10-Q 1 a2062093z10-q.htm 10-Q Prepared by MERRILL CORPORATION
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-Q


(Mark One)


/x/

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

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2001

OR

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

For the transition period from                to               

Commission File Number 000-26565

TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)
  77-0407364
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

3900 Freedom Circle
Santa Clara, California 95054
(Address of Principal Executive Office including (Zip Code)

(408) 567- 3000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)



(Former name, former address and former fiscal year if changed since last report)

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 /x/  No / /

27,210,658 shares of the Registrant's common stock were outstanding as of October 19, 2001.




TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC.

FORM 10-Q

For The Quarter Ended September 30, 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I. Financial Information    
 
Item 1.

 

Financial Statements

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

1

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

2

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

 

3

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

4
 
Item 2.

 

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

 

8
 
Item 3.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

22

PART II. Other Information

 

 
 
Item 1.

 

Legal proceedings

 

23
 
Item 2.

 

Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

23
  Item 3.   Defaults upon Senior Securities   23
  Item 4.   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders   23
  Item 5.   Other Information   23
  Item 6.   Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K   23
  Signature   24


PART I. Financial Information


    Item 1. Financial Statements


TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands)
Unaudited

 
  September 30, 2001
  December 31, 2000
 
ASSETS              
Current assets:              
  Cash and cash equivalents   $ 6,889   $ 12,651  
  Short-term investments     4,065     23,864  
  Accounts receivable, net     1,210     2,266  
  Inventories     11,449     3,320  
  Prepaid expenses and other current assets     663     1,082  
   
 
 
  Total current assets     24,276     43,183  

Property and equipment, net

 

 

2,779

 

 

3,666

 
Other assets     380     262  
   
 
 
  Total assets   $ 27,435   $ 47,111  
   
 
 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY              
Current liabilities:              
  Accounts payable   $ 5,295   $ 3,927  
  Current portion of capital lease obligations     349      
  Accrued expenses     1,376     2,290  
  Deferred distributor revenue     555     806  
   
 
 
  Total current liabilities     7,575     7,023  
   
 
 
Capital lease obligations     349      
   
 
 
Stockholders' equity:              
  Common stock     27     26  
  Additional paid-in capital     156,137     158,533  
  Deferred stock-based compensation     (2,176 )   (7,369 )
  Accumulated deficit     (134,477 )   (111,102 )
   
 
 
Total stockholders' equity     19,511     40,088  
   
 
 
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $ 27,435   $ 47,111  
   
 
 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

1



TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
Unaudited

 
  Three months ended
September 30,

  Nine months ended
September 30,

 
 
  2001
  2000
  2001
  2000
 
Revenue   $ 3,172   $ 2,641   $ 10,284   $ 5,365  
Cost of revenue     2,274     3,370     9,366     7,432  
   
 
 
 
 
Gross profit (loss)     898     (729 )   918     (2,067 )
   
 
 
 
 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  Research and development     3,579     6,867     16,933     18,800  
  Selling, general and administrative     2,181     3,020     7,368     11,487  
  Restructuring and other charges     684         684      
   
 
 
 
 
Total operating expenses     6,444     9,887     24,985     30,287  
   
 
 
 
 
Loss from operations     (5,546 )   (10,616 )   (24,067 )   (32,354 )
Interest and other income, net     64     527     692     950  
   
 
 
 
 
Net loss   $ (5,482 ) $ (10,089 ) $ (23,375 ) $ (31,404 )
   
 
 
 
 
Basic and diluted net loss per share   $ (0.20 ) $ (0.47 ) $ (0.87 ) $ (2.13 )
   
 
 
 
 
Number of shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share     27,202     21,383     26,934     14,767  
   
 
 
 
 

Stock-based compensation included in:

 
  Three months ended
September 30,

  Nine months ended
September 30,

 
  2001
  2000
  2001
  2000
Cost of revenue   $ (259 ) $ 19   $ (111 ) $ 68
Research and development     (1,136 )   1,613     206     6,677
Selling, general and administrative     201     864     796     5,370
   
 
 
 
Total stock-based compensation   $ (1,194 ) $ 2,496   $ 891   $ 12,115
   
 
 
 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

2



TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
Unaudited

 
  Nine months ended September 30,
 
 
  2001
  2000
 
Cash flows from operating activities:              
  Net loss   $ (23,375 ) $ (31,404 )
  Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:              
    Depreciation and amortization     1,661     740  
    Restructuring and other charges     520      
    Loss on disposal of equipment     182      
    Allowance for doubtful accounts         120  
    Stock-based compensation     891     12,115  
    Forgiveness of stockholder notes receivable         738  
    Issuance of common stock warrants         58  
    Changes in assets and liabilities:              
      Accounts receivable     1,056     (1,096 )
      Inventories     (8,129 )   149  
      Prepaid expenses and other assets     272     (970 )
      Accounts payable     1,368     3,653  
      Accrued expenses     (914 )   1,023  
      Deferred distributor revenue     (251 )   (515 )
   
 
 
        Net cash used in operating activities     (26,719 )   (15,389 )
   
 
 
Cash flows from investing activities:              
  Purchase of short-term investments     (13,065 )    
  Sale of short-term investments     32,864     6,835  
  Purchase of property and equipment     (640 )   (1,737 )
   
 
 
        Net cash provided by investing activities     19,159     5,098  
   
 
 
Cash flows from financing activities:              
  Proceeds from issuance of common stock     1,907     46,386  
  Principal payments on capital lease obligations     (109 )    
   
 
 
        Net cash provided by financing activities     1,798     46,386  
   
 
 
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents     (5,762 )   36,095  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period     12,651     9,568  
   
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period   $ 6,889   $ 45,663  
   
 
 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

3



Tripath Technology Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)

    1.  Basis of Presentation  

    The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, which in the opinion of management are necessary to state fairly the Company's financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. Results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2001 are not necessarily indicative of the results of the entire year. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and such differences may be material to the financial statements.

    The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned Japanese subsidiary, which was incorporated in January 2001. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

    The Company believes that, taking into account its recent cost cutting measures and its anticipated future burn rate, its existing cash and cash equivalent balances, together with cash generated by its operations, if any, will be sufficient to meet its operating requirements until the second quarter of 2002. However, the Company is seeking to raise additional capital through public or private financings, strategic relationships or other arrangements in order to provide more flexibility in terms of funding its operations. The Company is attempting to finance its future capital needs through some combination of debt or equity financing, strategic alliance, increased product sales and other alternatives, however, there has been a significant contraction in the availability of debt and equity financing in the semiconductor sector in which the Company operates. Moreover, additional equity financing, if available, would likely be dilutive to the holders of its common stock, and debt financing, if available, would likely involve restrictive covenants. The Company cannot be certain that any such financing will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If the Company cannot raise sufficient additional capital, it would adversely affect its ability to achieve its business objectives and to continue as a going concern.

