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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

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

For the quarterly period ended MARCH 31, 2003

or

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

For the transition period from ____________________ to ____________________

Commission file number: 0-30141

LIVEPERSON, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

DELAWARE
13-3861628
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)

462 SEVENTH AVENUE, 21ST FLOOR
NEW YORK, NEW YORK

10018
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(212) 609-4200
(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

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  [   ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes  [   ]  No  [X]

As of May 8, 2003, there were 34,162,964 shares of the issuer’s common stock outstanding.



LIVEPERSON, INC.
MARCH 31, 2003
FORM 10-Q
INDEX


    PAGE
PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION 3
 
ITEM 1 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 3
 
  CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS AS OF MARCH 31, 2003
(UNAUDITED) AND DECEMBER 31, 2002
3
 
  UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR
THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2003 AND 2002
4
 
  UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR
THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2003 AND 2002
5
 
  NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
6
 
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
      RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
11
 
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 32
 
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 32
 
PART II OTHER INFORMATION 32
 
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 32
 
ITEM 2. CHANGES IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS 33
 
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES 33
 
ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS 33
 
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION 34
 
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K 34

2


PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1.  CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

LIVEPERSON, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA)

March 31, 2003
  December 31, 2002
   (Unaudited)   (Note 1(B))
 
                                               ASSETS      
Current assets: 
   Cash and cash equivalents  $                    8,383   $                    8,004  
   Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts 
     of $85 and $70 as of March 31, 2003 and December 31, 
     2002, respectively  913   607  
   Prepaid expenses and other current assets  220   299  


     Total current assets  9,516   8,910  
Property and equipment, net  517   595  
Other intangibles, net  760   1,014  
Security deposits  123   124  
Other assets  210   194  


     Total assets  $                  11,126   $                  10,837  


 
               LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 
Current liabilities:      
   Accounts payable  $                       187   $                       136  
   Accrued expenses  1,537   1,837  
   Deferred revenue  1,353   800  


     Total current liabilities  3,077   2,773  


Other liabilities  192   176  
 
Commitments and contingencies      
Stockholders’ equity: 
   Preferred stock, $.001 par value per share; 5,000,000 shares      
     authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding at March 31,      
     2003 and December 31, 2002  --   --  
   Common stock, $.001 par value per share; 100,000,000 
     shares authorized, 34,162,964 shares issued and 
     outstanding at March 31, 2003 and 34,060,881 shares 
     issued and outstanding at December 31, 2002  34   34  
   Additional paid-in capital  113,123   113,061  
 
   Deferred compensation  (18 ) --  
   Accumulated deficit  (105,282 ) (105,199 )
   Accumulated other comprehensive loss  --   (8 )


     Total stockholders' equity  7,857   7,888  


     Total liabilities and stockholders' equity  $                  11,126   $                  10,837  



SEE ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.


3


LIVEPERSON, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA)
UNAUDITED

Three Months Ended
March 31,

 
2003
  2002
 
Revenue   $               2,529   $               1,826  


Operating expenses: 
   Cost of revenue, exclusive of $0 and $2 for the three months ended March      
      31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, reported below as non-cash      
      compensation expense  493   338  
   Product development expense, exclusive of $0 and $0 for the three months 
      ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, reported below as non- 
      cash compensation expense  331   296  
   Sales and marketing expense, exclusive of $0 and $23 for the three months      
      ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, reported below as non-      
      cash compensation expense  727   564  
   General and administrative expense, exclusive of $0 and $77 for the three 
      months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, reported below as 
      non-cash compensation expense  807   671  
   Amortization of intangibles  253   --  
   Non-cash compensation expense, net  6   102  


      Total operating expenses  2,617   1,971  


Loss from operations  (88 ) (145 )


Other income (expense):      
   Other expense  (8 ) --  
   Interest income  13   37  


      Total other income, net  5   37  


Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change  (83 ) (108 )
Cumulative effect of accounting change  --   (5,338 )


Net loss  $                  (83 ) $             (5,446 )


 
Basic and diluted net loss per share: 
   Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change  $               (0.00 ) $               (0.00 )
   Cumulative effect of accounting change  --   (0.16 )


   Net loss  $               (0.00 ) $               (0.16 )


Weighted average shares outstanding used in basic and diluted net loss per 
   share calculation  34,155,869   34,003,610  



SEE ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.


4


LIVEPERSON, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(IN THOUSANDS)
UNAUDITED

Three Months Ended
March 31,

 
2003
  2002
 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:      
    Net loss  $             (83 ) $         (5,446 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:      
      Cumulative effect of accounting change  --   5,338  
      Non-cash compensation expense, net  6   102  
      Depreciation  93   90  
      Amortization of intangibles  253   --  
      Provision for doubtful accounts, net  15   --  
 
CHANGES IN OPERATING ASSETS AND LIABILITIES:      
    Accounts receivable  (321 ) 259  
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets  79   211  
    Security deposits  1   7  
    Other assets  --   (18 )
    Accounts payable  51   (29 )
    Accrued expenses  (300 ) (225 )
    Deferred revenue  553   8  
    Other liabilities  --   17  


      Net cash provided by operating activities  347   314  


 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:      
    Purchases of property and equipment, including capitalized software  (15 ) (16 )
    Proceeds from sale of property and equipment  --   9  


      Net cash used in investing activities  (15 ) (7 )


 
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:      
    Proceeds from issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise of 
      options  39   --  


      Net cash provided by financing activities  39   --  


      Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents  8   --  


      Net increase in cash and cash equivalents  379   307  
    Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period  8,004   10,136  


    Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period  $          8,383   $        10,443  



SEE ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.


5


LIVEPERSON, INC.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA)

(1)  

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES


(A)  

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS


                    LivePerson, Inc. (the “Company” or “LivePerson”) was incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1995. The Company commenced operations in 1996. The Company is a customer relationship management (CRM) application service provider (ASP) that delivers real-time sales, marketing and customer service solutions for companies that conduct business online.

                    The Company’s primary revenue source is from the sale of the LivePerson services, which is conducted within one operating segment. The Company’s product development staff, help desk and online sales support are located in Israel.

(B)  

UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION


                    The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2003 and for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements and reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position of LivePerson as of March 31, 2003, and the consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods ended March 31, 2003 and 2002. The financial data and other information disclosed in these notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements related to these periods are unaudited. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any other future interim period or for a full fiscal year. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2002 has been derived from audited consolidated financial statements at that date.

                    Certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2002, included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2003.

(C)  

REVENUE RECOGNITION


                    The LivePerson services facilitate real-time sales, marketing and customer service for companies that conduct business online. The Company charges a monthly fee for using the LivePerson services based on usage. Certain of the Company’s larger clients, who require more sophisticated implementation and training, may also pay an initial non-refundable set-up fee.

                    The initial set-up fee principally represents customer service, training and other administrative costs related to the deployment of the LivePerson services. Such fees are initially recorded as deferred revenue and recognized ratably over a period of 24 months, representing the Company’s current estimate of the term of the client relationships. This estimate may change in the future. The Company typically does not charge an additional set-up fee if an existing client adds more services. Unamortized deferred fees, if any, are recognized upon termination of the agreement with the customer. The Company recognized $0 and $7 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, of set-up fees due to client attrition.


6


                    In the first half of 2001, the Company began selling the LivePerson services directly via Internet download. These services are paid for almost exclusively by credit card. Credit card payments accelerate cash flow and reduce the Company’s collection risk, subject to the merchant bank’s right to hold back cash pending settlement of the transactions. Sales executed via Internet download may occur with or without the assistance of an online sales representative, rather than through face-to-face or telephone contact that is typically required for traditional direct sales. Sales of the LivePerson services via Internet download typically have no set-up fee, because the Company does not provide the customer with training and administrative costs are minimal. The Company records revenue for its traditional direct sales and Internet download sales based upon a monthly fee charged for the LivePerson services, provided that no significant Company obligations remain and collection of the resulting receivable is probable. The Company recognizes monthly service revenue fees as services are provided. The Company’s service agreements typically have no termination date and are terminable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice without penalty.

                    The Company also generates revenue from commissions paid to the Company by Web hosting and call center companies for revenue generated by them as a result of referrals by the Company. The Company recognizes commissions based on revenue generated from these referrals upon notification from the other party of sales attributable to LivePerson. To date, revenue from such commissions has not been material. Professional services revenue consists of training provided to customers. Revenue is recognized when services are provided and collection of the resulting receivable is probable. To date, revenue from professional services has not been material.

                    Our concentration of credit risk is limited due to the large number of customers. No single customer accounted for or exceeded 10% of our total revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002. Two customers accounted for approximately 37% of accounts receivable at March 31, 2003. One customer accounted for approximately 16% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2002.

(D)  

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION


                    The Company applies the intrinsic value-based method of accounting prescribed by Accounting Principles Board (“APB”) Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” and related interpretations including Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation No. 44, “Accounting for Certain Transactions Involving Stock Compensation: An Interpretation of APB Opinion No. 25” (issued in March 2000), to account for its fixed plan stock options. Under this method, compensation expense is recorded on the date of grant only if the current market price of the underlying stock exceeded the exercise price. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” established accounting and disclosure requirements using a fair value-based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation plans. As allowed by SFAS No. 123, the Company has elected to continue to apply the intrinsic value-based method of accounting described above, and has adopted the disclosure requirements of SFAS No. 123. The Company amortizes deferred compensation on a graded vesting methodology in accordance with FASB Interpretation No. 28, “Accounting for Stock Appreciation Rights and Other Variable Stock Award Plans.”

                    The Company applies APB Opinion No. 25 and related interpretations in accounting for its stock option grants to employees. Accordingly, except as mentioned below, no compensation expense has been recognized relating to these stock option grants in the consolidated financial statements. Had compensation cost for the Company’s stock option grants been determined based on the fair value at the grant date for awards consistent with the method of SFAS No. 123, the Company’s net loss attributable to common stockholders for each year would have been increased to the pro forma amounts presented below. The Company did not have any employee stock options outstanding prior to January 1, 1998.

