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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023

OR
 
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission file number 333-259554

https://cdn.kscope.io/fd06b68bc88ae0f0cb3f628abebb8291-AEye logo v3.jpg

AEye, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
37-1827430
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
One Park Place, Suite 200, Dublin, CA
94568
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Zip Code)
(925) 400-4366
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
Not Applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.0001 par value per shareLIDRThe Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants to purchase one share of common stockLIDRWThe Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports); and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes  ☒    No  ☐ 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).     Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer  
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
                
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No
As of May 5, 2023, the registrant had 176,891,993 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.






1




AEye, Inc.
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2023


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page









2




CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Form 10-Q”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements reflect the current views of management with respect to future events and our financial performance. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words or phrases, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth strategies, and anticipated trends in our business.

These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Given these risks, uncertainties, and other factors, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These factors include the information set forth in Part 1, Item 1A, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and Part II, Item 1A, of this Quarterly Report under the heading “Risk Factors,” which we encourage you to carefully read. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-Q to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-Q or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.


































3




PART 1. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial statements (Unaudited)
AEYE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share and par value)
March 31, 2023December 31, 2022
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents$20,501 $19,064 
Marketable securities53,592 75,135 
Accounts receivable, net 123 617 
Inventories, net4,695 4,553 
Prepaid and other current assets3,527 6,181 
Total current assets82,438 105,550 
Right-of-use assets15,152 15,502 
Property and equipment, net7,902 7,665 
Restricted cash2,150 2,150 
Other noncurrent assets2,438 2,473 
Total assets$110,080 $133,340 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable$2,209 $3,218 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities9,646 9,764 
Contract liabilities476 987 
Convertible notes5,384 8,594 
Total current liabilities17,715 22,563 
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent16,287 16,681 
Other noncurrent liabilities112 126 
Total liabilities34,114 39,370 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 14)
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Preferred stock—$0.0001 par value: 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding
  
Common stock—$0.0001 par value: 300,000,000 shares authorized; 170,969,581 and 163,099,124 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022
17 16 
Additional paid-in capital353,533 345,742 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(810)(1,279)
Accumulated deficit(276,774)(250,509)
Total stockholders’ equity75,966 93,970 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$110,080 $133,340 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.






4




AEYE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)
Three months ended March 31,
20232022
REVENUE:
Prototype sales$125 $335 
Development contracts511 747 
Total revenue636 1,082 
Cost of revenue2,261 1,482 
Gross loss(1,625)(400)
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Research and development9,442 8,576 
Sales and marketing6,268 4,616 
General and administrative8,554 11,330 
Total operating expenses24,264 24,522 
LOSS FROM OPERATIONS(25,889)(24,922)
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Change in fair value of convertible note and warrant liabilities(810)(32)
Interest income and other277 424 
Interest expense and other176 (343)
Total other income (expense), net(357)49 
Provision for income tax expense19 8 
Net loss$(26,265)$(24,881)
PER SHARE DATA
Net loss per common share (basic and diluted)$(0.16)$(0.16)
Weighted average common shares outstanding (basic and diluted)165,865,864 155,515,093 
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS:
Net loss$(26,265)$(24,881)
Change in net unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities, net of tax490 (1,056)
Change in fair value due to instrument-specific credit risk, net of tax(21) 
Comprehensive loss$(25,796)$(25,937)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.






5




AEYE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
(In thousands, except share data)
(Unaudited)
Preferred StockCommon StockAdditional Paid-in CapitalAccumulated Other Comprehensive LossAccumulated DeficitTotal Stockholders’ Equity
SharesAmountSharesAmount
BALANCE—December 31, 2022 $ 163,099,124 $16 $345,742 $(1,279)$(250,509)$93,970 
Stock-based compensation— — — — 6,513 — — 6,513 
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options— — 2,069,081 — 391 — — 391 
Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units— — 2,983,790 — — — — 
Taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards— — (1,320,828)— (867)— — (867)
Conversion of convertible note into common stock— — 4,138,414 1 1,754 — — 1,755 
Other comprehensive income, net of tax— — — — — 469 — 469 
Net loss— — — — — — (26,265)(26,265)
BALANCE—March 31, 2023 $ 170,969,581 $17 $353,533 $(810)$(276,774)$75,966 

Preferred StockCommon StockAdditional Paid-in CapitalAccumulated Other Comprehensive LossAccumulated DeficitTotal Stockholders’ Equity
SharesAmountSharesAmount
BALANCE—December 31, 2021 $ 155,137,237 $16 $320,937 $(391)$(151,795)$168,767 
Stock-based compensation5,340 — — 5,340 
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options— — 656,303 — 222 — — 222 
Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock units— — 856,917 — — — — — 
Taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards— — (285,533)— (1,149)— — (1,149)
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities— — — — — (1,056)— (1,056)
Net loss— — — — — (24,881)(24,881)
BALANCE—March 31, 2022 $ 156,364,924 $16 $325,350 $(1,447)$(176,676)$147,243 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.






6


AEYE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three months ended March 31,
20232022
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss$(26,265)$(24,881)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization 330 208 
Gain on sale of property and equipment(53) 
Noncash lease expense relating to operating lease right-of-use assets350 317 
Inventory write-downs, net of scrapped inventory208 267 
Change in fair value of convertible note and warrant liabilities810 32 
Stock-based compensation6,513 5,340 
Amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts on marketable securities, net of change in accrued interest33 594 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net494 3,930 
Inventories, current and noncurrent, net(386)(436)
Prepaid and other current assets2,722 510 
Other noncurrent assets 71 400 
Accounts payable (985)(567)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities(134)(645)
Operating lease liabilities(392)(325)
Contract liabilities(511)(767)
Net cash used in operating activities(17,195)(16,023)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of property and equipment(599)(774)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment76  
Proceeds from redemptions and maturities of marketable securities22,000 15,500 
Net cash provided by investing activities21,477 14,726 
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from exercise of stock options323 222 
Taxes paid related to the net share settlement of equity awards(868)(1,931)
Payments for convertible note redemptions(2,300) 
Net cash used in financing activities(2,845)(1,709)
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH1,437 (3,006)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH—Beginning of period21,214 16,333 
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH—End of period$22,651 $13,327 
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Cash paid for income taxes$ $ 
Cash paid for interest$85 $ 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NONCASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities$19 $260 
Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations upon adoption of ASC 842$ $16,284 
Proceeds from exercise of stock options included in prepaid and other current assets$68 $ 
Conversion of convertible notes and accrued interest into Class A common stock$1,755 $ 
Taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards included in accrued liabilities$3 $53 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
7


AEYE, INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands, except share and per share data or otherwise stated)

1.ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

AEye, Inc. (the “Company” or “AEye”) is a provider of high-performance, active lidar systems for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and robotic vision applications. AEye’s software-definable 4SightTM Intelligent Sensing Platform combines solid-state active lidar, an optionally fused low-light HD camera, and integrated deterministic artificial intelligence to capture more intelligent information with less data, enabling faster, more accurate, and more reliable perception of the surroundings.

The Company’s common stock and public warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “LIDR” and “LIDRW”, respectively. Unless otherwise specified, “we,” “us,” “our,” “AEye,” and the “Company” refers to AEye, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") for interim financial statements and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for fair presentation have been included. The accompanying interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2022 included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Certain prior year line item descriptions have been updated for consistency with the current year presentation, however, these changes did not impact the amounts or comparability. Amortization of premiums on marketable securities, net of change in accrued interest is now presented as Amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts on marketable securities, net of change in accrued interest on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, and accounts receivable. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with major financial institutions, which management assesses to be of high credit quality, to limit the exposure of each investment. The Company’s marketable securities have investment grade ratings when purchased which mitigates risk.

The Company’s accounts receivables are derived from customers located in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The Company mitigates its credit risks by performing ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial conditions. The Company generally does not require collateral.

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which has subsequently been amended by ASU No. 2018-19, ASU No. 2019-04, ASU No. 2019-05, ASU No. 2019-10, and ASU No. 2019-11. The objective of the guidance in ASU 2016-13 is to allow entities to recognize estimated credit losses in the period that the change in valuation occurs. ASU 2016-13 requires an entity to present financial assets measured on an amortized cost basis on the balance sheet net of an allowance for credit losses. Available-for-sale and held to maturity debt securities are also required to be held net of an allowance for credit losses. For public business entities, this standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. For smaller reporting companies, the standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2023 which resulted in an immaterial impact to the consolidated financial statements.

8


2.FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities is determined in accordance with the fair value hierarchy established in FASB ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). ASC 820 defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy of ASC 820 requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value and classifies those inputs into three levels:

Level 1—Observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2—Observable inputs, other than Level 1 inputs, which are observable either directly or indirectly or can be corroborated by observable market data using quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities.

Level 3—Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.

The Company's financial instruments that are not re-measured at fair value include accounts receivable, prepaid and other current assets, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities. The carrying values of these financial instruments approximate their fair values.

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and the level of inputs used for such measurements were as follows (in thousands):

Fair Value Measured as of March 31, 2023 Using:
Adjusted CostUnrealized lossesFair ValueCash and Cash EquivalentsMarketable Securities
Assets
Level 1
Money market funds$17,103 $— $17,103 $17,103 $— 
Level 2
Asset-backed securities$3,505 $(78)$3,427 $— $3,427 
Corporate bonds10,420 (126)10,294 — 10,294 
Commercial paper10,448  10,448 — — 10,448 
U.S. Government securities29,983 (560)29,423 — 29,423 
Total financial assets$71,459 $(764)$70,695 $17,103 $53,592 
Liabilities
Level 2
Private placement warrant liability$— $— $9 $— $— 
Level 3
Convertible notes$— $— $5,384 $— $— 
Derivative warrant liability— — 103 — — 
Total financial liabilities$— $— $5,496 $— $— 

9


Fair Value Measured as of December 31, 2022 Using:
Adjusted CostUnrealized lossesFair ValueCash and Cash EquivalentsMarketable Securities
Assets
Level 1
Money market funds$14,253 $— $14,253 $14,253 $— 
Level 2
Asset-backed securities$3,507 $(119)$3,388 $— $3,388 
Corporate bonds22,139 (240)21,899 — 21,899 
Commercial paper20,760  20,760 — 20,760 
U.S. Government securities29,983 (895)29,088 — 29,088 
Total financial assets$90,642 $(1,254)$89,388 $14,253 $75,135 
Liabilities
Level 2
Private placement warrant liability$— $— $7 $— $— 
Level 3
Convertible notes$8,594 
Derivative warrant liability119 
Total financial liabilities$— $— $8,720 $— $— 

As of March 31, 2023, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities subject to fair value procedures were comprised of the following:

Money Market Funds: The Company holds financial assets consisting of money market funds. These securities are valued using observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Marketable Securities: The Company holds financial assets consisting of fixed-income U.S. government agency securities, corporate bonds, commercial paper, and asset-backed securities. The securities are valued using prices from independent pricing services based on quoted prices of identical instruments in less active or inactive markets. Additionally, quoted prices of similar instruments in active market or industry models using data inputs such as interest rates and prices that can be directly observed or corroborated in active markets are used to value marketable securities.

2022 Convertible Note: On September 15, 2022, the Company entered into a convertible note agreement with a face value of $10,500,000 (the "2022 Note"). The Company elected the fair value option to account for the 2022 Note. The fair value estimate of the 2022 Note was based on a binomial lattice model, which represents Level 3 measurements. Significant assumptions include the discount rate used in the model, remaining term, stock price, and volatility. The discount rate is derived from the estimated credit spread and the risk-free interest rate, which is based on interpolated U.S. Treasury rates, commensurate with a similar term to the 2022 Note. The remaining term is calculated as the remaining term of the 2022 Note. The stock price is based on the publicly traded price of our common stock as of the measurement date. The Company estimated the volatility for the 2022 Note based on the historical and implied volatilities of the Company's publicly traded common stock. The changes in fair value are recognized in other income (expense), net for each reporting period.

Derivative Warrant Liability: The Company’s derivative warrant liability includes the warrants that were issued by the Company as part of the 2022 Note. The warrants are recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The fair value is based on unobservable inputs, which represent Level 3 measurements within the fair value hierarchy. The fair value estimate of the warrants was based on a Monte-Carlo simulation model. Inherent in a Monte-Carlo simulation model are assumptions related to price, volatility, risk-free interest rate, term to expiration, and dividend yield. The price is based on the publicly traded price of our common stock as of the measurement date. The Company estimated the volatility for the warrants based on the historical and implied volatilities of the Company's publicly traded common stock. The risk-free interest rate is based on interpolated U.S. Treasury rates, commensurate with a similar term to the warrants. The term to expiration was calculated as the contractual term of the warrants of 4 years. Finally, the Company does not currently anticipate paying a dividend.
10


Any changes in these assumptions can change the valuation significantly. Changes in fair value are recognized in other income (expense) for each reporting period. Derivative Warrant Liability is included within other noncurrent liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Private Placement Warrant Liability: As of March 31, 2023, Private Placement Warrants are recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The fair value is based on observable Level 2 inputs, specifically, the observable input of the Company's public warrants. Any changes in the fair value of the liability are reflected in other income (expense),net, on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Private Placement Warrant liability is included within other noncurrent liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, there were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 inputs.

The following table presents a summary of the changes in fair value of the Company's Level 3 financial instruments for the three months ended March 31, 2023 (in thousands):

2022 NoteDerivative Warrant LiabilityTotal
Balance at December 31, 2022$8,594 $119 $8,713 
Payments or conversions(4,055) (4,055)
Change in fair value included in other income (expense), net824 (16)808 
Change in fair value due to instrument specific credit risk included in other comprehensive income21  21 
Balance at March 31, 2023$5,384 $103 $5,487 

The key inputs into the binomial-lattice model for the 2022 Note valued at March 31, 2023 are as follows:

March 31, 2023
Remaining term (years)0.6 
Expected volatility116.1 %
Risk-free interest rate4.8 %
Dividend yield %
Estimated credit spread35.6 %

The key inputs into the Monte-Carlo simulation model for the derivative warrant liability valued at March 31, 2023 are as follows:

March 31, 2023
Expected term (years)3.5 
Expected volatility116.1 %
Risk-free interest rate3.7 %
Dividend yield %
Exercise price$3.50 

If factors or assumptions change, the estimated fair values could be materially different. The value of the Company’s derivative warrant liability would increase if a higher risk-free interest rate was used, and would decrease if a lower risk-free interest rate was used. Similarly, a higher volatility assumption would increase the value of the liability, and a lower volatility assumption would decrease the value of the liability. The value of the Company's 2022 Note liability would increase if a lower discount rate was used, and would decrease if a higher discount rate was used.

11


3. INVENTORIES

Inventory, net of write-downs, as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were as follows (in thousands):

March 31, 2023December 31, 2022
(unaudited)
Raw materials$1,842 $2,022 
Work in-process2,804 2,484 
Finished goods49 47 
Total inventory, net$4,695 $4,553 

The Company also had $1,527 and $1,491 of non-current inventory (raw materials) classified within Other noncurrent assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

The Company's inventory as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was written down by $273 and $833, respectively, in order to reduce inventory to the lower of cost or to its net realizable value.

4.PREPAID AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS

Prepaid and other current assets as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were as follows (in thousands):

March 31, 2023December 31, 2022
(unaudited)
Prepaid expenses$2,039 $4,203 
Advances to suppliers986 984 
Demonstration units182 281 
Other320 713 
Total prepaid and other current assets$3,527 $6,181 

5.     LEASES

The components of operating lease expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows (in thousands):

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Operating lease cost$602 $577 
Variable lease cost79 63 
Total operating lease cost$681 $640 

12


Maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

Operating leases
Years ended - December 31: (Unaudited)
2023 (remaining nine months)$1,889 
20242,570 
20252,583 
20262,660 
20272,701 
Thereafter11,116 
Total lease payments23,519 
Less amount to discount to present value(4,775)
Present value of lease liabilities $18,744 


6.    CONVERTIBLE NOTES

2022 Convertible Note

On September 14, 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement, or SPA, with an investor allowing for the sale and issue of two convertible notes, each with a principal balance of $10,500 and cash proceeds of $9,850, for a total of $20,000 in proceeds between the two issuances (each, a "Note Closing"). The first Note Closing ("First Closing") occurred on September 15, 2022, and the Company entered into a Senior Unsecured Convertible Note with the investor pursuant to which the Company issued to the investor one convertible note ("2022 Note") with a principal balance of $10,500 for cash proceeds of $9,850. As part of the First Closing, the Company also issued warrants to the investor. The second tranche convertible note under the SPA can be drawn at our option, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions specified in the SPA, including, without limitation, (i) absence of an uncured event of default, as defined, (ii) there being a sufficient number of authorized but unissued shares of our common stock available for issuance, (iii) the daily volume weighted average price of our common stock exceeding $1.50 for the twenty (20) trading days prior to the draw of the second tranche, (iv) the average daily trading volume of our common stock exceeding $1.5 million for the twenty (20) trading days prior to the draw of the second tranche, and (v) the outstanding balance of the first tranche being less than $2 million. These conditions can be waived by the lender, but the lender has no obligation to do so. If the second tranche is not drawn down by March 15, 2024, the Company's right to effect a Second Closing shall automatically terminate.

The 2022 Note bears interest at an annual rate of 5.0%, in addition to an original issue discount of 4.76%, and had an initial maturity date of March 15, 2024 ("Maturity Date"). Beginning December 15, 2022, and the first of each subsequent month (each a "Monthly Redemption Date" or an "Installment Date"), the Company shall redeem the Monthly Redemption Amount until the 2022 Note is fully redeemed. The Monthly Redemption Amount, in most instances, will be 1/15th of the original principal amount, plus any amount accelerated pursuant to the 2022 Note, accrued but unpaid interest, and late fees, if any. The principal and interest may be settled in cash or, so long as certain equity conditions are met, shares of Common Stock at the option of the Company and is payable together with monthly redemptions of the outstanding principal amount of the Note.

If the Company elects to settle such redemptions in shares of Common Stock, the number of shares to be settled shall be based on an Installment Conversion Price equal to the lower of (i) $2.50 or (ii) 95% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock during the five (5) trading days immediately preceding the applicable Monthly Redemption Date. If the Company elects to settle redemptions in cash, the Monthly Redemption Amount shall include a 5% premium.

The investor is permitted to accelerate up to four (4) Monthly Redemption Amounts in any calendar month (each, an "Acceleration," and each such amount, an "Acceleration Amount", and the Conversion Date of any such Acceleration, each an "Acceleration Date") at the Acceleration Conversion Price, subject to a $2,800 limit per month. The Acceleration Conversion Price shall be the lower of (i) the Installment Conversion Price for such current Installment Date or (ii) the greater of $0.30 and 95% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock during the five (5) trading days immediately preceding the Acceleration Date.

13


As these terms are defined in the 2022 Note, if either the relevant Installment Conversion Price or Acceleration Conversion Price, as applicable, is less than $0.30 per share, then a Conversion Floor Price Condition exists and we must deliver to the note holder the Conversion Installment Floor Amount in cash, in addition to the required number of shares, which are valued at $0.30 regardless of the actual trading price of our shares. The Conversion Installment Floor Amount is an amount in cash equal to the product obtained by multiplying (A) the higher of (i) the highest price that the Common Stock trades at on the Trading Day immediately preceding the relevant Share Delivery Date and (ii) the applicable Installment or Acceleration Conversion Price and (B) the difference obtained by subtracting (i) the number of shares of Common Stock delivered to the investor on the applicable Share Delivery Date with respect to such Conversion from (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the applicable Installment or Acceleration amount subject to such Conversion, by (y) the applicable Installment Conversion Price. Interest payments are also trued-up in cash when the value of our shares is below $0.30 per share.

The Company elected to apply the fair value option to the measurement of the 2022 Note. As a result of adopting the fair value option, no embedded derivatives should be bifurcated from the 2022 Note. The Company classifies the 2022 Note as a liability at fair value and will remeasure the 2022 Note to fair value at each reporting period. The fair value measurement includes the assumption of accrued interest and expense and thus a separate amount is not reflected on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

As of March 31, 2023, the 2022 Note has outstanding principal of $5,345 and is recorded as a current liability at fair value of $5,384.

7. INTEREST EXPENSE AND OTHER

Interest expense and other for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 consisted of the following (in thousands):

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Amortization of premiums (accretion of discounts) on marketable securities, net(188)336 
Other12 7 
Interest expense and other$(176)$343 

8.    ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

The changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows (in thousands):

Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securitiesChange in fair value due to instrument-specific credit riskTotal
Balance at December 31, 2022$(1,254)$(25)$(1,279)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax490 (21)469 
Balance at March 31, 2023$(764)$(46)$(810)


Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securitiesChange in fair value due to instrument-specific credit riskTotal
Balance at December 31, 2021$(391)$ $(391)
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax(1,056) (1,056)
Balance at March 31, 2022$(1,447)$ $(1,447)

14


9.    NET LOSS PER SHARE

The following table sets forth the basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders for the periods presented (in thousands, except per share data):

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Numerator:
Net loss attributable to common stockholders$(26,265)$(24,881)
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding- Basic165,865,864 155,515,093 
Weighted average common shares outstanding- Diluted165,865,864 155,515,093 
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders - Basic and Diluted$(0.16)$(0.16)

Due to net losses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, basic and diluted net loss per share were the same, as the effect of all potentially dilutive securities would have been anti-dilutive. The following table sets forth the anti-dilutive common share equivalents for the periods listed:

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Common stock options issued and outstanding20,447,525 28,389,111 
Unvested restricted stock units18,773,594 13,801,742 
Warrants9,583,322 7,833,332 
Conversion of convertible notes17,079,861  
ESPP2,027,592  
Total67,911,894 50,024,185 

10.    STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense recorded in each component of operating expenses in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Cost of revenue$61$
Research and development2,2781,223
Sales and marketing1,368906
General and administrative2,8063,211
Total stock-based compensation$6,513$5,340

The Company uses the Monte-Carlo simulation model to estimate the grant date fair value of awards with a market condition, which requires the input of subjective assumptions such as expected term, the expected stock price volatility, risk free interest rate and dividend yield as discussed below.

Expected Term—The expected term for awards with a market condition is the length of time from the grant date to the date the market condition expires.

Expected Volatility—Expected volatility is estimated using a combination of the average historical volatility of the Company's own stock and those of comparable companies’ stock.

15


Risk-Free Interest Rate—The risk-free interest rates are based on US Treasury yields in effect at the grant date for notes with comparable terms as the awards.

Dividend Yield—The expected dividend-yield assumption is based on the Company’s current expectations about its anticipated dividend policy.

The following table summarizes the valuation assumptions used in estimating the fair value of awards granted during the period with a market condition:

Three months ended March 31, 2023
Expected term (years)1.05
Expected volatility104.5 %
Risk-free interest rate4.8 %
Dividend yield %

11.    REVENUE

Sale of Prototypes

The Company recorded revenue for prototype sales of $125 and $335 in the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company does not incur significant contract costs in fulfilling or obtaining their contracts with customers.

Development Contracts

The Company has entered into research and development contracts with companies primarily in the automotive industry. The Company assessed the number of performance obligations associated with the promises under each agreement, primarily the delivery of customized 4SightTM perception-related goods and services, and recognized $511 and $747 in revenue for performance obligations satisfied during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Disaggregation of Revenue

The Company recognized the following revenues by geographic area based on the primary billing address of the customer and by the timing of the transfer of goods or services to customers (point in time or over time), as it believes such criteria best depict how the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of its revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. Total revenue based on the disaggregation criteria described above are as follows (in thousands):

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Revenue by primary geographical market:
United States$547 $1,021 
Europe32 40 
Australia32  
Asia25 21 
Total
$636 $1,082 
Revenue by timing of recognition:
Recognized at a point in time$125 $555 
Recognized over time511 527 
Total
$636 $1,082 

16


Contract Liabilities

Contract liabilities consisted of the following as of March 31, 2023 (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2023
Contract liabilities, current$476 
Total$476 


The following table shows the significant changes in contract liabilities balance for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
Beginning balance $987 $2,918 
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liabilities beginning balance(511)(767)
Increase due to cash received and not recognized as revenue and billings in excess of revenue recognized during the period  
Ending balance $476 $2,151 

Remaining Performance Obligations

Revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations represents the transaction price allocated to the performance obligations that are unsatisfied, or partially unsatisfied. It includes unearned revenue and amounts that will be invoiced and recognized as revenue in future periods and does not include contracts where the customer is not committed. The customer is not considered committed where they are able to terminate for convenience without payment of a substantive penalty under the contract. Additionally, as a practical expedient, the Company has not disclosed the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less. The contract liabilities balance represents the remaining performance obligations for contracts with an original duration of greater than one year.

12.    Restructuring

In the first quarter of 2023, management began the implementation of a revised strategic plan to focus on key products and critical customer engagements it believes will generate the best long-term results for all stakeholders. As a part of the implementation of the revised strategic plan, the Company has realigned resources, which resulted in restructuring charges of $1,253 in the three months ended March 31, 2023 relating to one-time employee termination benefits. The majority of these restructuring charges will be paid in the second quarter of 2023, however, the Company expects that the implementation of the revised strategic plan will continue over the remainder of the 2023 fiscal year. The Company did not have any restructuring charges during fiscal year 2022. Restructuring related liabilities are included in Accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Restructuring activity is summarized as follows as of March 31, 2023 (in thousands):

One-time employee termination benefits
Balance as of December 31, 2022$ 
Charges1,253 
Cash payments(199)
Balance as of March 31, 2023$1,054 

Restructuring charges were included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and
17


comprehensive loss during the three months ended March 31, 2023 as follows (in thousands):

Three months ended March 31, 2023
Cost of revenue$50 
Research and development503 
Sales and marketing513 
General and administrative187 
Total restructuring charges$1,253 

13.    INCOME TAXES

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded $19 and $8 provision for income taxes, respectively. The income tax rates vary from the federal and state statutory rates due to the valuation allowances on the Company's net operating losses and foreign tax rate differences. The Company computes its quarterly income tax provision by using a forecasted annual effective tax rate and adjusts for any discrete items arising during the quarter. The Company does not provide for federal income taxes on the undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries as such earnings are to be reinvested indefinitely outside the U.S.

14.    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal matters

The Company may be subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. Management is not currently aware of any matters that will have a material effect on the financial position, results of operations, or cash flows of the Company.

15.    RELATED PARTIES

Since November 2016, the Company has employed a sibling of Mr. Dussan, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer, who held the position of Director, Human Resources at March 31, 2023 and 2022. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Mr. Dussan’s sibling received total cash compensation of $41 and $53, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Mr. Dussan’s sibling was granted 10,000 and 22,500 RSUs, respectively. In addition, he participates in all other benefits that the Company generally offers to all of its employees.

16.    SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Management has evaluated subsequent events and determined that there were no such events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions, and projections about our industry, business, and future financial results. Our actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those described in or implied by these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed below and those set forth under “Risk Factors” herein and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations to “we,” “our,” “us,” and “AEye,” refer to the business and operations of AEye, Inc.

Overview

This overview provides a high-level discussion of our operating results and some of the trends that affect our business. We believe that an understanding of these trends is important to understanding our financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023, as well as our future prospects. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to be a substitute for the detailed discussion and analysis provided elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, including our condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes.

All dollar amounts expressed in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are in thousands of dollars, except for per share amounts and unless otherwise specified.

Key Factors Affecting AEye's Operating Results

We believe that our future performance and success depends to a substantial extent on our ability to capitalize on the opportunities described herein, which in turn are subject to significant risks and challenges, including those discussed below, as well as the risk factors described in the section of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q entitled “Risk Factors.”

We are subject to those risks common in the technology industry and also those risks common to early stage companies including, but not limited to, the possibility of not being able to successfully develop or commercialize our products; secure additional capital in a timely manner in order to meet operating cash flow needs; secure a "design win" with potential customers, which in our case is automotive OEMs and their suppliers; attract new customers and retain our existing customers; develop and protect our intellectual property; comply with existing and new or modified laws and regulations applicable to our business; maintain and enhance the value of our reputation and brand; hire, integrate, and retain talented people at all levels of our organization; and successfully develop new solutions to enhance the experience of, and deliver value to, our customers.

