advanced features in their televisions and are also using non-traditional consumer electronic devices, such as personal computers, netbooks, tablets, in-cabin automobile, portable media players, and mobile phones to access broadcast television and other multimedia content. In the traditional television market, system designers are introducing cable and satellite ready televisions equipped with enhanced features such as picture-in-picture and DVR. Historically, we had meaningful revenue contribution from solutions sold into mobile phones; however, television solutions for mobile handsets have become a decreasing focus for us, and we have essentially exited this market as of the end of 2012.

 

   

Cable / Satellite / Broadband Access:  Competing cable, satellite, and other broadband service providers differentiate their services by providing consumers with bundled video, voice, and broadband data access, referred to as triple-play services. These services include advanced features such as; channel guide information, video-on-demand, multi-channel digital video recording, or DVR, and picture-in-picture viewing. Many set top boxes, including those used for triple-play services, now enable consumers to simultaneously access, and manage multimedia content from multiple locations in the same house. These advanced features require either a home gateway or a set top box to simultaneously receive, demodulate, and decode multiple signals spread across several channels. Each simultaneously accessed signal requires a dedicated RF receiver. In these emerging home gateway or media servers, where content may be delivered using internet protocol or IP, there may be “thin or remote clients” that may not have traditional TV tuners, but necessarily include a broadband RF receiver such as MoCA or WiFi. This greatly increases the number of RF receivers required to be deployed in each set top box. In addition, in order to deliver increasing data bandwidth to the home, cable MSOs have deployed DOCSIS 3.0 equipment and services, which enable channel bonding, or the concurrent reception of multiple channels, resulting in higher aggregate “sum of the channels” bandwidth available to DOCSIS 3.0 cable subscribers.

As a result of these trends, RF receiver technology is being deployed in a variety of devices for the terrestrial, cable, and satellite markets. The proliferation of applications with advanced features has led to an

 

2


Table of Contents

increase in the number of devices with multiple RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. RF receivers incorporate RF, digital and analog signal processing functions.

Challenges Faced by Providers of Systems and RF Receivers

The stringent performance requirements of broadband communications applications and the distinct technological challenges associated with the terrestrial, cable, and satellite markets present significant obstacles to service providers and system designers. In particular, designing and implementing RF receivers to capture broadcast digital television signals is extremely challenging due in part to the wide frequency band across which broadcast digital television signals are transmitted. As compared to other digital radio technologies, such as cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth, television signals broadcast over air, on cable, and by satellite are acquired over a much wider frequency band and encounter many more sources of interference. As a result, traditionally, design and implementation of these RF receivers have been accomplished using conventional radio system architectures that employ multiple discrete components and are fabricated using expensive special purpose semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, and special purpose CMOS-based RF process technologies.

The core challenges of capturing and processing high quality broadband communications signals are common to the terrestrial, cable, and satellite markets. These challenges include:

 

   

Design Challenges of Multiple RF Receivers. System designers and service providers across various markets seek to enhance consumer appeal through the addition of new features in their products. Incorporating more than one RF receiver in an electronic device enables many of these features and advanced applications that are rapidly becoming a part of the standard offering from device makers and service providers. For example, in the cable set top box market, it is necessary to support the simultaneous reception of multiple channels for voice, video and data applications in many system designs. In order to meet such requirements, OEMs must employ multiple RF receivers in their system design. Each additional RF receiver poses new challenges to the system designer, such as increased design complexity, overall cost, circuit board space, power consumption and heat dissipation. In addition, a high level of integration in multiple-receiver designs is necessary to combat the reliability and signal interference issues arising from the close proximity of sensitive RF elements.

 

   

Signal Clarity Performance Requirements. Television reception requires a robust and clear signal to provide an adequate user experience. One of the core attributes of system performance is signal clarity, often measured by the signal-to-noise ratio parameter, which measures the strength of the desired signal relative to the combined noise and undesired signal strength in the same channel. Television reception requires an RF receiver that has a wide dynamic range and the ability to isolate the desired signal from the undesired signals, which include the noise generated by extraneous radio waves and interferers produced by home networking systems such as wireless local area network, or WLAN, and Bluetooth. Traditional RF receiver implementations utilized expensive discrete components, such as band-pass filters, resonance elements and varactor diodes to meet the stringent requirements imposed by broadband television reception. In high speed mobile environments, a method known as diversity combining of radio signals, in which the desired signal is captured using multiple RF receivers and reconstructed into a single signal, has been employed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Diversity combining of radio signals requires substantial RF, digital signal processing and software expertise. Both the traditional broadband reception and diversity combining of RF signals in mobile environments are difficult to implement and pose challenges to RF receiver providers.

 

   

Multiple Standards. Worldwide, there are several regional standards for the transmission and reception of broadband analog and digital TV signals. Technical performance, feature requirements and the predominance of a particular means of TV transmission vary regionally. Further, each major geographic region has adopted its own TV standard for cable, terrestrial, and satellite transmissions, such as DVB-T/T2/C/C2/S/S2, ATSC, NTSC, ISDB-T, PAL, SECAM, DTMB, CMMB, etc. As a result of these multiple standards, there are region-specific RF receiver requirements and implementations, which make global standards compliance extremely challenging. Many system

 

3


Table of Contents
 

designers prefer a multiple standards and protocol compliant solution that was previously not possible. Providers of RF receivers face the design challenge of providing this flexibility to the system designer without any increase in power consumption, or any loss of performance quality or competitiveness.

 

   

Power Consumption. Power consumption is an important consideration for consumers and a critical design specification for system designers. For example, in battery-operated devices such as mobile handsets, netbooks and notebooks, and voice-enabled cable modems, long battery life is a differentiating device attribute. In addition, government sponsored programs, such as Energy Star in the U.S., induce consumers to purchase more energy efficient products. For example, in September 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Energy Star compliant televisions would be required to be 40% more energy efficient than their noncompliant counterparts. The addition of one or more RF receivers to a system in order to enable digital TV functionality significantly increases the overall power consumption imposing severe platform level design constraints on multiple channel receiver systems. In fact, in some multiple receiver system designs, a majority of the system’s overall power consumption is attributable to the RF receiver and related components. Providers of RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs are confronted with the design challenge of lowering power consumption while maintaining or improving device performance.

 

   

Size. The size of electronic components, such as RF receivers, is a key consideration for system designers and service providers. In the mobile market, size is a determining factor for whether or not a particular component, such as an RF receiver is designed into the product. In the past, traditional RF receivers were unable to meet the stringent size requirements required in the mobile market and broadcast television functionality was not incorporated in mobile phones. In the television market, as system designers create thinner flat-screen displays, the size of RF receivers is becoming a significant consideration, especially when multiple RF receivers are incorporated in a single system.

Limitations of Existing RF Receiver Solutions

For the past several decades, the RF receiver technology of choice has been the electro-mechanical can tuner. Despite field-proven performance attributes such as signal clarity, can tuners are often prohibitively large in size and have high power consumption, low reliability and high cost, especially in systems requiring multiple RF receivers in a single device. Further, can tuners utilize multiple external discrete components that limit the use of a system design to a single region or TV reception standard. Regional or standard specific customization can be tedious, time consuming and costly for the system designers.

Silicon RF receiver solutions eliminate some of the mechanical and discrete electronic components found in can tuners. However, existing silicon RF receivers typically have been designed using a conventional radio system architecture that employs multiple external discrete components, although fewer than in traditional can-tuners. In addition, these silicon RF receivers have been fabricated using expensive, special purpose semiconductor manufacturing processes such as gallium arsenide and silicon germanium process technologies. The use of multiple components and exotic semiconductor manufacturing process technologies increases system design complexity and overall cost. It reduces the feasibility of further integrating digital baseband circuits on the same chip as the RF receiver. We believe that a new RF receiver technology is required to address the drawbacks of traditional can-tuners and silicon receivers for the terrestrial, cable, and satellite markets.

Scalability of systems to support simultaneous multiple channel reception is a major requirement in today’s home gateways, set-top-boxes, and broadband data modems. The use of existing can-tuners or integrated single channel receivers built in expensive, special purpose semiconductor process technologies imposes severe platform level design constraints for scaling power consumption, and manufacturing cost.

Our Solution

We are a provider of integrated, radio-frequency and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications. Our products enable the display of broadband video content in a wide range of

 

4


Table of Contents

electronic devices, including cable and terrestrial set top boxes, DOCSIS data and voice gateways, digital televisions, mobile handsets, personal computers, netbooks and in-vehicle entertainment devices. We combine our high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductor design skills with our expertise in digital communications systems, software and embedded systems to develop RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. We integrate our RF receivers with digital demodulation and other communications functions in standard CMOS process technology. Our solutions have the following key features:

 

   

Proprietary Radio Architecture. Digital signal processing is at the core of our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. Using our proprietary CMOS-based radio architecture, we leverage both analog and digital signal processing to improve system performance across multiple products. The partitioning of the signal processing in the chip between analog and digital domains is designed to deliver high performance, small die size and low power for a given application. Moreover, our architecture is implemented in standard CMOS process technology, which enables us to realize the integration benefits of analog and digital circuits on the same integrated circuit. This allows us to predictably scale the on-chip digital circuits in successive advanced CMOS process technology nodes. Our solutions have been designed into products in markets with extremely stringent specifications for quality, performance and reliability, such as the television and automotive markets. We believe that our success in these markets demonstrates that our solution can be implemented successfully across multiple markets and applications.

 

   

High Signal Clarity Performance. We design our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs to provide high signal clarity performance regardless of the application in which they are employed. For example, in the set top box market, we deploy our core RF and mixed-signal CMOS process technology platform and radio system architecture to overcome the interference from in-home networks that can degrade cable broadband signals. We believe that signal clarity is more critical in television compared to other communications applications such as voice and data, because signal loss and interference have a more adverse impact on the end user experience.

 

   

Highly Integrated. Our products integrate on a single chip the functionality associated with traditional analog and digital integrated circuits and other expensive discrete components. This high level of integration has the cost benefits associated with smaller silicon die area, fewer external components and lower power. Our CMOS-based RF receiver SoC eliminates analog interface circuit blocks and external components situated at the interface between discrete analog and digital demodulator chips and reduces the cost associated with multiple integrated circuit packages and related test costs. We are also able to integrate multiple RF receivers along with a demodulator onto a single die to create application-specific configurations for our customers. Thus, our highly integrated solution reduces the technical difficulties associated with overcoming the undesired interactions between multiple discrete analog and digital integrated circuits comprising a single system. Our solutions reduce the technical burden on system designers in deploying enhanced television functionality in their products.

 

   

Low Power. Our products enable our customers to reduce power consumption in consumer electronic devices without compromising the stringent performance requirements of applications such as broadcast television. In addition, our products enable our customers to decrease overall system costs by reducing the power consumption and heat dissipation requirements in their systems. For example, in cable boxes supporting voice applications, low power consumption may enable a reduction in the number of batteries or battery capacity required to support standby and lifeline telephony. In certain set top boxes, reduced overall power consumption may allow system designers to eliminate one or more cooling fans required to dissipate the heat generated by high power consumption. The benefits of low power consumption increase with the number of RF receivers included in a system.

 

   

Scalable Platform. Our product families share a highly modular, core radio system architecture, which enables us to offer RF receiver and RF receiver SoC solutions that meet the requirements of a wide variety of geographies, broadcast standards and applications. This is in contrast to legacy solutions that require significant customization to conform to regional standards, technical performance and feature requirements. Moreover, by leveraging our flexible core architecture platform, our integrated circuit

 

5


Table of Contents
 

solutions can be deployed across multiple device categories. As a result, our customers can minimize the design resources required to develop applications for multiple target markets. In addition, our engineering resources can be deployed more efficiently to design products for larger addressable markets. We believe that our core technology platform also can be applied to other communications markets with similar performance requirements.

 

   

Space Efficient Solution. Our highly integrated CMOS-based RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs have an extremely small silicon die size, require minimal external components and consume very little power. Our unique radio architecture, more specifically our Full-Spectrum Capture™ technology, not only enables us to integrate multiple RF receivers in a chip, but also results in a reduction in the incremental power and die area required per each additional channel of reception. This enables our customers to design multi-receiver applications, such as cable modems and set top boxes, in an extremely small form factor. In addition, our products are easily adapted to space-constrained devices such as flat screen televisions, netbooks, and laptops.

Our Strategy

Our objective is to be the leading provider of mixed-signal RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs for broadband video and data communications applications and, in the future, to leverage this core competency to expand into other communications markets with similar performance requirements. The key elements of our strategy are:

 

   

Extend Technology Leadership in RF Receivers and RF Receiver + Demodulator SoCs. We believe that our success has been, and will continue to be, largely attributable to our RF and mixed-signal design capability, as well as advanced digital design, which we leverage to develop high-performance, low-cost semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications. The broadband RF receiver market presents significant opportunities for innovation through the further integration of RF and mixed-signal functionality with digital signal processing capability in CMOS process technology. By doing so, we will be able to deliver products with lower power consumption, superior performance and increased cost benefits to system designers and service providers. We believe that our core competencies and design expertise in this market will enable us to acquire more customers and design wins over time. We will continue to invest in this capability and strive to be an innovation leader in this market.

 

   

Leverage and Expand our Existing Customer Base. We target customers who are leaders in their respective markets. We intend to continue to focus on sales to customers who are leaders in our current target markets, and to build on our relationships with these leading customers to define and enhance our product roadmap. By solving the specific problems faced by our customers, we can minimize the risks associated with our customers’ adoption of our new integrated circuit products, and reduce the length of time from the start of product design to customer revenue. Further, our engagements with market leaders will enable us to participate in emerging technology trends and new industry standards.

 

   

Target Additional High-Growth Markets. Our core competency is in RF analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design in CMOS process technology for broadband communications applications. Several of the technological challenges involved in developing RF solutions for video broadcasting and broadband reception are common to a majority of broadband communication markets. We intend to leverage our core competency in developing highly integrated RF receiver and RF receiver SoCs in standard CMOS process technology to address additional markets within broadband communication, communications infrastructure, and connectivity markets that we believe offer profitable high growth potential.

 

   

Expand Global Presence. Due to the global nature of our supply chain and customer locations, we intend to continue to expand our sales, design and technical support organization both in the United States and overseas. In particular, we expect to increase the number of employees in Asia, Europe and the United States to provide regional support to our increasing base of customers. We believe that our customers will increasingly expect this kind of local capability and support.

 

6


Table of Contents
   

Attract and Retain Top Talent. We are committed to recruiting and retaining highly talented personnel with proven expertise in the design, development, marketing and sales of communications integrated circuits. We believe that we have assembled a high-quality team in all the areas of expertise required at a semiconductor communications company. We provide an attractive work environment for all of our employees. We believe that our ability to attract the best engineers is a critical component of our future growth and success in our chosen markets.

Products

Our products are integrated into a wide range of electronic devices, including cable, satellite, and terrestrial set top boxes, DOCSIS data and voice gateways, digital televisions, mobile handsets, personal computers, netbooks and in-vehicle entertainment devices. We provide customers guidelines known as reference designs so that they can efficiently use our products in their product designs. We currently provide two types of semiconductors:

 

   

RF Receivers. These semiconductor products combine RF receiver technology that traditionally required multiple external discrete components, such as very high frequency, or VHF, and ultra-high frequency, or UHF, tracking filters, surface acoustic wave, or SAW, filters, intermediate-frequency, or IF, amplifiers, low noise amplifiers and transformers. All of these external components have been either eliminated or integrated into a single semiconductor produced entirely in standard CMOS process technology.

 

   

RF Receiver SoCs. These semiconductor products combine the functionality of RF receivers, and demodulators in a single chip. In some configurations, these products may incorporate multiple RF receivers and single or multiple demodulators in a single chip to provide application or market specific solutions to customers.

Customers

We sell our products, directly and indirectly, to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, module makers and original design manufacturers, or ODMs, and refer to these as our end customers. By providing a highly integrated reference design solution that our customers can incorporate in their products with minimal modifications, we enable our customers to design cost-effective high performance digital RF receiver and RF receiver SoC solutions rapidly. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we sold our products to more than 80 end customers. A significant but declining portion of our sales to these and other customers are through distributors based in Asia, and we do not consider distributors as our end customers, despite selling the products to and being paid by the distributors.

We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on a limited number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2012 and the year ended December 31, 2011, ten customers accounted for approximately 63% and 59% of our net revenue, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2012, Arris and Pace represented 25% and 10% of revenue, respectively. In 2011, Panasonic and Arris represented 14% and 11% of revenue, respectively.

Products shipped to Asia accounted for 91% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 and 90% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011. Products shipped to Japan accounted for 14% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 and 39% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011. Products shipped to China and Taiwan accounted for 38% and 31%, respectively, of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012. Products shipped to China and Taiwan accounted for 15% and 30%, respectively, of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011. Although a significant portion of our products are shipped to Asia, the end users who purchase products incorporating our integrated circuits may be in locations different than our own sales destination. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of total revenue by geographical region for 2012, 2011 and 2010.

 

7


Table of Contents

Sales and Marketing

We sell our products worldwide through multiple channels, using our direct sales force, third party sales representatives, and a network of domestic and international distributors. We have direct sales personnel covering the United States, Europe and Asia, and operate customer engineering support offices in Carlsbad, Irvine, and San Jose in California; Tokyo in Japan; Shenzhen in China; Hsinchu in Taiwan; and Seoul in South Korea. We also employ a staff of field applications engineers to provide direct engineering support locally to some of our customers.

Our distributors are independent entities that assist us in identifying and servicing customers in a particular territory, usually on a non-exclusive basis. Sales through distributors accounted for approximately 40% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 and 71% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011.

In October 2005, we entered into a non-exclusive distributor agreement with Tomen Electronics Corporation, or Tomen, for distribution of our products in Japan. Our distributor agreement with Tomen is effective for one year, unless it is terminated earlier by either party for any or no reason with written notice provided three months prior to the expiration of the agreement or by failure of the breaching party to cure a material breach within fifteen days following written notice of such material breach by the non-breaching party. Our agreement with Tomen will automatically renew for additional successive one-year terms unless at least three months before the end of the then-current term either party provides written notice to the other party that it elects not to renew the agreement.

In June 2009, we entered into a revised non-exclusive distributor agreement with Moly Tech Limited, or Moly Tech, for distribution of our products in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Our distributor agreement with Moly Tech is effective for one year, unless it is terminated earlier by either party for any or no reason within sixty days of prior written notice or by failure to cure a material breach within thirty days following written notice of such material breach by the non-breaching party. Our agreement with Moly Tech will automatically renew for additional successive one-year terms unless at least sixty days before the end of the then-current term either party provides written notice to the other party that it elects not to renew the agreement.

In August 2009, we entered into a revised non-exclusive distributor agreement with Lestina International Limited, or Lestina, for distribution of our products in China and Taiwan. Our distributor agreement with Lestina is effective for one year, unless it is terminated earlier by either party for any or no reason within sixty days of prior written notice or by failure to cure a material breach within thirty days following written notice of such material breach by the non-breaching party. Our agreement with Lestina will automatically renew for additional successive one-year terms unless at least sixty days before the end of the then-current term either party provides written notice to the other party that it that it elects not to renew the agreement.

In December 2010, we entered into a non-exclusive distributor agreement with Satori Electric Co. Ltd., or Satori, for distribution of our products in Japan. Our distributor agreement with Satori is effective for one year, unless it is terminated earlier by either party for any or no reason within sixty days of prior written notice or by failure to cure a material breach within thirty days following written notice of such material breach by the non-breaching party. Our agreement with Satori will automatically renew for additional successive one-year terms unless at least sixty days before the end of the then-current term either party provides written notice to the other party that it that it elects not to renew the agreement.

In the first quarter of 2012, we terminated our previously disclosed non-exclusive distributor agreement with Asia Fortune Electronics, and entered into a non-exclusive distributor agreement with Techmosa International, Inc., for distribution of our products in Taiwan. Our distributor agreement with Techmosa is effective for one year, unless it is terminated in writing earlier by either party for any or no reason which will commence 60 days following receipt of the other party’s request, or by failure to cure a material breach within thirty days following written notice of such material breach by the non-breaching party. Our agreement with Techmosa will automatically renew for additional successive one-year terms unless at least sixty days before the

 

8


Table of Contents

end of the then-current term either party provides written notice to the other party that it that it elects not to renew the agreement.

Our sales cycles typically require a significant amount of time and a substantial expenditure of resources before we can realize revenue from the sale of products, if any. Our typical sales cycle consists of a multi-month sales and development process involving our customers’ system designers and management. The typical time from early engagement by our sales force to actual product introduction runs from nine to twelve months for the consumer market, to as much as 18 to 24 months for the cable market. If successful, this process culminates in a customer’s decision to use our products in its system, which we refer to as a design-win. Volume production may begin within three to nine months after a design-win, depending on the complexity of our customer’s product and other factors upon which we may have little or no influence. Once our products have been incorporated into a customer’s design, they are likely to be used for the life cycle of the customer’s product. Thus, a design-win may result in an extended period of revenue generation. Conversely, a design-loss to our competitors, may adversely impact our financial results for an extended period of time.

We generally receive purchase orders from our customers approximately six to twelve weeks prior to the scheduled product delivery date. These purchase orders may be cancelled without charge upon notification, so long as notification is received within an agreed period of time in advance of the delivery date. Because of the scheduling requirements of our foundries and assembly and test contractors, we generally provide our contractors production forecasts and place firm orders for products with our suppliers, up to thirteen weeks prior to the anticipated delivery date, often without a purchase order from our own customers. Our standard warranty provides that products containing defects in materials, workmanship or product performance may be returned for a refund of the purchase price or for replacement, at our discretion.

Manufacturing

We use third-party foundries and assembly and test contractors to manufacture, assemble and test our semiconductor products. This outsourced manufacturing approach allows us to focus our resources on the design, sale and marketing of our products. Our engineers work closely with our foundries and other contractors to increase yield, lower manufacturing costs and improve product quality.

Wafer Fabrication . We utilize standard CMOS process technology to manufacture our products. We use a variety of process technology nodes ranging from 0.13µ and 0.11µ, down to 65 nanometer and 40 nanometer. We depend on four independent silicon foundry manufacturers located in Asia to support the majority of our wafer fabrication requirements. Our key subcontractors are Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC, in China, Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., in Malaysia, Global Foundries in Singapore and United Microelectronics Corporation, or UMC, in Taiwan and Singapore.

Assembly/packaging and Test. Upon completion of the silicon processing at the foundry, we forward the finished silicon wafers to independent assembly/packaging and test service subcontractors. The majority of our assembly/packaging and test requirements are supported by the following independent subcontractors: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, or ASE, in Taiwan (assembly/packaging and test), Giga Solution Technology Co., Ltd in Taiwan (test only), King Yuan Electronics Co., Ltd, or KYEC, in Taiwan (test only), SIGURD Microelectronics Corp. in Taiwan (test only), Siliconware Precision Industries Co. Ltd, or SPIL, in Taiwan (assembly/packaging only) and Unisem (M) Berhad in China (assembly/packaging only).

Quality Assurance . We have implemented significant quality assurance procedures to assure high levels of product quality for our customers. We closely monitor the work-in-progress information and production records maintained by our suppliers, and communicate with our third-party contractors to assure high levels of product quality and an efficient manufacturing time cycle. Upon successful completion of the quality assurance procedures, all of our products are stored and shipped to our customers or distributors directly from our third-party contractors in accordance with our shipping instructions.

 

9


Table of Contents

Research and Development

We believe that our future success depends on our ability to both improve our existing products and to develop new products for both existing and new markets. We direct our research and development efforts largely to the development of new high performance, mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications. We target applications that require stringent overall system performance and low power consumption. As new and challenging communication applications proliferate, we believe that many of these applications may benefit from our SoC solutions combining analog and mixed-signal processing with digital signal processing functions. We have assembled a team of highly skilled semiconductor and embedded software design engineers with expertise in broadband RF and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, digital signal processing, communications systems and SoC design. As of December 31, 2012, we had approximately 194 employees in our research and development group. Our engineering design teams are located in Carlsbad, Irvine, and San Jose in California; Shanghai in China; and Bangalore in India. Our research and development expense was $46.4 million in 2012, $40.2 million in 2011 and $27.7 million in 2010.

Competition

We compete with both established and development-stage semiconductor companies that design, manufacture and market analog and mixed-signal broadband RF receiver products. Our competitors include companies with much longer operating histories, greater name recognition, access to larger customer bases and substantially greater financial, technical and operational resources. Our competitors may develop products that are similar or superior to ours. We consider our primary competitors to be companies with a proven track record of supporting market leaders and the technical capability to develop and bring to market competing broadband RF receiver and RF receiver SoC products. Our primary competitors include NXP B.V. in cable and terrestrial TV markets, Silicon Laboratories in terrestrial TV markets, RDA Microelectronics, Rafael Microelectronics, Inc., and Newport Media Inc. in TV and terrestrial set-top-box markets, Broadcom Corporation in terrestrial, cable, and satellite data and video markets, and Entropic Communications, Inc., in our new development initiatives targeting satellite outdoor units. In addition, it is quite likely that a number of other public and private companies, including some of our customers and semiconductor integrated circuit partners, are developing competing products for digital TV and other broadband communications applications.

The market for analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products is highly competitive, and we believe that it will grow more competitive as a result of continued technological advances. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets include the following:

 

   

product performance;

 

   

features and functionality;

 

   

energy efficiency;

 

   

size;

 

   

ease of system design;

 

   

customer support;

 

   

product roadmap;

 

   

reputation;

 

   

reliability; and

 

   

price.

We believe that we compete favorably as measured against each of these criteria. However, our ability to compete in the future will depend upon the successful design, development and marketing of compelling RF and

 

10


Table of Contents

mixed-signal semiconductor integrated solutions for high growth communications markets. In addition, our competitive position will depend on our ability to continue to attract and retain talent while protecting our intellectual property.

Intellectual Property Rights

Our success and ability to compete depend, in part, upon our ability to establish and adequately protect our proprietary technology and confidential information. To protect our technology and confidential information, we rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights and trademarks. We also protect our proprietary technology and confidential information through the use of internal and external controls, including contractual protections with employees, contractors, business partners, consultants and advisors. Protecting mask works, or the “topography” or semiconductor material designs, of our integrated circuit products is of particular importance to our business and we seek to prevent or limit the ability of others to copy, reproduce or distribute our mask works.

We have fourteen issued patents and 160 patent applications pending in the United States. We also have nine issued foreign patents and 94 other pending foreign patent applications, based on our issued patents and pending patent applications in the United States. The fourteen issued patents in the United States will begin to expire in 2024 through 2029. The nine issued foreign patents will expire in 2025.

We are the owner of two registered trademarks in the United States, “MxL” and “digIQ”, and we claim common law rights in certain other trademarks that are not registered.

We may not gain any competitive advantages from our patents and other intellectual property rights. Our existing and future patents may be circumvented, designed around, blocked or challenged as to inventorship, ownership, scope, validity or enforceability. It is possible that we may be provided with information in the future that could negatively affect the scope or enforceability of either our present or future patents. Furthermore, our pending and future patent applications may or may not be granted under the scope of the claims originally submitted in our patent applications. The scope of the claims submitted or granted may or may not be sufficiently broad to protect our proprietary technologies. Moreover, we have adopted a strategy of seeking limited patent protection with respect to the technologies used in or relating to our products.

We are a party to a number of license agreements for various technologies, such as a license agreement with Intel Corporation relating to demodulator technologies that are licensed specifically for use in our products for cable set top boxes. The agreement was originally entered into with Texas Instruments but was subsequently assigned to Intel Corporation as part of Intel Corporation’s acquisition of Texas Instruments’ cable modem product line in 2010. The license agreement with Intel Corporation has a perpetual term, but Intel Corporation may terminate the agreement for our uncured material breach or for our bankruptcy. If the agreement is terminated, we would not be able to manufacture or sell products that contain the demodulator technology licensed from Intel Corporation, and there would be a delay in the shipment of our products containing the technology until we found a replacement for the demodulator technology in the marketplace on commercially reasonable terms or we developed the demodulator technology itself. We believe we could find a substitute for the currently licensed demodulator technology in the marketplace on commercially reasonable terms or develop the demodulator technology ourselves. In either case, obtaining new licenses or replacing existing technology could have a material adverse effect on our business, as described in “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We utilize a significant amount of intellectual property in our business. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, our business could be adversely affected.”

The semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent litigation and other vigorous offensive and protective enforcement actions over rights to intellectual property. Moreover, there are numerous patents in the semiconductor industry, and new patents are being granted rapidly worldwide. Our competitors may obtain patents that block or limit our ability to develop new technology and/or improve our existing products. If our

 

11


Table of Contents

products were found to infringe any patents or other intellectual property rights held by third parties, we could be prevented from selling our products or be subject to litigation fees, statutory fines and/or other significant expenses. We may be required to initiate litigation in order to enforce any patents issued to us, or to determine the scope or validity of a third-party’s patent or other proprietary rights. We may in the future be contacted by third parties suggesting that we seek a license to intellectual property rights that they may believe we are infringing. In addition, in the future, we may be subject to lawsuits by third parties seeking to enforce their own intellectual property rights, as described in “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We may face claims of intellectual property infringement, which could be time-consuming, costly to defend or settle and result in the loss of significant rights” and in “Item 3 – Legal Proceedings.”

Employees

As of December 31, 2012, we had approximately 274 employees, including 194 in research and development, 37 in sales and marketing, 7 in operations and semiconductor technology and 36 in administration. None of our employees is represented by a labor organization or under any collective bargaining arrangement, and we have never had a work stoppage. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Backlog

Our sales are made primarily pursuant to standard purchase orders. Because industry practice allows customers to reschedule, or in some cases, cancel orders on relatively short notice, we do not believe that backlog is a good indicator of our future sales.

Geographic Information

During our last three years, substantially all of our revenue was generated within Japan, China and Taiwan, and substantially all of our long-lived assets are located within the United States.

Seasonality

The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical and is characterized by constant and rapid technological change, rapid product obsolescence and price erosion, evolving technical standards, short product life cycles and wide fluctuations in product supply and demand. From time to time, these and other factors, together with changes in general economic conditions, cause significant upturns and downturns in the industry, and in our business in particular.

In addition, our operating results are subject to substantial quarterly and annual fluctuations due to a number of factors, such as the demand for semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications, the timing of receipt, reduction or cancellation of significant orders, the gain or loss of significant customers, market acceptance of our products and our customers’ products, our ability to timely develop, introduce and market new products and technologies, the availability and cost of products from our suppliers, new product and technology introductions by competitors, intellectual property disputes and the timing and extent of product development costs.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, or Form 10-K, including any information incorporated by reference herein, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, referred to as the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, referred to as the Exchange Act. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The forward-looking

 

12


Table of Contents

statements contained in this Form 10-K involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and situations that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. These factors include those listed below in this Item 1A and those discussed elsewhere in this Form 10-K. We encourage investors to review these factors carefully. We may from time to time make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in our filings with the SEC. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of us, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Before you invest in our securities, you should be aware that our business faces numerous financial and market risks, including those described below, as well as general economic and business risks. The following discussion provides information concerning the material risks and uncertainties that we have identified and believe may adversely affect our business, our financial condition and our results of operations. Before you decide whether to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties, together with all of the other information included in this Form 10-K and in our other public filings.

We face intense competition and expect competition to increase in the future, which could have an adverse effect on our revenue, revenue growth rate, if any, and market share.

The global semiconductor market in general, and the RF receiver market in particular, are highly competitive. We compete in different target markets to various degrees on the basis of a number of principal competitive factors, including our products’ performance, features and functionality, energy efficiency, size, ease of system design, customer support, product roadmap, reputation, reliability and price, as well as on the basis of our customer support, the quality of our product roadmap and our reputation. We expect competition to increase and intensify as more and larger semiconductor companies as well as the internal resources of large, integrated original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, enter our markets. Increased competition could result in price pressure, reduced profitability and loss of market share, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, revenue, revenue growth rates and operating results.

As our products are integrated into a variety of electronic devices, we compete with suppliers of both can tuners and traditional silicon RF receivers. Our competitors range from large, international companies offering a wide range of semiconductor products to smaller companies specializing in narrow markets and internal engineering groups within mobile device, television and set top box manufacturers, some of which may be our customers. Our primary competitors include Silicon Labs, NXP B.V., RDA Microelectronics, Inc., Newport Media Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Entropic Communications, Inc., and Rafael Microelectronics, Inc. It is quite likely that competition in the markets in which we participate will increase in the future as existing competitors improve or expand their product offerings. In addition, it is quite likely that a number of other public and private companies are in the process of developing competing products for digital television and other broadband communication applications. Because our products often are building block semiconductors which provide functions that in some cases can be integrated into more complex integrated circuits, we also face competition from manufacturers of integrated circuits, some of which may be existing customers that develop their own integrated circuit products. If we cannot offer an attractive solution for applications where our competitors offer more fully integrated tuner/demodulator/video processing products, we may lose significant market share to our competitors. Certain of our competitors have fully integrated tuner/demodulator/video processing solutions targeting high performance cable or DTV applications, and thereby potentially provide customers with smaller and cheaper solutions.

Our ability to compete successfully depends on elements both within and outside of our control, including industry and general economic trends. During past periods of downturns in our industry, competition in the markets in which we operate intensified as manufacturers of semiconductors reduced prices in order to combat production overcapacity and high inventory levels. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources with which to withstand similar adverse economic or market conditions in the future.

 

13


Table of Contents

Moreover, the competitive landscape is changing as a result of consolidation within our industry as some of our competitors have merged with or been acquired by other competitors, and other competitors have begun to collaborate with each other. These developments may materially and adversely affect our current and future target markets and our ability to compete successfully in those markets.

