Item 1. Business
Item 1.
Business.
Introduction
We are a blank check company formed for the purpose
of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination
with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this annual report as our initial business combination. We have reviewed a number
of opportunities to enter into a business combination. We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based
on our business activities, the Company is a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act because we have no operations
and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
Our founder, Michael Klein, is also the founder
and managing partner of M. Klein and Company, which he founded in 2012. M. Klein and Company is a global strategic advisory firm that
provides its clients a variety of advice tailored to their objectives. M. Klein and Company has established an entity within the firm,
Archimedes Advisors, which will invest in our sponsor and which consists of operating partners (“operating partners”) who
will assist Mr. Klein in sourcing potential acquisition targets, and creating long-term value in the business combination for us.
M. Klein and Company’s operating partners are comprised of former senior operating executives of leading S&P 500 companies across
multiple sectors and industries, including consumer, industrial, materials, energy, mining, chemicals, finance, data, software, enterprise
technology, and media.
Our executive offices are located at 640 Fifth
Avenue, 12 th Floor, New York, NY 10019 and our telephone number is (212) 380-7500. Our corporate website address https://iv.churchillcapitalcorp.com.
Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference
in, and is not considered part of, this annual report. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to
invest in our securities.
Company History
In May 2020, our sponsor purchased an aggregate
of 21,562,500 shares of Class B common stock (our “founder shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately
$0.001 per share. Our Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock, on a one-for-one
basis, upon the completion of a business combination. On July 14, 2020, the Company effected a stock dividend of one-third of a share
of Class B common stock for each outstanding share of Class B common stock, on July 27, 2020, the Company effected a stock
dividend of 0.50 to 1 share of Class B common stock for each outstanding share of Class B common stock and on July 30,
2020, the Company effected a stock dividend of 0.20 to 1 share of Class B common stock for each outstanding share of Class B
common stock, resulting in 51,750,000 shares of Class B common stock being issued and outstanding. All share and per-share amounts
have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock dividends. The number of founder shares issued was based on the expectation that
the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of our determined Class A common stock and our Class B common
stock (collectively, our “common stock’) upon completion of the initial public offering (the “IPO”).
On August 3, 2020 we completed our IPO of
207,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “units”), generating gross proceeds of $2,070,000,000. Each unit consists
of one of the Company’s shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and one-fifth of one warrant. Each whole
warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain
adjustments.
Concurrently with the completion of the IPO, our
sponsor purchased an aggregate 42,850,000 warrants (the “private placement warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or
$42,850,000 in the aggregate. An aggregate of $2,070,000,000 from the proceeds of the IPO and the private placement warrants was placed
in a trust account (the “trust account”) such that the trust account held $2,070,000,000 at the time of closing of the IPO.
Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50
per share, subject to certain adjustments.
On September 17, 2020, we announced that,
commencing September 18, 2020, holders of the 207,000,000 units sold in the IPO may elect to separately trade the shares of Class A
common stock and the warrants included in the units. Those units not separated continued to trade on the New York Stock Exchange (the
“NYSE”) under the symbol “CCIV.U” and the shares of Class A common stock and warrants that were separated
trade under the symbols “CCIV” and “CCIV WS,” respectively.
Recent Developments
On February 22, 2021, we entered into an
Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “ Merger Agreement ”) by and among us, Air Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation
and direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Churchill (“ Merger Sub ”), and Atieva, Inc., d/b/a Lucid Motors, an exempted
company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “ Company ”).
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the parties
thereto will enter into a business combination transaction (the “ Business Combination ”) by which Merger Sub will merge
with and into the Company with the Company being the surviving entity in the merger (the “ Merger ” and, together with
the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “ Transactions ”).
The proposed Business Combination is expected
to be consummated after the required approval by our stockholders and the Company and the satisfaction of certain other conditions summarized
below.
3
Merger Agreement
Merger Consideration
The aggregate consideration to be paid to the
shareholders of the Company will be equal to (a) $11,750,000,000 plus (b) (i) all cash and cash equivalents of the Company
and its subsidiaries less (ii) all indebtedness for borrowed money of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case as of two business
days prior to the closing date (the “ Equity Value ”) and will be paid entirely in shares of Class A common stock,
par value $0.0001 per share, of Churchill in an amount equal to $10.00 per share (the “ Merger Consideration ”).