  Three Months Ended
March 31,

 
2003
  2002
 
Net loss as reported   $                (83 ) $             (5,446 )
Additional compensation for fair value of stock options granted  (10 ) (473 )


Pro forma net loss  $                (93 ) $             (5,919 )


 
Basic and diluted net loss: 
   As reported  $             (0.00 ) $               (0.16 )


   Pro forma  $             (0.00 ) $               (0.17 )



7


                    The per share weighted average fair value of stock options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, was $0.47 and $0.44, respectively. The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions used for grants in 2003 and 2002: dividend yield of zero percent for all periods; risk-free interest rates of 4.6% and 5.0%, respectively; and expected life of five years for all periods. During 2003 and 2002, the Company used a volatility factor of 135.4% and 125.0%, respectively.

(E)  

BASIC AND DILUTED NET LOSS PER SHARE


                    The Company calculates earnings per share in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 128, “Earnings Per Share (“EPS”),” and the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 98. Under SFAS No. 128, basic EPS excludes dilution for common stock equivalents and is computed by dividing net income or loss attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. All options, warrants or other potentially dilutive instruments issued for nominal consideration are required to be included in the share calculation of basic and diluted net loss. In October 2000, the Company acquired HumanClick Ltd., a private company organized under the laws of Israel (“HumanClick”). Since that time, the Company has included 20,229 shares of common stock in the share calculation of basic and diluted net loss, which relate to certain options that were originally issued by HumanClick for nominal consideration and subsequently assumed by the Company in connection with its acquisition of HumanClick. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock and resulted in the issuance of common stock. Diluted net loss per share presented is equal to basic net loss per share since all common stock equivalents are anti-dilutive for each of the periods presented.

                    Diluted net loss per common share for the periods ending March 31, 2003 and 2002 does not include the effects of options to purchase 7,852,084 and 6,496,947 shares of common stock, respectively, and warrants to purchase 607,030 and 457,030 shares of common stock, respectively, as the effect of their inclusion is anti-dilutive during each period.

(F)  

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS


                    In April 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 145, “Rescission of SFAS Nos. 4, 44, and 64, Amendment of SFAS No. 13, and Technical Corrections.” SFAS No. 4 required all gains and losses from the extinguishment of debt to be reported as extraordinary items and SFAS No. 64 related to the same matter. SFAS No. 145 requires gains and losses from certain debt extinguishment not to be reported as extraordinary items when the use of debt extinguishment is part of the risk management strategy. SFAS No. 44 was issued to establish transitional requirements for motor carriers. Those transitions are completed; therefore SFAS No. 145 rescinds SFAS No. 44. SFAS No. 145 also amends SFAS No. 13 requiring sale-leaseback accounting for certain lease modifications. SFAS No. 145 is effective for fiscal years beginning after May 15, 2002. The provisions relating to sale-leaseback are effective for transactions after May 15, 2002. The adoption of SFAS No. 145 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

                    In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure.” SFAS No. 148 provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation as originally provided by SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation.” Additionally, SFAS No. 148 amends the disclosure requirements of SFAS No. 123 to require prominent disclosure in both the annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. The transitional requirements of SFAS No. 148 are effective for all financial statements for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002. The Company adopted the disclosure portion of this statement for the current fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2003. The application of the disclosure portion of this standard will have no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.


8


(2)  

BALANCE SHEET COMPONENTS


                    Property and equipment is summarized as follows:

March 31, 2003
  December 31, 2002
  (Unaudited)   
Computer equipment and software   $                   1,416   $                     1,401  
Furniture, equipment and building improvements  77   77  


   1,493   1,478  
Less accumulated depreciation  976   883  


     Total  $                      517   $                        595  


                    Accrued expenses consist of the following:

March 31, 2003
  December 31, 2002
  (Unaudited)   
Professional services and consulting fees   $                     409   $                     408  
Payroll and related costs  459   585  
Sales commissions  10   15  
Restructuring charges (see note 4)  524   615  
NewChannel customer contracts acquisition costs  --   84  
Other  135   130  


     Total  $                  1,537   $                  1,837  



(3)  

CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ACCOUNTING CHANGE


                    On January 1, 2002, the Company was required to adopt the full provisions of SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.” SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill and certain indefinite-lived intangibles no longer be amortized, but instead be tested for impairment at least annually. This testing requires the identification of reporting units and comparison of the reporting units’ carrying value to their fair value and, when appropriate, requires the reduction of the carrying value of impaired assets to their fair value.

                    The transitional impairment analysis required upon adoption of SFAS No. 142 was completed during the first quarter of 2002, and the Company determined that there was an impairment of the carrying value of goodwill. As part of this analysis, management determined that the Company continued to operate in one operating segment and that it does not have any separate reporting units under SFAS No. 142; accordingly, the impairment analysis was performed on an enterprise-wide basis. This process included obtaining an independent appraisal of the fair value of the Company as a whole and of its individual assets. Fair value was determined from the same cash flow forecasts used in December 2001 for the evaluation of Company’s carrying value under SFAS No. 121, “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of,” which was the accounting rule for impairment of goodwill that preceded SFAS No. 142 and was effective through December 31, 2001. The valuation methodology required by SFAS No. 142 is different than that required by SFAS No. 121. An impairment is more likely to result under SFAS No. 142 because it requires, among other items, the discounting of forecasted cash flows as compared to the undiscounted cash flow valuation method under SFAS No. 121.

                    The allocation of fair values to identifiable tangible and intangible assets as of January 1, 2002, resulted in an implied valuation of the goodwill of $0. The implied fair value of goodwill was determined in the same manner as determining the amount of goodwill that would have been required to be recognized in a business combination. That is, under SFAS No. 142, an entity is required to allocate the fair value of a reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination and the fair value of the reporting unit was the price paid to acquire it. Comparing this implied value to the carrying value resulted in an impairment of $5,338, with no income tax effect. This impairment is recorded as a cumulative effect of accounting change on the Company’s statement of operations as of January 1, 2002.

9


(4)  

RESTRUCTURING AND IMPAIRMENT CHARGES


                    As a result of the Company’s various 2001 restructuring initiatives, for the year ended December 31, 2001, the Company recorded restructuring and impairment charges of approximately $12,740, in the aggregate.

                    The balance of the Company’s accrued restructuring and impairment charges as of March 31, 2003 is as follows:

Balance as of
January 1, 2003

  Net utilization during
the three months ended
March 31, 2003

  Balance as of
March 31, 2003

 
Contract terminations (see note 6)   $                           615   $                                       (91 ) $                           524  




(5)  

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES


                    The Company leases facilities and certain equipment under agreements accounted for as operating leases. These leases generally require the Company to pay all executory costs such as maintenance and insurance. Rental expense for operating leases for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 was approximately $100 and $90, respectively.

(6)  

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS


                    On November 16, 2001, Corio, Inc. filed a demand for arbitration against the Company with the American Arbitration Association in San Francisco County, California. The demand is related to a hosted software service contract terminated during 2001. Corio is seeking to recover approximately $1,400 in damages, fees and expenses. The Company has filed an answer denying liability and asserting counterclaims for breach of contract and fraud, and seeks a refund of all amounts paid to Corio, which equal approximately $1,500.

                    Although the Company intends to defend vigorously the matter described above, and believes that the Company has provided adequate reserves in connection with the claim, the Company cannot assure you that the Company’s defense will be successful and, if it is not, that the Company’s ultimate liability in connection with the claim will not exceed the Company’s reserves or have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.


10


ITEM 2.   MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
                 OPERATIONS

                    YOU SHOULD READ THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND RELATED NOTES INCLUDED ELSEWHERE IN THIS REPORT. STATEMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION ABOUT LIVEPERSON THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS BASED ON OUR CURRENT EXPECTATIONS, ASSUMPTIONS, ESTIMATES AND PROJECTIONS ABOUT LIVEPERSON AND OUR INDUSTRY. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL FUTURE EVENTS OR RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM SUCH STATEMENTS. ANY SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE MADE PURSUANT TO THE SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. IT IS ROUTINE FOR OUR INTERNAL PROJECTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS TO CHANGE AS THE YEAR OR EACH QUARTER IN THE YEAR PROGRESS, AND THEREFORE IT SHOULD BE CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE INTERNAL PROJECTIONS AND BELIEFS UPON WHICH WE BASE OUR EXPECTATIONS MAY CHANGE PRIOR TO THE END OF EACH QUARTER OR THE YEAR. ALTHOUGH THESE EXPECTATIONS MAY CHANGE, WE ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO INFORM YOU IF THEY DO. OUR COMPANY POLICY IS GENERALLY TO PROVIDE OUR EXPECTATIONS ONLY ONCE PER QUARTER, AND NOT TO UPDATE THAT INFORMATION UNTIL THE NEXT QUARTER. ACTUAL EVENTS OR RESULTS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE PROJECTIONS OR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. FACTORS THAT COULD CAUSE OR CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH DIFFERENCES INCLUDE THOSE DISCUSSED BELOW AND ELSEWHERE IN THIS REPORT, PARTICULARLY IN THE SECTION CAPTIONED “ — RISK FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS.”

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

                    GENERAL

                    Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. As such, we are required to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that management believes are reasonable based upon the information available. We base these estimates on our historical experience, future expectations and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for our judgments that may not be readily apparent from other sources. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. These estimates and assumptions relate to estimates of collectibility of accounts receivable, the realization of goodwill, the expected term of a client relationship, accruals and other factors. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and any differences could be material.

                    The significant accounting policies which we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating the reported consolidated financial results include the following:

                    REVENUE RECOGNITION

                    The LivePerson services facilitate real-time sales, marketing and customer service for companies that conduct business online. We charge a monthly fee for our services based on usage. Certain of our larger clients, who require more sophisticated implementation and training, may also pay an initial non-refundable set-up fee.

                    The initial set-up fee is intended to recover certain costs (principally customer service, training and other administrative costs) prior to the deployment of our services. Such fees are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized ratably over a period of 24 months, representing the estimated term of the client relationships. Although

11


we believe this estimate is reasonable, this estimate may change in the future. In instances where we do charge a set-up fee, we typically do not charge an additional set-up fee if an existing client adds more services. Unamortized deferred fees, if any, are recognized upon termination of the agreement with the customer. We recognized $0 and $7,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, of set-up fees due to client attrition.

                    In the first half of 2001, we began selling the LivePerson services directly via Internet download. These services are paid for almost exclusively by credit card. Credit card payments accelerate cash flow and reduce our collection risk, subject to the merchant bank’s right to hold back cash pending settlement of the transactions. Sales executed via Internet download may occur with or without the assistance of an online sales representative, rather than through face-to-face or telephone contact that is typically required for traditional direct sales. Sales of the LivePerson services via Internet download typically have no set-up fee, because we do not provide the customer with training and administrative costs are minimal.