Market Trends and Uncertainties

We anticipate growing demand for our 4SightTM Intelligent Sensing Platform across two major markets - Automotive and Industrial. In the near term, we anticipate concentrating on the Automotive market to more effectively leverage our business model. In the Industrial market, we will continue to remain engaged with customers, but have narrowed our focus to select opportunities that are more of a fit from a product and revenue-generation standpoint. Within those markets, we are targeting attractive segments, including advanced driver-assistance systems, or ADAS, autonomous driving, commercial trucking, robo-taxis, and various Industrial market segments such as mining, aerospace, defense, railway, and intelligent transportation systems, or ITS. This provides us with multiple opportunities for sustained growth by enabling new applications and product features across these market segments. However, as our customers continue R&D projects to commercialize solutions that rely on lidar technology, it is difficult to estimate the timing of ultimate end markets and customer adoption. In the Automotive market for example, which accounted for 81% and 58% of our revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, our growth and financial performance will be heavily influenced by our ability to successfully integrate into OEM programs that require years of development, testing, and validation. Because of the size and complexity of these OEM programs, we see our existing Tier 1 partnerships as a significant competitive advantage given the large scale, mass-production capabilities, and existing OEM customer relationships held by our Tier 1 partners. Our primary focus in the Automotive market is on ADAS for passenger and commercial vehicle autonomy, particularly highway autonomy applications. We believe that growth in that market is driven by both more stringent safety regulations and consumer demand for vehicles offering increased safety and advanced driver assist features. We will need to anticipate and adapt to any changes in the regulatory environment, as well as changes in consumer demand in order to take advantage of this opportunity.

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Additionally, we are strategically managing our investments in certain international operations and partnerships that will position us to expand our business globally and meet growing demand in international markets. This is an important part of our core strategy and may expose us to additional factors such as foreign currency risk, additional operating costs, and other risks and challenges that may impact our ability to meet projected sales and margin targets.

Partnerships and Commercialization

Our technology is designed to be a key enabler in certain Automotive and Industrial market applications. Because our technology must be integrated into a broader solution by our customers, it is critical that we achieve design wins with these customers. The timing of these design wins varies based on the market and application. Achieving a design win with an OEM in the Automotive market may take considerably longer than a design win with customers in the Industrial market. We consider design wins to be critical to our future success, although the revenue generated by each design win and the time necessary to achieve such a win can vary significantly, making it difficult to predict our future financial performance.

We believe our revenue and profitability will also be dependent upon our success in licensing our technology to Tier 1 automotive suppliers, such as Continental, which represented 81% and 58% of our revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, that intend to use our technology in volume production of lidar sensors for OEMs. Delays of autonomy programs by OEMs that we are currently or will be working with through our Tier 1 partners could result in us being unable to achieve our revenue and profitability targets in the time frame we anticipate. Our overall revenue and profitability will also be dependent upon our success in selling our lidar solutions to customers in the Industrial market.

Restructuring

In the first quarter of 2023, we began the implementation of a revised strategic plan which outlines the steps we are taking to focus on key products and critical customer engagements that we believe will generate the best long-term results for our stakeholders. As a part of the implementation of the revised strategic plan, we have realigned our resources which included reducing our workforce by approximately one-third, most of which was effective April 3, 2023. Our revised plan also includes other significant operating expense reductions.

Gross Margin Improvement

Our gross margins will depend on numerous factors, including, among others, the selling price of our products, pricing of our development contracts with customers, royalty rates on licenses we grant to our customers, unit volumes, product mix, component costs, personnel costs, contract manufacturing costs, overhead costs, and product features. In the future, we expect to generate attractive gross margins from licensing our lidar technology and software to our Tier 1 partners in the Automotive market. We also sell our own lidar solutions to customers in the Industrial market utilizing lower-cost components that are sourced in part from the Tier 2 automotive supply chain and assembled by our contract manufacturing partners. If our Tier 1 partners in the Automotive market do not achieve the volumes that we expect, then the cost of the components we use to address the Industrial market may not decrease to the extent we anticipate and our gross margins and our ability to achieve profitability in the future may be impacted.

To date, our revenue has been generated through development contracts with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, as well as unit sales of our products to Industrial customers. These development contracts primarily focus on customization of our proprietary 4Sight™ capabilities to our customers’ applications, typically involving software implementation to assist with sensor connection and control, customization of scan patterns, and enhancement of particular perception capabilities to meet specific customer needs. In general, development contracts that require more complex configurations have higher prices. We expect development contracts to remain a significant part of our business in the near-term, but represent a smaller share of our total revenue over time, as we increase our focus on technology licensing and product sales. We expect our gross margins from the sale of products to improve over time as we outsource volume production of our lidar sensors to contract manufacturers, which we anticipate will both increase unit volumes and reduce the cost per unit. In September 2021, we commenced our transition process to contract manufacturers, and we completed this transition in March 2023.

Investment and Innovation

Our proprietary adaptive, intelligent lidar technology delivers industry-leading performance that helps to
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solve the most difficult challenges in delivering partial or full autonomy. While traditional sensing systems passively collect data, our active 4Sight™ Intelligent Sensing Platform leverages principles from automated targeting systems and biomimicry to scan the environment, while intelligently focusing on what matters most in order to enable safer, smarter, and faster decisions in complex scenarios.

We believe our financial performance is significantly dependent on our ability to maintain a technology leadership position. This is further dependent on the investments we make in R&D. It is essential that we continually identify and respond to rapidly evolving customer requirements, develop and introduce innovative new products, enhance and service existing products, and generate strong market demand for our products. If we fail to do this, our market position and revenue may be adversely affected, and our investments in that area will not be recovered.

Basis of Presentation

We currently conduct our business through one operating segment.

Components of Results of Operations

Total Revenues

We categorize our revenue as (1) prototype sales and (2) development contracts. In 2023 and 2022, our prototype sales revenue primarily related to unit sales of the company’s 4Sight™ M product. Revenue from prototype sales is typically recognized at a point in time when the control of goods is transferred to the customer, generally upon delivery or shipment to the customer.

Development contracts represented the majority of our total revenues in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Revenue from development and/or collaboration arrangement contracts are earned from R&D activities and collaboration with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. These contracts primarily focus on customization of our proprietary 4Sight™ capabilities to our customers’ applications, typically involving software implementation to assist with sensor connection and control, customization of scan patterns, and enhancement of perception capabilities to meet specific customer needs. Revenue from development contracts is recognized when we satisfy performance obligations in the contract, which can result in recognition at either a point in time or over time. This assessment is made at the outset of the arrangement for each performance obligation.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue includes the costs directly associated with the production of prototypes and certain costs associated with development contracts. Such costs for prototypes include direct materials, direct labor, indirect labor, inventory write-downs, warranty expense, and allocation of overhead. Costs associated with development contracts include the direct costs and allocation of overhead costs involved in the execution of the contracts.

Operating Expenses

Research and Development

Our research and development, or R&D, efforts are focused primarily on hardware, software, and system engineering related to the design and development of our advanced lidar solutions. R&D expenses include:

personnel-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, severance, and stock-based compensation expense;
third-party engineering and contractor costs;
lab equipment;
engineering parts and test units:
new hardware and software expenses; and
allocated overhead expenses.

R&D costs are expensed as they are incurred. We expect our investment in R&D to be reduced this fiscal year as a result of our revised strategic plan, with a reduced workforce and consolidated global footprint. We also plan to execute more focused spending with vendors in critical areas that support our strategy and product development, in line with our revised strategic plan and manage costs more efficiently.

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Sales and Marketing

Our sales and marketing, or S&M, efforts are focused primarily on sales, business development, and marketing programs in pursuit of revenue contracts from potential and existing customers. S&M expenses include:

personnel-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, severance, and stock-based compensation expense;
demonstration equipment;
trade shows expenses, advertising, and promotions expenses for press releases and other public relations services; and
allocated overhead expenses.

We expect our S&M expenses to be reduced this fiscal year as a result of our revised strategic plan, with a reduced workforce and consolidated global footprint. We also plan to focus our sales and marketing efforts on key products and critical customer engagements to support our revised strategic plan and manage costs more efficiently.

General and Administrative

Our general and administrative, or G&A, spending supports all business functions. G&A expenses include:

personnel-related costs, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, severance, and stock-based compensation expense for executive, finance, legal, human resources, technical support, and other administrative personnel;
consulting, accounting, audit, legal, and other professional fees;
insurance premiums, software and computer equipment costs, general office expenses; and
allocated overhead expenses.

We expect our G&A expenses to to be reduced this fiscal year as a result of our revised strategic plan with a reduced workforce and consolidated global footprint. We also plan to manage spending with suppliers and vendors more effectively to support our revised strategic plan to manage costs.

Change in Fair Value of Convertible Note and Warrant Liabilities

Changes in fair value of the 2022 Note and warrant liabilities are the result of the change in fair value at each reporting date. The 2022 Note and warrant liabilities are recorded at fair value for each reporting period, and the changes in fair value are reported within other income (expense), net during the period. We have also elected to record interest expense on the 2022 Note as changes in fair value.

Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other

Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. These amounts will vary based on our cash and cash equivalents balances and market rates. Interest expense and other consists primarily of convertible note issuance costs and amortization of premiums (accretion of discounts) on marketable securities, net.

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Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022

The results of operations presented below should be reviewed in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes included elsewhere in this report. The following table sets forth our consolidated results of operations data for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands, except for percentages):

Three Months Ended March 31,ChangeChange
20232022$%
Prototype sales    $125 $335 $(210)(63)%
Development contracts511 747 (236)(32)%
Total revenue    636 1,082 (446)(41)%
Cost of revenue     2,261 1,482 779 53 %
Gross loss(1,625)(400)(1,225)306 %
Research and development    9,442 8,576 866 10 %
Sales and marketing    6,268 4,616 1,652 36 %
General and administrative    8,554 11,330 (2,776)(25)%
Total operating expenses    24,264 24,522 (258)(1)%
Loss from operations (25,889)(24,922)(967)%
Change in fair value of convertible note and warrant liabilities(810)(32)(778)2,431 %
Interest income and other    277 424 (147)(35)%
Interest expense and other    176 (343)519 (151)%
Total other income (expense), net    (357)49 (406)(829)%
Provision for income tax expense19 11 138 %
Net loss$(26,265)$(24,881)$(1,384)%

Revenue

Prototype Sales

Prototype sales revenue decreased by $210, or 63%, to $125 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $335 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to fewer units sold resulting from a temporary pause in production of our 4Sight-based Industrial product in the first quarter to complete final design validation of the product.

Development Contracts

Development contracts revenue decreased by $236, or 32%, to $511 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $747 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to less revenue recognized in the current year from a large Tier 1 automotive supplier contract as the design validation phase nears completion.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue increased by $779, or 53%, to $2,261 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $1,482 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily due to the cost of revenue associated with a Tier 1 automotive supplier contract in the current period and as well as increased scrap expense.

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Operating Expenses

Research and Development

Research and development expenses increased by $866, or 10%, to $9,442 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $8,576 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily driven by increases in stock-based compensation expense of $1,055 and personnel costs of $557, offset by decreases in third party research and development work of $822.

Sales and Marketing

Total sales and marketing expenses increased by $1,652, or 36%, to $6,268 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $4,616 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily due to increases in third party conferences and trade shows of $950, stock-based compensation expense of $461, and personnel costs of $237.

General and Administrative

Total general and administrative expenses decreased by $2,776, or 25%, to $8,554 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $11,330 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to decreases in professional accounting and legal fees of $1,098, personnel costs of $579, directors' and officers' insurance of $435, and stock-based compensation of $405.

Change in Fair Value of Convertible Note and Warrant Liabilities

Change in fair value of convertible note and warrant liabilities increased by $778, or 2,431%, to a loss of $810 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from a loss of $32 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to an increase in fair value of the 2022 Note in the current period.

Interest Income and Other

Interest income and other decreased by $147, or 35%, to $277 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $424 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to less interest earned on our marketable securities in the current period.

Interest Expense and Other

Interest expense and other decreased by $519, or 151%, to a gain of $176 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from a loss of $343 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to a favorable increase in accretion of discounts on marketable securities, resulting in a net decrease within Amortization of premiums (accretion of discounts) on marketable securities, net, of $524.

Provision for Income Tax Expense

Provision for income tax expenses increased to $19 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $8 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase is due to changes in pretax income (loss) in the U.S. and certain foreign entities and changes in tax rates.

Net Loss

Net loss increased by $1,384, or 6%, to $26,265 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, from $24,881 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily due to an increase in cost of revenue and operating expenses.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Our capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not exclusively, sales volume and timing of revenue, the timing of an OEM design win, our ability to extend our cash runway based on the restructuring initiatives announced in the first quarter of 2023, the timing and extent of spending to support R&D efforts, and market adoption of new and enhanced products and features. As of March 31, 2023, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaled $74.1 million.

To date, our principal sources of liquidity have been proceeds received from the issuance of equity. In December 2021, we entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement, or CSPA, with Tumim Stone Capital LLC, or Tumim Stone, pursuant to which we have the right, but not the obligation, to issue and sell to Tumim Stone, over a 36-month period, up to $125,000 of the Company’s common stock. On May 6, 2022, the Company filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1, which related to the offer and resale of up to 30,865,419 shares of our common stock to be purchased by Tumim Stone, pursuant to the CSPA. As of March 31, 2023, 1,145,000 shares were issued under this CSPA. In September 2022, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement ("SPA") with an investor allowing for the sale and issuance of two convertible notes, each with cash proceeds of $9,850, for a total of $20,000 in proceeds between the two issuances (each, a "Note Closing"). On September 15, 2022, we closed the first Note Closing with the investor and received cash proceeds of $9,850 (net of fees paid to the investor). The second Note Closing may occur, at our option, after the ninetieth (90th) calendar day after the first Note Closing and provided that we meet certain equity conditions. Until we can generate sufficient revenue from the sale of our products to cover operating expenses, working capital, and capital expenditures, we expect the funds raised in the business combination with CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III and PIPE financing, as well as any future funds from the CSPA and SPA, and other potential sources of capital, to fund our near-term cash needs.

If we are required to raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, dilution of stockholders will result. Any debt securities issued may also have rights, preferences, and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. The terms of debt securities or borrowings could impose significant restrictions on our operations. We may also be unable to raise additional capital through the sale of securities and debt financing, or to do so on terms that are favorable to us, particularly given current capital market and overall macroeconomic conditions.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we had a net loss of $26,265 and $24,881, respectively. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for at least the next several years. Despite the recent restructuring initiatives, we expect that our research and development, selling and marketing, and general and administrative expenses will continue to exceed our operating income and, as a result, we may need additional capital resources to fund our operations. We believe that the net proceeds from the business combination with CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III, PIPE financing, CSPA, and SPA, together with our existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, will enable us to fund our operating expenses, working capital, and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months from May 11, 2023. If our cash needs are greater than we anticipate, we may be required to reduce our operating expenses even further or raise additional capital sooner. Reducing our operating expenses could be very challenging for us, since we have already undertaken significant operating expense reductions; further reductions could adversely impact our business operations. Our plans for the use of cash in the long-term (beyond the twelve months indicated above) are similarly related to funding operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements as we continue to scale the business. For additional information regarding our cash requirements from lease obligations, convertible note obligations, and contractual obligations, see Notes 5, 6, and 14 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

On March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, was appointed as receiver. We had and continue to have deposit accounts at SVB. The standard deposit insurance amount is up to $250 thousand per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. We do not maintain any other material accounts or lines of credit with SVB. On March 13, 2023, we regained access to all of our money held at SVB. We continue to maintain an operating account at SVB, but have subsequently established operating accounts at other financial institutions as well to mitigate the risks associated with any one financial institution's potential insolvency or receivership.

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Cash Flow Summary

Three months ended March 31,
20232022
(in thousands)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$(17,195)$(16,023)
Investing activities$21,477 $14,726 
Financing activities$(2,845)$(1,709)

Operating Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities was $17,195. Factors affecting our operating cash flows during this period were a net loss of $26,265, offset by stock-based compensation of $6,513, change in fair value of convertible note and warrant liabilities of $810, noncash lease expense of $350, depreciation and amortization of $330, and inventory write-downs of $208. Within operating activities, the net change in operating assets and liabilities was cash provided of $879, primarily driven by decreases in prepaid and other current assets and accounts receivable of $2,722 and $494, respectively. Cash provided was partially offset by cash used by decreases in accounts payable, contract liabilities, and operating lease liabilities of $985, $511, and $392, respectively, and increases in inventories of $386.

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities was $16,023. Factors affecting our operating cash flows during this period were a net loss of $24,881, offset by stock-based compensation of $5,340, depreciation and amortization of $208, inventory write-downs of $267, and amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts on marketable securities, net of changes in accrued interest of $594. Within operating activities, the net changes in operating assets and liabilities were cash used of $2,100, primarily driven by an increase in inventories of $436, and decreases in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $645, accounts payable of $567, and contract liabilities of $767, offset by decreases in prepaids and other current assets of $510 and accounts receivable of $3,930.

Investing Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, net cash provided by investing activities was $21,477. The primary factor affecting net cash provided by investing activities during this period were the proceeds from redemptions and maturities of marketable securities of $22,000, offset by purchases of property and equipment of $599.

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $14,726. The primary factor affecting net cash used in investing activities during this period was the proceeds from redemptions and maturities of marketable securities of $15,500.

Financing Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, net cash used in financing activities was $2,845. The primary factors affecting our financing cash flows during this period were payments for convertible note redemptions of $2,300 and payments for taxes related to net settlement of equity awards of $868, partially offset by proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $323.

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash used in financing activities was $1,709. The primary factor affecting our financing cash flows during this period was payments for taxes related to the net settlement of equity awards of $1,931, partially offset by proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $222.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our condensed consolidated financial statements are in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements, the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods, fair value measures, and the related disclosures in the condensed consolidated financial statements. Our actual results could differ significantly from these estimates due to changes in judgments, assumptions, and
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conditions as a result of unforeseen events or otherwise, which could have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations. We believe our critical accounting policies involve the greatest degree of judgment and complexity and have the greatest potential impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, there were no significant changes in our critical accounting policies and estimates as compared to those previously disclosed in "Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates" in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Emerging Growth Company Status

Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, and we have elected to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period for new or revised financial accounting standards. Following the closing of the business combination with CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III,, we will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which the market value of common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which the Company has total annual gross revenue of $1.07 billion or more during such fiscal year (as indexed for inflation), (iii) the date on which the Company has issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt in the prior three-year period, or (iv) December 31, 2025. We expect to continue to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period, although we may decide to adopt such new or revised accounting standards early to the extent permitted by such standards. This may make it difficult or impossible to compare our financial results with the financial results of another public company that is either not an emerging growth company or is an emerging growth company that has chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period exemptions because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for recently adopted accounting pronouncements as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates.

We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Nonetheless, if our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

Interest Rate Risk

As of March 31, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $74.1 million, which consisted primarily of deposits in our bank accounts, money market funds, and marketable securities. Such interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Our 2022 Note bears a fixed interest rate, and therefore is not subject to interest rate risk. Our investment policy is focused on the preservation of capital and supporting our liquidity needs. We invest in highly rated securities, while limiting the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer, other than the U.S. government. A hypothetical 10% change in interest rates would not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations due to the short-term nature of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities.

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Credit Risk

Our concentration of credit risk is determined by evaluating each customer that accounts for more than 10% of our accounts receivable. As of March 31, 2023, there were four customers each accounting for 10% or more of our accounts receivable.

We perform credit evaluations as needed and generally do not require collateral from our customers. We analyze accounts receivable, historical percentages of uncollectible accounts, and changes in payment history when evaluating the expected credit losses on customers’ accounts. At March 31, 2023 and 2022, we did not have write-offs and did not record an allowance for credit losses on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

Our foreign currency exchange gains and losses have been generated primarily from fluctuations in the euro versus the U.S. dollar, South Korean won versus the U.S. dollar, and the Japanese yen versus the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of all our entities is the U.S. dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities and transactions denominated in currencies other than an entity’s functional currency are remeasured into its functional currency using current exchange rates, whereas non-monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured using historical exchange rates. We recognize gains and losses from such remeasurements within interest income and other, or interest expense and other, as applicable on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period of occurrence. We have in the past experienced, and in the future expect to experience, foreign currency exchange gains and losses on our non-functional currency-denominated balances. Foreign currency exchange gains and losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. To date, we have not engaged in exchange rate hedging activities, and we do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We have established disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as required under Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act as of the end of the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2023. Based on this review, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of March 31, 2023.

Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

As discussed in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls

Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has determined that our internal controls are reasonably designed and implemented to assure reliable financial reporting and preparation of our financial statements. However, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of controls to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.
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PART II
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may become involved in actions, claims, suits, and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business, including assertions by third parties relating to intellectual property infringement, breaches of contract or warranties, or employment-related matters. We are not currently a party to any actions, claims, suits or other legal proceedings the outcome of which, if determined adversely to us, would individually or in the aggregate have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Item 1A. Risk Factors
In conducting our business, we may face risks and uncertainties that may interfere with our business objectives. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as all of the other information contained in this Quarterly Report, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. The risks and uncertainties below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. The occurrence of any of the following risks, or others specified below, could materially and adversely affect our business, strategies, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In such case, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Summary of Risk Factors

As noted above, our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in this “Risk Factors” section, that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and growth of our business. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

We are an early stage company with a history of losses and we expect to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for at least the next several years.

Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter.

We continue to implement strategic initiatives designed to grow our business. These initiatives may prove more costly than we currently anticipate and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue in an amount sufficient to offset the costs of these initiatives and to achieve and maintain profitability.

If our deterministic artificial intelligence-driven sensing system is not selected for inclusion in autonomous driver-assistance systems, or ADAS, by any automotive OEMs or their suppliers, our business will be materially and adversely affected.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the lingering and continuing impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, other epidemics or outbreaks, as well as other global events and macroeconomic factors, such as the war in Ukraine.

Our products require key components and critical raw materials and our inability to reduce and control the cost of such components and raw materials could negatively impact the adoption of our products and accordingly, our financial condition and operating results.

We expect to incur substantial R&D costs and devote significant resources to identifying and commercializing new products, which could significantly reduce our profitability and may never result in revenue to us.

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Although we believe that lidar is an essential technology for autonomous vehicles and other emerging applications, market adoption of lidar is uncertain. If market adoption of lidar does not continue to develop, or adoption is deferred, or otherwise develops more slowly than we expect, our business will be adversely affected.

We rely on third-party suppliers and because some of the raw materials and key components in our products come from limited or single source suppliers, we are susceptible to supply shortages, longer than anticipated lead times for components, and supply changes, any of which could disrupt our supply chain and could delay deliveries of our products to customers.

The complexity of our products could result in unforeseen delays or expenses from undetected defects, errors, or reliability issues in our hardware or software which could reduce the market adoption of our products, damage our reputation with current or prospective customers, and expose us to product liability and other claims, thereby adversely affecting our operating costs.

The average selling prices of our products or our fees or royalties from technology licenses could decrease rapidly over the life of the product or license term, which may negatively affect our revenue and gross margin.

We are substantially relying on our relationship with Continental AG; our business could be materially and adversely affected if our relationship with Continental was terminated, or if we, through our relationship with Continental, are unable to obtain a sufficient number of design wins and successfully enter into definitive agreements or other commercial arrangements with automotive OEMs with respect to such design wins.

Risk Factors Relating to Our Business and Industry

We are an early stage company with a history of losses and we expect to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for at least the next several years.

We have incurred net losses in each year since our inception. In the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred net losses of approximately $26.3 million and $24.9 million, respectively. We expect that we will continue to incur significant losses through at least the next several years as we:

continue to utilize our third-party partners for design, testing, and commercialization;

expand our operations and supply chain capabilities to produce our lidar solutions, including costs associated with outsourcing the production of our lidar solutions, which, in some instances, requires significant upfront payments by us;

expand our design, development, and servicing capabilities;

build up inventories of parts and components for our lidar solutions;

produce an inventory of our lidar solutions, and potentially significant negative impacts to revenues and margins on existing products as we introduce new products;

increase our sales and marketing activities and develop our distribution infrastructure; and

increase our general and administrative spending to meet the requirements of operating as a public company.

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As of March 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $276.8 million. Even if we are able to increase sales or licensing of our products, there can be no assurance that we will be commercially successful. Since we will incur the costs and expenses from these efforts prior to receiving incremental revenues with respect thereto, our losses in future periods will be significant. In the past, design wins, the first step towards commercialization with a particular OEM, have taken longer than originally expected. Such delays, including delays that may occur in the future, will impact the timing of our revenue. If our products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance, we will not become profitable. If we fail to become profitable, or if we are unable to fund our continuing losses, we may be unable to continue our business operations. There can be no assurance that we will ever achieve or sustain profitability.

Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter.

We have been focused on developing our deterministic artificial intelligence-driven sensing system for vehicle autonomy, ADAS, and industrial applications since 2013. This relatively limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter, which include our ability to:

develop and commercialize our products;

produce and deliver lidar and software products meeting acceptable performance metrics;

forecast our revenue and budget for and manage our expenses;

attract new customers and retain existing customers;

develop, obtain, or progress strategic partnerships;

comply with existing and new or modified laws and regulations applicable to our business;

plan for and manage capital expenditures for our current and future products, and manage our supply chain and supplier relationships related to our current and future products;

anticipate and respond to macroeconomic changes as well as changes in the markets in which we operate;

maintain and enhance the value of our reputation and brand;

effectively manage our growth and business operations, including the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business as well as other macroeconomic factors, such as the war in Ukraine;

develop and protect our intellectual property;

hire, integrate, and retain talented people at all levels of our organization; and

successfully develop new solutions to enhance the experience of customers.

If we fail to address the risks and difficulties that we face, including those associated with the challenges listed above as well as those described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. Further, because we have limited historical financial data and operate in a rapidly evolving market, any predictions about our future revenue and expenses may not be as accurate as those predictions would be if we had a longer operating history or operated in a more predictable market. We have encountered in the past, and will continue to encounter in the future, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies with limited operating histories in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which we use to plan and operate our business, are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our results of operations could differ materially from our expectations and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.


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We continue to implement strategic initiatives designed to grow our business. These initiatives may prove more costly than we currently anticipate and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue in an amount sufficient to offset the costs of these initiatives or to achieve and maintain profitability.

We continue to make investments and implement initiatives designed to grow our business, including:

investing in R&D;

expanding our sales and marketing efforts to attract new customers and strategic partners;

investing in new applications and markets for our products;

further enhancing our manufacturing processes and partnerships;

protecting our intellectual property; and

investing in legal, accounting, and other administrative functions necessary to support our operations as a public company.

These initiatives may prove more expensive than we currently anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue, if at all, in an amount sufficient to offset these higher expenses or to achieve and maintain profitability. The market opportunities we are pursuing are at an early stage of development, and it may be many years before the end markets we expect to serve generate demand for our products at scale, if at all. Our revenue may be adversely affected for a number of reasons, including the development and/or market acceptance of new technology that competes with our products, if automotive original equipment manufacturers, or automotive OEMs, Tier 1 automotive suppliers, or other market participants change their view towards autonomous vehicles or ADAS technologies or strategies, the failure of our customers to commercialize autonomous systems that include our solutions, our inability to effectively manage or outsource the management of our inventory, manufacturing, or contract manufacturing of products at scale, our inability to enter new markets or to help our customers adapt our products for new applications, or our failure to attract new customers or secure production orders from existing customers currently analyzing our solutions, or increasing competition. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict the size and growth rate of our target markets, customer demand for our products, commercialization timelines, developments in autonomous sensing, developments in ADAS and related technologies, the entry of competitive products, or the success of existing competitive products and services. For these reasons, we do not expect to achieve profitability over the near term. If our revenue does not grow over the long term, our ability to achieve and maintain profitability may be adversely affected, and the value of our business may significantly decrease.

We intend to raise additional capital in order to execute our business plan and to respond to changing market conditions, which additional capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

We intend to raise additional capital, either by issuing equity, debt, or a combination of the two, in order to respond to market timing delays, technological advancements, competition, competitive technologies, customer demands, business opportunities, other challenges, potential acquisitions, unforeseen circumstances, or other reasons. In order to further business relationships with current or potential customers or partners, we may issue equity or equity-linked securities to such customers or partners. Despite the need for additional capital, we may not be able to timely secure additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all. If we raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or convertible debt or other equity-linked securities, or if we issue equity or equity-linked securities to current or potential customers to further our business relationships, our existing stockholders would likely experience dilution, which may be significant. Any debt financing obtained by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital or to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited.

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The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile and could decline significantly.

The stock markets, including Nasdaq on which we list our shares of common stock, have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. Even if an active, liquid, and orderly trading market develops and is sustained for our common stock, the market price of our common stock may continue to be volatile and could decline significantly. Most recently, since December 6, 2022, our stock has closed below $1.00 per share. As previously disclosed, on January 20, 2023, we received a notice from Nasdaq that we were no longer in compliance with the $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq. Although the notification does not have an immediate impact on our Nasdaq listing, we were given a period of 180 calendar days, or until July 19, 2023, to regain compliance with the requirement. If we do not regain compliance by July 19, 2023, we may be eligible for a second 180-day compliance period. If we are unable to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement during the compliance period, we will be subject to delisting from Nasdaq. In addition, the trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, which can have significant impact on the price of our common stock If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at an attractive price, or at all. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the lingering impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic or other epidemics and outbreaks.

