Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Restructuring and Other Special Charges, Net

v3.6.0.2
Restructuring and Other Special Charges, Net
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]  
Restructuring and Other Special Charges, Net
Restructuring and Other Special Charges, Net
2015 Restructuring Plan
In the third quarter of 2015, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (2015 Restructuring Plan) focused on its ongoing efforts to simplify its business and better align resources around its priorities and business outlook. The 2015 Restructuring Plan involves a reduction of global headcount by approximately 5% and includes organizational actions such as outsourcing certain IT services and application development. During 2015, the Company recorded a $37 million restructuring charge, which consisted of $27 million for severance and benefit costs, $1 million for facilities-related costs and $9 million for intangible asset-related charges. The actions associated with the 2015 Restructuring Plan will be completed by the end the first quarter of 2017.
The following table provides a summary of the restructuring activities during 2016 and the related liabilities recorded in Other current liabilities and Other long-term liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016:
 
Severance
and related
benefits
 
Other exit
related
costs
 
Total
 
(In millions)
Balance as of December 26, 2015
$
14

 
$

 
$
14

Charges (reversals), net
(1
)
 

 
(1
)
Cash payments
(10
)
 

 
(10
)
Balance as of December 31, 2016
$
3

 
$

 
$
3


2014 Restructuring Plan
In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (2014 Restructuring Plan) designed to improve operating efficiencies. The 2014 Restructuring Plan involved a reduction of global headcount by approximately 6% and an alignment of its real estate footprint with its reduced headcount. The Company recorded a $57 million restructuring charge in the fourth quarter of 2014, which consisted of $44 million for severance and costs related to the continuation of certain employee benefits, $6 million for contract or program termination costs, $1 million for facilities-related costs and $6 million for asset impairments, a non-cash charge. During 2015, the Company recorded a $16 million restructuring charge, which consisted of $5 million non-cash charge related to asset impairments, $2 million for severance and related benefits and $9 million for facilities-related costs. The 2014 Restructuring Plan was completed during the third quarter of 2015.
The following table provides a summary of the restructuring activities during 2016 and the related liabilities recorded in Other current liabilities and Other long-term liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016:
 
Severance
and related
benefits
 
Other exit
related
costs
 
Total
 
(In millions)
Balance as of December 26, 2015
$
5

 
$
15

 
$
20

Charges (reversals), net
(2
)
 
(7
)
 
(9
)
Cash payments
(1
)
 
(6
)
 
(7
)
Balance as of December 31, 2016
$
2

 
$
2

 
$
4


Dense Server Systems Business Exit
As a part of the Company’s strategy to simplify and sharpen its investment focus, the Company exited the dense server systems business, formerly SeaMicro, in the first quarter of 2015. As a result, the Company recorded a charge of $76 million in “Restructuring and other special charges, net” on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations during 2015. This charge consisted of an impairment charge of $62 million related to the acquired intangible assets. The Company concluded that the carrying value of the acquired intangible assets associated with its dense server systems business was fully impaired as the Company did not have plans to utilize the related freedom fabric technology in any of its future products nor did it have any plans at that time to monetize the associated intellectual property. In addition, the exit charge consisted of a $7 million non-cash charge related to asset impairments, $4 million of severance and related benefits and $3 million for contract or program termination costs. The Company substantially completed this exit activity during the second quarter of 2016.
Executive Officer Separation
In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company recorded other special charges of $13 million. The amount primarily included $10 million due to the departure of the Company’s former CEO, of which $5 million was related to cash and $5 million was related to stock-based compensation expense. The amount is recorded under “Restructuring and other special charges, net” on the consolidated statements of operations.