    2.  Restructuring and other charges  

    On August 3, 2001 the Company announced a restructuring and cost reduction plan which included a workforce reduction and write down of assets no longer used. As a result of the restructuring and cost reduction plan, the Company recorded restructuring and other charges of $684,000 during the quarter ended September 30, 2001.

    Under the restructuring and cost reduction plan, the Company reduced its workforce by approximately 40 employees across all functions and mostly located at its headquarters facility in Santa Clara, California. The workforce reduction resulted in a $164,000 charge relating primarily to severance and fringe benefits. The Company also wrote down assets no longer used for a charge of $520,000. The Company expects to substantially complete the implementation of its restructuring plan during the next three months.

4


    A summary of the restructuring and other charges is as follows (in thousands):

 
  Total charges
  Non-cash charges
  Cash payments
  Restructuring liability at
September 30, 2001

Work force reduction   $ 164,000   $   $ 131,000   $ 33,000
Write-down of assets no longer used     520,000     520,000            
   
 
 
 
    $ 684,000   $ 520,000   $ 131,000   $ 33,000
   
 
 
 

    3.  Net loss per share  

    Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss available to common stockholders for the period by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed based on the weighted average number of common stock and dilutive potential common stock outstanding. The calculation of diluted net loss per share excludes potential common stock if the effect is anti-dilutive. Potential common stock consist of incremental common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options and warrants.

    A total of 6,579,000 and 6,014,000 shares of potential common stock were not included in the diluted net loss per share calculation for three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2001, respectively, because to do so would be anti-dilutive. For the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000, 7,678,000 and 7,908,000 shares of potential common stock were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share because they were anti-dilutive.

    The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share for the three and nine-month periods presented (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 
  Three months ended
September 30

  Nine months ended
September 30

 
 
  2001
  2000
  2001
  2000
 
Numerator:                          
  Net loss   $ (5,482 ) $ (10,089 ) $ (23,375 ) $ (31,404 )
   
 
 
 
 
Denominator:                          
  Weighted average common stock     27,202     21,383     26,934     14,767  
   
 
 
 
 
Net loss per share:                          
  Basic and diluted   $ (0.20 ) $ (0.47 ) $ (0.87 ) $ (2.13 )
   
 
 
 
 

    4.  Deferred stock-based compensation  

    In connection with certain employee stock option grants and issuance of restricted stock to an officer made since January 1998, the Company recognized deferred stock-based compensation, which is being amortized over the vesting periods of the related options and stock, generally four years, using an accelerated basis. Future compensation charges are subject to reduction for any employee who terminates employment prior to such employee's option vesting date.

    The Company has granted options to purchase shares of common stock to consultants in exchange for services. The Company determined the value of the options granted to consultants based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model.

5


    The following table sets forth, for each of the periods presented, the deferred stock-based compensation recorded and the amortization of deferred stock-based compensation (in thousands):

 
  Three months ended
September 30

  Nine months ended
September 30

 
  2001
  2000
  2001
  2000
Deferred stock-based compensation   $ (693 ) $ (396 ) $ (2,153 ) $ 11,237
Amortization of deferred stock-based compensation   $ 955   $ 2,496   $ 4,015   $ 12,115
Credits related to forfeitures   $ (2,149 ) $   $ (3,124 ) $

    Unamortized deferred stock-based compensation at September 30, 2001 and December 31, 2000 was $2,176,000 and $7,369,000, respectively.

    5.  Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments  

    The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on deposit with banks, money market funds and commercial paper, bonds and notes, the fair value of which approximates cost.

    The Company categorizes short-term investments as available-for-sale. Accordingly, these investments are carried at fair value. The fair value of these securities approximates cost, and there were no material unrealized gains or losses as of September 30, 2001 or December 31, 2000. Short-term investments generally have maturities of less than one year from the date of purchase.

    6.  Inventories  

    Inventories are comprised of the following (in thousands):

 
  September 30,
2001

  December 31,
2000

Raw materials   $ 4,915   $ 1,927
Work-in-process     370     340
Finished goods     5,724     358
Inventory held by distributors     440     695
   
 
Total   $ 11,449   $ 3,320
   
 

    7.  Recent Accounting Pronouncements  

    In July 2001, the FASB issued FASB Statements Nos. 141 and 142 (FAS 141 and FAS 142), "Business Combinations" and "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets." FAS 141 replaces APB 16 and eliminates pooling-of-interests accounting prospectively. It also provides guidance on purchase accounting related to the recognition of intangible assets and accounting for negative goodwill. FAS 142 changes the accounting for goodwill from an amortization method to an impairment-only approach. Under FAS 142, goodwill will be tested annually and whenever events or circumstances occur indicating that goodwill might be impaired. FAS 141 and FAS 142 are effective for all business combinations completed. Upon adoption of FAS 142, amortization of goodwill after June 30, 2001 recorded for business combinations consummated prior to July 1, 2001 will cease, and intangible assets acquired prior to July 1, 2001 that do not meet the criteria for recognition under FAS 141 will be reclassified to goodwill. Companies are required to adopt FAS 142 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001, but early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt FAS 142 on January 1, 2002, the beginning of fiscal 2002. In connection with the adoption of FAS 142, the Company will be required to perform a transitional goodwill impairment assessment. The Company has not yet determined the impact these standards will have on its financial position and results of operations, although it does not anticipate

6


that the adoption of these standards will have a material impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

    In June 2001, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 143 (FAS 143), "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations". FAS 143 requires that the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation be realized in the period which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. Companies are required to adopt FAS 143 for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002, but early adoption is encouraged. The Company has not yet determined the impact this standard will have on its financial position and results of operations, although it does not anticipate that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

    In August 2001, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 144 (FAS 144). "Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived Assets". FAS 144 supercedes FASB Statement No. 121, Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of, and the accounting and reporting provisions of APB Opinion No. 30, Reporting the Results of Operations—Reporting the Effects of Disposal of a Segment of a Business, and Extraordinary, Unusual and Infrequently Occurring Events and Transactions, for the disposal of a segment of a business (as previously defined in that Opinion). This Statement also amends ARB No. 51, Consolidated Financial Statements, to eliminate the exception to consolidation for a subsidiary for which control is likely to be temporary. Companies are required to adopt FAS 144 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001, and interim periods within those fiscal years, but early adoption is encouraged. The Company has not yet determined the impact this standard will have on its financial position and results of operations, although it does not anticipate that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