We depend on a limited number of customers for a substantial portion of our revenue, and the loss of, or a significant reduction in orders from, one or more of our major customers could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and operating results.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, Arris and Pace accounted for 25% and 10%, respectively, of our net revenue, and our ten largest customers collectively accounted for 63% of our net revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Panasonic and Arris accounted for 14% and 11%, respectively, of our net revenue, and our ten largest customers collectively accounted for 59% of our net revenue. Our operating results for the foreseeable future will continue to depend on sales to a relatively small number of customers and on the ability of these customers to sell products that incorporate our RF receivers or RF receiver SoCs. In the future, these customers may decide not to purchase our products at all, may purchase fewer products than they did in the past, or may defer or cancel purchases or otherwise alter their purchasing patterns. Factors that could affect our revenue from these large customers include the following:

 

   

substantially all of our sales to date have been made on a purchase order basis, which permits our customers to cancel, change or delay product purchase commitments with little or no notice to us and without penalty; and

 

   

some of our customers have sought or are seeking relationships with current or potential competitors which may affect their purchasing decisions.

In addition, delays in development could impair our relationships with our strategic customers and negatively impact sales of the products under development. Moreover, it is possible that our customers may develop their own product or adopt a competitor’s solution for products that they currently buy from us. If that happens, our sales would decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our relationships with some customers may deter other potential customers who compete with these customers from buying our products. To attract new customers or retain existing customers, we may offer these customers favorable prices on our products. In that event, our average selling prices and gross margins would decline. The loss of a key customer, a reduction in sales to any key customer or our inability to attract new significant customers could seriously impact our revenue and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

A significant portion of our revenue is attributable to demand for our products in markets for cable applications.

Prior to 2010, sales of our products to customers in the mobile electronic device market accounted for a significant portion of our revenue in prior periods; however, revenue derived from mobile electronic devices has declined since 2010 and is no longer an area of focus for the Company. For 2010, revenue directly attributable to cable applications accounted for approximately 8% of our net revenue. For 2011, revenue directly attributable to cable applications accounted for approximately 34%, of our net revenue. For 2012, revenue directly attributable to cable applications accounted for approximately 63% of our net revenue. We currently expect this revenue contribution trend between terrestrial and cable applications to be relatively consistent in 2013. Delays in the development of, or unexpected developments in, the terrestrial television receiver and cable application markets could have an adverse effect on order activity by manufacturers in these markets and, as a result, on our business, revenue, operating results and financial condition.

 

14


Table of Contents

We may be unable to make the substantial and productive research and development investments which are required to remain competitive in our business.

The semiconductor industry requires substantial investment in research and development in order to develop and bring to market new and enhanced technologies and products. Many of our products originated with our research and development efforts and have provided us with a significant competitive advantage. Our research and development expense was $46.4 million in 2012, $40.2 million in 2011 and $27.7 million in 2010. In 2012, we continued to increase our research and development expenditures as part of our strategy of devoting focused research and development efforts on the development of innovative and sustainable product platforms. We are committed to investing in new product development internally in order to stay competitive in our markets and plan to maintain research and development and design capabilities for new solutions in advanced semiconductor process nodes such as 40nm and beyond. We do not know whether we will have sufficient resources to maintain the level of investment in research and development required to remain competitive as semiconductor process nodes continue to shrink and become increasingly complex. In addition, we cannot assure you that the technologies which are the focus of our research and development expenditures will become commercially successful.

Average selling prices of our products could decrease rapidly, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and gross margins.

We may experience substantial period-to-period fluctuations in future operating results due to the erosion of our average selling prices. From time to time, we have reduced the average unit price of our products due to competitive pricing pressures, new product introductions by us or our competitors, and for other reasons, and we expect that we will have to do so again in the future. If we are unable to offset any reductions in our average selling prices by increasing our sales volumes or introducing new products with higher margins, our revenue and gross margins will suffer. To support our gross margins, we must develop and introduce new products and product enhancements on a timely basis and continually reduce our and our customers’ costs. Failure to do so would cause our revenue and gross margins to decline.

If we fail to develop and introduce new or enhanced products on a timely basis, our ability to attract and retain customers could be impaired and our competitive position could be harmed.

We operate in a dynamic environment characterized by rapidly changing technologies and industry standards and technological obsolescence. To compete successfully, we must design, develop, market and sell new or enhanced products that provide increasingly higher levels of performance and reliability and meet the cost expectations of our customers. The introduction of new products by our competitors, the market acceptance of products based on new or alternative technologies, or the emergence of new industry standards could render our existing or future products obsolete. Our failure to anticipate or timely develop new or enhanced products or technologies in response to technological shifts could result in decreased revenue and our competitors winning more competitive bid processes, known as “design wins.” In particular, we may experience difficulties with product design, manufacturing, marketing or certification that could delay or prevent our development, introduction or marketing of new or enhanced products. If we fail to introduce new or enhanced products that meet the needs of our customers or penetrate new markets in a timely fashion, we will lose market share and our operating results will be adversely affected.

If we fail to penetrate new markets, our revenue, revenue growth rate, if any, and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Currently, we sell most of our products to manufacturers of applications for television, cable modems and gateways and cable set-top boxes, automotive TV display, and to Chinese manufacturers of set top boxes for sale in various markets worldwide. Our future revenue growth, if any, will depend in part on our ability to expand beyond these markets with our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. Each of these markets presents distinct and

 

15


Table of Contents

substantial risks. If any of these markets does not develop as we currently anticipate, or if we are unable to penetrate them successfully, it could materially and adversely affect our revenue and revenue growth rate, if any.

We expect cable modems and set top boxes to represent our largest North American target market. The North American cable set top box market is dominated by only a few OEMs, including Motorola Solutions Inc, Cisco Systems, Inc., Arris Group, Inc. and Technicolor S.A. These OEMs are large, multinational corporations with substantial negotiating power relative to us. Securing design wins with any of these companies requires a substantial investment of our time and resources. Even if we succeed, additional testing and operational certifications will be required by the OEMs’ customers, which include large cable television companies such as Comcast Corporation and Time Warner Cable Inc. In addition, our products will need to be compatible with other components in our customers’ designs, including components produced by our competitors or potential competitors. There can be no assurance that these other companies will support or continue to support our products.

Finally, the markets for Internet Protocol television, or IPTV, and PCTV are nascent and relatively small. We have sold limited quantities of our products into these markets and cannot predict how, or to what extent, demand for our products in these markets will develop.

If we fail to penetrate these or other new markets upon which we target our resources, our revenue and revenue growth rate, if any, likely will decrease over time and our financial condition could suffer.

Our business, revenue and revenue growth, if any, will depend in part on the timing and development of the global transition from analog to digital television, which is subject to numerous regulatory and business risks outside our control.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, sales of our RF receiver products used in digital terrestrial television applications, or DTT, including digital televisions, automotive navigation displays, PCTV, IPTV, and terrestrial set top boxes, and video gateways for cable represented a significant portion of our revenues. We expect a significant portion of our revenue in future periods to continue to depend on the demand for DTT applications. In contrast to the United States, where the transition from analog to digital television occurred on a national basis in June 2009, in Europe and other parts of the world, the digital transition is being phased in on a local and regional basis and is expected to occur over many years. Most countries in Western Europe are expected to convert to digital television by the end of 2012, with the transition in Eastern Europe expected to continue through 2015. As a result, our future revenue will depend in part on government mandates requiring conversion from analog to digital television and on the timing and implementation of those mandates. If the transition to digital TV standards does not take place or is substantially delayed in Europe or other international markets, our business, revenue, operating results and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. If during the transition to digital TV standards, consumers disproportionately purchase TV’s with digital or hybrid tuning capabilities, this could diminish the size of the market for our digital-to-analog converter set-top box solutions, and as result our business, revenue, operating results and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

We are currently parties to intellectual property litigation and may face additional claims of intellectual property infringement. Current litigation and any future litigation could be time-consuming, costly to defend or settle and result in the loss of significant rights.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by companies that hold large numbers of patents and other intellectual property rights and that vigorously pursue, protect and enforce intellectual property rights. From time to time, third parties may assert against us and our customers and distributors their patent and other intellectual property rights to technologies that are important to our business.

Silicon Labs Litigation

On May 13, 2012, we filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Silicon Labs, as defendant, seeking an order that our CMOS hybrid tuner

 

16


Table of Contents

products, such as the MxL301 and MxL601, do not infringe nineteen (19) patents owned by Silicon Labs. The declaratory judgment complaint further seeks a ruling that the defendant’s patents are invalid. Silicon Labs has filed counterclaims for infringement on five (5) of the nineteen (19) patents and one (1) additional Silicon Labs patent. On September 13, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a motion for preliminary injunction requesting an injunction on our MxL601 product based upon alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,200,364. On November 2, 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California held a hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction. On November 7, 2012, the court issued an order denying Silicon Labs’ motion. In the order, the court found that “Silicon Labs has failed to sustain its burden of proving a likelihood of success on the merits or that it will suffer immediate irreparable harm absent a preliminary injunction.” The court further ruled that “Silicon Labs had not met its burden of showing that it is more likely than not that the ‘364 Patent will be found valid at trial.” On December 12, 2012, the Court granted Silicon Labs leave to file an amended answer to assert counterclaims for infringement on three (3) additional Silicon Labs patents. The Court has scheduled a claims construction hearing for April 19, 2013 and scheduled trial to commence on February 11, 2014.

On July 17, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a complaint for patent infringement against us in United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The Silicon Labs complaint asserts that a wide range of our products infringe a single Silicon Labs patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,035,607, or the ‘607 patent. The ‘607 patent is related to several of the nineteen (19) patents on which we filed a declaratory judgment action against Silicon Labs. The Silicon Labs complaint seeks damages and injunctive relief against our products. We have filed counterclaims for infringement on three (3) patents owned by us – United States Patent Nos. 7,362,178; 8,198,940; and 7,778,613. Silicon Labs has filed a motion to dismiss or transfer our counterclaims for infringement to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The Court denied that motion. The July 17, 2012 litigation and May 13, 2012 litigation were related by Court order on July 23, 2012. The Court has similarly scheduled a claim construction hearing for April 19, 2013 and scheduled trial to commence on February 11, 2014.

On July 30, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas against us seeking an order that Silicon Labs’ products do not infringe the three (3) patents owned by us asserted as counterclaims in the second Southern District of California action. The declaratory judgment complaint further sought a ruling that the patents are invalid. We filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, and the Court granted limited jurisdictional discovery related to the issue. On January 17, 2013, the Court granted our Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction and ordered dismissal of the Texas action.

We have not recorded any accrual for loss contingencies associated with Silicon Labs litigation; determined that an unfavorable outcome is probable or reasonably possible; or determined that the amount or range of any possible loss is reasonably estimable.

Claims that our products, processes or technology infringe third-party intellectual property rights, regardless of their merit or resolution and including the Silicon Labs claims, could be costly to defend or settle and could divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. In addition, many of our customer and distributor agreements require us to indemnify and defend our customers or distributors from third-party infringement claims and pay damages in the case of adverse rulings. Claims of this sort also could harm our relationships with our customers or distributors and might deter future customers from doing business with us. We believe that Silicon Labs has sought to impair our relationships with prospective customers, and we filed our declaratory action complaint in partial response to accusations made by Silicon Labs to our customers. We do not know whether we will prevail in these proceedings given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation. If any pending or future proceedings result in an adverse outcome, we could be required to:

 

   

cease the manufacture, use or sale of the infringing products, processes or technology;

 

   

pay substantial damages for infringement;

 

17


Table of Contents
   

expend significant resources to develop non-infringing products, processes or technology;

 

   

license technology from the third-party claiming infringement, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all;

 

   

cross-license our technology to a competitor to resolve an infringement claim, which could weaken our ability to compete with that competitor; or

 

   

pay substantial damages to our customers or end users to discontinue their use of or to replace infringing technology sold to them with non-infringing technology.

Any of the foregoing results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We utilize a significant amount of intellectual property in our business. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, our business could be adversely affected.

Our success depends in part upon our ability to protect our intellectual property. To accomplish this, we rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets in the United States and in selected foreign countries where we believe filing for such protection is appropriate. Effective patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection may be unavailable, limited or not applied for in some countries. Some of our products and technologies are not covered by any patent or patent application. We cannot guarantee that:

 

   

any of our present or future patents or patent claims will not lapse or be invalidated, circumvented, challenged or abandoned;

 

   

our intellectual property rights will provide competitive advantages to us;

 

   

our ability to assert our intellectual property rights against potential competitors or to settle current or future disputes will not be limited by our agreements with third parties;

 

   

any of our pending or future patent applications will be issued or have the coverage originally sought;

 

   

our intellectual property rights will be enforced in jurisdictions where competition may be intense or where legal protection may be weak;

 

   

any of the trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets or other intellectual property rights that we presently employ in our business will not lapse or be invalidated, circumvented, challenged or abandoned; or

 

   

we will not lose the ability to assert our intellectual property rights against or to license our technology to others and collect royalties or other payments.

In addition, our competitors or others may design around our protected patents or technologies. Effective intellectual property protection may be unavailable or more limited in one or more relevant jurisdictions relative to those protections available in the United States, or may not be applied for in one or more relevant jurisdictions. If we pursue litigation to assert our intellectual property rights, as we have against Silicon Labs, an adverse decision in any of these legal actions could limit our ability to assert our intellectual property rights, limit the value of our technology or otherwise negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property may have occurred or may occur in the future. Although we have taken steps to minimize the risk of this occurring, any such failure to identify unauthorized use and otherwise adequately protect our intellectual property would adversely affect our business. Moreover, if we are required to commence litigation, whether as a plaintiff or defendant as has occurred with Silicon Labs, not only will this be time-consuming, but

 

18


Table of Contents

we will also be forced to incur significant costs and divert our attention and efforts of our employees, which could, in turn, result in lower revenue and higher expenses.

We also rely on customary contractual protections with our customers, suppliers, distributors, employees and consultants, and we implement security measures to protect our trade secrets. We cannot assure you that these contractual protections and security measures will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any such breach or that our suppliers, employees or consultants will not assert rights to intellectual property arising out of such contracts.

In addition, we have a number of third-party patent and intellectual property license agreements. Some of these license agreements require us to make one-time payments or ongoing royalty payments. Also, a few of our license agreements contain most-favored nation clauses or other price restriction clauses which may affect the amount we may charge for our products, processes or technology. We cannot guarantee that the third-party patents and technology we license will not be licensed to our competitors or others in the semiconductor industry. In the future, we may need to obtain additional licenses, renew existing license agreements or otherwise replace existing technology. We are unable to predict whether these license agreements can be obtained or renewed or the technology can be replaced on acceptable terms, or at all.

In connection with settling a trademark dispute with Linear Technology Corporation, we agreed not to register the “MAXLINEAR” mark or any other marks containing the term “LINEAR”. We may continue to use “MAXLINEAR” as a corporate identifier, including to advertise our products and services, but may not use that mark on our products. The agreement does not affect our ability to use our registered trademark “MxL”, which we use on our products. Due to our agreement not to register the “MAXLINEAR” mark, our ability to effectively prevent third parties from using the “MAXLINEAR” mark in connection with similar products or technology may be affected. If we are unable to protect our trademarks, we may experience difficulties in achieving and maintaining brand recognition and customer loyalty.

Continued adverse U.S. and international economic conditions, including factors that adversely affect consumer spending for the products that incorporate our integrated circuits, could adversely affect our revenues, margins, and operating results.

Since September 2008, the global credit markets and the financial services industry have been experiencing a period of unprecedented turmoil and upheaval characterized by the bankruptcy, failure, collapse or sale of various financial institutions and an unprecedented level of intervention from U.S. and foreign governments. Recently, the credit crisis has reemerged in Europe with threats of credit default by certain member countries of the European Union, and by substantial budgetary and fiscal constraints, including substantial budget reductions in larger European Union countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom. Our products are incorporated in numerous consumer devices, and demand for our products will ultimately be driven by consumer demand for products such as televisions, automobiles, cable modems, and set top boxes. Many of these purchases are discretionary. In addition, our recent revenue growth has been attributable in large part to purchases of digital-to-analog set top converter boxes in various geographies including Europe. Partially in response to economic and political developments, Greece recently extended the date for its deadline for switching to exclusive digital television broadcasts. Similar extensions in other European countries could adversely affect our revenue and growth. These events, together with the current adverse economic conditions facing the broader economy and, in particular, the semiconductor and communications industries, have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our business, particularly to the extent that consumers decrease their discretionary spending for devices deploying our products.

We rely on a limited number of third parties to manufacture, assemble and test our products, and the failure to manage our relationships with our third-party contractors successfully could adversely affect our ability to market and sell our products.

We do not have our own manufacturing facilities. We operate an outsourced manufacturing business model that utilizes third-party foundry and assembly and test capabilities. As a result, we rely on third-party foundry

 

19


Table of Contents

wafer fabrication and assembly and test capacity, including sole sourcing for many components or products. Currently, all of our products are manufactured by United Microelectronics Corporation, or UMC, Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Global Foundries, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC, at foundries in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and China. We also use third-party contractors for all of our assembly and test operations.

Relying on third party manufacturing, assembly and testing presents significant risks to us, including the following:

 

   

failure by us, our customers, or their end customers to qualify a selected supplier;

 

   

capacity shortages during periods of high demand;

 

   

reduced control over delivery schedules and quality;

 

   

shortages of materials;

 

   

misappropriation of our intellectual property;

 

   

limited warranties on wafers or products supplied to us; and

 

   

potential increases in prices.

The ability and willingness of our third-party contractors to perform is largely outside our control. If one or more of our contract manufacturers or other outsourcers fails to perform its obligations in a timely manner or at satisfactory quality levels, our ability to bring products to market and our reputation could suffer. For example, in the event that manufacturing capacity is reduced or eliminated at one or more facilities, including as a response to the recent worldwide decline in the semiconductor industry, manufacturing could be disrupted, we could have difficulties fulfilling our customer orders and our net revenue could decline. In addition, if these third parties fail to deliver quality products and components on time and at reasonable prices, we could have difficulties fulfilling our customer orders, our net revenue could decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Additionally, our manufacturing capacity may be similarly reduced or eliminated at one or more facilities due to the fact that our fabrication and assembly and test contractors are all located in the Pacific Rim region, principally in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. The risk of earthquakes in these geographies is significant due to the proximity of major earthquake fault lines, and Taiwan in particular is also subject to typhoons and other Pacific storms. Earthquakes, fire, flooding, or other natural disasters in Taiwan or the Pacific Rim region, or political unrest, war, labor strikes, work stoppages or public health crises, such as outbreaks of H1N1 flu, in countries where our contractors’ facilities are located could result in the disruption of our foundry, assembly or test capacity. Any disruption resulting from these events could cause significant delays in shipments of our products until we are able to shift our manufacturing, assembly or test from the affected contractor to another third-party vendor. There can be no assurance that alternative capacity could be obtained on favorable terms, if at all.

We do not have any long-term supply contracts with our contract manufacturers or suppliers, and any disruption in our supply of products or materials could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue and operating results.

We currently do not have long-term supply contracts with any of our third-party vendors, including UMC, Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Global Foundries, and SMIC. We make substantially all of our purchases on a purchase order basis, and neither UMC nor our other contract manufacturers are required to supply us products for any specific period or in any specific quantity. Foundry capacity may not be available when we need it or at reasonable prices. Availability of foundry capacity has in the past been reduced from time to time due to strong demand. Foundries can allocate capacity to the production of other companies’ products and reduce deliveries to us on short notice. It is possible that foundry customers that are larger and better financed than we are, or that

 

20


Table of Contents

have long-term agreements with our foundry, may induce our foundry to reallocate capacity to them. This reallocation could impair our ability to secure the supply of components that we need. We expect that it would take approximately nine to twelve months to transition performance of our foundry or assembly services to new providers. Such a transition would likely require a qualification process by our customers or their end customers. We generally place orders for products with some of our suppliers approximately four to five months prior to the anticipated delivery date, with order volumes based on our forecasts of demand from our customers. Accordingly, if we inaccurately forecast demand for our products, we may be unable to obtain adequate and cost-effective foundry or assembly capacity from our third-party contractors to meet our customers’ delivery requirements, or we may accumulate excess inventories. On occasion, we have been unable to adequately respond to unexpected increases in customer purchase orders and therefore were unable to benefit from this incremental demand. None of our third-party contractors has provided any assurance to us that adequate capacity will be available to us within the time required to meet additional demand for our products.

To address capacity considerations, we are in the process of qualifying additional semiconductor fabricators. Qualification will not occur if we identify a defect in a fabricator’s manufacturing process or if our customers choose not to invest the time and expense required to qualify the proposed fabricator. If full qualification of a fabricator does not occur, we may not be able to sell all of the materials produced by this fabricator or to fulfill demand for our products, which would adversely affect our business, revenue and operating results. In addition, the resulting write-off of unusable inventories would have an adverse effect on our operating results.

Due to our limited operating history, we may have difficulty accurately predicting our future revenue and appropriately budgeting our expenses.

We have only a limited operating history from which to predict future revenue. This limited operating experience, combined with the rapidly evolving nature of the markets in which we sell our products, substantial uncertainty concerning how these markets may develop and other factors beyond our control, reduces our ability to accurately forecast quarterly or annual revenue. We are currently expanding our staffing and increasing our expense levels in anticipation of future revenue growth. If our revenue does not increase as anticipated, we could incur significant losses due to our higher expense levels if we are not able to decrease our expenses in a timely manner to offset any shortfall in future revenue.

We may not sustain our growth rate, and we may not be able to manage future growth effectively.

We have experienced significant growth in a short period of time. Our net revenue increased from approximately $68.7 million in 2010 to approximately $71.9 million in 2011 and approximately $97.7 million in 2012. We may not achieve similar growth rates in future periods. You should not rely on our operating results for any prior quarterly or annual periods as an indication of our future operating performance. If we are unable to maintain adequate revenue growth, our financial results could suffer and our stock price could decline.

To manage our growth successfully and handle the responsibilities of being a public company, we believe we must effectively, among other things:

 

   

recruit, hire, train and manage additional qualified engineers for our research and development activities, especially in the positions of design engineering, product and test engineering and applications engineering;

 

   

add sales personnel and expand customer engineering support offices;

 

   

implement and improve our administrative, financial and operational systems, procedures and controls; and

 

   

enhance our information technology support for enterprise resource planning and design engineering by adapting and expanding our systems and tool capabilities, and properly training new hires as to their use.

 

21


Table of Contents

If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities or develop new products and we may fail to satisfy customer requirements, maintain product quality, execute our business plan or respond to competitive pressures.

If we are unable to attract, train and retain qualified personnel, especially our design and technical personnel, we may not be able to execute our business strategy effectively.

Our future success depends on our ability to retain, attract and motivate qualified personnel, including our management, sales and marketing and finance, and especially our design and technical personnel. We do not know whether we will be able to retain all of these personnel as we continue to pursue our business strategy. Historically, we have encountered difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified engineers because there is a limited pool of engineers with the expertise required in our field. Competition for these personnel is intense in the semiconductor industry. As the source of our technological and product innovations, our design and technical personnel represent a significant asset. The loss of the services of one or more of our key employees, especially our key design and technical personnel, or our inability to retain, attract and motivate qualified design and technical personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our customers require our products and our third-party contractors to undergo a lengthy and expensive qualification process which does not assure product sales.

Prior to purchasing our products, our customers require that both our products and our third-party contractors undergo extensive qualification processes, which involve testing of the products in the customer’s system and rigorous reliability testing. This qualification process may continue for six months or more. However, qualification of a product by a customer does not assure any sales of the product to that customer. Even after successful qualification and sales of a product to a customer, a subsequent revision to the RF receiver or RF receiver SoC, changes in our customer’s manufacturing process or our selection of a new supplier may require a new qualification process, which may result in delays and in us holding excess or obsolete inventory. After our products are qualified, it can take six months or more before the customer commences volume production of components or devices that incorporate our products. Despite these uncertainties, we devote substantial resources, including design, engineering, sales, marketing and management efforts, to qualifying our products with customers in anticipation of sales. If we are unsuccessful or delayed in qualifying any of our products with a customer, sales of this product to the customer may be precluded or delayed, which may impede our growth and cause our business to suffer.

We are subject to risks associated with our distributors’ product inventories and product sell-through. Should any of our distributors cease or be forced to stop distributing our products, our business would suffer.

We currently sell a significant but declining portion of our products to customers through our distributors, who maintain their own inventories of our products. Sales to distributors accounted for 40% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012. If our distributors are unable to sell an adequate amount of their inventories of our products in a given quarter to manufacturers and end users or if they decide to decrease their inventories of our products for any reason, our sales to these distributors and our revenue may decline. In addition, if some distributors decide to purchase more of our products than are required to satisfy end customer demand in any particular quarter, inventories at these distributors would grow in that quarter. These distributors likely would reduce future orders until inventory levels realign with end customer demand, which could adversely affect our product revenue in a subsequent quarter.

Our reserve estimates with respect to the products stocked by our distributors are based principally on reports provided to us by our distributors, typically on a weekly basis. To the extent that this resale and channel inventory data is inaccurate or not received in a timely manner, we may not be able to make reserve estimates for future periods accurately or at all.

 

22


Table of Contents

We are subject to order and shipment uncertainties, and differences between our estimates of customer demand and product mix and our actual results could negatively affect our inventory levels, sales and operating results.

Our revenue is generated on the basis of purchase orders with our customers rather than long-term purchase commitments. In addition, our customers can cancel purchase orders or defer the shipments of our products under certain circumstances. Our products are manufactured using a silicon foundry according to our estimates of customer demand, which requires us to make separate demand forecast assumptions for every customer, each of which may introduce significant variability into our aggregate estimate. We have limited visibility into future customer demand and the product mix that our customers will require, which could adversely affect our revenue forecasts and operating margins. Moreover, because our target markets are relatively new, many of our customers have difficulty accurately forecasting their product requirements and estimating the timing of their new product introductions, which ultimately affects their demand for our products. Historically, because of this limited visibility, actual results have been different from our forecasts of customer demand. Some of these differences have been material, leading to excess inventory or product shortages and revenue and margin forecasts above those we were actually able to achieve. These differences may occur in the future, and the adverse impact of these differences between forecasts and actual results could grow if we are successful in selling more products to some customers. In addition, the rapid pace of innovation in our industry could render significant portions of our inventory obsolete. Excess or obsolete inventory levels could result in unexpected expenses or increases in our reserves that could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Conversely, if we were to underestimate customer demand or if sufficient manufacturing capacity were unavailable, we could forego revenue opportunities, potentially lose market share and damage our customer relationships. In addition, any significant future cancellations or deferrals of product orders or the return of previously sold products due to manufacturing defects could materially and adversely impact our profit margins, increase our write-offs due to product obsolescence and restrict our ability to fund our operations.

Winning business is subject to lengthy competitive selection processes that require us to incur significant expenditures. Even if we begin a product design, customers may decide to cancel or change their product plans, which could cause us to generate no revenue from a product and adversely affect our results of operations.

We are focused on securing design wins to develop RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs for use in our customers’ products. These selection processes typically are lengthy and can require us to incur significant design and development expenditures and dedicate scarce engineering resources in pursuit of a single customer opportunity. We may not win the competitive selection process and may never generate any revenue despite incurring significant design and development expenditures. These risks are exacerbated by the fact that some of our customers’ products likely will have short life cycles. Failure to obtain a design win could prevent us from offering an entire generation of a product, even though this has not occurred to date. This could cause us to lose revenue and require us to write off obsolete inventory, and could weaken our position in future competitive selection processes.

After securing a design win, we may experience delays in generating revenue from our products as a result of the lengthy development cycle typically required. Our customers generally take a considerable amount of time to evaluate our products. The typical time from early engagement by our sales force to actual product introduction runs from nine to twelve months for the consumer market, to as much as 18 to 36 months for operator driven markets such as cable modems. The delays inherent in these lengthy sales cycles increase the risk that a customer will decide to cancel, curtail, reduce or delay its product plans, causing us to lose anticipated sales. In addition, any delay or cancellation of a customer’s plans could materially and adversely affect our financial results, as we may have incurred significant expense and generated no revenue. Finally, our customers’ failure to successfully market and sell their products could reduce demand for our products and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we were unable to generate revenue after incurring substantial expenses to develop any of our products, our business would suffer.

 

23


Table of Contents

Our operating results are subject to substantial quarterly and annual fluctuations and may fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors that could adversely affect our business and our stock price.

Our revenue and operating results have fluctuated in the past and are likely to fluctuate in the future. These fluctuations may occur on a quarterly and on an annual basis and are due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among others:

 

   

changes in end-user demand for the products manufactured and sold by our customers;

 

   

the receipt, reduction or cancellation of significant orders by customers;

 

   

fluctuations in the levels of component inventories held by our customers;

 

   

the gain or loss of significant customers;

 

   

market acceptance of our products and our customers’ products;

 

   

our ability to develop, introduce and market new products and technologies on a timely basis;

 

   

the timing and extent of product development costs;

 

   

new product announcements and introductions by us or our competitors;

 

   

incurrence of research and development and related new product expenditures;

 

   

seasonality or cyclical fluctuations in our markets;

 

   

currency fluctuations;

 

   

fluctuations in IC manufacturing yields;

 

   

significant warranty claims, including those not covered by our suppliers;

 

   

changes in our product mix or customer mix;

 

   

intellectual property disputes;

 

   

loss of key personnel or the shortage of available skilled workers; and

 

   

the effects of competitive pricing pressures, including decreases in average selling prices of our products.

The foregoing factors are difficult to forecast, and these, as well as other factors, could materially adversely affect our quarterly or annual operating results. We typically are required to incur substantial development costs in advance of a prospective sale with no certainty that we will ever recover these costs. A substantial amount of time may pass between a design win and the generation of revenue related to the expenses previously incurred, which can potentially cause our operating results to fluctuate significantly from period to period. In addition, a significant amount of our operating expenses are relatively fixed in nature due to our significant sales, research and development costs. Any failure to adjust spending quickly enough to compensate for a revenue shortfall could magnify its adverse impact on our results of operations.

Our business would be adversely affected by the departure of existing members of our senior management team.

Our success depends, in large part, on the continued contributions of our senior management team, in particular, the services of Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D., our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Curtis Ling, Ph.D., our Chief Technical Officer and a Director, and Madhukar Reddy, Ph.D., our Vice President, IC and RF Systems Engineering. None of our senior management team is bound by written employment contracts to remain with us for a specified period. In addition, we have not entered into non-compete agreements with members of our senior management team. The loss of any member of our senior management team could harm our ability to implement our business strategy and respond to the rapidly changing market conditions in which we operate.

 

24


Table of Contents

The complexity of our products could result in unforeseen delays or expenses caused by undetected defects or bugs, which could reduce the market acceptance of our new products, damage our reputation with current or prospective customers and adversely affect our operating costs.

Highly complex products like our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs may contain defects and bugs when they are first introduced or as new versions are released. Due to our limited operating history, defects and bugs that may be contained in our products may not yet have manifested. We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, defects and bugs. If any of our products contains defects or bugs, or has reliability, quality or compatibility problems, we may not be able to successfully correct these problems. Consequently, our reputation may be damaged and customers may be reluctant to buy our products, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers, and our financial results. In addition, these defects or bugs could interrupt or delay sales to our customers. If any of these problems are not found until after we have commenced commercial production of a new product, we may be required to incur additional development costs and product recall, repair or replacement costs, and our operating costs could be adversely affected. These problems may also result in warranty or product liability claims against us by our customers or others that may require us to make significant expenditures to defend these claims or pay damage awards. In the event of a warranty claim, we may also incur costs if we compensate the affected customer. We maintain product liability insurance, but this insurance is limited in amount and subject to significant deductibles. There is no guarantee that our insurance will be available or adequate to protect against all claims. We also may incur costs and expenses relating to a recall of one of our customers’ products containing one of our devices. The process of identifying a recalled product in devices that have been widely distributed may be lengthy and require significant resources, and we may incur significant replacement costs, contract damage claims from our customers and reputational harm. Costs or payments made in connection with warranty and product liability claims and product recalls could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The use of open source software in our products, processes and technology may expose us to additional risks and harm our intellectual property.

Our products, processes and technology sometimes utilize and incorporate software that is subject to an open source license. Open source software is typically freely accessible, usable and modifiable. Certain open source software licenses require a user who intends to distribute the open source software as a component of the user’s software to disclose publicly part or all of the source code to the user’s software. In addition, certain open source software licenses require the user of such software to make any derivative works of the open source code available to others on unfavorable terms or at no cost. This can subject previously proprietary software to open source license terms.

While we monitor the use of all open source software in our products, processes and technology and try to ensure that no open source software is used in such a way as to require us to disclose the source code to the related product, processes or technology when we do not wish to do so, such use could inadvertently occur. Additionally, if a third party software provider has incorporated certain types of open source software into software we license from such third party for our products, processes or technology, we could, under certain circumstances, be required to disclose the source code to our products, processes or technology. This could harm our intellectual property position and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We rely on third parties to provide services and technology necessary for the operation of our business. Any failure of one or more of our partners, vendors, suppliers or licensors to provide these services or technology could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We rely on third-party vendors to provide critical services, including, among other things, services related to accounting, billing, human resources, information technology, network development, network monitoring, in-licensing and intellectual property that we cannot or do not create or provide ourselves. We depend on these

 

25


Table of Contents

vendors to ensure that our corporate infrastructure will consistently meet our business requirements. The ability of these third-party vendors to successfully provide reliable and high quality services is subject to technical and operational uncertainties that are beyond our control. While we may be entitled to damages if our vendors fail to perform under their agreements with us, our agreements with these vendors limit the amount of damages we may receive. In addition, we do not know whether we will be able to collect on any award of damages or that these damages would be sufficient to cover the actual costs we would incur as a result of any vendor’s failure to perform under its agreement with us. Any failure of our corporate infrastructure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Upon expiration or termination of any of our agreements with third-party vendors, we may not be able to replace the services provided to us in a timely manner or on terms and conditions, including service levels and cost, that are favorable to us and a transition from one vendor to another vendor could subject us to operational delays and inefficiencies until the transition is complete.