                    We record revenue for traditional direct sales and Internet download sales based upon a monthly fee charged for the LivePerson services, provided that no significant Company obligations remain and collection of the resulting receivable is probable. We recognize monthly service revenue fees as services are provided. Our service agreements typically have no termination date and are terminable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice without penalty.

                    ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

                    Our customers are primarily concentrated in the United States. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition (except for customers who purchase the LivePerson services via Internet download) and have established an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the credit risk of customers, historical trends and other information that we believe to be reasonable, although they may change in the future. If there is a deterioration of a customer’s credit worthiness or actual write-offs are higher than our historical experience, our estimates of recoverability for these receivables could be adversely affected. Our concentration of credit risk is limited due to the large number of customers. No single customer accounted for or exceeded 10% of our total revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002. Two customers accounted for approximately 37% of accounts receivable at March 31, 2003. One customer accounted for approximately 16% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2002.

                    IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS

                    Prior to January 1, 2002, we accounted for long-lived assets in accordance with the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 121, “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of.” SFAS No. 121 requires that long-lived assets, including fixed assets and goodwill, be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset to be held and used may not be recoverable, we estimate the undiscounted future cash flows to result from the use of the asset and its ultimate disposition. If the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value, we recognize an impairment loss, measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. The assessment of the recoverability of long-lived assets, including fixed assets and goodwill, will be impacted if estimated future operating cash flows are not achieved.

                    In August 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued SFAS No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets,” which supersedes both SFAS No. 121 and the accounting and reporting provisions of Accounting Principles Board (“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). SFAS No. 144 retains the fundamental provisions in SFAS No. 121 for recognizing and measuring impairment losses on long-lived assets held for use and long-lived assets to be disposed of by sale, while


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also resolving significant implementation issues associated with SFAS No. 121. For example, SFAS No. 144 provides guidance on how a long-lived asset that is used as part of a group should be evaluated for impairment, establishes criteria for when a long-lived asset is held for sale, and prescribes the accounting for a long-lived asset that will be disposed of other than by sale. SFAS No. 144 retains the basic provisions of APB Opinion No. 30 on how to present discontinued operations in the income statement but broadens that presentation to include a component of an entity (rather than a segment of a business). Unlike SFAS No. 121, an impairment assessment under SFAS No. 144 will never result in a write-down of goodwill. Rather, goodwill is evaluated for impairment under SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.”

                    We adopted SFAS No. 144 on January 1, 2002. The adoption of SFAS No. 144 for long-lived assets held for use did not have a material impact on our financial statements because the impairment assessment under SFAS No. 144 is largely unchanged from SFAS No. 121. The provisions of SFAS No. 144 for assets held for sale or other disposal generally are required to be applied prospectively after the adoption date to newly initiated disposal activities. Therefore, we cannot determine the potential effects that adoption of SFAS No. 144 will have on our future financial statements.

                    RESTRUCTURING ACTIVITIES

                    Restructuring activities are accounted for in accordance with the guidance provided in the consensus opinion of the Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”), in connection with EITF Issue No. 94-3, “Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in a Restructuring).” EITF No. 94-3 generally requires, with respect to the recognition of severance expenses, management approval of the restructuring plan, the determination of the employees to be terminated and communication of benefit arrangement to employees.

                    In July 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities,” which will supersede EITF Issue No. 94-3. SFAS No. 146 requires that costs associated with an exit or disposal plan be recognized when incurred rather than at the date of a commitment to an exit or disposal plan. In accordance with the standard, we will apply SFAS No. 146 to exit or disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002.

                    RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

                    In April 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 145, "Rescission of SFAS Nos. 4, 44, and 64, Amendment of SFAS No. 13, and Technical Corrections." SFAS No. 4 required all gains and losses from the extinguishment of debt to be reported as extraordinary items and SFAS No. 64 related to the same matter. SFAS No. 145 requires gains and losses from certain debt extinguishment not to be reported as extraordinary items when the use of debt extinguishment is part of the risk management strategy. SFAS No. 44 was issued to establish transitional requirements for motor carriers. Those transitions are completed; therefore SFAS No. 145 rescinds SFAS No. 44. SFAS No. 145 also amends SFAS No. 13 requiring sale-leaseback accounting for certain lease modifications. SFAS No. 145 is effective for fiscal years beginning after May 15, 2002. The provisions relating to sale-leaseback are effective for transactions after May 15, 2002. The adoption of SFAS No. 145 did not have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.

                    In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure.” SFAS No. 148 provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation as originally provided by SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation.” Additionally, SFAS No. 148 amends the disclosure requirements of SFAS No. 123 to require prominent disclosure in both the annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. The transitional requirements of SFAS No. 148 are effective for all financial statements for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002. We adopted the disclosure portion of this statement for the current fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2003. The application of the disclosure portion of this standard will have no impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.


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OVERVIEW

                    LivePerson, a customer relationship management (CRM) application service provider (ASP), delivers real-time sales, marketing and customer service solutions for companies that conduct business online. We offer our proprietary real-time interaction technology as outsourced services. We currently generate revenue from the sale of our LivePerson services, which enable our clients to communicate directly with Internet users via text-based chat, and to a lesser extent from related professional services. With the LivePerson chat services, our clients can respond to Internet user inquiries in real-time, and can thereby enhance their Internet users’ online shopping experience.

                    We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in November 1995 and the initial LivePerson service was introduced in November 1998.

                    On May 28, 2002, our common stock commenced trading on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, following approval by The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. of our May 14, 2002 application to transfer the listing of our common stock from the Nasdaq National Market to the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.

                    In July 2002, we acquired all of the existing customer contracts of NewChannel, Inc. and associated rights. The purchase price was based, in part, on projected revenue from each of the former NewChannel clients at the time of their successful conversion to the LivePerson software platform. As of March 31, 2003, we have incurred total acquisition costs of approximately $1.4 million, including the initial purchase price payment of $600,000 to NewChannel. We do not expect to incur any additional acquisition costs related to this transaction. The total acquisition cost has been allocated to customer contracts and is being amortized ratably over a period of 18 months, representing our current estimate of the expected term of the client relationships. The net amount is included in Other intangibles, net on our March 31, 2003 consolidated balance sheet.

                    On January 22, 2003, we were notified by The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. that we had regained compliance as of that date with Nasdaq’s minimum bid requirement for the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.

                    At the Special Meeting of Stockholders of LivePerson held on January 23, 2003, our stockholders approved separate proposals to amend our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect, alternatively, one of three different reverse splits of the outstanding shares of our common stock, at a ratio of one-for-three, one-for-five and one-for-seven. Pursuant to authority granted by these proposals, our Board of Directors will have the discretion, at any time on or prior to May 30, 2003, to decide which reverse split proposal to implement, or not to effect a reverse split at all. At the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of LivePerson to be held on May 22, 2003, our stockholders will be asked to approve separate proposals to amend our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect, alternatively, one of three different reverse splits of the outstanding shares of our common stock, at a ratio of one-for-three, one-for-five and one-for-seven. The authority of the Board of Directors to implement a reverse split under these proposals, if approved by the stockholders, will expire on May 31, 2004. As set forth in the proxy statements delivered to stockholders in connection with the Special Meeting and the Annual Meeting, the principal purpose of each reverse split proposal is to increase the market price of our common stock above the minimum bid requirement of $1.00 per share required by Nasdaq. We do not currently intend to effect a reverse split unless required to do so in order to keep our shares of Common Stock quoted on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market; however, there can be no assurance that we will not need to or choose to effect a reverse stock split in the future.

                    We received a letter, dated March 18, 2003, from The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., notifying us that during the preceding 30 consecutive trading days, the bid price of our common stock had closed below the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share as required for continued inclusion in the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(8)(D) (the “Rule”). The letter stated that we have until September 15, 2003 to demonstrate compliance with the Rule and that, if we are not in compliance by that date, Nasdaq will determine whether we meet the initial listing criteria for The Nasdaq SmallCap Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(2)(A). This rule states that “[f]or initial inclusion, the issuer shall have (i) stockholders’ equity of $5 million; (ii) market capitalization of $50 million...; or (iii) net income of $750,000 (excluding extraordinary or non-recurring items) in the most recently completed fiscal year or in two of the three most recently completed fiscal years.”


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                    If we meet the initial listing criteria on September 15, 2003, we will be afforded an additional 180 calendar day grace period to demonstrate compliance with the minimum $1.00 per share bid price requirement. Further, if we have not been deemed in compliance within the second 180 day compliance period, we may be afforded an additional 90 day compliance period, provided we meet the initial listing criteria for the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(2)(A). Otherwise, Nasdaq will provide written notification to us that our common stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. If such an event occurs, we may appeal the decision to a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel.

                    REVENUE

                    Our clients pay us a monthly fee for our services based on usage. Certain of our larger clients, who require more sophisticated implementation and training, may also pay an initial non-refundable set-up fee. Our set-up fee is intended to recover certain costs incurred by us (principally customer service, training and other administrative costs) prior to deployment of our services. Such fees are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized over a period of 24 months, representing the estimated term of the client relationships. As a result of recognizing set-up fees in this manner, combined with the fact that a small proportion of our clients are charged a set-up fee, revenue attributable to our monthly service fee for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 accounted for 98% and 98%, respectively, of total LivePerson services revenue. In addition, because we typically do not charge a set-up fee for sales generated via Internet download, we expect the set-up fee to continue to represent a small percentage of total revenue. In instances where we do charge a set-up fee, we typically do not charge an additional set-up fee if an existing client adds more services. Our service agreements typically have no termination date and are terminable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice without penalty. We recognize monthly service revenue fees and professional service fees as services are provided. Professional service fees consist of additional training and business consulting and analysis provided to customers. Given the time required to schedule training for our clients’ operators and our clients’ resource constraints, we have historically experienced a lag between signing a client contract and generating revenue from that client. This lag has generally ranged from one day to 30 days. There is no lag for sales generated via Internet download, because our services are immediately available and fully functional upon download. To date, revenue from professional services has not been material.