7



Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

    This report contains certain forward looking statements (as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) and information relating to the Company that are based on the beliefs of management of the Company as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management of the Company. In addition, when used in this report, the words "will," "believe," "expect," "intend," "plan," and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to the Company or the management of the Company, may identify forward looking statements. Such statements reflect the judgment of the Company as of the date of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q with respect to future events, the outcome of which are subject to certain risks, including those factors set forth below and in the "Risk Factors" section, which may have a significant impact on the Company's business, operating results or financial condition. These risks and uncertainties include risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our quarterly operating results; reliance on a small number of customers; our lengthy sales cycle; customer cancellations and deferrals (even from backlog); the current downturn in the semiconductor industry; the volume of product sales and pricing concessions on certain product sales; and the timing requirements of our customers with respect to new product introductions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results or outcomes may vary materially from those described herein. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are uncertain. In addition, the recent terrorist attacks on the United States, possible responses by the U.S. government, the effects on consumer demand, the financial markets, product supply and distribution and other conditions increase the uncertainty inherent in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the expectations of the Company at the time they are made, and investors should rely on them only as expressions of opinion about what may happen in the future and only at the time they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Although the Company believes it has an appropriate business strategy and the resources necessary for its operations, future revenue and margin trends cannot be reliably predicted and the Company may alter its business strategies to address changing conditions.

    The following discussion and analysis should be read in connection with the condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in Item 1 in this Quarterly Report and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000.

Overview

    We design and sell amplifiers based on our proprietary Digital Power Processing technology. We are supplying amplifiers for audio electronics applications, and we have begun offering amplifiers for DSL applications. We were incorporated in July 1995, and we began shipping products in the first quarter of 1998. Accordingly, we have limited historical financial information and operating history upon which you may evaluate us and our prospects. We incurred net losses of approximately $23.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2001, $41.3 million in 2000, $31.7 million in 1999 and $33.7 million in 1998. We expect to continue to incur net losses and these losses may be significant.

    We sell our products to original equipment manufacturers and distributors. We recognize revenue from product sales upon shipment to original equipment manufacturers and end users, net of sales returns and allowances. Our sales to distributors are made under arrangements allowing for returns or credits under certain circumstances and we defer recognition on sales to distributors until products are resold by the distributor to the end user. All of our sales are made in U.S. dollars.

    We currently use independent suppliers to manufacture, test and assemble all of our products. Cost of revenue includes third party manufacturing, test and assembly costs as well as salaries and overhead costs associated with employees engaged in activities related to manufacturing. Research and

8


development expense consists primarily of salaries and related overhead costs associated with employees engaged in research, design and development activities as well as the cost of wafers, which are ultra-thin cross-sections of semiconductor material on which integrated circuits are located, and other materials and related services used in the development process. Selling, general and administrative expense consists primarily of employee compensation and related overhead expenses and advertising and marketing expenses.

    Stock-based compensation expense relates both to stock-based employee and consultant compensation arrangements. Employee-related stock-based compensation expense is based on the difference between the estimated fair value of our common stock on the date of grant and the exercise price of options to purchase that stock and is being recognized on an accelerated basis over the vesting periods of the related options, usually four years, or in the case of fully vested options, in the period of grant. Consultant stock-based compensation expense is based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Future compensation charges will be reduced if any employee or consultant terminates employment or consultation prior to the expiration of the option vesting period. Stock-based compensation expense was a net credit during the quarter ended September 30, 2001 due to forfeitures related to the reduction in workforce.

Results of Operations

Three months ended September 30, 2001 and 2000

    Revenue.  Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2001 was $3.2 million, an increase of $600,000 from revenues of $2.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2000. The increase in revenue resulted primarily from increased shipments of our TA2022 digital audio amplifiers.

    Sales to Solectron Technology (formerly Natsteel Electronics Ltd.), a subcontractor for Apple Computer, and Komatsu Semiconductor Corporation, a distributor for Sony Corporation and Aiwa, accounted for approximately, 28.9% and 39.5%, respectively, of revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2001 and 35.8% and 55.1%, respectively, in the corresponding prior year quarter. Sales to our five largest customers represented approximately 90.2% of revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2001 and 97.3% of revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2000.

    Gross Profit (Loss).  Gross profit for the three months ended September 30, 2001 was $898,000 (including stock-based compensation credit of $259,000), compared with a gross loss of $729,000 (including stock-based compensation expense of $19,000) for the three months ended September 30, 2000.

    The gross loss for the three months ended September 30, 2000 reflected inventory reserves and accruals relating to a price concession made to Komatsu (for sales to Sony Corporation) in order to accelerate the acceptance and introduction of a product in a new market segment. The improvement of the gross profit for the three months ended September 30, 2001 was due to a combination of changes in the product mix, increased shipments of products related to new design wins, ongoing cost reduction efforts and the reduction of inventory reserves related to inventory sold during the quarter.

    Research and Development.  Research and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2001 were $3.6 million (including stock-based compensation credit of $1.1 million), a decrease of $3.3 million from $6.9 million (including stock-based compensation expense of $1.6 million) for the three months ended September 30, 2000. The year-over-year decrease for the three-month periods resulted from a decrease in personnel costs due to lower headcount and a decrease in product development expenses.

    Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.  Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2001 were $2.2 million (including stock-based compensation of

9


$201,000), a decrease of $0.8 million from $3.0 million (including stock-based compensation expense of $864,000) for the three months ended September 30, 2000. The year-over-year decrease resulted from lower headcount and related costs for the three months ended September 30, 2001.

    Restructuring and other charges.  On August 3, 2001 we announced a restructuring and cost reduction plan which included a workforce reduction and write down of assets no longer used. As a result of the restructuring and cost reduction plan, we recorded restructuring and other charges of $684,000 during the quarter ended September 30, 2001. Under the restructuring and cost reduction plan, we reduced our workforce by approximately 40 employees across all functions and mostly located at our headquarters facility in Santa Clara, California. The workforce reduction resulted in a $164,000 charge relating primarily to severance and fringe benefits. We also wrote down assets no longer used for a charge of $520,000. We expect to substantially complete the implementation of our restructuring plan during the next three months.

