Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the results and balances of the Company’s majority-owned joint ventures, Intuitive Surgical-Fosun Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Intuitive Surgical-Fosun (HongKong) Co., Ltd. (collectively, the “Joint Venture”) with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Fosun Pharma”). The Company holds a controlling financial interest in the Joint Venture, and the noncontrolling interest is reflected as a separate component of the consolidated stockholders’ equity. The noncontrolling interest’s share of the earnings in the Joint Venture is presented separately in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021. Common Stock Split Shares issued pursuant to the three-for-one stock split (the “Stock Split”) of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock, par value $0.001 per share, were distributed on October 4, 2021, to stockholders of record as of September 27, 2021. All share and per-share information presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the Stock Split. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The accounting estimates that require management’s most significant, complex, and subjective judgments include the valuation and recognition of investments, the standalone selling prices used to allocate the contract consideration to the individual performance obligations, the valuation of inventory, the valuation of and assessment of the recoverability of intangible assets and goodwill, the recognition and measurement of current and deferred income taxes, including the measurement of uncertain tax positions, and the estimates for legal contingencies. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates. Concentrations of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties The carrying amounts for financial instruments consisting of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to their short maturities. Marketable securities and derivative instruments are stated at their estimated fair values, based on quoted market prices for the same or similar instruments. The counterparties to the agreements relating to the Company’s investment securities and derivative instruments consist of various major corporations, financial institutions, municipalities, and government agencies of high credit standing. The Company’s accounts receivable are primarily derived from billings related to revenue arrangements with customers and distributors located throughout the world. The Company performs credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and, generally, requires no collateral from its customers. The Company provides reserves for potential credit losses but has not experienced significant losses to date. As of December 31, 2023, and 2022, 65% and 60%, respectively, of accounts receivable were from domestic customers. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, domestic revenue accounted for 66%, 67%, and 67% of total revenue, respectively, while outside of the U.S. (“OUS”) revenue accounted for 34%, 33%, and 33%, respectively, of total revenue for each of the years then ended. The Company’s future results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected by macroeconomic and geopolitical factors in the U.S. and globally, including the supply chain environment, inflationary pressure, higher interest rates, instability in the global financial markets, significant disruptions in the commodities’ markets as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, labor shortages, the introduction of or changes in tariffs, trade barriers, or regulatory requirements, and uncertain or reduced demand, as well as the impact of any initiatives or programs that the Company may undertake to address financial and operational challenges faced by its customers. Supply chain constraints continued to show improvement through 2023 based on fewer market constraints. Notably, supply of semiconductor materials rebounded while certain residual stresses remain. Additionally, prices of such materials remain elevated due to either market demand or production-related cost inflation. With higher interest rates, access to credit may become more difficult, and any insolvency of certain suppliers, including sole- and single-sourced suppliers, may heighten continuity risks. The Company is actively engaged in activities to seek to mitigate the impact of any supply chain disruptions on the Company’s operations. Global shortages in important components have resulted in, and will continue to cause, inflationary cost pressure in the Company’s supply chain. To date, these supply chain challenges have not materially impacted the Company’s results of operations or ability to deliver products and services to its customers. However, supply constraints with certain materials, which may be unavoidable, could delay the timing of our product deliveries, which could result in deferred or canceled procedures. Additionally, if inflationary pressures in component costs persist, the Company may not be able to quickly or easily adjust pricing, reduce costs, or implement countermeasures. Also, there is continued uncertainty surrounding the impact of any monetary policy changes taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks to address the structural risks associated with inflation. Fluctuations in labor availability globally, including labor shortages and staff burnout and attrition, could also impact the Company’s ability to hire and retain personnel critical to its manufacturing, logistics, and commercial operations. The Company is also highly dependent on the principal members of its management and scientific staff. The loss of critical members of the Company’s team, or its inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, could significantly harm its operations, business, and ability to compete. A number of hospitals continue to experience challenges with staffing and cost pressures that could affect their ability to provide patient care; however, the staffing challenges have shown signs of improvement during