Additionally, we incorporate third-party technology into and with some of our products, and we may do so in future products. The operation of our products could be impaired if errors occur in the third-party technology we use. It may be more difficult for us to correct any errors in a timely manner if at all because the development and maintenance of the technology is not within our control. There can be no assurance that these third parties will continue to make their technology, or improvements to the technology, available to us, or that they will continue to support and maintain their technology. Further, due to the limited number of vendors of some types of technology, it may be difficult to obtain new licenses or replace existing technology. Any impairment of the technology or our relationship with these third parties could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Unanticipated changes in our tax rates could affect our future results.

Since we operate in different countries and are subject to taxation in different jurisdictions, our future effective tax rates could be impacted by changes in such countries’ tax laws or their interpretations. Both domestic and international tax laws are subject to change as a result of changes in fiscal policy, changes in legislation, evolution of regulation and court rulings. The application of these tax laws and related regulations is subject to legal and factual interpretation, judgment and uncertainty. Recently, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration proposed significant changes to the U.S. international tax laws that could limit U.S. deductions for expenses related to un-repatriated foreign-source income, and modify the U.S. foreign tax credit and “check-the-box” rules. We cannot determine whether these proposals will be enacted into law or what, if any, changes may be made to such proposals prior to their being enacted into law. If the U.S. tax laws change in a manner that increases our tax obligation, it could result in a material adverse impact on our net income and our financial position.

Our future effective tax rate could be unfavorably affected by unanticipated changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. Changes in our effective tax rate could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. We record a valuation allowance to reduce our net deferred tax assets to the amount that we believe is more likely than not to be realized. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we consider historical levels of income, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income and ongoing prudent and practical tax planning strategies. On a periodic basis we evaluate our deferred tax asset balance for realizability. To the extent we believe it is more likely than not that some portion of our deferred tax assets will not be realized, we will recognize a valuation allowance against the deferred tax asset. Realization of our deferred tax assets is dependent primarily upon future U.S. taxable income. During the year ended December 31, 2011, we established a full valuation allowance on our net federal deferred tax assets.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the political and economic conditions of the countries in which we conduct business and other factors related to our international operations.

We sell our products throughout the world. Products shipped to Asia accounted for 91% of our net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012. In addition, approximately 26% of our employees are located outside of

 

26


Table of Contents

the United States. All of our products are manufactured, assembled and tested in Asia, and all of our major distributors are located in Asia. Multiple factors relating to our international operations and to particular countries in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These factors include:

 

   

changes in political, regulatory, legal or economic conditions;

 

   

restrictive governmental actions, such as restrictions on the transfer or repatriation of funds and foreign investments and trade protection measures, including export duties and quotas and customs duties and tariffs;

 

   

disruptions of capital and trading markets;

 

   

changes in import or export licensing requirements;

 

   

transportation delays;

 

   

civil disturbances or political instability;

 

   

geopolitical turmoil, including terrorism, war or political or military coups;

 

   

public health emergencies;

 

   

differing employment practices and labor standards;

 

   

limitations on our ability under local laws to protect our intellectual property;

 

   

local business and cultural factors that differ from our customary standards and practices;

 

   

nationalization and expropriation;

 

   

changes in tax laws;

 

   

currency fluctuations relating to our international operating activities; and

 

   

difficulty in obtaining distribution and support.

In addition to a significant portion of our wafer supply coming from Taiwan, substantially all of our products undergo packaging and final test in Taiwan. Any conflict or uncertainty in this country, including due to natural disaster or public health or safety concerns, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if the government of any country in which our products are manufactured or sold sets technical standards for products manufactured in or imported into their country that are not widely shared, it may lead some of our customers to suspend imports of their products into that country, require manufacturers in that country to manufacture products with different technical standards and disrupt cross-border manufacturing relationships which, in each case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We also are subject to risks associated with international political conflicts involving the U.S. government. For example, in 2008 we were instructed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to cease using Polar Star International Company Limited, a distributor based in Hong Kong, that delivered third-party products, to a political group that the U.S. government did not believe should have been provided with the products in question. As a result, we immediately ceased all business operations with that distributor. The loss of Polar Star as a distributor did not materially delay shipment of our products because Polar Star was a non-exclusive distributor and we had in place alternative distribution arrangements. However, we cannot provide assurances that similar disruptions of distribution arrangements in the future will not result in delayed shipments until we are able to identify alternative distribution channels, which could include a requirement to increase our direct sales efforts. Loss of a key distributor under similar circumstances could have an adverse effect on our business, revenues and operating results.

 

27


Table of Contents

If we suffer losses to our facilities or distribution system due to catastrophe, our operations could be seriously harmed.

Our facilities and distribution system, and those of our third-party contractors, are subject to risk of catastrophic loss due to fire, flood or other natural or man-made disasters. A number of our facilities and those of our contract manufacturers are located in areas with above average seismic activity. The foundries that manufacture all of our wafers are located in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, and all of the third-party contractors who assemble and test our products also are located in Asia. In addition, our headquarters are located in Southern California. The risk of an earthquake in the Pacific Rim region or Southern California is significant due to the proximity of major earthquake fault lines. For example, in 2002 and 2003, major earthquakes occurred in Taiwan. Any catastrophic loss to any of these facilities would likely disrupt our operations, delay production, shipments and revenue and result in significant expenses to repair or replace the facility. In particular, any catastrophic loss at the Carlsbad and Irvine, California, Taiwan, Singapore or Shanghai facilities would materially and adversely affect our business.

Our business is subject to various governmental regulations, and compliance with these regulations may cause us to incur significant expenses. If we fail to maintain compliance with applicable regulations, we may be forced to recall products and cease their manufacture and distribution, and we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties.

Our business is subject to various international and U.S. laws and other legal requirements, including packaging, product content, labor and import/export regulations. These regulations are complex, change frequently and have generally become more stringent over time. We may be required to incur significant costs to comply with these regulations or to remedy violations. Any failure by us to comply with applicable government regulations could result in cessation of our operations or portions of our operations, product recalls or impositions of fines and restrictions on our ability to conduct our operations. In addition, because many of our products are regulated or sold into regulated industries, we must comply with additional regulations in marketing our products.

Our products and operations are also subject to the rules of industrial standards bodies, like the International Standards Organization, as well as regulation by other agencies, such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. If we fail to adequately address any of these rules or regulations, our business could be harmed.

For example, the SEC recently adopted a final rule to implement Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which requires new disclosures concerning the use of conflict minerals, generally tantalum, tin, gold, or tungsten, that originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or an adjoining country. These disclosures are required whether or not these products containing conflict minerals are manufactured by us or third parties. Verifying the source of any conflict minerals in our products will create additional costs in order to comply with the new disclosure requirements and we may not be able to certify that the metals in our products are conflict free, which may create issues with our customers. In addition, the new rule may affect the pricing, sourcing and availability of minerals used in the manufacture of our products.

We must conform the manufacture and distribution of our semiconductors to various laws and adapt to regulatory requirements in all countries as these requirements change. If we fail to comply with these requirements in the manufacture or distribution of our products, we could be required to pay civil penalties, face criminal prosecution and, in some cases, be prohibited from distributing our products in commerce until the products or component substances are brought into compliance.

We are subject to U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws relating to the sale of our products. Although we did not intend to do so, we may have violated certain of these laws in the past, and we filed Voluntary Self Disclosures with the appropriate U.S. Government agencies. The Voluntary Self Disclosures were closed out with no penalty being imposed against the Company.

As noted in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 7, 2012, in the first quarter of 2012, we determined that we may have taken actions that could constitute facilitation (within the meaning of applicable

 

28


Table of Contents

sanctions and export control laws) of shipments of foreign produced products to Iran or taken other actions that may be in violation of U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws. Specifically, certain of our tuner products, which are foreign produced and not subject to U.S. export controls, were included in set-top converter boxes produced by set-top box manufacturers in Asia to permit conversion of digital television signals to analog signals in international markets, including Iran, using the DVB-T, or Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, broadcast standard. The DVB-T standard is used in most of Europe, Asia (excluding China), Australia, and Africa as well as in parts of the Middle East, including Iran. While the underlying shipment of our tuners into Iran by foreign manufacturers of these set-top boxes may have been lawful, we may have violated applicable sanctions and export control laws without the proper U.S. Government authorization.

We initially identified these potential violations internally, rather than as a result of a third-party audit or government investigation, and upon learning of these potential violations, our audit committee promptly retained outside counsel to conduct a review of our sanctions and export control compliance. On February 7, 2012, we made voluntary initial filings with the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury, or OFAC, and with the Bureau of Industry and Security of the United States Department of Commerce, or BIS, notifying these regulatory agencies that we were conducting a review of export control matters and that we would submit any supplemental voluntary self-disclosures once our internal review was complete. The initial stage of the review was concluded in March 2012. Subsequently, we also learned that we were not in full compliance with BIS’s deemed export rule which requires, in some circumstances, that the companies obtain a deemed export license from BIS for employment of certain foreign nationals even if, as was our situation, we had obtained an H1-B visa prior to employing the individual. We have now applied for such license with respect to the subject employee.

In connection with its March 2012 review, our audit committee determined that our management team lacked sufficient familiarity with and understanding of export control and sanctions laws and their applicability to our products and services. Our audit committee concluded that our management team did not intentionally or knowingly violate applicable sanctions and export control laws.

We submitted final voluntary disclosures to OFAC on June 1, 2012 and BIS on June 15, 2012 and July 11, 2012. On September 27, 2012, OFAC closed out our Voluntary Self Disclosure with the issuance of a cautionary letter, which means that no monetary or other penalty was imposed against us Company. On November 6, 2012, BIS closed out our Voluntary Self Disclosure with the issuance of a warning letter, which means that no monetary or other penalty was imposed against us.

In the year ended December 31, 2012, we reduced our previously recorded estimates of OFAC and BIS penalties and fines by $0.9 million. At December 31, 2012, we had no liability recorded for this matter. As a result of increased awareness relative to U.S. export control and economic sanction laws relating to the sale of our products, we have implemented additional export control compliance management oversight and have undertaken remedial measures to reduce the risk of similar events occurring in the future.

Investor confidence may be adversely impacted if we are unable to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and as a result, our stock price could decline.

We are subject to rules adopted by the Securities Exchange Commission, or SEC, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require us to include in our Annual Report on Form 10-K our management’s report on, and assessment of the effectiveness of, our internal controls over financial reporting.

If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, there is a risk that we will not comply with all of the requirements imposed by Section 404. Moreover, effective internal controls, particularly those related to revenue recognition, are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. Any of these possible outcomes could result in an adverse reaction in the financial

 

29


Table of Contents

marketplace due to a loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our consolidated financial statements and could result in investigations or sanctions by the SEC, the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, or other regulatory authorities or in stockholder litigation. Any of these factors ultimately could harm our business and could negatively impact the market price of our securities. Ineffective control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. However, our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected.

We are subject to the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry.

The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical and is characterized by constant and rapid technological change, rapid product obsolescence and price erosion, evolving standards, short product life cycles and wide fluctuations in product supply and demand. The industry is experiencing a significant downturn during the current global recession. These downturns have been characterized by diminished product demand, production overcapacity, high inventory levels and accelerated erosion of average selling prices. The current downturn and any future downturns could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. Furthermore, any upturn in the semiconductor industry could result in increased competition for access to third-party foundry and assembly capacity. We are dependent on the availability of this capacity to manufacture and assemble our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. None of our third-party foundry or assembly contractors has provided assurances that adequate capacity will be available to us in the future.

Our products must conform to industry standards in order to be accepted by end users in our markets.

Generally, our products comprise only a part of a communications device. All components of these devices must uniformly comply with industry standards in order to operate efficiently together. We depend on companies that provide other components of the devices to support prevailing industry standards. Many of these companies are significantly larger and more influential in driving industry standards than we are. Some industry standards may not be widely adopted or implemented uniformly, and competing standards may emerge that may be preferred by our customers or end users. If larger companies do not support the same industry standards that we do, or if competing standards emerge, market acceptance of our products could be adversely affected, which would harm our business.

Products for communications applications are based on industry standards that are continually evolving. Our ability to compete in the future will depend on our ability to identify and ensure compliance with these evolving industry standards. The emergence of new industry standards could render our products incompatible with products developed by other suppliers. As a result, we could be required to invest significant time and effort and to incur significant expense to redesign our products to ensure compliance with relevant standards. If our products are not in compliance with prevailing industry standards for a significant period of time, we could miss opportunities to achieve crucial design wins. We may not be successful in developing or using new technologies or in developing new products or product enhancements that achieve market acceptance. Our pursuit of necessary technological advances may require substantial time and expense.

 

30


Table of Contents

Risks Relating to Our Class A Common Stock

The dual class structure of our common stock as contained in our charter documents will have the effect of allowing our founders, executive officers, employees and directors and their affiliates to limit your ability to influence corporate matters that you may consider unfavorable.

We sold Class A common stock in our initial public offering. Our founders, executive officers, directors and their affiliates and employees hold shares of our Class B common stock, which is not publicly traded. Until March 29, 2017, the dual class structure of our common stock will have the following effects with respect to the holders of our Class A common stock:

 

   

allows the holders of our Class B common stock to have the sole right to elect two management directors to the Board of Directors;

 

   

with respect to change of control matters, allows the holders of our Class B common stock to have ten votes per share compared to the holders of our Class A common stock who will have one vote per share on these matters; and

 

   

with respect to the adoption of or amendments to our equity incentive plans, allows the holders of our Class B common stock to have ten votes per share compared to the holders of our Class A common stock who will have one vote per share on these matters, subject to certain limitations.

Thus, our dual class structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and, as a result, we may take actions that our stockholders do not view as beneficial, which may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

The concentration of our capital stock ownership with our founders, executive officers, will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and their interests may differ from other stockholders.

As of December 31, 2012, our founders, including our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Seendripu, together control approximately 20% of our outstanding capital stock, representing approximately 54% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock with respect to change of control matters and the adoption of or amendment to our equity incentive plans. Dr. Seendripu and the other founders therefore have significant influence over the management and affairs of the Company and over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of two Class B directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our Company or its assets, for the foreseeable future.

Our management team may invest or spend the proceeds from our initial public offering in ways with which you may not agree or in ways which may not yield a return.

The net proceeds from our initial public offering may be used for general corporate purposes, including working capital. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire complementary businesses, products, services or technologies. However, we do not have any agreements or commitments for any specific acquisitions at this time. Our management will have considerable discretion in the application of the net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. The net proceeds may be used for corporate purposes that do not increase our operating results or market value. Until the net proceeds are used, they may be placed in investments that do not produce significant income or that may lose value.

 

31


Table of Contents

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our Class A common stock.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as amended and restated, may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. These provisions provide for the following:

 

   

authorize our Board of Directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 25.0 million shares of undesignated preferred stock;

 

   

require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

 

   

specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our Board of Directors, our Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President of the Company or by unanimous written consent of our directors appointed by the holders of Class B common stock;

 

   

establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our Board of Directors;

 

   

establish that our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered terms and with one Class B director being elected to each of Classes II and III;

 

   

provide for a dual class common stock structure, which provides our founders, current investors, executives and employees with significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our Company or its assets;

 

   

provide that our directors may be removed only for cause;

 

   

provide that vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum, other than any vacancy in the two directorships reserved for the designees of the holders of Class B common stock, which may be filled only by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B common stock or by the remaining director elected by the Class B common stock (with the consent of founders holding a majority in interest of the Class B common stock over which the founders then exercise voting control);

 

   

specify that no stockholder is permitted to cumulate votes at any election of directors; and

 

   

require supermajority votes of the holders of our common stock to amend specified provisions of our charter documents.

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board of Directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder.

Our share price may be volatile as a result of limited trading volume and other factors.

Our shares of Class A common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in March 2010. An active public market for our shares on the New York Stock Exchange may not be sustained. In particular, limited trading volumes and liquidity may limit the ability of stockholders to purchase or sell our common stock in the

 

32


Table of Contents

amounts and at the times they wish. Trading volume in our Class A common stock tends to be modest relative to our total outstanding shares, and the price of our Class A common stock may fluctuate substantially (particularly in percentage terms) without regard to news about us or general trends in the stock market. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.

In addition, the trading price of our Class A common stock could become highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include those discussed in this “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and others such as:

 

   

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;

 

   

overall conditions in the semiconductor market;

 

   

addition or loss of significant customers;

 

   

changes in laws or regulations applicable to our products;

 

   

actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;

 

   

announcements of technological innovations by us or our competitors;

 

   

announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

   

additions or departures of key personnel;

 

   

competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;

 

   

issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;

 

   

fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;

 

   

disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our technologies;

 

   

announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;

 

   

sales of our Class A or Class B common stock by us or our stockholders;

 

   

share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares; and

 

   

general economic and market conditions.

Furthermore, the stock markets recently have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of our Class A common stock. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, especially due to our dual-class voting structure, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our Class A common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, especially with respect to our unique dual-class voting

 

33


Table of Contents

structure as to the election of directors, change of control matters and matters related to our equity incentive plans. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our shares, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

Future sales of our Class A common stock in the public market could cause our share price to decline.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. As of December 31, 2012, we had 23.2 million shares of Class A common stock and 9.7 million shares of Class B common stock outstanding.

All shares of Class A common stock are freely tradable without restrictions or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, except for any shares held by our affiliates as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

The holders of 1.9 million shares of Class B common stock, or 6% of our total outstanding Class A and Class B common stock, are entitled to rights with respect to registration of these shares under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration rights agreement. Shares of our Class B common stock automatically will convert into shares of our Class A common stock upon any sale or transfer, whether or not for value, except for certain transfers described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If these holders of our Class B common stock, by exercising their registration rights, sell a large number of shares, they could adversely affect the market price for our Class A common stock. If we file a registration statement for the purposes of selling additional shares to raise capital and are required to include shares held by these holders pursuant to the exercise of their registration rights, our ability to raise capital may be impaired. We filed registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register 13.3 million shares of our Class A common stock for issuance under our 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. These shares may be freely sold in the public market upon issuance and once vested, subject to other restrictions provided under the terms of the applicable plan and/or the option agreements entered into with option holders.

As disclosed in our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 9, 2012, at a meeting held on April 3, 2012, our compensation committee amended our Executive Incentive Bonus Plan to, among other things, permit the settlement of awards under the plan in the form of shares of our Class A common stock. As previously disclosed, for the 2012 performance period, actual awards under the Executive Incentive Bonus Plan will be settled in Class A common stock issued under our 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, with the number of shares issuable to plan participants determined based on the closing sales price of our Class A common stock as determined in trading on the New York Stock Exchange at a date to be determined. Additionally, we intend to settle all bonus awards for all other employees for the 2012 performance period in shares of our Class A common stock. We cannot currently predict when the bonus awards will be settled, but we anticipate that approximately 1.0 million shares of our Class A common stock will be issued for the 2012 performance period. These shares may be freely sold in the public market immediately following the issuance of such shares and the issuance of such shares may have an adverse effect on our share price once they are issued.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations. None of our senior executives has managed a public company prior to our becoming a public company in March 2010. Compliance with these rules and regulations have increased our legal and financial compliance costs, made some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and

 

34


Table of Contents

increased the demand on our systems and resources. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Although we have already hired additional staff to comply with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future, which will increase our costs and expenses.

In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be harmed.

We also expect that being a newly public company and these new rules and regulations will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our Board of Directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation committee, and qualified executive officers.

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings for use in the development of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their Class A common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments.

 

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

 

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters occupy approximately 29,000 square feet in Carlsbad, California under a lease that expires in August 2014. All of our business and engineering functions are represented at our corporate headquarters, including three laboratories for research and development and manufacturing operations. In addition to our principal office space in Carlsbad, we have leased facilities for use as design centers in Irvine, and San Jose in California; Shanghai, and Shenzhen in China; Hsinchu in Taiwan; Seoul in South Korea; Tokyo in Japan; and Bangalore in India. We also have engineering support offices in Shenzhen in China; Tokyo in Japan; Hsinchu in Taiwan; and Seoul in South Korea. We believe that our current facilities are adequate to meet our ongoing needs and that additional facilities are available for lease to meet our future needs.

 

35


Table of Contents
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Silicon Labs Litigation

On May 13, 2012, we filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Silicon Labs, as defendant, seeking an order that our CMOS hybrid tuner products, such as the MxL301 and MxL601, do not infringe nineteen (19) patents owned by Silicon Labs. The declaratory judgment complaint further seeks a ruling that the defendant’s patents are invalid. Silicon Labs has filed counterclaims for infringement on five (5) of the nineteen (19) patents and one (1) additional Silicon Labs patent. On September 13, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a motion for preliminary injunction requesting an injunction on our MxL601 product based upon alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,200,364. On November 2, 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California held a hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction. On November 7, 2012, the court issued an order denying Silicon Labs’ motion. In the order, the court found that “Silicon Labs has failed to sustain its burden of proving a likelihood of success on the merits or that it will suffer immediate irreparable harm absent a preliminary injunction.” The court further ruled that “Silicon Labs had not met its burden of showing that it is more likely than not that the ‘364 Patent will be found valid at trial.” On December 12, 2012, the Court granted Silicon Labs leave to file an amended answer to assert counterclaims for infringement on three (3) additional Silicon Labs patents. The Court has scheduled a claims construction hearing for April 19, 2013 and scheduled trial to commence on February 11, 2014.

On July 17, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a complaint for patent infringement against us in United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The Silicon Labs complaint asserts that a wide range of our products infringe a single Silicon Labs patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,035,607, or the ‘607 patent. The ‘607 patent is related to several of the nineteen (19) patents on which we filed a declaratory judgment action against Silicon Labs. The Silicon Labs complaint seeks damages and injunctive relief against our products. We have filed counterclaims for infringement on three (3) patents owned by us – United States Patent Nos. 7,362,178; 8,198,940; and 7,778,613. Silicon Labs has filed a motion to dismiss or transfer our counterclaims for infringement to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The Court denied that motion. The July 17, 2012 litigation and May 13, 2012 litigation were related by Court order on July 23, 2012. The Court has similarly scheduled a claim construction hearing for April 19, 2013 and scheduled trial to commence on February 11, 2014.

On July 30, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas against us seeking an order that Silicon Labs’ products do not infringe the three (3) patents owned by us asserted as counterclaims in the second Southern District of California action. The declaratory judgment complaint further sought a ruling that the patents are invalid. We filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, and the Court granted limited jurisdictional discovery related to the issue. On January 17, 2013, the Court granted our Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction and ordered dismissal of the Texas action.

We have not recorded any accrual for loss contingencies associated with Silicon Labs litigation; determined that an unfavorable outcome is probable or reasonably possible; or determined that the amount or range of any possible loss is reasonably estimable.

Other Matters

In addition, from time to time, we are subject to threats of litigation or actual litigation in the ordinary course of business, some of which may be material. Other than the Silicon Labs litigation described above, we believe that there are no other currently pending matters that, if determined adversely to us, would have a material effect on our business or that would not be covered by our existing liability insurance maintained by us.

 

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

 

36


Table of Contents

PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information and Holders

In March 2010, we completed the initial public offering of our Class A common stock. Our Class A common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol MXL. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sale prices for our Class A common stock as reported by the NYSE:

 

     Year Ended December 31, 2012  
     High      Low  

First Quarter (January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012)

   $ 6.40       $ 4.65   

Second Quarter (April 1, 2012 to June 30, 2012)

   $ 5.54       $ 4.05   

Third Quarter (July 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012)

   $ 7.31       $ 3.96   

Fourth Quarter (October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012)

   $ 6.96       $ 4.50   
     Year Ended December 31, 2011  
     High      Low  

First Quarter (January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2011)

   $ 12.83       $ 7.32   

Second Quarter (April 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011)

   $ 9.68       $ 7.70   

Third Quarter (July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011)

   $ 9.26       $ 4.86   

Fourth Quarter (October 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011)

   $ 6.41       $ 4.13   

On December 31, 2012, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $5.02 and, according to our transfer agent, as of January 25, 2013, there were 16 record holders of our Class A common stock and 69 record holders of our Class B common stock.

Our Class B common stock is not publicly traded. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible at any time at the option of the holder into one share of Class A common stock and in most instances automatically converts upon sale or other transfer.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to declare dividends will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, general business conditions and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant.

Stock Performance Graph

Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary in any of our previous or future filings with the SEC, the following information relating to the price performance of our common stock shall not be deemed “filed” with the SEC or “Soliciting Material” under the Exchange Act, or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act except to the extent we specifically request that such information be treated as soliciting material or to the extent we specifically incorporate this information by reference.

The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our Class A common stock with the cumulative total return on The NYSE Composite Index and The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. The period shown commences on March 23, 2010 and ends on December 31, 2012, the end of our last fiscal year. The graph

 

37


Table of Contents

assumes an investment of $100 on March 23, 2010, and the reinvestment of any dividends. In addition, the graph assumes the value of our common stock on March 23, 2010 was the initial public offering price of $14.00 per share.

The comparisons in the graph below are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not intended to forecast or be indicative of possible future performance of our common stock.

 

LOGO

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

In the year ended December 31, 2012, we issued an aggregate of 0.5 million shares of our Class B common stock to certain employees upon the exercise of options awarded under our 2004 Stock Plan. We received aggregate proceeds of approximately $0.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2012 as a result of the exercise of these options. We believe these transactions were exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in reliance on Rule 701 thereunder as transactions pursuant to compensatory benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. As of December 31, 2012, options to purchase an aggregate of 1.4 million shares of our Class B common stock remain outstanding. All issuances of shares of our Class B common stock pursuant to the exercise of these options will be made in reliance on Rule 701. All option grants made under the 2004 Stock Plan were made prior to the effectiveness of our initial public offering. No further option grants will be made under our 2004 Stock Plan.

None of the foregoing transactions involved any underwriters, underwriting discounts or commissions, or any public offering.

Each share of our Class B common stock is convertible at any time at the option of the holder into one share of our Class A common stock. In addition, each share of our Class B common stock will convert automatically into one share of Class A common stock upon any transfer, whether or not for value, except for certain transfers described in our certificate of incorporation.

 

38


Table of Contents
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

We have derived the selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 and selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. We have derived the statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this report. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report.

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010     2009     2008  
     (in thousands, except per share amounts)  

Consolidated Statement of Operations Data :

          

Net revenue

   $ 97,728      $ 71,937      $ 68,701      $ 51,350      $ 31,331   

Cost of net revenue

     37,019        26,616        21,560        17,047        12,675   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     60,709        45,321        47,141        34,303        18,656   

Operating expenses:

          

Research and development

     46,392        40,156        27,725        19,790        14,310   

Selling, general and administrative

     27,225        20,178        15,912        9,921        6,356   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     73,617        60,334        43,637        29,711        20,666   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (12,908     (15,013     3,504        4,592        (2,010

Interest income

     282        292        326        51        179   

Interest expense

     (53     (69     (29     (52     (74

Other expense, net

     (232     (241     (58     (32     (9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (12,911     (15,031     3,743        4,559        (1,914

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     341        6,993        (6,371     230        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

     (13,252     (22,024     10,114        4,329        (1,914

Net income allocable to preferred stockholders

     —          —          (1,215 ) (1)       (3,691 ) (1)       —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

   $ (13,252   $ (22,024   $ 8,899      $ 638      $ (1,914
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:

          

Basic

   $ (0.40   $ (0.68   $ 0.33      $ 0.06      $ (0.19
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

   $ (0.40   $ (0.68   $ 0.30      $ 0.06      $ (0.19
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Shares used to compute net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:

          

Basic

     33,198        32,573        26,743        10,129        9,861   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

     33,198        32,573        29,478        11,512        9,861   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) Please see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for an explanation of the method used to calculate net income allocable to preferred stockholders and net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders, including the method used to calculate the number of shares used in the computation of the per share amounts.

 

39


Table of Contents
     As of December 31,  
     2012      2011      2010      2009     2008  
     (in thousands)  

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data :

             

Cash, cash equivalents and short- and long-term investments, available-for-sale

   $ 77,256       $ 85,736       $ 94,486       $ 17,921      $ 9,720   

Working capital

     68,450         76,585         95,444         11,029        8,406   

Total assets

     110,597         112,376         118,918         35,773        16,723   

Capital lease obligations, net of current portion

     —           2         18         115        238   

Convertible preferred stock (1)

     —           —           —           35,351        35,351   

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     80,233         93,025         104,897         (19,475     (25,363

 

(1) Upon certain change in control events that may be outside of our control, including our liquidation, sale or transfer of control, holders of the convertible preferred stock could cause its redemption. Accordingly, these shares were considered contingently redeemable and were classified as temporary equity on our balance sheets instead of in stockholders’ equity (deficit). We adjusted the carrying values of the convertible preferred stock to their liquidation values at the date of issuance.

 

40


Table of Contents
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of our operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report.

Overview

We are a provider of integrated, radio-frequency and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications. Our high performance radio-frequency, or RF, receiver products capture and process digital and analog broadband signals to be decoded for various applications. These products include both RF receivers and RF receiver systems-on-chip, or SoCs, which incorporate our highly integrated radio system architecture and the functionality necessary to demodulate broadband signals. Our current products enable the display of broadband video content in a wide range of electronic devices, including cable and terrestrial set top boxes, DOCSIS data and voice gateways, digital televisions, mobile handsets, personal computers, netbooks and in-vehicle entertainment devices.

Our net revenue has grown from approximately $0.6 million in 2006 to $97.7 million in 2012. In 2011 and 2012, our net revenue was derived from sales of global digital RF receiver products for digital television applications, automotive navigation displays, mobile handsets, cable modems and gateways. Our ability to achieve revenue growth in the future will depend, among other factors, on our ability to further penetrate existing markets; our ability to expand our target addressable markets by developing new and innovative products; and our ability to obtain design wins with device manufacturers, in particular manufacturers of set top boxes and cable modems and gateways for the cable and satellite industries.

Products shipped to Asia accounted for 91%, 90% and 97% of our net revenue in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. A significant but declining portion of these sales in Asia are through distributors. Although a large percentage of our products are shipped to Asia, we believe that a significant number of the systems designed by these customers and incorporating our semiconductor products are then sold outside Asia. For example, we believe revenue generated from sales of our digital terrestrial set top box products during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 related principally to sales to Asian set top box manufacturers delivering products into Europe, Middle East, and Africa, or EMEA, markets. Similarly, revenue generated from sales of our cable modem products during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 related principally to sales to Asian ODM’s and contract manufacturers delivering products into European and North American markets. To date, all of our sales have been denominated in United States dollars.

A significant portion of our net revenue has historically been generated by a limited number of customers. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Arris and Pace accounted for 25% and 10%, respectively, of our net revenue, and our ten largest customers collectively accounted for 63% of our net revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Panasonic and Arris accounted for 14% and 11%, respectively, of our net revenue, and our ten largest customers collectively accounted for 59% of our net revenue. For certain customers, we sell multiple products into disparate end user applications such as cable modems and cable set-top boxes.

Our business depends on winning competitive bid selection processes, known as design wins, to develop semiconductors for use in our customers’ products. These selection processes are typically lengthy, and as a result, our sales cycles will vary based on the specific market served, whether the design win is with an existing or a new customer and whether our product being designed in our customer’s device is a first generation or subsequent generation product. Our customers’ products can be complex and, if our engagement results in a

 

41


Table of Contents

design win, can require significant time to define, design and result in volume production. Because the sales cycle for our products is long, we can incur significant design and development expenditures in circumstances where we do not ultimately recognize any revenue. We do not have any long-term purchase commitments with any of our customers, all of whom purchase our products on a purchase order basis. Once one of our products is incorporated into a customer’s design, however, we believe that our product is likely to remain a component of the customer’s product for its life cycle because of the time and expense associated with redesigning the product or substituting an alternative chip. Product life cycles in our target markets will vary by application. For example, in the digital set top box market a design-in can have a product life cycle of 18 to 24 months. In the automotive sector, the product life cycle of a design-in can range from 36 to 60 months. In the mobile television sector, the product life cycle can range from 12 to 36 months.

In March 2010, we completed the initial public offering, or IPO, of our Class A common stock in which we sold and issued 5.9 million shares of Class A common stock, including 0.8 million shares related to the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment, at an issue price of $14.00 per share. We raised a total of $82.9 million in gross proceeds in the IPO, or approximately $72.9 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $5.8 million and other offering costs of $4.2 million. Immediately prior to the closing of the IPO, all shares of our then-outstanding convertible preferred stock outstanding automatically converted into 14.5 million shares of our Class B common stock.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles that are generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We continually evaluate our estimates and judgments, the most critical of which are those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory valuation, production masks, intangible assets, impairment of long-lived assets, income taxes and stock-based compensation. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Materially different results can occur as circumstances change and additional information becomes known.

We believe that the following accounting policies involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity than our other accounting policies. Accordingly, these are the policies we believe are the most critical to understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is generated from sales of our integrated circuits. We recognize revenue when all of the following criteria are met: 1) there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, 2) delivery of goods has occurred, 3) the sales price is fixed or determinable and 4) collectibility is reasonably assured. Title to product transfers to customers either when it is shipped to or received by the customer, based on the terms of the specific agreement with the customer.