    Interest and other income, net.  Interest and other income, net for the three months ended September 30, 2001 was $64,000, a decrease of $463,000 from $527,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2000. The year-over-year decrease for the three-month periods reflected a decrease in our cash equivalents and short-term investments, due to ongoing operations.

Nine months ended September 30, 2001 and 2000

    Revenue.  Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 was $10.3 million, an increase of $4.9 million from revenues of $5.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. The increase in revenue resulted from an increase in sales of our TA2020, TA2022 and TA1101 digital audio amplifiers.

    Sales to Solectron Technology (formerly Natsteel Electronics Ltd.), a subcontractor for Apple Computer, and Komatsu Semiconductor Corporation, a distributor for Sony Corporation and Aiwa, accounted for approximately 20.7% and 45.0%, respectively, of revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2001 and 17.5% and 56.2%, respectively, in the corresponding prior year period. Sales to our five largest customers represented approximately 91.6% of revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2001 and 89.3% of revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2000.

    Gross Profit (Loss).  Gross profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 was $918,000 (including stock-based compensation credit of $111,000), compared with a gross loss of $2.1 million (including stock-based compensation expense of $68,000) for the nine months ended September 30, 2000.

    The gross loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2000 reflected inventory reserves and accruals relating to a price concession made to Komatsu (for sales to Sony Corporation) in order to accelerate the acceptance and introduction of a product in a new market segment. The improvement in the gross profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 was due to a combination of changes in the product mix, increased shipments of products related to new design wins, ongoing cost reduction efforts and the reduction of inventory reserves related to inventory sold during the period.

    Research and Development.  Research and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 were $16.9 million (including stock-based compensation expense of $206,000), a decrease of $1.9 million from $18.8 million (including stock-based compensation expense of $6.7 million) for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. The year-over-year decrease for the nine month periods resulted from a decrease in personnel costs due to lower headcount and a decrease in product development expenses.

    Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.  Selling, general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 were $7.4 million (including stock-based compensation expense

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of $796,000), a decrease of $4.1 million from $11.5 million (including stock-based compensation expense of $5.4 million) for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. Excluding stock-based compensation, selling general and administrative expenses increased in 2001 due to increased headcount and related costs, partially offset by a one-time charge related to forgiveness of stockholder notes receivable in April 2000.

    Restructuring and other charges.  On August 3, 2001 we announced a restructuring and cost reduction plan which included a workforce reduction and write down of assets no longer used. As a result of the restructuring and cost reduction plan, we recorded restructuring and other charges of $684,000 during the quarter ended September 30, 2001. Under the restructuring and cost reduction plan, we reduced our workforce by approximately 40 employees across all functions and mostly located at our headquarters facility in Santa Clara, California. The workforce reduction resulted in a $164,000 charge relating primarily to severance and fringe benefits. We also wrote down assets no longer used for a charge of $520,000. We expect to substantially complete the implementation of our restructuring plan during the next three months.

    Interest and other income, net.  Interest and other income, net for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 was $692,000, a decrease of $258,000 from $950,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. The year-over-year decrease for the nine month periods reflected a decrease in our cash equivalents and short-term investments, due to ongoing operations.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

    Since our inception, we have financed our operations through the private sale of our equity securities, primarily the sale of preferred stock and through our initial public offering on August 1, 2000. Net proceeds to the company as a result of our initial public offering were approximately $45.4 million.

    Net cash used by operating activities increased to $26.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 from $15.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. The increase was due to an increase in inventories.

    Cash provided by investing activities increased to $19.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 from $5.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. The increase was due to the sale of short-term investments.

    Cash provided by financing activities decreased to $1.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2001 from $46.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2000. The $46.4 million provided by financing activities in the prior year period includes the net proceeds to the company as result of an initial public offering.

    We believe that, taking into account our recent cost cutting measures and our anticipated future burn rate, our existing cash and cash equivalent balances, together with cash generated by our operations, if any, will be sufficient to meet our operating requirements until the second quarter of 2002. However, we are seeking to raise additional capital through public or private financings, strategic relationships or other arrangements in order to provide more flexibility in terms of funding our operations. We are attempting to finance our future capital needs through some combination of debt or equity financing, strategic alliance, increased product sales and other alternatives, however, there has been a significant contraction in the availability of debt and equity financing in the semiconductor sector in which we operate. Moreover, additional equity financing, if available, would likely be dilutive to the holders of our common stock, and debt financing, if available, would likely involve restrictive covenants. We cannot be certain that any such financing will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we cannot raise sufficient additional capital, it would adversely affect our ability to achieve our business objectives and to continue as a going concern.

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

    In July 2001, the FASB issued FASB Statements Nos. 141 and 142 (FAS 141 and FAS 142), "Business Combinations" and "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets." FAS 141 replaces APB 16 and eliminates pooling-of-interests accounting prospectively. It also provides guidance on purchase accounting related to the recognition of intangible assets and accounting for negative goodwill. FAS 142 changes the accounting for goodwill from an amortization method to an impairment-only approach. Under FAS 142, goodwill will be tested annually and whenever events or circumstances occur indicating that goodwill might be impaired. FAS 141 and FAS 142 are effective for all business combinations completed. Upon adoption of FAS 142, amortization of goodwill after September 30, 2001 recorded for business combinations consummated prior to July 1, 2001 will cease, and intangible assets acquired prior to July 1, 2001 that do not meet the criteria for recognition under FAS 141 will be reclassified to goodwill. Companies are required to adopt FAS 142 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001, but early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt FAS 142 on January 1, 2002, the beginning of fiscal 2002. In connection with the adoption of FAS 142, the Company will be required to perform a transitional goodwill impairment assessment. The Company has not yet determined the impact these standards will have on its financial position and results of operations, although we do not anticipate that the adoption of these standards will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

    In June 2001, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 143 (FAS 143), "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations". FAS 143 requires that the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation be realized in the period which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. Companies are required to adopt FAS 143 for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002, but early adoption is encouraged. The Company has not yet determined the impact this standard will have on its financial position and results of operations, although we do not anticipate that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

    In August 2001, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 144 (FAS 144). "Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived Assets". FAS 144 supercedes FASB Statement No. 121, Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of, and the accounting and reporting provisions of APB Opinion No. 30, Reporting the Results of Operations—Reporting the Effects of Disposal of a Segment of a Business, and Extraordinary, Unusual and Infrequently Occurring Events and Transactions, for the disposal of a segment of a business (as previously defined in that Opinion). This Statement also amends ARB No. 51, Consolidated Financial Statements, to eliminate the exception to consolidation for a subsidiary for which control is likely to be temporary. Companies are required to adopt FAS 144 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001, and interim periods within those fiscal years, but early adoption is encouraged. The Company has not yet determined the impact this standard will have on its financial position and results of operations, although we do not anticipate that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

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Risk Factors

Risks Related to our Business

Failure to raise additional capital will have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate as a going concern.

