Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. 10-K/A

Item 1A. Risk Factors. As a smaller reporting company under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, we are not required to include risk factors in this Report. However, below is a partial list of material risks, uncertainties and other factors that could have a material effect on the Company and its operations: • we are a blank check company with no revenue or basis to evaluate our ability to select a suitable business target; • we may not be able to select an appropriate target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, including the TMTG Business Combination, in the prescribed time frame; • our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses, such as TMTG, may not be realized; • since our Board approved the Transactions, we have experienced a number of regulatory delays, and we and TMTG may continue to experience additional delays in the future. These delays could cause us to be unable to consummate the Transactions; • the Company was in the past, and continues to be, subject to inquiries, exams, pending investigations, or enforcement matters. We are cooperating with a FINRA inquiry concerning events (specifically, a review of trading) that preceded the public announcement of the Merger Agreement. We are also cooperating with investigations by the SEC and the Department of Justice. In addition, we and each member of our Board received grand jury subpoenas seeking certain of the same documents demanded in the SEC subpoenas. Any resolution of the inquiry or investigation, as well as proceedings by the SEC, FINRA, or other governmental or regulatory authorities, could result in the imposition of significant fines, penalties, injunctions, prohibitions on the conduct of the Company’s business, damage to the Company’s reputation and other sanctions against it, including restrictions on its activities; • the SEC may delay declaring our S-4 Registration Statement effective or disapprove the Transactions and issue a stop order or similar order with respect to the S-4 Registration Statement, which could materially delay or materially impede the consummation of the TMTG Business Combination; • we may not be successful in retaining or recruiting required officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; • our officers and directors may have difficulties allocating their time between the Company and other businesses and may potentially have conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; 22 Table of Contents • we may not be able to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, including the TMTG Business Combination, or reduce the number of stockholders requesting redemption; • unless extended, the Merger Agreement may be terminated at any time in accordance with its terms, including by either Digital World or TMTG after September 20, 2022, the SPAs may be terminated upon the termination of the Merger Agreement, and stockholders not have the chance to vote on the TMTG Business Combination; • during the pendency of the TMTG Business Combination, Digital World will not be able to enter into a business combination with another party because of restrictions in the Merger Agreement. Furthermore, certain provisions of the Merger Agreement will discourage third parties from submitting alternative takeover proposals, including proposals that may be superior to the arrangements contemplated by the Merger Agreement. There can be no assurance that Digital World will find an alternative target if it is unable to consummate the TMTG Business Combination; • it is possible that the parties will restructure the PIPE or renegotiate such arrangements in view of the PIPE closing conditions, evolving market and regulatory conditions. There is no assurance that such terms can be renegotiated on favorable terms, if at all, that we will be able to secure an alternative financing transaction to support the TMTG Business Combination, or that we will find an alternative target if we are unable to consummate the TMTG Business Combination; • we may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time; • the shareholders may not be given the opportunity to choose the initial business target or to vote on the initial business combination; • trust account funds may not be protected against third party claims or bankruptcy; • an active market for our public securities may not develop and the shareholders will have limited liquidity and trading; • the availability to us of funds from interest income on the trust account balance may be insufficient to operate our business prior to the business combination; • our financial performance following a business combination with an entity may be negatively affected by their lack of an established record of revenue, cash flows and experienced management; • there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination, which could increase the costs associated with completing our business combination; • changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination; • we may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability; • we may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after the initial public offering, which may include acting as a financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the initial public offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination; • we may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all; • since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after our initial public offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors may profit substantially even under circumstances in which our public stockholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination; • changes in laws or regulations or how such laws or regulations are interpreted or applied, or a failure to comply with any laws or regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations; 23 Table of Contents • the value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share; • resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the Combination Period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.24 per share (which represents the amount in the trust account as of December 31, 2021 before deduction of any payment of tax obligations or up to $100,000 to be used for liquidation expenses from interest earned on the funds in the trust account), or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless; • in March 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules relating to certain activities of SPACs. Certain of the procedures that we, a potential business combination target, or others may determine to undertake in connection with such proposals may increase our costs and the time needed to complete our initial business combination and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination. The need for compliance with such proposals may cause us to liquidate the funds in the trust account or liquidate the Company at an earlier time than we might otherwise choose; • if we are deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we would be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities would be severely restricted. As a result, in such circumstances, unless we are able to modify our activities so that we would not be deemed an investment company, we may abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead liquidate the Company; • to mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may at any time instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of investments in the trust account, we would likely receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account, which would likely reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company; • recent increases in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination; • military conflict in Ukraine or elsewhere may lead to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination; • a 1% U.S. federal excise tax may be imposed on us in connection with our redemptions of shares in connection with a business combination or other stockholder vote pursuant to which stockholders would have a right to submit their shares for redemption; • we may be deemed a “foreign person” under the regulations relating to CFIUS and our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate; • there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern”; and • we have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. For the complete list of risks relating to our operations, the TMTG Business Combination and the PIPE, see the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in our (i) Registration Statement, (ii) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the SEC on April 13, 2022, (iii) Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022, as filed with the SEC on May 19, 2022, August 23, 2022, and November 21, 2022, respectively, (iv) S-4 Registration Statement and (v) the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on August 25, 2022. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risks could arise that may also affect our business or ability to consummate an initial business combination. We may disclose changes to such risk factors or disclose additional risk factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC. Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments. Not applicable. 24 Table of Contents