Revenue is recorded based on the facts at the time of sale. Transactions for which we cannot reliably estimate the amount that will ultimately be collected at the time the product has shipped and title has transferred to the customer are deferred until the amount that is probable of collection can be determined. Items that are considered when determining the amounts that will be ultimately collected are: a customer’s overall creditworthiness and payment history, customer rights to return unsold product, customer rights to price protection, customer payment terms conditioned on sale or use of product by the customer, or extended payment terms granted to a customer.

 

42


Table of Contents

A portion of our revenues are generated from sales made through distributors under agreements allowing for pricing credits and/or stock rotation rights of return. Revenues from our distributors accounted for 40% of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012. Revenues from our distributors accounted for 71% of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011. Pricing credits to our distributors may result from our pricing credit and unit rebate provisions, among other factors. These pricing credits and/or stock rotation rights prevent us from being able to reliably estimate the final sales price of the inventory sold and the amount of inventory that could be returned pursuant to these agreements. As a result, for sales to distributors, we have determined that it does not meet all of the required revenue recognition criteria at the time we deliver our products to distributors as the final sales price is not fixed or determinable. For these distributor transactions, revenue is not recognized until product is shipped to the end customer and the amount that will ultimately be collected is fixed or determinable. Upon shipment of product to these distributors, title to the inventory transfers to the distributor and the distributor is invoiced, generally with 30 day terms. On shipments to our distributors where revenue is not recognized, we record a trade receivable for the selling price as there is a legally enforceable right to payment, relieving the inventory for the carrying value of goods shipped since legal title has passed to the distributor, and record the corresponding deferred profit in our consolidated balance sheet as a component of deferred revenue, representing the difference between the receivable recorded and the cost of inventory shipped. Future pricing credits and/or stock rotation rights from our distributors may result in the realization of a different amount of profit included in our future consolidated statements of operations than the amount recorded as deferred profit in our consolidated balance sheets.

We record reductions in revenue for estimated pricing adjustments related to price protection and unit rebate agreements with our end customers in the same period that the related revenue is recorded. Price protection pricing adjustments are recorded at the time of sale as a reduction to revenue and an increase in our accrued liabilities. We may enter into unit rebate agreements with end customers based on volume purchases. We estimate that all of the unit rebates will be achieved based on the history of these programs, reduce the average selling price of the product sold under the rebate program and defer revenue for the difference between the amount billed to the customer and the adjusted average selling price. Once the targeted level is achieved, the deferred revenue is recognized as revenue as rebated products are shipped to the end customer. Deferred revenue associated with rebate programs is included in deferred revenue and deferred profit in the consolidated balance sheet.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and adjust credit limits based on each customers’ credit worthiness, as determined by our review of current credit information. We continuously monitor collections and payments from our customers and maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon our historical experience, our anticipation of uncollectible accounts receivable and any specific customer collection issues that we have identified. While our credit losses have historically been insignificant, we may experience higher credit loss rates in the future than we have in the past. Our receivables are concentrated in relatively few customers. Therefore, a significant change in the liquidity or financial position of any one significant customer could make collection of our accounts receivable more difficult, require us to increase our allowance for doubtful accounts and negatively affect our working capital.

Inventory Valuation

We continually assess the recoverability of our inventory based on assumptions about demand and market conditions. Forecasted demand is determined based on historical sales and expected future sales. We value our inventory at the lower of cost or market. Cost approximates actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis and market reflects current replacement cost (e.g. net replacement value) which cannot exceed net realizable value or fall below net realizable value less an allowance for an approximately normal profit margin. We reduce our inventory to its lower of cost or market on a part-by-part basis to account for its obsolescence or lack of marketability. Reductions are calculated as the difference between the cost of inventory and its market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required that may adversely affect our

 

43


Table of Contents

operating results. If actual market conditions are more favorable, we may have higher gross profits when products are sold.

Production Masks

Production masks with alternative future uses or discernible future benefits are capitalized and amortized over their estimated useful life of two years. To determine if the production mask has alternative future uses or benefits, we evaluate risks associated with developing new technologies and capabilities, and the related risks associated with entering new markets. Production masks that do not meet the criteria for capitalization are expensed as research and development costs.

Intangible Assets

Technologies acquired or licensed from other companies are capitalized and amortized over the greater of the terms of the agreement, or estimated useful life, not to exceed three years.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We regularly review the carrying amount of our long-lived assets, as well as the useful lives, to determine whether indicators of impairment may exist which warrant adjustments to carrying values or estimated useful lives. An impairment loss would be recognized when the sum of the expected future undiscounted net cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. Should impairment exist, the impairment loss would be measured based on the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the asset’s fair value.

Income Taxes

We provide for income taxes utilizing the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the future tax consequences expected to occur when the reported amounts of assets and liabilities are recovered or paid. The provision for income taxes generally represents income taxes paid or payable for the current year plus the change in deferred taxes during the year. Deferred taxes result from the differences between the financial and tax bases of our assets and liabilities and are adjusted for changes in tax rates and tax laws when changes are enacted. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when a judgment is made that is considered more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. A decision to record a valuation allowance results in an increase in income tax expense or a decrease in income tax benefit. If the valuation allowance is released in a future period, income tax expense will be reduced accordingly.

The calculation of tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex global tax regulations. The impact of an uncertain income tax position is recognized at the largest amount that is “more likely than not” to be sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. If the estimate of tax liabilities proves to be less than the ultimate assessment, a further charge to expense would result.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. We will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance on the deferred tax asset by evaluating both positive and negative evidence that may exist. Any adjustment to the net deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the income statement for the period that the adjustment is determined to be required.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for equity incentive awards, including stock options, employee stock purchase rights, restricted stock units and restricted stock awards based on the grant date

 

44


Table of Contents

fair value of the award. We use the Black-Scholes valuation model to calculate the fair value of stock options and employee stock purchase rights granted to employees. We calculate the fair value of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards based on the fair market value of our Class A common stock on the grant date. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the period during which the employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period. We recognize compensation expense over the vesting period using the straight-line method and classify these amounts in the statements of operations based on the department to which the related employee reports. We calculate the weighted-average expected life of options using the simplified method as prescribed by guidance provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This decision is based on the lack of relevant historical data due to our limited historical experience. We will continue to assess the appropriateness of the use of the simplified method as we develop a history of option exercises.

We account for stock options issued to non-employees in accordance with authoritative guidance for equity based payments to non-employees. Stock options issued to non-employees are accounted for at their estimated fair value determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of options granted to non-employees is re-measured as they vest, and the resulting increase in value, if any, is recognized as expense during the period the related services are rendered. We calculate the fair value of restricted stock units issued to non-employees based on the fair market value of our Class A common stock on the grant date and the resulting stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the period during which the non-employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period.

Results of Operations

The following describes the line items set forth in our consolidated statements of operations.

Net Revenue. Net revenue is generated from sales of our RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs. A significant but declining portion of our end customers purchase products indirectly from us through distributors. Although we actually sell the products to, and are paid by, the distributors, we refer to these end customers as our customers.

Cost of Net Revenue. Cost of net revenue includes the cost of finished silicon wafers processed by third-party foundries; costs associated with our outsourced packaging and assembly, test and shipping; costs of personnel, including stock-based compensation, and equipment associated with manufacturing support, logistics and quality assurance; amortization of certain production mask costs; cost of production load boards and sockets; and an allocated portion of our occupancy costs.

Research and Development. Research and development expense includes personnel-related expenses, including stock-based compensation, new product engineering mask costs, prototype integrated circuit packaging and test costs, computer-aided design software license costs, intellectual property license costs, reference design development costs, development testing and evaluation costs, depreciation expense and allocated occupancy costs. Research and development activities include the design of new products, refinement of existing products and design of test methodologies to ensure compliance with required specifications. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

Selling, General and Administrative. Selling, general and administrative expense includes personnel-related expenses, including stock-based compensation, distributor and other third-party sales commissions, field application engineering support, travel costs, professional and consulting fees, legal fees, depreciation expense and allocated occupancy costs.

Interest Income. Interest income consists of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and investment balances.

 

45


Table of Contents

Interest Expense. Interest expense consists primarily of imputed interest on i) the purchase of licensed technology and ii) property and equipment capital leases.

Other Income (Expense). Other income (expense) generally consists of income (expense) generated from minor non-operating transactions.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes. We make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expenses for tax and financial statement purposes and the realizability of assets in future years. Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2012 primarily relates to income tax in foreign jurisdictions. Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2011 is primarily due to the establishment of a valuation allowance on the net federal deferred tax asset in the third quarter of 2011. The income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2010 includes the reversal of our valuation allowance previously offsetting our federal deferred tax assets.

The following table sets forth our consolidated statement of operations data as a percentage of net revenue for the periods indicated.

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Net revenue

     100     100     100

Cost of net revenue

     38        37        31   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     62        63        69   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

      

Research and development

     47        56        41   

Selling, general and administrative

     28        28        23   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     75        84        64   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (13     (21     5   

Interest income

     —          —          —     

Interest expense

     —          —          —     

Other expense, net

     —          —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (13     (21     5   

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     —          10        (10
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

     (13 )%      (31 )%      15
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010

Net Revenue

 

     Years Ended December 31,      % Change  
     2012      2011      2010      2012     2011  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Net revenue

   $ 97,728       $ 71,937       $ 68,701         36     5

Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 increased by $25.8 million from 2011 primarily due to an increase in sales revenue from cable modem and cable set-top and gateway products of $38.1 million, offset by a decrease in revenue derived from terrestrial applications of $12.3 million, approximately half of the declines coming from automotive, with less significant declines in mobile handsets, terrestrial set-top boxes, and television sets. We expect sales of our hybrid TV tuner and cable products to account for a substantial portion of our revenue growth, if any, in 2013. The demand for our terrestrial and cable TV products will depend on several

 

46


Table of Contents

factors, including the rate of worldwide transition from analog-to-digital terrestrial and cable TV broadcast, and the growth in demand, if any, for high speed broadband connectivity and multimedia content and services.

Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased by $3.2 million from 2010 primarily due to an increase in sales revenue from cable products of $18.4 million, offset by a decrease in revenue derived from consumer terrestrial TV set-top box and mobile handset applications of $16.4 million.

Cost of Net Revenue and Gross Profit

 

     Years Ended December 31,     % Change  
     2012     2011     2010     2012     2011  
     (dollars in thousands)  

Cost of net revenue

   $ 37,019      $ 26,616      $ 21,560        39     23

% of net revenue

     38     37     31    

Gross profit

   $ 60,709      $ 45,321      $ 47,141        34     (4 )% 

% of net revenue

     62     63     69    

Cost of net revenue increased by $10.4 million from 2011 to 2012. Gross profit increased by $15.4 million from 2011 to 2012, accompanied by a decrease in gross profit as a percentage of revenue from 63% to 62%. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by the $38.1 million increase in our cable product revenue, which more than offset revenue declines of $12.3 million in terrestrial applications, the vast majority of the declines were related to our higher margin automotive, mobile handset, and digital-only TV tuners. The decrease in the gross profit percentage was largely due to the above noted changes in product mix related to significant declines in our higher margin legacy mobile and automotive handset applications. We currently expect that gross profit percentage will fluctuate in the future, from quarter-to-quarter, based on changes in product mix, average selling prices, and average manufacturing costs.

Cost of net revenue increased by $5.1 million from 2010 to 2011. Gross profit decreased by $1.8 million from 2010 to 2011, with an accompanying decrease in gross profit as a percentage of revenue from 69% to 63%. The decrease in gross profit and gross profit as a percentage of revenue were primarily due to declines in Japan digital television applications that were only partially offset by cost reductions, and the impact of mix changes related to growth in lower margin cable products that were ramping aggressively in 2011. Specifically, mix significantly influenced gross profit and gross profit percentage, as revenues derived from higher margin products addressing Japanese digital-only TV, PCTV, and mobile handset applications declined approximately $18.0 million, and were offset by a roughly equal amount of growth in significantly lower margin cable applications.

Research and Development

 

     Years Ended December 31,     % Change  
     2012     2011     2010     2012     2011  
           (dollars in thousands)        

Research and development

   $ 46,392      $ 40,156      $ 27,725        16     45

% of net revenue

     47     56     41    

Research and development expense for 2012 was $46.4 million, an increase of $6.2 million, or 16%, from 2011. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in a combination of payroll-related items of $7.7 million and prototyping and mask expenses of $1.5 million, partially offset by a reduction in spending on embedded intellectual property IP licensing of $3.2 million. Payroll-related expenses (including stock-based compensation) increased due to increases in our average full-time-equivalent headcount compared to prior year, expenses related to the 2012 employee bonus plan and an increase in employee healthcare costs. Also contributing to the increase were additional expenses related to our first 40 nanometer mask set and computer-aided design and

 

47


Table of Contents

related software licensing costs. In the past, we have entered into technology license agreements based on management review and determinations concerning market opportunities. We cannot predict whether we will enter into more of these types of licenses or the magnitude or timing of any such license agreements. Absent these types of licensing events, we expect our research and development expenses to increase as we continue to focus on expanding our product portfolio and enhancing existing products.

Research and development expense for 2011 was $40.2 million, an increase of $12.4 million, or 45%, from 2010. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in the number of new RF receiver SoC product development and existing product enhancement initiatives. The increase in research and development expense also includes a new initiative to develop MoCA ® , or Multimedia over Coax Alliance, solutions for inside-the-home data, and video network connectivity. Investments in intellectual property and software related to connectivity technologies, including the acquisition of certain MoCA ® intellectual property and connectivity-related software licenses, increased by $4.2 million compared to the prior year. Salary and benefits expense (including stock-based compensation) increased $5.8 million compared to the prior year. The increase in salary and benefits is primarily due to an increase in our average full-time-equivalent employee headcount compared to the prior year. Also contributing to the increases, compared to the prior year, were additional expenses for computer-aided design and related software license costs, new product engineering mask costs, supplies, travel and other costs.

Selling, General and Administrative

 

     Years Ended December 31,     % Change  
     2012     2011     2010     2012     2011  
           (dollars in thousands)        

Selling, general and administrative

   $ 27,225      $ 20,178      $ 15,912        35     27

% of net revenue

     28     28     23    

Selling, general and administrative expense for 2012 was $27.2 million, an increase of $7.0 million, or 35%, from 2011. This cost was primarily attributable to increase costs associated with the need for larger scale operations to support increase in demand for our products. Specifically, the increase was primarily attributable in part to additional $4.1 million of incremental payroll-related expense (including stock-based compensation) due to an increase in our average full-time-equivalent headcount, expenses related to the 2012 employee bonus plan and increases in employee healthcare costs. Also contributing to these increases were incremental professional and legal expenses of $2.4 million including significant incremental legal expenses related to a previously disclosed export compliance matter as well as our initiation and defense of litigation with Silicon Laboratories, or Silicon Labs. We expect selling, general and administrative expenses to increase in the future as we expand our sales and marketing organization to enable expansion into existing and new markets, as we continue to build our international administrative infrastructure. Future selling, general, and administrative expenses could also be affected by legal expenses associated with the lawsuit filed against Silicon Labs and related actions. We have not recorded any accrual for loss contingencies associated with Silicon Labs litigation; determined that an unfavorable outcome is probable or reasonably possible; or determined that the amount or range of any possible loss is reasonably estimable.

Selling, general and administrative expense for 2011 was $20.2 million, an increase of $4.3 million, or 27%, from 2010. This increase was primarily attributable to increase in costs associated with the need for larger scale operations to support the increase in demand for our products, and increased expenses associated with regulatory compliance initiatives, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Specifically, the increase was attributable in part to an additional $2.4 million of incremental salary and benefit expenses in 2011 (including stock-based compensation). Also contributing to the increases were incremental legal, accounting and other professional expenses, consulting expenses, travel-related costs, and occupancy expenses.

 

48


Table of Contents

Interest and Other Income (Expense)

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
       2012         2011         2010    

Interest income

   $ 282      $ 292      $ 326   

Interest expense

     (53     (69     (29

Other expense, net

     (232     (241     (58

Interest income decreased in 2012 compared to 2011 due to lower investment balances, principally due to a change in the composition of cash equivalents and investments. Interest income decreased in 2011 compared to 2010 due to lower investment balances, principally due to a change in the composition of cash equivalents and investments.

Interest expense decreased in 2012 compared to 2011 related to lower outstanding debt balances. Interest expense increased in 2011 compared to 2010 related to an accrued technology license agreement with extended payment terms.

Other expense, net in 2012 consisted primarily of write downs of long-lived assets, losses on foreign currency transactions and investment management fees, offset by other income from a property tax refund. Other expense, net in 2011 consisted primarily of losses on foreign currency transactions, investment management fees and lease settlement charges.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012      2011      2010  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

   $ 341       $ 6,993       $ (6,371

The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2012 was $0.3 million or approximately (2.6)% of pre-tax loss compared to $7.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2012 primarily relates to income tax in foreign jurisdictions. The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2011 was primarily related to the establishment of a valuation allowance against our net federal deferred tax asset in the third quarter of 2011. We continue to maintain a valuation allowance to offset the federal and California deferred tax assets as realization of such assets does not meet the more-likely-than-not threshold required under accounting guidelines. We will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets by evaluating positive and negative evidence that may exist. Until such time that we remove the valuation allowance against our federal and California deferred tax assets, our provision for income taxes will primarily consist of taxes associated with our foreign subsidiaries.

The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2011 was $7.0 million or approximately (46.5)% of pre-tax loss compared to a benefit for income taxes of $6.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase in the effective tax rate in the year ended December 31, 2011 is primarily due to the establishment of a valuation allowance on the net federal deferred tax asset in the third quarter of 2011. The income tax benefit of $6.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 includes the reversal of our valuation allowance previously offsetting our federal deferred tax assets.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

In March 2010, we received net proceeds from our IPO of approximately $72.9 million (after underwriters’ discounts of $5.8 million and additional offering related costs of approximately $4.2 million). Prior to the IPO,

 

49


Table of Contents

our primary sources of cash were, historically, proceeds from issuances of convertible preferred stock and cash collections from customers. As of December 31, 2012, we had cash and cash equivalents of $21.8 million, short-term investments of $50.3 million, long-term investments of $5.2 million and net accounts receivable of $14.6 million.

Our primary uses of cash are to fund operating expenses, purchases of inventory and the acquisition of property and equipment. Cash used to fund operating expenses excludes the impact of non-cash items such as depreciation and stock-based compensation and is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Our primary sources of cash are cash receipts on accounts receivable from our shipment of products to distributors and direct customers. Aside from the growth in amounts billed to our customers, net cash collections of accounts receivable are impacted by the efficiency of our cash collections process, which can vary from period to period depending on the payment cycles of our major distributor customers.

Following is a summary of our working capital and cash and cash equivalents for the periods indicated:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
             2012                      2011          
     (in thousands)  

Working capital

   $ 68,450       $ 76,585   

Cash and cash equivalents

     21,810         28,026   

Stock Repurchase

In the year ended December 31, 2012, our board of directors and the audit committee of our board of directors approved the repurchase and retirement of 1.2 million shares of our Class A common stock and the repurchase and retirement of 1.0 million shares of our Class B common stock. We effected the repurchases pursuant to a stock repurchase agreement. The per share repurchase price for both Class A and Class B shares repurchased was the closing price of our Class A common stock in trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the date of the agreement. The aggregate repurchase price was $12.1 million.

Other than the transactions disclosed above, the Company’s board of directors has not authorized any stock repurchase program, and the Company has no current plans to effect any open-market purchases of its Class A common stock or other repurchases of its Class B common stock from two of its shareholders.

Following is a summary of our cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the periods indicated:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  
     (in thousands)  

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

   $ 7,544      $ (7,109   $ 4,838   

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     (4,191     10,818        (78,375

Net cash provided by (used in) by financing activities

     (9,577     2,733        77,170   

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

     8        21        9   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

   $ (6,216   $ 6,463      $ 3,642   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Net cash provided in operating activities in 2012 was $7.5 million. Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consisted of $6.0 million in changes in operating assets and liabilities and $14.8 million in non-cash

 

50


Table of Contents

operating expenses, partially offset by a net loss of $13.3 million. Included in changes in operating assets and liabilities were incremental accruals related to legal expenses for our Silicon Laboratories, or Silicon Labs, litigation as well as a reduction in the accrual related to estimated fines and penalties related to a previously disclosed export compliance matter. Non-cash items included in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2012 included depreciation and amortization expense of $3.5 million, amortization of investment premiums, net of $1.1 million, stock-based compensation of $10.0 million and a write down of long-lived assets of $0.2 million.

Net cash used in operating activities in 2011 was $7.1 million. Net cash used in operating activities primarily consisted of a net loss of $22.0 million and $3.6 million in changes in operating assets and liabilities, offset by $18.5 million in non-cash operating expenses. Included in the changes in operating assets and liabilities was a $7.4 million increase in accounts receivable due to significantly greater shipments in the last month of the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to the last month of the year ended December 31, 2010 and the timing of cash receipts from customers and an increase in our accounts payable and accrued expenses related to our accrued technology license payments and estimated fines and penalties related to export compliance matters. Non-cash items included in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2011 included depreciation and amortization expense of $3.2 million, amortization of investment premiums, net of $1.2 million, stock-based compensation of $7.4 million, write down of long-lived assets of $0.1 million and a decrease in deferred income taxes of $6.6 million related to the recording of a valuation allowance on net federal deferred tax assets.

Net cash provided by operating activities in 2010 was $4.8 million. Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consisted of net income of $10.1 million and $0.7 million in non-cash operating expenses, offset by $6.0 million in changes in operating assets and liabilities. Our deferred income taxes increased in 2010 as a result of the release of our valuation allowance. Our increase in inventory and decreases in accounts receivable and deferred revenue and profit were due to a reduction in shipments to distributors in the second half of 2010 as customers either reduced the amount of purchase orders within lead time or requested rescheduling of shipments.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities in 2012 was $4.2 million. Net cash used in investing activities primarily consisted of $87.9 million in purchases of securities, $5.1 million in purchases of property and equipment and $0.4 million in purchases of intangibles, offset by $89.2 million in maturities of securities.

Net cash provided by investing activities in 2011 was $10.8 million. Net cash provided by investing activities primarily consisted of $125.4 million in maturities of securities, offset by $111.4 million in purchases of securities, $3.0 million in purchases of property and equipment and $0.2 million in purchases of intangibles.

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2010 consisted of $111.8 million in purchases of securities, $3.0 million in purchases of property and equipment and $1.3 million in purchases of intangibles, offset by $37.7 million in maturities of securities.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities in 2012 was $9.6 million. Net cash used in financing activities consisted primarily of repurchases of common stock of $12.1 million, offset by proceeds from issuance of common stock of $2.5 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities in 2011 was $2.7 million. Net cash provided by financing activities consisted primarily of proceeds from issuance of common stock of $2.8 million offset by payments on capital leases of $0.1 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2010 was primarily due to the net cash provided from our IPO of $75.6 million.

 

51


Table of Contents

Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies

The following table summarizes our outstanding contractual obligations as of December 31, 2012:

 

     Payments Due by Period  
     Total      2013      2014      2015      2016      2017 and
Thereafter
 
     (in thousands)  

Operating lease obligations

   $ 2,682       $ 1,307       $ 846       $ 387       $ 142       $ —     

Other obligations

     2,793         2,295         323         175         —           —     

Inventory purchase obligations

     3,898         3,898         —           —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total contractual obligations

   $ 9,373       $ 7,500       $ 1,169       $ 562       $ 142       $ —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other obligations represent purchase commitments for software licensing agreements, information systems infrastructure and other commitments made in the ordinary course of business.

We are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate as to when or if cash settlement with taxing authorities will occur for our unrecognized tax benefits. Therefore, our unrecognized tax benefits of $3.8 million are not included in the table above.

Warranties and Indemnifications

In connection with the sale of products in the ordinary course of business, we often make representations affirming, among other things, that our products do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, and agree to indemnify customers against third-party claims for such infringement. Further, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws require us to indemnify our officers and directors against any action that may arise out of their services in that capacity, and we have also entered into indemnification agreements with respect to all of our directors and certain controlling persons. As of December 31, 2012, we incurred expenses of $0.3 million under such provisions related to a previously disclosed export compliance matter.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As part of our ongoing business, we do not participate in transactions that generate relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, or SPEs, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. As of December 31, 2012, we were not involved in any unconsolidated SPE transactions.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

For additional information regarding recently adopted and issued accounting pronouncements, see Note 1 of the notes to consolidated financial statements contained within this Form 10-K.

 

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Foreign Currency Risk

To date, our international customer and vendor agreements have been denominated almost exclusively in United States dollars. Accordingly, we have limited exposure to foreign currency exchange rates and do not enter into foreign currency hedging transactions. The functional currency of certain foreign subsidiaries is the local currency. Accordingly, the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on the net assets of these foreign subsidiaries’ operations are accounted for as translation gains or losses in accumulated other comprehensive income within stockholders’ equity. We do not believe that a change of 10% in such foreign currency exchange rates would have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

52


Table of Contents

Interest Rate Risk

We had cash and cash equivalents of $21.8 million at December 31, 2012, which was held for working capital purposes. We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes. We do not believe that we have any material exposure to changes in the fair value of these investments as a result of changes in interest rates due to their short-term nature. Declines in interest rates, however, will reduce future investment income.

Investments Risk

Our investments, consisting of U.S. Treasury and agency obligations and corporate notes and bonds, are stated at cost, adjusted for amortization of premiums and discounts to maturity. In the event that there are differences between fair value and cost in any of our available-for-sale securities, unrealized gains and losses on these investments are reported as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

Investments in fixed rate interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed rate securities may have their market value adversely impacted due to rising interest rates. Due in part to these factors, our future investment income may fall short of expectations due to changes in interest rates.

 

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The financial statements and supplementary data required by this item are included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Report.

 

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

 

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports filed with the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and no evaluation of controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. Management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

As required by Rule 13a-15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, prior to filing this Form 10-K, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-K. Based on their evaluation, our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-K.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

Our management, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial

 

53


Table of Contents

reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act . Our management, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based upon that evaluation, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2012. The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, and Ernst & Young LLP has issued a report on our internal control over financial reporting, as stated within their report which is included herein.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

An evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, to determine whether any change in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2012 that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. We did not identify any change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2012 that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

54


Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Stockholders of

MaxLinear, Inc.

We have audited MaxLinear, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). MaxLinear, Inc.’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, MaxLinear, Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on the COSO criteria .

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheets of MaxLinear, Inc. as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2012 and the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) of MaxLinear, Inc. and our report February 6, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

 

/s/    Ernst & Young LLP

Orange County, California

February 6, 2013

 

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

 

55


Table of Contents

PART III

 

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The information required by Item 10 with respect to our directors and executive officers is incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the captions “Proposal Number 1 — Election of Class I Directors By Class A and Class B Common Stock” and “Executive Officers” in our Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed in connection with our 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or the 2013 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after December 31, 2012.

Item 405 of Regulation S-K calls for disclosure of any known late filing or failure by an insider to file a report required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act. This information is contained under the caption “Related Person Transactions and Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in the 2013 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Code of Conduct

We have adopted a code of ethics and employee conduct that applies to our board of directors and all of our employees, including our chief executive officer, principal financial officer, and principal accounting officer.

Our code of conduct is available at our website by visiting www.maxlinear.com and clicking through “Investors,” “Corporate Governance,” and “Code of Conduct.” When required by the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, or the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, we will disclose any future amendment to, or waiver of, any provision of the code of conduct for our chief executive officer, principal financial officer, or principal accounting officer or any member or members of our board of directors on our website within four business days following the date of such amendment or waiver.

The information required by Item 10 with respect to our audit committee is incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the caption “Corporate Governance and Board of Directors — Board Committees” in the 2013 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by Item 11 is incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the captions “Compensation of Non-Employee Directors” and “Executive Compensation,” in our 2013 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The information required by Item 12 is incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the captions “Executive Compensation — Equity Compensation Plan Information” and “Security Ownership,” in our 2013 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by Item 13 is incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the captions “Corporate Governance and Board of Directors — Director Independence” and “Related Person Transactions and Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance,” in our 2013 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by Item 14 is incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the caption “Proposal Number V — Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm,” in our 2013 Proxy Statement.

 

56


Table of Contents

PART IV

 

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

a) Documents filed as part of the report

1. Financial Statements

Our consolidated financial statements are attached hereto and listed on the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

2. Financial Statement Schedules

Schedule II. Valuation and Qualifying Accounts—Years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010

All other schedules are omitted as the required information is inapplicable, or the information is presented in the financial statements or related notes.

SCHEDULE II – VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS (in thousands):

 

Classification

   Balance at
beginning of  year
     Additions charged
to  expenses
     (Deductions)     Balance at end of year  

Allowance for doubtful accounts

          

2012

   $ —         $ 132       $ —        $ 132   

2011

     —           —           —          —     

2010

     —           —           —          —     

Inventory reserves

          

2012

   $ 117       $ 127       $ (92   $ 152   

2011

     148         61         (92     117   

2010

     120         85         (57     148   

Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets

          

2012

   $ 16,029       $ 6,214       $ —        $ 22,243   

2011

     3,132         12,897         —          16,029   

2010

     10,361         —           (7,229     3,132   

3. Exhibits

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Exhibit Title

      3.1    Registrant’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 29, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
      3.2    Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.8 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
      4.1    Specimen common stock certificate of Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
  +10.1    Form of Director and Executive Officer Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
  +10.2    Form of Director and Controlling Person Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).

 

57


Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number

  

Exhibit Title

*+10.3    2004 Stock Plan, as amended.
  +10.4    Form of Stock Option Agreement under the 2004 Stock Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
  +10.5    Amendment No. 1 to the form of Stock Option Agreement under the 2004 Stock Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
*+10.6    2010 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended.
  +10.7    Form of Agreement under the 2010 Equity Incentive (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on July 28, 2011 (File No. 001-34666)).
*+10.8    2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended.
  +10.9    Employment Offer Letter, dated December 20, 2010, between the Registrant and Adam C. Spice (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 28, 2010).
  +10.10    Employment Offer Letter, dated June 24, 2011, between the Registrant and Brian Sprague (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on July 28, 2011 (File No. 001-34666)).
  +10.11    Employment Offer Letter, dated September 12, 2011, by and between the Registrant and Justin Scarpulla (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 15, 2012 (File No. 001-34666)).
  +10.12    Form of Change in Control Agreement for Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
  +10.13    Form of Change in Control Agreement for Executive Officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
    10.14    Lease Agreement, dated May 18, 2009, between the Registrant and JCCE – Palomar, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
    10.15    Sublease Agreement, dated May 9, 2009, between the Registrant and CVI Laser, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
  †10.16    Intellectual Property License Agreement, dated June 18, 2009, between the Registrant and Intel Corporation, (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
*+10.17    Employment Offer Letter, dated November 9, 2012, between the Registrant and Will Torgerson.
  †10.18    Distributor Agreement, dated June 5, 2009, between the Registrant and Moly Tech Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
  †10.19    Distributor Agreement, dated October 3, 2005, between the Registrant and Tomen Electronics Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).

 

58


Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number

 

Exhibit Title

    †10.20   Distributor Agreement, dated August 19, 2009, between the Registrant and Lestina International Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 and all amendments thereto (File No. 333-162947)).
    +10.21   MaxLinear, Inc. Executive Bonus Plan, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 9, 2012 (File No. 001-34666)).
    +10.22   Employment Offer Letter, dated April 22, 2011, between the Registrant and Michael LaChance (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 of the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 14, 2012 (File No. 001-34666)).
      10.23   Stock Repurchase Agreement, dated August 21, 2012, by and among the Registrant, Mission Ventures III, L.P., Mission Ventures Affiliates III, L.P., and U.S. Venture Partners VIII, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 22, 2012 (File No. 001-34666)).
      10.24   Stock Repurchase Agreement, dated October 31, 2012, by and among the Registrant, U.S. Venture Partners VIII, L.P, USVP VIII Affiliates Fund, L.P., USVP Entrepreneur Partners VIII-A, L.P. and USVP Entrepreneur Partners VIII-B, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 31, 2012 (File No. 001-34666)).
    +10.25   Separation Agreement, dated March 15, 2012, by and between the Registrant and Patrick E. McCready (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 15, 2012(File No. 001-34666))
    *11.1   Statement re computation of income (loss) per share (included on page F-14 of this Form 10-K).
      21.1   Subsidiaries of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 1, 2011 (File No. 001-34666)).
    *23.1   Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
    *24.1   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Form 10-K).
    *31.1   Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002.
    *31.2   Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002.
  #*32.1   Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
**101.INS   XBRL Instance Document
**101.SCH   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
**101.CAL   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
**101.DEF   XBRL Extension Definition
**101.LAB   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
**101.PRE   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

* Filed herewith.
** In accordance with Rule 402 of Regulation S-T, the information in these exhibits shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed under the Securities Act, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

 

59


Table of Contents
# In accordance with Item 601(b)(32)(ii) of Regulation S-K and SEC Release No. 33-8238 and 34-47986, Final Rule: Management’s Reports on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic Reports, the certifications furnished pursuant to this item will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certification will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference
+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan.
Confidential treatment has been requested and received for certain portions of these exhibits.

(b) Exhibits

The exhibits filed as part of this report are listed in Item 15(a)(3) of this Form 10-K.

(c) Schedules

The financial statement schedules required by Regulation S-X and Item 8 of this form are listed in Item 15(a)(2) of this Form 10-K.

 

60


Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

MAXLINEAR, INC.
(Registrant)
By:  

/s/    KISHORE SEENDRIPU, PH.D.

  Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D.
  President and Chief Executive Officer
  (Principal Executive Officer)

Date: February 6, 2013

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D. and Adam C. Spice, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-facts and agents, or his substitute or substitutes, or any of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ KISHORE SEENDRIPU, PH.D.

Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D.

  

President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

  February 6, 2013

/s/ ADAM C. SPICE

Adam C. Spice

  

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

  February 6, 2013

/s/ JUSTIN SCARPULLA

Justin Scarpulla

  

Chief Accounting Officer

and Corporate Controller

(Principal Accounting Officer)

  February 6, 2013

/s/ THOMAS E. PARDUN

Thomas E. Pardun

   Lead Director   February 6, 2013

/s/ STEVEN C. CRADDOCK

Steven C. Craddock

   Director   February 6, 2013

/s/ HK DESAI

HK Desai

   Director   February 6, 2013

/s/ CURTIS LING, PH.D

Curtis Ling, Ph.D

   Director   February 6, 2013

/s/ ALBERT J. MOYER

Albert J. Moyer

   Director   February 6, 2013

/s/ DONALD E. SCHROCK

Donald E. Schrock

   Director   February 6, 2013

 

61


Table of Contents

MaxLinear, Inc.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2   

Consolidated Balance Sheets

     F-3   

Consolidated Statements of Operations

     F-4   

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

     F-5   

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

     F-6   

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

     F-7   

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-8   

 

F-1


Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Stockholders of MaxLinear, Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of MaxLinear, Inc. as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss) , stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2012. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2). These financial statements and schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of MaxLinear, Inc. at December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2012, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), MaxLinear, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 6, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

 

/s/    Ernst & Young LLP

Orange County, California

February 6, 2013

 

F-2


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except par amounts)

 

     December 31,  
     2012     2011  

Assets

    

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 21,810      $ 28,026   

Short-term investments, available-for-sale

     50,265        47,156   

Accounts receivable, net

     14,558        10,421   

Inventory

     9,891        8,082   

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     1,494        1,394   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

     98,018        95,079   

Property and equipment, net

     6,866        5,494   

Long-term investments, available-for-sale

     5,181        10,554   

Intangible assets

     275        1,021   

Other long-term assets

     257        228   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 110,597      $ 112,376   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

    

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

   $ 7,372      $ 4,936   

Deferred revenue and deferred profit

     2,289        4,029   

Accrued price protection liability

     7,880        2,856   

Accrued expenses

     5,021        4,547   

Accrued compensation

     7,004        2,094   

Current portion of capital lease obligations

     2        32   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     29,568        18,494   

Other long-term liabilities

     796        855   

Capital lease obligations, net of current portion

     —          2   

Commitments and contingencies

    

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 25,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding

     —          —     

Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 550,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding

     —          —     

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 500,000 shares authorized, 23,181 and 19,107 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively

     2        2   

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 500,000 shares authorized, 9,673 and 14,143 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively

     1        1   

Additional paid-in capital

     139,210        126,695   

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     35        14   

Accumulated deficit

     (59,015     (33,687
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     80,233        93,025   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $  110,597      $  112,376   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes.

 

F-3


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Net revenue

   $ 97,728      $ 71,937      $ 68,701   

Cost of net revenue

     37,019        26,616        21,560   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     60,709        45,321        47,141   

Operating expenses:

      

Research and development

     46,392        40,156        27,725   

Selling, general and administrative

     27,225        20,178        15,912   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     73,617        60,334        43,637   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (12,908     (15,013     3,504   

Interest income

     282        292        326   

Interest expense

     (53     (69     (29

Other expense, net

     (232     (241     (58
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (12,911     (15,031     3,743   

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     341        6,993        (6,371
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

     (13,252     (22,024     10,114   

Net income allocable to preferred stockholders

     —          —          (1,215
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

   $ (13,252   $ (22,024   $ 8,899   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders (1) :

      

Basic

   $ (0.40   $ (0.68   $ 0.33   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

   $ (0.40   $ (0.68   $ 0.30   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Shares used to compute net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:

      

Basic

     33,198        32,573        26,743   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

     33,198        32,573        29,478   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  

 

(1) As a result of the conversion of the Company’s preferred stock into 14.5 million shares of its Class B common stock immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering in March 2010, there is a lack of comparability in the basic and diluted net income (loss) per share amounts between the periods presented herein and any historical or future periods.

See accompanying notes.

 

F-4


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(in thousands)

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Net income (loss)

   $ (13,252   $ (22,024   $ 10,114   

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:

      

Unrealized gain (loss) on investments, net of tax of $11, $0, and $14 in 2012, 2011, and 2010

     14        (62     28   

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $0 in 2012, 2011, and 2010

     7        31        17   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other comprehensve income (loss)

     21        (31     45   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Comprehensive income (loss)

   $ (13,231   $ (22,055   $ 10,159   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes.

 

F-5


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

(in thousands)

 

     Common Stock     Class A
Common Stock
     Class B
Common Stock
    Additional
Paid-In
Capital
     Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
    Accumulated
Deficit
    Total
Stockholders’
Equity
(Deficit)
 
     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount      Shares     Amount                           

Balance at December 31, 2009

     10,737      $ 1        —        $ —           —        $ —        $ 2,301       $ —        $ (21,777   $ (19,475

Conversion of Series A and B preferred stock to Class A and B common stock

     —          —          1,491        —           13,035        1        35,350         —          —          35,351   

Conversion of common stock to Class B common stock

     (10,737     (1     —          —           10,737        1        —           —          —          —     

Conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock

     —          —          5,680        —           (5,680     —          —           —          —          —     

IPO gross proceeds, net of costs

     —          —          5,920        1         —          —          72,903         —          —          72,904   

Common stock issued upon exercise of stock options

     —          —          —          —           628        —          1,043         —          —          1,043   

Employee stock purchase plan

     —          —          79        —           —          —          700         —          —          700   

Stock-based compensation

     —          —          —          —           —          —          4,215         —          —          4,215   

Other comprehensive income

     —          —          —          —           —          —          —           45        —          45   

Net income

     —          —          —          —           —          —          —           —          10,114        10,114   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2010

     —          —          13,170        1         18,720        2        116,512         45        (11,663     104,897   

Conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock

     —          —          5,557        1         (5,557     (1     —           —          —          —     

Common stock issued pursuant to equity awards, net

     —          —          133        —           980        —          1,469         —          —          1,469   

Employee stock purchase plan

     —          —          247        —           —          —          1,346         —          —          1,346   

Stock-based compensation

     —          —          —          —           —          —          7,368         —          —          7,368   

Other comprehensive loss

     —          —          —          —           —          —          —           (31     —          (31

Net loss

     —          —          —          —           —          —          —           —          (22,024     (22,024
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2011

     —          —          19,107        2         14,143        1        126,695         14        (33,687     93,025   

Conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock

     —          —          3,991        —           (3,991     —          —           —          —          —     

Common stock issued pursuant to equity awards, net

     —          —          740        —           521        —          617         —          —          617   

Repurchases of common stock

     —          —          (1,152     —           (1,000     —          —           —          (12,076     (12,076

Employee stock purchase plan

     —          —          495        —           —          —          1,914         —          —          1,914   

Stock-based compensation

     —          —          —          —           —          —          9,984         —          —          9,984   

Other comprehensive income

     —          —          —          —           —          —          —           21        —          21   

Net loss

     —          —          —          —           —          —          —           —          (13,252     (13,252
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2012

     —        $ —          23,181      $ 2         9,673      $ 1      $ 139,210       $ 35      $ (59,015     80,233   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes.

 

F-6


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Operating Activities

      

Net income (loss)

   $ (13,252   $ (22,024   $ 10,114   

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

      

Amortization and depreciation

     3,531        3,159        1,873   

Amortization of investment premiums, net

     1,058        1,179        1,258   

Stock-based compensation

     9,984        7,368        4,215   

Deferred income taxes

     —          6,668        (6,668

Gain on sale of available-for-sale securities

     (2     (9     —     

Write down of long-lived assets

     184        150        36   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

      

Accounts receivable

     (4,137     (7,374     6,660   

Inventory

     (1,809     (657     (4,575

Prepaid and other assets

     (129     155        (1,458

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     3,981        4,368        (2,295

Amounts due to related party

     —          (1,746     (762

Accrued compensation

     4,910        (51     424   

Deferred revenue and deferred profit

     (1,740     (1,293     (4,528

Accrued price protection liability

     5,024        2,400        358   

Other long-term liabilities

     (59     598        186   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     7,544        (7,109     4,838   

Investing Activities

      

Purchases of property and equipment

     (5,055     (2,962     (2,960

Purchases of intangibles

     (390     (201     (1,275

Purchases of available-for-sale securities

     (87,897     (111,369     (111,807

Maturities of available-for-sale securities

     89,151        125,350        37,667   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     (4,191     10,818        (78,375

Financing Activities

      

Payments on capital leases

     (32     (82     (123

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

     2,531        2,815        1,743   

Proceeds from initial public offering, net of costs

     —          —          75,550   

Repurchases of common stock

     (12,076     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     (9,577     2,733        77,170   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     8        21        9   

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     (6,216     6,463        3,642   

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

     28,026        21,563        17,921   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

   $ 21,810      $ 28,026      $ 21,563   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

      

Cash paid for interest

   $ 1      $ 9      $ 29   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash paid for income taxes

   $ —        $ —        $ 382   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of non cash investing and financing information:

      

Accrued purchase of property and equipment

   $ 52      $ 708      $ 554   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes.

 

F-7


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

1. Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

MaxLinear, Inc. (the Company) was incorporated in Delaware in September 2003. The Company is a provider of integrated, radio-frequency and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communications applications whose customers include 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 and terrestrial set top boxes, DOCSIS data and voice gateways, digital televisions, mobile handsets, personal computers, netbooks and in-vehicle entertainment devices. The Company is a fabless semiconductor company focusing its resources on the design, sales and marketing of its products.

Initial Public Offering

In March 2010, the Company completed the initial public offering, or IPO, of its Class A common stock in which it sold and issued 5.9 million shares of Class A common stock at an issue price of $14.00 per share. The Company raised a total of $82.9 million in gross proceeds in the IPO, or approximately $72.9 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $5.8 million and other offering costs of $4.2 million. Immediately prior to the closing of the IPO, all shares of the Company’s then-outstanding convertible preferred stock automatically converted into 14.5 million shares of Class B common stock.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MaxLinear, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and investments have been eliminated in consolidation.

The functional currency of certain foreign subsidiaries is the local currency. Accordingly, assets and liabilities of these foreign subsidiaries are translated at the current exchange rate at the balance sheet date and historical rates for equity. Revenue and expense components are translated at weighted average exchange rates in effect during the period. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency translation are included as a component of stockholders’ equity. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the results of operations and, to date, have not been significant.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are recorded at cost, which approximates market value.

Accounts Receivable

The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and adjusts credit limits based on each customers’ credit worthiness, as determined by the Company’s review of current credit information. The

 

F-8


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Company monitors collections and payments from its customers and maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon its historical experience, its anticipation of uncollectible accounts receivable and any specific customer collection issues that the Company has identified. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had recorded an allowance for doubtful accounts of $0.1 million. As of December 31, 2011, the Company did not have an allowance for doubtful accounts recorded.

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost approximate actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis and market reflects current replacement cost (e.g. net replacement value) which cannot exceed net realizable value or fall below net realizable value less an allowance for an approximately normal profit margin. The Company reduces its inventory to its lower of cost or market on a part-by-part basis to account for its obsolescence or lack of marketability. Reductions are calculated as the difference between the cost of inventory and its market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Once established, these adjustments are considered permanent and are not revised until the related inventory is sold or disposed of.

Investments, Available-for-Sale

The Company classifies all investments as available-for-sale, as the sale of such investments may be required prior to maturity to implement management strategies. These investments are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported as accumulated other comprehensive income until realized. The cost of debt securities is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. Such amortization and accretion, as well as interest and dividends, are included in interest income. Realized gains and losses from the sale of available-for-sale investments, if any, are determined on a specific identification basis and are also included in interest income.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses and compensation are considered to be representative of their respective fair value because of the short-term nature of these items. Investment securities, available-for-sale, are carried at fair value. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for loans with similar terms, the Company believes the fair value of long-term capital lease obligations approximates its carrying value.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is carried at cost and depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets, ranging from two to five years, using the straight-line method. Leasehold improvements are stated at cost and amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease term.

Production Masks

Production masks with alternative future uses or discernible future benefits are capitalized and amortized over their estimated useful life of two years. To determine if the production mask has alternative future uses or benefits, the Company evaluates risks associated with developing new technologies and capabilities, and the related risks associated with entering new markets. Production masks that do not meet the criteria for capitalization are expensed as research and development costs.

 

F-9


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company regularly reviews the carrying amount of its long-lived assets, as well as the useful lives, to determine whether indicators of impairment may exist which warrant adjustments to carrying values or estimated useful lives. An impairment loss would be recognized when the sum of the expected future undiscounted net cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. Should impairment exist, the impairment loss would be measured based on the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the asset’s fair value.

Intangible Assets

Technologies acquired or licensed from other companies are capitalized and amortized over the greater of the terms of the agreement, or estimated useful life, not to exceed three years.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is generated from sales of the Company’s integrated circuits. The Company recognizes revenue when all of the following criteria are met: 1) there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, 2) delivery of goods has occurred, 3) the sales price is fixed or determinable and 4) collectibility is reasonably assured. Title to product transfers to customers either when it is shipped to or received by the customer, based on the terms of the specific agreement with the customer.

Revenue is recorded based on the facts at the time of sale. Transactions for which the Company cannot reliably estimate the amount that will ultimately be collected at the time the product has shipped and title has transferred to the customer are deferred until the amount that is probable of collection can be determined. Items that are considered when determining the amounts that will be ultimately collected are: a customer’s overall creditworthiness and payment history; customer rights to return unsold product; customer rights to price protection; customer payment terms conditioned on sale or use of product by the customer; or extended payment terms granted to a customer.

A portion of the Company’s revenues are generated from sales made through distributors under agreements allowing for pricing credits and/or stock rotation rights of return. Revenues from the Company’s distributors accounted for 40% of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012. Revenues from the Company’s distributors accounted for 71% of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011. Pricing credits to the Company’s distributors may result from its pricing credit and unit rebate provisions, among other factors. These pricing credits and/or stock rotation rights prevent the Company from being able to reliably estimate the final sales price of the inventory sold and the amount of inventory that could be returned pursuant to these agreements. As a result, for sales to distributors, the Company has determined that it does not meet all of the required revenue recognition criteria at the time it delivers its products to distributors as the final sales price is not fixed or determinable.

For these distributor transactions, revenue is not recognized until product is shipped to the end customer and the amount that will ultimately be collected is fixed or determinable. Upon shipment of product to these distributors, title to the inventory transfers to the distributor and the distributor is invoiced, generally with 30 day terms. On shipments to the Company’s distributors where revenue is not recognized, the Company records a trade receivable for the selling price as there is a legally enforceable right to payment, relieving the inventory for the carrying value of goods shipped since legal title has passed to the distributor, and records the corresponding deferred profit in the consolidated balance sheet as a component of deferred revenue, representing the difference

 

F-10


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

between the receivable recorded and the cost of inventory shipped. Future pricing credits and/or stock rotation rights from the Company’s distributors may result in the realization of a different amount of profit included in the Company’s future consolidated statements of operations than the amount recorded as deferred profit in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The Company records reductions in revenue for estimated pricing adjustments related to price protection and unit rebate agreements with the Company’s end customers in the same period that the related revenue is recorded. Price protection pricing adjustments are recorded at the time of sale as a reduction to revenue and an increase in the Company’s accrued liabilities. The Company may enter into unit rebate agreements with end customers based on volume purchases. The Company estimates that all of the unit rebates will be achieved based on the history of these programs, reduces the average selling price of the product sold under the rebate program and defers revenue for the difference between the amount billed to the customer and the adjusted average selling price. Once the targeted level is achieved, the deferred revenue is recognized as revenue as rebated products are shipped to the end customer. Deferred revenue associated with rebate programs is included in deferred revenue and deferred profit in the consolidated balance sheet.

Stock Repurchase

The Company records the excess of repurchase price over par value to accumulated deficit upon repurchase and retirement of shares of its Class A common stock and Class B common stock in accordance with the accounting standard for equity.

Warranty

The Company generally provides a warranty on its products for a period of one year. The Company makes estimates of product return rates and expected costs to replace the products under warranty at the time revenue is recognized based on historical warranty experience and any known product warranty issues. If actual return rates and/or replacement costs differ significantly from these estimates, adjustments to recognize additional cost of net revenue may be required in future periods. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, no accrual for warranty costs was recorded based on the Company’s analysis.

Segment Information

The Company operates in one segment as it has developed, marketed and sold primarily only one class of similar products, integrated radio frequency analog and mixed signal semiconductor solutions for broadband communication applications.

The Company’s chief operating decision-maker is its chief executive officer, who reviews operating results on an aggregate basis and manages the Company’s operations as a single operating segment.

The Company has assessed its products on an individual basis and determined that they are similar based on the following reasons:

 

   

The Company’s portfolio of products share similar economic characteristics as they have a similar long term business model, operate at gross margins similar to the Company’s consolidated gross margin, and have similar research and development expenses and similar selling, general and administrative expenses;

 

F-11


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

   

The causes for variation within the Company’s portfolio of products are the same and include factors such as (i) life cycle and price and cost fluctuations, (ii) number of competitors, (iii) extent of product differentiation relative to the Company’s competition, and (iv) the sensitivity to the overall cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry;

 

   

The Company’s product portfolio and development roadmap is managed by a common Vice President and General Manager, and the technology across products within the portfolio is so similar that the Company’s engineering resources are highly fungible and commonly work across product families;

 

   

The Company’s integrated circuits all use the same standard CMOS manufacturing processes and provide the same fundamental functionality in the electronics platforms in which they reside;

 

   

The integrated circuits marketed are sold to one type of customer: manufacturers of wired and wireless communications equipment, which incorporate the Company’s integrated circuits into their electronic products; and

 

   

All of the Company’s integrated circuits are sold through a centralized sales force and common distributors.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Significant Customers

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. The Company limits its exposure to credit loss by placing its cash with high credit quality financial institutions. At times, such deposits may be in excess of insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash and cash equivalents.

The Company markets its products and services to consumer electronics and communications companies throughout the world. The Company makes periodic evaluations of the credit worthiness of its customers and does not require collateral for credit sales.

Customers greater than 10% of net revenue for each of the periods are as follows:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Percentage of total net revenue

      

Arris

     25     11     *   

Pace

     10        *        *   

Panasonic

     *        14        16   

Toshiba

     *        *        10   

 

* Represents less than 10% of the net revenue for the respective period.

 

F-12


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Products shipped to international destinations representing greater than 10% of net revenue for each of the periods are as follows:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Percentage of total net revenue

      

China

     38     15     24

Taiwan

     31        30        13   

Japan

     14        39        57   

The determination of which country a particular sale is allocated to is based on the destination of the product shipment.

Balances greater than 10% of accounts receivable are as follows:

 

     December 31,  
     2012     2011  

Percentage of gross accounts receivable:

    

Unihan Corporation

     24     12

Moly Tech Limited

     20        19   

Asia Fortune Electronics Enterprise

     *        20   

 

* Represents less than 10% of the gross accounts receivable for the respective period end.

Stock-based Compensation

The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for equity incentive awards, including stock options, employee stock purchase rights, restricted stock units and restricted stock awards based on the grant date fair value of the award. The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model to calculate the fair value of stock options and employee stock purchase rights granted to employees. The Company calculates the fair value of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards based on the fair market value of its Class A common stock on the grant date. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the period during which the employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period. The Company recognizes compensation expense over the vesting period using the straight-line method and classifies these amounts in the statements of operations based on the department to which the related employee reports.

The Company accounts for stock options issued to non-employees in accordance with authoritative guidance for equity based payments to non-employees. Stock options issued to non-employees are accounted for at their estimated fair value determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of options granted to non-employees is re-measured as they vest, and the resulting increase in value, if any, is recognized as expense during the period the related services are rendered. The Company calculates the fair value of restricted stock units issued to non-employees based on the fair market value of our Class A common stock on the grant date and the resulting stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the period during which the non-employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period.

 

F-13


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Research and Development

Costs incurred in connection with the development of the Company’s technology and future products are charged to research and development expense as incurred.

Income Taxes

The Company provides for income taxes utilizing the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the future tax consequences expected to occur when the reported amounts of assets and liabilities are recovered or paid. The provision for income taxes generally represents income taxes paid or payable for the current year plus the change in deferred taxes during the year. Deferred taxes result from the differences between the financial and tax bases of the Company’s assets and liabilities and are adjusted for changes in tax rates and tax laws when changes are enacted. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when a judgment is made that is considered more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. A decision to record a valuation allowance results in an increase in income tax expense or a decrease in income tax benefit. If the valuation allowance is released in a future period, income tax expense will be reduced accordingly.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity (net assets) of a business entity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from nonowner sources. Other comprehensive income (loss) includes certain changes in equity that are excluded from net income (loss), such as unrealized holding gains and losses on available-for-sale investments, net of tax, and translation gains and losses.

Net Income (Loss) per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to the Company by the weighted average number of shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding during the period. For diluted net income (loss) per share, net income attributable to the Company is divided by the sum of the weighted average number of shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding and the potential number of shares of dilutive Class A and Class B common stock outstanding during the period.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Effective January 1, 2012, the Company adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s, or FASB, updated guidance on fair value measurements that clarifies the application of existing guidance and disclosure requirements, changes certain fair value measurement principles and requires additional disclosures about fair value measurements. The Company’s adoption of the updated guidance did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Company adopted the FASB’s new standard regarding the presentation of comprehensive income. The new standard requires the presentation of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The new standard also requires presentation on the face of the financial statements of reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented.

 

F-14


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

2. Net Income (Loss) per Share

Prior to the Company’s IPO, net income (loss) per share was computed as required by provisions within the accounting standard for earnings per share, which established guidance regarding the computation of earnings per share, or EPS, by companies that have issued securities other than common stock that contractually entitle the holder to participate in dividends and earnings of the Company. The accounting standard for earnings per share requires earnings for the period, after deduction of preferred stock dividends, to be allocated between the common and preferred stockholders based on their respective rights to receive dividends, whether or not declared. Basic net income (loss) per share is then calculated by dividing income (loss) attributable to common stockholders (after the reduction for any preferred stock dividends assuming current income for the period had been distributed) by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period, net of shares subject to repurchase by the Company. The accounting standard for earnings per share does not require the presentation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share for securities other than common stock; therefore, the following net income (loss) per share amounts only pertain to the Company’s common stock. In 2010, the Company calculated diluted net income (loss) per share under the as-if-converted method unless the conversion of the preferred stock was anti-dilutive to basic net income (loss) per share. To the extent preferred stock was anti-dilutive, the Company calculated diluted net income (loss) per share under the two-class method.

Subsequent to the Company’s IPO, net income (loss) per share continued to be computed as required by provisions within the accounting standard for earnings per share. Basic EPS is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing the net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period and the weighted-average number of dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury-stock method. For purposes of this calculation, common stock options, restricted stock units and restricted stock awards are considered to be common stock equivalents and are only included in the calculation of diluted EPS when their effect is dilutive.

Subsequent to its IPO, the Company has two classes of stock outstanding, Class A common stock and Class B common stock. The economic rights of the Class A common stock and Class B common stock, including rights in connection with dividends and payments upon a liquidation or merger are identical, and the Class A common stock and Class B common stock will be treated equally, identically and ratably, unless differential treatment is approved by the Class A common stock and Class B common stock, each voting separately as a class. The Company computes basic earnings per share by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding during the period. For diluted earnings per share, the Company divides net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the sum of the weighted average number of shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding and the potential number of shares of dilutive Class A and Class B common stock outstanding during the period.

 

F-15


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Historical

      

Numerator:

      

Net income (loss)

   $ (13,252   $ (22,024   $ 10,114   

Net income allocable to preferred stockholders

     —          —          (1,215
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

   $ (13,252   $ (22,024   $ 8,899   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Denominator:

      

Weighted average common shares outstanding—basic

     33,198        32,573        26,743   

Dilutive common stock equivalents

     —          —          2,735   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding—diluted

     33,198        32,573        29,478   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:

      

Basic

   $ (0.40   $ (0.68   $ 0.33   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

   $ (0.40   $ (0.68   $ 0.30   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Company excluded 4.4 million, 5.1 million and 1.3 million common stock equivalents for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, resulting from outstanding equity awards for the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share due to their anti-dilutive nature.

3. Financial Instruments

The composition of financial instruments is as follows:

 

     December 31, 2012  
   Amortized
Cost
    Gross Unrealized     Fair
Value
 
      
       Gains      Losses    

Money market funds

   $ 4,643      $ —         $ —        $ 4,643   

Government debt securities

     6,000        3         —          6,003   

Corporate debt securities

     49,441        6         (4     49,443   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 
     60,084        9         (4     60,089   

Less amounts included in cash and cash equivalents

     (4,643     —           —          (4,643
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 55,441      $ 9       $ (4   $ 55,446   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

     December 31, 2011  
   Amortized
Cost
    Gross Unrealized     Fair
Value
 
      
       Gains      Losses    

Money market funds

   $ 14,372      $ —         $ —        $ 14,372   

Government debt securities

     15,966        3         —          15,969   

Corporate debt securities

     41,764        7         (30     41,741   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 
     72,102        10         (30     72,082   

Less amounts included in cash and cash equivalents

     (14,372     —           —          (14,372
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 57,730      $ 10       $ (30   $ 57,710   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-16


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

As of December 31, 2012, the Company held 10 corporate debt securities with an aggregate fair value of $18.4 million that were in an unrealized loss position for less than 12 months. Gross unrealized losses represent temporary impairments on corporate debt securities related to multiple issuers, and were primarily caused by fluctuations in U.S. interest rates. The Company has determined that the gross unrealized losses on these securities at December 31, 2012 are temporary in nature. The Company evaluates securities for other-than-temporary impairment on a quarterly basis. Impairment is evaluated considering numerous factors, and their relative significance varies depending on the situation. Factors considered include the length of time and extent to which fair value has been less than the cost basis, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, and our intent and ability to hold the security in order to allow for an anticipated recovery in fair value.

All of the Company’s long-term available-for-sale securities were due between one and two years as of December 31, 2012.

The fair values of the Company’s financial instruments are the amounts that would be received in an asset sale or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between unaffiliated market participants and are recorded using a hierarchal disclosure framework based upon the level of subjectivity of the inputs used in measuring assets and liabilities. The levels are described below:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted on active markets, but corroborated by market data.

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

The Company classifies its financial instruments within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy on the basis of valuations using quoted market prices or alternate pricing sources and models utilizing market observable inputs, respectively. The Company’s money market funds were valued based on quoted prices for the specific securities in an active market and were therefore classified as Level 1. The government and corporate debt securities have been valued on the basis of valuations provided by third-party pricing services, as derived from such services’ pricing models. The pricing services may use a consensus price which is a weighted average price based on multiple sources or mathematical calculations to determine the valuation for a security, and have been classified as Level 2. The Company reviews Level 2 inputs and fair value for reasonableness and the values may be further validated by comparison to independent pricing sources. In addition, the Company reviews third-party pricing provider models, key inputs and assumptions and understands the pricing processes at its third-party providers in determining the overall reasonableness of the fair value of its Level 2 financial instruments. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company has not made any adjustments to the prices obtained from its third party pricing providers. The Company held no Level 3 financial instruments as of December 31, 2012 and 2011.

 

F-17


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

The following table presents a summary of the Company’s financial instruments that are measured on a recurring basis:

 

            Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2012  
     Balance at
December 31,
2012
     Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 

Money market funds

   $ 4,643       $ 4,643       $ —         $ —     

Government debt securities

     6,003         —           6,003         —     

Corporate debt securities

     49,443         —           49,443         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 60,089       $ 4,643       $ 55,446       $ —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
            Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2011  
     Balance at
December 31,
2011
     Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs

(Level 3)
 

Money market funds

   $ 14,372       $ 14,372       $ —         $ —     

Government debt securities

     15,969         —           15,969         —     

Corporate debt securities

     41,741         —           41,741         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     $72,082         $14,372         $57,710         $—     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

There were no transfers between Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 securities in the year ended December 31, 2012.

4. Balance Sheet Details

Inventory consists of the following:

 

     December 31,  
     2012      2011  

Work-in-process

   $  3,233       $  3,641   

Finished goods

     6,658         4,441   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $  9,891       $  8,082   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Property and equipment consist of the following:

 

    

Useful Life

(in Years)

   December 31,  
        2012     2011  

Furniture and fixtures

   5    $ 355      $ 305   

Machinery and equipment

   3 - 5      8,331        6,875   

Masks and production equipment

   2      4,894        3,249   

Software

   3      736        558   

Leasehold improvements

   4 - 5      829        489   

Construction in progress

   N/A      20        6   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
        15,165        11,482   

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

        (8,299     (5,988
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
      $ 6,866      $ 5,494   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-18


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Intangible assets consist of the following:

 

     Weighted
Average
Amortization
Period

(in Years)
     December 31,  
        2012     2011  

Licensed technology

     3       $ 1,865      $ 1,865   

Less accumulated amortization

        (1,590     (844
     

 

 

   

 

 

 
      $ 275      $  1,021   
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following table presents future amortization of the Company’s intangible assets at December 31, 2012:

 

     Amortization  

2013

   $  275   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 275   
  

 

 

 

Deferred revenue and deferred profit consist of the following:

 

     December 31,  
     2012     2011  

Deferred revenue—rebates

   $ 23      $ 190   

Deferred revenue—distributor transactions

     3,735        5,606   

Deferred cost of revenue—distributor transactions

     (1,469     (1,767
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 2,289      $ 4,029   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Accrued expenses consist of the following:

 

     December 31,  
     2012      2011  

Accrued technology license payments

   $ 2,996       $ 2,794   

Accrued professional fees

     386         203   

Accrued export compliance costs

     6         750   

Other

     1,633         800   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 5,021       $ 4,547   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other long-term liabilities consist of the following:

 

     December 31,  
     2012      2011  

Accrued technology license payments

   $ —         $ 371   

Deferred rent

     215         248   

Other

     581         236   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 796       $ 855   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

F-19


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

5. Commitments and Contingencies

Lease Commitments and Other Contractual Obligations

During May 2009, the Company entered into two lease agreements for office facilities in Carlsbad, CA. One lease commenced on June 1, 2009 and expires on January 22, 2014. The second lease commenced on September 1, 2009 and expires on August 31, 2014. The lease which expires on August 31, 2014 has an option to extend the lease beyond the initial term for three years. The terms of these leases provide for rental payments on a monthly basis with periodic rent escalations over the term of the lease. During January 2010, the Company entered into a five-year noncancelable operating lease agreement for a research and development facility in Irvine, CA. The lease is subject to rent holidays and rent increases and commenced in April 2010 with an option to extend the lease for an additional five years. During February and August 2011 and October 2012, the Company entered into amendments to its existing operating lease agreement for a research and development facility in Irvine, CA. The amended operating lease calls for an expansion in the amount of space occupied and an extension to May 2016. The Company recognizes rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease period and has accrued for rent expense incurred but not paid. In addition, incentives were granted, including discounted rental payments and inducements. As such, these allowances have been recorded as deferred rent and these items are being recognized as reductions to rental expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

At December 31, 2012, future minimum annual payments under the non-cancelable operating leases, other obligations and inventory purchase obligations are as follows:

 

     Operating
Leases
     Other
Obligations
     Inventory
Purchase
Obligations
 

2013

   $ 1,307       $ 2,295       $ 3,898   

2014

     846         323         —     

2015

     387         175         —     

2016

     142         —           —     

2017

     —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total minimum annual payments

   $  2,682       $  2,793       $  3,898   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total rent expense for 2012, 2011 and 2010, was $1.2 million, $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

Other obligations represent purchase commitments for software licensing arrangements, information systems infrastructure and other commitments made in the ordinary course of business.

Silicon Labs Litigation

On May 13, 2012, the Company filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Silicon Laboratories Inc., or Silicon Labs, as defendant seeking an order that the Company’s CMOS hybrid tuner products, such as the MxL301 and MxL601, do not infringe nineteen (19) patents owned by Silicon Labs. The declaratory judgment complaint further seeks a ruling that the defendant’s patents are invalid. Silicon Labs has filed counterclaims for infringement on five (5) of the nineteen (19) patents and one (1) additional Silicon Labs patent. On September 13, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a motion for preliminary injunction requesting an injunction on the Company’s MxL601 product based upon alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,200,364. On November 2, 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California held a hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction. On November 7, 2012,

 

F-20


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

the court issued an order denying Silicon Labs’ motion. In the order, the court found that “Silicon Labs has failed to sustain its burden of proving a likelihood of success on the merits or that it will suffer immediate irreparable harm absent a preliminary injunction.” The court further ruled that “Silicon Labs had not met its burden of showing that it is more likely than not that the ‘364 Patent will be found valid at trial.” On December 12, 2012, the Court granted Silicon Labs leave to file an amended answer to assert counterclaims for infringement on three (3) additional Silicon Labs patents. The Court has scheduled a claims construction hearing for April 19, 2013 and scheduled trial to commence on February 11, 2014.