the second half of 2023, relative to the first half of 2023 and to the prior year. Additionally, hospitals are facing significant financial pressure as supply chain constraints and inflation drive up operating costs, higher interest rates make access to credit more expensive, unrealized losses decrease available cash reserves, and fiscal stimulus programs enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic wind down. Hospitals may also be adversely affected by the liquidity concerns in the broader financial services industry that could result in delayed access or loss of access to uninsured deposits or loss of their ability to draw on existing credit facilities involving a troubled or failed financial institution. To the extent macroeconomic conditions remain challenging, it is likely that hospitals’ spend on capital equipment will be adversely impacted. In addition, as overall competition for medical technologies, including robotic-assisted devices and other treatment options, progresses in various markets, longer selling cycles and pricing pressures are likely to result. As of the date of issuance of these Consolidated Financial Statements, the extent to which these macroeconomic factors may materially adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, or results of operations is uncertain. The Company maintains the majority of its cash and cash equivalents in accounts with major U.S. and multi-national financial institutions, and our deposits exceed insured limits. Market conditions could impact the viability of these institutions. To date, these market conditions and liquidity concerns have not impacted our results of operations. However, in the event of the failure of any of the financial institutions where we maintain our cash and cash equivalents, there can be no assurance that we would be able to access uninsured funds in a timely manner or at all. Any inability to access or delay in accessing these funds could adversely affect our business and financial position. The Company is also subject to additional risks and uncertainties due to COVID-19. When COVID-19 infection rates have spiked in a particular region in the past, procedure volumes were often negatively impacted and the diagnoses of new conditions and their related treatments were sometimes deferred. The Company’s customers may divert resources to treat COVID-19 patients and defer some elective surgical procedures, both of which may impact the Company’s customers’ ability to meet their obligations, including to the Company. The severity of the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s business will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the extent and severity of the impact on the Company’s customers, which is uncertain and cannot be predicted. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity from the date of purchase of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. Restricted Cash As of December 31, 2023, and 2022, the Company had $20.0 million and $19.5 million, respectively, of restricted cash primarily associated with its insurance programs. Restricted cash was included in prepaids and other current assets and intangible and other assets, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Investments Available-for-sale debt securities. The Company’s investments may consist of money market funds, U.S. treasury and U.S. government agency securities, high-quality corporate notes and bonds, commercial paper, non-U.S. government agency securities, and taxable and tax-exempt municipal notes. The Company has designated all investments as available-for-sale and, therefore, the investments are subject to periodic impairment under the available-for-sale debt security impairment model. Available-for-sale debt securities in an unrealized loss position are written down to fair value through a charge to interest and other income, net, if the Company intends to sell the security or it is more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. The Company evaluates the remaining securities to determine what amount of the excess, if any, is caused by expected credit losses. A decline in fair value attributable to expected credit losses is recorded to interest and other income, net, while any portion of the loss related to non-credit factors is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). For securities sold prior to maturity, the cost of the securities sold is based on the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses on the sale of investments are recorded in interest and other income, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Investments with remaining maturities at the date of purchase greater than 90 days and remaining maturities as of the reporting period of less than one year are classified as short-term investments. Investments with remaining maturities greater than one year are classified as long-term investments. Equity investments. The Company holds equity investments with readily determinable fair values and equity investments without readily determinable fair values. The Company recognizes equity investments with readily determinable fair values at the quoted market price with changes in value recorded in interest and other income, net. The Company generally recognizes equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. Fair Value Measurements The Company measures the fair value of money market funds, certain U.S. treasury securities, and equity investments with readily determinable value based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets as Level 1 securities. Marketable securities measured at fair value using Level 2 inputs are, or have been, primarily comprised of commercial paper, corporate notes and bonds, U.S. and non-U.S. government agencies, municipal notes, and equity investments without readily determinable value. The Company reviews trading activity and pricing for these investments as of the measurement date. When sufficient quoted pricing for identical securities is not available, the Company uses market pricing and other observable