At the effective time of the Merger, each share
of capital stock of the Company (the “ Company Shares ”) will be cancelled and automatically deemed for all purposes
to represent the right to receive, in the aggregate, the Merger Consideration. At the effective time of the Merger, all share incentive
plan or similar equity-based compensation plans maintained for employees of the Company will be assumed by Churchill and all outstanding
options to purchase Company Shares (each, a “ Company Option ”) and each restricted stock unit award (“ RSU ”)
with respect to Company Shares (each, a “ Company RSU ”) will be assumed by Churchill as described below. For purposes
of the following paragraph, the “ Exchange Ratio ” means the Equity Value per share divided by $10.00.
At the effective time of the Merger, each Company
Option will become an option to purchase shares of Class A common stock (each, an “ Assumed Option ”), on the same
terms and conditions (including applicable vesting, exercise and expiration provisions) as applied to the Company Option immediately prior
to the effective time of the Merger, except that (i) the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to such Assumed Option
shall equal the product of (x) the number of Company Shares that were subject to the option immediately prior to the effective time
of the Merger, multiplied by (y) the Exchange Ratio, rounded down to the nearest whole share, and (B) the per-share
exercise price shall equal the quotient of (1) the exercise price per Company Share at which such option was exercisable immediately
prior to the effective time of the Merger, divided by (2) the Exchange Ratio, rounded up to the nearest whole cent.
At the effective time of the Merger, each Company
RSU, will be assumed by Churchill and become an RSU with respect to shares of Class A common stock (each, an “ Assumed RSU ”)
on the same terms and conditions (including applicable vesting provisions) as applied to each Company RSU immediately prior to the effective
time of the Merger, except that the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to such Assumed RSU Award will be equal the
product of (x) the number of Company Shares that were subject to such RSU immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger,
multiplied by (y) the Exchange Ratio, rounded down to the nearest whole share.
Representations and Warranties
The Merger Agreement contains representations
and warranties of the parties thereto with respect to, among other things, (i) entity organization, formation and authority, (ii) authorization
to enter into the Merger Agreement, (iii) capital structure, (iv) consents and approvals, (v) financial statements, (vi) undisclosed liabilities,
(vii) real property, (viii) litigation and proceedings, (ix) material contracts, (x) taxes, (xi) title to assets,
(xii) absence of changes, (xiii) environmental matters, (xiv) employee matters, (xv) licenses and permits, (xvi) compliance
with laws (xvii) intellectual property and IT security,(xviii) governmental authorities and consents, (xix) insurance,
and (xx) related party transactions. The representations and warranties of the parties contained in the Merger Agreement will terminate
and be of no further force and effect as of the closing of the Transactions.
Covenants
The Merger Agreement contains customary covenants
of the parties, including, among others, covenants providing for (i) the operation of the parties’ respective businesses prior
to consummation of the Transactions, (ii) Churchill and the Company’s efforts to satisfy conditions to consummation of the
Transactions, (iii) Churchill and the Company to cease discussions for alternative transactions, (iv) Churchill to prepare and
file a registration statement and a proxy statement for the purpose of soliciting proxies from Churchill’s stockholders to vote
in favor of certain matters (the “ SPAC Stockholder Matters ”), including the adoption of the Merger Agreement, approval
of the Transactions, amendment and restatement of Churchill’s certificate of incorporation and certain other matters at a special
meeting called therefor (the “ Special Meeting ”), (v) the Company to convene an extraordinary general meeting of
its shareholders to approve certain matters, including the adoption of the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and approval of the Transactions
(the “ Company Shareholder Matters ”), (vi) the protection of, and access to, confidential information of the parties
and (vii) the parties’ efforts to obtain necessary approvals from governmental agencies.
