Balance Sheet: Assets

The balance sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company resources (assets) and its sources of capital (its equity and liabilities). It normally also provides information about the future earnings capacity of a company assets as well as an indication of cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.

Assets are resources controlled by the company as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity.

Twitter Inc., consolidated balance sheet: assets

US$ in thousands

	Dec 31, 2021	Dec 31, 2020	Dec 31, 2019	Dec 31, 2018	Dec 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	2,186,549)	1,988,429)	1,799,082)	1,894,444)	1,638,413)
Short-term investments	4,207,133)	5,483,873)	4,839,970)	4,314,957)	2,764,689)
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	1,217,404)	1,041,743)	850,184)	788,700)	664,268)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	266,484)	123,063)	130,839)	112,935)	254,514)
Assets held for sale	40,800)	—)	—)	—)	—)
Current assets	7,918,370)	8,637,108)	7,620,075)	7,111,036)	5,321,884)
Property and equipment, net	2,082,160)	1,493,794)	1,031,781)	885,078)	773,715)
Operating lease right-of-use assets	1,195,124)	930,139)	697,095)	—)	—)
Intangible assets, net	69,324)	58,338)	55,106)	45,025)	49,654)
Goodwill	1,301,520)	1,312,346)	1,256,699)	1,227,269)	1,188,935)
Deferred tax assets, net	1,148,573)	796,326)	1,908,086)	808,459)	10,455)
Other assets	344,445)	151,039)	134,547)	85,705)	67,834)
Long-term assets	6,141,146)	4,741,982)	5,083,314)	3,051,536)	2,090,593)
Total assets	14,059,516)	13,379,090)	12,703,389)	10,162,572)	7,412,477)

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2018-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2017-12-31).

The financial data reveals several notable trends in the company's asset structure between 2017 and 2021. Overall, total assets increased steadily, reflecting growth from approximately $7.41 billion to about $14.06 billion over the five-year period. This represents an overall expansion of nearly 90%.

Liquidity and Short-term Assets: Cash and cash equivalents showed a consistent upward trend, rising from $1.64 billion in 2017 to $2.19 billion in 2021. Short-term investments increased substantially in the initial years, peaking near $5.48 billion in 2020 before declining to $4.21 billion in 2021, indicating some reallocation of liquid resources or portfolio adjustments.; Accounts receivable followed a steady growth pattern, increasing from $664 million to approximately $1.22 billion, signifying expanded sales or increased credit extended to customers. Prepaid expenses and other current assets fluctuated but more than doubled from 2019 to 2021, reaching $266 million, which may suggest growth in upfront payments or prepaid operational costs.; The emergence of "Assets held for sale" reported only in 2021 at $41 million indicates potential divestiture activities or reclassification of certain assets.; Current assets overall grew from $5.32 billion to nearly $7.92 billion, reflecting enhanced short-term resource availability, with a dip in 2021 partly driven by the decrease in short-term investments.
Long-term Assets: Property and equipment assets exhibited robust growth, increasing steadily each year from $774 million to over $2.08 billion. This expansion likely corresponds to investment in physical infrastructure or technological assets.; Operating lease right-of-use assets were introduced in 2019, growing from $697 million to $1.20 billion by 2021, signifying increased recognition of lease assets under applicable accounting standards.; Intangible assets showed moderate growth, from around $50 million to nearly $69 million, indicating some accumulation of non-physical assets such as intellectual property.; Goodwill increased gradually until 2020, peaking at roughly $1.31 billion, with a slight decline in 2021 to about $1.30 billion, which could reflect impairment or adjustments in acquisition accounting.; Deferred tax assets demonstrated significant volatility; jumping from $10 million in 2017 to over $1.9 billion in 2019, then declining before partially recovering to $1.15 billion in 2021. This suggests variable tax position impacts or deferred tax recognition patterns related to operational performance or tax strategies.; Other assets also grew consistently, more than quadrupling from $68 million to $344 million, contributing to the increase in long-term assets, which overall expanded from $2.09 billion to $6.14 billion during the period.
Summary: The company has experienced strong growth in both current and long-term assets over five years, nearly doubling its total assets. Increased cash reserves and property investments indicate financial strengthening and capacity expansion, while fluctuations in deferred tax assets and short-term investments suggest active management of fiscal and liquidity positions.; The recognition of operating lease assets since 2019 aligns with changes in lease accounting standards, reflecting updated reporting rather than operational changes alone. The presence of assets held for sale in the latest period might indicate strategic portfolio realignment.

Assets: Selected Items

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Current Assets: Selected Items

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Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR)

Balance Sheet: Assets

Assets: Selected Items

Current Assets: Selected Items