Archer Aviation Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business. Company Overview We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on August 26, 2020 and formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses. We are an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, are subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies. On September 4, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 in consideration for 14,375,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 1,875,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor would collectively own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering). Upon the expiration of the over-allotment option in December 2020, 1,875,000 shares of Class B common stock were forfeited, resulting in an aggregate of 12,500,000 Founder Shares outstanding. The registration statement for our Initial Public Offering was declared effective on October 27, 2020. On October 30, 2020, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 50,000,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $500,000,000. Each Unit consisted of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-third of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 8,000,000 warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant in a private placement (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to our sponsor, Atlas Crest Investment LLC, generating gross proceeds of $12,000,000. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in a trust account. If we do not complete a business combination within 24 months from the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). The outstanding shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock upon the consummation of a business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with a business combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding after such conversion, including the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination, excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities or rights exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, provided that such conversion of Founder Shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis. 1 We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile. Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used. Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible. Business Combination Agreement On February 10, 2021, we entered into a Business Combination Agreement (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among Atlas, Artemis Acquisition Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Artemis Merger Sub”), and Archer Aviation Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Archer”). Immediately prior to the consummation of the Merger, Atlas will change its corporate name to “Archer Aviation Inc.” (“New Archer”). 2 The Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby were approved by the boards of directors of each of Atlas and Archer. The Business Combination The Business Combination Agreement provides for, among other things, the following transactions on the date of closing of the Business Combination (the “Closing”): (i) Atlas will amend and restate its certificate of incorporation (the “Post-Closing Atlas Certificate of Incorporation”), pursuant to which, among other things, Atlas will have a dual class share structure with (A) shares of Class A common stock that will carry voting rights in the form of one vote per share (the “New Class A Common Stock”), and (B) shares of Class B common stock that will carry voting rights in the form of ten votes per share (the “New Class B Common Stock” and, together with the New Class A Common Stock, the “New Atlas Common Stock”), and (ii) Artemis Merger Sub will merge with and into Archer, with Archer as the surviving company in the merger and, after giving effect to such merger, continuing as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlas (the “Merger”). The Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement are hereinafter referred to as the “Business Combination”. The Business Combination is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, following the receipt of the required approval by Atlas’ stockholders and the fulfillment of other customary closing conditions. Business Combination Consideration In accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the Business Combination Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, (i) outstanding shares of common stock and preferred stock of Archer will be converted into a right to receive a number of shares of New Class B Common Stock determined on the basis of an implied Archer equity value of $2,525,000,000 (the “Implied Equity Value”), (ii) all stock awards (whether vested or unvested) to purchase Archer common stock will be converted into stock awards to purchase a number of shares of New Class B Common Stock based on an exchange ratio derived from the Implied Equity Value, and (iii) outstanding warrants (whether vested or unvested) to purchase Archer common stock will be converted into warrants to purchase a number of shares of New Class B Common Stock determined on the basis of the Implied Equity Value. The former Archer equity holders will have the right to convert their shares of New Class B Common Stock into shares of New Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Post-Closing Atlas Certificate of Incorporation. Representations and Warranties; Covenants The Business Combination Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants of each of the parties thereto that are customary for transactions of this type. Atlas has also agreed to take all action within its power as may be necessary or appropriate such that, effective immediately after the Closing, the Atlas board of directors will be divided into three classes and be composed of a total of seven directors, which directors shall include an individual designated by Atlas, three individuals designated by Archer and three individuals to be identified by Archer in consultation with Atlas who qualify as “independent directors” under the listing rules of the New York Stock Exchange. 3 Conditions to Each Party’s Obligations The obligations of Atlas and Archer to consummate the Business Combination are subject to certain closing conditions, including, but not limited to, (i) the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, (ii) the absence of any law or governmental order or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the consummation of the Business Combination, (iii) the Registration Statement (as defined below) being declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), (iv) the shares of New Class A Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Business Combination having been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, (v) the approval of Atlas’ stockholders, (vi) the approval of Archer’s stockholders and (vii) Atlas having at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) remaining after the Closing. In addition, the obligation of Archer to consummate the Business Combination is subject to, among other conditions, the aggregate cash proceeds from Atlas’ trust account, together with the proceeds from the PIPE Financing (as defined below), equaling no less than $600,000,000 (after deducting any amounts paid to Atlas shareholders that exercise their redemption rights in connection with the Business Combination). Termination The Business Combination Agreement may be terminated under certain circumstances prior to the Closing, including, but not limited to, (i) by mutual written consent of Atlas and Archer, (ii) by either Atlas or Archer if the other party breaches its representations, warranties or covenants such that the conditions set forth in the Business Combination Agreement would not be satisfied, and such party fails to cure such breach (other than for certain limited exceptions), (iii) by either Atlas or Archer if the Business Combination is not consummated by September 10, 2021, (iv) by either Atlas or Archer if any governmental entity issues an order or taken any other action permanently enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting the Business Combination and such order or other action has become final and non-appealable, (v) by either Atlas or Archer if certain required approvals are not obtained from the Atlas stockholders after the conclusion of a meeting of Atlas’ stockholders held for such purpose at which such shareholders voted on such approvals, and (vi) by Atlas if (A) the Transaction Support Agreements are not executed and delivered to Atlas within one business day of the signing date of the Business Combination Agreement, (B) Archer’s stockholders do not deliver, within one business day of the Registration Statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, to Atlas a written consent approving the Business Combination (the “Stockholder Written Consent”) or (C) Archer does not deliver, within one business day of the Registration Statement being declared effective under the Securities Act, to Atlas a written consent approving the conversion of all shares of preferred stock of Archer into shares of common stock of Archer immediately prior to the Closing (the “Conversion Written Consent”). If the Business Combination Agreement is validly terminated, none of the parties to the Business Combination Agreement will have any liability or any further obligation under the Business Combination Agreement, other than customary confidentiality obligations, except in the case of Willful Breach or Fraud (each, as defined in the Business Combination Agreement). PIPE Financing (Private Placement) Concurrently with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, Atlas entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors. Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, each investor agreed to subscribe for and purchase, and Atlas agreed to issue and sell to such investors, on the Closing Date (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) immediately following the Closing (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), an aggregate of 60,000,000 shares of Atlas’ Class A Common Stock for a purchase price of $10.00 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $600 million (the “PIPE Financing”). 4 The closing of the PIPE Financing is contingent upon, among other things, the substantially concurrent consummation of the Business Combination. The Subscription Agreements provide that Atlas will grant the investors in the PIPE Financing certain customary registration rights. A copy of the Business Combination Agreement is on Form 8-K, filed February 2, 2020, as Exhibit 2.1 and is incorporated herein by reference, and the foregoing description of the Business Combination Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference thereto. The Business Combination Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants that the respective parties made to each other as of the date of the Business Combination Agreement or other specific dates. The assertions embodied in those representations, warranties and covenants were made for purposes of the contract among the respective parties and are subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by the parties in connection with negotiating such agreement. The representations, warranties and covenants in the Business Combination Agreement are also modified in important part by the underlying disclosure schedules which are not filed publicly and which are subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from that generally applicable to stockholders and were used for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties rather than establishing matters as facts. Atlas does not believe that these schedules contain information that is material to an investment decision. Atlas Crest Investment Corp. II In December 2020, Atlas Crest Investment II LLC, an affiliate of Moelis, founded Atlas Crest Investment Corp. II (“AC II”), a blank check company incorporated for the purposes of effecting a business combination. AC II completed its initial public offering in February 2021, in which it sold 34,500,000 units, each unit consisting of one AC II Class A common share and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant for one AC II Class A common share, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $345,000,000. AC II’s units, Class A common shares and warrants currently trade on NYSE under the symbols “ACII.U,” “ACII” and “ACII WS,” respectively. Mr. Moelis is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of AC II, and certain of our other officers and directors, are officers or directors, respectively of AC II, and each of the foregoing owe fiduciary duties under Delaware law to AC II. AC II has not yet consummated its business combination. Atlas Crest Investment Corp. III In February 2021, Atlas Crest Investment III LLC, an affiliate of Moelis, founded Atlas Crest Investment Corp. III (“AC III”), a blank check company incorporated for the purposes of effecting a business combination. AC III is conducting its initial public offering concurrently with our public offering. AC IV is offering 60,000,000 units, each unit consisting of one AC III Class common share and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant for one AC IV Class A common share, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $400,000,000. We expect AC III’s units, Class A common shares and warrants will trade on NYSE under the symbols “ACCC.U,” “ACCC” and “ACCC.WS,” respectively. Mr. Moelis is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of AC III, and certain of our other officers and directors, are or may become officers or directors, respectively of AC III, and each of the foregoing owe fiduciary duties under Delaware law to AC III. Atlas Crest Investment Corp. IV In February 2021, Atlas Crest Investment IV LLC, an affiliate of Moelis, founded Atlas Crest Investment Corp. IV (“AC IV”), a blank check company incorporated for the purposes of effecting a business combination. AC IV is conducting its initial public offering concurrently with our public offering. AC IV is offering 40,000,000 units, each unit consisting of one AC IV Class common share and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant for one AC IV Class A common share, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $400,000,000. We expect AC IV’s units, Class A common shares and warrants will trade on NYSE under the symbols “ACIV.U,” “ACIV” and “ACIV.WS,” respectively. Mr. Moelis is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of AC IV, and certain of our other officers and directors, are or may become officers or directors, respectively of AC IV, and each of the foregoing owe fiduciary duties under Delaware law to AC IV. Atlas Crest Investment Corp. V In February 2021, Atlas Crest Investment V LLC, an affiliate of Moelis, founded Atlas Crest Investment Corp. V (“AC V” and together with AC II, AC III, AC IV and AC V, the “AC SPACs”), a blank check company incorporated for the purposes of effecting a business combination. AC V is conducting its initial public offering concurrently with our public offering. AC V is offering 20,000,000 units, each unit consisting of one AC V Class common share and one- fourth of one redeemable warrant for one AC V Class A common share, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $200,000,000. We expect AC V’s units, Class A common shares and warrants will trade on NYSE under the symbols “ACCV.U,” “ACCV” and “ACCV.WS,” respectively. Mr. Moelis is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of AC V, and certain of our other officers and directors, are or may become officers or directors, respectively of AC V, and each of the foregoing owe fiduciary duties under Delaware law to AC V. Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of 65% of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the inception of this company (assuming they do not purchase any units in the Initial Public Offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that: • If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the inception of this company, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the requirements of other applicable law; 5 • Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the inception of this company or (y) amend the foregoing provisions; • Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our executive officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; • If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on the NYSE, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above; • So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NYSE, the NYSE rules require that we must not consummate an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; • If our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the inception of this company, or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; and • We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. 6 In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Competition If the Business Combination Agreement is terminated, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. Employees We currently have 3 executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Website Our website address is www.atlascrestcorp.com. Information contained on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments and exhibits to these reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are available on our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Alternatively, you may access these reports at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Periodic Reporting and Financial Information We have registered our Units, Class A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, this Annual Report contains financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants. 7 We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) sent to stockholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), or reconciled to, GAAP, or International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”). We expect to receive the required audited financial statements of Archer as set forth in the Business Combination Agreement in connection with the Business Combination. If the Business Combination does not occur, these financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that any applicable requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.