Conditions to Closing
The consummation of the Transactions is subject
to customary closing conditions for special purpose acquisition companies, including, among others: (i) approval by Churchill’s
stockholders, (ii) the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of
1976, as amended, (iii) no order, statute, rule or regulation enjoining or prohibiting the consummation of the Transactions
being in force, (iv) Churchill having at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets as of the closing of the Transactions, (v) approval
by the Company’s shareholders, (vi) shares of Churchill’s common stock being listed on the New York Stock Exchange or
other stock exchange mutually agreed between Churchill and the Company, (vi) the registration statement becoming effective in accordance
with the Securities Act and (vii) customary bringdown conditions. Additionally, the obligations of the Company to consummate the
Transactions are also conditioned upon, among others, the amount of Available Closing SPAC Cash being at least $2.8 billion as of the
closing of the Transactions and each of the covenants of each of Churchill Sponsor and the Insiders (both as defined below) required under
the Sponsor Agreement (as defined below) to be performed as of or prior to the closing of the Transactions shall have been performed in
all material respects, and none of Churchill Sponsor or the Insiders shall have threatened (orally or in writing) (a) that the Sponsor
Agreement is not valid, binding and in full force and effect, (b) that the Company is in breach of or default under the Sponsor Agreement
or (c) to terminate the Sponsor Agreement.
4
Termination
The Merger Agreement may be terminated at any
time, but not later than the closing of the Transactions, as follows:
(i) by
mutual written consent of Churchill and the Company;
(ii) by
either Churchill or the Company if the Transactions are not consummated on or before October 22, 2021 (the “Termination Date”),
but Churchill’s right to terminate will be automatically extended if any action for specific performance or other equitable relief
filed by the Company with respect to the Merger Agreement, the other transaction agreements specified in the Merger Agreement or otherwise
regarding the Transactions is commenced or pending on or prior to the Termination Date, provided that the terminating party’s failure
to fulfill any of its obligations under the Merger Agreement is not the primary cause of the failure of the closing to occur by such date;
(iii) by
either Churchill or the Company if a governmental entity shall have issued an order, decree or ruling or taken any other action, in any
case having the effect of permanently enjoining or prohibiting the Merger, which order, decree, judgment, ruling or other action is final
and nonappealable;
(iv) by
either Churchill or the Company if the other party has breached any of its covenants, agreements, representations or warranties which
would result in the failure of certain conditions to be satisfied at the closing and has not cured its breach within thirty days of the
notice of an intent to terminate, provided that the terminating party’s failure to fulfill any of its obligations under the Merger
Agreement is not the primary cause of the failure of the closing to occur;
(v) by
either Churchill or the Company if, at the Special Meeting, the Transactions and the other SPAC Stockholder Matters shall fail to be approved
by holders of Churchill’s outstanding shares, provided that Churchill’s right to terminate for failure to obtain such approval
shall not be available if, at the time of such termination, SPAC is in breach of certain of its obligations under the Merger Agreement,
including with respect to the preparation, filing and mailing of the registration statement and the proxy statement and convening the
Special Meeting; or
(vi) by
Churchill if the Company shall fail to obtain the Company Shareholder Matters.
The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement
and the Transactions does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement
and any related agreements. The Merger Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants that the respective parties made to
each other as of the date of such 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 Merger Agreement has been included as an exhibit to this Annual
Report on Form 10-K (this “Current Report”) to provide investors with information regarding its terms. It is not intended
to provide any other factual information about Churchill, the Company, or any other party to the Merger Agreement or any related agreement.
In particular, the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained in the Merger Agreement, which were made only for purposes
of such agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement, are subject to limitations
agreed upon by the contracting parties (including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual
risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts) and are subject to standards of materiality
applicable to the contracting parties that may differ from those applicable to investors and security holders. Investors and security
holders are not third-party beneficiaries under the Merger Agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties, covenants
and agreements, or any descriptions thereof, as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of any party to the Merger
Agreement. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the
Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in Churchill’s public disclosures.
A copy of the Merger Agreement is filed with this
Annual Report as Exhibit 2.1 and is incorporated herein by reference, and the foregoing description of the Merger Agreement is qualified
in its entirety by reference thereto.
Related Agreements
Investor Rights Agreement
In connection with the execution of the Merger
Agreement, Churchill entered into an Investor Rights Agreement (the “ Investor Rights Agreement ”) with Ayar Third Investment
Company (“ Ayar ”), Churchill Sponsor IV LLC (“ Churchill Sponsor ”) and the other parties named therein.
Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, as of the date of the closing of the Transactions, Ayar has the right to nominate five directors
to Churchill’s board of directors (the “ Board ”) and Churchill Sponsor has the right to nominate one director
to the Board. Two directors will be independent directors to be nominated by the Company and one director will be the chief executive
officer of the combined company. In addition, following the closing of the Transactions, Ayar will have a continuing right to designate
directors to the Board, subject to its (and its permitted transferees’) beneficial ownership of Class A common stock as compared
to the Class A common stock issued and outstanding as of the record date of each applicable annual or special meeting of stockholders
at which directors are to be elected (the “ Record Date ”). If, following the closing of the Transactions, Ayar (or
its permitted transferees) beneficially owns: (i) 50% or greater of the shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding
on the Record Date, it will have the right to nominate five directors; (ii) less than 50% but greater than or equal to 40% of the
shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date, it will have the right to nominate four directors; (iii) less
than 40% but greater than or equal to 30% of the shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date, it will
have the right to nominate three directors; (iv) less than 30% but greater than or equal to 20% of the shares of Class A common
stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date, it will have the right to nominate two directors; (v) less than 20% but greater
than or equal to 10% of the shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date, it will have the right to
nominate one director; and (vi) less than 10% of the shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date,
it will not have the right to nominate any directors; provided, that if after the date of the closing of the Transactions the size of
the Board is increased or decreased, the number of directors Ayar is entitled to nominate will be increased or decreased in proportion
to such increase or decrease in the size of the Board, rounded down to the nearest whole number. Further, for so long as Ayar beneficially
owns 20% or greater of the shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date, it will have the right to designate
the Chairman of the Board. Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, any material changes to the combined company’s business plan
will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board. In addition, pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, certain parties
will be entitled to certain registration rights, including, among other things, customary demand, shelf and piggy-back rights, subject
to customary cut-back provisions. Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, certain parties will agree not to sell, transfer, pledge
or otherwise dispose of shares of Class A common stock or warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock they receive
in connection with the Transactions or otherwise beneficially own as of the date of the closing of the Transactions for certain time
periods specified therein. The foregoing description of the Investor Rights Agreement is not complete and is qualified in its entirety
by reference to the Investor Rights Agreement, included as Exhibit 10.16 to this Current Report.
5
Subscription Agreements
In connection with the execution of the Merger
Agreement, (a) Churchill entered into certain common stock subscription agreements (the “ Subscription Agreements ”)
with certain investment funds (the “ PIPE Investors ”) pursuant to which, Churchill has agreed to issue and sell to the
PIPE Investors $2.5 billion of Class A common stock (the “ PIPE Shares ”) in reliance on an exemption from registration
under Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act at a purchase price of $15 per share (the “ PIPE Investment ”).
Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the PIPE Investors have agreed to not transfer any PIPE Shares until the later of (i) the
effectiveness of the registration statement to be filed following the closing of the Transactions to register the PIPE Shares and (ii) September 1,
2021. The closing of the PIPE Investment is conditioned on all conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement having been satisfied or waived
and other customary closing conditions, and the Transactions will be consummated immediately following the closing of the PIPE Investment.
The Subscription Agreements will terminate upon the earlier to occur of (i) the termination of the Merger Agreement and (ii) the
mutual written agreement of the parties thereto.
The Subscription Agreements provide that Churchill
is required to file with the SEC, within 30 days after the consummation of the Transactions, a shelf registration statement covering the
resale of the PIPE Shares and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to have such registration statement declared effective as soon
as practicable after the filing thereof but no later than the earlier of (i) the 90th day (or 150th day if the SEC notifies Churchill
that it will “review” such registration statement) following the closing of the PIPE Investment and (ii) the 10th business
day after the date Churchill is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the SEC that such registration statement will
not be “reviewed” or will not be subject to further review.
Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business
combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held
in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if applicable, and excluding the amount of
any deferred underwriting discount). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently
determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking
firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently
intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is
no assurance that will be the case.
We may structure our initial business combination
so that the post-transaction company in which holders (our “public stockholders”) of our Class A common stock sold as
part of the units in the IPO (the “public shares”), including our sponsor, officers and directors to the extent our sponsor,
officers or directors own public shares, provided that each of their status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with
respect to their public shares, will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses.
We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of
such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for
other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the
outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not
to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act).
Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our
initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed
to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial
number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling
interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior
to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination.
If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company,
the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test.
If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate
value of all of the target businesses.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
requires the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors to approve
our initial business combination (or such other vote as the applicable law or stock exchange rules then in effect may require).
6
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,”
as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our
Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to 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 attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or 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 non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden
parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active
trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act
also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of
the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can
delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take
advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until
the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following August 3, 2025, (b) in which we have total annual
gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value
of our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock (collectively, our “common stock”) that is held by non-affiliates
exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued
more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company”
shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination
in the amount of approximately $1,997,550,000 as of December 31, 2020, assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $72,450,000
of deferred underwriting fees, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing
capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because
we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing,
we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target
business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance
it will be available to us.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion
of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business.
Unlike other entities that have the resources
to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources
to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination
with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
·
subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and
·
cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management
of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our
assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the
necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team,
if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will
remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is highly unlikely that any of them will devote
their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management
team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel
will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel
will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following our initial business combination, we
may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will
have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary
to enhance the incumbent management.
7
Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our
initial business combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the
opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per
share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the
consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding
public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At completion of the business combination, we will be required to purchase
any public shares properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. The amount in the trust account as of the closing of the IPO was
$10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by
the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial
owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, officers
and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect
to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (the “letter
agreement”).
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with
the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business
combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by
means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct
a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the
transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock
exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct
mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock
or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. If we structure
a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion
as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We currently intend to conduct redemptions
pursuant to a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement
and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do
not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
·
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
·
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business
combination, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A
common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the
Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to
the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under
the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period.
In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares,
which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets,
after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s
“penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating
to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the
tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction
is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other
reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
·
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
·
file proxy materials with the SEC.
We expect that a final proxy statement would be
mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be
made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions
in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and
procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing
or Exchange Act registration.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval
of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders
with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
8
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete
our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business
combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock
of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote
at such meeting. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares
and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements, may
make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares
without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor,
officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights
with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the
deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock”
rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement
relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration
to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes;
or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the
event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted
for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the
aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A
common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on redemption upon completion of our initial
business combination if we seek stockholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek
stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business
combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public
stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or
as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights
with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the
“Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and
subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination
as a means to force us or our affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on
other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the
IPO could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or our
affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability
to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in the IPO, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to
unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business
combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or
against our initial business combination.
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender
offer or redemption rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking
to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender
their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders,
or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials
or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At
Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holder’s option. The tender offer or
proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination
will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that
any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.
Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer
period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender
its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be
not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders
at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders
well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation.
Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced
tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/
Withdrawal At Custodian) System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker
whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require
holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption
rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures
used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check
companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply
vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her
redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to
deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion
of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose
above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to
the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder
meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder
delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s
election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
9
Any request to redeem such shares, once made,
may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in
our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election
of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply
request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed
to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business
combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved
or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem
their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered
by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is
not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the end of the completion window.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial
Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation provides that we will have until August 3, 2022, the date that is 24 months from the closing of the IPO, to
complete our initial business combination (the period from the closing of the IPO until August 3, 2022, the “completion
window”). If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period, we will: (1) cease all
operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not 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 (net of permitted withdrawals 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), subject to applicable law; and (3) as
promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of
directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and
the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our
warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors
have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust
account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion
window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers and directors acquires public shares after the IPO, it will be entitled to liquidating
distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within
the completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed,
pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business
combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window,
unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any
such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest
(net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares
in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001
(so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules).
We expect that all costs and expenses associated
with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining held outside the
trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient
to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued
in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of
such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of
the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into
account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per share
redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however,
become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure
you that the actual per share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Please see “Item
1A. Risk Factors — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the
per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share ” and other risk factors included herein.
Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make
provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before
we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you
that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
10
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service
providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we
do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account
for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such
agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement,
breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case
in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third
party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis
of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management
believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible
instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose
particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree
to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee
that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts
or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the
trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent
registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed
entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) the
actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per
share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third
party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable)
and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under
the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and
believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those
obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be
able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available
for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not
be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption
of your public shares. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors
and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust
account are reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the actual amount per public share held in the trust
account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the
trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification
obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine
whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our
independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it
is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in certain instances. For
example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable
or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to
claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share. Please
see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could
be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share ” and other risk
factors included herein.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our
sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other
than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute
agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will
also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities
under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2020, we had access to approximately $2,070,086,006 in the trust account with which
to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be
no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and
liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable
for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion
of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our
initial business combination within the completion window may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation
complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all
claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day
period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions
are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s
pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the
third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust
account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business
combination within the completion window, is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution
is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then
be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we are
unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the
purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not 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 (net of
permitted withdrawals 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), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption,
subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our
obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our
intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following July 1, 2021 and, therefore, we do not intend to comply
with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by
them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
11
Because we will not be complying with Section 280,
Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment
of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because
we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target
businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective
target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors,
service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with
which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the
trust account.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that
could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the
trust account is remote.
Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the
extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the
actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per
share due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and will not be liable as to any claims
under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy
law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders.
To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our
public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is
not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either
a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover
some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors
and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders
from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for
these reasons. Please see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public
stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy
court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties
to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages. ”
Our public stockholders will be entitled to
receive funds from the trust account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial
business combination within the completion window or if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the
initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust
account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting
in connection with our initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an
applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to the IPO that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business
combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing
of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100%
of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or with respect to any other
material provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A Common Stock or pre-initial business combination business activity,
we will provide public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our initial stockholders,
officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them
in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides, among other things, that:
·
prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either: (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for, against, or abstain from voting on, the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
·
we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination at a duly held stockholders meeting;
·
if our initial business combination is not consummated within the completion window, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and
·
prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote on any initial business combination.
12
These provisions cannot be amended without the
approval of holders of 65% of our common stock. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination,
our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless otherwise required by applicable law or stock exchange rules,
we may consummate our initial business combination only if approved by a majority of the shares of common stock voted by our stockholders
at a duly held stockholders meeting.
Certain Potential Conflicts of Interest Relating to M. Klein and
Company and Our Officers and Directors
Our sponsor is an affiliate of M. Klein and Company,
LLC (together with its affiliates “M. Klein and Company”). Michael Klein is the founder and managing partner of M. Klein and
Company and acts as a strategic advisor to its clients. Mr. Klein has a fiduciary duty to M. Klein and Company. As a result, Mr. Klein
may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to clients of M. Klein and Company. Mr. Klein will have no duty to offer acquisition
opportunities to the Company unless presented to him solely in his capacity as an officer or director of the Company and after he has
satisfied his contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties. As a result, M. Klein and Company’s clients may compete with
us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If any of them
decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated
within M. Klein and Company, including by Mr. Klein and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable both
for us and for M. Klein and Company or any of its clients, and will be directed initially to such persons rather than to us. None of Mr. Klein,
M. Klein and Company or members of our management team who are also employed by M. Klein and Company have any obligation to present us
with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware unless it is offered to them solely in their capacity
as a director or officer of the Company and after they have satisfied their contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties.
In addition, Mr. Klein and M. Klein and Company
may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination.
Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. In particular, M. Klein and Company,
Mr. Klein and the Operating Partners as well as out board of directors, have formed and are actively engaged in Churchill Capital
Corp II, Churchill Capital Corp V, Churchill Capital Corp VI and Churchill Capital Corp VII, special purpose acquisition corporations
that completed their initial public offerings in July 2019, December 2020, February 2021 and February 2021, respectively.
Churchill Capital Corp II, Churchill Capital Corp V, Churchill Capital Corp VI and Churchill Capital Corp VII, like us, may pursue initial
business combination targets in any businesses or industries and have until July 1, 2021, December 18, 2022, February 17,
2023 and February 17, 2023, respectively, to do so (absent an extension in accordance with their charters). Any such companies, including
Churchill Capital Corp II, Churchill Capital Corp V, Churchill Capital Corp VI and Churchill Capital Corp VII may present additional conflicts
of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. M. Klein and Company, Mr. Klein and the Operating Partners are also actively engaged in
AltC Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition corporation that is in the process of completing its initial public offering as
of the date of this filing and may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
In addition, Mr. Taragin, our Chief Financial
Officer, is Chief Financial Officer of M. Klein and Company.