The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted and affected our business operations, which has led to business and supply chain disruptions. The lingering effects of the pandemic are likely to continue to disrupt our business and supply chain in the future. For example, our offices and R&D and manufacturing locations had been, and may continue to be, impacted due to national and regional government declarations requiring closures, quarantines, and travel restrictions, although nearly all government-imposed restrictions have been significantly reduced in most parts of the world. However, given the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 and its variants, it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict, whether any government-imposed restrictions will be reimposed at previous levels or enhanced in one or more ways impacting our business operations or those of third parties upon which we rely. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including associated business interruptions and recovery, as well as other possible epidemics or outbreaks of other contagions could result in a material adverse impact on our business operations, or the business operations of our current or anticipated customers and suppliers, including the potential reduction or suspension of operations in the U.S. or other parts of the world. Our design and engineering operations, among others, cannot all be conducted remotely and often require on-site access to materials and equipment. We have customers, suppliers, and partners with international operations, and our customers, suppliers, and partners also depend on suppliers and manufacturers worldwide, which means that our business and prospects could be affected by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic anywhere in the world. Depending upon the duration of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated business interruptions, our customers, suppliers, manufacturers, and partners may suspend or delay their engagements with us. We and our customers’ and suppliers’ response to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may prove to be inadequate and they may be unable to continue their respective operations in the manner they had prior to the outbreak or the worsening of the outbreak, and we may consequently endure interruptions, reputational harm, delays in our product development, and shipments, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. In addition, we cannot assure you as to the timing of the economic recovery given the lingering effects of the pandemic, which could have a material adverse effect on our target markets and our business.

If our deterministic artificial intelligence-driven sensing system is not selected for inclusion in ADAS technology by automotive OEMs or their suppliers, our business will be materially and adversely affected.

Automotive OEMs and their suppliers design and develop ADAS technology over several years. These automotive OEMs and suppliers undertake extensive testing or qualification processes prior to placing orders for large quantities of products, such as our active lidar products, because such products will function as part of a larger system or platform and must meet specifications that we do not control or dictate. We have spent, and will continue to spend, significant time and resources to have our products selected by automotive OEMs and their suppliers, which we refer to as a “design win.” In the case of autonomous driving and ADAS technology, a design win means our active lidar product has been selected for use in a particular vehicle model or models. If we do not achieve a design win with respect to a particular vehicle model, we may not have an opportunity to supply our products to the automotive OEM or its supplier for that vehicle model for a period of many years. In many cases, this period can be as long as five to seven years (or more). If our products are not selected by an automotive OEM or our suppliers for one vehicle model or if our products are not successful in that vehicle model, it is less likely that our product will be deployed in other vehicle models of that automotive OEM. If we fail to obtain design wins for a significant number of vehicle models from one or more automotive OEMs or their suppliers, our business, results of operations, and
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financial condition will be materially and adversely affected. Our business model for the Automotive market is based on our relationships with Tier 1 suppliers. If these relationships do not materialize, automotive OEMs may be less inclined to select our products for use in their vehicle models. The period of time from a design win to implementation is long and we are subject to the risks of cancellation or postponement of the contract or unsuccessful implementation.

Our forward-looking estimates of certain financial metrics may prove inaccurate.

We use various estimates in formulating our business plans. We base our estimates upon a number of assumptions that are inherently subject to significant business and economic uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. Our estimates therefore may prove inaccurate, causing the actual amount to differ from our estimates. These factors include, without limitation:

the extent to which we meet contractual terms and conditions;

the extent to which our technology is successfully integrated into our customers’ vehicles;

the timing of when our customers adopt our technology into their vehicles on a commercial basis which could be delayed for regulatory, safety, or reliability issues unrelated to our technology;

undetected or unknown errors, defects, or reliability issues in our hardware or software which could reduce the market adoption of our existing or new products;

loss of business with respect to the failure or lack of commercial success of a vehicle model for which we are a significant supplier for reasons unrelated to our technology;

a decline, for any reason, in the production levels of our customers, particularly with respect to models which incorporate our technology;

customer cancellations of their contracts;

if our products are included as part of a vehicle option package, the extent to which end customers select it; and

other risk factors set forth in this Quarterly Report.

We are substantially relying on our relationship with Continental AG; our business could be materially and adversely affected if our relationship with Continental was terminated, or if Continental is unable to obtain a sufficient number of design wins and enter into definitive agreements or other commercial arrangements with automotive OEMs with respect to such design wins.

Our business prospects are substantially based on our relationship with Continental. We have entered into an agreement with Continental pursuant to which Continental licenses from us the rights to manufacture and integrate our lidar solution into automotive OEM model lines through long-term series production contracts with automotive OEMs. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain or further our relationship with Continental and/or that Continental will secure orders for our product designs and software. If we are unable to maintain or progress our relationship with Continental, or if Continental is unable to secure a sufficient number of design wins and enter into definitive agreements or other commercial arrangements with automotive OEMs, then our business could be materially and adversely affected.

The period of time from a design win to implementation is long and we are subject to the risks of cancellation or postponement of the contract or unsuccessful implementation.

Prospective customers, including those in the automotive industry, generally must make significant commitments of resources to test and validate products like ours and confirm that they can integrate these products with other technologies before including them in any particular system, product, or model. The development cycles for our products with new customers varies widely depending on the application, market, customer, and the complexity of the product. In the automotive market, for example, this development cycle can be five to seven years (or more). The development cycle in certain other markets can be months to one or two years (or more). These development cycles result in us investing our resources prior to realizing any revenue from commercialization.
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Further, we are subject to the risk that customers cancel or postpone implementation of our technology or our customers are unable to integrate our technology successfully into a larger system. If our customers face financial difficulties, they may also cancel current or future product programs that could materially and adversely impact our financial results. Further, our revenue could be less than forecasted if the system, product, or vehicle model that includes our lidar products is unsuccessful, including for reasons unrelated to our technology. Long development cycles and product cancellations or postponements may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our products require key components and critical raw materials and our inability to reduce and control the cost of such components and raw materials could negatively impact the adoption of our products and accordingly, our financial condition and operating results.

The production of our components is dependent on sourcing certain key components and raw materials at acceptable price levels. We have experienced, and may continue to experience, supply chain-induced shortages of key components, leading to a scarcity of such components, a limited availability of such components at greatly inflated prices, or both. If we or our licensees or contract manufacturers are unable to adequately reduce and control the costs of such key components, we or they will be unable to realize manufacturing costs targets, which could reduce the market adoption of our products, damage our reputation with current or prospective customers, and have an adverse effect on our brand, business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.

Continued pricing pressures, automotive OEM and Tier 1 supplier cost reduction initiatives, and the ability of automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to utilize alternatives or cancel vehicle or technology programs may result in lower than anticipated revenues, or cause substantial losses, which may adversely affect our business.

Cost-cutting initiatives adopted by our customers may result in continued downward pressure on pricing. Our agreements and partnerships with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers may require step-downs in pricing over the term of the agreement or partnership, or if commercialized, over the period of production. In addition, our automotive OEM and Tier 1 suppliers often reserve the right to terminate their supply contracts for convenience, which enhances their ability to obtain price concessions. Automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers also possess significant leverage over their suppliers, including us, because the automotive component supply industry is highly competitive, serves a limited number of customers, and has a high fixed cost base. See also the risk factor entitled, “We operate in a highly competitive market involving emerging technology. We compete against a number of competitors, some of whom have substantially greater resources than us,” below.

Accordingly, we expect to be subject to substantial and continuing pricing pressure from automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and lidar competitors, which may impact the revenue we receive from licensing our product designs or selling our products. It is possible that pricing pressures beyond our expectations could intensify as automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and lidar competitors pursue restructuring, consolidation, and cost-cutting initiatives. If we are unable to identify sufficient design cost savings to meet the expectations of automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, our revenue and profitability would be adversely affected.

We expect to continue to incur substantial R&D costs and devote significant resources to identifying and commercializing new products, which could significantly reduce our profitability and may never result in revenue for us.

Our future growth depends on penetrating new markets, adapting existing products to new applications and customer requirements, and introducing new products that achieve market acceptance. We expect to continue to incur substantial R&D costs as part of our efforts to design, develop, manufacture, and commercialize new products and enhance existing products. Our R&D expenses were approximately $9.4 million and $8.6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and may increase in the future. Because we account for R&D as an operating expense, these expenditures will adversely affect our results of operations in the future. Further, our R&D program may not produce successful results, and our new products may not achieve market acceptance, create additional revenue, or become profitable.

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Although we believe that lidar is an essential technology for autonomous vehicles and other emerging applications, market adoption of lidar is uncertain. If market adoption of lidar does not continue to develop, or adoption is deferred, or otherwise develops more slowly than we expect, our business will be adversely affected.

While our artificial intelligence-driven lidar-based sensing system can be applied to different use cases across end markets, approximately 81% and 58% of our revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, was generated from automotive applications with a few customers in the aerospace, delivery, shuttle, railway, mining, and aviation sectors. Despite the fact that the automotive industry has expended considerable effort to research and test lidar products for ADAS and autonomous driving applications, the automotive industry may not introduce lidar products in commercially available vehicles on a timeframe that matches our expectations, or at all. We continually study emerging and competing sensing technologies and methodologies and we may incorporate new sensing technologies to our product portfolio over time. However, lidar products remain relatively new and it is possible that other sensing modalities, or a new disruptive modality based on new or existing technologies, including a combination of technologies, will achieve acceptance or leadership in the ADAS and autonomous driving space. Even if lidar products are used in initial generations of autonomous driving technology and ADAS products, we cannot guarantee that lidar products will be designed into or included in subsequent generations of such commercialized technology. In addition, we expect that initial generations of autonomous vehicles will be focused on limited applications, such as robo-taxis and shuttles, and that mass market adoption of autonomous technology may lag significantly behind these initial applications. The speed of market adoption and growth for ADAS or autonomous vehicles is difficult, if not impossible, to predict, and it is more difficult to predict this market’s future growth in light of the economic consequences of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other macroeconomic factors. Although we currently believe we have a differentiated market leading technology for the autonomous vehicle market, by the time mass market adoption of autonomous vehicle technology is achieved, we expect competition among providers of sensing technology based on lidar and other modalities to increase substantially. If, by the time autonomous vehicle technology achieves mass market adoption, commercialization of lidar products is not successful, or not as successful as we or the market expects, or if other sensing modalities gain acceptance by developers of ADAS products, automotive OEMs, regulators, safety organizations, or other market participants, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

We are investing in and pursuing market opportunities outside of the Automotive market, including in the aerospace and defense, shuttle, delivery vehicle, drone, railway, intelligent transport, and mining sectors. We believe that our future revenue growth, if any, will depend in part on our ability to expand within new markets such as these and to enter new markets as they emerge. Each of these markets presents distinct risks and, in many cases, requires that we address the particular requirements of that market.

Addressing these requirements can be time-consuming and costly. The market for lidar technology is relatively new, rapidly developing, and unproven in many markets or industries. Many of our prospective customers are still in the testing and development phases and we cannot be certain that they will commercialize products or systems with our lidar products, or at all. We cannot be certain that lidar will be sold into these markets, or that lidar will be sold into any markets at scale. Adoption of lidar products, including our products, will depend on numerous factors, including whether the technological capabilities of lidar and lidar-based products meet users’ current or anticipated needs, whether the benefits associated with designing lidar into larger sensing systems outweighs the costs, complexity, and time needed to deploy such technology or replace or modify existing systems that may have used other modalities, such as cameras and radar, whether users in other applications can move beyond the testing and development phases and proceed to commercializing systems supported by lidar technology and whether lidar developers such as us can keep pace with the expected rapid technological change in certain developing markets, and the global response to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other macroeconomic factors, and the length of any associated economic recovery. If lidar technology does not achieve commercial success, or if adoption of lidar is deferred or the market otherwise develops at a pace slower than we expect, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

We may experience difficulties in managing our growth and expanding our operations.

Over the long term, we expect to experience significant growth in the scope and nature of our operations. Our ability to manage our operations and future growth will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial, and management controls, legal and compliance programs, and reporting systems. We may not be able to implement improvements in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing controls, programs, systems, and procedures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, and financial results.
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We rely on third-party suppliers and because some of the raw materials and key components in our products come from limited or single source suppliers, we are susceptible to supply shortages, longer than anticipated lead times for components, and supply changes, any of which could disrupt our supply chain and could delay deliveries of our products to customers.

Most of the components that go into the manufacturing of our solutions are sourced from third-party suppliers. To date, we have produced our products in relatively limited quantities for use in R&D programs. Although we do not have any experience in managing our supply chain to manufacture and deliver our products at scale, our future success will depend on our ability to do so. Some of the key components used to manufacture our products come from limited or single source suppliers. We are therefore subject to the risk of shortages and long lead times in the supply of these components and the risk that our suppliers discontinue or modify components used in our products. As we rely on a global supply chain, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, other epidemics and outbreaks, should they materialize, and other macroeconomic factors may adversely affect our ability to source components in a timely or cost-effective manner from our third-party suppliers due to, among other things, work stoppages or interruptions. For example, our products depend on lasers. Any shortage in the availability of these lasers could materially and adversely affect our ability to manufacture our solutions. In addition, the lead times associated with certain components are lengthy and preclude rapid changes in quantities and delivery schedules. While we have entered into agreements with some suppliers for the supply of certain components at set prices, such quantities are limited given we are not yet producing at scale. Therefore, we have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, component shortages and significant price fluctuations of key components and materials, and the predictability of the availability and pricing of these components may be limited. Component shortages or pricing fluctuations could be material in the future, which could be exacerbated by employee retention issues at any of our suppliers. In the event of a component shortage, supply interruption, or a material pricing change from suppliers of these components, we may not be able to develop alternate sources in a timely manner, or at all, especially in the case of sole or limited source items. Developing alternate sources of supply for these components may be time-consuming, difficult, and costly and we may not be able to source these components on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, which may undermine our ability to meet our requirements or to fill customer orders in a timely manner. Any interruption or delay in the supply of any of these parts or components, or the inability to obtain these parts or components from alternate sources at acceptable prices and within a reasonable amount of time, would adversely affect our ability to meet our scheduled product deliveries to our customers. This could adversely affect our relationships with our customers and channel partners and could cause delays in shipment of our products and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, increased component costs could result in lower gross margins. Even where we are able to pass increased component costs along to our customers, there may be a lapse of time before we are able to do so such that we will be required to absorb some or all of the increased cost. If we are unable to buy these components in quantities sufficient to meet our requirements on a timely basis, we will not be able to deliver products to our customers, which may result in such customers using competitive products instead of our products.

Because our sales have been primarily to customers making purchases for R&D projects and customers’ current orders are project-based, we expect our results of operations to continue to fluctuate on a quarterly and annual basis, which could cause our stock price to fluctuate or decline.

Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated in the past and may vary significantly in the future. As such, historical comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. In particular, because our sales to date have primarily been to customers making purchases for their own R&D, sales in any given quarter can fluctuate based on the timing and success of our customers’ development projects. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Our quarterly financial results may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control and may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. These fluctuations could adversely affect our ability to meet our expectations or those of securities analysts, ratings agencies, or investors. If we do not meet these expectations for any period, the value of our business and our securities, could decline significantly. Factors that may cause these quarterly fluctuations include, without limitation, those listed below:

the timing and magnitude of orders and shipments of our products in any quarter;

decreases in pricing we may adopt to drive market adoption or in response to competitive pressure;

our ability to retain our existing customers and strategic partners and attract new customers and strategic partners;
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our ability to develop, introduce, manufacture, and ship, in a timely manner, products that meet customer requirements;

disruptions in our sales channels or termination of our relationships with important channel partners;

delays in customers’ purchasing cycles or deferments of customers’ purchases in anticipation of new products or updates from us or our competitors;

fluctuations in demand for our products;

the mix of products sold or licensed by us in any given quarter;

the duration of the lingering effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the time it takes for economic recovery;

the duration or worsening of the military conflict in Ukraine and the time it will take for the economic recovery for such impact to occur;

the timing and rate of broader market adoption of ADAS or autonomous systems utilizing our solutions across the automotive and other market sectors;

the timing and scale of the market acceptance of lidar generally;

further technological advancements by our competitors and other market participants;

the ability of our customers and strategic partners to commercialize systems that incorporate our products;

any change in the competitive dynamics of our markets, including consolidation of competitors, regulatory developments, and new market entrants;

our ability to effectively manage or outsource management of our inventory;

changes in the source, cost, availability of, and regulations pertaining to components and materials we use in our products;

adverse litigation, judgments, settlements, or other litigation-related costs, or claims that may give rise to such costs; and

general economic, industry, and market conditions, including trade disputes.

We may face risks associated with our reliance on certain artificial intelligence and machine learning models.

We rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning models in the development of our solutions for vehicle autonomy, ADAS, and industrial applications. The models that we use are developed or trained using various data sets. If the models are incorrectly designed, the data we use to train them is incomplete, inadequate, or biased in some way, or if we do not have sufficient rights to use the data on which our models rely, the performance of our products, services, and business, as well as our reputation, could suffer or we could incur liability through the violation of laws, third-party privacy, or other rights, or contracts to which we are a party.

Our outsourced manufacturing business model for the industrial market may not be successful, which could harm our ability to deliver products and recognize revenue in the industrial market.

Our manufacturing strategy for the industrial market has always been focused on outsourcing volume manufacturing to contract manufacturers while maintaining the design, engineering, prototyping, testing, and pilot manufacturing in-house at our facility in Dublin, California. We currently have agreements with certain third-party manufacturers to provide contract manufacturing, testing, and delivery of certain of our products.

Reliance on third-party manufacturers reduces our control over the manufacturing process, including reduced control over quality, product costs, and product supply and timing. We may experience delays in shipments
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or issues concerning product quality from our third-party manufacturers. If any of our third-party manufacturers experience interruptions, delays, or disruptions in supplying our products, including by natural disasters, the lingering effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, or if other epidemics or outbreaks of other contagions materialize, increased military conflict, especially in Eastern Europe, or work stoppages or capacity constraints, our ability to ship products would be delayed. In addition, unfavorable economic conditions could result in financial distress among third-party manufacturers upon which we rely, thereby increasing the risk of disruption of supplies necessary to fulfill our production requirements and meet customer demands. Additionally, if any of our third-party manufacturers experience quality control problems in their manufacturing operations and our products do not meet customer or regulatory requirements, we could be required to cover the cost of repair or replacement of any defective products. These delays or product quality issues could have an immediate and material adverse effect on our ability to fulfill orders and could have a negative effect on our operating results. In addition, such delays or issues with product quality could adversely affect our reputation and our relationship with our channel partners. If our third-party manufacturers experience financial, operational, manufacturing capacity, or other difficulties, or experience shortages in required components, or if they are otherwise unable or unwilling to continue to manufacture our products in required volumes or at all, our supply may be disrupted, we may be required to seek alternate manufacturers, and we may be required to re-design our products. It would be time-consuming, and could be costly and impracticable, to begin to use new manufacturers or designs, and such changes could cause significant interruptions in supply and could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our scheduled product deliveries, and may subsequently lead to the loss of sales. While we take measures to protect our trade secrets, the use of third-party manufacturers may also risk disclosure of our innovative and proprietary manufacturing methodologies, which could adversely affect our business.

We may engage international contract manufacturers, and therefore we may face risks associated with manufacturing operations outside the United States.

To the extent our manufacturing is done outside of the United States, we are subject to several inherent risks, including:

foreign currency fluctuations;

local economic conditions;

political instability, including the military actions occurring in the Ukraine;

import and export requirements;

foreign government regulatory requirements;

reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;

tariffs and other trade barriers and restrictions; and

potentially adverse tax consequences.

We intend to engage with contract manufacturers outside the United States, therefore we will be subject to these risks, each of which could increase our costs and decrease our profit margins.

We, our outsourcing partners, and our suppliers rely on complex machinery for production of our lidar solutions, which involves a significant degree of risk and uncertainty in terms of operational performance and costs.

We, our outsourcing partners, and our suppliers rely on complex machinery for the production, assembly, and installation of our lidar solutions, which involve a significant degree of uncertainty and risk in terms of operational performance and maintenance costs. In addition, the cost to procure such machinery can be significant and, in many instances, such costs will be paid by us. Our limited in-house production facility, and the facilities of our outsourcing partners and suppliers, consist of large-scale machinery combining many components. These components may suffer unexpected malfunctions from time to time and will require repairs and spare parts to resume operations, which may not be available when needed. Unexpected malfunctions of these components may significantly affect intended operational efficiency. Operational performance and costs can be difficult to predict and are often influenced by factors outside of our control, such as, but not limited to, scarcity of natural resources, environmental hazards and remediation, costs associated with decommissioning of machines, labor disputes and
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strikes, difficulty or delays in obtaining governmental permits, damages or defects in electronic systems, industrial accidents, fires, seismic activity, and other natural and manufactured disasters. Should such operational risks materialize, it may result in personal injury to or death of workers, loss of production equipment, damage to production facilities, monetary losses, delays, and unanticipated fluctuations in production, environmental damage, administrative fines, increased insurance costs and potential legal liabilities, some of which may be the responsibility of our outsourcing partners and suppliers, but could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, or operating results.

As part of growing our business, we may make acquisitions. If we fail to successfully select, execute, or integrate our acquisitions, then our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected, and our stock price could decline.

From time to time, we may undertake acquisitions to add new products and technologies, acquire talent, gain new sales channels, or enter into new markets or sales territories. In addition to possible stockholder approval, we may need approvals and licenses from relevant governmental authorities for the acquisitions and to comply with any applicable laws and regulations, which could result in increased delay and costs, and may disrupt our business strategy if we fail to obtain such required approvals. Furthermore, acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets, businesses, key personnel, customers, vendors, and suppliers will require significant attention from our management and could result in a diversion of resources from our existing business, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our operations. Acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. Acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the occurrence of significant goodwill impairment charges, amortization expenses for other intangible assets, and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the costs of identifying and closing acquisitions may be significant.

To date, we have very limited experience with acquisitions and the integration of acquired technology and personnel. Failure to successfully identify, complete, manage, and integrate acquisitions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations and could cause our stock price to decline.

Our sales and operations in international markets expose us to associated operational, financial, and regulatory risks.

Sales to international customers accounted for 14% and 6% of our revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We are committed to growing our international sales, and while we have committed resources to expanding our international operations and sales channels, these efforts may not be successful. International operations are subject to a number of other risks, including:

exchange rate fluctuations;

political and economic instability, international terrorism, and anti-American sentiment, particularly in emerging markets;

global or regional health crises, such as the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or other epidemics or outbreaks of other contagions;

increasing military conflicts in Eastern Europe;

potential for violations of anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as those related to bribery and fraud;

preference for locally branded products, and laws and business practices favoring local competition;

potential consequences of, and uncertainty related to, the “Brexit” process in the United Kingdom, which could lead to additional expense and complexity in doing business there;

increased difficulty in managing inventory;

delayed revenue recognition;

the potential for less effective protection of intellectual property;
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stringent regulation of the autonomous or other systems or products using our products and stringent consumer protection and product compliance regulations, including, but not limited, to the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, in the European Union, European competition law, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, or RoHS, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, or WEEE, and the European Ecodesign Directive, all of which are costly to comply with and may vary from country to country;

difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations;

import and export laws and the impact of tariffs;

changes in local tax and customs duty laws or changes in the enforcement, application, or interpretation of such laws; and

the U.S. government’s restrictions on technology transfers to certain countries.

The occurrence of any of these risks could negatively affect our international business and consequently our business, operating results, and financial condition.

The complexity of our products could result in unforeseen delays or expenses from undetected defects, errors, or reliability issues in our hardware or software which could reduce the market adoption of our products, damage our reputation with current or prospective customers, expose us to product liability and other claims, and thereby adversely affect our operating costs.

Our products are highly technical, very complex, and require high standards to manufacture. Our products have in the past experienced, and will likely in the future experience, defects, errors, or reliability issues at various stages of development, production, and use. We may be unable to timely release new products, manufacture existing products, correct problems that have arisen, or correct such problems to our customers’ satisfaction. Additionally, undetected errors, defects, or security vulnerabilities, especially as new products are introduced or as new versions are released, could result in serious injury to the end users of the technology incorporating our products, or those in the surrounding area, our customers never being able to commercialize technology incorporating our products, litigation against us, negative publicity, and other consequences. These risks are particularly prevalent in the highly competitive autonomous driving and ADAS markets. Some errors or defects in our products may only be discovered after they have been tested, commercialized, and deployed by customers. If that is the case, we may incur significant additional development costs and product recall, repair, or replacement costs. These problems may also result in claims, including class actions, against us. Our reputation or brand may be damaged as a result of these problems and customers may be reluctant to buy our products thereafter, which could adversely affect our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers, and could adversely affect our financial results.

Our products are intended to be combined with third-party hardware and software as part of larger systems. These larger systems are also highly technical, complex, and require high standards to manufacture. The third-party components incorporated into these larger systems, have been and will be subject to defects, errors, and reliability issues during development, production, and use. Should these third-party components, in which our products are intended to be combined with, fail or require action to correct the defects or errors, it would delay the release or sale of the larger system in which our products are to be incorporated, thereby adversely affecting our financial results. As the production of third-party components are largely outside of our control, we are subject to such third parties investing sufficient time and resources to correct any defects or errors. For example, if a third-party reseller intended to overlay perception software on our product prior to resale, but such perception software contained defects or errors such that it could not be introduced into the market, the sales of our products would be delayed or cancelled, thereby adversely affecting our financial results.

In addition, we could face material legal claims for breach of contract, product liability, fraud, tort, or breach of warranty as a result. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and may divert management’s attention and adversely affect the market’s perception of us and our products. In addition, our business liability insurance coverage could prove inadequate with respect to a claim and future coverage may be unavailable on acceptable terms, or at all. These product-related issues could result in claims against us and our business could be adversely affected.

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We may be subject to product liability or warranty claims that could result in significant direct or indirect costs, which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Our customers intend to use our solutions in autonomous driving and ADAS applications; the operation of motor vehicles, even with our solutions embedded, presents the risk of significant injury, including fatalities. We may be subject to claims if a product using our active lidar technology is involved in an accident and persons are injured or purport to be injured. Any insurance that we carry may not be sufficient or it may not apply to all situations. Similarly, our customers could be subjected to claims as a result of such accidents and bring legal claims against us to attempt to hold us liable. In addition, if lawmakers or governmental agencies were to determine that the use of our products, autonomous driving, or certain other ADAS applications increased the risk of injury to all or a subset of our customers, they may pass laws or adopt regulations that limit the use of our products, increase the liability associated with the use of our products, or regulate the use of or delay the deployment of autonomous driving and ADAS technology. Any of these events could adversely affect our brand, relationships with customers, operating results, or financial condition.

Suppliers to automotive OEMs may require that we provide a warranty, either directly or indirectly, on our products, including our embedded software. The occurrence of any material defects in our products during the warranty period could make us liable for damages and warranty claims. In addition, we could incur significant costs to correct any defects, warranty claims, or other problems, including costs related to product recalls. Any negative publicity related to the perceived quality of our products could affect our brand image, partner and customer demand, and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Also, warranty, recall and product liability claims may result in litigation, including class actions, the occurrence of which could be costly, lengthy, and distracting, and adversely affect our business and operating results.

If we do not maintain sufficient inventory or if we do not adequately manage our inventory, we could lose sales or incur higher inventory-related expenses, which could negatively affect our operating results.

To ensure adequate inventory, we must forecast inventory needs and expenses, place orders sufficiently in advance with our suppliers and manufacturing partners, and manufacture products based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. Fluctuations in the adoption of lidar products may affect our ability to forecast our future operating results, including revenue, gross margins, cash flows, and profitability. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be affected by many factors, including the accuracy of the forecasts that we receive from our customers, the rapidly changing nature of the autonomous driving and ADAS markets in which we operate, the uncertainty surrounding the market acceptance and commercialization of lidar technology, the emergence of new markets, an increase or decrease in customer demand for our products or for products and services of our competitors, product introductions by competitors, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, other epidemics or outbreaks of other contagions should they materialize, any work stoppages or interruptions, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, and the general weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence, which may be exacerbated by the on-going military actions in Ukraine. If our lidar products are commercialized in autonomous driving and ADAS applications, both of which are experiencing rapid growth in demand, we may face challenges acquiring adequate supplies to manufacture our products and/or we and our manufacturing partners may not be able to manufacture our products at a rate necessary to satisfy the levels of demand, which would negatively affect our revenue. This risk may be enhanced by the fact that we may not carry or be able to obtain for our manufacturing partners a significant level of inventory to satisfy short-term increases in demand. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products available-for-sale.

Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which would adversely affect our financial results, including our gross margin, and have a negative effect on our brand. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand for our products, we, or our manufacturing partners, may not be able to deliver products to meet our requirements, and this could result in damage to our brand and customer relationships, and adversely affect our revenue and operating results.