    Because we have had losses and only a nominal amount of cash has been generated from operations, we have funded our operating activities to date from the sale of securities. We believe that, taking into account our recent cost cutting measures and anticipated future burn rate, our existing cash and cash equivalent balances, together with cash generated by our operations, if any, will be sufficient to meet our operating requirements until the second quarter of 2002. However, we are seeking to raise additional capital to provide more flexibility in terms of funding our operations. We cannot be certain that any such financing will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Moreover, additional equity financing, if available, would likely be dilutive to the holders of our common stock, and debt financing, if available, would likely involve restrictive covenants. If we cannot raise sufficient additional capital, it would adversely affect our ability to achieve our business objectives and to continue as a going concern.

Our limited operating history and dependence on new technologies make it difficult to evaluate our future products.

    We were incorporated in July 1995 but did not begin shipping products until 1998. Many of our products have only recently been introduced. Accordingly, we have limited historical financial information and operating history upon which you may evaluate us and our products. Our prospects must be considered in the light of the risks, challenges and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in their early stage of development, particularly companies in intensely competitive and rapidly evolving markets such as the semiconductor industry. We cannot be sure that we will be successful in addressing these risks and challenges.

We have a history of losses, expect future losses and may never achieve or sustain profitability.

    As of September 30, 2001, we had an accumulated deficit of $134.5 million. We incurred net losses of approximately $23.4 million for nine moths ended September 30, 2001 and $41.3 million in 2000, $31.7 million in 1999 and $33.7 million in 1998. We expect to continue to incur net losses and these losses may be substantial. Furthermore, we expect to generate significant negative cash flow in the future. We will need to generate substantially higher revenue to achieve and sustain profitability and positive cash flow. Our ability to generate future revenue and achieve profitability will depend on a number of factors, many of which are described throughout this section. If we are unable to achieve or maintain profitability, we will be unable to build a sustainable business. In this event, our share price and the value of your investment would likely decline.

Our quarterly operating results are likely to fluctuate significantly and may fail to meet the expectations of securities analysts and investors, which may cause our share price to decline.

    Our quarterly operating results have fluctuated significantly in the past and are likely to continue to do so in the future. The many factors that could cause our quarterly results to fluctuate include:

    level of sales;
    mix of high and low margin products;
    availability and pricing of wafers;
    timing of introducing new products, including lower cost versions of existing products; fluctuations in manufacturing yields and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of products; and

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    rate of development of target markets.

    A large portion of our operating expenses, including salaries, rent and capital lease expenses, are fixed. If we experience a shortfall in revenues relative to our expenses, we may be unable to reduce our expenses quickly enough to off set the reduction in revenues during that accounting period, which would adversely affect our operating results.

    Fluctuations in our operating results may also result in fluctuations in our common stock price. If the market price of our stock is adversely affected, we may experience difficulty in raising capital or making acquisitions. In addition, we may become the object of securities class action litigation.

    As a result, we do not believe that period-to-period comparisons of our revenues and operating results are necessarily meaningful. You should not rely on the results of any one quarter as an indication of future performance.

Our customers may cancel or defer product orders, which could result in excess inventory.

    Our sales are generally made pursuant to individual purchase orders that may be canceled or deferred by customers on short notice without significant penalty. Thus, orders in backlog may not result in future revenue. In the past we have had cancellations and deferrals by customers. Any cancellation or deferral of product orders could result in us holding excess inventory, which could seriously harm our profit margins and restrict our ability to fund our operations. We recognize revenue upon shipment of products to the end customer. Although we have not experienced customer refusals to accept shipped products or material difficulties in collecting accounts receivable, such refusals or collection difficulties could result in significant charges against income, which could seriously harm our revenues and our cash flow.

Industry-wide overcapacity has caused and may continue to cause our results to fluctuate and such shifts could result in significant inventory write-downs and adversely affect our relationships with our suppliers.

    We must build inventory well in advance of product shipments. Because the semiconductor industry is highly cyclical and in light of the current downturn, which has resulted in excess capacity and overproduction, there is a risk that we will forecast inaccurately and produce excess inventories of our products. As a result of such inventory imbalances, future inventory write-downs may occur due to lower of cost or market accounting, excess inventory or inventory obsolescence. In addition, any adjustment in our ordering patterns resulting from increased inventory may adversely affect our suppliers' willingness to meet our demand, if our demand increases in the future.

Our product shipment patterns make it difficult to predict our quarterly revenues.

    As is common in our industry, we frequently ship more products in the third month of each quarter than in either of the first two months of the quarter, and shipments in the third month are higher at the end of that month. This pattern is likely to continue. The concentration of sales in the last month of the quarter may cause our quarterly results of operations to be more difficult to predict. Moreover, if sufficient business does not materialize or a disruption in our production or shipping occurs near the end of a quarter, our revenues for that quarter could be materially reduced.

We rely on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue and a decrease in revenue from these customers could seriously harm our business.

    A relatively small number of customers have accounted for a significant portion of our revenues to date. Any reduction or delay in sales of our products to one or more of these key customers could seriously reduce our sales volume and revenue. In particular, sales to Solectron Technology (formerly Natsteel Electronics Corp.), a subcontractor for Apple Computer and Komatsu Semiconductor Corporation, the purchasing agent for Sony Corporation and Aiwa, accounted for 20.7% and 45.0%,

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respectively, of total revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2001 and 17.5% and 56.2%, respectively, of total revenue in 2000. Moreover, sales to our five largest customers represented approximately 91.6% of our total revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2001, 89.3% of our revenue in 2000 and 80.8% of our revenue in 1999. We expect that we will continue to rely on the success of our largest customers and on our success in selling our existing and future products to those customers in significant quantities. We cannot be sure that we will retain our largest customers or that we will be able to obtain additional key customers.

We currently rely on sales of three products for a significant portion of our revenue, and the failure of these products to be successful in the future could substantially reduce our sales.