                    In the first half of 2001, we began selling the LivePerson services directly via Internet download. These services are paid for almost exclusively by credit card. Credit card payments accelerate cash flow and reduce our collection risk, subject to the merchant bank’s right to hold back cash pending settlement of the transactions. Sales executed via Internet download may occur with or without the assistance of an online sales representative, rather than through face-to-face or telephone contact which is typically required for traditional direct sales. Sales of the LivePerson services via Internet download typically have no set-up fee, because we do not provide the customer with training, and administrative costs are minimal. We recognize monthly service revenue fees from Internet downloads as services are provided.

                    We also have entered into contractual arrangements that complement our direct sales force and online sales efforts. These are primarily with Web hosting and call center service companies, pursuant to which LivePerson is paid a commission based on revenue generated by these service companies from our referrals. To date, revenue from such commissions has not been material.

                    OPERATING EXPENSES

                    Our cost of revenue has principally been associated with the LivePerson services and has consisted of:

 

compensation costs relating to employees who provide customer service to our clients;


 

compensation costs relating to our network support staff;


 

allocated occupancy costs and related overhead; and


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the cost of supporting our primary and backup network infrastructure, including expenses related to leasing space and connectivity for our services, third-party network monitoring and depreciation of certain hardware and software.


                    Our product development expenses consist primarily of compensation and related expenses for product development personnel, allocated occupancy costs and related overhead, outsourced labor and expenses for testing new versions of our software. Product development expenses are charged to operations as incurred.

                    Our sales and marketing expenses consist of compensation and related expenses for sales personnel and marketing personnel, allocated occupancy costs and related overhead, advertising, sales commissions, marketing programs, public relations, promotional materials, travel expenses and trade show exhibit expenses.

                    Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation and related expenses for executive, accounting and human resources personnel, allocated occupancy costs and related overhead, professional fees, provision for doubtful accounts and other general corporate expenses.

                    In the three months ended March 31, 2003, we increased our allowance for doubtful accounts by $15,000 to approximately $85,000, principally due to an increase in accounts receivable as a result of increased sales. We base our allowance for doubtful accounts on specifically identified known doubtful accounts plus a general reserve for potential future doubtful accounts. We adjust our allowance for doubtful accounts when accounts previously reserved have been collected.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

                    Due to our acquisition of the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights in July 2002 and our limited operating history, we believe that comparisons of our operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 with each other, or with those of prior periods, are not meaningful and that our historical operating results should not be relied upon as indicative of future performance.

                    COMPARISON OF THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2003 AND 2002

                    Revenue. Total revenue increased to $2.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2003 from $1.8 million in the comparable period in 2002. This increase is primarily attributable to the acquisition of the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights in July 2002 and, to a lesser extent, to the introduction of a new range of services and increased market acceptance of our services. We cannot assure you that we will achieve similar revenue growth, if any, in future periods.

                    Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue consists of compensation costs relating to employees who provide customer service to our clients, compensation costs relating to our network support staff, the cost of supporting our infrastructure, including expenses related to leasing space and connectivity for our services, third-party monitoring services, as well as depreciation of certain hardware and software, and allocated occupancy costs and related overhead. Cost of revenue increased to $493,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 from $338,000 in the comparable period in 2002. This increase is primarily related to the acquisition of the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights, as well as increased usage from existing clients and the addition of new clients.

                    Product Development. Our product development expenses consist primarily of compensation and related expenses for product development personnel. Product development costs increased slightly to $331,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003 from $296,000 in the comparable period in 2002. This increase is attributable to an increase in the number of LivePerson product development personnel, as well as increased allocated occupancy costs and related overhead.

                    Sales and Marketing. Our sales and marketing expenses consist of compensation and related expenses for sales and marketing personnel, as well as advertising and public relations expenses. Sales and marketing expenses increased to $727,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 from $564,000 in the comparable period in 2002. This increase is primarily attributable to an increase in sales and marketing personnel as a result of the acquisition of


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the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights and, to a lesser extent, to an increase in on-line advertising and marketing expenses related to our increasing efforts to enhance our brand recognition.

                    General and Administrative. Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation and related expenses for executive, accounting, human resources and administrative personnel. General and administrative expenses increased to $807,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 from $671,000 in the comparable period in 2002. This increase is primarily attributable to increases in professional services and recruitment costs and, to a lesser extent, to depreciation and bad debt expense related to our allowance for doubtful accounts.

                    Amortization of Other Intangibles. Amortization expense was $253,000 and $0 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, and relates to acquisition costs recorded as a result of our acquisition of the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights in July 2002.

                    Non-Cash Compensation Expense, Net. Non-cash compensation expense consists primarily of amortization of deferred stock-based compensation. Deferred stock-based compensation represents the difference between the exercise price and the deemed fair value of certain stock options granted to employees. Deferred compensation has been amortized over the vesting period of the individual options. We recorded non-cash compensation expense of $6,000 and $102,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

                    Other Income. Interest income was $13,000 and $37,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, and consists of interest earned on cash and cash equivalents generated by the receipt of proceeds from our initial public offering in 2000 and preferred stock issuances in 2000 and 1999. Other expense was $8,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and was related to the write-off of our accumulated other comprehensive loss in connection with the closing of our operations in the United Kingdom.

                    Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change. On January 1, 2002, we were required to adopt the full provisions of SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.” SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill and certain indefinite-lived intangibles no longer be amortized, but instead be tested for impairment at least annually. This testing requires the identification of reporting units and comparison of the reporting units’ carrying value to their fair value and, when appropriate, requires the reduction of the carrying value of impaired assets to their fair value.

                    The transitional impairment analysis required upon adoption of SFAS No. 142 was completed during the first quarter of 2002, and we determined that there was an impairment of the carrying value of goodwill. As part of this analysis, we determined that we continued to operate in one operating segment and that we do not have any separate reporting units under SFAS No. 142; accordingly, the impairment analysis was performed on an enterprise-wide basis. This process included obtaining an independent appraisal of our fair value as a whole and of our individual assets. Fair value was determined from the same cash flow forecasts used in December 2001 for the evaluation of our carrying value under SFAS No. 121, “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of,” which was the accounting rule for impairment of goodwill that preceded SFAS No. 142 and was effective through December 31, 2001. The valuation methodology required by SFAS No. 142 is different than that required by SFAS No. 121. An impairment is more likely to result under SFAS No. 142 because it requires, among other items, the discounting of forecasted cash flows as compared to the undiscounted cash flow valuation method under SFAS No. 121.

                    The allocation of fair values to identifiable tangible and intangible assets as of January 1, 2002, resulted in an implied valuation of the goodwill of $0. The implied fair value of goodwill was determined in the same manner as determining the amount of goodwill that would have been required to be recognized in a business combination. That is, under SFAS No. 142, an entity is required to allocate the fair value of a reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination and the fair value of the reporting unit was the price paid to acquire it. Comparing this implied value to the carrying value resulted in an impairment of $5.3 million, with no income tax effect. This impairment is recorded as a cumulative effect of accounting change on our statement of operations as of January 1, 2002.


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                    Net Loss. Our net loss decreased to $83,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003 from $5.4 million in the comparable period in 2002. The net loss in the first quarter of 2002 is primarily attributable to the cumulative effect of an accounting change of $5.3 million related to the impairment of goodwill described above, partially offset by the fact that we did not record any amortization of goodwill in the first quarter of 2002.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

                    Since our inception, we have financed our operations principally through cash generated by private placements of convertible preferred stock and the initial public offering of our common stock. In 2000 and 1999, we raised a total of $69.5 million in aggregate net proceeds. As of March 31, 2003, we had approximately $8.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, an increase of $379,000 from December 31, 2002. This increase is primarily attributable to net cash provided by operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2003. We regularly invest excess funds in short-term money market funds.

                    Net cash provided by operating activities was $347,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and consisted primarily of net operating losses offset by increases in deferred revenue and amortization expenses, partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable and a decrease in accrued expenses. Net cash provided by operating activities was $314,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2002 and consisted primarily of net operating losses offset by the cumulative effect of an accounting change related to the impairment of goodwill and to a lesser extent, a decrease in accounts receivable, depreciation and amortization expenses.

                    Net cash used in investing activities was $15,000 and $7,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, and was due to the purchase of fixed assets.

                    Net cash provided by financing activities was $39,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and consisted of proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise of options. Net cash provided by financing activities was $0 for the three months ended March 31, 2002.

                    We lease facilities and certain equipment under agreements accounted for as operating leases. These leases generally require us to pay all executory costs such as maintenance and insurance. Rental expense for operating leases for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 was approximately $100,000 and $90,000, respectively.

                    As of March 31, 2003, our principal commitments were approximately $579,000 under various operating leases, of which approximately $295,000 is due in 2003. We do not currently expect that our principal commitments for the year ended December 31, 2003 will exceed $300,000 in the aggregate. Our capital expenditures are not currently expected to exceed $200,000 in 2003.

                    We have incurred significant costs to develop our technology and services, to hire employees in our customer service, sales, marketing and administration departments, and for the amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets, as well as non-cash compensation costs. Although revenue increased in the first quarter of 2003 compared to the fourth quarter of 2002, our annual revenue growth in 2002 was lower than in 2001, and our annual revenue growth in 2001 was lower than in 2000. As a result, we have incurred significant net losses since inception, significant negative cash flows from operations in the periods from inception through December 31, 2002, and as of March 31, 2003, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $105.3 million. These losses have been funded primarily through the issuance of common stock in our initial public offering and, prior to the initial public offering, the issuance of convertible preferred stock.

                    Although we believe that we have provided adequate reserves in connection with our pending legal proceeding, we cannot assure you that the ultimate liability in connection with this matter will not exceed our reserve or have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows. See Part II, Item 1—“Legal Proceedings” for additional information.

                    We anticipate that our current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to satisfy our working capital and capital requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, we cannot assure you that we will not require additional funds prior to such time, and we would then seek to sell additional equity or debt securities through public financings, or seek alternative sources of financing. We cannot assure you that additional funding will be available


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on favorable terms, when needed, if at all. If we are unable to obtain any necessary additional financing, we may be required to further reduce the scope of our planned sales and marketing and product development efforts, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, we may require additional funds in order to fund more rapid expansion, to develop new or enhanced services or products or to invest in complementary businesses, technologies, services or products.

RISK FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS

RISKS RELATED TO OUR POSSIBLE DELISTING FROM NASDAQ

                    We face possible Nasdaq delisting which would result in a limited public market for our common stock and make obtaining future equity financing more difficult for us.