The average selling prices of our products or our fees or royalties from technology licenses could decrease rapidly over the life of the product or license term, which may negatively affect our revenue and gross margin.

We may experience declines in the average selling prices of our products generally as our customers seek to commercialize autonomous systems at prices low enough to achieve market acceptance or due to competitive pressures. In order to sell products that have a falling average unit selling price and maintain margins at the same
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time, we will need to continually reduce product and manufacturing costs. To manage manufacturing costs, we and our Tier 1 partners must continually engineer the most cost-effective design for our products. In addition, we continuously drive initiatives to reduce assembly cost, improve efficiency, reduce the cost of materials, use fewer materials, and further lower overall product costs by carefully managing component prices, inventory, and shipping costs. We also need to continually introduce new and competitive products in order to maintain our overall gross margin. We may also experience declines in fees or royalties from licensing our technology as customers reduce the prices of products incorporating our licensed technology in order to achieve market acceptance or due to competitive pressures. If we are unable to manage the cost structure of our products, successfully introduce new products with higher gross margins, and develop new technology that we can license at attractive royalty rates, our revenue and overall gross margin would likely decline.

Adverse conditions in the automotive industry or downturns in domestic or global economic conditions, or other macroeconomic factors more generally, could have adverse effects on our results of operations.

While we make our strategic planning decisions based on the assumption that the markets we are targeting will grow, our business is dependent, in large part on, and directly affected by, business cycles and other factors affecting the global automotive industry and the global economy generally. Automotive production and sales are highly cyclical and depend on general economic conditions and other factors, including consumer spending and preferences, changes in interest rates (which have recently seen significant increases) and credit availability, changes in inflation rates (which the U.S has recently experienced), consumer confidence, fuel costs, fuel availability, environmental impact, governmental incentives and regulatory requirements, and political volatility, especially in energy-producing countries and growth markets. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks, which may impact our ability to raise additional capital in the future. The March 2023 failure of Silicon Valley Bank and its potential near- and long-term effects on the technology industry and its participants such as our vendors, suppliers, and investors, may also adversely affect our operations and stock price. In addition, the recent outbreak of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and global reactions thereto have increased U.S. domestic and global energy prices. Oil supply disruptions related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and sanctions and other measures taken by the U.S. and its allies, could lead to higher costs for gas, food, and goods in the U.S. and exacerbate the inflationary pressures on the economy, with potentially adverse impacts on our customers and on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Moreover, certain raw materials needed to produce components that are incorporated into our products, and the products of our customers, are primarily derived in the region in which the Russia-Ukraine conflict is occurring. The longer the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues and the more damage to Ukrainian infrastructure that occurs, the greater the impact could be on the supply of such raw materials, and the failure to have access to such raw materials could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, has warned all organizations in the U.S. to be on guard against possible cyber attacks coming from Russia which has the potential to disrupt business operations, limit access to essential services, and threaten public safety.

Automotive production and sales can also be affected by our automotive OEM and Tier 1 supplier customers’ ability to continue operating in response to challenging economic conditions and in response to labor relations issues, regulatory requirements, trade agreements, and other factors, such as the unavailability of unrelated components in the assembly of automobiles, an example of which is the current shortage of semiconductors necessary for automobile production. The volume of automotive production in North America, Europe, and the rest of the world has fluctuated, sometimes significantly, from year to year, and we expect such fluctuations to give rise to fluctuations in the demand for our products and licenses of our technology. Any significant adverse change in any of these factors may result in a reduction in automotive sales and production by our automotive OEM and Tier 1 supplier customers and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Customers with which we enter into supply agreements may require changes to our products or may be subject to renegotiation or termination in a short time period, which would materially and adversely affect our business.

If we and our partners are able to secure design wins so that our solutions are included in autonomous driving and ADAS products, we expect that we, or our Tier 1 partners, will enter into supply agreements with that customer. Market practice dictates that these supply agreements typically require us to supply a customer’s requirements for a particular vehicle model or autonomous driving or ADAS product, rather than supply a set number of products. These arrangements can have short terms, be subject to renegotiation, or may be reduced or otherwise terminated, the occurrence of any of which may affect product pricing and future profitability. Therefore, even if we are successful in obtaining design wins, and we or our Tier 1 partners are able to enter into definitive agreements with OEMs, and the systems into which our products are built are commercialized, the discontinuation
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of, the loss of business with respect to, or a lack of commercial success of a particular vehicle model or technology package for which we are a significant supplier could mean that the expected sales of our products will not materialize, materially and adversely affecting our business.

Since many of the markets in which we compete are new and rapidly evolving, it is difficult to forecast long-term end-customer adoption rates and demand for our products.

We are pursuing opportunities in markets that are undergoing rapid changes, including technological and regulatory changes, and it is difficult to predict the timing and size of the opportunities. For example, autonomous driving and lidar-based ADAS applications require the utilization of complex technology. Because these systems depend on technology from many companies, commercialization of autonomous driving or ADAS products could be delayed or impaired on account of certain technological components not being ready to be deployed in automobiles. We are in the process of developing necessary relationships with commercial partners, which may not result in the commercialization of our technology immediately, or at all. Regulatory, safety, or reliability developments, many of which are outside of our control, could also cause delays or otherwise impair commercial adoption of these new technologies, which will adversely affect our growth. Our future financial performance will depend on our ability to make timely investments in emerging market opportunities. If one or more of these markets experience a shift in customer or prospective customer demand, our products may not compete as effectively, if at all, and they may not be designed into commercialized products. Given the evolving nature of the markets in which we operate, it is difficult to predict customer demand or adoption rates for our products or the future growth of these markets. If demand does not develop or if we cannot accurately forecast customer demand, the size or timing of our markets, inventory requirements, or our future financial results, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be adversely affected.

We currently have and target many customers that are large corporations with substantial negotiating power, exacting product standards, and potentially competitive internal solutions. If we are unable to sell our products to these customers, our prospects and results of operations will be adversely affected.

Many of our current and potential customers are large, multinational corporations with substantial negotiating power relative to us and, in some instances, may have internal solutions that are competitive to our products. These large, multinational corporations also have significant development resources, which may allow them to acquire or develop independently, or in partnership with others, competitive technologies. Meeting the technical requirements and securing design wins with any of these companies will require a substantial investment of our time and resources. We cannot assure you that our products will secure design wins from these or other companies or that we will generate meaningful revenue from the sales of our products to these key potential customers. If our products are not selected by these potential customers or if these potential customers develop or acquire competitive technology, it will have an adverse effect on our business.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected if we lost any of our large customers or strategic partners, if their demand for our products declined due to factors outside of our control, including component shortages (whether related to our products or otherwise) that impact our customers’ overall production plans or product development plans, or if our customers were unable to pay their invoices.

Although we have and continue to pursue a broad customer base, we are dependent on a collection of customer relationships which are currently in development, with strong purchasing power. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Continental AG accounted for approximately 81% and 58% of our revenue, respectively. The loss of business from any of our major customers (whether by lower overall demand for our products, component shortages that impact our customers’ production plans or product development plans, cancellation of existing contracts or product orders, or the failure to design in our products, or an award of initial or new business) could have a material adverse effect on our business.

To the extent autonomous vehicle and ADAS become accepted by major automotive OEMs, we expect that we will rely increasingly for our revenue on Tier 1 suppliers through which automotive OEMs procure components. We expect that these Tier 1 suppliers will be responsible for certain hardware and software configuration activities specific to each automotive OEM, and they may not exclusively carry our solutions.

There is also a risk that one or more of our major customers could be unable to pay our invoices as they become due or that a customer will simply refuse to make such payments if it experiences financial difficulties. If our customers face financial difficulties, they may also cancel current or future product programs that could materially and adversely impact our financial results. If a major customer were to enter into bankruptcy proceedings
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or similar proceedings whereby contractual commitments are subject to a stay and the possibility of modifications, we could be forced to record a substantial loss.

If we are unable to establish and maintain confidence in our long-term business prospects among customers and analysts within our industry or we are subject to negative publicity, then our financial condition, operating results, business prospects, and access to capital may suffer materially.

Customers may be less likely to purchase our lidar solutions if they are not convinced that our business will succeed or that our service and support and other operations will continue in the long term.

Similarly, suppliers and other third parties will be less likely to invest time and resources in developing business relationships with us if they are not convinced that our business will succeed. Accordingly, in order to build and maintain our business, we must maintain confidence among customers, suppliers, analysts, ratings agencies, and others in our products, long-term financial viability, and business prospects. Maintaining such confidence may be particularly complicated by certain factors including those that are largely outside of our control, such as our limited operating history, customer familiarity with our lidar solutions, any delays in scaling production, delivery, and service operations to meet demand, competition, uncertainty regarding the future of autonomous vehicles, and our production and sales performance compared with market expectations.

Our investments in educating our customers and potential customers about the advantages of lidar and our applications may not result in sales of our products.

Educating our prospective customers, and to a lesser extent, our existing customers, about lidar, our advantages over other sensing technologies, and lidar’s ability to convey value in different industries and deployments is an integral part of developing new business and the lidar market generally. If prospective customers have a negative perception of, or experience with, lidar, or a competitor’s lidar products, they may be reluctant to adopt lidar in general or specifically our products. Adverse statements about lidar by influential market participants may also deter adoption. Some of our competitors have significant financial or marketing resources that may allow them to engage in public marketing campaigns about their alternative technology, lidar generally, or our solutions specifically. Our efforts to educate potential customers and the market generally, and to counter any adverse statements made by competitors or other market participants, will require significant financial and personnel resources. These educational efforts may not be successful, and we may not be in a position to offset the costs of such efforts with revenue from new customers. If we are unable to acquire new customers to offset these expenses or if the market accepts such adverse statements, our financial condition will be adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive market involving emerging technology. We compete against a number of competitors, some of whom have substantially greater resources than us.

The markets for sensing technology applicable to autonomous solutions across numerous industries are highly competitive. Our future success will depend on our ability to achieve a leadership position in our targeted markets by continuing to develop, and protect from infringement, advanced lidar technology in a timely manner and to stay ahead of existing and new competitors. Our competitors compete with us directly by offering lidar products and indirectly by attempting to solve some of the same challenges with different technologies. Our current and future competitors may enjoy competitive advantages, such as greater name recognition, established relationships, or existing contracts with Tier 1 suppliers and/or OEMs, and substantially greater financial, technical, and other resources. We face competition from a number of sources including camera and radar companies, other developers of lidar products, Tier 1 suppliers, and other technology and automotive supply companies. In the automotive market, our competitors have commercialized both lidar and non-lidar-based ADAS technology that has achieved market adoption, strong brand recognition, and is expected to improve over time. Other competitors are working towards commercializing autonomous driving technology and either by themselves, or with a publicly announced partner, and have substantial financial, marketing, R&D, and other resources. Some of our customers in the autonomous vehicle and ADAS markets have announced development efforts or made acquisitions directed at creating their own lidar-based or other sensing technologies, which would compete with our solutions. We do not know how close these competitors are to commercializing autonomous driving systems or novel ADAS applications. In markets outside of the automotive industry, our competitors seek to develop new sensing applications across industries. Even in these emerging markets, we face substantial competition from numerous competitors seeking to prove the value of their technology.

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Additionally, competition may result in pricing pressure and reduced margins, and may impede our ability to secure design wins, successfully enter into definitive agreements or other commercial arrangements, or successfully commercialize our products at scale, which may prevent us from achieving our projected market share. In particular, our competitors have in the past offered, and may in the future offer, their products and services on terms that we and/or our Tier 1 partners are unwilling to match, or our competitors could introduce new products with competitive price and performance characteristics, which may adversely affect our market share.

The markets in which we compete are characterized by rapid technological change, which requires us to continue to develop new products and product innovations, and could adversely affect market adoption of our products.

While we intend to invest substantial resources to remain on the forefront of technological development, continuing technological changes in sensing technology and lidar, and the markets for these products, including the ADAS and autonomous driving space, could adversely affect adoption of lidar and/or our products, either generally or for particular applications. Our future success will depend upon our ability to develop and introduce a variety of new capabilities and innovations to our existing product offerings, as well as introduce a variety of new product offerings, to address the changing needs of the markets in which we offer our products. We cannot guarantee that such new products will be released in a timely manner, or at all, or achieve market acceptance. Delays in delivering new products that meet customer requirements could damage our relationships with customers and lead them to seek alternative sources of supply. In addition, to date, we have focused on the delivery of our solutions to R&D programs in which developers are investing substantial capital to develop new systems that incorporate our solutions. Our future success relies heavily on the outcome of the R&D efforts by these customers. As autonomous technology reaches the stage of large-scale commercialization, we will be required to develop and deliver solutions at price points that enable wider and ultimately mass-market adoption. Delays in introducing products and innovations, the failure to choose correctly among technical alternatives, or the failure to offer innovative products or configurations at competitive prices may cause existing and potential customers to purchase our competitors’ products or turn to alternative sensing technologies.

If we are unable to devote adequate resources to develop products or cannot otherwise successfully develop products or system configurations that meet customer requirements on a timely basis or that remain competitive with alternatives, our products could lose market share, our revenue will decline, we may experience operating losses, and our business and prospects will be adversely affected.

Developments in alternative technologies may adversely affect the demand for our technology.

Significant developments in alternative technologies, such as cameras and radar, may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results in ways we do not currently anticipate. Existing and future camera and radar technologies may emerge as customers’ preferred alternative to our solutions. Any failure by us to develop new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could materially delay our development and introduction of new and enhanced products in the autonomous vehicle industry, which could result in the loss of competitiveness of our lidar solutions, decreased revenue, and a loss of market share to competitors (or a failure to increase revenue and/or market share). Our R&D efforts may not be sufficient to adapt to changes in technology. As technologies change, we plan to upgrade or adapt our lidar solutions with the latest technology. However, our solutions may not compete effectively with alternative systems if we are not able to source and integrate the latest technology into our existing lidar solutions.

The Common Stock Purchase Agreement, or CSPA, we entered into with Tumim Stone Capital LLC, or Tumim Stone, in December 2021 contains contractual limitations that may not allow us to draw all of the $125 million
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committed under the CSPA and to the extent we do draw under the CSPA, existing stockholders will be diluted.

In December 2021, we entered into the CSPA with Tumim Stone pursuant to which Tumim Stone committed to purchase, subject to certain limitations, up to $125 million of our common stock should we elect to sell our common stock to them. On May 6, 2022, we filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1, which relates to the offer and resale of up to 30,865,419 shares of our common stock to be purchased by Tumim Stone, pursuant to the CSPA. Should we decide to sell our common stock to Tumim Stone, stockholders will experience dilution of their interest in us, which dilution will be heightened if the price at which we sell the common stock is low, as there is no minimum price at which we can sell our common stock under the CSPA. Moreover, under the CSPA, with some exceptions, we can only sell to Tumim Stone the lesser of: (i) a total of 30,865,419 shares of our common stock or (ii) a number of shares where Tumim Stone would own no more than 9.99% of our outstanding shares, which at May 5, 2023, we had 176,891,993 shares outstanding. At values below $4.05 per share, we would likely not be in a position to realize the full commitment of $125 million under the CSPA and existing stockholders would experience significant dilution. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had issued 1,145,000 shares of its common stock under the CSPA for proceeds of $2.9 million. Therefore, the actual number of shares we will be able to sell to Tumim Stone, the amount of dilution our stockholders will experience upon the sale of our common stock under the CSPA, and the total proceeds that we will derive from such sales, cannot be determined at this time.

The Securities Purchase Agreement, or SPA, we entered into with 3i, LP, or 3i, in September 2022, contemplates the ability for us to borrow up to $21 million, however, due to contractual limitations contained in the SPA, we may be unable to borrow the full amount contemplated under the SPA, and we may not have the option to repay the loan to 3i with stock if certain requirements are not met.

In September 2022, we entered into a SPA with 3i pursuant to which 3i committed to lend to us up to $21 million pursuant to related convertible notes. The transaction contemplated that the borrowings would occur in two tranches, each in the gross amount of $10.5 million. The first tranche, in the gross amount of $10.5 million, was lent to us at or about the time we entered into the SPA. The second tranche under the SPA, can be drawn at our option, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions specified in the SPA, including, without limitation, (i) absence of an uncured event of default, as defined, (ii) there being a sufficient number of authorized but unissued shares of our common stock available for issuance, (iii) the daily volume weighted average price of our common stock exceeding $1.50 for the twenty (20) trading days prior to the draw of the second tranche, (iv) the average daily trading volume of our common stock exceeding $1.5 million for twenty (20) days prior to the draw of the second tranche, and (v) the outstanding balance of the first tranche being less than $2 million. These conditions can be waived by the lender, but the lender has no obligation to do so. A number of the foregoing conditions have not been satisfied as of May 5, 2023, and we can provide no assurance that such conditions will be satisfied in the future to allow us to borrow the additional $10.5 million under the SPA. In addition, to use equity rather than cash to repay the principal and interest under the convertible note, we must meet certain requirements, including that the average daily trading volume of our common stock exceeds $500,000 for the twenty (20) trading days prior to the due date of the payment under promissory note. Our average daily trading volume has not consistently exceeded $500,000, and we can provide no assurances that we will be able to meet this condition prior to any of the payment dates under the convertible note. Unless the lender waives this condition, we will be required to make the payments under the convertible note in cash.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be adversely affected.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. We expect that the requirements of these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal, accounting, and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming, and costly, and place significant strain on our personnel, systems, and resources.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. We are continuing to develop and refine our disclosure controls, internal control over financial reporting, and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we will file with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the rules of and on the forms required by the SEC, and that information required to be disclosed in reports under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our principal executive and financial officers.

Our current controls, and any new controls that we develop, may be inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business. Further, weaknesses in our internal controls may be discovered in the future. Any
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failure to develop or maintain effective controls, or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement, could adversely affect our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, and may result in a restatement of our financial statements for prior periods. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal controls also could adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and annual independent registered public accounting firm attestation reports regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting that we are required to include in the periodic reports we will file with the SEC under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and a lack of internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information.

In order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting, we have expended, and anticipate that we will continue to expend, significant resources, including accounting-related costs, and provide significant management oversight. Any failure to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, or consequent inability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis, could increase our operating costs and could materially and adversely affect our ability to operate our business. If our internal controls are perceived as inadequate or that we are unable to produce timely or accurate financial statements, investors may lose confidence in our operating results and the price of our common stock could decline.

Our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until after we are no longer an emerging growth company. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed, or operating. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting could have a material and adverse effect on our business and operating results.

A significant portion of the components used in our products are manufactured abroad, which subjects us to various international risks and costs, including foreign trade issues, currency exchange rate fluctuations, shipment delays, supply chain disruptions, and political instability, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Most of our products, and the components thereof, are manufactured abroad. Relying on foreign-produced products subjects us to risks relating to changes in import duties, quotas, the potential for introduction of U.S. taxes on imported goods, the potential loss of “most favored nation” status with the U.S., and freight cost increases, as well as economic and political uncertainties. We may also experience shipment delays caused by shipping port constraints, labor strikes, work stoppages, acts of war, including the current conflict in Ukraine, and terrorism, or other supply chain disruptions, including those caused by extreme weather, natural disasters, and pandemics or other public health concerns. Specifically, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in the manufacturing and shipping of our products and the associated raw materials. To the extent the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic results in continuation or worsening of manufacturing and shipping delays and constraints, our suppliers will continue to have challenges obtaining the materials necessary for the production of our products.

If any of these or other factors, including trade tensions between the U.S. and other nations, including China and Russia, as a result of the war in Ukraine or otherwise, were to cause a disruption of trade from other countries, and in particular, Taiwan, our ability to source products, components, or raw materials could be adversely affected. We may need to seek alternative suppliers or vendors, which may not be available, or make changes to our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Also, the prices charged by foreign manufacturers for production or the acquisition of raw materials or components, may be affected by the fluctuation of their local currency against the U.S. dollar, which could cause the cost of our products to increase and negatively impact our business. In addition, if the supply of components for our products becomes more limited than we anticipated, competition to acquire the limited supply of components will drive prices higher than planned, negatively impacting our cash flows and gross margins.

Changes in tax laws or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could affect our future profitability.

Factors that could materially affect our future effective tax rates include, but are not limited, to:

changes in tax laws (including tax rates) or the regulatory environment;

changes in accounting and tax standards or practices;

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changes in the composition of operating income by tax jurisdiction; and

our operating results before taxes.

Because we do not have a long history of operating at our present scale and we have significant expansion plans, our effective tax rate may fluctuate in the future. Future effective tax rates could be affected by operating losses in jurisdictions where no tax benefit can be recorded under GAAP, changes in the composition of earnings in countries with differing tax rates, changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or the Tax Act, was signed into law making significant changes to the U.S. Tax Code. In particular, sweeping changes were made to the U.S. taxation of foreign operations. Changes include, but are not limited to, a permanent reduction to the corporate income tax rate, limiting interest deductions, adopting elements of a territorial tax system, assessing a repatriation tax or “toll-charge” on undistributed earnings and profits of U.S.-owned foreign corporations, and introducing certain anti-base erosion provisions, including a new minimum tax on global intangible low-taxed income, or GILTI, and base erosion and anti-abuse tax, or BEAT. The new legislation had no effect on our 2022 or 2021 provision for income taxes because we generated net tax losses and offset our deferred tax assets on the consolidated balance sheets with a full valuation allowance due to our current loss position and forecasted losses for the near future. The overall impact of this tax reform is uncertain, and our business and financial condition, including with respect to our non-U.S. operations, could be adversely affected.

In addition to the impact of the Tax Act on our federal taxes, the Tax Act may impact our taxation in other jurisdictions, including with respect to state income taxes. State legislatures have generally not responded to the Tax Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to how the laws will apply in the various state jurisdictions. Additionally, other foreign governing bodies may enact changes to their tax laws in reaction to the Tax Act that could result in changes to our global tax position and materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, and several foreign tax authorities have increasingly focused attention on intercompany transfer pricing with respect to sales of products and services and the use of intangibles. Tax authorities could disagree with our future intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing, or other matters and assess additional taxes. If we do not prevail in any such disagreements, our profitability may be affected.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $184 million of U.S. federal, and approximately $127.6 million of state net operating loss carryforwards available to reduce future taxable income. Of the approximately $184 million in U.S. federal operating loss carryforwards, approximately $171.8 million will be carried forward indefinitely for U.S. federal tax purposes and approximately $12.3 million will begin to expire in 2033. All of our U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards will expire between 2029 and 2041. It is possible that we will not generate taxable income in time to use these net operating loss carryforwards before their expiration, or at all. Under legislative changes made in December 2017, U.S. federal net operating losses incurred in 2018 and in future years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating losses is limited. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the newly enacted federal tax law. In addition, the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards and certain tax credits may be subject to significant limitations under Section 382 and Section 383 of the U.S. Tax Code, respectively, and similar provisions of state law. Under those sections of the U.S. Tax Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change attributes, such as research tax credits, to offset our post-change income or tax may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” will occur if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by “5-percent shareholders” that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws.

We are highly dependent on the services of our executive officers, in particular Luis Dussan, one of our founders and Chief Technology Officer, and Matthew Fisch, our Chief Executive Officer.

We are highly dependent on our executive officers, in particular, one of our founders, Luis Dussan, our Chief Technology Officer, and Matthew Fisch, our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dussan created our solution platform and remains deeply involved in our business, particularly in technology development. Mr. Fisch recently joined us to lead our growth and expansion strategy and his exceptional leadership skills, technical knowledge, and industry insight are critical to us.

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In addition, we are also dependent on the services of our other executive officers, including Andrew S. Hughes, our General Counsel, T. R. Ramachandran, our Chief Operating Officer, and Conor Tierney, our Chief Financial Officer. The loss of any of our executive officers or other senior executives could adversely affect our business because the loss could make it more difficult to, among other things, compete with other market participants, continue to develop innovative product designs, and retain existing customers or cultivate new ones. Negative public perception of, or negative news related to any of our executive officers or senior executives may adversely affect our brand, relationship with customers, or standing in the industry.

Our business depends substantially on the efforts of our executive officers and highly skilled personnel, and our operations may be severely disrupted if we lost their services.

Competition for highly skilled personnel is often intense, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we are headquartered, and we may incur significant costs to attract the highly skilled personnel we require. We may not be successful in attracting, integrating, or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. We have, from time to time, experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications, especially those with engineering skills.

In addition, job candidates and existing employees often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. If the perceived value of our equity or our equity awards decline, it may adversely affect our ability to retain highly skilled employees. If we fail to attract new personnel or we fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects could be adversely affected.

Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fires, floods, and other natural catastrophic events, pandemics, and interruptions by manufactured events, such as terrorism. Material disruptions of our business or information systems resulting from these events could adversely affect our operating results.

A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, or significant power outage or other similar events, such as infectious disease outbreaks or pandemic events, including the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, could have an adverse effect on our business and operating results. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as the demand for our products, our ability to achieve or maintain profitability, and our ability to raise additional capital in the future. Our corporate headquarters and major operations are located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, which experienced, and could experience again, a high number of COVID-19 pandemic cases and is also a region known for significant seismic activity. In addition, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or war could cause disruptions in our operations, our or our customers’ or channel partners’ businesses, our suppliers’ businesses, or the economy as a whole. We also rely on information technology systems to communicate among our workforce and with third parties. Any disruption to our communications, whether caused by a natural disaster or by manufactured events, such as power disruptions, could adversely affect our business. We do not have a formal disaster recovery plan or policy in place and do not currently require that our suppliers have such plans or policies in place. To the extent that any such disruptions result in delays or cancellations of orders or impede our suppliers’ ability to timely deliver components, or the deployment of our products, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be adversely affected.

Interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems could impact our ability to effectively provide services we may implement in the future.

We may, in the future, include in-vehicle services and functionality that utilize data connectivity to monitor performance and timely capture opportunities to enhance performance and functionality. The availability and effectiveness of our services depend on the continued operation of information technology and communications systems. Our systems will be vulnerable to damage or interruption from, among others, physical theft, fire, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, power loss, war, telecommunication failures, viruses, denial or degradation of service attacks, ransomware, social engineering schemes, insider theft or misuse, or other attempts to harm our systems. We primarily utilize reputable third-party service providers and vendors for our data, including among other things, financial data, human resources data, manufacturing and production data, sales data, and electronic mail, other than for our source code and related materials that are managed internally. These third-party providers could also be vulnerable to issues similar to those that could damage our systems, including sabotage and intentional acts of vandalism causing potential disruptions. Some of our systems will not be fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. Any problems with our third-party cloud hosting providers could result in lengthy interruptions in our business. In addition, our future in-vehicle services and functionality, if developed and deployed, are expected to be highly technical and complex technology which may contain errors or
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vulnerabilities that could result in interruptions in our business or the failure of our systems.

We, as well as our suppliers and partners, are subject to cybersecurity risks to operational systems, security systems, infrastructure, integrated software in our lidar solutions, and the data processed by those solutions, and any material failure, weakness, interruption, cyber event, incident, or breach of security could adversely affect our business by causing a disruption of our operations, a compromise or corruption of our confidential or other business-critical information, and/or damage our business relationships, all of which could negatively impact our business financial condition, and operating results.

We are at risk for interruptions, outages, and breaches of our operational systems, including our business, financial, accounting, product development, and production processes, owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; our facility security systems, owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; our in-product technology owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; the integrated software in our or our partners' lidar solutions; or the data that we process or our suppliers process on our behalf. In mid-2022, our partner, Continental, experienced a cyberattack in which data was improperly taken from their servers. To date, Continental has not notified us that any data belonging to us was compromised. A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information resources. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems or those of our third-party vendors for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Such cyber incidents could materially disrupt operational systems; result in loss of intellectual property, trade secrets, or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise certain information of employees, suppliers, or others; jeopardize the security of our facilities; or affect the performance of in-product technology and the integrated software in our lidar solutions. A cyber incident could be caused by disasters, insiders (through inadvertence or with malicious intent), or malicious third parties (including nation-states or nation-state supported actors) using sophisticated, targeted methods to circumvent firewalls, encryption, and other security defenses, including hacking, fraud, trickery, phishing, or other forms of deception. The risks of a cybersecurity breach against companies based in the U.S., like us, may be enhanced as a byproduct of the on-going war in Ukraine, or by state-sponsored actors, primarily located in, or sponsored by, China, Russia, or North Korea. Despite careful security and controls design, our information technology systems and the systems used by our third-party vendors, may be subject to security breaches and cyberattacks the result of which could include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs, litigation, and damage to business relationships.