    We currently rely on sales of our TA2020, TA2022 and TA1101 digital audio amplifiers to generate a significant portion of our revenue. Sales of these products amounted to 94.4% of our revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2001, 92.8% of our revenue in 2000 and 52.6% of our revenue in 1999. We have developed additional products and plan to introduce more products in the future but there can be no assurance that these products will be commercially successful. Consequently, if our existing products are not successful, our sales could decline substantially.

Our lengthy sales cycle makes it difficult for us to predict if or when a sale will be made and to forecast our revenue and budget expenses, which may cause fluctuations in our quarterly results.

    Because of our lengthy sales cycles, we may experience a delay between increasing expenses for research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative efforts, as well as increasing investments in inventory, and the generation of revenue, if any, from such expenditures. In addition, the delays inherent in such lengthy sales cycle raise additional risks of customer decisions to cancel or change product plans, which could result in the loss of anticipated sales by us. Our new products are generally incorporated into our customers' products or systems at the design stage. To endeavor to have our products selected for design into new products of current and potential customers, commonly referred to as design wins, often requires significant expenditures by us without any assurance of success. Once we have achieved a design win, our sales cycle will start with the test and evaluation of our products by the potential customer and design of the customer's equipment to incorporate our products. Generally, different parts have to be redesigned in order to incorporate our devices successfully into our customers' products. The sales cycle for the test and evaluation of our products can range from a minimum of three to six months, and it can take a minimum of an additional six to nine months before a customer commences volume production of equipment that incorporates our products. Achieving a design win provides no assurance that such customer will ultimately ship products incorporating our products or that such products will be commercially successful. Our revenue or prospective revenue would be reduced if a significant customer curtails, reduces or delays orders during our sales cycle, or chooses not to release products incorporating our products.

The current downturn in the semiconductor industry has lead and may continue to lead to decreased revenue.

    During 2001, slowing worldwide demand for semiconductors has resulted in significant inventory buildups for semiconductor companies. Presently, we have no visibility regarding how long the semiconductor industry downturn will last or how severe the downturn will be. If the downturn continues or worsens, we may experience greater levels of cancellations and/or pushouts of orders for our products in the future.

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We may experience difficulties in the introduction of new or enhanced products that could result in significant, unexpected expenses or delay their launch, which would harm our business.

    Our failure or our customers' failure to develop and introduce new products successfully and in a timely manner would seriously harm our ability to generate revenues. Consequently, our success depends on our ability to develop new products for existing and new markets, introduce such products in a timely and cost-effective manner and to achieve design wins. The development of these new devices is highly complex, and from time to time we have experienced delays in completing the development and introduction of new products. The successful introduction of a new product may currently take up to 18 months. Successful product development and introduction depends on a number of factors, including:

    accurate prediction of market requirements and evolving standards;
    accurate new product definition;
    timely completion and introduction of new product designs;
    availability of foundry capacity;
    achieving acceptable manufacturing yields; and
    market acceptance of our products and our customers' products.

If we are unable to retain key personnel, we might not be able to operate our business successfully.

    We may not be successful in retaining executive officers and other key management and technical personnel. The competition for such employees is intense, particularly in Silicon Valley and particularly for experienced mixed-signal circuit designers, systems applications engineers and experienced executive personnel. A high level of technical expertise is required to support the implementation of our technology in our existing and new customers' products. In addition, the loss of the management and technical expertise of Dr. Adya Tripathi, our founder, president and chief executive officer, could seriously harm us. We do not have any employment contracts with our employees.

Our headquarters, as well as the facilities of our principal manufacturers and customers are located in geographic regions with increased risks of power supply failure, natural disasters, labor strikes and political unrest.

    Our headquarters is located in Santa Clara, California, an area on or near a known earthquake fault within the state. In addition, businesses within the State of California are currently experiencing a shortage of available electrical power which has resulted in electrical blackouts. In the event these blackouts continue or increase in severity, they could disrupt the operations of our facilities within the state.

    Our principal manufacturers and customers are located in the Pacific Rim region. The risk of earthquakes in this region, particularly in Taiwan, is significant due to the proximity of major earthquake fault lines. Earthquakes, fire, flooding and other natural disasters in the Pacific Rim region likely would result in the disruption of our foundry partners' assembly and testing capacity and the ability of our customers to purchase our products. Labor strikes or political unrest in these regions would likely also disrupt operations of our foundries and customers. In particular, there is a recent history of political unrest between China and Taiwan. Any disruption resulting from such events could cause significant delays in shipments of our products until we are able to shift our manufacturing, assembly and testing from the affected contractor to another third party vendor. We cannot be sure that such alternative capacity could be obtained on favorable terms, if at all. Moreover, any such disruptions could also cause significant decreases in our sales to these customers until our customers resume normal purchasing volumes.

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Risks Related to Manufacturing

We depend on two outside foundries for our semiconductor device manufacturing requirements.

    We do not own or operate a fabrication facility, and substantially all of our semiconductor device requirements are currently supplied by two outside foundries, United Microelectronics Corporation, or UMC, in Taiwan and STMicroelectronics Group in Europe. Although we primarily utilize these two outside foundries, most of our components are not manufactured at both foundries at any given time. As a result, each foundry is a sole source for certain products. There are significant risks associated with our reliance on outside foundries, including:

    the lack of guaranteed wafer supply;

    limited control over delivery schedules, quality assurance and control, manufacturing yields and production costs; and

    the unavailability of or delays in obtaining access to key process technologies.

    In addition, the manufacture of integrated circuits is a highly complex and technologically demanding process. Although we work closely with our foundries to minimize the likelihood of reduced manufacturing yields, our foundries have from time to time experienced lower than anticipated manufacturing yields, particularly in connection with the introduction of new products and the installation and start-up of new process technologies.

    We provide our foundries with continuous forecasts of our production requirements; however, the ability of each foundry to provide us with semiconductor devices is limited by the foundry's available capacity. In many cases, we place our orders on a purchase order basis, and foundries may allocate capacity to the production of other companies' products while reducing the deliveries to us on short notice. In particular, foundry customers that are larger and better financed than us or that have long-term agreements with our foundries may cause such foundries to reallocate capacity in a manner adverse to us.

    If we use a new foundry, several months would be typically required to complete the qualification process before we can begin shipping products from the new foundry. In the event either of our current foundries suffers any damage or destruction to their respective facilities, or in the event of any other disruption of foundry capacity, we may not be able to qualify alternative manufacturing sources for existing or new products in a timely manner. Even our current outside foundries would need to have certain manufacturing processes qualified in the event of disruption at another foundry, which we may not be able to accomplish in a timely enough manner to prevent an interruption in supply of the affected products.