On July 17, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a complaint for patent infringement against the Company in United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The Silicon Labs complaint asserts that a wide range of the Company’s products infringe a single Silicon Labs patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,035,607, or the ‘607 patent. The ‘607 patent is related to several of the nineteen (19) patents on which the Company filed a declaratory judgment action against Silicon Labs. The Silicon Labs complaint seeks damages and injunctive relief against the Company’s products. The Company has filed counterclaims for infringement on three (3) patents owned by the Company – United States Patent Nos. 7,362,178; 8,198,940; and 7,778,613. Silicon Labs has filed a motion to dismiss or transfer the Company’s counterclaims for infringement to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The Court denied that motion. The July 17, 2012 litigation and May 13, 2012 litigation were related by Court order on July 23, 2012. The Court has similarly scheduled a claim construction hearing for April 19, 2013 and scheduled trial to commence on February 11, 2014.

On July 30, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas against the Company seeking an order that Silicon Labs’ products do not infringe the three (3) patents owned by the Company asserted as counterclaims in the second Southern District of California action. The declaratory judgment complaint further sought a ruling that the patents are invalid. The Company filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, and the Court granted limited jurisdictional discovery related to the issue. On January 17, 2013, the Court granted the Company’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction and ordered dismissal of the Texas action.

The Company has not recorded any accrual for loss contingencies associated with Silicon Labs litigation; determined that an unfavorable outcome is probable or reasonably possible; or determined that the amount or range of any possible loss is reasonably estimable.

Export Compliance Matter

In the first quarter of 2012, the Company determined that it may have taken actions that could constitute facilitation (within the meaning of applicable sanctions and export control laws) of shipments of foreign produced products to Iran or taken other actions that may be in violation of U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws. Specifically, certain of the Company’s tuner products, which are foreign produced and not subject to U.S. export controls, were included in set-top converter boxes produced by set-top box manufacturers in Asia to permit conversion of digital television signals to analog signals in international markets, including Iran, using the DVB-T, or Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, broadcast standard. The DVB-T standard is used in most of Europe, Asia (excluding China), Australia, and Africa as well as in parts of the Middle East, including Iran. While the underlying shipment of the Company’s tuners into Iran by foreign manufacturers of these set-top boxes may have been lawful, the Company may have violated applicable sanctions and export control laws without the proper U.S. Government authorization.

The Company initially identified these potential violations internally, rather than as a result of a third-party audit or government investigation, and upon learning of these potential violations, the Company’s audit

 

F-21


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

committee promptly retained outside counsel to conduct a review of the Company’s sanctions and export control compliance. On February 7, 2012, the Company made voluntary initial filings with the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury, or OFAC, and with the Bureau of Industry and Security of the United States Department of Commerce, or BIS, notifying these regulatory agencies that the Company was conducting a review of export control matters and that the Company would submit any supplemental voluntary self-disclosures once the Company’s internal review was complete. The initial stage of the review was concluded in March 2012. Subsequently, the Company also learned that the Company was not in full compliance with BIS’s deemed export rule which requires, in some circumstances, that the companies obtain a deemed export license from BIS for employment of certain foreign nationals even if, as was the Company’s situation, the Company had obtained an H1-B visa prior to employing the individual. The Company has now applied for such license with respect to the subject employee.

In connection with its March 2012 review, the Company’s audit committee determined that the Company’s management team lacked sufficient familiarity with and understanding of export control and sanctions laws and their applicability to the Company’s products and services. The Company’s audit committee concluded that the Company’s management team did not intentionally or knowingly violate applicable sanctions and export control laws.

The Company submitted final voluntary disclosures to OFAC on June 1, 2012 and BIS on June 15, 2012 and July 11, 2012. On September 27, 2012, OFAC closed out the Company’s Voluntary Self Disclosure with the issuance of a cautionary letter, and no monetary or other penalty was imposed against the Company. On November 6, 2012, BIS closed out the Company’s Voluntary Self Disclosure with the issuance of a warning letter, which means that no monetary or other penalty was imposed against the Company.

In the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company reduced its previously recorded estimates of OFAC and BIS penalties and fines by $0.9 million. At December 31, 2012, the Company had no liability recorded for this matter. As a result of increased awareness relative to U.S. export control and economic sanction laws relating to the sale of its products, the Company has implemented additional export control compliance management oversight and has undertaken remedial measures to reduce the risk of similar events occurring in the future.

Warranties and Indemnifications

In connection with the sale of products in the ordinary course of business, the Company often makes representations affirming, among other things, that its products do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, and agree to indemnify customers against third-party claims for such infringement. Further, the Company’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws require the Company to indemnify its officers and directors against any action that may arise out of their services in that capacity, and the Company has also entered into indemnification agreements with respect to all of its directors and certain controlling persons. As of December 31, 2012, the Company incurred expenses of $0.3 million under such provisions related to the export compliance matter disclosed above.

Other Matters

In addition, from time to time, the Company is subject to threats of litigation or actual litigation in the ordinary course of business, some of which may be material. Other than the Silicon Labs litigation described above, the Company believes that there are no other currently pending matters that, if determined adversely to the Company, would have a material effect on its business or that would not be covered by its existing liability insurance maintained by the Company.

 

F-22


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

6. Stock-Based Compensation, Employee Benefit Plans and Convertible Preferred Stock

Common Stock

At December 31, 2012, the Company had 500.0 million authorized shares of Class A common stock and 500.0 million authorized shares of Class B common stock. Holders of the Company’s Class A and Class B common stock have identical voting rights, except that holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share and holders of Class B common stock are entitled to ten votes per share with respect to transactions that would result in a change of control of the Company or that relate to the Company’s equity incentive plans. In addition, holders of Class B common stock have the exclusive right to elect two member of the Company’s Board of Directors, each referred to as a Class B Director. The shares of Class B common stock are not publicly traded. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible at any time at the option of the holder into one share of Class A common stock and in most instances automatically converts upon sale or other transfer.

Stock Repurchase

In the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company’s board of directors and the audit committee of the Company’s board of directors approved the repurchase and retirement of 1.2 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and the repurchase and retirement of 1.0 million shares of the Company’s Class B common stock. The Company effected the repurchases pursuant to a stock repurchase agreement. The per share repurchase price for both Class A and Class B shares repurchased was the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock in trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the date of the agreement. The aggregate repurchase price was $12.1 million.

Other than the transactions disclosed above, the Company’s board of directors has not authorized any stock repurchase program, and the Company has no current plans to effect any open-market purchases of its Class A common stock or other repurchases of its Class B common stock from two of its shareholders.

Exchange Offer

In May 2012, the Company completed an offer to exchange (the “Exchange Offer”) for restricted stock units (RSUs), certain outstanding options to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and shares of the Company’s Class B common stock. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer, the Company accepted for exchange options to purchase 1.3 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and 0.6 million shares of the Company’s Class B common stock. All surrendered options were cancelled, and immediately thereafter, the Company issued a total of 1.0 million restricted stock units in exchange therefor, pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Offer. The Company accounted for the Exchange Offer as a modification of the original options as required by the accounting standard for stock-based compensation. The total Exchange Offer stock-based compensation is $7.3 million, including the incremental value attributed to the modified options of $1.8 million, which will be recognized over the vesting period of the new RSUs.

Employee Benefit Plans

At December 31, 2012, the Company had stock-based compensation awards outstanding under the following plans: the 2004 Stock Plan, the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Upon the closing of the initial public offering in March 2010, all stock awards are issued under the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and are no longer issued under the 2004 Stock Plan.

 

F-23


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

2010 Equity Incentive Plan

The 2010 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, stock appreciation rights, performance-based stock awards, and other forms of equity compensation, or collectively, stock awards. The aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock that may be issued pursuant to stock awards under the 2010 Plan will increase by any shares subject to stock options or other awards granted under the 2004 Stock Plan that expire or otherwise terminate without having been exercised in full and shares issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2004 Stock Plan that are forfeited to or repurchased by the Company. In addition, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance will automatically increase on the first day of each fiscal year, equal to the lesser of: 2.6 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock; four percent (4%) of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and Class B common stock on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year; or such lesser amount as the Company’s board of directors may determine. Options granted will generally vest over a four-year period and the term can be from seven to ten years. Restricted stock units granted will generally vest over a four-year period.

2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The ESPP authorizes the issuance of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock pursuant to purchase rights granted to the Company’s employees. The number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved for issuance will automatically increase on the first day of each fiscal year, equal to the least of: 1.0 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock; one and a quarter percent (1.25%) of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and Class B common stock on the first day of the fiscal year; or such lesser amount as may be determined by our board of directors or a committee appointed by our board of directors to administer the ESPP. The ESPP is implemented through a series of offerings of purchase rights to eligible employees. Under the ESPP, the Company may specify offerings with a duration of not more than 27 months, and may specify shorter purchase periods within each offering. Each offering will have one or more purchase dates on which shares of the Company’s common stock will be purchased for employees participating in the offering. An offering may be terminated under certain circumstances. Generally, all regular employees, including executive officers, employed by the Company may participate in the ESPP and may contribute up to 15% of their earnings, subject to certain limitations, for the purchase of the Company’s common stock under the ESPP. Unless otherwise determined by the Company’s board of directors, Class A common stock will be purchased for accounts of employees participating in the ESPP at a price per share equal to the lower of (a) 85% of the fair market value of a share of the Company’s Class A common stock on the first date of an offering or (b) 85% of the fair market value of a share of the Company’s Class A common stock on the date of purchase.

Executive Incentive Bonus Plan

In April 2012, the Company’s compensation committee amended its Executive Incentive Bonus Plan to, among other things, permit the settlement of awards under the plan in the form of shares of its Class A common stock. At December 31, 2012, an accrual of $5.0 million was recorded for bonus awards for employees for the 2012 performance period, which the Company intends to settle in shares of its Class A common stock issued under its 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, with the number of shares issuable to plan participants determined based on the closing sales price of the Company’s Class A common stock as determined in trading on the New York Stock Exchange at a date to be determined.

 

F-24


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company recognized stock-based compensation in the statements of operations as follows:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012      2011      2010  

Cost of net revenue

   $ 85       $ 54       $ 80   

Research and development

     6,382         4,434         2,589   

Selling, general and administrative

     3,517         2,880         1,546   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 9,984       $ 7,368       $ 4,215   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options as of December 31, 2012 was $3.6 million, and the weighted average period over which these equity awards are expected to vest is 2.92 years. The total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock units and restricted stock awards as of December 31, 2012 was $21.8 million, and the weighted average period over which these equity awards are expected to vest is 2.90 years.

The Company records equity instruments issued to non-employees as expense at their fair value over the related service period as determined in accordance with the authoritative guidance and periodically revalues the equity instruments as they vest. Stock-based compensation expense related to non-employee consultants totaled $0.08 million, $0.2 million and $0.2 million for 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Stock Options

The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model to calculate the fair value of stock options and employee stock purchase rights granted to employees. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period using the straight-line method and is classified in the consolidated statements of operations based on the department to which the related employee reports.

The fair values of stock options and employee stock purchase rights were estimated at their respective grant date using the following assumptions:

Stock Options

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Weighted-average grant date fair value per share

   $ 2.37      $ 4.15      $ 6.89   

Risk-free interest rate

     0.88     1.95     2.51

Dividend yield

     —          —          —     

Expected life (years)

     4.84        5.02        6.06   

Volatility

     56.00     52.00     55.00

 

F-25


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

Employee Stock Purchase Rights

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Weighted-average grant date fair value per share

   $ 1.28 – $1.42      $ 1.89 – $2.46      $ 3.18 – $8.38   

Risk-free interest rate

     0.14 – 0.15     0.05 – 0.07     0.14 – 1.14

Dividend yield

     —          —          —     

Expected life (years)

     0.5        0.5        0.5 – 2.10   

Volatility

     46.60 – 55.74     45.70 – 72.84     30.43 – 60.03

The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the United States Treasury’s rates for U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bonds with maturities similar to those of the expected term of the award being valued. The assumed dividend yield was based on the Company’s expectation of not paying dividends in the foreseeable future. The weighted-average expected life of options was calculated using the simplified method as prescribed by guidance provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This decision was based on the lack of relevant historical data due to the Company’s limited historical experience. The Company will continue to assess the appropriateness of the use of the simplified method as it develops a history of option exercises.

In addition, due to the Company’s limited historical data, the estimated volatility incorporates the historical volatility of comparable companies whose share prices are publicly available.

A summary of the Company’s stock option activity is as follows:

 

     Number of
Options
    Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
     Weighted-
Average
Contractual
Term (in
Years)
     Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
 

Outstanding at December 31, 2011

     4,666      $ 6.73         

Granted

     1,285        5.01         

Exercised

     (521     1.55         

Canceled

     (2,236     9.70         
  

 

 

   

 

 

       

Outstanding at December 31, 2012

     3,194      $ 4.81         6.2       $ 3,214   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2012

     3,168      $ 4.80         6.2       $ 3,210   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Exercisable at December 31, 2012

     1,516      $ 4.02         5.6       $ 2,991   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The intrinsic value of stock options exercised during 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $2.1 million, $6.7 million and $5.2 million, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units and Restricted Stock Awards

The Company calculates the fair value of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards based on the fair market value of the Company’s Class A common stock on the grant date. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period using the straight-line method and is classified in the consolidated statements of operations based on the department to which the related employee reports.

 

F-26


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

A summary of the Company’s restricted stock unit and restricted stock award activity is as follows:

 

     Number of
Shares
    Weighted-
Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value
per Share
 

Outstanding at December 31, 2011

     1,820      $ 7.87   

Granted

     3,553        5.83   

Vested

     (629     7.20   

Canceled

     (433     7.38   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2012

     4,311      $ 6.33   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The intrinsic value of restricted stock units vested during 2012 and 2011 was $3.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively. No restricted stock units vested during 2010. The intrinsic value of restricted stock units outstanding at December 31, 2012 was $20.9 million.

No restricted stock awards vested during 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Shares Reserved for Future Issuance

Common stock reserved for future issuance is as follows:

 

     December 31,
2012
 

Stock options outstanding

     3,194   

Restricted stock units and restricted stock awards outstanding

     4,311   

Authorized for future grants under 2010 Equity Incentive Plan

     6,516   

Authorized for future issuance under 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

     639   
  

 

 

 

Total

     14,660   
  

 

 

 

Convertible Preferred Stock

Prior to the Company’s IPO, its convertible preferred stock has been classified as temporary equity on the balance sheet instead of in stockholders’ equity (deficit) in accordance with authoritative guidance for the classification and measurement of redeemable securities. Upon certain change in control events that are outside of the control of the Company, including liquidation, sale or transfer of control of the Company, holders of the convertible preferred stock could cause its redemption. Accordingly, these shares were considered contingently redeemable and the carrying values of the convertible preferred stock were adjusted to their liquidation values at the date of issuance.

Upon closing of the IPO in March 2010, an aggregate amount of 14.5 million of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock was automatically converted into 1.5 million shares of Class A common stock and 13.0 million shares of Class B common stock, which is reflected in the consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity (deficit) for the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

F-27


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

7. Income Taxes

The domestic and international components of income (loss) before provision (benefit) from income taxes are presented as follows:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Domestic

   $  (11,918)      $  (13,775)      $  6,465   

Foreign

     (993     (1,256     (2,722
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before taxes

   $ (12,911)      $ (15,031)      $ 3,743   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax provision (benefit) consists of the following:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Current:

      

Federal

   $ —        $ 236      $ 126   

State

     —          20        163   

Foreign

     351        69        22   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current

     351        325        311   

Deferred:

      

Federal

     (4,162     (5,183     1,336   

State

     (2,062     (1,731     (104

Foreign

     —          685        (685

Change in valuation allowance

     6,214        12,897        (7,229
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total deferred

     (10     6,668        (6,682
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total income tax provision (benefit)

   $ 341      $ 6,993      $ (6,371
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The actual income tax provision (benefit) differs from the amount computed using the federal statutory rate as follows:

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2012     2011     2010  

Provision (benefit) at statutory rate

   $ (4,390   $ (5,111   $ 1,273   

State income taxes (net of federal benefit)

     (1,247     24        336   

Research and development credits

     (858     (3,320     (1,078

Foreign rate differential

     445        1,182        262   

Stock compensation

     278        974        959   

Foreign dividend

     —          94        46   

Estimated export compliance fines and penalties

     (255     255        —     

Foreign tax credit

     —          (236     —     

Permanent and other

     154        260        (940

Valuation allowance

     6,214        12,871        (7,229
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes

   $ 341      $ 6,993      $ (6,371
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-28


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

The components of the deferred income tax assets are as follows:

 

     December 31,  
     2012     2011  

Deferred tax assets:

    

Net operating loss carryforwards

   $ 8,216      $ 6,155   

Research and development credits

     9,088        8,077   

Accrued expenses and other

     1,970        644   

Stock-based compensation

     3,184        1,685   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     22,458        16,561   

Less valuation allowance

     (22,243     (16,029
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     215        532   

Deferred tax liability:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     (215     (532
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net deferred tax assets

   $ —        $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2012, the Company had federal and state tax net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $24.6 million and $26.7 million, respectively. These amounts include share-based compensation for federal and state of $6.4 million and $3.8 million, that will be recorded to contributed capital when realized. The federal and state tax loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2026 and 2018, respectively, unless previously utilized.

At December 31, 2012, the Company had federal and state tax credit carryforwards of approximately $5.2 million and $6.8 million, respectively. The federal tax credit carryforward will begin to expire in 2024, unless previously utilized. The state tax credits do not expire. In addition, the Company has federal alternative minimum tax credit carryforwards of $0.2 million that can be carried forward indefinitely.

Pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 382 and 383, use of the Company’s net operating loss and credit carryforwards may be limited if a cumulative change in ownership of more than 50% occurs within a three-year period. The Company has had two changes of ownership in April and November of 2004 resulting in an annual net operating loss and credit limitation. The annual limitations will not cause a loss of net operating loss or credit carryforwards. Additional limitations on the use of these tax attributes could occur in the event of possible disputes arising in examinations from various taxing authorities.

The Company evaluated its net deferred income taxes, which included an assessment of the cumulative income or loss over the prior three-year period and future periods, to determine if a valuation allowance is required. After considering its recent history of losses and management’s expectations of additional near-term losses, the Company recorded a valuation allowance on its net federal deferred tax assets, with a corresponding charge to its income tax provision of approximately $6.7 million during 2011. During 2012, the Company maintained a valuation allowance against all of its federal and state deferred tax assets as realization of such assets does not meet the more-likely-than-not threshold required under accounting guidelines. The Company will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets by evaluating positive and negative evidence that may exist.

At December 31, 2012, the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits totaled $3.8 million, $3.1 million of which, if recognized at a time when the valuation allowance no longer exists, would affect the effective tax rate.

 

F-29


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

The Company will recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. At December 31, 2012, the Company had no accrual for interest and penalties. The Company does not expect any significant increases or decreases to its unrecognized tax benefits within twelve months.

The following table summarizes the changes to the unrecognized tax benefits during 2012, 2011 and 2010:

 

Balance as of December 31, 2009

   $ 872   

Additions based on tax positions related to the current year

     287   

Additions based on tax positions of prior year

     25   
  

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2010

     1,184   

Additions based on tax positions related to the current year

     1,018   

Additions based on tax positions of prior year

     818   
  

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2011

     3,020   

Additions based on tax positions related to the current year

     725   

Additions based on tax positions of prior years

     132   

Decreases based on tax positions of prior year

     (127
  

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2012

   $ 3,750   
  

 

 

 

The Company is subject to federal and California income tax in the United States and is also subject to income tax in certain other foreign tax jurisdictions. At December 31, 2012, the Company is no longer subject to federal, California or foreign income tax examinations for the years before 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. However, to the extent allowed by law, the tax authorities may have the right to examine prior periods where net operating losses or tax credits were generated and carried forward, and make adjustments up to the amount of the net operating loss or credit carryforward amount.

The Company is currently under examination by the tax authorities in California for the tax years 2008 and 2009.

On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was enacted. The Act included several provisions related to corporate income tax including the reinstatement of the credit for qualified research and development. The credit was reinstated for years beginning after January 1, 2012.

The Company is benefitting from a tax holiday in China and is subject to a tax rate of 15% in China, compared to the statutory rate of 25%. This reduced rate is scheduled to increase to the statutory tax rate in 2014. This tax holiday may be extended if certain conditions are met.

8. Employee Retirement Plan

The Company has a 401(k) defined contribution retirement plan (the 401(k) Plan) covering all eligible employees. Participants may voluntarily contribute on a pre-tax basis an amount not to exceed a maximum contribution amount pursuant to Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Company is not required to contribute, nor has it contributed, to the 401(k) Plan for any of the periods presented.

 

F-30


Table of Contents

MAXLINEAR, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts and percentage data)

 

9. Related-Party Transactions

Transactions with an affiliate of one of the Company’s stockholders identified as related-party transactions in the year ended December 31, 2010 were not deemed to be related-party transactions for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 as the stockholder is no longer a beneficial owner of the Company. For 2010, the Company recorded charges of $15.8 million related to wafer inventory purchased from and research and development expenses incurred with an affiliate of one of the Company’s stockholders.

10. Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

The following table presents the Company’s unaudited quarterly financial data for each of the eight quarters in the period ended December 31, 2012. In management’s opinion, this information has been presented on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements included in a separate section of this report, and all necessary adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, have been included in the amounts below to present fairly the unaudited quarterly results when read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes. The operating results for any quarter should not be relied upon as necessarily indicative of results for any future period.

 

     Year Ended December 31, 2012  
     First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
 
     (in thousands)  

Net revenue

   $ 20,683      $ 24,420      $ 27,795      $ 24,830   

Gross profit

     12,416        15,122        17,467        15,704   

Net income (loss)

     (6,562     (2,559     450 (1)       (4,581

Net income (loss) per share:

        

Basic

   $ (0.20   $ (0.08   $ 0.01      $ (0.14

Diluted

   $ (0.20   $ (0.08   $ 0.01      $ (0.14
     Year Ended December 31, 2011  
     First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
 
     (in thousands)  

Net revenue

   $ 16,908      $ 18,094      $ 17,639      $ 19,296   

Gross profit

     10,831        11,435        11,332        11,723   

Net loss

     (1,148     (4,796     (11,388     (4,692

Net loss per share:

        

Basic

   $ (0.04   $ (0.15   $ (0.35   $ (0.14

Diluted

   $ (0.04   $ (0.15   $ (0.35   $ (0.14

 

(1) Includes the reduction of the Company’s previously recorded estimate of OFAC penalties and fines by $0.6 million.

 

F-31

Exhibit 10.3

MAXLINEAR, INC.

2004 STOCK PLAN

(Amended and Restated as of May 10, 2012)

1. Purposes of the Plan . The purposes of this Plan are to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, to provide additional incentive to Employees, Directors and Consultants and to promote the success of the Company’s business. Options granted under the Plan may be Incentive Stock Options or Nonstatutory Stock Options, as determined by the Administrator at the time of grant. Stock Purchase Rights may also be granted under the Plan.

2. Definitions . As used herein, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “ Administrator ” means the Board or any of its Committees as shall be administering the Plan in accordance with Section 4 hereof.

(b) “ Applicable Laws ” means the requirements relating to the administration of stock option plans under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any other country or jurisdiction where Options or Stock Purchase Rights are granted under the Plan.

(c) “ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(d) “ Change in Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

(i) the acquisition of the Company by another entity by means of any transaction or series of related transactions to which the Company is party (including, without limitation, any stock acquisition, reorganization, merger or consolidation but excluding any sale of stock for capital raising purposes) other than a transaction or series of transactions in which the holders of the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such transaction continue to retain (either by such voting securities remaining outstanding or by such voting securities being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity), as a result of shares in the Company held by such holders prior to such transaction, at least fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such transaction or series of transactions; or

(ii) the sale, exclusive license or other conveyance of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company.

(e) “ Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

(f) “ Committee ” means a committee of Directors or of other individuals satisfying Applicable Laws appointed by the Board in accordance with Section 4 hereof.


(g) “ Common Stock ” means the Common Stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share.

(h) “ Company ” means MaxLinear, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

(i) “ Consultant ” means any person who is engaged by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary to render consulting or advisory services to such entity.

(j) “ Director ” means a member of the Board.

(k) “ Disability ” means total and permanent disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.

(l) “ Employee ” means any person, including officers and Directors, employed by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. Neither service as a Director nor payment of a director’s fee by the Company shall be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

(m) “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(n) “ Fair Market Value ” means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

(i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the Nasdaq National Market or The Nasdaq SmallCap Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(ii) If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, its Fair Market Value shall be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the day of determination; or

(iii) In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

(o) “ Incentive Stock Option ” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

(p) “ Nonstatutory Stock Option ” means an Option not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

(q) “ Option ” means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.

(r) “ Option Agreement ” means a written or electronic agreement between the Company and an Optionee evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Option grant. The Option Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

-2-


(s) “ Optioned Stock ” means the Common Stock subject to an Option or a Stock Purchase Right.

(t) “ Optionee ” means the holder of an outstanding Option or Stock Purchase Right granted under the Plan.

(u) “ Parent ” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.

(v) “ Plan ” means this 2004 Stock Plan.

(w) “ Restricted Stock ” means Shares issued pursuant to a Stock Purchase Right or Shares of restricted stock issued pursuant to an Option.

(x) “ Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement ” means a written agreement between the Company and the Optionee evidencing the terms and restrictions applying to Shares purchased under a Stock Purchase Right. The Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and the notice of grant.

(y) “ Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(z) “ Service Provider ” means an Employee, Director or Consultant.

(aa) “ Share ” means a share of the Common Stock, as adjusted in accordance with Section 13 below.

(bb) “ Stock Purchase Right ” means a right to purchase Common Stock pursuant to Section 11 below.

(cc) “ Subsidiary ” means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.

3. Stock Subject to the Plan . Subject to the provisions of Section 13 of the Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be subject to Options or Stock Purchase Rights and sold under the Plan is 10,709,881 Shares. The Shares may be authorized but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.

If an Option or Stock Purchase Right expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, the unpurchased Shares that were subject thereto shall become available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). However, Shares that have actually been issued under the Plan, upon exercise of either an Option or Stock Purchase Right, shall not be returned to the Plan and shall not become available for future distribution under the Plan, except that if unvested Shares of Restricted Stock are repurchased by the Company at their original purchase price, such Shares shall become available for future grant under the Plan.

4. Administration of the Plan .

(a) Administrator . The Plan shall be administered by the Board or a Committee appointed by the Board, which Committee shall be constituted to comply with Applicable Laws.

 

-3-


(b) Powers of the Administrator . Subject to the provisions of the Plan and, in the case of a Committee, the specific duties delegated by the Board to such Committee, and subject to the approval of any relevant authorities, the Administrator shall have the authority in its discretion:

(i) to determine the Fair Market Value;

(ii) to select the Service Providers to whom Options and Stock Purchase Rights may from time to time be granted hereunder;

(iii) to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each such award granted hereunder;

(iv) to approve forms of agreement for use under the Plan;

(v) to determine the terms and conditions of any Option or Stock Purchase Right granted hereunder. Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Options or Stock Purchase Rights may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Option or Stock Purchase Right or the Common Stock relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall determine;

(vi) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for the purpose of satisfying applicable foreign laws;

(vii) to allow Optionees to satisfy withholding tax obligations by electing to have the Company withhold from the Shares to be issued upon exercise of an Option or Stock Purchase Right that number of Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum amount required to be withheld. The Fair Market Value of the Shares to be withheld shall be determined on the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be determined. All elections by Optionees to have Shares withheld for this purpose shall be made in such form and under such conditions as the Administrator may deem necessary or advisable; and

(viii) to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Options granted pursuant to the Plan.

(c) Effect of Administrator’s Decision . All decisions, determinations and interpretations of the Administrator shall be final and binding on all Optionees.

5. Eligibility . Nonstatutory Stock Options and Stock Purchase Rights may be granted to Service Providers. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees.

6. Limitations .

(a) Incentive Stock Option Limit . Each Option shall be designated in the Option Agreement as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option. However, notwithstanding such designation, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares

 

-4-


with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by the Optionee during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds $100,000, such Options shall be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 6(a), Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were granted. The Fair Market Value of the Shares shall be determined as of the time the Option with respect to such Shares is granted.

(b) At-Will Employment . Neither the Plan nor any Option or Stock Purchase Right shall confer upon any Optionee any right with respect to continuing the Optionee’s relationship as a Service Provider with the Company, nor shall it interfere in any way with his or her right or the Company’s right to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice.

7. Term of Plan . Subject to stockholder approval in accordance with Section 19, the Plan shall become effective upon its adoption by the Board. Unless sooner terminated under Section 15, it shall continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years from the later of (i) the effective date of the Plan, or (ii) the earlier of the most recent Board or stockholder approval of an increase in the number of Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan.

8. Term of Option . The term of each Option shall be stated in the Option Agreement; provided, however, that the term shall be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to an Optionee who, at the time the Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Option shall be five (5) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Option Agreement.

9. Option Exercise Price and Consideration .

(a) Exercise Price . The per share exercise price for the Shares to be issued upon exercise of an Option shall be such price as is determined by the Administrator, but shall be subject to the following:

(i) In the case of an Incentive Stock Option

(A) granted to an Employee who, at the time of grant of such Option, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the exercise price shall be no less than 110% of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

(B) granted to any other Employee, the per Share exercise price shall be no less than 100% of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

(ii) In the case of a Nonstatutory Stock Option

(A) granted to a Service Provider who, at the time of grant of such Option, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the exercise price shall be no less than 110% of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

 

-5-


(B) granted to any other Service Provider, the per Share exercise price shall be no less than 85% of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

(iii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Options may be granted with a per Share exercise price other than as required above pursuant to a merger or other corporate transaction.

(b) Forms of Consideration . The consideration to be paid for the Shares to be issued upon exercise of an Option, including the method of payment, shall be determined by the Administrator (and, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, shall be determined at the time of grant). Such consideration may consist of, without limitation, (i) cash, (ii) check, (iii) promissory note, (iv) other Shares, provided Shares that were acquired directly from the Company (x) have been owned by the Optionee for more than six (6) months on the date of surrender, and (y) have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which such Option shall be exercised, (v) consideration received by the Company under a cashless exercise program implemented by the Company in connection with the Plan, or (vi) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment. In making its determination as to the type of consideration to accept, the Administrator shall consider if acceptance of such consideration may be reasonably expected to benefit the Company.

10. Exercise of Option .

(a) Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder . Any Option granted hereunder shall be exercisable according to the terms hereof at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Option Agreement. An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share. Except in the case of Options granted to officers, Directors and Consultants, Options shall become exercisable at a rate of no less than 20% per year over five (5) years from the date the Options are granted.

An Option shall be deemed exercised when the Company receives (i) written or electronic notice of exercise (in accordance with the Option Agreement) from the person entitled to exercise the Option, and (ii) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised. Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Option Agreement and the Plan. Shares issued upon exercise of an Option shall be issued in the name of the Optionee or, if requested by the Optionee, in the name of the Optionee and his or her spouse. Until the Shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist with respect to the Shares, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Company shall issue (or cause to be issued) such Shares promptly after the Option is exercised. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.

Exercise of an Option in any manner shall result in a decrease in the number of Shares thereafter available for sale under the Option, by the number of Shares as to which the Option is exercised.

 

-6-


(b) Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider . If an Optionee ceases to be a Service Provider, such Optionee may exercise his or her Option within thirty (30) days of termination, or such longer period of time as specified in the Option Agreement, to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Option Agreement). If, on the date of termination, the Optionee is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option shall revert to the Plan. If, after termination, the Optionee does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified by the Administrator, the Option shall terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option shall revert to the Plan.

(c) Disability of Optionee . If an Optionee ceases to be a Service Provider as a result of the Optionee’s Disability, the Optionee may exercise his or her Option within six (6) months of termination, or such longer period of time as specified in the Option Agreement, to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Option Agreement). If, on the date of termination, the Optionee is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option shall revert to the Plan. If, after termination, the Optionee does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein, the Option shall terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option shall revert to the Plan.

(d) Death of Optionee . If an Optionee dies while a Service Provider, the Option may be exercised within six (6) months following Optionee’s death, or such longer period of time as specified in the Option Agreement, to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of death (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Option Agreement) by the Optionee’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to Optionee’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator. If no such beneficiary has been designated by the Optionee, then such Option may be exercised by the personal representative of the Optionee’s estate or by the person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Optionee’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution. If, at the time of death, the Optionee is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option shall immediately revert to the Plan. If the Option is not so exercised within the time specified herein, the Option shall terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option shall revert to the Plan.

(e) Leaves of Absence .

(i) Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, vesting of Options granted hereunder to officers and Directors shall be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence.

(ii) A Service Provider shall not cease to be an Employee in the case of (A) any leave of absence approved by the Company or (B) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, its Parent, any Subsidiary, or any successor.

(iii) For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. If reemployment upon expiration of a leave of absence approved by the Company is not so guaranteed, then three (3) months following the 91st day of such leave, any Incentive Stock Option held by the Optionee shall cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and shall be treated for tax purposes as a Nonstatutory Stock Option.

 

-7-


11. Stock Purchase Rights .

(a) Rights to Purchase . Stock Purchase Rights may be issued either alone, in addition to, or in tandem with other awards granted under the Plan and/or cash awards made outside of the Plan. After the Administrator determines that it will offer Stock Purchase Rights under the Plan, it shall advise the offeree in writing or electronically of the terms, conditions and restrictions related to the offer, including the number of Shares that such person shall be entitled to purchase, the price to be paid, and the time within which such person must accept such offer. The terms of the offer shall comply in all respects with Section 260.140.42 of Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations. The offer shall be accepted by execution of a Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement in the form determined by the Administrator.

(b) Repurchase Option . Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement shall grant the Company a repurchase option exercisable within 90 days of the voluntary or involuntary termination of the purchaser’s service with the Company for any reason (including death or disability). The purchase price for Shares repurchased pursuant to the Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement shall be the original price paid by the purchaser and may be paid by cancellation of any indebtedness of the purchaser to the Company. The repurchase option shall lapse at such rate as the Administrator may determine. Except with respect to Shares purchased by officers, Directors and Consultants, the repurchase option shall in no case lapse at a rate of less than 20% per year over five (5) years from the date of purchase.