The techniques used by cyber attackers change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time. Continental, for example, failed to provide notice of the mid-2022 breach to us for about one month. Although we maintain information technology measures designed to protect us against intellectual property theft, data breaches, and other cyber incidents, such measures will require continual updates and improvements, and we cannot guarantee that such measures will be adequate to detect, prevent, or mitigate cyber incidents. The implementation, maintenance, segregation, and improvement of these systems requires significant management time, support, and cost. Moreover, there are inherent risks associated with developing, improving, expanding, and updating current systems, including the disruption of our data management, procurement, production execution, finance, supply chain, and sales and service processes. These risks may affect our ability to manage our data and inventory; procure parts or supplies; produce, sell, deliver, or service our solutions; adequately protect our intellectual property; or achieve and maintain compliance with, or realize available benefits under, applicable laws, regulations, and contracts. We cannot be sure that the systems upon which we rely, including those of our third-party vendors or suppliers, will be effectively implemented, maintained, or expanded as planned. If we do not successfully implement, maintain, or expand these systems as planned, our operations may be disrupted, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results could be impaired, and deficiencies may arise in our internal control over financial reporting, which may impact our ability to certify our financial results. Moreover, our proprietary information or intellectual property could be compromised or misappropriated, and our reputation may be adversely affected. If these systems do not operate as we expect them to, we may be required to expend significant resources to make corrections or find alternative sources for performing these functions. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our information systems, both internal and those provided by third-party service providers. We have implemented processes, procedures, and internal controls to help mitigate cybersecurity risks and cyber intrusions, but these measures, as well as our increased awareness of the nature and extent of a risk of a cyber-incident, do not guarantee that a cyber-incident will not occur and/or that our financial results, operations, or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident. Further, the remote working conditions resulting from the cultural shifts during and after the COVID-19 pandemic have heightened our vulnerability to a cybersecurity risk or incident.

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A significant cyber incident could impact production capability, harm our reputation, cause us to breach our contracts with other parties, or subject us to regulatory actions and litigation, any of which could materially affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. In addition, our insurance coverage for cyber-attacks may not be sufficient to cover all the losses we may experience as a result of a cyber incident.

Our cash and cash equivalents could be adversely affected if the financial institutions in which we hold our cash and cash equivalents fail.

We regularly maintain cash balances at third-party financial institutions, including Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit. When SVB was seized by regulators in March of 2023, we maintained our operating account at SVB, Shortly after the seizure by regulators, all of our funds were returned to us. Had the funds not been returned to us, it would have had a significant impact on our liquidity. We continue to maintain an operating account at SVB, but have established operating accounts at other financial institutions as well to mitigate the risk of any one bank failure. However, the failure of any depository institution to return any of our deposits, or if a depository institution is subject to other adverse conditions in the financial or credit markets, could impact access to our cash or cash equivalents and could adversely impact our operating liquidity and financial performance.

Legal and Regulatory Risks Related to Our Business

We are subject to governmental import and export control laws and regulations. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our products and solutions are subject to import and export laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, other regulations issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and various economic and trade sanctions administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. U.S. export control laws and regulations and economic sanctions prohibit the shipment of certain products and services to U.S. embargoed or sanctioned countries, and specified persons and entities. In addition, complying with export control and sanctions regulations for a particular sale may be time-consuming and result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities. Exports of our products and technology must be made in compliance with these laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export or import privileges, and fines, which may be imposed on us and the employees or officers responsible to prohibit such shipments and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of the employees or officers responsible.

Changes to trade policy, tariffs, and import/export regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Changes in global political, regulatory, and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development, and investment in the territories or countries where we currently purchase our components, sell our products, and conduct our business, could adversely affect our business. The U.S. has recently instituted or proposed changes in trade policies that include the negotiation or termination of trade agreements, the imposition of higher tariffs on imports into the U.S., economic sanctions on individuals, corporations, and countries, and other government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries where we conduct our business. A number of other nations have proposed or instituted similar measures directed at trade with the U.S. in response. As a result of these developments, there may be greater restrictions and economic disincentives on international trade that could adversely affect our business. For example, such changes could adversely affect the automotive market, our ability to access key components or raw materials needed to manufacture our products (including rare earth metals), our ability to sell our products or license our product designs and software to customers outside of the U.S., and the overall demand for our products. It may be time-consuming and expensive for us to alter our business operations to adapt to or comply with any such changes, and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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We have and may become involved in legal and regulatory proceedings and commercial or contractual disputes, which could have an adverse effect on our profitability and consolidated financial position.

We have been and may be, from time to time, involved in litigation, regulatory proceedings, and commercial or contractual disputes that may be significant. These matters may include disputes with our suppliers and customers, intellectual property claims, stockholder litigation, government investigations, class action lawsuits, personal injury claims, environmental issues, customs and value-added tax disputes, and employment and tax issues. Recently, we discovered that there may have been some uncertainty with respect to the validity of our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which was approved by our stockholders at the special meeting of stockholders held on August 12, 2021. While this matter has been resolved, we cannot provide assurances that other matters similar in nature may not arise in the future.

We could face in the future, a variety of labor and employment claims against us, which could include, but is not limited to, general discrimination, wage and hour, privacy, ERISA, or disability claims. In such matters, government agencies or private parties may seek to recover from us very large, indeterminate amounts in penalties or monetary damages (including, in some cases, treble or punitive damages), or seek to limit our operations in some way.

Any of these types of lawsuits, whether initiated by us or a third party, could require significant management time and attention or could involve substantial legal liability, adverse regulatory outcomes, and/or substantial expenses to defend. Often these cases raise complex factual and legal issues and create risks and uncertainties. No assurances can be given that any proceedings or claims will not have a material adverse impact on our operating results and consolidated financial position or that our established reserves or our available insurance will mitigate this impact.

Unforeseen issues could result in damage to certain property which could result in adverse effects on our business and reputation.

Our lidar utilizes lasers for performing 3D sensing. While we have developed system components designed to prevent our lidar lasers from causing property damage (including to cameras), in the event an unforeseen issue arises that results in property damage, our reputation or brand may be damaged and we could face material legal claims for breach of contract, product liability, tort, or breach of warranty as a result. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of our merit, could be costly and may divert management’s attention and adversely affect the market’s perception of us and our products. In addition, our business liability insurance coverage could prove inadequate with respect to any claim and future coverage may be unavailable on acceptable terms, or at all.

We are subject to, and must remain in compliance with, numerous laws and governmental regulations concerning the manufacturing, use, distribution, and sale of our products. Some of our customers also require that we comply with the customers’ own unique requirements relating to these matters.

We manufacture and sell products that contain electronic components, and such components may contain materials that are subject to government regulation in both the locations where we manufacture and assemble our products, as well as the locations where we sell our products. For example, certain regulations limit the use of lead in electronic components. Since we operate on a global basis, ensuring simultaneous compliance in multiple jurisdictions is a complex process which requires continual monitoring of regulations and an ongoing compliance process to ensure we and our suppliers are in compliance with existing regulations in each market where we operate. If new, unanticipated regulations significantly impact our use and sourcing of various components or require more expensive components, those regulations could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our products are used for autonomous driving and ADAS applications, which are subject to complicated regulatory schemes that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. These are rapidly evolving areas where new regulations could impose limitations on the use of lidar generally or our products specifically. If we fail to adhere to these new regulations or fail to continually monitor the updates, we may be subject to litigation, loss of customers, or negative publicity and our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be adversely affected.

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that could impose substantial costs upon us and cause delays in building our production facilities.

Concerns over environmental pollution and climate change have produced significant legislative and
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regulatory efforts on a global basis, and we believe this will continue both in scope and in the number of countries participating. In addition, as climate change issues become more prevalent, foreign, federal, state, and local governments and our customers have been responding to these issues. The increased focus on environmental sustainability may result in new regulations and customer requirements, or changes in current regulations and customer requirements, which could materially and adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition. If we are unable to effectively manage real or perceived issues, including concerns about environmental impacts or similar matters, sentiments toward us or our products could be negatively impacted, and our business, results of operations, and financial condition could suffer.

Our operations are and will be subject to international, federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, and such laws and regulations could directly increase the cost of energy, which may have an effect on the way we manufacture products or utilize energy to produce our products. In addition, any new environmental regulations or laws might increase the cost of raw materials or key components we use in our products. Environmental regulations require us to reduce product energy usage, monitor and exclude an expanding list of restricted substances, and participate in required recovery and recycling of our products. Environmental and health and safety laws and regulations can be complex, and we have limited experience complying with such laws and regulations. Capital and operating expenses needed to comply with environmental laws and regulations can be significant, and violations may result in substantial fines and penalties, damages, suspension of production, or a cessation of our operations.

Contamination at properties we currently operate at, where we formerly operated, or to which hazardous substances were sent by us, may subject us to liability pursuant to environmental laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, which can impose liability for the full amount of remediation-related costs without regard to fault, for the investigation and cleanup of contaminated soil and ground water, for remediating contamination and impacts to human health, and for damages to natural resources. The costs of complying with environmental laws and regulations and any claims concerning noncompliance, or liability with respect to contamination in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or operating results. We may face unexpected delays in obtaining the requisite permit and approvals in connection with our planned production facilities that could require significant time and financial resources and delay our ability to operate these facilities, which would adversely impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.

We are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations, which can harm our business.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and other anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, contractors, and other collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to recipients in the public or private sector. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors, and other collaborators, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. Any violations of the laws and regulations described above may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm, and other consequences.

Our business may be adversely affected by changes in automotive and laser regulations or concerns that drive further regulation of the automotive and laser markets.

Government product safety regulations are an important factor for our business. Historically, these regulations imposed ever-more stringent safety regulations for automobiles and laser products. These safety regulations often require, or customers demand, automobiles have more safety features per vehicle and incorporate more advanced safety products.

While we believe increasing automotive and laser safety standards will present a market opportunity for our products, governmental safety regulations are subject to change based on a number of factors that are not within our control, including new scientific or technological data, adverse publicity regarding industry recalls and safety risks of autonomous driving and ADAS products, accidents involving our products, domestic and foreign political developments or considerations, and litigation relating to our products and our competitors’ products. Changes in government regulations, especially in the autonomous driving and ADAS industries could adversely affect our
55


business. If government priorities shift and we are unable to adapt to changing regulations, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Federal, state, and local regulators impose more stringent compliance and reporting requirements in response to product recalls and safety issues in the automotive industry. As the cars that utilize our sensors go into production, we will be subject to the existing stringent requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, or the Vehicle Safety Act, including a duty to report, subject to strict timing requirements, safety defects with our products. The Vehicle Safety Act imposes potentially significant civil penalties for violations, including the failure to comply with such reporting actions. We are also subject to the existing U.S. Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act, or TREAD, which requires equipment manufacturers, such as us, to comply with “early warning” requirements by reporting certain information to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, such as information related to defects or reports of injury related to our products. TREAD imposes criminal liability for violating such requirements if a defect subsequently causes death or bodily injury. In addition, the Vehicle Safety Act authorizes NHTSA to require a manufacturer to recall and repair vehicles that contain safety defects or fail to comply with U.S. federal motor vehicle safety standards. Sales into foreign countries may be subject to similar regulations. If we cannot rapidly address any safety concerns or defects with our products, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

The adoption of autonomous and ADAS features by automotive OEMs may be delayed and our business impacted, as additional emissions and safety requirements are imposed on vehicle manufacturers.

Vehicle regulators globally continue to consider new and enhanced emissions requirements, including electrification, to meet environmental and economic needs as well as pursue new safety standards to address emerging traffic risks. To control new vehicle prices, among other concerns, automotive OEMs may need to dedicate technology and cost additions to new vehicle designs to meet these emissions and safety requirements and postpone the additional costs associated with new autonomous and ADAS features.

Our business may be adversely affected if we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or other requirements imposed by the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.

As a lidar technology company, we are subject to the Electronic Product Radiation Control Provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. These requirements are enforced by the FDA. Electronic product radiation includes laser technology. Regulations governing these products are intended to protect the public from hazardous and unnecessary exposure. Manufacturers are required to certify by way of product labeling and reports to the FDA that their products comply with applicable performance standards as well as maintain manufacturing, testing, and distribution records for their products. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, which could require us to cease distribution of our products, recall or remediate products already distributed to customers, or subject us to FDA enforcement actions.

Failures, or perceived failures, to comply with privacy, data protection, and information security requirements in the variety of jurisdictions in which we operate, may adversely impact our business, and such legal requirements are evolving, uncertain, and may require improvements in, or changes to, our policies and operations.

Our current and potential future operations and sales subject us to existing and future laws and regulations addressing privacy and the collection, use, storage, disclosure, transfer, and protection of various types of data. For example, the European Commission has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, and California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, both of which provide for potentially material penalties for non-compliance. These statutory regimes may, among other things, impose data security requirements, disclosure requirements, and restrictions on data collection, uses, and sharing that may impact our operations and the development of our business. While, generally, we do not have access to, collect, store, process, or share information collected by our solutions, unless our customers choose to proactively provide such information to us, our products may evolve both to address potential customer requirements or to add new features and functionality. Therefore, the full impact of these privacy regimes on our business is rapidly evolving across jurisdictions and remains uncertain at this time.

We may also be affected by cyber-attacks and other means of gaining unauthorized access to our products, systems, and data. For instance, cyber criminals or insiders may target us or third parties with which we have a business relationship in order to obtain data, or in a manner that disrupts our operations or compromises our products, or the systems into which our products are integrated.

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We are assessing the continually evolving privacy and data security regimes and measures we believe are appropriate in response. Since these privacy and data security regimes are evolving, uncertain, and complex, especially for a global business like ours, we may need to update or enhance our compliance measures as our products, markets, and customer demands further develop, and these updates or enhancements may require implementation costs, which may be material. In addition, we may not be able to monitor and react to all developments in a timely manner. The compliance measures we adopt may prove ineffective. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with current and future regulatory or customer-driven privacy, data protection, and information security requirements, or to prevent or mitigate security breaches, cyber-attacks, or improper access to, use of, or disclosure of data, or any security issues or cyber-attacks affecting us, could result in significant liability, costs (including the costs of mitigation and recovery), and a material loss of revenue resulting from the adverse impact on our reputation and brand, loss of proprietary information and data, disruption to our business and relationships, and diminished ability to retain or attract customers and business partners. Such events may result in governmental enforcement actions and prosecutions, private litigation, fines and penalties or adverse publicity, and could cause our customers and business partners to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation and business.

Regulations related to conflict minerals may cause us to incur additional expenses and could limit the supply and increase the costs of certain metals used in the manufacturing of our products.

We are subject to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires us to determine, disclose, and report whether our products contain metals sourced from specified geographies; these metals are generally referred to as “conflict minerals.” The implementation of these requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, availability, and pricing of the materials used in the manufacture of components used in our products. In addition, we will incur additional costs to comply with the disclosure requirements, including costs related to conducting diligence procedures to determine the sources of conflict minerals that may be used in or necessary to the production of our products and, if applicable, potential changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. It is also possible that our reputation may be adversely affected if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict-free or if we are unable to alter our products, processes, or sources of supply to avoid use of such materials.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Despite the actions we take to defend and protect our intellectual property, we may not be able to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights or prevent unauthorized parties from copying or reverse engineering our solutions. Our efforts to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and prevent third parties from violating our rights may be costly.

The success of our products and our business depends in large part on our ability to obtain patents and other intellectual property rights and maintain adequate legal protection for our products in the United States and other foreign jurisdictions. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality agreements and other contractual restrictions, to establish and protect our proprietary rights, all of which can only provide limited protection.

We cannot guarantee that any patents will be issued with respect to our currently pending patent applications or that any trademarks will be registered with respect to our currently pending applications in a manner that gives us adequate defensive protection or competitive advantages, if at all, or that any patents issued to us or any trademarks registered by us will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented. We have filed for patents and trademarks in the United States and in certain foreign jurisdictions, but such protections may not be available in all countries in which we operate or in which we seek to enforce our intellectual property rights, or may be difficult to enforce in practice. Our currently issued patents and trademarks, and any patents and trademarks that may be issued or registered, as applicable, in the future with respect to pending or future applications, may not provide sufficiently broad protection or may not prove to be enforceable in actions against alleged infringers. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology or the reverse engineering of our technology. Moreover, others may independently develop technologies that are competitive to us or infringe our intellectual property.

Protecting against the unauthorized use of our intellectual property, products, and other proprietary rights is expensive and can be difficult, particularly outside of the United States. Unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or reverse engineer our lidar technology or certain aspects of our solutions that we consider proprietary. Litigation
57


may be necessary in the future to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, to prevent unauthorized parties from copying or reverse engineering our solutions, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to block the importation of infringing products into the United States.

Any such litigation, whether initiated by us or a third party, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, either of which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. Even if we obtain favorable outcomes in litigation, we may not be able to enforce the remedies, especially in the context of unauthorized parties copying or reverse engineering our solutions.

Further, many of our current and potential competitors may have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to defending intellectual property infringement claims and to enforcing their intellectual property rights than we can. Attempts to enforce our rights against third parties could also provoke these third parties to assert their own intellectual property or other rights against us or result in a decision that invalidates or narrows the scope of our rights, in whole or in part. Effective patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our products are available, and competitors based in other countries may sell infringing products in one or more markets. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could result in our competitors offering similar products, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage and a decrease in our revenue, which would adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and prospects.

Third-party claims that we are infringing intellectual property, whether successful or not, could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation or expensive licenses, and our business could be adversely affected.

Although we believe we hold key patents related to our products, a number of companies, both within and outside of the lidar industry, hold other patents covering various aspects of lidar products. In addition to these patents, participants in this industry typically also protect their technology, especially embedded software, through copyrights and trade secrets. As a result, there is frequent litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, or other violations of intellectual property rights. We have received, and in the future may receive, inquiries from other intellectual property holders and may become subject to claims that we infringe their intellectual property rights, particularly as we expand our presence in the market, expand to new use cases, and face increasing competition. In addition, parties may claim that the names and branding of our products infringe their trademark rights in certain countries or territories. If such a claim were to prevail, we may have to change the names and branding of our products in the affected territories, and we could incur other costs.

We currently have a number of agreements in effect pursuant to which we have agreed to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless our customers, suppliers, and channel partners and other partners from damages and costs which may arise from the infringement of our products by third-party patents or other intellectual property rights. The scope of these indemnity obligations varies, but may, in some instances, include indemnification for damages and expenses, including attorneys’ fees. Our insurance may not cover all intellectual property infringement claims. A claim that our products infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, even if untrue, could adversely affect our relationships with our customers, may deter future customers from purchasing our products, and could expose us to costly litigation and settlement expenses. Even if we are not a party to any litigation between a customer and a third party relating to the infringement of our products, an adverse outcome in any such litigation could make it more difficult for us to defend our products against intellectual property infringement claims in any subsequent litigation in which we are a named party. Any of these results could adversely affect our brand and operating results.

Our defense of intellectual property rights claims brought against us or our customers, suppliers, or channel partners, with or without merit, could be time-consuming, expensive to litigate or settle, divert management resources and attention, and force us to acquire intellectual property rights and licenses, which may involve substantial royalty or other payments and may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Further, a party making such a claim, if successful, could secure a judgment that requires us to pay substantial damages or obtain an injunction prohibiting us from continuing to sell certain products. An adverse determination also could invalidate our intellectual property rights and could adversely affect our ability to offer our products to our customers and may require that we procure or develop substitute products that do not infringe, which could require significant effort and expense. Any of these events could adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and prospects.

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Any patent applications we file may not ultimately issue or be registered as we anticipated, or at all, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from commercially exploiting products similar to ours.

We cannot be certain that we are the first inventor of the subject matter to which we have filed a particular patent application, or if we are the first party to file such a patent application. If another party has filed a patent application regarding the same subject matter as we have, we may not be entitled to the protection sought by the patent application. We also cannot be certain whether the claims included in a patent application will ultimately be allowed in the applicable issued patent. Further, the scope of protection of issued patent claims is often difficult to determine. As a result, we cannot be certain that the patent applications that we file will ultimately issue, or that our issued patents will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. In addition, our competitors may design around our issued patents, which may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.

In addition to patented technology, we rely on our unpatented proprietary technology, trade secrets, processes, and know-how.

We rely on trade secrets, designs, manufacturing know-how, and confidential information to protect intellectual property that may not be patentable or subject to copyright, trademark, trade dress, or service mark protection, or that we believe is best protected by means that do not require public disclosure. We generally seek to protect this information by entering into confidentiality agreements, or consulting services or employment agreements that contain non-disclosure and non-use provisions with our employees, consultants, contractors, commercial partners, vendors, and other third parties. However, we may fail to enter into the necessary agreements, and even if entered into, these agreements may be breached or may otherwise fail to provide adequate protection, prevent disclosure, third-party infringement, or misappropriation of our trade secrets, may be limited as to their term, and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure or use of proprietary information. We have limited control over the protection of trade secrets used by our current or future manufacturing partners and suppliers and could lose future trade secret protection if any unauthorized disclosure of such information occurs. In addition, our proprietary information may otherwise become known or be independently developed by our competitors or other third parties. To the extent that our employees, consultants, contractors, advisors, and other third parties use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us or designated in the agreements between such parties and us to be jointly owned, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain protection for our proprietary information could adversely affect our competitive business position. Furthermore, laws regarding trade secret rights in certain markets where we operate may afford little or no protection to our trade secrets.

We also rely on physical and electronic security measures to protect our proprietary information, but we cannot provide assurance that these security measures will not be breached or will provide adequate protection for our property. There is a risk that third parties may obtain and improperly utilize our proprietary information to our competitive disadvantage. We may not be able to detect or prevent the unauthorized use of such information or take appropriate and timely steps to enforce our intellectual property rights.

We employ third-party licensed software for use in our business, and the inability to maintain these licenses, errors in the software, or the terms of open source licenses could result in increased costs or reduced service levels, which would adversely affect our business.

Our business relies on certain third-party software obtained under licenses from other companies. We anticipate that it will continue to rely on such third-party software in the future. Although we believe that there are commercially reasonable alternatives to the third-party software we currently license, these alternatives may not always be available, or it may be difficult or costly to switch to an alternative. In addition, integration of new third-party software may require significant work and require substantial investment of our time and resources. Our use of additional or alternative third-party software would require us to enter into license agreements with third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Many of the risks associated with the use of third-party software cannot be eliminated, and these risks could negatively affect our business.

Some of the third-party software used by us is licensed under the terms of open source software licenses. Companies that incorporate open source software into their technologies have, from time to time, faced claims challenging the use of open source software and/or compliance with open source license terms. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software or
59


claiming noncompliance with open source licensing terms. Some open source software licenses require users who distribute such software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software and/or make available any derivative works of the open source code, which could include valuable proprietary code of the user, on unfavorable terms or at no cost. While we monitor the use of open source software and attempt to ensure that open source software is not used in a manner that would require us to disclose our internally developed source code or that would otherwise breach the terms of an open source agreement, such use could inadvertently occur. Any requirement to disclose our internally developed source code or pay damages for breach of contract could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and could help our competitors develop services that are similar to or better than ours.

We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our employees’ former employers.

We may be subject to claims that we or our employees have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of an employee’s former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail to adequately defend such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize our products, which could severely harm our business. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and demand on management resources.

Risks Related to Being a Public Company

We will incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.

We expect to incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, and these expenses will likely increase more after we are no longer an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. As a public company, we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and Nasdaq. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, we expect these rules and regulations to substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These increased costs will increase our net loss. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits or incur substantially higher costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.

Additionally, there continues to be public interest and increased legislative pressure related to environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, activities of public companies. For example, there is a growing number of states requiring organizations to report their board composition as well as mandating gender diversity and representation from underrepresented communities, including New York and California. We risk negative stockholder reaction, including from proxy advisory services, as well as damage to our brand and reputation, if we do not act responsibly in a number of key areas, including diversity and inclusion, environmental stewardship, support for local communities, corporate governance and transparency, and considering ESG and human capital factors in our operations.

Our management team has limited experience managing a public company.

Most of the members of our management team have limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors, and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Additionally, many members of our management team were recently hired, including our Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Fisch, who joined us in February 2023; our General Counsel, Andrew Hughes, who joined us in March 2021; our Chief Operating Officer, T.R. Ramachandran, who joined us in November 2021; and our Chief Financial Officer, Conor Tierney, who joined us in January 2022. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage their new roles and responsibilities. Our transition to being a public company subjects us to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These new obligations and constituents will require
60


significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Our Charter provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the sole and exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.

Our Charter requires, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, and employees for breach of fiduciary duty, and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. In regard to any action arising under the Exchange Act, our Charter provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the sole and exclusive forum. In regard to any action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, our Charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum.

Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all lawsuits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to lawsuits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our Charter provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the Securities Act to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the exclusive forum provision and that this exclusive forum provision does not purport to waive compliance with any federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. If a court were to find such provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in another jurisdiction, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our common stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our Charter. This choice of forum provision may limit the ability of one of our stockholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such stockholder might believe is more favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees, or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in another jurisdiction, which could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The provision of our Charter that authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock from time to time based on terms approved by our board of directors may delay, defer, or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that stockholders might consider in their best interest.

The provision of our Charter that authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock from time to time based on terms approved by our board of directors may delay, defer, or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that stockholders might consider to be in their best interest.

If securities or industry analysts cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, our competitors, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our common stock adversely, then the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our competitors, or our market. If any of the analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
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We do not expect to declare any dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, our stockholders may need to rely on sales of their shares after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
None.
Item 6. Exhibits
Exhibit Number
Description
Form
File Number
Exhibit/Appendix Reference
Filing Date
Filed Herewith
3.1
8-K
001-39699
3.1
08/23/2021
3.2X
3.3
8-K
001-39699
3.2
08/23/2021
10.1X
31.1
X
31.2
X
32.1*
X
101.INS
XBRL Instance Document
X
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
X
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
X
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
X
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
X
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
X
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL)
X
* The certifications attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompanies this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are deemed furnished and not filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of AEye, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.


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Signatures

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

Dated: May 11, 2023

AEye, Inc.

By: /s/ Matthew Fisch
Matthew Fisch
Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

By: /s/ Conor Tierney
Conor Tierney
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
(Principal Financial Officer)
63
Document

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT OF THE
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF
AEYE, INC.

AEye, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, hereby certifies as follows:

1.This Certificate of Amendment (the “Certificate of Amendment”) amends the provisions of the Corporation’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State on August 16, 2021 (the “Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”).

2.The terms and provisions of this Certificate of Amendment have been duly adopted in accordance with Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

3.That Section 4.1 of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“Section 4.1    Authorized Capital Stock. The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock which the Corporation is authorized to issue is 601,000,000 shares, consisting of (a) 600,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) and (b) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”).”

4.That Section 8.1 of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“Section 8.1    Limitation of Director Liability. A director or officer of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, as applicable, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as the same exists or may hereafter be amended unless a director or officer, as applicable, violated his or her duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from its actions as a director or officer, as applicable. If the DGCL is hereafter amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the liability of directors or officers, then the liability of directors or officers of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Notwithstanding any such amendment to the DGCL, the liability of an officer or a director in any action by or in the right of the Corporation shall not be eliminated or limited by this Section 8.1. Any amendment, modification, or repeal of the foregoing sentence shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director or officer, as applicable, of the Corporation hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment, modification, or repeal.”

5.All other provisions of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall remain in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be signed by a duly authorized officer this 9th day of May, 2023.