    If we encounter shortages or delays in obtaining semiconductor devices for our products in sufficient quantities when required, delivery of our products could be delayed, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and decreased revenues.

We depend on third-party subcontractors for most of our semiconductor assembly and testing requirements and any unexpected interruption in their services could cause us to miss scheduled shipments to customers and to lose revenues.

    Semiconductor assembly and testing are complex processes, which involve significant technological expertise and specialized equipment. As a result of our reliance on third-party subcontractors for assembly and testing of our products, we cannot directly control product delivery schedules, which has in the past, and could in the future, result in product shortages or quality assurance problems that could increase the costs of manufacture, assembly or testing of our products. Almost all of our products are assembled and tested by one of five subcontractors: AMBIT Microsystems Corporation in Taiwan, ST Assembly Test Services Ltd. in Singapore, Amkor Technology, Inc. in the Philippines, ASE in Korea

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and ISE Labs Assembly in the United States. We do not have long-term agreements with any of these suppliers and retain their services on a per order basis. The availability of assembly and testing services from these subcontractors could be adversely affected in the event a subcontractor suffers any damage or destruction to their respective facilities, or in the event of any other disruption of assembly and testing capacity. Due to the amount of time normally required to qualify assemblers and testers, if we are required to find alternative manufacturing assemblers or testers of our components, shipments could be delayed. Any problems associated with the delivery, quality or cost of our products could seriously harm our business.

Failure to transition our products to increasingly smaller semiconductor chip sizes and packaging could cause us to lose our competitive advantage and reduce our gross margins.

    We evaluate the benefits, on a product-by-product basis, of migrating to smaller semiconductor process technologies in order to reduce costs and have commenced migration of some products to smaller semiconductor processes. We believe that the transition of our products to increasingly smaller semiconductor processes will be important for us to reduce manufacturing costs and to remain competitive. Moreover, we are dependent on our relationships with our foundries to migrate to smaller semiconductor processes successfully. We cannot be sure that our future process migrations will be achieved without difficulties, delays or increased expenses. Our gross margins would be seriously harmed if any such transition is substantially delayed or inefficiently implemented.

Our international operations subject us to risks inherent in doing business on an international level that could harm our operating results.

    We currently obtain almost all of our manufacturing, assembly and test services from suppliers located outside the United States and may expand our manufacturing activities abroad. Approximately 95.4% of our total revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2001 was derived from sales to independent customers based outside the United States. In 2000 and 1999, 93.1% and 94.6%, respectively, of our total revenue was derived from sales to independent customers based outside of the United States. In addition, we often ship products to our domestic customers' international manufacturing divisions and subcontractors. Accordingly, we are subject to risks inherent in international operations, which include:

    political, social and economic instability;

    trade restrictions and tariffs;

    the imposition of governmental controls;

    exposure to different legal standards, particularly with respect to intellectual property;

    import and export license requirements;

    unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

    difficulties in collecting receivables;

    potentially adverse tax consequences; and

    disruptions in air traffic.

        All of our international sales to date have been denominated in U.S. dollars. As a result, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could make our products less competitive in international markets. Conversely, a decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies would increase the cost of our overseas manufacturing, which would reduce our gross margins.

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Risks Related to our Product Lines

Our ability to achieve revenue growth will be harmed if we are unable to persuade electronic systems manufacturers to adopt our new amplifier technology.

    We face difficulties in persuading manufacturers to adopt our products using our new amplifier technology. Traditional amplifiers use design approaches developed in the 1930s. These approaches are still used in most amplifiers and engineers are familiar with these design approaches. In order to adopt our products, manufacturers and engineers must understand and accept our new technology. To take advantage of our products, manufacturers must redesign their systems, particularly components such as the power supply and heat sinks. Manufacturers must work with their suppliers to obtain modified components and they often must complete lengthy evaluation and testing. In addition, our amplifiers are often more expensive as components than traditional amplifiers. For these reasons, prospective customers may be reluctant to adopt our technology.

We currently depend on high-end consumer audio markets that are typically characterized by aggressive pricing, frequent new product introductions and intense competition.

    A substantial portion of our current revenue is generated from sales of products that address the high-end consumer audio markets, including home theater, computer audio, and the automotive audio markets. These markets are characterized by frequent new product introductions, declining prices and intense competition. Pricing in these markets is aggressive, and we expect pricing pressure to continue. In the computer audio segment, our success depends on consumer awareness and acceptance of existing and new products by our customers and consumers in particular, the elimination of externally-powered speakers. In the automotive audio segment, we face pressure from our customers to deliver increasingly higher-powered solutions under significant engineering limitations due to the size constraints in car dashboards. In addition, our ability to obtain prices higher than the prices of traditional amplifiers will depend on our ability to educate manufacturers and their customers about the benefits of our products. Failure of our customers and consumers to accept our existing or new products will seriously harm our operating results.

If we are not successful in developing and marketing new and enhanced products for the DSL high speed communications markets that keep pace with technology and our customers' needs, our operating results will suffer.

    The market for our DSL products is new and emerging, and is characterized by rapid technological advances, intense competition and a relatively small number of potential customers. This will likely result in price erosion on existing products and pressure for cost-reduced future versions. We are currently sampling and field testing our first product for the DSL market and we have not received any large volume orders. Implementation of our products require manufacturers to accept our technology and redesign their products. If potential customers do not accept our technology or experience problems implementing our devices in their products, our products could be rendered obsolete and our business would be harmed. If we are unsuccessful in introducing future products with enhanced performance, our ability to achieve revenue growth will be seriously harmed.

We may experience difficulties in the introduction of amplifier products for use in the cellular phone market that could result in significant expenses or delay in their launch.

    We are currently developing lines of amplifier products for use in the cellular phone market. We currently have no design wins or customers for these products under development. We may not introduce our amplifier products for the cellular phone market on time, and such products may never achieve market acceptance. Furthermore, competition in these markets is likely to result in price

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reductions, shorter product life cycles, reduced gross margins and longer sales cycles compared with what we have experienced to date.

Intense competition in the semiconductor industry and in the consumer audio and communications markets could prevent us from achieving or sustaining profitability.