                    We must satisfy a number of requirements to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, including maintaining a minimum bid price for our common stock of $1.00 per share. A company fails to satisfy this requirement if its closing bid price remains below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive trading days.

                    On March 18, 2003, we received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., notifying us that during the preceding 30 consecutive trading days, the bid price of our common stock had closed below the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share as required for continued inclusion in the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(8)(D) (the “Rule”). The letter stated that we have until September 15, 2003 to demonstrate compliance with the Rule and that, if we are not in compliance by that date, Nasdaq will determine whether we meet the initial listing criteria for The Nasdaq SmallCap Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(2)(A). This rule states that “[f]or initial inclusion, the issuer shall have (i) stockholders’ equity of $5 million; (ii) market capitalization of $50 million...; or (iii) net income of $750,000 (excluding extraordinary or non-recurring items) in the most recently completed fiscal year or in two of the three most recently completed fiscal years.”

                    If we meet the initial listing criteria on September 15, 2003, we will be afforded an additional 180 calendar day grace period to demonstrate compliance with the minimum $1.00 per share bid price requirement. Further, if we have not been deemed in compliance within the second 180 day compliance period, we may be afforded an additional 90 day compliance period, provided we meet the initial listing criteria for The Nasdaq SmallCap Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(2)(A). Otherwise, Nasdaq will provide written notification to us that our common stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. If such an event occurs, we may appeal the decision to a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel.

                    At the Special Meeting of Stockholders of LivePerson held on January 23, 2003, our stockholders approved separate proposals to amend our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect, alternatively, one of three different reverse splits of the outstanding shares of our common stock, at a ratio of one-for-three, one-for-five and one-for-seven. Pursuant to authority granted by these proposals, our Board of Directors will have the discretion, at any time on or prior to May 30, 2003, to decide which reverse split proposal to implement, or not to effect a reverse split at all. At the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of LivePerson to be held on May 22, 2003, our stockholders will be asked to approve separate proposals to amend our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect, alternatively, one of three different reverse splits of the outstanding shares of our common stock, at a ratio of one-for-three, one-for-five and one-for-seven. The authority of the Board of Directors to implement a reverse split under these proposals, if approved by the stockholders, will expire on May 31, 2004. As set forth in the proxy statements delivered to stockholders in connection with the Special Meeting and the Annual Meeting, the principal purpose of each reverse split proposal is to increase the market price of our common stock above the minimum bid requirement of $1.00 per share required by Nasdaq. We do not currently intend to effect a reverse split unless required to do so in order to keep our shares of Common Stock quoted on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market; however, there can be no assurance that we will not need to or choose to effect a reverse stock split in the future.

                    If a delisting from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market were to occur, shares of our common stock would likely trade in the over-the-counter market in the so-called “pink sheets” maintained by Pink Sheets LLC, or on the OTC Bulletin Board owned by The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., which was established for securities that do not meet the Nasdaq listing requirements. The “pink sheets” and the OTC Bulletin Board are generally considered less efficient


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than the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. Consequently, selling our common stock would be more difficult because smaller quantities of shares would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed, and securities analysts’ and news media coverage of us may be reduced. These factors could result in lower prices and larger spreads in the bid and ask prices for shares of common stock.

                    Such delisting from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, or further declines in our stock price, could also greatly impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing, and significantly increase the ownership dilution to stockholders caused by our issuing equity in financing or other transactions. The price at which we issue shares in such transactions is generally based on the market price of our common stock and a decline in our stock price could result in the need for us to issue a greater number of shares to raise a given amount of funding or acquire a given dollar value of goods or services.

                    In addition, if our common stock is not listed on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, we may become subject to Rule 15g-9 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. That rule imposes additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell low-priced securities to persons other than established customers and institutional accredited investors. For transactions covered by this rule, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale. Consequently, the rule may affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell the common stock and affect the ability of holders to sell their shares of our common stock in the secondary market. Moreover, investors may be less interested in purchasing low-priced securities because the brokerage commissions, as a percentage of the total transaction value, tend to be higher for such securities, and some investment funds will not invest in low-priced securities (other than those which focus on small-capitalization companies or low-priced securities).

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS

                    We have a limited operating history and expect to encounter difficulties faced by early stage companies in new and rapidly evolving markets.

                    We have only a limited operating history providing the LivePerson services upon which to base an evaluation of our current business and future prospects. We began offering our services in November 1998 and we acquired HumanClick in October 2000 and the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights in July 2002; accordingly, the revenue and income potential of our business and the related market are unproven. As a result of our limited operating history as an application service provider of real-time sales and customer service technology for companies doing business on the Internet, we have only four years of historical financial data relating to the LivePerson services upon which to forecast revenue and results of operations.

                    In addition, because this market is relatively new and rapidly evolving, we have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our business. Before investing in us, you should evaluate the risks, expenses and problems frequently encountered by companies such as ours that are in the early stages of development and that are entering new and rapidly changing markets. These risks include our ability to:

 

attract more clients and retain existing clients;


 

sell additional operator access accounts for LivePerson’s chat services, which generate monthly fees, and other services to our existing clients;


 

increase or maintain current pricing levels for our services;


 

effectively market and maintain our brand name;


 

respond effectively to competitive pressures;


 

continue to develop and upgrade our technology; and


 

attract, integrate, retain and motivate qualified personnel.



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                    If we are unsuccessful in addressing some or all of these risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

                    We have a history of losses, we had an accumulated deficit of $105.3 million as of March 31, 2003 and we may incur losses in the future.

                    We have not achieved profitability, and we may, in the future, incur losses and experience negative cash flow, either or both of which may be significant. We recorded a net loss of $9.8 million for the year ended December 31, 1999, $61.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2000, $27.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2001, $6.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 and $83,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2003. We had total revenue of approximately $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2003, $8.2 million, $7.8 million and $6.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively, and less than $615,000 in the year ended December 31, 1999. Our net loss for the year ended December 31, 2000 included a non-cash dividend of $18.0 million. As of March 31, 2003, our accumulated deficit was approximately $105.3 million. Even if we do achieve profitability, we cannot assure you that we can sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future. Failure to achieve or maintain profitability may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

                    We cannot predict our future capital needs to execute our business strategy and we may not be able to secure additional financing.

                    We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operations, if any, will be sufficient to fund our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next twelve months. To the extent that we require additional funds to support our operations or the expansion of our business, or to pay for acquisitions, we may need to sell additional equity, issue debt or convertible securities or obtain credit facilities through financial institutions. In the past, we have obtained financing principally through the sale of preferred stock, common stock and warrants. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of debt or preferred equity securities, these securities could have rights, preferences and privileges senior to holders of common stock, and could have terms that impose restrictions on our operations. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of additional equity or convertible securities, our stockholders could suffer dilution. We cannot assure you that additional funding, if required, will be available to us in amounts or on terms acceptable to us. If sufficient funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund any potential expansion, take advantage of acquisition opportunities, develop or enhance our services or products, or otherwise respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited. Those limitations would materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

                    We have an unproven business model and may not generate sufficient revenue for our business to survive.

                    Our business model is based on the delivery of real-time sales and customer service technology and related services to companies doing business on the Internet, a largely untested business. Sales and customer service historically have been provided primarily in person or by telephone. Our business model assumes that companies doing business on the Internet will choose to provide sales and customer service via the Internet. Our business model also assumes that many companies will recognize the benefits of an outsourced application, that Internet users will choose to engage a customer service representative in a live text-based interaction, that this interaction will maximize sales opportunities and enhance the online shopping experience and that companies will seek to have their online sales and customer service technology provided by us. If any of these assumptions is incorrect, our business may be harmed. In addition, we began offering the LivePerson services via Internet download in 2001, which is an unproven model for the delivery of our services.

                    We expect that a substantial majority of our revenue will come from the LivePerson chat services for the foreseeable future and if we are not successful in selling these services, our revenue will not increase and may decline.

                    The success of our business currently substantially depends, and for the foreseeable future will continue to substantially depend, on the sale of our chat services. We cannot be certain that there will be client demand for our services or that we will be successful in penetrating the market for real-time sales and customer service technology.


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Our revenue declined in each of the second and third quarters of 2001, and did not increase materially in the first and fourth quarters of 2001, each quarter of 2002 and the first quarter of 2003. The increase in revenue in the third and fourth quarters of 2002 and the first quarter of 2003 was primarily attributable to the acquisition of the NewChannel customer contracts and associated rights. We cannot assure you that we will experience any revenue growth in the future. A decline in the price of, or fluctuation in the demand (by existing or potential clients) for, our services, is likely to cause our revenue to decline.

                    The success of our business requires that clients continue to use the LivePerson services and purchase additional services.

                    Our LivePerson services agreements typically have no termination date and are terminable upon 30 to 90 days’ notice without penalty. If a significant number of our clients, or any one client to whom we provide a significant amount of services, were to terminate these services agreements, or reduce the amount of services purchased or fail to purchase additional services, our results of operations may be negatively and materially affected. Dissatisfaction with the nature or quality of our services, including our new software application platform introduced in the third quarter of 2001, could also lead clients to terminate our service. We depend on monthly fees from the LivePerson services for substantially all our revenue. If our retention rate declines further, our revenue could decline unless we are able to obtain additional clients or alternate revenue sources. Further, because of the historically small amount of services sold in initial orders, we depend on sales to new clients and sales of additional services to our existing clients.

                    Our quarterly revenue and operating results are subject to significant fluctuations which may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

                    We expect our quarterly revenue and operating results to fluctuate significantly in the future due to a variety of factors, including the following factors which are in part within our control, and in part outside of our control:

 

market acceptance by companies doing business on the Internet of real-time sales and customer service technology;


 

our clients' business success;


 

our clients' demand for our services;


 

our ability to attract and retain clients;


 

the amount and timing of capital expenditures and other costs relating to the expansion of our operations, including those related to acquisitions;


 

the introduction of new services by us or our competitors; and


 

changes in our pricing policies or the pricing policies of our competitors.


 

Our revenue and results may also fluctuate significantly in the future due to the following factors that are entirely outside of our control:


 

seasonal factors affecting our clients' businesses;


 

economic conditions specific to the Internet, electronic commerce and online media; and


 

general economic and political conditions.


                    Many of our clients’ businesses are seasonal. Our clients’ demand for real-time sales and customer service technology in general and their demand for our services, in particular, may be seasonal as well. As a result, our future revenue and profits may vary from quarter to quarter.