By: /s/ Andrew S. Hughes            
Name: Andrew S. Hughes
Title: Senior Vice President,
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

exhibit101amendedandrest
AMENDED AND RESTATED AEYE, INC. 2021 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN


 
i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Establishment, Purpose and term of Plan. ...........................................................................1 1.1 Establishment ...........................................................................................................1 1.2 Purpose .....................................................................................................................1 1.3 Term of Plan ............................................................................................................1 2. Definitions and Construction. ..............................................................................................1 2.1 Definitions................................................................................................................1 2.2 Construction .............................................................................................................8 3. Administration. ....................................................................................................................8 3.1 Administration by the Committee ............................................................................8 3.2 Authority of Officers ................................................................................................8 3.3 Administration with Respect to Insiders ..................................................................8 3.4 Powers of the Committee .........................................................................................9 3.5 Option or SAR Repricing .......................................................................................10 3.6 Indemnification ......................................................................................................10 4. Shares Subject to Plan. .......................................................................................................10 4.1 Maximum Number of Shares Issuable ...................................................................10 4.2 Share Counting.......................................................................................................11 4.3 Adjustments for Changes in Capital Structure .......................................................11 4.4 Assumption or Substitution of Awards ..................................................................12 5. Eligibility, Participation and Award Limitations. ..............................................................12 5.1 Persons Eligible for Awards ..................................................................................12 5.2 Participation in the Plan .........................................................................................12 5.3 Incentive Stock Option Limitations .......................................................................12 5.4 Nonemployee Director Award Limit .....................................................................13 6. Stock Options. ....................................................................................................................13 6.1 Exercise Price.........................................................................................................13 6.2 Exercisability and Term of Options .......................................................................13 6.3 Payment of Exercise Price .....................................................................................14 6.4 Effect of Termination of Service ...........................................................................15 6.5 Transferability of Options ......................................................................................16


 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page ii 7. Stock Appreciation Rights. ................................................................................................16 7.1 Types of SARs Authorized ....................................................................................16 7.2 Exercise Price.........................................................................................................16 7.3 Exercisability and Term of SARs ..........................................................................17 7.4 Exercise of SARs ...................................................................................................17 7.5 Deemed Exercise of SARs .....................................................................................18 7.6 Effect of Termination of Service ...........................................................................18 7.7 Transferability of SARs .........................................................................................18 8. Restricted Stock Awards. ...................................................................................................18 8.1 Types of Restricted Stock Awards Authorized ......................................................18 8.2 Purchase Price ........................................................................................................19 8.3 Purchase Period ......................................................................................................19 8.4 Payment of Purchase Price .....................................................................................19 8.5 Vesting and Restrictions on Transfer .....................................................................19 8.6 Voting Rights; Dividends and Distributions ..........................................................19 8.7 Effect of Termination of Service ...........................................................................20 8.8 Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Award Rights ...........................................20 9. Restricted Stock Units........................................................................................................20 9.1 Grant of Restricted Stock Unit Awards .................................................................20 9.2 Purchase Price ........................................................................................................21 9.3 Vesting ...................................................................................................................21 9.4 Voting Rights, Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions ..............................21 9.5 Effect of Termination of Service ...........................................................................21 9.6 Settlement of Restricted Stock Unit Awards .........................................................22 9.7 Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Unit Awards .............................................22 10. Performance Awards. .........................................................................................................22 10.1 Types of Performance Awards Authorized ............................................................22 10.2 Initial Value of Performance Shares and Performance Units ................................23 10.3 Establishment of Performance Period, Performance Goals and Performance Award Formula .................................................................................23 10.4 Measurement of Performance Goals ......................................................................23 10.5 Settlement of Performance Awards .......................................................................25


 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page iii 10.6 Voting Rights; Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions ..............................26 10.7 Effect of Termination of Service ...........................................................................27 10.8 Nontransferability of Performance Awards ...........................................................27 11. Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards. ......................................................27 11.1 Grant of Cash-Based Awards .................................................................................27 11.2 Grant of Other Stock-Based Awards .....................................................................28 11.3 Value of Cash-Based and Other Stock-Based Awards ..........................................28 11.4 Payment or Settlement of Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards ...................................................................................................................28 11.5 Voting Rights; Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions ..............................28 11.6 Effect of Termination of Service ...........................................................................29 11.7 Nontransferability of Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards .........29 12. Standard Forms of Award Agreement. ..............................................................................29 12.1 Award Agreements ................................................................................................29 12.2 Authority to Vary Terms ........................................................................................29 13. Change in Control. .............................................................................................................29 13.1 Effect of Change in Control on Awards ................................................................29 13.2 Effect of Change in Control on Nonemployee Director Awards ...........................31 13.3 Federal Excise Tax Under Section 4999 of the Code ............................................31 14. Compliance with Securities Law. ......................................................................................32 15. Compliance with Section 409A. ........................................................................................32 15.1 Awards Subject to Section 409A ...........................................................................32 15.2 Deferral and/or Distribution Elections ...................................................................33 15.3 Subsequent Elections .............................................................................................33 15.4 Payment of Section 409A Deferred Compensation ...............................................33 16. Tax Withholding. ...............................................................................................................36 16.1 Tax Withholding in General ..................................................................................36 16.2 Withholding in or Directed Sale of Shares ............................................................36 17. Amendment, Suspension or Termination of Plan. .............................................................36 18. Miscellaneous Provisions...................................................................................................37 18.1 Repurchase Rights .................................................................................................37 18.2 Forfeiture Events ....................................................................................................37


 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page iv 18.3 Provision of Information ........................................................................................37 18.4 Rights as Employee, Consultant or Director ..........................................................37 18.5 Rights as a Stockholder ..........................................................................................38 18.6 Delivery of Title to Shares .....................................................................................38 18.7 Fractional Shares ....................................................................................................38 18.8 Retirement and Welfare Plans ...............................................................................38 18.9 Beneficiary Designation .........................................................................................38 18.10 Severability ............................................................................................................38 18.11 No Constraint on Corporate Action .......................................................................39 18.12 Unfunded Obligation .............................................................................................39 18.13 Choice of Law ........................................................................................................39


 
1 AEye, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan 1. ESTABLISHMENT, PURPOSE AND TERM OF PLAN. 1.1 Establishment. The AEye, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is hereby established effective as of August 16, 2021, the date of the closing of the transactions contemplated by that certain merger agreement entered into by and among AEye, Inc. (f/k/a CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III, Inc.), Meliora Merger Sub, Inc., and AEye Technologies, Inc. (f/k/a AEye, Inc.), following the Plan’s approval by the stockholders of the Company (the “Effective Date”). 1.2 Purpose. The purpose of the Plan is to advance the interests of the Participating Company Group and its stockholders by providing an incentive to attract, retain and reward persons performing services for the Participating Company Group and by motivating such persons to contribute to the growth and profitability of the Participating Company Group. The Plan seeks to achieve this purpose by providing for Awards in the form of Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares, Performance Units, Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards. 1.3 Term of Plan. The Plan shall continue in effect until its termination by the Committee; provided, however, that all Awards shall be granted, if at all, within ten (10) years from the earlier of the date that the Plan was approved by the Board or the stockholders of the Company. 2. DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION. 2.1 Definitions. Whenever used herein, the following terms shall have their respective meanings set forth below: (a) “Affiliate” means (i) a parent entity, other than a Parent Corporation, that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediary entities, controls the Company or (ii) a subsidiary entity, other than a Subsidiary Corporation, that is controlled by the Company directly or indirectly through one or more intermediary entities. For this purpose, the terms “parent,” “subsidiary,” “control” and “controlled by” shall have the meanings assigned to such terms for the purposes of registration of securities on Form S-8 under the Securities Act. (b) “Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Purchase Right, Restricted Stock Bonus, Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Share, Performance Unit, Cash-Based Award or Other Stock-Based Award granted under the Plan. (c) “Award Agreement” means a written or electronic agreement between the Company and a Participant setting forth the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to an Award. (d) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.


 
2 (e) “Cash-Based Award” means an Award denominated in cash and granted pursuant to Section 11. (f) “Cashless Exercise” means a Cashless Exercise as defined in Section 6.3(b)(i). (g) “Cause” means any of the following: (i) the Participant’s theft, dishonesty, willful misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty for personal profit, or falsification of any Participating Company documents or records; (ii) the Participant’s material failure to abide by a Participating Company’s code of conduct or other policies (including, without limitation, policies relating to confidentiality and reasonable workplace conduct); (iii) the Participant’s unauthorized use, misappropriation, destruction or diversion of any tangible or intangible asset or corporate opportunity of a Participating Company (including, without limitation, the Participant’s improper use or disclosure of a Participating Company’s confidential or proprietary information); (iv) any intentional act by the Participant which has a material detrimental effect on a Participating Company’s reputation or business; (v) the Participant’s repeated failure or inability to perform any reasonable assigned duties after written notice from a Participating Company of, and a reasonable opportunity to cure, such failure or inability; (vi) any material breach by the Participant of any employment, service, non-disclosure, non-competition, non- solicitation or other similar agreement between the Participant and a Participating Company, which breach is not cured pursuant to the terms of such agreement (except with respect to a disclosure protected by applicable law); or (vii) the Participant’s conviction (including any plea of guilty or nolo contendere) of any criminal act involving fraud, dishonesty, misappropriation or moral turpitude, or which impairs the Participant’s ability to perform his or her duties with a Participating Company. (h) “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any one or a combination of the following: (i) any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as such term is defined in Rule 13d- 3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total Fair Market Value or total combined voting power of the Company’s then-outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors; provided, however, that a Change in Control shall not be deemed to have occurred if such degree of beneficial ownership results from any of the following: (A) an acquisition by any person who on the Effective Date is the beneficial owner of more than fifty percent (50%) of such voting power, (B) any acquisition directly from the Company, including, without limitation, pursuant to or in connection with a public offering of securities, (C) any acquisition by the Company, (D) any acquisition by a trustee or other fiduciary under an employee benefit plan of a Participating Company or (E) any acquisition by an entity owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the voting securities of the Company; or (ii) an Ownership Change Event or series of related Ownership Change Events (collectively, a “Transaction”) in which the stockholders of the Company immediately before the Transaction do not retain immediately after the Transaction direct or


 
3 indirect beneficial ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors or, in the case of an Ownership Change Event described in Section 2.1(dd)(iii), the entity to which the assets of the Company were transferred (the “Transferee”), as the case may be; or (iii) a date specified by the Committee following approval by the stockholders of a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company; provided, however, that a Change in Control shall be deemed not to include a transaction described in subsections (i) or (ii) of this Section 2.1(h) in which a majority of the members of the board of directors of the continuing, surviving or successor entity, or parent thereof, immediately after such transaction is comprised of Incumbent Directors. For purposes of the preceding sentence, indirect beneficial ownership shall include, without limitation, an interest resulting from ownership of the voting securities of one or more corporations or other business entities which own the Company or the Transferee, as the case may be, either directly or through one or more subsidiary corporations or other business entities. The Committee shall determine whether multiple events described in subsections (i), (ii) and (iii) of this Section 2.1(h) are related and to be treated in the aggregate as a single Change in Control, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive. (i) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any applicable regulations and administrative guidelines promulgated thereunder. (j) “Committee” means the Compensation Committee and such other committee or subcommittee of the Board, if any, duly appointed to administer the Plan and having such powers in each instance as shall be specified by the Board. If, at any time, there is no committee of the Board then authorized or properly constituted to administer the Plan, the Board shall exercise all of the powers of the Committee granted herein, and, in any event, the Board may in its discretion exercise any or all of such powers and, in such instances, references herein to the Committee shall mean the Board. Unless the Board specifically determines otherwise, each member of the Committee shall, at the time it takes any action with respect to an Award under the Plan, be a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 and an “independent director” under the rules of any stock exchange on which the Stock is listed. However, the fact that a Committee member shall fail to qualify as “non-employee director” or an “independent director” shall not invalidate any Award granted by the Committee which Award is otherwise validly granted under the Plan. (k) “Company” means AEye, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor corporation thereto. (l) “Consultant” means a person engaged to provide consulting or advisory services (other than as an Employee or a Director) to a Participating Company, provided that the identity of such person, the nature of such services or the entity to which such services are provided would not preclude the Company from offering or selling securities to such person pursuant to the Plan in reliance on registration on Form S-8 under the Securities Act. (m) “Director” means a member of the Board.


 
4 (n) “Disability” means the permanent and total disability of the Participant, within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code. (o) “Dividend Equivalent Right” means the right of a Participant, granted at the discretion of the Committee or as otherwise provided by the Plan, to receive a credit for the account of such Participant in an amount equal to the cash dividends paid on one share of Stock for each share of Stock represented by an Award held by such Participant. (p) “Employee” means any person treated as an employee (including an Officer or a Director who is also treated as an employee) in the records of a Participating Company and, with respect to any Incentive Stock Option granted to such person, who is an employee for purposes of Section 422 of the Code; provided, however, that neither service as a Director nor payment of a Director’s fee shall be sufficient to constitute employment for purposes of the Plan. The Company shall determine in good faith and in the exercise of its discretion whether an individual has become or has ceased to be an Employee and the effective date of such individual’s employment or termination of employment, as the case may be. For purposes of an individual’s rights, if any, under the terms of the Plan as of the time of the Company’s determination of whether or not the individual is an Employee, all such determinations by the Company shall be final, binding and conclusive as to such rights, if any, notwithstanding that the Company or any court of law or governmental agency subsequently makes a contrary determination as to such individual’s status as an Employee. (q) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. (r) “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of a share of Stock or other property as determined by the Committee, in its discretion, or by the Company, in its discretion, if such determination is expressly allocated to the Company herein, subject to the following: (i) Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, if, on such date, the Stock is listed or quoted on a national or regional securities exchange or quotation system, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock shall be the closing price of a share of Stock as quoted on the national or regional securities exchange or quotation system constituting the primary market for the Stock, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Company deems reliable. If the relevant date does not fall on a day on which the Stock has traded on such securities exchange or quotation system, the date on which the Fair Market Value shall be established shall be the last day on which the Stock was so traded or quoted prior to the relevant date, or such other appropriate day as shall be determined by the Committee, in its discretion. (ii) If, on such date, the Stock is not listed or quoted on a national or regional securities exchange or quotation system, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock shall be as determined by the Committee in good faith without regard to any restriction other than a restriction which, by its terms, will never lapse, and in a manner consistent with the requirements of Section 409A or Section 422 of the Code to the extent applicable.


 
5 (s) “Full Value Award” means any Award settled in Stock, other than (i) an Option, (ii) a Stock Appreciation Right, or (iii) a Restricted Stock Purchase Right or an Other Stock-Based Award under which the Company will receive monetary consideration equal to the Fair Market Value (determined on the effective date of grant) of the shares subject to such Award. (t) “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) and which qualifies as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the Code. (u) “Incumbent Director” means a director who either (i) is a member of the Board as of the Effective Date or (ii) is elected, or nominated for election, to the Board with the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the Incumbent Directors at the time of such election or nomination (but excluding a director who was elected or nominated in connection with an actual or threatened proxy contest relating to the election of directors of the Company). (v) “Insider” means an Officer, a Director or other person whose transactions in Stock are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. (w) “Net Exercise” means a Net Exercise as defined in Section 6.3(b)(iii). (x) “Nonemployee Director” means a Director who is not an Employee. (y) “Nonemployee Director Award” means any Award granted to a Nonemployee Director. (z) “Nonstatutory Stock Option” means an Option not intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) or which does not qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the Code. (aa) “Officer” means any person designated by the Board as an officer of the Company. (bb) “Option” means an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option granted pursuant to the Plan. (cc) “Other Stock-Based Award” means an Award denominated in shares of Stock and granted pursuant to Section 11. (dd) “Ownership Change Event” means the occurrence of any of the following with respect to the Company: (i) the direct or indirect sale or exchange in a single or series of related transactions by the stockholders of the Company of securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors; (ii) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is a party; or (iii) the sale, exchange, or transfer of all or


 
6 substantially all of the assets of the Company (other than a sale, exchange or transfer to one or more subsidiaries of the Company). (ee) “Parent Corporation” means any present or future “parent corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code. (ff) “Participant” means any eligible person who has been granted one or more Awards. (gg) “Participating Company” means the Company or any Parent Corporation, Subsidiary Corporation or Affiliate. (hh) “Participating Company Group” means, at any point in time, the Company and all other entities collectively which are then Participating Companies. (ii) “Performance Award” means an Award of Performance Shares or Performance Units. (jj) “Performance Award Formula” means, for any Performance Award, a formula or table established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10.3 which provides the basis for computing the value of a Performance Award at one or more levels of attainment of the applicable Performance Goal(s) measured as of the end of the applicable Performance Period. (kk) “Performance Goal” means a performance goal established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10.3. (ll) “Performance Period” means a period established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10.3 at the end of which one or more Performance Goals are to be measured. (mm) “Performance Share” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 10 to receive a payment equal to the value of a Performance Share, as determined by the Committee, based upon attainment of applicable Performance Goal(s). (nn) “Performance Unit” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 10 to receive a payment equal to the value of a Performance Unit, as determined by the Committee, based upon attainment of applicable Performance Goal(s). (oo) “Restricted Stock Award” means an Award of a Restricted Stock Bonus or a Restricted Stock Purchase Right. (pp) “Restricted Stock Bonus” means Stock granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8. (qq) “Restricted Stock Purchase Right” means a right to purchase Stock granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8.


 
7 (rr) “Restricted Stock Unit” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 9 to receive on a future date or occurrence of a future event a share of Stock or cash in lieu thereof, as determined by the Committee. (ss) “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, as amended from time to time, or any successor rule or regulation. (tt) “SAR” or “Stock Appreciation Right” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 7 to receive payment, for each share of Stock subject to such Award, of an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the Award over the exercise price thereof. (uu) “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code. (vv) “Section 409A Deferred Compensation” means compensation provided pursuant to an Award that constitutes nonqualified deferred compensation within the meaning of Section 409A. (ww) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. (xx) “Service” means a Participant’s employment or service with the Participating Company Group, whether as an Employee, a Director or a Consultant. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a Participant’s Service shall not be deemed to have terminated merely because of a change in the capacity in which the Participant renders Service or a change in the Participating Company for which the Participant renders Service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant’s Service. Furthermore, a Participant’s Service shall not be deemed to have been interrupted or terminated if the Participant takes any military leave, sick leave, or other bona fide leave of absence approved by the Company. However, unless otherwise provided by the Committee, if any such leave taken by a Participant exceeds ninety (90) days, then on the ninety-first (91st) day following the commencement of such leave the Participant’s Service shall be deemed to have terminated, unless the Participant’s right to return to Service is guaranteed by statute or contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise designated by the Company or required by law, an unpaid leave of absence shall not be treated as Service for purposes of determining vesting under the Participant’s Award Agreement. A Participant’s Service shall be deemed to have terminated either upon an actual termination of Service or upon the business entity for which the Participant performs Service ceasing to be a Participating Company. Subject to the foregoing, the Company, in its discretion, shall determine whether the Participant’s Service has terminated and the effective date of and reason for such termination. (yy) “Stock” means the common stock of the Company, as adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 4. (zz) “Stock Tender Exercise” means a Stock Tender Exercise as defined in Section 6.3(b)(ii). (aaa) “Subsidiary Corporation” means any present or future “subsidiary corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.


 
8 (bbb) “Ten Percent Owner” means a Participant who, at the time an Option is granted to the Participant, owns stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a Participating Company (other than an Affiliate) within the meaning of Section 422(b)(6) of the Code. (ccc) “Trading Compliance Policy” means the written policy of the Company pertaining to the purchase, sale, transfer or other disposition of the Company’s equity securities by Directors, Officers, Employees or other service providers who may possess material, nonpublic information regarding the Company or its securities. (ddd) “Vesting Conditions” mean those conditions established in accordance with the Plan prior to the satisfaction of which an Award or shares subject to an Award remain subject to forfeiture or a repurchase option in favor of the Company exercisable for the Participant’s monetary purchase price, if any, for such shares upon the Participant’s termination of Service or failure of a performance condition to be satisfied. 2.2 Construction. Captions and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of any provision of the Plan. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular. Use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 3. ADMINISTRATION. 3.1 Administration by the Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. All questions of interpretation of the Plan, of any Award Agreement or of any other form of agreement or other document employed by the Company in the administration of the Plan or of any Award shall be determined by the Committee, and such determinations shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest in the Plan or such Award, unless fraudulent or made in bad faith. Any and all actions, decisions and determinations taken or made by the Committee in the exercise of its discretion pursuant to the Plan or Award Agreement or other agreement thereunder (other than determining questions of interpretation pursuant to the preceding sentence) shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest therein. All expenses incurred in connection with the administration of the Plan shall be paid by the Company. 3.2 Authority of Officers. Any Officer shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Company with respect to any matter, right, obligation, determination or election that is the responsibility of or that is allocated to the Company herein, provided that the Officer has apparent authority with respect to such matter, right, obligation, determination or election. 3.3 Administration with Respect to Insiders. With respect to participation by Insiders in the Plan, at any time that any class of equity security of the Company is registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, the Plan shall be administered in compliance with the requirements, if any, of Rule 16b-3.


 
9 3.4 Powers of the Committee. In addition to any other powers set forth in the Plan and subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall have the full and final power and authority, in its discretion: (a) to determine the persons to whom, and the time or times at which, Awards shall be granted and the number of shares of Stock, units or monetary value to be subject to each Award; (b) to determine the type of Award granted; (c) to determine the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock or other property; (d) to determine the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to each Award (which need not be identical) and any shares acquired pursuant thereto, including, without limitation, (i) the exercise or purchase price of shares pursuant to any Award, (ii) the method of payment for shares purchased pursuant to any Award, (iii) the method for satisfaction of any tax withholding obligation arising in connection with any Award, including by the withholding or delivery of shares of Stock, (iv) the timing, terms and conditions of the exercisability or vesting of any Award or any shares acquired pursuant thereto, (v) the Performance Measures, Performance Period, Performance Award Formula and Performance Goals applicable to any Award and the extent to which such Performance Goals have been attained, (vi) the time of expiration of any Award, (vii) the effect of any Participant’s termination of Service on any of the foregoing, and (viii) all other terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to any Award or shares acquired pursuant thereto not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan; (e) to determine whether an Award will be settled in shares of Stock, cash, other property or in any combination thereof; (f) to approve one or more forms of Award Agreement; (g) to amend, modify, extend, cancel or renew any Award or to waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any Award or any shares acquired pursuant thereto; (h) to accelerate, continue, extend or defer the exercisability or vesting of any Award or any shares acquired pursuant thereto, including with respect to the period following a Participant’s termination of Service; (i) to prescribe, amend or rescind rules, guidelines and policies relating to the Plan, or to adopt sub-plans or supplements to, or alternative versions of, the Plan, including, without limitation, as the Committee deems necessary or desirable to comply with the laws of, or to accommodate the tax policy, accounting principles or custom of, foreign jurisdictions whose residents may be granted Awards; and (j) to correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or any Award Agreement and to make all other determinations and take


 
10 such other actions with respect to the Plan or any Award as the Committee may deem advisable to the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan or applicable law. 3.5 Option or SAR Repricing. Without the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the shares of Stock cast in person or by proxy at a meeting of the stockholders of the Company at which a quorum representing a majority of all outstanding shares of Stock is present or represented by proxy, the Committee shall not approve a program providing for either (a) the cancellation of outstanding Options or SARs having exercise prices per share greater than the then Fair Market Value of a share of Stock (“Underwater Awards”) and the grant in substitution therefor of new Options or SARs having a lower exercise price, Full Value Awards or payments in cash, or (b) the amendment of outstanding Underwater Awards to reduce the exercise price thereof. This Section shall not be construed to apply to (i) “issuing or assuming a stock option in a transaction to which Section 424(a) applies,” within the meaning of Section 424 of the Code, (ii) adjustments pursuant to the assumption of or substitution for an Option or SAR in a manner that would comply with Section 409A, or (iii) an adjustment pursuant to Section 4. 3.6 Indemnification. In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as members of the Board or the Committee or as officers or employees of the Participating Company Group, to the extent permitted by applicable law, members of the Board or the Committee and any officers or employees of the Participating Company Group to whom authority to act for the Board, the Committee or the Company is delegated shall be indemnified by the Company against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and necessarily incurred in connection with the defense of any action, suit or proceeding, or in connection with any appeal therein, to which they or any of them may be a party by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan, or any right granted hereunder, and against all amounts paid by them in settlement thereof (provided such settlement is approved by independent legal counsel selected by the Company) or paid by them in satisfaction of a judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to which it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such person is liable for gross negligence, bad faith or intentional misconduct in duties; provided, however, that within sixty (60) days after the institution of such action, suit or proceeding, such person shall offer to the Company, in writing, the opportunity at its own expense to handle and defend the same. 4. SHARES SUBJECT TO PLAN. 4.1 Maximum Number of Shares Issuable. Subject to adjustment as provided in Sections 4.2 and 4.3, the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan shall be equal to (i) 15,440,430 shares, plus (ii) 16,000,000 shares effective May 3, 2023, plus (iii) an annual increase, effective as of the first day of the Company’s fiscal year beginning in the year following the fiscal year in which the Company’s stockholders approved the Plan and the first day of each subsequent fiscal year through and including the first day of the Company’s fiscal year beginning on the tenth (10th) anniversary of the commencement of such annual increase, equal to (A) for the first annual increase, the lesser of (i) five percent (5%) of the number of shares of Stock outstanding as of the conclusion of the Company’s immediately preceding fiscal year, or (ii) such amount, if any, as the Board may determine, and (B) thereafter, the lesser of (i) three percent (3%) of the number of shares of Stock outstanding as of the conclusion of the Company’s immediately preceding fiscal year, or


 
11 (ii) such amount, if any, as the Board may determine, and such shares shall consist of authorized but unissued or reacquired shares of Stock or any combination thereof. 4.2 Share Counting. If an outstanding Award for any reason expires or is terminated or canceled without having been exercised or settled in full, or if shares of Stock acquired pursuant to an Award subject to forfeiture or repurchase are forfeited or repurchased by the Company for an amount not greater than the Participant’s purchase price, the shares of Stock allocable to the terminated portion of such Award or such forfeited or repurchased shares of Stock shall again be available for issuance under the Plan. Shares of Stock shall not be deemed to have been issued pursuant to the Plan with respect to any portion of an Award that is settled in cash. Upon payment in shares of Stock pursuant to the exercise of an SAR, the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares for which the SAR is exercised. If the exercise price of an Option is paid by tender to the Company, or attestation to the ownership, of shares of Stock owned by the Participant, or by means of a Net Exercise, the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares for which the Option is exercised. Shares purchased in the open market with proceeds from the exercise of Options shall not be added to the limit set forth in Section 4.1. Shares withheld or reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations pursuant to the exercise or settlement of Options or SARs pursuant to Section 16.2 and Shares withheld or reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations pursuant to the vesting or settlement of Full Value Awards pursuant to Section 16.2 shall again become available for issuance under the Plan. 4.3 Adjustments for Changes in Capital Structure. Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company and the requirements of Section 409A and Section 424 of the Code to the extent applicable, in the event of any change in the Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, whether through merger, consolidation, reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares, or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of payment of a dividend or distribution to the stockholders of the Company in a form other than Stock (excepting regular, periodic cash dividends) that has a material effect on the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock, appropriate and proportionate adjustments shall be made in the number and kind of shares subject to the Plan and to any outstanding Awards, the annual increase set forth in Section 4.1, the Award limits set forth in Section 5.3, and in the exercise or purchase price per share under any outstanding Award in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participants’ rights under the Plan. For purposes of the foregoing, conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be treated as “effected without receipt of consideration by the Company.” If a majority of the shares which are of the same class as the shares that are subject to outstanding Awards are exchanged for, converted into, or otherwise become (whether or not pursuant to an Ownership Change Event) shares of another corporation (the “New Shares”), the Committee may unilaterally amend the outstanding Awards to provide that such Awards are for New Shares. In the event of any such amendment, the number of shares subject to, and the exercise or purchase price per share of, the outstanding Awards shall be adjusted in a fair and equitable manner as determined by the Committee, in its discretion and in accordance with Section 409A and Section 424 of the Code to the extent applicable. Any fractional share resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number and the exercise or purchase price per share


 
12 shall be rounded up to the nearest whole cent. In no event may the exercise or purchase price, if any, under any Award be decreased to an amount less than the par value, if any, of the stock subject to such Award. The Committee in its discretion, may also make such adjustments in the terms of any Award to reflect, or related to, such changes in the capital structure of the Company or distributions as it deems appropriate, including modification of Performance Goals, Performance Award Formulas and Performance Periods. The adjustments determined by the Committee pursuant to this Section shall be final, binding and conclusive. 4.4 Assumption or Substitution of Awards. The Committee may, without affecting the number of shares of Stock reserved or available hereunder, authorize the issuance or assumption of equity awards under this Plan in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization upon such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate, subject to compliance with Section 409A and any other applicable provisions of the Code, without reducing the number of shares otherwise available for issuance under the Plan. In addition, subject to compliance with applicable laws, and listing requirements, shares available for grant under a stockholder approved plan of an acquired company (as appropriately adjusted to reflect the transaction) may be used for awards under the Plan to individuals who were not Employees or Directors of the Participating Company Group prior to the transaction and shall not reduce the number of shares otherwise available for issuance under the Plan. 5. ELIGIBILITY, PARTICIPATION AND AWARD LIMITATIONS. 5.1 Persons Eligible for Awards. Awards may be granted only to Employees, Consultants and Directors. 5.2 Participation in the Plan. Awards are granted solely at the discretion of the Committee. Eligible persons may be granted more than one Award. However, eligibility in accordance with this Section shall not entitle any person to be granted an Award, or, having been granted an Award, to be granted an additional Award. 5.3 Incentive Stock Option Limitations. (a) Maximum Number of Shares Issuable Pursuant to Incentive Stock Options. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options shall not exceed 15,440,430 shares. The maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan pursuant to all Awards other than Incentive Stock Options shall be the number of shares determined in accordance with Section 4.1, subject to adjustment as provided in Sections 4.2 and 4.3. (b) Persons Eligible. An Incentive Stock Option may be granted only to a person who, on the effective date of grant, is an Employee of the Company, a Parent Corporation or a Subsidiary Corporation (each being an “ISO-Qualifying Corporation”). Any person who is not an Employee of an ISO-Qualifying Corporation on the effective date of the grant of an Option to such person may be granted only a Nonstatutory Stock Option. (c) Fair Market Value Limitation. To the extent that options designated as Incentive Stock Options (granted under all stock plans of the Participating


