SEC Form S-1/A filed by dMY Technology Group, Inc. III (Amendment)

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on October 22, 2021.

Registration No. 333-260008

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 2

TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

IONQ, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware		7374		84-2992192
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

4505 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740

(301) 298-7997

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Thomas Kramer

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

IonQ, Inc.

4505 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740

(301) 298-7997

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

John T. McKenna

Jaime L. Chase

David I. Silverman

Cooley LLP

3175 Hanover Street

Palo Alto, CA 94304

(650) 843-5000

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement is declared effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☒

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities To Be Registered		Amount to be Registered(1)		Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price Per Security		Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price		Amount of Registration Fee
Primary Offering
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share		11,500,000(2)		$9.465(5)		$108,847,500		$10,090.16(5)
Secondary Offering
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share		105,086,092(3)		$9.465(5)		$994,639,861		$92,203.12(5)
Warrants to purchase Common Stock		4,000,000(4)		—		—		—  (6)
Total		116,586,092		$9.465		$1,103,487,361		$102,293.28(7)

(1)

In the event of a stock split, stock dividend or other similar transaction involving the registrant’s common stock, in order to prevent dilution, the number of shares of common stock registered hereby shall be automatically increased to cover the additional shares of common stock in accordance with Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act.

(2)

Consists of (i) 4,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants issued to dMY Sponsor III, LLC in a private placement (the “Private Warrants”) and (ii) 7,500,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants included in the publicly sold units (the “Public Warrants”) to purchase common stock, in each case at an exercise price of $11.50 per share.

(3)

Consists of (i) 34,500,000 shares of common stock issued pursuant to subscription agreements entered into on March 7, 2021, (ii) up to 7,500,000 shares of common stock issued in a private placement to the dMY Initial Stockholders in connection with the initial public offering of dMY, (iii) up to 4,000,000 shares of common stock that may be issued upon exercise of the Private Warrants, (iv) up to 59,086,092 shares of common stock (including shares issuable upon exercise of convertible securities) pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 30, 2021, between us and the selling securityholders granting such holders registration rights with respect to such securities.

(4)	Represents the resale of 4,000,000 Private Warrants.

(5)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act. The price per share and aggregate offering price are based on the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s common stock on October 1, 2021, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

(6)	In accordance with Rule 457(i), the entire registration fee for the Private Warrants is allocated to the shares of common stock underlying the Private Warrants, and no separate fee is payable for the Private Warrants.

(7)	Paid upon the initial filing of this registration statement.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion, Dated October 22, 2021

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

Up to 105,086,092 Shares of Common Stock

Up to 11,500,000 Shares of Common Stock Issuable Upon Exercise of Warrants

Up to 4,000,000 Warrants to Purchase Common Stock

 

 

This prospectus relates to the issuance by us of an aggregate of up to 11,500,000 shares of our common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “common stock”), which consists of (i) up to 4,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants (the “Private Warrants”) originally issued in a private placement to dMY Sponsor III, LLC (the “Sponsor”) in connection with the initial public offering of dMY Technology Group, Inc. III (“dMY”) and (ii) up to 7,500,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants (the “Public Warrants” and, together with the Private Warrants, the “Warrants”) originally issued in the initial public offering of dMY. We will receive the proceeds from any exercise of any Warrants for cash.

This prospectus also relates to the offer and sale from time to time by the selling securityholders named in this prospectus or their permitted transferees (the “selling securityholders”) of (i) up to 105,086,092 shares of common stock consisting of (a) up to 34,500,000 shares of common stock issued in a private placement pursuant to subscription agreements entered into on March 7, 2021, (b) up to 7,500,000 shares of common stock issued in a private placement to the dMY Initial Stockholders in connection with the initial public offering of dMY, (c) up to 4,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Warrants and (d) up to 59,086,092 shares of common stock (including shares issuable upon the exercise of convertible securities) pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 30, 2021, between us and the selling securityholders granting such holders registration rights with respect to such shares and (ii) up to 4,000,000 Private Warrants. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock or Warrants by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus.

The selling securityholders may offer, sell or distribute all or a portion of the securities hereby registered publicly or through private transactions at prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. We will not receive any of the proceeds from such sales of the shares of common stock or Warrants, except with respect to amounts received by us upon exercise of the Warrants. We will bear all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of these securities, including with regard to compliance with state securities or “blue sky” laws. The selling securityholders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to their sale of shares of common stock or Warrants. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution.”