market inputs for similar securities obtained from various third-party data providers. These inputs either represent quoted prices for similar assets in active markets or have been derived from observable market data. This approach results in the Level 2 classification of these securities within the fair value hierarchy. Inventory Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventory costs include direct materials, direct labor, and normal manufacturing overhead. The cost basis of the Company’s inventory is reduced for any products that are considered excessive or obsolete based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Additionally, the cost basis of the Company’s inventory does not include any unallocated fixed overhead costs associated with abnormally low utilization of its factories. Property, Plant, and Equipment Property, plant, and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally, as follows: Useful Lives Building Up to 30 years Building improvements Up to 15 years Leasehold improvements Lesser of useful life or term of lease Equipment and furniture 5 years Operating lease assets Greater of lease term or 1 to 5 years Computer and office equipment 3 to 5 years Enterprise-wide software 5 to 8 years Purchased software Lesser of 3 years or life of license Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, was $382 million, $326 million, and $280 million, respectively. Capitalized Software Costs for Internal Use The Company capitalizes direct costs associated with developing or obtaining internal use software, including enterprise-wide business software, which are incurred during the application development stage. These capitalized costs are recorded as capitalized software within property, plant, and equipment. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post-implementation activities are expensed as incurred. Once the software is ready for its intended use, amounts capitalized are amortized over an estimated useful life of up to 8 years on a straight-line basis. Implementation Costs in a Cloud Computing Arrangement The Company capitalizes qualified implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract for which it is the customer in accordance with the requirements for capitalizing costs incurred to develop internal-use software. These capitalized implementation costs are recorded within intangible and other assets, net, and are generally amortized over the fixed, non-cancellable term of the associated hosting arrangement on a straight-line basis. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company recognized $10.2 million, $6.4 million, and $2.9 million of amortization expense associated with capitalized implementation costs, respectively. Business Combinations The Company accounts for business acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations . This standard requires the acquiring entity in a business combination to recognize the assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree using acquisition-date fair values. Certain provisions of this standard prescribe, among other things, the determination of acquisition-date fair value of consideration paid in a business combination, including contingent consideration. The excess of the acquisition-date fair value of consideration paid over the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Acquisition-related costs are recognized separately from the business combination and are expensed as incurred. The Company includes the results of operations of the businesses that are acquired as of the acquisition date. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized but are tested for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter, or if circumstances indicate their value may no longer be recoverable. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net identifiable assets and liabilities. The Company continues to operate in one segment, which is considered to be the sole reporting unit and, therefore, goodwill was tested for impairment at the enterprise level. Intangible assets are carried at cost, net of accumulated amortization. The Company does not have intangible assets with indefinite useful lives other than goodwill. Amortization is recorded on a straight-line basis over the intangible assets’ useful lives, which range from approximately 3 to 9 years. Impairment of Long-lived Assets The Company evaluates long-lived assets, which include finite-lived intangible and tangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparing the net book value to the future undiscounted cash flows attributable to such assets. The Company recognizes an impairment charge equal to the amount by which the net book value exceeds its fair value. No material impairment losses were incurred in the periods presented. Revenue Recognition The Company’s revenue consists of product revenue, resulting from the sale of systems, system components, and instruments and accessories, and service revenue. The Company accounts for a contract with a customer when there is a legally enforceable contract between the Company and its customer, the rights of the parties are identified, the contract has commercial substance, and the collectability of the contract consideration is probable. The Company’s revenues are measured based on the consideration specified in the contract with each customer, net of any sales incentives and taxes collected from customers that are remitted to government authorities. The Company’s system sale arrangements generally contain multiple products and services. For these bundled sale arrangements, the Company accounts for individual products and services as separate performance obligations if they are a distinct product or service that is separately identifiable from other items in bundled packages and if a customer can benefit from the product or service on its own or with other resources that are readily available to the customer. The Company’s system sale arrangements include a combination of the following performance obligations: system(s); system components; system