 
13 Company Group, including the Plan) become exercisable by a Participant for the first time during any calendar year for stock having a Fair Market Value greater than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000), the portion of such options which exceeds such amount shall be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section, options designated as Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, and the Fair Market Value of stock shall be determined as of the time the option with respect to such stock is granted. If the Code is amended to provide for a limitation different from that set forth in this Section, such different limitation shall be deemed incorporated herein effective as of the date and with respect to such Options as required or permitted by such amendment to the Code. If an Option is treated as an Incentive Stock Option in part and as a Nonstatutory Stock Option in part by reason of the limitation set forth in this Section, the Participant may designate which portion of such Option the Participant is exercising. In the absence of such designation, the Participant shall be deemed to have exercised the Incentive Stock Option portion of the Option first. Upon exercise of the Option, shares issued pursuant to each such portion shall be separately identified. 5.4 Nonemployee Director Award Limit. Annual compensation awarded to any Nonemployee Director during each calendar year, including both shares of Stock subject to Awards and any cash fees paid to such Nonemployee Director (but excluding any cash retainer fees, including cash retainer fees converted into equity awards at the election of the Nonemployee Director, expense reimbursements or distributions from any deferred compensation program applicable to the Nonemployee Director), may not exceed $750,000 in total value, or $1,000,000 in the calendar year in which any Nonemployee Director is initially elected to the Board (calculating the value of any such Awards based on the grant date fair value of such Awards for financial reporting purposes). 6. STOCK OPTIONS. Options shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock covered thereby, in such form as the Committee shall establish. Such Award Agreements may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions: 6.1 Exercise Price. The exercise price for each Option shall be established in the discretion of the Committee; provided, however, that (a) the exercise price per share shall be not less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the Option and (b) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Owner shall have an exercise price per share less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the Option. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option (whether an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option) may be granted with an exercise price less than the minimum exercise price set forth above if such Option is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner that would qualify under the provisions of Section 409A or Section 424(a) of the Code. 6.2 Exercisability and Term of Options. Options shall be exercisable at such time or times, or upon such event or events, and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria and restrictions as shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the


 
14 Award Agreement evidencing such Option; provided, however, that (a) no Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of such Option, (b) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Owner shall be exercisable after the expiration of five (5) years after the effective date of grant of such Option and (c) no Option granted to an Employee who is a non-exempt employee for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall be first exercisable until at least six (6) months following the date of grant of such Option (except in the event of such Employee’s death, disability or retirement, upon a Change in Control, or as otherwise permitted by the Worker Economic Opportunity Act). Subject to the foregoing, unless otherwise specified by the Committee in the grant of an Option, each Option shall terminate ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of the Option, unless earlier terminated in accordance with its provisions. 6.3 Payment of Exercise Price. (a) Forms of Consideration Authorized. Except as otherwise provided below, payment of the exercise price for the number of shares of Stock being purchased pursuant to any Option shall be made (i) in cash, by check or in cash equivalent; (ii) if permitted by the Committee and subject to the limitations contained in Section 6.3(b), by means of (1) a Cashless Exercise, (2) a Stock Tender Exercise or (3) a Net Exercise; (iii) by such other consideration as may be approved by the Committee from time to time to the extent permitted by applicable law, or (iv) if permitted by the Committee, by any combination thereof. The Committee may at any time or from time to time grant Options which do not permit all of the foregoing forms of consideration to be used in payment of the exercise price or which otherwise restrict one or more forms of consideration. (b) Limitations on Forms of Consideration. (i) Cashless Exercise. A “Cashless Exercise” means the delivery of a properly executed notice of exercise together with irrevocable instructions to a broker providing for the assignment to the Company of the proceeds of a sale or loan with respect to some or all of the shares being acquired upon the exercise of the Option (including, without limitation, through an exercise complying with the provisions of Regulation T as promulgated from time to time by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System). The Company reserves, at any and all times, the right, in the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, to establish, decline to approve or terminate any program or procedures for the exercise of Options by means of a Cashless Exercise, including with respect to one or more Participants specified by the Company notwithstanding that such program or procedures may be available to other Participants. (ii) Stock Tender Exercise. A “Stock Tender Exercise” means the delivery of a properly executed exercise notice accompanied by a Participant’s tender to the Company, or attestation to the ownership, in a form acceptable to the Company of whole shares of Stock owned by the Participant having a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price for the shares with respect to which the Option is exercised. A Stock Tender Exercise shall not be permitted if it would constitute a violation of the provisions of any law, regulation or agreement restricting the redemption of the Company’s stock. If required by the Company, an Option may not be exercised by tender to the Company, or attestation to the


 
15 ownership, of shares of Stock unless such shares either have been owned by the Participant for a period of time required by the Company (and not used for another option exercise by attestation during such period) or were not acquired, directly or indirectly, from the Company. (iii) Net Exercise. A “Net Exercise” means the delivery of a properly executed exercise notice followed by a procedure pursuant to which (1) the Company will reduce the number of shares otherwise issuable to a Participant upon the exercise of an Option by the largest whole number of shares having a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price for the shares with respect to which the Option is exercised, and (2) the Participant shall pay to the Company in cash the remaining balance of such aggregate exercise price not satisfied by such reduction in the number of whole shares to be issued. 6.4 Effect of Termination of Service. (a) Option Exercisability. Subject to earlier termination of the Option as otherwise provided by this Plan and unless otherwise provided by the Committee or in an Award Agreement, an Option shall terminate immediately upon the Participant’s termination of Service to the extent that it is then unvested and shall be exercisable after the Participant’s termination of Service to the extent it is then vested only during the applicable time period determined in accordance with this Section and thereafter shall terminate. (i) Disability. If the Participant’s Service terminates because of the Disability of the Participant, the Option, to the extent unexercised and exercisable for vested shares on the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, may be exercised by the Participant (or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative) at any time prior to the expiration of twelve (12) months (or such longer or shorter period provided by the Award Agreement) after the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, but in any event no later than the date of expiration of the Option’s term as set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Option (the “Option Expiration Date”). (ii) Death. If the Participant’s Service terminates because of the death of the Participant, the Option, to the extent unexercised and exercisable for vested shares on the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, may be exercised by the Participant’s legal representative or other person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by reason of the Participant’s death at any time prior to the expiration of twelve (12) months (or such longer or shorter period provided by the Award Agreement) after the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, but in any event no later than the Option Expiration Date. The Participant’s Service shall be deemed to have terminated on account of death if the Participant dies within three (3) months (or such longer or shorter period provided by the Award Agreement) after the Participant’s termination of Service for any reason other than Cause. (iii) Termination for Cause. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, if the Participant’s Service is terminated for Cause or if, following the Participant’s termination of Service and during any period in which the Option otherwise would remain exercisable, the Participant engages in any act that would constitute Cause, the Option shall terminate in its entirety and cease to be exercisable immediately upon such termination of Service or act.


 
16 (iv) Other Termination of Service. If the Participant’s Service terminates for any reason, except Disability, death or Cause, the Option, to the extent unexercised and exercisable for vested shares on the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, may be exercised by the Participant at any time prior to the expiration of three (3) months (or such longer or shorter period provided by the Award Agreement) after the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, but in any event no later than the Option Expiration Date. (b) Extension if Exercise Prevented by Law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, other than termination of Service for Cause, if the exercise of an Option within the applicable time periods set forth in Section 6.4(a) or an Award Agreement is prevented by the provisions of Section 14 below, the Option shall remain exercisable until the later of (i) thirty (30) days after the date such exercise first would no longer be prevented by such provisions or (ii) the end of the applicable time period under Section 6.4(a), but in any event no later than the Option Expiration Date. 6.5 Transferability of Options. During the lifetime of the Participant, an Option shall be exercisable only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. An Option shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in its discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Option, an Option shall be assignable or transferable subject to the applicable limitations, if any, described in the General Instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, only as permitted by applicable regulations under Section 421 of the Code in a manner that does not disqualify such Option as an Incentive Stock Option. 7. STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS. Stock Appreciation Rights shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall establish. Such Award Agreements may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions: 7.1 Types of SARs Authorized. SARs may be granted in tandem with all or any portion of a related Option (a “Tandem SAR”) or may be granted independently of any Option (a “Freestanding SAR”). A Tandem SAR may only be granted concurrently with the grant of the related Option. 7.2 Exercise Price. The exercise price for each SAR shall be established in the discretion of the Committee; provided, however, that (a) the exercise price per share subject to a Tandem SAR shall be the exercise price per share under the related Option and (b) the exercise price per share subject to a Freestanding SAR shall be not less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the SAR. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an SAR may be granted with an exercise price lower than the minimum exercise price


 
17 set forth above if such SAR is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another stock appreciation right in a manner that would qualify under the provisions of Section 409A. 7.3 Exercisability and Term of SARs. (a) Tandem SARs. Tandem SARs shall be exercisable only at the time and to the extent, and only to the extent, that the related Option is exercisable, subject to such provisions as the Committee may specify where the Tandem SAR is granted with respect to less than the full number of shares of Stock subject to the related Option. The Committee may, in its discretion, provide in any Award Agreement evidencing a Tandem SAR that such SAR may not be exercised without the advance approval of the Company and, if such approval is not given, then the Option shall nevertheless remain exercisable in accordance with its terms. A Tandem SAR shall terminate and cease to be exercisable no later than the date on which the related Option expires or is terminated or canceled. Upon the exercise of a Tandem SAR with respect to some or all of the shares subject to such SAR, the related Option shall be canceled automatically as to the number of shares with respect to which the Tandem SAR was exercised. Upon the exercise of an Option related to a Tandem SAR as to some or all of the shares subject to such Option, the related Tandem SAR shall be canceled automatically as to the number of shares with respect to which the related Option was exercised. (b) Freestanding SARs. Freestanding SARs shall be exercisable at such time or times, or upon such event or events, and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria and restrictions as shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such SAR; provided, however, that (i) no Freestanding SAR shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of such SAR and (ii) no Freestanding SAR granted to an Employee who is a non-exempt employee for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall be first exercisable until at least six (6) months following the date of grant of such SAR (except in the event of such Employee’s death, disability or retirement, upon a Change in Control, or as otherwise permitted by the Worker Economic Opportunity Act). Subject to the foregoing, unless otherwise specified by the Committee in the grant of a Freestanding SAR, each Freestanding SAR shall terminate ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of the SAR, unless earlier terminated in accordance with its provisions. 7.4 Exercise of SARs. Upon the exercise (or deemed exercise pursuant to Section 7.5) of an SAR, the Participant (or the Participant’s legal representative or other person who acquired the right to exercise the SAR by reason of the Participant’s death) shall be entitled to receive payment of an amount for each share with respect to which the SAR is exercised equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the SAR over the exercise price. Payment of such amount shall be made (a) in the case of a Tandem SAR, solely in shares of Stock in a lump sum upon the date of exercise of the SAR and (b) in the case of a Freestanding SAR, in cash, shares of Stock, or any combination thereof as determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement, in a lump sum upon the date of exercise of the SAR. When payment is to be made in shares of Stock, the number of shares to be issued shall be determined on the basis of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the SAR. For purposes of Section 7, an SAR shall be deemed exercised on the


 
18 date on which the Company receives notice of exercise from the Participant or as otherwise provided in Section 7.5. 7.5 Deemed Exercise of SARs. If, on the date on which an SAR would otherwise terminate or expire, the SAR by its terms remains exercisable immediately prior to such termination or expiration and, if so exercised, would result in a payment to the holder of such SAR, then any portion of such SAR which has not previously been exercised shall automatically be deemed to be exercised as of such date with respect to such portion. The Company may elect to discontinue the deemed exercise of SARs pursuant to this Section 7.5 at any time upon notice to a Participant or to apply the deemed exercise feature only to certain groups of Participants. The deemed exercise of a SAR pursuant to this Section 7.5 shall apply only to a SAR that has been timely accepted by a Participant under procedures specified by the Company from time to time. 7.6 Effect of Termination of Service. Subject to earlier termination of the SAR as otherwise provided herein and unless otherwise provided by the Committee or in an Award Agreement, an SAR shall be exercisable after a Participant’s termination of Service only to the extent and during the applicable time period determined in accordance with Section 6.4 (treating the SAR as if it were an Option) and thereafter shall terminate. 7.7 Transferability of SARs. During the lifetime of the Participant, an SAR shall be exercisable only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. An SAR shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in its discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award, a Tandem SAR related to a Nonstatutory Stock Option or a Freestanding SAR shall be assignable or transferable subject to the applicable limitations, if any, described in the General Instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act. 8. RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS. Restricted Stock Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying whether the Award is a Restricted Stock Bonus or a Restricted Stock Purchase Right and the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall establish. Such Award Agreements may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions: 8.1 Types of Restricted Stock Awards Authorized. Restricted Stock Awards may be granted in the form of either a Restricted Stock Bonus or a Restricted Stock Purchase Right. Restricted Stock Awards may be granted upon such conditions as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals described in Section 10.4. If either the grant of or satisfaction of Vesting Conditions applicable to a Restricted Stock Award is to be contingent upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals, the Committee shall follow procedures substantially equivalent to those set forth in Sections 10.3 through 10.5(a).


 
19 8.2 Purchase Price. The purchase price for shares of Stock issuable under each Restricted Stock Purchase Right shall be established by the Committee in its discretion. No monetary payment (other than applicable tax withholding) shall be required as a condition of receiving shares of Stock pursuant to a Restricted Stock Bonus, the consideration for which shall be services actually rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if required by applicable state corporate law, the Participant shall furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit having a value not less than the par value of the shares of Stock subject to a Restricted Stock Award. 8.3 Purchase Period. A Restricted Stock Purchase Right shall be exercisable within a period established by the Committee, which shall in no event exceed thirty (30) days from the effective date of the grant of the Restricted Stock Purchase Right. 8.4 Payment of Purchase Price. Except as otherwise provided below, payment of the purchase price for the number of shares of Stock being purchased pursuant to any Restricted Stock Purchase Right shall be made (a) in cash, by check or in cash equivalent, (b) by such other consideration as may be approved by the Committee from time to time to the extent permitted by applicable law, or (c) by any combination thereof. 8.5 Vesting and Restrictions on Transfer. Shares issued pursuant to any Restricted Stock Award may (but need not) be made subject to Vesting Conditions based upon the satisfaction of such Service requirements, conditions, restrictions or performance criteria, including, without limitation, Performance Goals as described in Section 10.4, as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award. During any period in which shares acquired pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award remain subject to Vesting Conditions, such shares may not be sold, exchanged, transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise disposed of other than pursuant to an Ownership Change Event or as provided in Section 8.8. The Committee, in its discretion, may provide in any Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Award that, if the satisfaction of Vesting Conditions with respect to any shares subject to such Restricted Stock Award would otherwise occur on a day on which the sale of such shares would violate the provisions of the Trading Compliance Policy, then satisfaction of the Vesting Conditions automatically shall be determined on the next trading day on which the sale of such shares would not violate the Trading Compliance Policy. Upon request by the Company, each Participant shall execute any agreement evidencing such transfer restrictions prior to the receipt of shares of Stock hereunder and shall promptly present to the Company any and all certificates representing shares of Stock acquired hereunder for the placement on such certificates of appropriate legends evidencing any such transfer restrictions. 8.6 Voting Rights; Dividends and Distributions. Except as provided in this Section, Section 8.5 and any Award Agreement, during any period in which shares acquired pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award remain subject to Vesting Conditions, the Participant shall have all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company holding shares of Stock, including the right to vote such shares and to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such shares; provided, however, that if so determined by the Committee and provided by the Award Agreement, such dividends and distributions shall be subject to the same Vesting Conditions as the shares subject to the Restricted Stock Award with respect to which such


 
20 dividends or distributions were paid, and otherwise shall be paid no later than the end of the calendar year in which such dividends or distributions are paid to stockholders (or, if later, the 15th day of the third month following the date such dividends or distributions are paid to stockholders). In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant is entitled by reason of the Participant’s Restricted Stock Award shall be immediately subject to the same Vesting Conditions as the shares subject to the Restricted Stock Award with respect to which such dividends or distributions were paid or adjustments were made. 8.7 Effect of Termination of Service. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in the Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Award, if a Participant’s Service terminates for any reason, whether voluntary or involuntary (including the Participant’s death or disability), then (a) the Company shall have the option to repurchase for the purchase price paid by the Participant any shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to a Restricted Stock Purchase Right which remain subject to Vesting Conditions as of the date of the Participant’s termination of Service and (b) the Participant shall forfeit to the Company any shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to a Restricted Stock Bonus which remain subject to Vesting Conditions as of the date of the Participant’s termination of Service. The Company shall have the right to assign at any time any repurchase right it may have, whether or not such right is then exercisable, to one or more persons as may be selected by the Company. 8.8 Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Award Rights. Rights to acquire shares of Stock pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or the laws of descent and distribution. All rights with respect to a Restricted Stock Award granted to a Participant hereunder shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. 9. RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS. Restricted Stock Unit Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of Restricted Stock Units subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall establish. Such Award Agreements may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions: 9.1 Grant of Restricted Stock Unit Awards. Restricted Stock Unit Awards may be granted upon such conditions as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals described in Section 10.4. If either the grant of a Restricted Stock Unit Award or the Vesting Conditions with respect to such Award is to be contingent upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals, the Committee shall follow procedures substantially equivalent to those set forth in Sections 10.3 through 10.5(a).


 
21 9.2 Purchase Price. No monetary payment (other than applicable tax withholding, if any) shall be required as a condition of receiving a Restricted Stock Unit Award, the consideration for which shall be services actually rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if required by applicable state corporate law, the Participant shall furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit having a value not less than the par value of the shares of Stock issued upon settlement of the Restricted Stock Unit Award. 9.3 Vesting. Restricted Stock Unit Awards may (but need not) be made subject to Vesting Conditions based upon the satisfaction of such Service requirements, conditions, restrictions or performance criteria, including, without limitation, Performance Goals as described in Section 10.4, as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award. 9.4 Voting Rights, Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions. Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to shares of Stock represented by Restricted Stock Units until the date of the issuance of such shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). However, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Restricted Stock Unit Award that the Participant shall be entitled to Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Stock during the period beginning on the date such Award is granted and ending, with respect to each share subject to the Award, on the earlier of the date the Award is settled or the date on which it is terminated. Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be paid by crediting the Participant with a cash amount or with additional whole Restricted Stock Units as of the date of payment of such cash dividends on Stock, as determined by the Committee. The number of additional Restricted Stock Units (rounded to the nearest whole number), if any, to be credited shall be determined by dividing (a) the amount of cash dividends paid on the dividend payment date with respect to the number of shares of Stock represented by the Restricted Stock Units previously credited to the Participant by (b) the Fair Market Value per share of Stock on such date. If so determined by the Committee and provided by the Award Agreement, such cash amount or additional Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to the same terms and conditions and shall be settled in the same manner and at the same time as the Restricted Stock Units originally subject to the Restricted Stock Unit Award. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the Participant’s Restricted Stock Unit Award so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant would be entitled by reason of the shares of Stock issuable upon settlement of the Award, and all such new, substituted or additional securities or other property shall be immediately subject to the same Vesting Conditions as are applicable to the Award. 9.5 Effect of Termination of Service. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Unit Award, if a Participant’s Service terminates for any reason, whether voluntary or involuntary (including the Participant’s death or disability), then the Participant shall forfeit to the Company any Restricted


 
22 Stock Units pursuant to the Award which remain subject to Vesting Conditions as of the date of the Participant’s termination of Service. 9.6 Settlement of Restricted Stock Unit Awards. The Company shall issue to a Participant on the date on which Restricted Stock Units subject to the Participant’s Restricted Stock Unit Award vest or on such other date determined by the Committee in compliance with Section 409A, if applicable, and set forth in the Award Agreement one (1) share of Stock (and/or any other new, substituted or additional securities or other property pursuant to an adjustment described in Section 9.4) for each Restricted Stock Unit then becoming vested or otherwise to be settled on such date, subject to the withholding of applicable taxes, if any. The Committee, in its discretion, may provide in any Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Unit Award that if the settlement date with respect to any shares issuable upon vesting of Restricted Stock Units would otherwise occur on a day on which the sale of such shares would violate the provisions of the Trading Compliance Policy, then the settlement date shall be deferred until the next trading day on which the sale of such shares would not violate the Trading Compliance Policy but in any event no later than the 15th day of the third calendar month following the year in which such Restricted Stock Units vest. If permitted by the Committee, the Participant may elect, consistent with the requirements of Section 409A, to defer receipt of all or any portion of the shares of Stock or other property otherwise issuable to the Participant pursuant to this Section, and such deferred issuance date(s) and amount(s) elected by the Participant shall be set forth in the Award Agreement or an Election (as defined in Section 15.2). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in an Award Agreement for settlement of any Restricted Stock Unit Award by payment to the Participant in cash of an amount equal to the Fair Market Value on the payment date of the shares of Stock or other property otherwise issuable to the Participant pursuant to this Section. 9.7 Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Unit Awards. The right to receive shares pursuant to a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. All rights with respect to a Restricted Stock Unit Award granted to a Participant hereunder shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. 10. PERFORMANCE AWARDS. Performance Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements in such form as the Committee shall establish. Such Award Agreements may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions: 10.1 Types of Performance Awards Authorized. Performance Awards may be granted in the form of either Performance Shares or Performance Units. Each Award Agreement evidencing a Performance Award shall specify the number of Performance Shares or Performance Units subject thereto, the Performance Award Formula, the Performance Goal(s) and Performance Period applicable to the Award, and the other terms, conditions and restrictions of the Award.


 
23 10.2 Initial Value of Performance Shares and Performance Units. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in granting a Performance Award, each Performance Share shall have an initial monetary value equal to the Fair Market Value of one (1) share of Stock, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, on the effective date of grant of the Performance Share, and each Performance Unit shall have an initial monetary value established by the Committee at the time of grant. The final value payable to the Participant in settlement of a Performance Award determined on the basis of the applicable Performance Award Formula will depend on the extent to which Performance Goals established by the Committee are attained within the applicable Performance Period established by the Committee. 10.3 Establishment of Performance Period, Performance Goals and Performance Award Formula. In granting each Performance Award, the Committee shall establish in writing the applicable Performance Period, Performance Award Formula and one or more Performance Goals which, when measured at the end of the Performance Period, shall determine on the basis of the Performance Award Formula the final value of the Performance Award to be paid to the Participant. The Company shall notify each Participant granted a Performance Award of the terms of such Award, including the Performance Period, Performance Goal(s) and Performance Award Formula. 10.4 Measurement of Performance Goals. Performance Goals shall be established by the Committee on the basis of targets to be attained (“Performance Targets”) with respect to one or more measures of business or financial performance or other criteria established by the Committee (each, a “Performance Measure”), subject to the following: (a) Performance Measures. Performance Measures based on objective criteria shall be calculated in accordance with the Company’s financial statements, or, if such measures are not reported in the Company’s financial statements, they shall be calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, a method used generally in the Company’s industry, or in accordance with a methodology established by the Committee prior to the grant of the Performance Award. Performance Measures based on subjective criteria shall be determined on the basis established by the Committee in granting the Award. As specified by the Committee, Performance Measures may be calculated with respect to the Company and each Subsidiary Corporation consolidated therewith for financial reporting purposes, one or more Subsidiary Corporations or such division or other business unit of any of them selected by the Committee. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee prior to the grant of the Performance Award, the Performance Measures applicable to the Performance Award shall be calculated prior to the accrual of expense for any Performance Award for the same Performance Period and excluding the effect (whether positive or negative) on the Performance Measures of any change in accounting standards or any unusual or infrequently occurring event or transaction, as determined by the Committee, occurring after the establishment of the Performance Goals applicable to the Performance Award. Each such adjustment, if any, shall be made solely for the purpose of providing a consistent basis from period to period for the calculation of Performance Measures in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the Participant’s rights with respect to a Performance Award. Performance Measures may be based upon one or more of the following, without limitation, as determined by the Committee: (i) revenue;


 
24 (ii) sales; (iii) expenses; (iv) operating income; (v) gross margin; (vi) operating margin; (vii) earnings before any one or more of: stock-based compensation expense, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; (viii) pre-tax profit; (ix) net operating income; (x) net income; (xi) economic value added; (xii) free cash flow; (xiii) operating cash flow; (xiv) balance of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities; (xv) stock price; (xvi) earnings per share; (xvii) return on stockholder equity; (xviii) return on capital; (xix) return on assets; (xx) return on investment; (xxi) total stockholder return; (xxii) employee satisfaction; (xxiii) employee retention; (xxiv) market share; (xxv) customer satisfaction; (xxvi) product development;


 
25 (xxvii) research and development expenses; (xxviii) completion of an identified special project; (xxix) completion of a joint venture or other corporate transaction; and (xxx) personal performance objectives established for an individual Participant or group of Participants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee retains discretion to select any other Performance Measures whether or not listed herein. (b) Performance Targets. Performance Targets may include a minimum, maximum, target level and intermediate levels of performance, with the final value of a Performance Award determined under the applicable Performance Award Formula by the Performance Target level attained during the applicable Performance Period. A Performance Target may be stated as an absolute value, an increase or decrease in a value, or as a value determined relative to an index, budget or other standard selected by the Committee. 10.5 Settlement of Performance Awards. (a) Determination of Final Value. As soon as practicable following the completion of the Performance Period applicable to a Performance Award, the Committee shall determine the extent to which the applicable Performance Goals have been attained and the resulting final value of the Award earned by the Participant and to be paid upon its settlement in accordance with the applicable Performance Award Formula. (b) Discretionary Adjustment of Award Formula. In its discretion, the Committee may, either at the time it grants a Performance Award or at any time thereafter, provide for the positive or negative adjustment of the Performance Award Formula applicable to a Performance Award to reflect such Participant’s individual performance in his or her position with the Company or such other factors as the Committee may determine. (c) Effect of Leaves of Absence. Unless otherwise required by law or a Participant’s Award Agreement, payment of the final value, if any, of a Performance Award held by a Participant who has taken in excess of thirty (30) days in unpaid leaves of absence during a Performance Period shall be prorated on the basis of the number of days of the Participant’s Service during the Performance Period during which the Participant was not on an unpaid leave of absence. (d) Notice to Participants. As soon as practicable following the Committee’s determination in accordance with Sections 10.5(a) and (b), the Company shall notify each Participant of the determination of the Committee. (e) Payment in Settlement of Performance Awards. As soon as practicable following the Committee’s determination in accordance with Sections 10.5(a) and (b), but in any event within the Short-Term Deferral Period described in Section 15.1 (except as


 
26 otherwise provided below or consistent with the requirements of Section 409A), payment shall be made to each eligible Participant (or such Participant’s legal representative or other person who acquired the right to receive such payment by reason of the Participant’s death) of the final value of the Participant’s Performance Award. Payment of such amount shall be made in cash, shares of Stock, or a combination thereof as determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement evidencing a Performance Award, payment shall be made in a lump sum. If permitted by the Committee, the Participant may elect, consistent with the requirements of Section 409A, to defer receipt of all or any portion of the payment to be made to the Participant pursuant to this Section, and such deferred payment date(s) elected by the Participant shall be set forth in the Award Agreement or an Election. If any payment is to be made on a deferred basis, the Committee may, but shall not be obligated to, provide for the payment during the deferral period of Dividend Equivalent Rights or interest. (f) Provisions Applicable to Payment in Shares. If payment is to be made in shares of Stock, the number of such shares shall be determined by dividing the final value of the Performance Award by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock determined by the method specified in the Award Agreement. Shares of Stock issued in payment of any Performance Award may be fully vested and freely transferable shares or may be shares of Stock subject to Vesting Conditions as provided in Section 8.5. Any shares subject to Vesting Conditions shall be evidenced by an appropriate Award Agreement and shall be subject to the provisions of Sections 8.5 through 8.8 above. 10.6 Voting Rights; Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions. Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to shares of Stock represented by Performance Share Awards until the date of the issuance of such shares, if any (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). However, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Performance Share Award that the Participant shall be entitled to Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Stock during the period beginning on the date the Award is granted and ending, with respect to each share subject to the Award, on the earlier of the date on which the Performance Shares are settled or the date on which they are forfeited. Such Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be credited to the Participant either in cash or in the form of additional whole Performance Shares as of the date of payment of such cash dividends on Stock, as determined by the Committee. The number of additional Performance Shares (rounded to the nearest whole number), if any, to be so credited shall be determined by dividing (a) the amount of cash dividends paid on the dividend payment date with respect to the number of shares of Stock represented by the Performance Shares previously credited to the Participant by (b) the Fair Market Value per share of Stock on such date. Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be accumulated and paid to the extent that the related Performance Shares become nonforfeitable. Settlement of Dividend Equivalent Rights may be made in cash, shares of Stock, or a combination thereof as determined by the Committee, and may be paid on the same basis as settlement of the related Performance Share as provided in Section 10.5. Dividend Equivalent Rights shall not be paid with respect to Performance Units. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the Participant’s Performance Share Award so that


 
27 it represents the right to receive upon settlement any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant would be entitled by reason of the shares of Stock issuable upon settlement of the Performance Share Award, and all such new, substituted or additional securities or other property shall be immediately subject to the same Performance Goals as are applicable to the Award. 10.7 Effect of Termination of Service. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing a Performance Award, the effect of a Participant’s termination of Service on the Performance Award shall be as follows: (a) Death or Disability. If the Participant’s Service terminates because of the death or Disability of the Participant before the completion of the Performance Period applicable to the Performance Award, the final value of the Participant’s Performance Award shall be determined by the extent to which the applicable Performance Goals have been attained with respect to the entire Performance Period and shall be prorated based on the number of months of the Participant’s Service during the Performance Period. Payment shall be made following the end of the Performance Period in any manner permitted by Section 10.5. (b) Other Termination of Service. If the Participant’s Service terminates for any reason except death or Disability before the completion of the Performance Period applicable to the Performance Award, such Award shall be forfeited in its entirety; provided, however, that in the event of an involuntary termination of the Participant’s Service, the Committee, in its discretion, may waive the automatic forfeiture of all or any portion of any such Award and determine the final value of the Performance Award in the manner provided by Section 10.7(a). Payment of any amount pursuant to this Section shall be made following the end of the Performance Period in any manner permitted by Section 10.5. 10.8 Nontransferability of Performance Awards. Prior to settlement in accordance with the provisions of the Plan, no Performance Award shall be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. All rights with respect to a Performance Award granted to a Participant hereunder shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. 11. CASH-BASED AWARDS AND OTHER STOCK-BASED AWARDS. Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements in such form as the Committee shall establish. Such Award Agreements may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions: 11.1 Grant of Cash-Based Awards. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Cash-Based Awards to Participants in such amounts and upon such terms and conditions, including the achievement of performance criteria, as the Committee may determine.