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                    We do not believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results are meaningful. You should not rely upon these comparisons as indicators of our future performance.

                    Due to the foregoing factors, it is possible that our results of operations in one or more future quarters may fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors. If this occurs, the trading price of our common stock could decline.

                    Our clients may experience adverse business conditions that could adversely affect our business.

                    Some of our clients may experience difficulty in supporting their current operations and implementing their business plans. These clients may reduce their spending on our services, or may not be able to discharge their payment and other obligations to us. These circumstances are influenced by general economic and industry-specific conditions, and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, as a result of these conditions, our clients, in particular our Internet-related clients that may experience (or that anticipate experiencing) difficulty raising capital, may elect to scale back the resources they devote to customer service technology, including services such as ours. If the current environment for our clients, including, in particular, our Internet-related clients, does not improve, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In addition, the non-payment or late payment of amounts due to us from a significant number of clients would negatively impact our financial condition. We increased our allowance for doubtful accounts by $15,000 to approximately $85,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003, principally due to an increase in accounts receivable as a result of increased sales. We did not increase our allowance for doubtful accounts in the year ended December 31, 2002. This is attributable to the fact that our accounts receivable collections improved in 2002, due primarily to the significantly larger percentage of our total outstanding accounts receivable now comprised of businesses with more established and proven operating histories, and to a lesser extent, to the fact that an increased number of our clients now pay us by credit card.

                    We may not be able to effectively manage our changing operations.

                    Since the launch of our services in November 1998, we have grown rapidly, even in light of our 2001 restructuring initiatives. This growth has placed a significant strain on our managerial, operational, technical and financial resources. In 2000, we replaced our existing accounting and other back-office systems at a cost of approximately $1.2 million. In 2001, in connection with our restructuring initiatives, we implemented a less expensive accounting system. The cost of this new system was immaterial. The new systems are being integrated with our operations, controls and procedures. If we are not able to successfully integrate these new systems with our existing systems, or if we incur significant additional costs in order to achieve such integration, our business could be harmed. In order to manage our growth, we must also continue to implement new or upgraded operating and financial systems, procedures and controls. Our failure to expand our operations in an efficient manner could cause our expenses to grow, our revenue to decline or grow more slowly than expected and could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

                    Staff attrition could strain our managerial, operational, financial and other resources.

                    We had 73 employees at December 31, 1999; 181 employees at December 31, 2000; 68 employees at December 31, 2001; 60 employees at December 31, 2002 and 66 employees at March 31, 2003. In the area of technology, we had 19 employees at December 31, 1999; 40 employees at December 31, 2000; 12 employees at December 31, 2001; 14 employees at December 31, 2002 and 15 employees at March 31, 2003. Any staff attrition we experience, whether initiated by the departing employees or by us, could place a significant strain on our managerial, operational, financial and other resources. To the extent that we do not initiate or seek any staff attrition that occurs, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify and hire adequate replacement staff promptly, if at all, and even that if such staff is replaced, we will be successful in integrating these employees. In both the first and third quarters of 2001, in addition to conducting regularly-occurring performance-related terminations, we commenced restructuring plans pursuant to which we eliminated a large number of positions in response to changes in our business needs, such as redundancies in our research and development and client support functions and the transition of a portion of our sales efforts from direct sales to more automated Internet-based sales processes. We expect to evaluate our needs and the performance of our staff on a periodic basis, and may choose to make further adjustments in the future. If the size of our staff is significantly further reduced, either by our choice or otherwise,


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we could face significant management, operational, financial and other constraints. For example, it may become more difficult for us to manage existing, or establish new, relationships with clients and other counter-parties, or to expand and improve our service offerings. It may also become more difficult for us to implement changes to our business plan or to respond promptly to opportunities in the marketplace. Further, it may become more difficult for us to devote personnel resources necessary to maintain or improve existing systems, including our financial and managerial controls, billing systems, reporting systems and procedures. Thus, any significant amount of staff attrition could cause our business and financial results to suffer.

                    Our business is dependent on a few key employees, including our chief executive officer, Robert P. LoCascio.

                    Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued services of our senior management team, including Robert P. LoCascio, our founder and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of the services of any member of our senior management team, in particular Mr. LoCascio, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We cannot assure you that we would be able to successfully integrate newly-hired senior managers who would work together successfully with our existing management team.

                    If we do not successfully integrate potential future acquisitions, our business could be harmed.

                    In the future, we may acquire or invest in complementary companies, products or technologies. Acquisitions and investments involve numerous risks to us, including:

 

difficulties in integrating operations, technologies, products and personnel with LivePerson;


 

diversion of financial and management resources from efforts related to the LivePerson services or other then-existing operations; risks of entering new markets beyond providing real-time sales and customer service technology for companies doing business on the Internet;


 

potential loss of either our existing key employees or key employees of any companies we acquire; and


 

our inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset acquisition or investment costs.


                    These difficulties could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and employees, increase our expenses and adversely affect our results of operations. Furthermore, we may incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any future acquisitions. The issuance of equity securities could be dilutive to our existing stockholders.

                    We could face additional regulatory requirements, tax liabilities and other risks as we expand internationally.

                    In October 2000, we acquired HumanClick, an Israeli-based provider of real-time online customer service applications. In addition, during a portion of 2000 and 2001, we conducted operations in the United Kingdom. There are risks related to doing business in international markets, such as changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs and other trade barriers, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, more stringent rules relating to the privacy of Internet users and adverse tax consequences. In addition, there are likely to be different consumer preferences and requirements in specific international markets. Furthermore, we may face difficulties in staffing and managing any foreign operations. One or more of these factors could harm any future international operations.

                    If we do not succeed in attracting new personnel or retaining and motivating our current personnel, or if we are unable to outsource certain functions, our business, results of operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

                    We may be unable to retain our key employees or attract, integrate or retain other highly qualified employees in the future. We have experienced difficulty in hiring and retaining highly-skilled senior managers and other employees with appropriate qualifications. Also, our workforce reductions announced in the first and third quarters of 2001 may adversely affect the morale of, and our ability to retain, those employees who were not


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terminated. Because our stock price has suffered a significant decline, the stock options held by our employees and other equity-based compensation may have diminished effectiveness as employee retention devices. If our retention efforts are ineffective, employee turnover could increase and our ability to provide services to our clients would be materially and adversely affected.

                    Our reputation depends, in part, on factors which are entirely outside of our control.

                    Our services appear as a LivePerson-branded or a custom-created icon on our clients’ Web sites. The customer service operators who respond to the inquiries of our clients’ Internet users are employees or agents of our clients; they are not our employees. As a result, we have no way of controlling the actions of these operators. In addition, an Internet user may not know that the operator is an employee or agent of our client, rather than a LivePerson employee. If an Internet user were to have a negative experience in a LivePerson-powered or HumanClick-powered real-time dialogue, it is possible that this experience could be attributed to us, which could diminish our brand and harm our business. Finally, we believe the success of our services depend on the prominent placement of the icon on the client’s Web site, over which we also have no control.

                    We may be unable to continue to build awareness of the LivePerson brand name.

                    Building recognition of our brand is critical to establishing the advantage of being among the first application service providers to provide real-time sales and customer service and to attracting new clients. If we fail to successfully promote and maintain our brand or incur significant expenses in promoting our brand without an associated increase in our revenue, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

                    We are dependent on technology systems that are beyond our control.

                    The success of the LivePerson services depends in part on our clients’ online services as well as the Internet connections of visitors to their Web sites, both of which are outside of our control. As a result, it may be difficult to identify the source of problems if they occur. In the past, we have experienced problems related to connectivity which have resulted in slower than normal response times to Internet user chat requests and messages and interruptions in service. The LivePerson services rely both on the Internet and on our connectivity vendors for data transmission. Therefore, even when connectivity problems are not caused by the LivePerson services, our clients or Internet users may attribute the problem to us. This could diminish our brand and harm our business, divert the attention of our technical personnel from our product development efforts or cause significant client relations problems.

                    In addition, we rely on a third-party Web hosting service provider for Internet connectivity and network infrastructure hosting, security and maintenance. The provider has, in the past, experienced problems that have resulted in slower than normal response times and interruptions in service. If we are unable to continue utilizing the services of our existing Web hosting provider or if our Web hosting services experience interruptions or delays, it is possible that our business could be harmed.

                    Our service also depends on many third parties for hardware and software, which products could contain defects. Problems arising from our use of such hardware or software could require us to incur significant costs or divert the attention of our technical personnel from our product development efforts. To the extent any such problems require us to replace such hardware or software, we may not be able to do so on acceptable terms, if at all.

                    Technological defects could disrupt our services, which could harm our business and reputation.

                    We face risks related to the technological capabilities of the LivePerson services. We expect the number of simultaneous chats between our clients’ operators and Internet users over our system to increase significantly as we expand our client base. Our network hardware and software may not be able to accommodate this additional volume. Additionally, we must continually upgrade our software to improve the features and functionality of the LivePerson services in order to be competitive in our market. If future versions of our software contain undetected errors, our business could be harmed. As a result of major software upgrades at LivePerson, our client sites have, from time to time, experienced slower than normal response times and interruptions in service. If we experience


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system failures or degraded response times, our reputation and brand could be harmed. We may also experience technical problems in the process of installing and initiating the LivePerson services on new Web hosting services. These problems, if unremedied, could harm our business.

                    The LivePerson services also depend on complex software which may contain defects, particularly when we introduce new versions onto our servers. We may not discover software defects that affect our new or current services or enhancements until after they are deployed. It is possible that, despite testing by us, defects may occur in the software. These defects could result in:

 

damage to our reputation;


 

lost sales;


 

delays in or loss of market acceptance of our products; and


 

unexpected expenses and diversion of resources to remedy errors.


                    We may be unable to respond to the rapid technological change and changing client preferences in the online sales and customer service industry and this may harm our business.

                    If we are unable, for technological, legal, financial or other reasons, to adapt in a timely manner to changing market conditions in the online sales and customer service industry or our clients’ or Internet users’ requirements, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. Business on the Internet is characterized by rapid technological change. In addition, the market for online sales and customer service technology is relatively new. Sudden changes in client and Internet user requirements and preferences, frequent new product and service introductions embodying new technologies, such as broadband communications, and the emergence of new industry standards and practices could render the LivePerson services and our proprietary technology and systems obsolete. The rapid evolution of these products and services will require that we continually improve the performance, features and reliability of our services. Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to:

 

enhance the features and performance of the LivePerson services;


 

develop and offer new services that are valuable to companies doing business on the Internet and Internet users; and


 

respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices in a cost-effective and timely manner.