The potential conflicts described above may limit
our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where
interests may conflict.
Additionally, the engagement of M. Klein and Company,
or another affiliate of our sponsor, as our lead financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination may present certain
conflicts of interest. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors — We may engage an affiliate of our sponsor who may be entitled
to earn an advisory fee upon the completion of an initial business combination. Its financial interest in the completion of the business
combination may influence the advice it provides the Company .”
There can be no assurance that these or other
conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the Company and investors will not arise.
Limitations on Our Access to Investment Opportunities
Sourced by M. Klein and Company
M. Klein and Company may compete with us for acquisition
opportunities that we may target for our initial business combination. If M. Klein and Company decides to pursue any such opportunity
or determines in its sole discretion not to offer such opportunity to us, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition,
investment ideas generated within M. Klein and Company or by persons who may make decisions for us may be suitable for both us and for
M. Klein and Company may be directed to M. Klein and Company or other third parties rather than to us. M. Klein and Company does not have
any fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to our company, including, without limitation, to present us with any opportunity
for a potential business combination of which they become aware.
Our management team, in their other endeavors
(including any affiliation they may have with M. Klein and Company), may choose or be required to present potential business combinations
or other transactions to M. Klein and Company or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us. Please see “Item 1A.
Risk Factors — Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities
engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining
to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction should be presented. ”
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Sponsor Indemnity
Our sponsor, an affiliate of M. Klein and Company,
has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public
accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering
into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the
actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per
share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case, net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third
party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not any such waiver is enforceable)
and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under
the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and
believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those
obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be
able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of our sponsor having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we
will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right,
title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.
Additional Information Regarding Our Proposed Initial Business Combination
We have filed a registration statement on Form
S-4 with the SEC, which includes a proxy statement and a prospectus, and we will file other documents regarding the Transactions. The
definitive proxy statement/prospectus will also be sent to our stockholders and Lucid’s stockholders, seeking any required stockholder
approvals. We urge you to carefully read the entire registration statement and proxy statement/prospectus and any other relevant documents
filed with the SEC, including any amendments or supplements to these documents, because they contain important information about the proposed
transactions, including detailed descriptions of the Transactions and a discussion of historical information and risks relating to the
Transactions. The documents filed by us with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Other than as specifically discussed, this report
does not assume the closing of the Transactions described above.
Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are
registered under the Exchange Act and we have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current
reports with the SEC. The SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov) contains such reports, proxy and information statements and other
information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual
reports contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at
640 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10019. The cost for this space is included in the $50,000 per month fee that we are paying
an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services.
Employees
We currently have two officers and do not intend
to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team 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 that any such person will devote in any time period to our
company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the
business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
Our units, Class A common stock and warrants
are registered under the Exchange Act and we have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and
current reports with the SEC. The SEC maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains such reports, proxy and information
statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange
Act, our annual reports contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial
statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders
to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled
to United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) or international financial reporting standards as promulgated
by the international accounting standards board (“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 (“PCAOB”).
These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable
to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and
complete our initial business combination within the completion window. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified
by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP 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
these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential
business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
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We will be required to evaluate our internal control
procedures for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to
be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company will we be required to have our internal
control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy
of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
We are an “emerging growth company,”
as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to 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 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 non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any
golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less
active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act
also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of
the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can
delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take
advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until
the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following August 3, 2025, (b) in which we have total annual
gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value
of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter;
and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References
herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Legal Proceedings
On March 3, 2021, Richard Hofman, a purported
stockholder of us, filed a complaint, individually and on behalf of other of our stockholders, in the Superior Court of the State of California
against us, Lucid, and other unnamed defendants. The complaint alleges claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and false advertising
and unfair business practices in connection with allegedly false and misleading statements and omissions in our public filings, concerning
the proposed merger between us and Lucid. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. On March
8, 2021, plaintiff filed an ex parte application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, which the Company opposed
and the court denied on March 10, 2021.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.