 
28 11.2 Grant of Other Stock-Based Awards. The Committee may grant other types of equity-based or equity-related Awards not otherwise described by the terms of this Plan (including the grant or offer for sale of unrestricted securities, stock-equivalent units, stock appreciation units, securities or debentures convertible into common stock or other forms determined by the Committee) in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine. Other Stock-Based Awards may be made available as a form of payment in the settlement of other Awards or as payment in lieu of compensation to which a Participant is otherwise entitled. Other Stock-Based Awards may involve the transfer of actual shares of Stock to Participants, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of Stock and may include, without limitation, Awards designed to comply with or take advantage of the applicable local laws of jurisdictions other than the United States. 11.3 Value of Cash-Based and Other Stock-Based Awards. Each Cash- Based Award shall specify a monetary payment amount or payment range as determined by the Committee. Each Other Stock-Based Award shall be expressed in terms of shares of Stock or units based on such shares of Stock, as determined by the Committee. The Committee may require the satisfaction of such Service requirements, conditions, restrictions or performance criteria, including, without limitation, Performance Goals as described in Section 10.4, as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award. If the Committee exercises its discretion to establish performance criteria, the final value of Cash-Based Awards or Other Stock-Based Awards that will be paid to the Participant will depend on the extent to which the performance criteria are met. 11.4 Payment or Settlement of Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards. Payment or settlement, if any, with respect to a Cash-Based Award or an Other Stock- Based Award shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Award, in cash, shares of Stock or other securities or any combination thereof as the Committee determines and set forth in the Award Agreement. To the extent applicable, payment or settlement with respect to each Cash- Based Award and Other Stock-Based Award shall be made in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A. 11.5 Voting Rights; Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions. Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to shares of Stock represented by Other Stock-Based Awards until the date of the issuance of such shares of Stock (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), if any, in settlement of such Award. However, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Other Stock-Based Award that the Participant shall be entitled to Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Stock during the period beginning on the date such Award is granted and ending, with respect to each share subject to the Award, on the earlier of the date the Award is settled or the date on which it is terminated. Such Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be paid in accordance with the provisions set forth in Section 9.4. Dividend Equivalent Rights shall not be granted with respect to Cash-Based Awards. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the Participant’s Other Stock-Based Award so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic


 
29 cash dividends) to which the Participant would be entitled by reason of the shares of Stock issuable upon settlement of such Award, and all such new, substituted or additional securities or other property shall be immediately subject to the same Vesting Conditions and performance criteria, if any, as are applicable to the Award. 11.6 Effect of Termination of Service. Each Award Agreement evidencing a Cash-Based Award or Other Stock-Based Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to retain such Award following termination of the Participant’s Service. Such provisions shall be determined in the discretion of the Committee, need not be uniform among all Cash-Based Awards or Other Stock-Based Awards, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination, subject to the requirements of Section 409A, if applicable. 11.7 Nontransferability of Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards. Prior to the payment or settlement of a Cash-Based Award or Other Stock-Based Award, the Award shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. The Committee may impose such additional restrictions on any shares of Stock issued in settlement of Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards as it may deem advisable, including, without limitation, minimum holding period requirements, restrictions under applicable federal securities laws, under the requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such shares of Stock are then listed and/or traded, or under any state securities laws or foreign law applicable to such shares of Stock. 12. STANDARD FORMS OF AWARD AGREEMENT. 12.1 Award Agreements. Each Award shall comply with and be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the appropriate form of Award Agreement approved by the Committee and as amended from time to time. No Award or purported Award shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a Company-executed Award Agreement, which execution may be evidenced by electronic means. 12.2 Authority to Vary Terms. The Committee shall have the authority from time to time to vary the terms of any standard form of Award Agreement either in connection with the grant or amendment of an individual Award or in connection with the authorization of a new standard form or forms; provided, however, that the terms and conditions of any such new, revised or amended standard form or forms of Award Agreement are not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan. 13. CHANGE IN CONTROL. 13.1 Effect of Change in Control on Awards. In the event of a Change in Control, outstanding Awards shall be subject to the definitive agreement entered into by the Company in connection with the Change in Control. Subject to the requirements and limitations of Section 409A, if applicable, the Committee may provide in an Award Agreement or otherwise for any one or more of the following:


 
30 (a) Accelerated Vesting. In its discretion, the Committee may provide in the grant of any Award or at any other time may take such action as it deems appropriate to provide for acceleration of the exercisability, vesting and/or settlement in connection with a Change in Control of each or any outstanding Award or portion thereof and shares acquired pursuant thereto upon such conditions, including termination of the Participant’s Service prior to, upon, or following the Change in Control, and to such extent as the Committee determines. (b) Assumption, Continuation or Substitution. In the event of a Change in Control, the surviving, continuing, successor, or purchasing corporation or other business entity or parent thereof, as the case may be (the “Acquiror”), may, without the consent of any Participant, assume or continue the Company’s rights and obligations under each or any Award or portion thereof outstanding immediately prior to the Change in Control or substitute for each or any such outstanding Award or portion thereof a substantially equivalent award with respect to the Acquiror’s stock, as applicable, with appropriate adjustments in accordance with Section 4.3. For purposes of this Section, if so determined by the Committee in its discretion, an Award denominated in shares of Stock shall be deemed assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to receive, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, for each share of Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, other securities or property or a combination thereof) to which a holder of a share of Stock on the effective date of the Change in Control was entitled (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Stock); provided, however, that if such consideration is not solely common stock of the Acquiror, the Committee may, with the consent of the Acquiror, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise or settlement of the Award, for each share of Stock subject to the Award, to consist solely of common stock of the Acquiror equal in Fair Market Value to the per share consideration received by holders of Stock pursuant to the Change in Control. Any Award or portion thereof which is neither assumed or continued by the Acquiror in connection with the Change in Control nor exercised or settled as of the time of consummation of the Change in Control shall terminate and cease to be outstanding effective as of the time of consummation of the Change in Control. (c) Cash-Out of Outstanding Stock-Based Awards. The Committee may, in its discretion and without the consent of any Participant, determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, each or any Award denominated in shares of Stock or portion thereof outstanding immediately prior to the Change in Control and not previously exercised or settled shall be canceled in exchange for a payment with respect to each vested share (and each unvested share, if so determined by the Committee) of Stock subject to such canceled Award in (i) cash, (ii) stock of the Company or of a corporation or other business entity a party to the Change in Control, or (iii) other property which, in any such case, shall be in an amount having a Fair Market Value equal to the Fair Market Value of the consideration to be paid per share of Stock in the Change in Control, reduced (but not below zero) by the exercise or purchase price per share, if any, under such Award. In the event such determination is made by the Committee, an Award having an exercise or purchase price per share equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of the consideration to be paid per share of Stock in the Change in Control may be canceled without notice or payment of consideration to the holder thereof. Payment pursuant to


 
31 this Section (reduced by applicable withholding taxes, if any) shall be made to Participants in respect of the vested portions of their canceled Awards as soon as practicable following the date of the Change in Control and in respect of the unvested portions of their canceled Awards in accordance with the vesting schedules applicable to such Awards or, if determined by the Committee and in compliance with Section 409A, as soon as practicable following the date of the Change in Control. (d) Adjustments and Earnouts. In making any determination pursuant to this Section 13.1 in the event of a Change in Control, the Committee may, in its discretion, determine that an Award shall or shall not be subject to the same post-closing purchase price adjustments, escrow terms, offset rights, holdback terms, earnouts and similar conditions as the other holders of the Company's Stock, subject to any limitations or reductions as may be necessary to comply with Section 409A or Section 424 of the Code. 13.2 Effect of Change in Control on Nonemployee Director Awards. Subject to the requirements and limitations of Section 409A, if applicable, including as provided by Section 15.4(f), in the event of a Change in Control, each outstanding Nonemployee Director Award shall become immediately exercisable and vested in full and, except to the extent assumed, continued or substituted for pursuant to Section 13.1(b) or otherwise restricted by Section 409A, shall be settled effective immediately prior to the time of consummation of the Change in Control. 13.3 Federal Excise Tax Under Section 4999 of the Code. (a) Excess Parachute Payment. If any acceleration of vesting pursuant to an Award and any other payment or benefit received or to be received by a Participant would subject the Participant to any excise tax pursuant to Section 4999 of the Code due to the characterization of such acceleration of vesting, payment or benefit as an “excess parachute payment” under Section 280G of the Code, then, provided such election would not subject the Participant to taxation under Section 409A, the Participant may elect to reduce the amount of any acceleration of vesting called for under the Award in order to avoid such characterization. (b) Determination by Tax Firm. To aid the Participant in making any election called for under Section 13.3(a), no later than the date of the occurrence of any event that might reasonably be anticipated to result in an “excess parachute payment” to the Participant as described in Section 13.3(a), the Company shall request a determination in writing by the professional firm engaged by the Company for general tax purposes, or, if the tax firm so engaged by the Company is serving as accountant or auditor for the Acquiror, the Company will appoint a nationally recognized tax firm to make the determinations required by this Section (the “Tax Firm”). As soon as practicable thereafter, the Tax Firm shall determine and report to the Company and the Participant the amount of such acceleration of vesting, payments and benefits which would produce the greatest after-tax benefit to the Participant. For the purposes of such determination, the Tax Firm may rely on reasonable, good faith interpretations concerning the application of Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code. The Company and the Participant shall furnish to the Tax Firm such information and documents as the Tax Firm may reasonably request


 
32 in order to make its required determination. The Company shall bear all fees and expenses the Tax Firm charges in connection with its services contemplated by this Section. 14. COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITIES LAW. The grant of Awards and the issuance of shares of Stock pursuant to any Award shall be subject to compliance with all applicable requirements of federal, state and foreign law with respect to such securities and the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Stock may then be listed. In addition, no Award may be exercised or shares issued pursuant to an Award unless (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act shall at the time of such exercise or issuance be in effect with respect to the shares issuable pursuant to the Award, or (b) in the opinion of legal counsel to the Company, the shares issuable pursuant to the Award may be issued in accordance with the terms of an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The inability of the Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any shares under the Plan shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained. As a condition to issuance of any Stock, the Company may require the Participant to satisfy any qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate, to evidence compliance with any applicable law or regulation and to make any representation or warranty with respect thereto as may be requested by the Company. 15. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 409A. 15.1 Awards Subject to Section 409A. The Company intends that Awards granted pursuant to the Plan shall either be exempt from or comply with Section 409A, and the Plan shall be so construed. The provisions of this Section 15 shall apply to any Award or portion thereof that constitutes or provides for payment of Section 409A Deferred Compensation. Such Awards may include, without limitation: (a) A Nonstatutory Stock Option or SAR that includes any feature for the deferral of compensation other than the deferral of recognition of income until the later of (i) the exercise or disposition of the Award or (ii) the time the stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Award first becomes substantially vested. (b) Any Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award, Cash- Based Award or Other Stock-Based Award that either (i) provides by its terms for settlement of all or any portion of the Award at a time or upon an event that will or may occur later than the end of the Short-Term Deferral Period (as defined below) or (ii) permits the Participant granted the Award to elect one or more dates or events upon which the Award will be settled after the end of the Short-Term Deferral Period. Subject to the provisions of Section 409A, the term “Short-Term Deferral Period” means the 2 1/2 month period ending on the later of (i) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Participant’s taxable year in which the right to payment under the applicable portion of the Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture or (ii) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Company’s taxable year in which the right to payment


 
33 under the applicable portion of the Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. For this purpose, the term “substantial risk of forfeiture” shall have the meaning provided by Section 409A. 15.2 Deferral and/or Distribution Elections. Except as otherwise permitted or required by Section 409A and the Company, the following rules shall apply to any compensation deferral and/or payment elections (each, an “Election”) that may be permitted or required by the Committee pursuant to an Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation: (a) Elections must be in writing and specify the amount of the payment in settlement of an Award being deferred, as well as the time and form of payment as permitted by this Plan. (b) Elections shall be made by the end of the Participant’s taxable year prior to the year in which services commence for which an Award may be granted to the Participant. (c) Elections shall continue in effect until a written revocation or change in Election is received by the Company, except that a written revocation or change in Election must be received by the Company prior to the last day for making the Election determined in accordance with paragraph (b) above or as permitted by Section 15.3. 15.3 Subsequent Elections. Except as otherwise permitted or required by Section 409A, any Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation which permits a subsequent Election to delay the payment or change the form of payment in settlement of such Award shall comply with the following requirements: (a) No subsequent Election may take effect until at least twelve (12) months after the date on which the subsequent Election is made. (b) Each subsequent Election related to a payment in settlement of an Award not described in Section 15.4(a)(ii), 15.4(a)(iii) or 15.4(a)(vi) must result in a delay of the payment for a period of not less than five (5) years from the date on which such payment would otherwise have been made. (c) No subsequent Election related to a payment pursuant to Section 15.4(a)(vi) shall be made less than twelve (12) months before the date on which such payment would otherwise have been made. (d) Subsequent Elections shall continue in effect until a written revocation or change in the subsequent Election is received by the Company, except that a written revocation or change in a subsequent Election must be received by the Company prior to the last day for making the subsequent Election determined in accordance the preceding paragraphs of this Section 15.3. 15.4 Payment of Section 409A Deferred Compensation.


 
34 (a) Permissible Payments. Except as otherwise permitted or required by Section 409A, an Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation must provide for payment in settlement of the Award only upon one or more of the following: (i) The Participant’s “separation from service” (as defined by Section 409A); (ii) The Participant’s becoming “disabled” (as defined by Section 409A); (iii) The Participant’s death; (iv) A time or fixed schedule that is either (i) specified by the Committee upon the grant of an Award and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award or (ii) specified by the Participant in an Election complying with the requirements of Section 15.2 or 15.3, as applicable; (v) A change in the ownership or effective control or the Company or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company determined in accordance with Section 409A; or (vi) The occurrence of an “unforeseeable emergency” (as defined by Section 409A). (b) Installment Payments. It is the intent of this Plan that any right of a Participant to receive installment payments (within the meaning of Section 409A) shall, for all purposes of Section 409A, be treated as a right to a series of separate payments. (c) Required Delay in Payment to Specified Employee Pursuant to Separation from Service. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, except as otherwise permitted by Section 409A, no payment pursuant to Section 15.4(a)(i) in settlement of an Award providing for Section 409A Deferred Compensation may be made to a Participant who is a “specified employee” (as defined by Section 409A) as of the date of the Participant’s separation from service before the date (the “Delayed Payment Date”) that is six (6) months after the date of such Participant’s separation from service, or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death. All such amounts that would, but for this paragraph, become payable prior to the Delayed Payment Date shall be accumulated and paid on the Delayed Payment Date. (d) Payment Upon Disability. All distributions of Section 409A Deferred Compensation payable pursuant to Section 15.4(a)(ii) by reason of a Participant becoming disabled shall be paid in a lump sum or in periodic installments as established by the Participant’s Election. If the Participant has made no Election with respect to distributions of Section 409A Deferred Compensation upon becoming disabled, all such distributions shall be paid in a lump sum or commence upon the determination that the Participant has become disabled. (e) Payment Upon Death. If a Participant dies before complete distribution of amounts payable upon settlement of an Award subject to Section 409A, such


 
35 undistributed amounts shall be distributed to his or her beneficiary under the distribution method for death established by the Participant’s Election upon receipt by the Committee of satisfactory notice and confirmation of the Participant’s death. If the Participant has made no Election with respect to distributions of Section 409A Deferred Compensation upon death, all such distributions shall be paid in a lump sum upon receipt by the Committee of satisfactory notice and confirmation of the Participant’s death. (f) Payment Upon Change in Control. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, to the extent that any amount constituting Section 409A Deferred Compensation would become payable under this Plan by reason of a Change in Control, such amount shall become payable only if the event constituting a Change in Control would also constitute a change in ownership or effective control of the Company or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company within the meaning of Section 409A. Any Award which constitutes Section 409A Deferred Compensation and which would vest and otherwise become payable upon a Change in Control as a result of the failure of the Acquiror to assume, continue or substitute for such Award in accordance with Section 13.1(b) shall vest to the extent provided by such Award but shall be converted automatically at the effective time of such Change in Control into a right to receive, in cash on the date or dates such award would have been settled in accordance with its then existing settlement schedule (or as required by Section 15.4(c)), an amount or amounts equal in the aggregate to the intrinsic value of the Award at the time of the Change in Control. (g) Payment Upon Unforeseeable Emergency. The Committee shall have the authority to provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Award providing for Section 409A Deferred Compensation for payment pursuant to Section 15.4(a)(vi) in settlement of all or a portion of such Award in the event that a Participant establishes, to the satisfaction of the Committee, the occurrence of an unforeseeable emergency. In such event, the amount(s) distributed with respect to such unforeseeable emergency cannot exceed the amounts reasonably necessary to satisfy the emergency need plus amounts necessary to pay taxes reasonably anticipated as a result of such distribution(s), after taking into account the extent to which such emergency need is or may be relieved through reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise, by liquidation of the Participant’s assets (to the extent the liquidation of such assets would not itself cause severe financial hardship) or by cessation of deferrals under the Award. All distributions with respect to an unforeseeable emergency shall be made in a lump sum upon the Committee’s determination that an unforeseeable emergency has occurred. The Committee’s decision with respect to whether an unforeseeable emergency has occurred and the manner in which, if at all, the payment in settlement of an Award shall be altered or modified, shall be final, conclusive, and not subject to approval or appeal. (h) Prohibition of Acceleration of Payments. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, this Plan does not permit the acceleration of the time or schedule of any payment under an Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation, except as permitted by Section 409A. (i) No Representation Regarding Section 409A Compliance. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Company makes no representation that


 
36 Awards shall be exempt from or comply with Section 409A. No Participating Company shall be liable for any tax, penalty or interest imposed on a Participant by Section 409A. 16. TAX WITHHOLDING. 16.1 Tax Withholding in General. The Company shall have the right to deduct from any and all payments made under the Plan, or to require the Participant, through payroll withholding, cash payment or otherwise, to make adequate provision for, the federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including social insurance), if any, required by law to be withheld by any Participating Company with respect to an Award or the shares acquired pursuant thereto. The Company shall have no obligation to deliver shares of Stock, to release shares of Stock from an escrow established pursuant to an Award Agreement, or to make any payment in cash under the Plan until the Participating Company Group’s tax withholding obligations have been satisfied by the Participant. 16.2 Withholding in or Directed Sale of Shares. The Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to deduct from the shares of Stock issuable to a Participant upon the exercise or settlement of an Award, or to accept from the Participant the tender of, a number of whole shares of Stock having a Fair Market Value, as determined by the Company, equal to all or any part of the tax withholding obligations of any Participating Company. The Fair Market Value of any shares of Stock withheld or tendered to satisfy any such tax withholding obligations shall not exceed the amount determined by the applicable minimum statutory withholding rates (or the maximum individual statutory withholding rates for the applicable jurisdiction if use of such rates would not result in adverse accounting consequences or cost). The Company may require a Participant to direct a broker, upon the vesting, exercise or settlement of an Award, to sell a portion of the shares subject to the Award determined by the Company in its discretion to be sufficient to cover the tax withholding obligations of any Participating Company and to remit an amount equal to such tax withholding obligations to such Participating Company in cash. 17. AMENDMENT, SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF PLAN. The Committee may amend, suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. However, without the approval of the Company’s stockholders, there shall be (a) no increase in the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan (except by operation of the provisions of Sections 4.2 and 4.3, (b) no change in the class of persons eligible to receive Incentive Stock Options, and (c) no other amendment of the Plan that would require approval of the Company’s stockholders under any applicable law, regulation or rule, including the rules of any stock exchange or quotation system upon which the Stock may then be listed or quoted. No amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan shall affect any then outstanding Award unless expressly provided by the Committee. Except as provided by the next sentence, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan may have a materially adverse effect on any then outstanding Award without the consent of the Participant. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement to the contrary, the Committee may, in its sole and absolute discretion and without the consent of any Participant, amend the Plan or any Award Agreement, to take effect retroactively or otherwise, as it deems necessary or advisable for the purpose of conforming the Plan or such Award Agreement to any present or future law, regulation or rule applicable to the Plan, including, but not limited to, Section 409A.


 
37 18. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. 18.1 Repurchase Rights. Shares issued under the Plan may be subject to one or more repurchase options, or other conditions and restrictions as determined by the Committee in its discretion at the time the Award is granted. The Company shall have the right to assign at any time any repurchase right it may have, whether or not such right is then exercisable, to one or more persons as may be selected by the Company. Upon request by the Company, each Participant shall execute any agreement evidencing such transfer restrictions prior to the receipt of shares of Stock hereunder and shall promptly present to the Company any and all certificates representing shares of Stock acquired hereunder for the placement on such certificates of appropriate legends evidencing any such transfer restrictions. 18.2 Forfeiture Events. (a) The Committee may specify in an Award Agreement that the Participant’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Such events may include, but shall not be limited to, termination of Service for Cause or any act by a Participant, whether before or after termination of Service, that would constitute Cause for termination of Service, or any accounting restatement due to material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirements of securities laws as a result of which, and to the extent that, such reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment is required by applicable securities laws. In addition, to the extent that claw-back or similar provisions applicable to Awards are required by applicable law, listing standards and/or policies adopted by the Company, Awards granted under the Plan shall be subject to such provisions. (b) If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company, as a result of misconduct, with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, any Participant who knowingly or through gross negligence engaged in the misconduct, or who knowingly or through gross negligence failed to prevent the misconduct, and any Participant who is one of the individuals subject to automatic forfeiture under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, shall reimburse the Company for (i) the amount of any payment in settlement of an Award received by such Participant during the twelve- (12-) month period following the first public issuance or filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (whichever first occurred) of the financial document embodying such financial reporting requirement, and (ii) any profits realized by such Participant from the sale of securities of the Company during such twelve- (12-) month period. 18.3 Provision of Information. Each Participant shall be given access to information concerning the Company equivalent to that information generally made available to the Company’s common stockholders. 18.4 Rights as Employee, Consultant or Director. No person, even though eligible pursuant to Section 5, shall have a right to be selected as a Participant, or, having been so selected, to be selected again as a Participant. Nothing in the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan shall confer on any Participant a right to remain an Employee, Consultant or Director or


 
38 interfere with or limit in any way any right of a Participating Company to terminate the Participant’s Service at any time. To the extent that an Employee of a Participating Company other than the Company receives an Award under the Plan, that Award shall in no event be understood or interpreted to mean that the Company is the Employee’s employer or that the Employee has an employment relationship with the Company. 18.5 Rights as a Stockholder. A Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares covered by an Award until the date of the issuance of such shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). No adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date such shares are issued, except as provided in Section 4 or another provision of the Plan. 18.6 Delivery of Title to Shares. Subject to any governing rules or regulations, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued the shares of Stock acquired pursuant to an Award and shall deliver such shares to or for the benefit of the Participant by means of one or more of the following: (a) by delivering to the Participant evidence of book entry shares of Stock credited to the account of the Participant, (b) by depositing such shares of Stock for the benefit of the Participant with any broker with which the Participant has an account relationship, or (c) by delivering such shares of Stock to the Participant in certificate form. 18.7 Fractional Shares. The Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares upon the exercise or settlement of any Award. 18.8 Retirement and Welfare Plans. Neither Awards made under this Plan nor shares of Stock or cash paid pursuant to such Awards may be included as “compensation” for purposes of computing the benefits payable to any Participant under any Participating Company’s retirement plans (both qualified and non-qualified) or welfare benefit plans unless such other plan expressly provides that such compensation shall be taken into account in computing a Participant’s benefit. In addition, unless a written employment agreement or other service agreement specifically references Awards, a general reference to “benefits” or a similar term in such agreement shall not be deemed to refer to Awards granted hereunder. 18.9 Beneficiary Designation. Subject to local laws and procedures, each Participant may file with the Company a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any benefit under the Plan to which the Participant is entitled in the event of such Participant’s death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit. Each designation will revoke all prior designations by the same Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Company, and will be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant’s lifetime. If a married Participant designates a beneficiary other than the Participant’s spouse, the effectiveness of such designation may be subject to the consent of the Participant’s spouse. If a Participant dies without an effective designation of a beneficiary who is living at the time of the Participant’s death, the Company will pay any remaining unpaid benefits to the Participant’s legal representative. 18.10 Severability. If any one or more of the provisions (or any part thereof) of this Plan shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such provision shall be


 
39 modified so as to make it valid, legal and enforceable, and the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions (or any part thereof) of the Plan shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. 18.11 No Constraint on Corporate Action. Nothing in this Plan shall be construed to: (a) limit, impair, or otherwise affect the Company’s or another Participating Company’s right or power to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, or changes of its capital or business structure, or to merge or consolidate, or dissolve, liquidate, sell, or transfer all or any part of its business or assets; or (b) limit the right or power of the Company or another Participating Company to take any action which such entity deems to be necessary or appropriate. 18.12 Unfunded Obligation. Participants shall have the status of general unsecured creditors of the Company. Any amounts payable to Participants pursuant to the Plan shall be considered unfunded and unsecured obligations for all purposes, including, without limitation, Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. No Participating Company shall be required to segregate any monies from its general funds, or to create any trusts, or establish any special accounts with respect to such obligations. The Company shall retain at all times beneficial ownership of any investments, including trust investments, which the Company may make to fulfill its payment obligations hereunder. Any investments or the creation or maintenance of any trust or any Participant account shall not create or constitute a trust or fiduciary relationship between the Committee or any Participating Company and a Participant, or otherwise create any vested or beneficial interest in any Participant or the Participant’s creditors in any assets of any Participating Company. The Participants shall have no claim against any Participating Company for any changes in the value of any assets which may be invested or reinvested by the Company with respect to the Plan. 18.13 Choice of Law. Except to the extent governed by applicable federal law, the validity, interpretation, construction and performance of the Plan and each Award Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law rules. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned Secretary of the Company certifies that the foregoing sets forth the Amended and Restated AEye, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan as duly adopted by the Board on March 8, 2023. /s/ Andrew S. Hughes Andrew S. Hughes, Secretary


 
Document

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Matthew Fisch, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of AEye, Inc.;

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

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

4.The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

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

(b)Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and




5.The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 11, 2023
By: /s/ Matthew Fisch            
Matthew Fisch
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

Document

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Conor Tierney, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of AEye, Inc.;

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

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

4.The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

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

(b)Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and




5.The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 11, 2023
By: /s/ Conor Tierney                
Conor Tierney
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)

Document

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

With reference to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of AEye, Inc. (the “Company”) for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report), the undersigned, Matthew Fisch, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that information contained in such Report fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

Date: May 11, 2023
By: /s/ Matthew Fisch            
Matthew Fisch
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)



With reference to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of AEye, Inc. (the “Company”) for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report), the undersigned, Conor Tierney, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that information contained in such Report fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

Date: May 11, 2023
By: /s/ Conor Tierney            
Conor Tierney
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)


This certification accompanies the Form 10-Q to which it relates, is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of AEye, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of the Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.