Our common stock and Public Warrants are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols “IONQ” and “IONQ WS,” respectively. On October 20, 2021, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $10.46 per share and the last reported sales price of our Warrants was $3.2250 per warrant.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under U.S. federal securities laws and, as such, have elected to comply with reduced public company reporting requirements. This prospectus complies with the requirements that apply to an issuer that is an emerging growth company.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described in the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus, and under similar headings in any amendments or supplements to this prospectus.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

Prospectus dated                     , 2021

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using the “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling securityholders may, from time to time, sell the securities offered by them described in this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale by such selling securityholders of the securities offered by them described in this prospectus. This prospectus also relates to the issuance by us of the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of any Warrants. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock underlying the Warrants pursuant to this prospectus, except with respect to amounts received by us upon the exercise of the Warrants for cash.

Neither we nor the selling securityholders have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the selling securityholders take responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor the selling securityholders will make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

We may also provide a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement to add information to, or update or change information contained in, this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement together with the additional information to which we refer you in the sections of this prospectus titled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination (as defined herein), IonQ, Inc. changed its name to IonQ Quantum, Inc. On September 30, 2021, IonQ Quantum, Inc., dMY Technology Group, Inc. III and Ion Trap Acquisition Inc. consummated the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination. Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination, a combination of IonQ and dMY Technology Group, Inc. III was effected by the merger of Ion Trap Acquisition Inc. with and into IonQ Quantum, Inc. with IonQ Quantum, Inc. continuing as the surviving corporation. Following the consummation of the Merger (as defined herein), dMY Technology Group, Inc. III changed its name to IonQ, Inc.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this prospectus to the “IonQ,” “Legacy IonQ” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to IonQ Quantum, Inc. prior to the consummation of the Business Combination and IonQ, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary IonQ Quantum, Inc. after the consummation of the Business Combination. References to “dMY” refer to the predecessor company prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our and our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

 

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the expected benefits of the Business Combination;

 

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our financial and business performance following the Business Combination, including financial projections and business metrics;

 

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changes in our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans;

 

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the implementation, market acceptance and success of our business model and growth strategy;

 

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our expectations and forecasts with respect to market opportunity and market growth;

 

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the ability of our products and services to meet customers’ compliance and regulatory needs;

 

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our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and management;

 

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our ability to adapt to changes in consumer preferences, perception and spending habits and develop and expand our product offerings and gain market acceptance of our products, including in new geographies;

 

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our ability to develop and maintain our brand and reputation;

 

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developments and projections relating to our competitors and industry;

 

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the impact of health epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on our business and the actions we may take in response thereto;

 

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the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer demands for cloud services;

 

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our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection and not infringe on the rights of others;

 

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expectations regarding the time during which we will be an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act (as defined below);

 

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our future capital requirements and sources and uses of cash;

 

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our ability to obtain funding for our operations and future growth; and

 

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our business, expansion plans and opportunities.

These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this prospectus, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and such statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
Prospectus Summary			1
Risk Factors			7
Market and Industry Data			37
Use of Proceeds			38
Market Information for Securities and Dividend Policy			40
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			41
Business			56
Management			74
Executive Compensation			81
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions			95
Principal Stockholders			101
Selling Securityholders			103
Description of Capital Stock			112
Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences			122
Plan of Distribution			128
Legal Matters			131
Experts			131
Where You Can Find More Information			131
Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information			132
Index to Financial Statements			F-1

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any supplement to this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither we nor the selling securityholders have authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or information different from that contained in this prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The selling securityholders are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

For investors outside of the United States: Neither we nor the selling securityholders, have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

“Business Combination” means the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including, among other things, the Merger.

“Closing” means the consummation of the Business Combination.

“Closing Price” means, for each day that the common stock is trading on the NYSE, the closing price (based on such trading day) of shares of common stock on the NYSE.

“dMY” means dMY Technology Group, Inc. III, a Delaware corporation (which was renamed IonQ, Inc. in connection with the Business Combination).

“dMY IPO” means dMY’s initial public offering, consummated on November 17, 2020, through the sale of 30,000,000 Public Units (including 2,500,000 Public Units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ partial exercise of their over-allotment option) at $10.00 per Public Unit.

“dMY Initial Stockholders” means each of the Sponsor, Niccolo de Masi, Harry You, Darla Anderson, Francesca Luthi and Charles E. Wert.