(c) Other Provisions . The Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement shall contain such other terms, provisions and conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion.

(d) Rights as a Stockholder . Once the Stock Purchase Right is exercised, the purchaser shall have rights equivalent to those of a stockholder and shall be a stockholder when his or her purchase is entered upon the records of the duly authorized transfer agent of the Company. No adjustment shall be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Stock Purchase Right is exercised, except as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.

12. Limited Transferability of Options and Stock Purchase Rights . Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, Options and Stock Purchase Rights may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and may be exercised during the lifetime of the Optionee, only by the Optionee. If the Administrator in its sole discretion makes an Option or Stock Purchase Right transferable, such Option or Stock Purchase Right may only be transferred (i) by will, (ii) by the laws of descent and distribution, or (iii) to family members (within the meaning of Rule 701 of the Securities Act) through gifts or domestic relations orders, as permitted by Rule 701 of the Securities Act.

13. Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control .

(a) Adjustments . In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of

 

-8-


the Company affecting the Shares occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, may (in its sole discretion) adjust the number and class of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan and/or the number, class, and price of Shares covered by each outstanding Option or Stock Purchase Right; provided, however, that the Administrator shall make such adjustments to the extent required by Section 25102(o) of the California Corporations Code.

(b) Dissolution or Liquidation . In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Administrator shall notify each Optionee as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction. To the extent it has not been previously exercised, an Option or Stock Purchase Right will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.

(c) Merger or Change in Control . In the event of a merger of the Company with or into another corporation, or a Change in Control, each outstanding Option and Stock Purchase Right shall be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation in a merger or Change in Control refuses to assume or substitute for the Option or Stock Purchase Right, then the Optionee shall fully vest in and have the right to exercise the Option or Stock Purchase Right as to all of the Optioned Stock, including Shares as to which it would not otherwise be vested or exercisable. If an Option or Stock Purchase Right becomes fully vested and exercisable in lieu of assumption or substitution in the event of a merger or Change in Control, the Administrator shall notify the Optionee in writing or electronically that the Option or Stock Purchase Right shall be fully exercisable for a period of ten (10) days from the date of such notice, and the Option or Stock Purchase Right shall terminate upon expiration of such period. For the purposes of this paragraph, the Option or Stock Purchase Right shall be considered assumed if, following the merger or Change in Control, the option or right confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share of Optioned Stock subject to the Option or Stock Purchase Right immediately prior to the merger or Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the merger or Change in Control by holders of Common Stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however , that if such consideration received in the merger or Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of the Option or Stock Purchase Right, for each Share of Optioned Stock subject to the Option or Stock Purchase Right, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of common stock in the merger or Change in Control.

14. Time of Granting Options and Stock Purchase Rights . The date of grant of an Option or Stock Purchase Right shall, for all purposes, be the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Option or Stock Purchase Right, or such later date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the determination shall be given to each Service Provider to whom an Option or Stock Purchase Right is so granted within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.

 

-9-


15. Amendment and Termination of the Plan .

(a) Amendment and Termination . The Board may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Plan.

(b) Stockholder Approval . The Board shall obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws.

(c) Effect of Amendment or Termination . No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan shall impair the rights of any Optionee, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Optionee and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Optionee and the Company. Termination of the Plan shall not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it hereunder with respect to Options granted under the Plan prior to the date of such termination.

16. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares .

(a) Legal Compliance . Shares shall not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option or Stock Purchase Right unless the exercise of such Option or Stock Purchase Right and the issuance and delivery of such Shares shall comply with Applicable Laws and shall be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

(b) Investment Representations . As a condition to the exercise of an Option or Stock Purchase Right, the Administrator may require the person exercising such Option or Stock Purchase Right to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required.

17. Inability to Obtain Authority . The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.

18. Reservation of Shares . The Company, during the term of this Plan, shall at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as shall be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan.

19. Stockholder Approval . The Plan shall be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted. Such stockholder approval shall be obtained in the degree and manner required under Applicable Laws.

20. Information to Optionees . The Company shall provide to each Optionee and to each individual who acquires Shares pursuant to the Plan, not less frequently than annually during the period such Optionee has one or more Options or Stock Purchase Rights outstanding, and, in the case of an individual who acquires Shares pursuant to the Plan, during the period such individual owns such Shares, copies of annual financial statements. The Company shall not be required to provide such statements to key employees whose duties in connection with the Company assure their access to equivalent information.

 

-10-


21. Underwater Option Exchange Offer . The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may institute a one-time stock option exchange program, commencing within 12 months following approval of such exchange program by the Company’s stockholders, that permits each eligible Optionee who holds an eligible Option as of the commencement of the one-time exchange program to elect to cancel such eligible Option in exchange for restricted stock units, under such terms and conditions as described in the proxy statement with respect to the annual meeting of stockholders held in May 2012.

 

-11-

Exhibit 10.6

MAXLINEAR, INC.

2010 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

(Amended and Restated as of May 10, 2012)

1. Purposes of the Plan . The purposes of this Plan are:

 

   

to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility,

 

   

to provide additional incentive to Employees, Directors and Consultants, and

 

   

to promote the success of the Company’s business.

The Plan permits the grant of Incentive Stock Options, Nonstatutory Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units and Performance Shares.

2. Definitions . As used herein, the following definitions will apply:

(a) “ Administrator ” means the Board or any of its Committees as will be administering the Plan, in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.

(b) “ Applicable Laws ” means the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are, or will be, granted under the Plan.

(c) “ Award ” means, individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units or Performance Shares.

(d) “ Award Agreement ” means the written or electronic agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to each Award granted under the Plan. The Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

(e) “ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(f) “ Change in Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

(i) A change in the ownership of the Company which occurs on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group (“ Person ”), acquires ownership of the stock of the Company that, together with the stock held by such Person,


constitutes more than 50% of the total voting power of the stock of the Company; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (i), the acquisition of additional stock by any one Person, who is considered to own more than 50% of the total voting power of the stock of the Company will not be considered a Change in Control; or

(ii) A change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this clause (ii), if any Person is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control; or

(iii) A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets which occurs on the date that any Person acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12) month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 50% of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (iii), the following will not constitute a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets: (A) a transfer to an entity that is controlled by the Company’s stockholders immediately after the transfer, or (B) a transfer of assets by the Company to: (1) a stockholder of the Company (immediately before the asset transfer) in exchange for or with respect to the Company’s stock, (2) an entity, 50% or more of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company, (3) a Person, that owns, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of the Company, or (4) an entity, at least 50% of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by a Person described in this subsection (iii)(B)(3). For purposes of this subsection (iii), gross fair market value means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.

For purposes of this Section 2(f), persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock, or similar business transaction with the Company.

(g) “ Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a section of the Code herein will be a reference to any successor or amended section of the Code.

(h) “ Committee ” means a committee of Directors or of other individuals satisfying Applicable Laws appointed by the Board in accordance with Section 4 hereof.

(i) “ Common Stock ” means the Class A common stock of the Company.

(j) “ Company ” means MaxLinear, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.

(k) “ Consultant ” means any person, including an advisor, engaged by the Company or a Parent or Subsidiary to render services to such entity.

 

-2-


(l) “ Director ” means a member of the Board.

(m) “ Disability ” means total and permanent disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, provided that in the case of Awards other than Incentive Stock Options, the Administrator in its discretion may determine whether a permanent and total disability exists in accordance with uniform and non-discriminatory standards adopted by the Administrator from time to time.

(n) “ Employee ” means any person, including Officers and Directors, employed by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. Neither service as a Director nor payment of a director’s fee by the Company will be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

(o) “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(p) “ Exchange Program ” means a program under which (i) outstanding Awards are surrendered or cancelled in exchange for Awards of the same type (which may have higher or lower exercise prices and different terms), Awards of a different type, and/or cash, (ii) Participants would have the opportunity to transfer any outstanding Awards to a financial institution or other person or entity selected by the Administrator, and/or (iii) the exercise price of an outstanding Award is reduced. The Administrator will determine the terms and conditions of any Exchange Program in its sole discretion.

(q) “ Fair Market Value ” means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

(i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(ii) If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a Share will be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(iii) For purposes of any Awards granted on the Registration Date, the Fair Market Value will be the initial price to the public as set forth in the final prospectus included within the registration statement in Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the initial public offering of the Company’s Common Stock; or

(iv) In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value will be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

(r) “ Fiscal Year ” means the fiscal year of the Company.

 

-3-


(s) “ Incentive Stock Option ” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

(t) “ Nonstatutory Stock Option ” means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

(u) “ Officer ” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(v) “ Option ” means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.

(w) “ Parent ” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.

(x) “ Participant ” means the holder of an outstanding Award.

(y) “ Performance Share ” means an Award denominated in Shares which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of performance goals or other vesting criteria as the Administrator may determine pursuant to Section 10.

(z) “ Performance Unit ” means an Award which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of performance goals or other vesting criteria as the Administrator may determine and which may be settled for cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of the foregoing pursuant to Section 10.

(aa) “ Period of Restriction ” means the period during which the transfer of Shares of Restricted Stock are subject to restrictions and therefore, the Shares are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. Such restrictions may be based on the passage of time, the achievement of target levels of performance, or the occurrence of other events as determined by the Administrator.

(bb) “ Plan ” means this 2010 Equity Incentive Plan.

(cc) “ Registration Date ” means the effective date of the first registration statement that is filed by the Company and declared effective pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, with respect to any class of the Company’s securities.

(dd) “ Restricted Stock ” means Shares issued pursuant to a Restricted Stock award under Section 7 of the Plan, or issued pursuant to the early exercise of an Option.

(ee) “ Restricted Stock Unit ” means a bookkeeping entry representing an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of one Share, granted pursuant to Section 8. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents an unfunded and unsecured obligation of the Company.

(ff) “ Rule 16b-3 ” means Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect when discretion is being exercised with respect to the Plan.

 

-4-


(gg) “ Section 16(b) ” means Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.

(hh) “ Service Provider ” means an Employee, Director or Consultant.

(ii) “ Share ” means a share of the Common Stock, as adjusted in accordance with Section 14 of the Plan.

(jj) “ Stock Appreciation Right ” means an Award, granted alone or in connection with an Option, that pursuant to Section 9 is designated as a Stock Appreciation Right.

(kk) “ Subsidiary ” means a “subsidiary corporation”, whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.

3. Stock Subject to the Plan .

(a) Stock Subject to the Plan . Subject to the provisions of Section 14 of the Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan is fourteen million two hundred twenty-two thousand four hundred seventy-nine (14,222,479) Shares, which includes, as of the Registration Date (i) a new number of Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan (as of March 3, 2010, nine million forty-one thousand five hundred ninety-one (9,041,591) (as adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split expected to occur on March 5, 2010)) (ii) any Shares that have been reserved but not issued pursuant to any awards granted under the MaxLinear, Inc. 2004 Stock Plan (the “ Existing Plan ”) and are not subject to any awards granted thereunder (as of March 3, 2010, one hundred fifty-four thousand one hundred ninety-seven (154,197) (as adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split expected to occur on March 5, 2010)) and (iii) any Shares subject to stock options or other awards granted under the Existing Plan that expire or otherwise terminate without having been exercised in full and Shares issued pursuant to awards granted under the Existing Plan that are forfeited to or repurchased by the Company (as of March 3, 2010, five million twenty-six thousand six hundred ninety-one (5,026,691) (as adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split expected to occur on March 5, 2010)). The Shares may be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.

(b) Automatic Share Reserve Increase . The number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan will be increased on the first day of each Fiscal Year beginning with the 2011 Fiscal Year, in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) two million five hundred eighty-three thousand three hundred eleven (2,583,311) Shares, (ii) four percent (4%) of the number of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding Fiscal Year, calculated on a fully diluted basis, and (ii) such lesser number of Shares as may be determined by the Board.

(c) Lapsed Awards . If an Award expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, is surrendered pursuant to an Exchange Program, or, with respect to Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units or Performance Shares, is forfeited to or repurchased by the Company due to failure to vest, the unpurchased Shares (or for Awards other than Options or Stock Appreciation Rights the forfeited or repurchased Shares) which were subject thereto will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). With respect to Stock Appreciation Rights, only Shares actually issued

 

-5-


(i.e., the net Shares issued) pursuant to a Stock Appreciation Right will cease to be available under the Plan; all remaining Shares under Stock Appreciation Rights will remain available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). Shares that have actually been issued under the Plan under any Award will not be returned to the Plan and will not become available for future distribution under the Plan; provided, however, that if Shares issued pursuant to Awards of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares or Performance Units are repurchased by the Company or are forfeited to the Company, such Shares will become available for future grant under the Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise price of an Award or to satisfy the tax withholding obligations related to an Award will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan. To the extent an Award under the Plan is paid out in cash rather than Shares, such cash payment will not result in reducing the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing and, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 14, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options will equal the aggregate Share number stated in Section 3(a), plus, to the extent allowable under Section 422 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, any Shares that become available for issuance under the Plan pursuant to Sections 3(b) and 3(c).

(d) Share Reserve . The Company, during the term of this Plan, will at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan.

4. Administration of the Plan .

(a) Procedure .

(i) Multiple Administrative Bodies . Different Committees with respect to different groups of Service Providers may administer the Plan.

(ii) Section 162(m) . To the extent that the Administrator determines it to be desirable to qualify Awards granted hereunder as “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, the Plan will be administered by a Committee of two (2) or more “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.

(iii) Rule 16b-3 . To the extent desirable to qualify transactions hereunder as exempt under Rule 16b-3, the transactions contemplated hereunder will be structured to satisfy the requirements for exemption under Rule 16b-3.

(iv) Other Administration . Other than as provided above, the Plan will be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee, which committee will be constituted to satisfy Applicable Laws.

(b) Powers of the Administrator . Subject to the provisions of the Plan, and in the case of a Committee, subject to the specific duties delegated by the Board to such Committee, the Administrator will have the authority, in its discretion:

(i) to determine the Fair Market Value;

 

-6-


(ii) to select the Service Providers to whom Awards may be granted hereunder;

(iii) to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

(iv) to approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;

(v) to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award granted hereunder. Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Awards may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Award or the Shares relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Administrator will determine;

(vi) to determine the terms and conditions of any, and to institute any Exchange Program;

(vii) to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the Plan;

(viii) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for the purpose of satisfying applicable foreign laws;

(ix) to modify or amend each Award (subject to Section 19 of the Plan), including but not limited to the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercisability period of Awards and to extend the maximum term of an Option (subject to Section 6(b) of the Plan regarding Incentive Stock Options);

(x) to allow Participants to satisfy withholding tax obligations in such manner as prescribed in Section 15 of the Plan;

(xi) to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required to effect the grant of an Award previously granted by the Administrator;

(xii) to allow a Participant to defer the receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due to such Participant under an Award; and

(xiii) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering the Plan.

(c) Effect of Administrator’s Decision . The Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations will be final and binding on all Participants and any other holders of Awards.

(d) No Liability . Under no circumstances shall the Company, any Parent or Subsidiary, the Administrator, or the Board incur liability for any indirect, incidental,

 

-7-


consequential or special damages (including lost profits) of any form incurred by any person, whether or not foreseeable and regardless of the form of the act in which such a claim may be brought, with respect to the Plan or the Company’s, any Parent’s or Subsidiary’s, the Administrator’s or the Board’s roles in connection with the Plan.

5. Eligibility . Nonstatutory Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units, and Performance Shares may be granted to Service Providers. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees.

6. Stock Options .

(a) Limitations . Each Option will be designated in the Award Agreement as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option. However, notwithstanding such designation, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), such Options will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 6(a), Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted. The Fair Market Value of the Shares will be determined as of the time the Option with respect to such Shares is granted.

(b) Term of Option . The term of each Option will be stated in the Award Agreement. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the term will be ten (10) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement. Moreover, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Participant who, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option will be five (5) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement.

(c) Option Exercise Price and Consideration .

(i) The per Share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option will be determined by the Administrator, but will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. In addition, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to an Employee who owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 6(c)(i), Options may be granted with a per Share exercise price of less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant pursuant to a transaction described in, and in a manner consistent with, Code Section 424(a).

(ii) Waiting Period and Exercise Dates . At the time an Option is granted, the Administrator will fix the period within which the Option may be exercised and will determine any conditions that must be satisfied before the Option may be exercised.

 

-8-


(iii) Form of Consideration . The Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration for exercising an Option, including the method of payment. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration at the time of grant. Such consideration may consist entirely of: (1) cash; (2) check; (3) other Shares, provided that such Shares have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which such Option will be exercised and provided further that accepting such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion; (4) consideration received by the Company under a broker-assisted (or other) cashless exercise program (whether through a broker or otherwise) implemented by the Company in connection with the Plan; (5) by net exercise; (6) such other consideration and method of payment for the issuance of Shares to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws; or (7) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.

(d) Exercise of Option .

(i) Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder . Any Option granted hereunder will be exercisable according to the terms of the Plan and at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.

An Option will be deemed exercised when the Company receives: (i) notice of exercise (in such form as the Administrator may specify from time to time) from the person entitled to exercise the Option, and (ii) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised (together with applicable withholding taxes). Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Award Agreement and the Plan. Shares issued upon exercise of an Option will be issued in the name of the Participant or, if requested by the Participant, in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse. Until the Shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to the Shares subject to an Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Company will issue (or cause to be issued) such Shares promptly after the Option is exercised. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 14 of the Plan.

Subject to Section 3(c), exercising an Option in any manner will decrease the number of Shares thereafter available, both for purposes of the Plan and for sale under the Option, by the number of Shares as to which the Option is exercised.

(ii) Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider . If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, other than upon the Participant’s termination as the result of the Participant’s death or Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement). In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for three (3) months following the Participant’s termination.

 

-9-


Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified by the Administrator, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

(iii) Disability of Participant . If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement). In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

(iv) Death of Participant . If a Participant dies while a Service Provider, the Option may be exercised following the Participant’s death within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of death (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement), by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to Participant’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator. If no such beneficiary has been designated by the Participant, then such Option may be exercised by the personal representative of the Participant’s estate or by the person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution. In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following Participant’s death. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if at the time of death Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will immediately revert to the Plan. If the Option is not so exercised within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

7. Restricted Stock .

(a) Grant of Restricted Stock . Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock to Service Providers in such amounts as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

(b) Restricted Stock Agreement . Each Award of Restricted Stock will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Period of Restriction, the number of Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the Company as escrow agent will hold Shares of Restricted Stock until the restrictions on such Shares have lapsed.

 

-10-


(c) Transferability . Except as provided in this Section 7, Shares of Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction.

(d) Other Restrictions . The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may impose such other restrictions on Shares of Restricted Stock as it may deem advisable or appropriate.

(e) Removal of Restrictions . Except as otherwise provided in this Section 7, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock grant made under the Plan will be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the Period of Restriction or at such other time as the Administrator may determine. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed.

(f) Voting Rights . During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder may exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares, unless the Administrator determines otherwise.

(g) Dividends and Other Distributions . During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock will be entitled to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such Shares, unless the Administrator provides otherwise. If any such dividends or distributions are paid in Shares, the Shares will be subject to the same restrictions on transferability and forfeitability as the Shares of Restricted Stock with respect to which they were paid.

(h) Return of Restricted Stock to Company . On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock for which restrictions have not lapsed will revert to the Company and again will become available for grant under the Plan.

8. Restricted Stock Units .

(a) Grant . Restricted Stock Units may be granted at any time and from time to time as determined by the Administrator. After the Administrator determines that it will grant Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, it will advise the Participant in an Award Agreement of the terms, conditions, and restrictions related to the grant, including the number of Restricted Stock Units.

(b) Vesting Criteria and Other Terms . The Administrator will set vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which the criteria are met, will determine the number of Restricted Stock Units that will be paid out to the Participant. The Administrator may set vesting criteria based upon the achievement of Company-wide, business unit, or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment), or any other basis determined by the Administrator in its discretion.

(c) Earning Restricted Stock Units . Upon meeting the applicable vesting criteria, the Participant will be entitled to receive a payout as determined by the Administrator. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time after the grant of Restricted Stock Units, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any vesting criteria that must be met to receive a payout.

 

-11-


(d) Form and Timing of Payment . Payment of earned Restricted Stock Units will be made as soon as practicable after the date(s) determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may only settle earned Restricted Stock Units in cash, Shares, or a combination of both.

(e) Cancellation . On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited to the Company.

9. Stock Appreciation Rights .

(a) Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights . Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, a Stock Appreciation Right may be granted to Service Providers at any time and from time to time as will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion.

(b) Number of Shares . The Administrator will have complete discretion to determine the number of Stock Appreciation Rights granted to any Service Provider.

(c) Exercise Price and Other Terms . The per share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right will be determined by the Administrator and will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. Otherwise, the Administrator, subject to the provisions of the Plan, will have complete discretion to determine the terms and conditions of Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan.

(d) Stock Appreciation Right Agreement . Each Stock Appreciation Right grant will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the exercise price, the term of the Stock Appreciation Right, the conditions of exercise, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

(e) Expiration of Stock Appreciation Rights . A Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan will expire upon the date determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the rules of Section 6(b) relating to the maximum term and Section 6(d) relating to exercise also will apply to Stock Appreciation Rights.

(f) Payment of Stock Appreciation Right Amount . Upon exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right, a Participant will be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:

(i) The difference between the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the exercise price; times

(ii) The number of Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised.

At the discretion of the Administrator, the payment upon Stock Appreciation Right exercise may be in cash, in Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof.

 

-12-


10. Performance Units and Performance Shares .

(a) Grant of Performance Units/Shares . Performance Units and Performance Shares may be granted to Service Providers at any time and from time to time, as will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion. The Administrator will have complete discretion in determining the number of Performance Units and Performance Shares granted to each Participant.

(b) Value of Performance Units/Shares . Each Performance Unit will have an initial value that is established by the Administrator on or before the date of grant. Each Performance Share will have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.

(c) Performance Objectives and Other Terms . The Administrator will set performance objectives or other vesting provisions (including, without limitation, continued status as a Service Provider) in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of Performance Units/Shares that will be paid out to the Service Providers. The time period during which the performance objectives or other vesting provisions must be met will be called the “Performance Period.” Each Award of Performance Units/Shares will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Performance Period, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. The Administrator may set performance objectives based upon the achievement of Company-wide, divisional, or individual goals, applicable federal or state securities laws, or any other basis determined by the Administrator in its discretion.

(d) Earning of Performance Units/Shares . After the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units/Shares will be entitled to receive a payout of the number of Performance Units/Shares earned by the Participant over the Performance Period, to be determined as a function of the extent to which the corresponding performance objectives or other vesting provisions have been achieved. After the grant of a Performance Unit/Share, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any performance objectives or other vesting provisions for such Performance Unit/Share.

(e) Form and Timing of Payment of Performance Units/Shares . Payment of earned Performance Units/Shares will be made as soon as practicable after the expiration of the applicable Performance Period. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may pay earned Performance Units/Shares in the form of cash, in Shares (which have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the value of the earned Performance Units/Shares at the close of the applicable Performance Period) or in a combination thereof.

(f) Cancellation of Performance Units/Shares . On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned or unvested Performance Units/Shares will be forfeited to the Company, and again will be available for grant under the Plan.

11. Compliance With Code Section 409A . Awards will be designed and operated in such a manner that they are either exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Code Section 409A such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not

 

-13-


be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Code Section 409A, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. The Plan and each Award Agreement under the Plan is intended to meet the requirements of Code Section 409A and will be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. To the extent that an Award or payment, or the settlement or deferral thereof, is subject to Code Section 409A the Award will be granted, paid, settled or deferred in a manner that will meet the requirements of Code Section 409A, such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Code Section 409A, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator.

12. Leaves of Absence/Transfer Between Locations . Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, vesting of Awards granted hereunder will be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence. A Participant will not cease to be an Employee in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Company or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, its Parent, or any Subsidiary. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed three (3) months, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. If reemployment upon expiration of a leave of absence approved by the Company is not so guaranteed, then six (6) months following the first (1 st ) day of such leave, any Incentive Stock Option held by the Participant will cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and will be treated for tax purposes as a Nonstatutory Stock Option.

13. Transferability of Awards . Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, an Award may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant. If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award will contain such additional terms and conditions as the Administrator deems appropriate.

14. Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control .

(a) Adjustments . In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will adjust the number and class of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan and/or the number, class, and price of Shares covered by each outstanding Award, and the numerical Share limits in Section 3 of the Plan.

(b) Dissolution or Liquidation . In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Administrator will notify each Participant as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction. To the extent it has not been previously exercised, an Award will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.

 

-14-


(c) Change in Control . In the event of a merger or Change in Control, each outstanding Award will be treated as the Administrator determines without a Participant’s consent, including, without limitation, that (i) Awards will be assumed, or substantially equivalent Awards will be substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate thereof) with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices; (ii) upon written notice to a Participant, that the Participant’s Awards will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such merger or Change in Control; (iii) outstanding Awards will vest and become exercisable, realizable, or payable, or restrictions applicable to an Award will lapse, in whole or in part prior to or upon consummation of such merger or Change in Control, and, to the extent the Administrator determines, terminate upon the effectiveness of such merger of Change in Control; (iv) (A) the termination of an Award in exchange for an amount of cash and/or property, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction the Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment), or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Administrator in its sole discretion; or (v) any combination of the foregoing. In taking any of the actions permitted under this subsection 14(c), the Administrator will not be obligated to treat all Awards, all Awards held by a Participant, or all Awards of the same type, similarly.

In the event that the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the Award, the Participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise all of his or her outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights, including Shares as to which such Awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units will lapse, and, with respect to Awards with performance-based vesting, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at one hundred percent (100%) of target levels and all other terms and conditions met. In addition, if an Option or Stock Appreciation Right is not assumed or substituted in the event of a Change in Control, the Administrator will notify the Participant in writing or electronically that the Option or Stock Appreciation Right will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, and the Option or Stock Appreciation Right will terminate upon the expiration of such period.

For the purposes of this subsection (c), an Award will be considered assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the Change in Control by holders of Common Stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right or upon the payout of a Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Unit or Performance Share, for each Share subject to such Award, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the Change in Control.

 

-15-


Notwithstanding anything in this Section 14(c) to the contrary, an Award that vests, is earned or paid-out upon the satisfaction of one or more performance goals will not be considered assumed if the Company or its successor modifies any of such performance goals without the Participant’s consent; provided, however, a modification to such performance goals only to reflect the successor corporation’s post-Change in Control corporate structure will not be deemed to invalidate an otherwise valid Award assumption.

15. Tax Withholding .

(a) Withholding Requirements . Prior to the delivery of any Shares or cash pursuant to an Award (or exercise thereof), the Company will have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local, foreign or other taxes (including the Participant’s FICA obligation) required to be withheld with respect to such Award (or exercise thereof).

(b) Withholding Arrangements . The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit a Participant to satisfy such tax withholding obligation, in whole or in part by (without limitation) (a) paying cash, (b) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable cash or Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld, or (c) delivering to the Company already-owned Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld. The Fair Market Value of the Shares to be withheld or delivered will be determined as of the date that the taxes are required to be withheld.

16. No Effect on Employment or Service . Neither the Plan nor any Award will confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant’s relationship as a Service Provider with the Company, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant’s right or the Company’s right to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.

17. Date of Grant . The date of grant of an Award will be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Award, or such other later date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the determination will be provided to each Participant within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.

18. Term of Plan . Subject to Section 22 of the Plan, the Plan will become effective upon its adoption by the Board. It will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years from the date adopted by the Board, unless terminated earlier under Section 19 of the Plan.

19. Amendment and Termination of the Plan .

(a) Amendment and Termination . The Board may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Plan.

 

-16-


(b) Stockholder Approval . The Company will obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws.

(c) Effect of Amendment or Termination . No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan will impair the rights of any Participant, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Participant and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Participant and the Company. Termination of the Plan will not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it hereunder with respect to Awards granted under the Plan prior to the date of such termination.

20. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares .

(a) Legal Compliance . Shares will not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares will comply with Applicable Laws and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

(b) Investment Representations . As a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required.

21. Inability to Obtain Authority . The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority will not have been obtained.

22. Stockholder Approval . The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.

23. Underwater Option Exchange Offer . The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may institute a one-time Exchange Program, commencing within 12 months following approval of such Exchange Program by the Company’s stockholders, that permits each eligible Participant who holds an eligible Option as of the commencement of the one-time Exchange Program to elect to cancel such eligible Option in exchange for Restricted Stock Units issued under the Plan, under such terms and conditions as described in the proxy statement with respect to the annual meeting of stockholders held in May 2012. Nothing in this Section 23 shall be construed to limit the authority of the Administrator to determine the terms conditions of, and to institute any, Exchange Program in accordance with Section 4(b)(vi) of the Plan.

 

-17-

Exhibit 10.8

MAXLINEAR, INC.

2010 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

Amended February 4, 2011

Amended November 4, 2011

Amended October 30, 2012

1.         Purpose . The purpose of the Plan is to provide employees of the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock through accumulated payroll deductions. The Company’s intention is to have the Plan qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the Code. The provisions of the Plan, accordingly, will be construed so as to extend and limit Plan participation in a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis consistent with the requirements of Section 423 of the Code.

2.         Definitions .

(a)        “ Administrator ” means the Board or any Committee designated by the Board to administer the Plan pursuant to Section 14.

(b)        “ Applicable Laws ” means the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are, or will be, granted under the Plan.

(c)        “ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(d)        “ Change in Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

(i)        A change in the ownership of the Company which occurs on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group (“Person”), acquires ownership of the stock of the Company that, together with the stock held by such Person, constitutes more than 50% of the total voting power of the stock of the Company; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection, the acquisition of additional stock by any one Person, who is considered to own more than 50% of the total voting power of the stock of the Company will not be considered a Change in Control; or

(ii)        A change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this clause, if any Person is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control; or


(iii)        A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets which occurs on the date that any Person acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12) month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 50% of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection, the following will not constitute a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets: (A) a transfer to an entity that is controlled by the Company’s stockholders immediately after the transfer, or (B) a transfer of assets by the Company to: (1) a stockholder of the Company (immediately before the asset transfer) in exchange for or with respect to the Company’s stock, (2) an entity, 50% or more of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company, (3) a Person, that owns, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of the Company, or (4) an entity, at least 50% of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by a Person described in this subsection (iii)(B)(3). For purposes of this subsection, gross fair market value means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.

For purposes of this definition, persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock, or similar business transaction with the Company.

(e)        “ Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a section of the Code herein will be a reference to any successor or amended section of the Code.

(f)        “ Committee ” means a committee of the Board appointed in accordance with Section 14 hereof.

(g)        “ Common Stock ” means the Class A common stock of the Company.

(h)        “ Company ” means MaxLinear, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

(i)        “ Compensation ” means an Employee’s base straight time gross earnings, commissions (to the extent such commissions are an integral, recurring part of compensation), overtime and shift premium, but exclusive of payments for incentive compensation, bonuses and other compensation.

(j)        “ Designated Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that has been designated by the Administrator from time to time in its sole discretion as eligible to participate in the Plan.

(k)        “ Director ” means a member of the Board.

(l)        “ Eligible Employee ” means any individual who is a common law employee of an Employer and is customarily employed for at least twenty (20) hours per week and more than five (5) months in any calendar year by the Employer. For purposes of the Plan, the employment relationship will be treated as continuing intact while the individual is on sick leave or other leave of absence that the Employer approves. Where the period of leave exceeds three (3) months and the individual’s right to reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by contract, the employment relationship will be deemed to have terminated three (3) months and one (1) day following the

 

-2-


commencement of such leave. The Administrator, in its discretion, from time to time may, prior to an Offering Date for all options to be granted on such Offering Date, determine (on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis) that the definition of Eligible Employee will or will not include an individual if he or she: (i) has not completed at least two (2) years of service since his or her last hire date (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (ii) customarily works not more than twenty (20) hours per week (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (iii) customarily works not more than five (5) months per calendar year (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (iv) is an executive, officer or other manager, or (v) is a highly compensated employee under Section 414(q) of the Code.

(m)        “ Employer ” means any one or all of the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries.

(n)        “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(o)        “ Exercise Date ” means the first Trading Day on or after May 15 and November 15 of each year. The first Exercise Date under the Plan will be November 15, 2010.

(p)        “ Fair Market Value ” means, as of any date and unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

(i)        If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the date of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(ii)        If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, its Fair Market Value will be the mean of the closing bid and asked prices for the Common Stock on the date of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(iii)        In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value thereof will be determined in good faith by the Administrator; or

(iv)        For purposes of the Offering Date of the first Offering Period under the Plan, the Fair Market Value will be the initial price to the public as set forth in the final prospectus included within the registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the initial public offering of the Common Stock (the “ Registration Statement ”).

(q)        “ Fiscal Year ” means the fiscal year of the Company.

(r)        “ New Exercise Date ” means a new Exercise Date set by shortening any Offering Period then in progress.

 

-3-


(s)        “ Offering Date ” means the first Trading Day of each Offering Period.