accessories; instruments; accessories; and system service. The Company’s system sale arrangements generally include a five-year period of service. The first year of service is generally free and included in the system sale arrangement, and the remaining four years are generally included at a stated service price. The Company considers the service terms in the arrangements that are legally enforceable to be performance obligations. Other than service, the Company generally satisfies all of the performance obligations at a point in time. System components, system accessories, instruments, accessories, and service are also sold on a stand-alone basis. For multiple-element arrangements, revenue is allocated to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. Standalone selling prices are based on observable prices at which the Company separately sells the products or services. If a standalone selling price is not directly observable, then the Company estimates the standalone selling price considering market conditions and entity-specific factors including, but not limited to, features and functionality of the products and services, geographies, and type of customer. The Company regularly reviews standalone selling prices and updates these estimates, as necessary. The Company recognizes revenue as the performance obligations are satisfied by transferring control of the product or service to a customer. The Company generally recognizes revenue for the performance obligations in the following manner: System sales. For systems (including system components and system accessories) sold directly to end customers, revenue is recognized when the Company transfers control to the customer, which is generally at the point when acceptance occurs that indicates customer acknowledgment of delivery or installation, depending on the terms of the arrangement. For systems sold through distributors, revenue is recognized generally at the time of shipment. The Company’s system arrangements generally do not provide a right of return. The systems are generally covered by a one-year warranty. Warranty costs were not material for the periods presented. Instruments and accessories. Revenue from sales of instruments and accessories is recognized when control is transferred to the customers, which generally occurs at the time of shipment but also could occur at the time of delivery, depending on the customer arrangement. The Company generally allows its customers in the normal course of business to return unused products for a limited period of time subsequent to the initial purchase and records an allowance against revenue for estimated returns. Service. Service revenue is recognized over the term of the service period, as the customer benefits from the services throughout the service period. Revenue related to services performed on a time-and-materials basis is recognized when performed. The Company offers its customers the opportunity to trade in their older systems for a credit towards the purchase of a newer generation system. Such trade-in or upgrade transactions are separately negotiated based on the circumstances at the time of the trade-in or upgrade, based on the then-fair value of the system, and are generally not based on any pre-existing rights granted by the Company. Accordingly, such trade-ins and upgrades are not considered separate performance obligations in the arrangement for a system sale. The Company generally does not provide specified-price trade-in rights or upgrade rights at the time of a system purchase; however, when they are provided, it is typically a specified trade-in credit that declines over time and requires the customer to enter into a new purchase agreement to exercise the right. The Company accounts for such rights as guarantees and, first, reduces the total consideration by the fair value of the guarantee; the remaining consideration is then allocated to each performance obligation. The liability associated with these guarantees was not material for any of the years presented. Traded-in systems can generally be reconditioned and resold. The Company accounts for the fair value of the traded-in system in the total consideration in the arrangement for the purchase of the newer generation system. When there is no market for the traded-in units, no value is assigned. The value of the traded-in units is reported as a component of inventory until resold or otherwise disposed. In addition, customers may also have the opportunity to add additional features to their systems at a price that is separately negotiated, for example, by adding a second surgeon console for use with the da Vinci surgical system. Revenue is recognized when the component level features are provided and all revenue recognition criteria are met. Assets Recognized from the Costs to Obtain a Contract with a Customer The Company has determined that certain sales incentives provided to the Company’s sales team are required to be capitalized when the Company expects to generate future economic benefits from the related revenue-generating contracts subsequent to the initial system sales transaction. When determining the economic life of the contract acquisition assets recognized, the Company considers historical contract renewal rates, expectations of future contract renewals, and other factors that could impact the economic benefits that the Company expects to generate from the relationship with its customers. The amounts capitalized as contract acquisition costs, which are included in intangible and other assets, net in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, were $89.3 million and $72.3 million as of December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The Company did not incur any impairment losses during the periods presented. Intuitive System Leasing The Company enters into lease arrangements with certain qualified customers. Leases have terms that generally range from 24 to 84 months and are usually collateralized by a security interest in the underlying assets. The Company also leases systems to certain qualified customers under