                    If any of our new services, including upgrades to our current services, do not meet our clients’ or Internet users’ expectations, our business may be harmed. Updating our technology may require significant additional capital expenditures and could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

                    If we are not competitive in the market for real-time sales and customer service technology, our business could be harmed.

                    There are no substantial barriers to entry in the real-time sales and customer service technology market, other than the ability to design and build scalable software and, with respect to outsourced solution providers, the ability to design and build scalable network architecture. Established or new entities may enter this market in the near future, including those that provide real-time interaction online, with or without the user’s request.

                    We compete directly with companies focused on technology that facilitates real-time sales and customer service interaction. Our competitors include customer service enterprise software providers such as KANA Software, Inc. and RightNow Technologies, Inc., which offer hosted solutions. Furthermore, many of our competitors offer a broader range of customer relationship management products and services than we currently


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offer. We may be disadvantaged and our business may be harmed if companies doing business on the Internet choose sales and customer service technology from such providers.

                    We also face potential competition from larger enterprise software companies such as Oracle and Siebel Systems. In addition, established technology companies, including IBM and Microsoft, may also leverage their existing relationships and capabilities to offer real-time sales and customer service applications.

                    Finally, we face competition from clients and potential clients that choose to provide a real-time sales and customer service solution in-house as well as, to a lesser extent, traditional offline customer service solutions, such as telephone call centers.

                    We believe that competition will increase as our current competitors increase the sophistication of their offerings and as new participants enter the market. Many of our current and potential competitors have:

 

longer operating histories;


 

larger client bases;


 

greater brand recognition;


 

more diversified lines of products and services; and


 

significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources.


                    These competitors may enter into strategic or commercial relationships with larger, more established and better-financed companies. These competitors may be able to:

 

undertake more extensive marketing campaigns;


 

adopt more aggressive pricing policies; and


 

make more attractive offers to businesses to induce them to use their products or services.


                    Any delay in the general market acceptance of the real-time sales and customer service solution business model would likely harm our competitive position. Delays would allow our competitors additional time to improve their service or product offerings, and would also provide time for new competitors to develop real-time sales and customer service applications and solicit prospective clients within our target markets. Increased competition could result in pricing pressures, reduced operating margins and loss of market share.

                    Our business and prospects would suffer if we are unable to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights.

                    Our success and ability to compete depend, in part, upon the protection of our intellectual property rights relating to the technology underlying the LivePerson services. We currently have one U.S. patent issued to us relating to such technology and have not filed applications outside the U.S. It is possible that:

 

our issued patent or any patent issued in the future may not be broad enough to protect our intellectual property rights;


 

our issued patent or any patent issued in the future could be successfully challenged by one or more third parties, which could result in our loss of the right to prevent others from exploiting the invention claimed in the patent;


 

current and future competitors may independently develop similar technology, duplicate our service or design around any patent we may have; and


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effective patent protection may not be available in every country in which we do business.


                    Further, to the extent that the invention described in our U.S. patent was made public prior to the filing of the patent application, we may not be able to obtain patent protection in certain foreign countries. We also rely upon copyright, trade secret and trademark law, written agreements and common law to protect our proprietary technology, processes and other intellectual property, to the extent that protection is sought or secured at all. We currently have two U.S. trademarks – “LivePerson Give Your Site A Pulse” and “HumanClick” – registered on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office primary register. We currently have one U.S. trademark – “LivePerson” – registered on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office supplemental register. We do not have any trademarks registered outside the U.S., nor do we have any trademark applications pending outside the U.S. We cannot assure you that any steps we might take will be adequate to protect against infringement and misappropriation of our intellectual property by third parties. Similarly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not be able to independently develop similar or superior technology, processes or other intellectual property. The unauthorized reproduction or other misappropriation of our intellectual property rights could enable third parties to benefit from our technology without paying us for it. If this occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, disputes concerning the ownership or rights to use intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming to litigate, may distract management from operating our business and may result in our loss of significant rights.

                    Our products and services may infringe upon intellectual property rights of third parties and any infringement could require us to incur substantial costs and may distract our management.

                    Although we attempt to avoid infringing known proprietary rights of third parties, we do not conduct comprehensive patent searches to determine whether our services and technology infringe patents held by others, and we are subject to the risk of claims alleging infringement of third-party proprietary rights. If we infringe upon the rights of third parties, we may not be able to obtain licenses to use those rights on commercially reasonable terms. In that event, we would need to undertake substantial reengineering to continue offering our services. Any effort to undertake such reengineering might not be successful. In addition, any claim of infringement could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against the claim, even if the claim is invalid, and could distract our management from our business. Furthermore, a party making such a claim could secure a judgment that requires us to pay substantial damages. A judgment could also include an injunction or other court order that could prevent us from selling our products. If any of these events occurred, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

                    We may be liable if third parties misappropriate personal information belonging to our clients’ Internet users.

                    We maintain dialogue transcripts of the text-based chats between our clients and Internet users and store on our servers information supplied voluntarily by these Internet users in exit surveys which follow the chats. We provide this information to our clients to allow them to perform Internet user analyses and monitor the effectiveness of our services. Some of the information we collect in text-based chats and exit surveys may include personal information, such as contact and demographic information. If third parties were able to penetrate our network security or otherwise misappropriate personal information relating to our clients’ Internet users or the text of customer service inquiries, we could be subject to liability. We could be subject to negligence claims or claims for misuse of personal information. These claims could result in litigation which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We may incur significant costs to protect against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches.

                    The need to physically secure and securely transmit confidential information online has been a significant barrier to electronic commerce and online communications. Any well-publicized compromise of security could deter people from using online services such as the ones we offer, or from using them to conduct transactions which involve transmitting confidential information. Because our success depends on the general acceptance of our services and electronic commerce, we may incur significant costs to protect against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches.


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                    Political, economic and military conditions in Israel could negatively impact our Israeli operations.

                    Our product development staff, help desk and online sales personnel are located in Israel. As of March 31, 2003, we had 20 full-time employees in Israel and as of December 31, 2002, we had 19 full-time employees in Israel. Although substantially all of our sales to date have been made to customers outside Israel, we are directly influenced by the political, economic and military conditions affecting Israel. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have taken place between Israel and its Arab neighbors. A state of hostility, varying in degree and intensity, has caused security and economic problems in Israel. Further, since September 2000, there has been a significant deterioration in the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and serious violence has ensued, the peace process between the parties has stagnated, and Israel’s relationship with several Arab countries has been adversely affected. Moreover, hostilities during 2002 and 2003 have escalated significantly, with increased attacks in Israel and an armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Efforts to resolve the conflict have failed to result in an agreeable solution. Continued hostilities between the Palestinian community and Israel and any failure to settle the conflict could adversely affect our operations in Israel and our business. Further deterioration of the situation into a full-scale armed conflict might require more widespread military reserve service by some of our Israeli employees and might result in a significant downturn in the economic or financial condition of Israel, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations in Israel and our business. In addition, several Arab countries still restrict business with Israeli companies. Our operations in Israel could be adversely affected by restrictive laws or policies directed towards Israel and Israeli businesses.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRY

                    We are dependent on continued growth in the use of the Internet as a medium for commerce.

                    We cannot be sure that a sufficiently broad base of consumers will adopt, and continue to use, the Internet as a medium for commerce. Our long-term viability depends substantially upon the widespread acceptance and development of the Internet as an effective medium for consumer commerce. Use of the Internet to effect retail transactions is at an early stage of development. Convincing our clients to offer real-time sales and customer service technology may be difficult.

                    Demand for recently introduced services and products over the Internet is subject to a high level of uncertainty. Few proven services and products exist. The development of the Internet into a viable commercial marketplace is subject to a number of factors, including:

 

continued growth in the number of users;


 

concerns about transaction security;


 

continued development of the necessary technological infrastructure;


 

development of enabling technologies;


 

uncertain and increasing government regulation; and


 

the development of complementary services and products.


                    We depend on the continued viability of the infrastructure of the Internet.

                    To the extent that the Internet continues to experience growth in the number of users and frequency of use by consumers resulting in increased bandwidth demands, we cannot assure you that the infrastructure for the Internet will be able to support the demands placed upon it. The Internet has experienced outages and delays as a result of damage to portions of its infrastructure. Outages or delays could adversely affect online sites, email and the level of traffic on the Internet. We also depend on Internet service providers that provide our clients and Internet users with access to the LivePerson services. In the past, users have experienced difficulties due to system failures unrelated to our service. In addition, the Internet could lose its viability due to delays in the adoption of new standards and


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protocols required to handle increased levels of Internet activity. Insufficient availability of telecommunications services to support the Internet also could result in slower response times and negatively impact use of the Internet generally, and our clients’ sites (including the LivePerson pop-up dialogue windows) in particular. If the use of the Internet fails to grow or grows more slowly than expected, if the infrastructure for the Internet does not effectively support growth that may occur or if the Internet does not become a viable commercial marketplace, we may not achieve profitability and our business, results of operations and financial condition will suffer.

                    We may become subject to burdensome government regulation and legal uncertainties.

                    Laws and regulations directly applicable to Internet communications, commerce and advertising are becoming more prevalent. The United States Congress has enacted Internet legislation relating to issues such as children’s privacy, copyright and taxation. The children’s privacy legislation imposes restrictions on the collection, use and distribution of personal identification information obtained online from children under the age of 13. The copyright legislation establishes rules governing the liability of Internet service providers and Web site publishers for the copyright infringement of Internet users. The tax legislation exempts certain types of sales transactions conducted over the Internet from multiple or discriminatory state and local taxation through November 1, 2003. Additionally, the European Union has adopted a directive addressing data privacy which imposes restrictions on the collection, use and processing of personal data. Existing legislation and any new legislation could hinder the growth in use of the Internet generally and decrease the acceptance of the Internet as a medium for communication, commerce and advertising. The laws governing the Internet remain largely unsettled, even in areas where legislation has been enacted. It may take several years to determine whether and how existing laws such as those governing intellectual property, taxation and personal privacy apply to the Internet and Internet services. In addition, the growth and development of the market for Internet commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws, both in the U.S. and abroad, which may impose additional burdens on companies conducting business online. Our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected if we do not comply with recent legislation or laws or regulations relating to the Internet that are adopted or modified in the future.