(t)        “ Offering Periods ” means:

(i)        For the first Offering Period under the Plan, the period of approximately twenty-seven (27) months during which an option granted pursuant to the Plan may be exercised, commencing on the first Trading Day on or after the date on which the Securities and Exchange Commission declares the Company’s Registration Statement effective and, subject to Section 25, terminating on the first Trading Day on or following May 15, 2012; and

(ii)        For the second and all subsequent Offering Periods under the Plan, the periods of approximately six (6) months during which an option granted pursuant to the Plan may be exercised, (i) commencing on the first Trading Day on or after May 15 of each year and terminating on the first Trading Day on or following November 15, approximately six (6) months later, and (ii) commencing on the first Trading Day on or after November 15 of each year and terminating on the first Trading Day on or following May 15, approximately six (6) months later; provided, however, that the second Offering Period under the Plan will commence on the first Trading Day on or after November 15, 2010 and will end on the first Trading Day on or after May 15, 2011.

The duration and timing of Offering Periods may be changed pursuant to Sections 4 and 20.

(u)        “ Parent ” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.

(v)        “ Plan ” means this MaxLinear, Inc. 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

(w)        “ Purchase Period ” means the period during an Offering Period in which shares of Common Stock may be purchased on a participant’s behalf in accordance with the terms of the Plan. For the first Offering Period, unless the Administrator provides otherwise, the first Purchase Period will mean the period commencing on the Offering Date and ending with the first Exercise Date and all subsequent Purchase Periods during the first Offering Period will mean the approximately six (6) month period commencing on one Exercise Date and ending with the next Exercise Date. For the second and all subsequent Offering Periods, unless the Administrator provides otherwise, the Purchase Period will have the same duration and coincide with the length of the Offering Period.

(x)        “ Purchase Price ” means an amount equal to eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Offering Date or on the Exercise Date, whichever is lower; provided however, that the Purchase Price may be adjusted for subsequent Offering Periods by the Administrator subject to compliance with Section 423 of the Code (or any successor rule or provision or any other applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rule) or pursuant to Section 20.

(y)        “ Subsidiary ” means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

-4-


(z)        “ Trading Day ” means a day on which the national stock exchange upon which the Common Stock is listed is open for trading.

3.         Eligibility .

(a)         First Offering Period . Any individual who is an Eligible Employee immediately prior to the first Offering Period will be automatically enrolled in the first Offering Period.

(b)         Subsequent Offering Periods . Any Eligible Employee on a given Offering Date subsequent to the first Offering Period will be eligible to participate in the Plan, subject to the requirements of Section 5.

(c)         Limitations . Any provisions of the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no Eligible Employee will be granted an option under the Plan (i) to the extent that, immediately after the grant, such Eligible Employee (or any other person whose stock would be attributed to such Eligible Employee pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) would own capital stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company and/or hold outstanding options to purchase such stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of the capital stock of the Company or of any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, or (ii) to the extent that his or her rights to purchase stock under all employee stock purchase plans (as defined in Section 423 of the Code) of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company accrues at a rate which exceeds twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) worth of stock (determined at the Fair Market Value of the stock at the time such option is granted) for each calendar year in which such option is outstanding at any time.

4.         Offering Periods . The first Offering Period under the Plan will commence with the first Trading Day on or after the date upon which the Company’s Registration Statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission and end on the first Trading Day after May 15, 2012. Subsequent to the commencement of the first Offering Period, the Plan will be implemented by consecutive Offering Periods that overlap the first Offering Period while such Offering Period is in effect with a new Offering Period commencing on the first Trading Day on or after May 15 and November 15 each year, or on such other date as the Administrator will determine; provided, however, that the second Offering Period under the Plan will commence on the first Trading Day on or after November 15, 2010. The Administrator will have the power to change the duration of Offering Periods (including the commencement dates thereof) with respect to future offerings without stockholder approval if such change is announced prior to the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected thereafter.

5.         Participation .

(a)         First Offering Period . An Eligible Employee will be entitled to continue to participate in the first Offering Period pursuant to Section 3(a) only if such individual submits a subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions in a form determined by the Administrator (which may be similar to the form attached hereto as Exhibit A) to the Company’s designated plan administrator (i) no earlier than the effective date of the Form S-8 registration statement with respect to the issuance of Common Stock under this Plan and (ii) no later than ten (10) business days

 

-5-


following the effective date of such S-8 registration statement or such other period of time as the Administrator may determine (the “ Enrollment Window ”). An Eligible Employee’s failure to submit the subscription agreement during the Enrollment Window will result in the automatic termination of such individual’s participation in the first Offering Period.

(b)         Subsequent Offering Periods . An Eligible Employee may participate in the Plan pursuant to Section 3(b) by (i) submitting to the Company’s payroll office (or its designee), on or before a date prescribed by the Administrator prior to an applicable Offering Date, a properly completed subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions in the form provided by the Administrator for such purpose, or (ii) following an electronic or other enrollment procedure prescribed by the Administrator.

6.         Payroll Deductions .

(a)        At the time a participant enrolls in the Plan pursuant to Section 5, he or she will elect to have payroll deductions made on each pay day during the Offering Period in an amount not exceeding fifteen percent (15%) of the Compensation which he or she receives on each pay day during the Offering Period; provided, however, that should a pay day occur on an Exercise Date, a participant will have the payroll deductions made on such day applied to his or her account under the subsequent Purchase Period or Offering Period. A participant’s subscription agreement will remain in effect for successive Offering Periods unless terminated as provided in Section 10 hereof.

(b)        Payroll deductions for a participant will commence on the first pay day following the Offering Date and will end on the last pay day prior to the Exercise Date of such Offering Period to which such authorization is applicable, unless sooner terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof; provided, however, that for the first Offering Period, payroll deductions will commence on the first pay day on or following the end of the Enrollment Window.

(c)        All payroll deductions made for a participant will be credited to his or her account under the Plan and will be withheld in whole percentages only. A participant may not make any additional payments into such account.

(d)        A participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Plan as provided in Section 10, or may decrease the rate of his or her payroll deductions during the Offering Period by (i) properly completing and submitting to the Company’s payroll office (or its designee), on or before a date prescribed by the Administrator prior to an applicable Exercise Date, a new subscription agreement authorizing the reduction in payroll deduction rate in the form provided by the Administrator for such purpose, or (ii) following an electronic or other procedure prescribed by the Administrator; provided, however, that a participant may only make one payroll reduction change during each Purchase Period. If a participant has not followed such procedures to reduce the rate of payroll deductions, the rate of his or her payroll deductions will continue at the originally elected rate throughout the Offering Period and future Offering Periods (unless terminated as provided in Section 10). The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, limit the nature and/or number of payroll deduction rate changes that may be made by participants during any Offering Period. Any reduction in payroll deduction rate made pursuant to this Section 6(d) will be effective as of the first full payroll period following five (5) business days after the date on which the change

 

-6-


is made by the participant (unless the Administrator, in its sole discretion, elects to process a given reduction in payroll deduction rate more quickly). Any increase in payroll deduction rates made by any participant will be effective for the next Purchase Period or Offering Period which begins after the effective date of any such requested payroll increase.

(e)        Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and Section 3(c), a participant’s payroll deductions may be decreased to zero percent (0%) at any time during a Purchase Period. Subject to Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and Section 3(c) hereof, payroll deductions will recommence at the rate originally elected by the participant effective as of the beginning of the first Purchase Period which is scheduled to end in the following calendar year, unless terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10.

(f)        At the time the option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time some or all of the Common Stock issued under the Plan is disposed of, the participant must make adequate provision for the Company’s or Employer’s federal, state, or any other tax liability payable to any authority, national insurance, social security or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the exercise of the option or the disposition of the Common Stock. At any time, the Company or the Employer may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from the participant’s compensation the amount necessary for the Company or the Employer to meet applicable withholding obligations, including any withholding required to make available to the Company or the Employer any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of Common Stock by the Eligible Employee.

7.         Grant of Option . On the Offering Date of each Offering Period, each Eligible Employee participating in such Offering Period will be granted an option to purchase on each Exercise Date during such Offering Period (at the applicable Purchase Price) up to a number of shares of Common Stock determined by dividing such Eligible Employee’s payroll deductions accumulated prior to such Exercise Date and retained in the Eligible Employee’s account as of the Exercise Date by the applicable Purchase Price; provided that in no event will an Eligible Employee be permitted to purchase during each Purchase Period that occurs during each Offering Period in which an Eligible Employee participates more than 3,125 shares of the Common Stock (subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 19), and provided further that such purchase will be subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 3(c) and 13. The Eligible Employee may accept the grant of such option with respect to the first Offering Period by submitting a properly completed subscription agreement in accordance with the requirements of Section 5(a) on or before the last day of the Enrollment Window, and (ii) with respect to any future Offering Period under the Plan, by electing to participate in the Plan in accordance with the requirements of Section 5(b). The Administrator may, for future Offering Periods, increase or decrease, in its absolute discretion, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that an Eligible Employee may purchase during each Purchase Period of an Offering Period. Exercise of the option will occur as provided in Section 8, unless the participant has withdrawn pursuant to Section 10. The option will expire on the last day of the Offering Period.

 

-7-


8.         Exercise of Option .

(a)        Unless a participant withdraws from the Plan as provided in Section 10, his or her option for the purchase of shares of Common Stock will be exercised automatically on the Exercise Date, and the maximum number of full shares subject to the option will be purchased for such participant at the applicable Purchase Price with the accumulated payroll deductions in his or her account. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be purchased; any payroll deductions accumulated in a participant’s account which are not sufficient to purchase a full share will be retained in the participant’s account for the subsequent Purchase Period or Offering Period, subject to earlier withdrawal by the participant as provided in Section 10. Any other funds left over in a participant’s account after the Exercise Date will be returned to the participant. During a participant’s lifetime, a participant’s option to purchase shares hereunder is exercisable only by him or her.

(b)        If the Administrator determines that, on a given Exercise Date, the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which options are to be exercised may exceed (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that were available for sale under the Plan on the Offering Date of the applicable Offering Period, or (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock available for sale under the Plan on such Exercise Date, the Administrator may in its sole discretion provide that the Company will make a pro rata allocation of the shares of Common Stock available for purchase on such Offering Date or Exercise Date, as applicable, in as uniform a manner as will be practicable and as it will determine in its sole discretion to be equitable among all participants exercising options to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date, and continue all Offering Periods then in effect or terminate all Offering Periods then in effect pursuant to Section 20. The Company may make a pro rata allocation of the shares available on the Offering Date of any applicable Offering Period pursuant to the preceding sentence, notwithstanding any authorization of additional shares for issuance under the Plan by the Company’s stockholders subsequent to such Offering Date.

9.         Delivery . As soon as reasonably practicable after each Exercise Date on which a purchase of shares of Common Stock occurs, the Company will arrange the delivery to each participant of the shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option in a form determined by the Administrator (in its sole discretion) and pursuant to rules established by the Administrator. The Company may permit or require that shares be deposited directly with a broker designated by the Company or to a designated agent of the Company, and the Company may utilize electronic or automated methods of share transfer. The Company may require that shares be retained with such broker or agent for a designated period of time and/or may establish other procedures to permit tracking of disqualifying dispositions of such shares. No participant will have any voting, dividend, or other stockholder rights with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to any option granted under the Plan until such shares have been purchased and delivered to the participant as provided in this Section 9.

10.         Withdrawal .

(a)        A participant may withdraw all but not less than all the payroll deductions credited to his or her account and not yet used to exercise his or her option under the Plan at any time prior to the end of the Offering Period by (i) submitting to the Company’s payroll office (or its designee) a written notice of withdrawal in the form prescribed by the Administrator for such purpose (which may be similar to the form attached hereto as Exhibit B) , or (ii) following an electronic or other withdrawal procedure prescribed by the Administrator. All of the participant’s payroll deductions credited to his or her account will be paid to such participant promptly after receipt of notice of withdrawal and such participant’s option for the Offering Period will be

 

-8-


automatically terminated, and no further payroll deductions for the purchase of shares will be made for such Offering Period. If a participant withdraws from an Offering Period, payroll deductions will not resume at the beginning of the succeeding Offering Period, unless the participant re-enrolls in the Plan in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.

(b)        A participant’s withdrawal from an Offering Period will not have any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in any similar plan which may hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods which commence after the termination of the Offering Period from which the participant withdraws.

11.         Termination of Employment . Upon a participant’s ceasing to be an Eligible Employee, for any reason, he or she will be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the Plan and the payroll deductions credited to such participant’s account during the Offering Period but not yet used to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Plan will be returned to such participant or, in the case of his or her death, to the person or persons entitled thereto under Section 15, and such participant’s option will be automatically terminated.

12.         Interest . No interest will accrue on the payroll deductions of a participant in the Plan.

13.         Stock .

(a)        Subject to adjustment upon changes in capitalization of the Company as provided in Section 19 hereof, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock which will be made available for sale under the Plan will be six hundred forty-five thousand eight hundred twenty-seven (645,827) shares (as adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split expected to occur on March 5, 2010), plus an annual increase to be added on the first day of each Fiscal Year beginning with the 2011 Fiscal Year, equal to the least of (i) nine hundred sixty-eight thousand seven hundred forty-one (968,741) shares of Common Stock (as adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split expected to occur on March 5, 2010), (ii) one and a quarter percent (1.25%) of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and Class B common stock on such date, or (iii) an amount determined by the Administrator.

(b)        Until the shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), a participant will only have the rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares, and no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to such shares.

(c)        Shares of Common Stock to be delivered to a participant under the Plan will be registered in the name of the participant or in the name of the participant and his or her spouse.

14.         Administration . The Plan will be administered by the Board or a Committee appointed by the Board, which Committee will be constituted to comply with Applicable Laws. The Administrator will have full and exclusive discretionary authority to construe, interpret and apply the terms of the Plan, to determine eligibility and to adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the Plan. Every finding, decision and determination made by the Administrator will, to the full extent permitted by law, be final and binding upon all parties. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Plan, the Administrator may adopt rules or procedures relating to the operation and administration of the Plan to accommodate the specific requirements of local laws and procedures

 

-9-


for jurisdictions outside of the United States. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrator is specifically authorized to adopt rules and procedures regarding eligibility to participate, the definition of Compensation, handling of payroll deductions, making of contributions to the Plan (including, without limitation, in forms other than payroll deductions), establishment of bank or trust accounts to hold payroll deductions, payment of interest, conversion of local currency, obligations to pay payroll tax, determination of beneficiary designation requirements, withholding procedures and handling of stock certificates which vary with local requirements.

15.         Designation of Beneficiary .

(a)        A participant may file a designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any shares of Common Stock and cash, if any, from the participant’s account under the Plan in the event of such participant’s death subsequent to an Exercise Date on which the option is exercised but prior to delivery to such participant of such shares and cash. In addition, a participant may file a designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any cash from the participant’s account under the Plan in the event of such participant’s death prior to exercise of the option. If a participant is married and the designated beneficiary is not the spouse, spousal consent will be required for such designation to be effective.

(b)        Such designation of beneficiary may be changed by the participant at any time by notice in a form determined by the Administrator. In the event of the death of a participant and in the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under the Plan who is living at the time of such participant’s death, the Company will deliver such shares and/or cash to the executor or administrator of the estate of the participant, or if no such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the knowledge of the Company), the Company, in its discretion, may deliver such shares and/or cash to the spouse or to any one or more dependents or relatives of the participant, or if no spouse, dependent or relative is known to the Company, then to such other person as the Company may designate.

(c)        All beneficiary designations will be in such form and manner as the Administrator may designate from time to time.

16.         Transferability . Neither payroll deductions credited to a participant’s account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or to receive shares of Common Stock under the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution or as provided in Section 15 hereof) by the participant. Any such attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition will be without effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw funds from an Offering Period in accordance with Section 10 hereof.

17.         Use of Funds . The Company may use all payroll deductions received or held by it under the Plan for any corporate purpose, and the Company will not be obligated to segregate such payroll deductions. Until shares of Common Stock are issued, participants will only have the rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares.

18.         Reports . Individual accounts will be maintained for each participant in the Plan. Statements of account will be given to participating Eligible Employees at least annually, which statements will set forth the amounts of payroll deductions, the Purchase Price, the number of shares of Common Stock purchased and the remaining cash balance, if any.

 

-10-


19.         Adjustments, Dissolution, Liquidation, Merger or Change in Control .

(a)         Adjustments . In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Common Stock occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust the number and class of Common Stock which may be delivered under the Plan, the Purchase Price per share and the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each option under the Plan which has not yet been exercised, and the numerical limits of Sections 7 and 13.

(b)         Dissolution or Liquidation . In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any Offering Period then in progress will be shortened by setting a New Exercise Date, and will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed dissolution or liquidation, unless provided otherwise by the Administrator. The New Exercise Date will be before the date of the Company’s proposed dissolution or liquidation. The Administrator will notify each participant in writing, at least ten (10) business days prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the participant’s option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the participant’s option will be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 10 hereof.

(c)         Merger or Change in Control . In the event of a merger or Change in Control, each outstanding option will be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the option, the Offering Period with respect to which such option relates will be shortened by setting a New Exercise Date and will end on the New Exercise Date. The New Exercise Date will occur before the date of the Company’s proposed merger or Change in Control. The Administrator will notify each participant in writing prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the participant’s option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the participant’s option will be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 10 hereof.

20.         Amendment or Termination .

(a)        The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan, or any part thereof, at any time and for any reason. If the Plan is terminated, the Administrator, in its discretion, may elect to terminate all outstanding Offering Periods either immediately or upon completion of the purchase of shares of Common Stock on the next Exercise Date (which may be sooner than originally scheduled, if determined by the Administrator in its discretion), or may elect to permit Offering Periods to expire in accordance with their terms (and

 

-11-


subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 19). If the Offering Periods are terminated prior to expiration, all amounts then credited to participants’ accounts which have not been used to purchase shares of Common Stock will be returned to the participants (without interest thereon, except as otherwise required under local laws) as soon as administratively practicable.

(b)        Without stockholder consent and without limiting Section 20(a), the Administrator will be entitled to change the Offering Periods, limit the frequency and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering Period, establish the exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld in a currency other than U.S. dollars, permit payroll withholding in excess of the amount designated by a participant in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in the Company’s processing of properly completed withholding elections, establish reasonable waiting and adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting procedures to ensure that amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Stock for each participant properly correspond with amounts withheld from the participant’s Compensation, and establish such other limitations or procedures as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion advisable which are consistent with the Plan.

(c)        In the event the Administrator determines that the ongoing operation of the Plan may result in unfavorable financial accounting consequences, the Administrator may, in its discretion and, to the extent necessary or desirable, modify, amend or terminate the Plan to reduce or eliminate such accounting consequence including, but not limited to:

(i)        amending the Plan to conform with the safe harbor definition under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 123(R), including with respect to an Offering Period underway at the time;

(ii)        altering the Purchase Price for any Offering Period including an Offering Period underway at the time of the change in Purchase Price;

(iii)        shortening any Offering Period by setting a New Exercise Date, including an Offering Period underway at the time of the Administrator action;

(iv)        reducing the maximum percentage of Compensation a participant may elect to set aside as payroll deductions; and

(v)        reducing the maximum number of Shares a participant may purchase during any Offering Period or Purchase Period.

Such modifications or amendments will not require stockholder approval or the consent of any Plan participants.

21.         Notices . All notices or other communications by a participant to the Company under or in connection with the Plan will be deemed to have been duly given when received in the form and manner specified by the Company at the location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

22.         Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares . Shares of Common Stock will not be issued with respect to an option unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and delivery of such shares pursuant thereto will comply with all applicable provisions of law, domestic or foreign,

 

-12-


including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the requirements of any stock exchange upon which the shares may then be listed, and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

As a condition to the exercise of an option, the Company may require the person exercising such option to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any of the aforementioned applicable provisions of law.

23.         Term of Plan . The Plan will become effective upon the earlier to occur of its adoption by the Board or its approval by the stockholders of the Company. It will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years, unless sooner terminated under Section 20.

24.         Stockholder Approval . The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.

25.         Automatic Transfer from First Offering Period to Low Price Offering Period . To the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, if the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on any Exercise Date during the first Offering Period is lower than the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Offering Date of such Offering Period, then all participants in such Offering Period will be automatically withdrawn from such Offering Period immediately after the exercise of their option on such Exercise Date and automatically re-enrolled in the immediately following Offering Period and the first Offering Period will terminate.

 

-13-


EXHIBIT A

MAXLINEAR, INC.

2010 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT

 

         Original Application

   Offering Date:                                         
         Change in Payroll Deduction Rate   
         Change of Beneficiary(ies)   

1.                                                   hereby elects to participate in the MaxLinear, Inc. 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) and subscribes to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock in accordance with this Subscription Agreement and the Plan.

2.        I hereby authorize payroll deductions from each paycheck in the amount of          % of my Compensation on each payday (from 0 to 15%) during the Offering Period in accordance with the Plan. (Please note that no fractional percentages are permitted.)

3.        I understand that said payroll deductions will be accumulated for the purchase of shares of Common Stock at the applicable Purchase Price determined in accordance with the Plan. I understand that if I do not withdraw from an Offering Period, any accumulated payroll deductions will be used to automatically exercise my option and purchase Common Stock under the Plan.

4.        I have received a copy of the complete Plan and its accompanying prospectus. I understand that my participation in the Plan is in all respects subject to the terms of the Plan.

5.        Shares of Common Stock purchased for me under the Plan should be issued in the name(s)                                          of (Eligible Employee or Eligible Employee and Spouse only).

6.        I understand that if I dispose of any shares received by me pursuant to the Employee Stock Purchase Plan within two (2) years after the Offering Date (the first day of the Offering Period during which I purchased such shares) or one (1) year after the Exercise Date, I will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received ordinary income at the time of such disposition in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time such shares were purchased by me over the price which I paid for the shares. I hereby agree to notify the Company in writing within thirty (30) days after the date of any disposition of my shares and I will make adequate provision for Federal, state or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the disposition of the Common Stock . The Company may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from my compensation the amount necessary to meet any applicable withholding obligation including any withholding necessary to make available to the Company any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of Common Stock by me. If I dispose of such shares at any time after the expiration of the two (2)-year and one (1)-year holding periods, I understand that I will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received income only at the time of such disposition, and that such income will be taxed as ordinary income only to the extent of an


amount equal to the lesser of (a) the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of such disposition over the purchase price which I paid for the shares, or (b) 15% of the fair market value of the shares on the first day of the Offering Period. The remainder of the gain, if any, recognized on such disposition will be taxed as capital gain.

7.        I hereby agree to be bound by the terms of the Plan. The effectiveness of this Subscription Agreement is dependent upon my eligibility to participate in the Plan.

8.        In the event of my death, I hereby designate the following as my beneficiary(ies) to receive all payments and shares due me under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan:

 

NAME: (please print)

  

 

   First    Middle    Last

 

  

 

Relationship

        

 

  

 

Percentage Benefit

        
  

 

  

Address

     

NAME: (please print)

  

 

   First    Middle    Last

 

  

 

Relationship

        

 

  

 

Percentage Benefit

        
  

 

  

Address

     

 

-2-


Employee’s Social    
Security Number:    

 

Employee’s Address:    

 

   

 

   

 

I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGHOUT SUCCESSIVE OFFERING PERIODS UNLESS TERMINATED BY ME.

 

Dated:  

 

   

 

      Signature of Employee
Dated:  

 

   

 

      Spouse’s Signature (If beneficiary other than spouse)


EXHIBIT B

MAXLINEAR, INC.

2010 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL

The undersigned participant in the Offering Period of the MaxLinear, Inc. 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan that began on                           ,          (the “Offering Date”) hereby notifies the Company that he or she hereby withdraws from the Offering Period. He or she hereby directs the Company to pay to the undersigned as promptly as practicable all the payroll deductions credited to his or her account with respect to such Offering Period. The undersigned understands and agrees that his or her option for such Offering Period will be automatically terminated. The undersigned understands further that no further payroll deductions will be made for the purchase of shares in the current Offering Period and the undersigned will be eligible to participate in succeeding Offering Periods only by delivering to the Company a new Subscription Agreement.

 

Name and Address of Participant:

 

 

 

Signature:

 

Date:

 

 

Exhibit 10.17

 

LOGO

MAXLINEAR, INC.

2051 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 100

Carlsbad, CA 92011

November 9, 2012

William Torgerson

Subject: Offer of Employment

Dear Will:

I would like to offer you our heartfelt congratulations on your selection as a final candidate for a position at MaxLinear. You have met the exacting meritocracy standards of personal and professional achievement to which we hold all our employees. We are truly excited to extend you an offer of employment at MaxLinear as specified below. Your acceptance of our offer will represent an important milestone in our rapid growth as a fabless, communications IC company.

First and foremost, we immensely value your superior qualities of proven technical competence, and passion for excellence. Your personal attributes are congruent with our cherished EPIC values – E xcellence, P eople, I ntegrity, and C ompassion” . Together, with your able partnership, we aim to build a world class IC Company.

In our workplace, we foster an environment of risk-taking & reward, along with a relentless focus on customer-driven products. By being true to this principle, we are determined to create a company with a business model and an organization that will set altogether new and lofty standards in work culture. In addition, MaxLinear will constantly endeavor to uphold its commitment to making “ Every working day a lot of fun” . We thank you for your interest in MaxLinear and look forward to unparalleled success together as partners in the same adventure.

Employment Offer

I am very pleased to offer you a position with MaxLinear, Inc. (the “ Company ”), as Vice President , Global Sales, with work responsibilities in both the Carlsbad and Irvine CA offices. You will report to the CEO, Kishore Seendripu. We are offering you an annualized salary of $230,000 paid per our established payroll cycle and a one-time sign-on bonus of $25,000 minus all applicable taxes paid on or before December 31, 2102. If you voluntarily leave the company within the first two full years of employment you will be required to repay to the Company the full amount of the sign-on bonus.

In addition you will be eligible for a target annual bonus of up to 50% of your base salary. Your first eligibility for bonus will be for performance in calendar year 2013 paid in 2014 or semi -annual as described below. The Company will make a recommendation to our Board of Directors (or an authorized committee) to approve an equity grant of restricted stock units (RSU) with respect to 60,000 shares, subject to the Board or committee’s approval and the vesting described below.

As discussed, you and the CEO will create performance milestone goals for the global sales team. Once approved, this sales plan may include a potential of a semi-annual bonus payment. However the overall annual potential bonus percentage does not change.

We will assist you in your relocation to Southern California and offer temporary living arranged by the Company from your start date through December 31, 2012 and a rental car for the same period. The rental car will be a reimbursed item. You will be responsible for all gas and tolls and will need to provide proof of insurance to the rental carrier. Your airfare to California will be reimbursed for coach travel. Original receipts will be needed for expense reimbursement. Your initial location will be Carlsbad. It is expected that you will transition to the Irvine office sometime in early 2013. You will however be required to work out of both facilities as the business needs demand.


Page 2    LOGO

 

You will be reimbursed on actual expenses for up to 6 months on the cost of an apartment or other temporary living facility. Actual expense may not exceed $3,000 per month. This is for temporary living only and not to offset your permanent residency costs.

You will receive a one- time relocation allowance of $50,000 minus all applicable taxes paid on or before December 31, 2012. In the event you voluntarily leave the Company prior to the completion of two full years of employment you will be required to repay the Company the full amount of the relocation allowance.

If you decide to join us, you will receive semi-monthly payments of salary* (effective January 2013 the payroll cycle will change to bi- weekly), minus all applicable taxes, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll procedures and you will also be eligible to receive certain employee benefits, such as paid time off, participation in our 401K plan, employer contribution towards health insurance premiums, etc. The details of these employee benefits will be explained in greater detail in a subsequent correspondence. You should note that the Company may modify job titles, salaries, and benefits from time to time as it deems necessary.

Performance Evaluation Period

After the initial three (3) months of employment at MaxLinear, your performance against your job responsibilities will be evaluated by your direct supervisors. After your job performance has been deemed to be satisfactory, there will be regular follow-up performance evaluations annually or as in accordance with the MaxLinear Employee Handbook.

Equity Incentive

The Company will recommend that its Board of Directors (or an authorized committee) approve equity related compensation of RSUs as specified in the compensation proposal above. This equity related compensation will be subject to the terms and conditions of the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and the form of agreement approved by the Board. Your equity incentive award will be subject to a vesting condition. The award will vest over four years based on your continuing to provide services to the Company. No right to any shares will be earned or accrued until such time as they have become fully vested. In addition, the grant of equity awards and subsequent vesting will not confer any additional right to continued vesting or employment or modify in any way the “at will” status of the employment relationship.

The Company generally structures RSU vesting to ensure that the vesting dates occur during an open trading window under the Company’s Insider Trading Policy. However, the Company cannot provide any assurance that the trading window will be open when RSUs vest as the Company may close the trading window at any time if it determines appropriate. Twenty five percent (25%) of the shares subject to RSUs will vest during the first February, May, August, or November to occur following the first anniversary of your employment. For example, if your first date of employment was January 5, 2011, twenty five percent (25%) of your shares would be expected to vest during February 2012. Thereafter, RSUs will vest on a quarterly basis over the remaining three years, with all vesting dates falling in February, May, August, or November.

Other Employment Terms

The Company is excited about your joining and looks forward to a beneficial and productive relationship. Nevertheless, you should be aware that your employment with the Company is for no specified period and constitutes at-will employment. As a result, you are free to resign at any time, for any reason or for no reason. Similarly, the Company is free to conclude its employment relationship with you at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. We request that, in the event of resignation, you give the Company at least two weeks notice.


Page 3    LOGO

 

For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to the Company documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Such documentation must be provided to us within three (3) business days of the effective date of your employment, or our employment relationship with you may be terminated. If you anticipate you may have immigration issues, please advise us now so that we may start to investigate those issues prior to your effective date.

MaxLinear conducts post offer background checks on all candidates. These are done by a 3 rd party vendor. All offers however, are contingent upon successfully completing the required background check which may include areas such as employment verification, degree verification, civil, criminal and DMV record search. Once begun, the background check may take up to 5 business days to be completed. You will be sent information on this background check process once you accept the offer of employment with the Company.

We also ask that, if you have not already done so, you disclose to the Company any agreements relating to your prior employment that may affect your eligibility to be employed by the Company or that may limit the manner in which you may be employed. It is our understanding that any such agreements will not prevent you from performing the duties of your position, and you represent that such is the case. Moreover, you agree that, during the term of your employment with the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, occupation, consulting or other business activity directly related to the business in which the Company is now involved or becomes involved during the term of your employment, nor will you engage in any other activities that conflict with your obligations to the Company. Similarly, you agree not to bring any third party confidential information to the Company, including that of any former employer, and that in performing your duties for the Company you will not in any way utilize any such information.

As a condition of your employment, you are also required to sign and comply with an At-Will Employment, Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement which requires, among other provisions, the assignment of patent and other intellectual property rights to any invention made during your employment at the Company, non-disclosure of the Company’s proprietary information, and arbitration of disputes between you and the Company. Please note that we must receive this signed agreement on or before your effective date.

To accept the Company’s employment proposal, please sign and date the Acceptance Form attached to this letter; and, to maintain the confidentiality of compensation information, return a copy of ONLY the Acceptance Form page to Kate Cook via email at kcook@maxlinear.com . This letter, along with any agreements relating to proprietary rights between you and the Company, sets forth the terms of your employment with the Company and supersedes any prior representations or agreements including, but not limited to, any representations made during your recruitment, interviews or pre-employment negotiations, whether written or oral. This letter may not be modified or amended except by a written agreement signed by the President of the Company and you.


Page 4    LOGO

 

This offer of employment will terminate if it is not accepted, signed and returned by Approximately 3 Days from Offer, November 9, 2012 . We look forward to your favorable reply and to working with you at MaxLinear, Inc.

Sincerely,

FOR MAXLINEAR, INC.

/s/ Adam Spice

Adam Spice

Chief Financial Officer

/s/ Kathi Guiney

Kathi Guiney

Vice President, Human Resources


Page 5    LOGO

 

OFFER ACCEPTANCE FORM

The terms of the letter dated November 9, 2012 are agreed to and accepted:

Printed Name:                     William G. Torgerson

Signature:                             /s/ William G. Torgerson

Date:                                     11/9/12

Anticipated Start Date: 11/12/12

Enclosures: Please initial receipt and review of the following:

  1. MaxLinear Mission Statement Initials: /s/ WGT

 

  2. 2011 Benefits Guide Initials: /s/ WGT

EXHIBIT 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements (Form S-8 No. 333-165770, 333-172418, and 333-180666) pertaining to the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan of MaxLinear, Inc. of our reports dated February 6, 2013, with respect to the consolidated financial statements and schedule of MaxLinear, Inc., and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of MaxLinear, Inc., included in this Annual Report (Form 10-K) of MaxLinear, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2012.

 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Orange County, California

February 6, 2013

EXHIBIT 31.1

Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D., certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Form 10-K of MaxLinear, Inc.;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) for the registrant and have:

 

  a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

  b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

  c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

  d Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

  a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

  b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: February 6, 2013   

/s/    KISHORE SEENDRIPU, PH.D

   Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D.
   President and Chief Executive Officer
   (Principal Executive Officer)

EXHIBIT 31.2

Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Adam C. Spice, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Form 10-K of MaxLinear, Inc.;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) for the registrant and have:

 

  a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

  b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

  c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

  d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

  a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

  b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: February 6, 2013   

/s/    ADAM C. SPICE

   Adam C. Spice
   Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
   (Principal Financial Officer)

EXHIBIT 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D., certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Annual Report of MaxLinear, Inc. on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of MaxLinear, Inc.

 

Date: February 6, 2013   By:  

/s/    KISHORE SEENDRIPU, PH.D

  Name:    Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D.
  Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

I, Adam C. Spice, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Annual Report of MaxLinear, Inc. on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of MaxLinear, Inc.

 

Date: February 6, 2013   By:  

/s/    ADAM C. SPICE

  Name:    Adam C. Spice
  Title:   Vice President and Chief Financial Officer