usage-based arrangements that have terms of up to 84 months. For these usage-based lease arrangements, the lease fee is generally billed monthly in arrears based on a contractual per-use fee, and usage is generally defined as the number of procedures performed with the system. Revenue related to multiple-element arrangements are allocated to lease and non-lease elements based on their relative standalone selling prices as prescribed by the Company’s revenue recognition policy. Lease elements generally include a system or system component, while non-lease elements generally include service. For some lease arrangements, customers are provided with the right to purchase the leased system at some point during and/or at the end of the lease term. Except for usage-based lease arrangements, lease arrangements generally do not provide rights for the customers to exit or terminate the lease without incurring a penalty. Certain lease arrangements may also include upgrade rights that allow customers to upgrade the leased system to newer technology at some point during the lease term. Generally, these upgrade rights do not specify the terms, including the price or structure of the future upgrade transactions, as those terms are negotiated based on the circumstances at the time of the upgrade, including the then-fair value of the system as well as other factors. In determining whether a transaction should be classified as a sales-type or operating lease (whether fixed-payment or usage-based), the Company considers the following terms at lease commencement: (1) whether title of the system transfers automatically or for a nominal fee by the end of the lease term; (2) whether the present value of the minimum lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the leased system; (3) whether the lease term is for the major part of the remaining economic life of the leased system; (4) whether the lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the leased system that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise; and (5) whether the underlying system is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the Company at the end of the lease term. The Company generally recognizes revenue from sales-type lease arrangements at the time the system is accepted by the customer, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Revenue related to lease elements from sales-type leases is presented as product revenue. Revenue related to lease elements from fixed-payment operating lease arrangements is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is presented as product revenue. Revenue related to lease elements from usage-based arrangements is recognized as the customers utilize the systems and is presented as product revenue. Other Leasing Arrangements The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. For arrangements where the Company is the lessee, operating leases are included in intangible and other assets, net, other accrued liabilities, and other long-term liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023. The Company currently does not have any finance leases. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date. ROU assets also include any initial direct costs incurred and any lease payments made at or before the lease commencement date, less lease incentives received. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the lease liabilities, as the Company does not have insight into the inputs necessary to calculate the implicit rate of the leases. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate when the Company is reasonably certain the option will be exercised. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company also has lease arrangements with lease and non-lease components. The Company elected the practical expedient not to separate non-lease components from lease components for the Company’s real estate and automobile leases. Additionally, the Company applied a portfolio approach to effectively account for the operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities for the Company’s automobile leases. The Company also elected to apply the short-term lease measurement and recognition exemption in which ROU assets and lease liabilities are not recognized for leases with terms of 12 months or less. Credit Losses Trade accounts receivable. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. For the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, bad debt expense was not material. Net investment in sales-type leases. The Company enters into sales-type leases with certain qualified customers to purchase its systems. Sales-type leases have terms that generally range from 24 to 84 months and are usually collateralized by a security interest in the underlying assets. The allowance for loan loss is based on the Company’s assessment of the current expected lifetime loss on lease receivables. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, age of the lease receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. Lease receivables are considered past due 90 days after invoice. The Company manages the credit risk of the net investment in sales-type leases using a number of factors relating to our customers, including, but not limited to, the following: size of operations; profitability, liquidity, and debt ratios; payment history; and past due amounts. The Company also uses credit scores obtained from external providers as a key indicator for the purposes of determining credit quality. The following table summarizes the amortized cost basis by year of origination and by credit quality for the net investment in sales-type leases as of December 31, 2023 (in millions): 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Prior Net Investment Credit Rating: High $ 39.6 $ 70.2 $ 60.3 $ 24.4 $ 6.5 $ 0.2 $ 201.2 Moderate 37.6 51.4 43.1 22.2 4.5 1.0 159.8 Low 1.5 4.6 3.5 0.8 — 0.2 10.6 Total $ 78.7 $ 126.2 $ 106.9 $ 47.4 $ 11.0 $ 1.4 $ 371.6 For the year ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, credit losses related to the net investment in sale |