STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION |
11. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION In January 2020, Legacy EQRx’s board of directors and stockholders adopted the 2019 Stock Option and Grant Plan (the “2019 Plan”), which was assumed in the December 2021 Business Combination. On December 16, 2021, the Company’s board of directors and its stockholders adopted the 2021 Option Grant and Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), which became effective upon the closing of the December 2021 Business Combination. The 2021 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, restricted stock units, or any combination of the foregoing to employees, board members, consultants and advisors. Upon completion of the December 2021 Business Combination, the Company ceased issuing awards under the 2019 Plan. The total number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2021 Plan was 59,353,357 at plan adoption (“Share Reserve”). The 2021 Plan provides that the Share Reserve will automatically increase on January 1, 2022 and each January 1 thereafter, by 5% of the outstanding number of shares of common stock on the immediately preceding December 31 or such lesser number of shares as determined by the Compensation and Talent Development Committee (the “Annual Increase”). Share limits under the 2021 Plan are subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split, stock dividend or other change in the Company’s capitalization. The shares of common stock underlying any awards that are forfeited, cancelled, held back upon exercise or settlement of an award to satisfy the exercise price or tax withholding, reacquired by the Company prior to vesting, satisfied without the issuance of stock, expire or are otherwise terminated (other than by exercise) under each of the 2021 Plan and the 2019 Plan will be added back to the Share Reserve. As of September 30, 2023, 93,723,829 shares remained available for future grant under the 2021 Plan, subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement. Stock-based compensation expense included in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss was as follows (in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three months ended September 30, | | Nine months ended September 30, | | | 2023 | | 2022 | | 2023 | | 2022 | Stock options, restricted stock units and restricted common stock | | $ | 5,598 | | $ | 6,014 | | $ | 18,304 | | $ | 16,079 | Earn-Out Shares | | | (729) | | | 3,418 | | | 947 | | | 16,247 | Total stock-based compensation | | $ | 4,869 | | $ | 9,432 | | $ | 19,251 | | $ | 32,326 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Research and development | | $ | 1,326 | | $ | 3,056 | | $ | 6,501 | | $ | 10,529 | General and administrative | | | 3,470 | | | 6,376 | | | 12,484 | | | 21,797 | Restructuring | | | 73 | | | — | | | 266 | | | — | Total stock-based compensation | | $ | 4,869 | | $ | 9,432 | | $ | 19,251 | | $ | 32,326 |
Stock Options Stock options granted under the 2021 Plan generally vest over four years and expire after ten years, although options have been granted with vesting terms less than four years. A summary of stock option activity for employee and nonemployee awards during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 is presented below: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Weighted | | | | | | | | | | | Average | | Aggregate | | | | | Weighted- | | Remaining | | Intrinsic | | | | | Average | | Contractual | | Value | | | | | Exercise | | Term | | (in | | | Options | | Price | | (years) | | thousands) | Outstanding at December 31, 2022 | | 43,380,290 | | $ | 3.52 | | | | | | Granted | | 148,004 | | | 1.86 | | | | | | Exercised | | (605,544) | | | 0.68 | | | | | | Cancelled/forfeited | | (11,511,220) | | | 3.80 | | | | | | Outstanding at September 30, 2023 | | 31,411,530 | | $ | 3.47 | | 8.04 | | $ | 3,536 | Vested at September 30, 2023 | | 18,684,645 | | $ | 3.37 | | 7.91 | | $ | 2,666 | Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 2023 | | 31,411,530 | | $ | 3.47 | | 8.04 | | $ | 3,536 |
The weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 was $1.14 and $2.12 per share, respectively. The fair value of options that vested during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 was $20.4 million and $14.8 million, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value of options exercised (i.e., the difference between the market price at exercise and the price paid by employees to exercise the option) during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 was $0.8 million and $2.6 million, respectively. In relation to the reductions in force announced in February 2023 and May 2023, the Company’s board of directors modified the terms of 676,543 and 4,111,607 stock options, respectively, that were granted to certain employees during the period from May 2020 to December 2022. Pursuant to the modified terms, the period to exercise vested options was extended from 90 days to 12 months from the date of termination. Further, the vesting of 79,454 and 210,389 of the modified stock options, respectively, was accelerated on a pro-rata basis to the option holders’ service with the Company. The incremental stock-based compensation expense recognized as a result of the modification of the awards during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $0.3 million. As of September 30, 2023, there was $27.0 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options that the Company expects to recognize over a remaining weighted-average period of 2.2 years. Restricted Stock Units A summary of the Company’s restricted stock unit activity for employee awards during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 is presented below: | | | | | | | | | | Weighted- | | | | | Average | | | Number of | | Grant Date | | | Units | | Fair Value | Outstanding at December 31, 2022 | | 825,707 | | $ | 2.15 | Granted | | 3,785,000 | | | 1.84 | Vested | | — | | | — | Forfeited | | (117,583) | | | 2.15 | Outstanding at September 30, 2023 | | 4,493,124 | | $ | 1.89 |
As of September 30, 2023, there was $7.0 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock units that the Company expects to recognize over a remaining weighted-average period of 1.7 years. Restricted Common Stock As of September 30, 2023, the Company had issued a total of: (i) 5,603,522 shares of restricted common stock to employees and advisors of the Company under the 2019 Plan; (ii) 627,000 shares of restricted common stock to a strategic partner outside of the 2019 Plan as partial compensation for future services; and (iii) 34,865,902 shares of restricted common stock to its founders, employees and advisors outside of the 2019 Plan. All shares of restricted common stock were issued subject to restricted stock purchase agreements between the Company and each purchaser. Pursuant to the restricted stock purchase agreements, the Company, at its discretion, has the right to repurchase unvested shares if the holder’s relationship with the Company is terminated at the lesser of the original purchase price of the shares, or the fair value of the shares at the time of repurchase. The restricted shares are not deemed to be issued for accounting purposes until they vest and are therefore excluded from shares outstanding until the repurchase right lapses and the shares are no longer subject to the repurchase feature. A summary of the Company’s restricted common stock activity and related information during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 is as follows: | | | | | | | | | | Weighted- | | | | | Average | | | Number of | | Grant Date | | | Shares | | Fair Value | Unvested restricted common stock at December 31, 2022 | | 9,827,819 | | $ | 0.15 | Granted | | — | | | — | Forfeited | | (1,566,862) | | | 0.82 | Vested | | (5,685,910) | | | 0.03 | Unvested restricted common stock at September 30, 2023 | | 2,575,047 | | $ | 0.04 |
As of September 30, 2023, there was $0.1 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted common stock that the Company expects to recognize over a remaining weighted-average period of 1.0 years. Earn-Out Shares The following table summarizes the activity associated with Earn-Out Shares accounted for pursuant to ASC 718 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023: | | | | | | | | | | Weighted- | | | | | Average | | | Number of | | Grant Date | | | Shares | | Fair Value | Outstanding at December 31, 2022 | | 7,377,888 | | $ | 5.67 | Granted | | 38,220 | | | 0.17 | Forfeited | | (822,529) | | | 5.67 | Outstanding at September 30, 2023 | | 6,593,579 | | $ | 5.64 |
Shares granted in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 were to reallocate previously forfeited Earn-Out Shares in accordance with the DeSPAC Merger Agreement. As of September 30, 2023, there was $0.9 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to the Earn-Out Shares that the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average period of 1.0 years.
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