| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | Period [Axis] |
|---|
2016-01-01 - 2016-12-31 |
|---|
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
Schedule of components of income tax expense (benefit) | The provision for income taxes consists of the following (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year Ended December 31, | | 2014 |
| 2015 |
| 2016 | Current: | | | | | | Federal | $ | 2,716 |
| | $ | 3,235 |
| | $ | 3,520 |
| State | 157 |
| | (397 | ) | | 306 |
| Foreign | 774 |
| | 723 |
| | 966 |
| Total | 3,647 |
| | 3,561 |
| | 4,792 |
| Deferred: | | | | | | Federal | 29 |
| | (198 | ) | | (70 | ) | State | 6 |
| | (43 | ) | | 0 |
| Foreign | (43 | ) | | (17 | ) | | (50 | ) | Total | (8 | ) | | (258 | ) | | (120 | ) | Provision for income taxes | $ | 3,639 |
| | $ | 3,303 |
| | $ | 4,672 |
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Schedule of effective income tax rate reconciliation | The reconciliation of federal statutory income tax rate to our effective income tax rate is as follows: | | | | | | | | | | | Year Ended December 31, | | 2014 |
| 2015 |
| 2016 | U.S. federal statutory tax rate | 35.0 | % | | 35.0 | % | | 35.0 | % | Foreign rate differential | (12.2 | )% | | (13.4 | )% | | (11.0 | )% | Federal research credit | (1.8 | )% | | (2.1 | )% | | (2.0 | )% | Stock-based compensation expense | 0.1 | % | | 0.3 | % | | (3.4 | )% | Other adjustments | 0.0 | % | | (3.0 | )% | | 0.7 | % | Effective tax rate | 21.1 | % | | 16.8 | % | | 19.3 | % |
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Schedule of deferred tax assets and liabilities | Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | As of December 31, | | 2015 | | 2016 | Deferred tax assets: | | | | Stock-based compensation expense | $ | 534 |
| | $ | 574 |
| Accrued employee benefits | 832 |
| | 939 |
| Accruals and reserves not currently deductible | 245 |
| | 500 |
| Tax credits | 503 |
| | 631 |
| Basis difference in investment of Arris | 1,357 |
| | 1,327 |
| Prepaid cost sharing | 3,468 |
| | 4,409 |
| Other | 931 |
| | 926 |
| Total deferred tax assets | 7,870 |
| | 9,306 |
| Valuation allowance | (1,732 | ) | | (2,076 | ) | Total deferred tax assets net of valuation allowance | 6,138 |
| | 7,230 |
| Deferred tax liabilities: | | | | Depreciation and amortization | (1,126 | ) | | (877 | ) | Identified intangibles | (787 | ) | | (844 | ) | Renewable energy investments | (529 | ) | | (788 | ) | Foreign earnings | (3,468 | ) | | (4,409 | ) | Other | (166 | ) | | (155 | ) | Total deferred tax liabilities | (6,076 | ) | | (7,073 | ) | Net deferred tax assets | $ | 62 |
| | $ | 157 |
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Summary of income tax contingencies | The following table summarizes the activity related to our gross unrecognized tax benefits from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 (in millions): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2014 | | 2015 | | 2016 | Beginning gross unrecognized tax benefits | $ | 2,502 |
| | $ | 3,294 |
| | $ | 4,167 |
| Increases related to prior year tax positions | 66 |
| | 224 |
| | 899 |
| Decreases related to prior year tax positions | (44 | ) | | (176 | ) | | (157 | ) | Decreases related to settlement with tax authorities | (1 | ) | | (27 | ) | | (196 | ) | Increases related to current year tax positions | 771 |
| | 852 |
| | 680 |
| Ending gross unrecognized tax benefits | $ | 3,294 |
| | $ | 4,167 |
| | $ | 5,393 |
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