                    For example, the LivePerson services allow our clients to capture and save information about Internet users, possibly without their knowledge. Additionally, our service uses a tool, commonly referred to as a “cookie,” to uniquely identify each of our clients’ Internet users. To the extent that additional legislation regarding Internet user privacy is enacted, such as legislation governing the collection and use of information regarding Internet users through the use of cookies, the effectiveness of the LivePerson services could be impaired by restricting us from collecting information which may be valuable to our clients. The foregoing could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

                    Security concerns could hinder commerce on the Internet.

                    User concerns about the security of confidential information online has been a significant barrier to commerce on the Internet and online communications. Any well-publicized compromise of security could deter people from using the Internet or other online services or from using them to conduct transactions that involve the transmission of confidential information. If Internet commerce is inhibited as a result of such security concerns, our business would be harmed.

OTHER RISKS

                    Our executive officers, directors and stockholders who each own greater than 5% of the outstanding common stock will be able to influence matters requiring a stockholder vote.

                    Our executive officers, directors and stockholders who each own greater than 5% of the outstanding common stock and their affiliates, in the aggregate, beneficially own approximately 51.2% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, if acting together, will be able to significantly influence all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership could also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control.


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                    The future sale of shares of our common stock may negatively affect our stock price.

                    If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock, including shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options and warrants in the public market, or if our stockholders are perceived by the market as intending to sell substantial amounts of our common stock, the market price of our common stock could fall. These sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate. “Affiliates” of LivePerson may not sell their shares of our common stock except pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the resale of those shares, or an exemption under the Securities Act, including Rule 144.

                    Persons who may be deemed to be affiliates of LivePerson include those persons or entities who directly or indirectly control LivePerson, such as our directors, executive officers and significant stockholders.

                    Our stock price has been highly volatile and may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations in the future which could reduce the value of your investment and subject us to litigation.

                    Fluctuations in market price and volume are particularly common among securities of Internet and other technology companies. The market price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly in the past and may continue to be highly volatile, with extreme price and volume fluctuations, in response to the following factors, some of which are beyond our control:

 

variations in our quarterly operating results;


 

changes in market valuations of publicly-traded companies in general and Internet and other technology companies in particular;


 

our announcements of significant client contracts, acquisitions and our ability to integrate these acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;


 

our failure to complete significant sales;


 

additions or departures of key personnel;


 

future sales of our common stock;


 

changes in financial estimates by securities analysts; and


 

terrorist attacks against the United States or in Israel, the engagement in hostilities or an escalation of hostilities by or against the United States or Israel, or the declaration of war or national emergency by the United States or Israel.


                    In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been the subject of securities class action litigation. We may in the future be the target of similar litigation, which could result in substantial costs and distract management from other important aspects of operating our business.

                    Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may make it difficult for a third party to acquire us.

                    Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, such as our staggered Board of Directors, the manner in which director vacancies may be filled and provisions regarding the calling of stockholder meetings, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, provisions of our amended and restated bylaws, such as advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals, and applicable provisions of Delaware law, such as the application of business combination limitations, could impose similar difficulties. Further, provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to directors, stockholder meetings, limitation of director liability, indemnification and amendment of the certificate of incorporation and bylaws may not be amended without the affirmative vote of not


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less than 66.67% of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (considered for this purpose as a single class) cast at a meeting of our stockholders called for that purpose. Our amended and restated bylaws may not be amended without the affirmative vote of at least 66.67% of our Board of Directors or without the affirmative vote of not less than 66.67% of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (considered for this purpose as a single class) cast at a meeting of our stockholders called for that purpose.

ITEM 3.   QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

                    Currency Rate Fluctuations

                    Through March 31, 2003, our results of operations, financial position and cash flows have not been materially affected by changes in the relative values of non-U.S. currencies to the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of our wholly-owned Israeli subsidiary, HumanClick Ltd., is the U.S. dollar. We do not use derivative financial instruments to limit our foreign currency risk exposure.

                    Collection Risk

                    Our accounts receivable are subject, in the normal course of business, to collection risks. We regularly assess these risks and have established policies and business practices to protect against the adverse effects of collection risks. We increased our allowance for doubtful accounts by $15,000 to approximately $85,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2003, principally due to an increase in accounts receivable as a result of increased sales. We did not increase our allowance for doubtful accounts in the year ended December 31, 2002. This is attributable to the fact that our accounts receivable collections improved in 2002, due primarily to the significantly larger percentage of our total outstanding accounts receivable now comprised of businesses with more established and proven operating histories, and to a lesser extent, to the fact that an increased number of our clients now pay us by credit card.

                    Interest Rate Risk

                    Our investments consist of cash and cash equivalents. Therefore, changes in the market’s interest rates do not affect in any material respect the value of the investments as recorded by us.

ITEM 4.   CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

                    In the 90 days prior to the filing date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer evaluated the effectiveness of LivePerson’s “disclosure controls and procedures,” as that term is defined in Rule 13a-14(c) promulgated under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by LivePerson in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and to ensure that such information is made known to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

                    There have been no significant changes in LivePerson’s internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer completed their evaluation. There were no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, and therefore no corrective action with regard thereto.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1.   LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

                    On November 16, 2001, Corio, Inc. filed a demand for arbitration against us with the American Arbitration Association in San Francisco County, California. The demand is related to a hosted software service contract


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terminated during 2001. Corio is seeking to recover approximately $1.4 million in damages, fees and expenses. We have filed an answer denying liability and asserting counterclaims for breach of contract and fraud, and seek a refund of all amounts paid to Corio, which equal approximately $1.5 million.

                    Although we intend to defend vigorously the matter described above, and believe that we have provided adequate reserves in connection with the claim, we cannot assure you that our defense will be successful and, if it is not, that our ultimate liability in connection with the claim will not exceed our reserves or have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

ITEM 2.   CHANGES IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

(a)  

Not applicable.


(b)  

Not applicable.


(c)  

Not applicable.


(d)  

Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities


                    On April 12, 2000, we consummated our initial public offering of 4,000,000 shares of common stock, for which trading on the Nasdaq National Market commenced on April 7, 2000, pursuant to the Registration Statement on Form S-1, file number 333-95689, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, 2000. The managing underwriters of the offering were Chase Securities Inc., Thomas Weisel Partners LLC and PaineWebber Incorporated. The offering did not terminate until after the sale of all securities registered. The aggregate price of the offering shares was $32.0 million and our net proceeds were approximately $28.1 million after underwriters’ discounts and commissions of approximately $2.2 million and other expenses of approximately $1.7 million. Except for salaries, and reimbursements for travel expenses and other out-of-pocket costs incurred in the ordinary course of business, none of the proceeds from the offering have been paid by us, directly or indirectly, to any of our directors or officers or any of their associates, or to any persons owning ten percent or more of our outstanding stock or to any of our affiliates. As of March 31, 2003, we have used approximately $20.1 million of the net proceeds from the offering for product development costs, sales and marketing activities and working capital and invested the remainder in cash and cash equivalents pending its use for other purposes.

ITEM 3.   DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

                    None.

ITEM 4.   SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

                    We held a Special Meeting of Stockholders on January 23, 2003. The stockholders approved separate proposals to amend our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect, alternatively, one of three different reverse splits of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock, at a ratio of one-for-three, one-for-five and one-for-seven. Pursuant to the authority granted by the proposals, our Board of Directors will have the discretion to decide which reverse split to implement, or not to effect a reverse split at all, at any time on or prior to May 30, 2003.

                    The votes were cast as follows:

Proposal
For
Against
Abstentions
Broker Non-
Votes

One-for-Three Reverse Split   28,017,162   289,575   33,615   --  
One-for-Five Reverse Split  27,199,422   1,138,765   2,165   --  
One-for-Seven Reverse Split  27,124,973   1,180,214   35,165   --  

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ITEM 5.   OTHER INFORMATION

                    None.

ITEM 6.   EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

(a)  

The following exhibits are filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q:


99.1  

Periodic Report Certification of Chief Executive Officer


99.2  

Periodic Report Certification of Chief Financial Officer


(b)  

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed during the quarter ended March 31, 2003:


                    Item 5 – dated January 23, 2003 and filed January 24, 2003, announcing (i) the issuance of a press release with regard to the Company regaining compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid requirement for the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, and (ii) the results of the voting at the Special Meeting of Stockholders on January 23, 2003.

                    Item 5 – dated March 18, 2003 and filed March 20, 2003, announcing the receipt of a letter from Nasdaq, notifying LivePerson that during the preceding 30 consecutive trading days, the bid price of LivePerson’s common stock had closed below the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share as required for continued inclusion in the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.


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SIGNATURES

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

  LIVEPERSON, INC.
(Registrant)


Date: May 13, 2003 By:        /s/ ROBERT P. LOCASCIO
  Name:   Robert P. LoCascio
  Title:     Chief Executive Officer (duly authorized officer)
 
 
 
Date: May 13, 2003 By:        /s/ TIMOTHY E. BIXBY
  Name:   Timothy E. Bixby
  Title:     President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
              (principal financial and accounting officer)


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CERTIFICATIONS

                    I, ROBERT P. LOCASCIO, certify that:

                    1.   I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of LivePerson, Inc.;

                    2.   Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

                    3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

                    4.   The registrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and we have:

                    a)   designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

                    b)   evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

                    c)   presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;

                    5.   The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

                    a)   all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

                    b)   any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

                    6.   The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether or not there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Date: May 13, 2003 By:        /s/ ROBERT P. LOCASCIO
  Name:   Robert P. LoCascio
  Title:     Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer)

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                    I, TIMOTHY E. BIXBY, certify that:

                    1.  I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of LivePerson, Inc.;

                    2.   Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

                    3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

                    4.   The registrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and we have:

                    a)   designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

                    b)   evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

                    c)   presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;

                    5.   The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

                    a)   all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

                    b)   any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

                    6.   The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether or not there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Date: May 13, 2003 By:        /s/ TIMOTHY E. BIXBY
  Name:   Timothy E. Bixby
  Title:     President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
              (principal financial officer)

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EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT


99.1  

Periodic Report Certification of Chief Executive Officer


99.2  

Periodic Report Certification of Chief Financial Officer



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