    The consumer audio, personal computer, communications and semiconductor industries are highly competitive. We compete with a number of major domestic and international suppliers of semiconductors in the audio and communications markets. We also may face competition from suppliers of products based on new or emerging technologies. Many of our competitors operate their own fabrication facilities and have longer operating histories and presence in key markets, greater name recognition, access to larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, sales and marketing, manufacturing, distribution, technical and other resources than us. As a result, such competitors may be able to adapt more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements or devote greater resources to the promotion and sale of their products than us. Current and potential competitors have established or may establish financial or strategic relationships among themselves or with existing or potential customers, resellers or other third parties. Accordingly, it is possible that new competitors or alliances among competitors could emerge and rapidly acquire significant market share. In addition, existing or new competitors may in the future develop technologies that more effectively address the transmission of digital information through existing analog infrastructures at a lower cost or develop new technologies that may render our technology obsolete. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against our existing or potential competitors, or that our business will not be harmed by increased competition.

Our products are complex and may have errors and defects that are detected only after deployment in customers' products, which may harm our business.

    Products such as those that we offer may contain errors and defects when first introduced or as new versions are released. We have in the past experienced such errors and defects, in particular in the development stage of a new product. Delivery of products with production defects or reliability, quality or compatibility problems could significantly delay or hinder market acceptance of such products, which could damage our reputation and seriously harm our ability to retain our existing customers and to attract new customers. Moreover, such errors and defects could cause problems, interruptions, delays or a cessation of sales to our customers. Alleviating such problems may require substantial redesign, manufacturing and testing which would result in significant expenditures of capital and resources. Despite testing conducted by us, our suppliers and our customers, we cannot be sure that errors and defects will not be found in new products after commencement of commercial production. Such errors and defects could result in additional development costs, loss of, or delays in, market acceptance, diversion of technical and other resources from our other development efforts, product repair or replacement costs, claims by our customers or others against us, or the loss of credibility with our current and prospective customers. Any such event could result in the delay or loss of market acceptance of our products and would likely harm our business.

Downturns in the highly cyclical semiconductor industry and rapid technological change could result in substantial period-to-period fluctuations in wafer supply, pricing and average selling prices which make it difficult to predict our future performance.

    We provide semiconductor devices to the audio, personal computer and communications markets. The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical and subject to rapid technological change and has been subject to significant economic downturns at various times, characterized by diminished product demand, accelerated erosion of average selling prices and production overcapacity. The semiconductor industry also periodically experiences increased demand and production capacity constraints. As a

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result, we have experienced and may experience in the future substantial period-to-period fluctuations in our results of operations due to general semiconductor industry conditions, overall economic conditions or other factors, many of which are outside our control. Due to these risks, you should not rely on period-to-period comparisons to predict our future performance.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property and proprietary rights may be insufficient to protect our competitive position.

    Our business depends, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We rely primarily on patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws to protect our proprietary technologies. We cannot be sure that such measures will provide meaningful protection for our proprietary technologies and processes. As of September 30, 2001, we have eleven issued United States patents, and twenty-eight additional United States patent applications which are pending. In addition, we have four international patents issued and an additional forty-three international patents pending. We cannot be sure that any patent will issue as a result of these applications or future applications or, if issued, that any claims allowed will be sufficient to protect our technology. In addition, we cannot be sure that any existing or future patents will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or that any right granted thereunder would provide us meaningful protection. The failure of any patents to provide protection to our technology would make it easier for our competitors to offer similar products. In connection with our participation in the development of various industry standards, we may be required to agree to license certain of our patents to other parties, including our competitors, that develop products based upon the adopted standards.

    We also generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and strategic partners, and generally control access to and distribution of our documentation and other proprietary information. Despite these precautions, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our products, services or technology without authorization, develop similar technology independently or design around our patents. In addition, effective copyright, trademark and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in certain foreign countries. Some of our customers have entered into agreements with us pursuant to which such customers have the right to use our proprietary technology in the event we default in our contractual obligations, including product supply obligations, and fail to cure the default within a specified period of time.

We may be subject to intellectual property rights disputes that could divert management's attention and could be costly.

    The semiconductor industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights. From time to time, we may receive in the future, notices of claims of infringement, misappropriation or misuse of other parties' proprietary rights. We cannot be sure that we will prevail in these actions, or that other actions alleging infringement by us of third-party patents, misappropriation or misuse by us of third-party trade secrets or the invalidity of one or more patents held by us will not be asserted or prosecuted against us, or that any assertions of infringement, misappropriation or misuse or prosecutions seeking to establish the invalidity of our patents will not seriously harm our business. For example, in a patent or trade secret action, an injunction could be issued against us requiring that we withdraw particular products from the market or necessitating that specific products offered for sale or under development be redesigned. We have also entered into certain indemnification obligations in favor of our customers and strategic partners that could be triggered upon an allegation or finding of our infringement, misappropriation or misuse of other parties' proprietary rights. Irrespective of the validity or successful assertion of such claims, we would likely incur significant costs and diversion of our management and personnel resources with respect to the defense of such claims, which could also seriously harm our business. If any claims or actions are

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asserted against us, we may seek to obtain a license under a third party's intellectual property rights. We cannot be sure that under such circumstances a license would be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Moreover, we often incorporate the intellectual property of our strategic customers into our designs, and we have certain obligations with respect to the non-use and non-disclosure of such intellectual property.

    We cannot be sure that the steps taken by us to prevent our, or our customers', misappropriation or infringement of the intellectual property will be successful.


Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

    The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while at the same time maximizing the income we receive from our investments without significantly increasing risk of loss. Some of the securities that we may invest in the future may be subject to market risk for changes in interest rates. To mitigate this risk, we plan to maintain a portfolio of cash equivalents and short term investments in a variety of securities, which may include commercial paper, money market funds, government and non-government debt securities. Currently, we are exposed to minimal market risks. We manage the sensitivity of our results of operations to these risks by maintaining a conservative portfolio, which is comprised solely of highly-rated, short-term investments. We do not hold or issue derivative, derivative commodity instruments or other financial instruments for trading purposes.

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Part II. Other Information

Item 1. Legal proceedings
None


Item 2. Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds

None


Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities

None


Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

None


Item 5. Other Information

None


Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

(a)
Exhibits

    None

(b)
Reports on Form 8-K

    None

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Signature

    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 undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

    Tripath Technology Inc.

 

 

Date: November 8, 2001
by: /s/ John J. DiPietro

 

 

John J. DiPietro,
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (duly authorized officer and principal financial officer)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) Unaudited
TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except per share data) Unaudited
TRIPATH TECHNOLOGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in thousands) Unaudited
Tripath Technology Inc. Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)