“Founder Shares” means the 7,500,000 shares of common stock held by the dMY Initial Stockholders.

“ Legacy IonQ” means IonQ Quantum, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (formerly known as IonQ, Inc.)

“Merger” means the merger of Merger Sub with and into IonQ, with IonQ continuing as the Surviving Corporation.

“Merger Agreement” means that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 7, 2021, by and among dMY, Merger Sub and IonQ.

“Merger Sub” means Ion Trap Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of dMY.

“Merger Sub Common Stock” means Merger Sub’s common stock, par value $0.00001 per share.

“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange.

“PIPE Investment” means that certain private placement in the aggregate amount of $345.0 million, consummated immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, pursuant to those certain Subscription Agreements with dMY, and subject to the conditions set forth therein, pursuant to which the subscribers purchased 34,500,000 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $10.00 per share.

“PIPE Investors” means persons that entered into subscription agreements to purchase for cash shares of common stock pursuant to the PIPE Investment.

“PIPE Shares” means an aggregate of 34,500,000 shares of common stock issued to the subscribers in the PIPE Investment.

“Private Warrants” means the 4,000,000 warrants held by the Sponsor that were issued to the Sponsor at the closing of the dMY IPO, each of which is exercisable for one share of common stock, in accordance with its terms.

“Public Warrants” means the 7,500,000 warrants included as a component of the dMY units sold in the dMY IPO, each of which is exercisable for one share of common stock, in accordance with its terms.

“Registration Rights Agreement” means that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 30, 2021, between and among IonQ and certain securityholders who are parties thereto.

“Sponsor” means dMY Sponsor III, LLC.

“Warrants” means the Private Warrants and the Public Warrants.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, including our financial statements and related notes appearing at the end of this prospectus and in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding to invest in our securities. If any of the events or developments described below were to occur, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Status as an Early Stage Company

We are an early stage company and have a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to forecast our future results of operations.

We were founded in 2015 and first offered our Quantum Computer as a Service (“QCaaS”) and professional services related to training on our quantum computing systems in 2020 and 2019, respectively. As a result of our limited operating history, our ability to accurately forecast our future results of operations is limited and subject to a number of uncertainties, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. Our ability to generate revenues will largely be dependent on our ability to develop and produce quantum computers with increasing numbers of algorithmic qubits. We have only commercialized a quantum computer with 11 algorithmic qubits. As a result, our scalable business model has not been formed and our technical roadmap may not be realized as quickly as hoped, or even at all. The development of our scalable business model will likely require the incurrence of a substantially higher level of costs than incurred to date, while our revenues will not substantially increase until more powerful, scalable computers are produced, which requires a number of technological advancements which may not occur on the currently anticipated timetable or at all. As a result, our historical results should not be considered indicative of our future performance. Further, in future periods, our growth could slow or decline for a number of reasons, including but not limited to slowing demand for our QCaaS, increased competition, changes to technology, inability to scale up our technology, a decrease in the growth of the overall market, or our failure, for any reason, to continue to take advantage of growth opportunities.

We have also encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties and our future growth are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating and financial results could differ materially from our expectations, and our business could suffer. Our success as a business ultimately relies upon fundamental research and development breakthroughs in the coming years and decade. There is no certainty these research and development milestones will be achieved as quickly as hoped, or even at all.

We have a history of operating losses and expect to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future.

We incurred net losses of $15.4 million and $17.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively. As of June 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $56.9 million. We believe that we will continue to incur operating and net losses each quarter until at least the time we begin significant production of our quantum computers, which is not expected to occur until 2025, at the earliest, and may occur later, or never. Even with significant production, such production may never become profitable.

We expect the rate at which we will incur losses to be significantly higher in future periods as we, among other things, continue to incur significant expenses in connection with the design, development and manufacturing of our quantum computers; and as we expand our research and development activities; invest in

 

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manufacturing capabilities; build up inventories of components for our quantum computers; increase our sales and marketing activities; develop our distribution infrastructure; and increase our general and administrative functions to support our growing operations and being a public company. We may find that these efforts are more expensive than we currently anticipate or that these efforts may not result in revenues, which would further increase our losses. If we are unable to achieve and/or sustain profitability, or if we are unable to achieve the growth that we expect from these investments, it could have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our business model is unproven and may never allow us to cover our costs.

We may not be able to scale our business quickly enough to meet customer and market demand, which could result in lower profitability or cause us to fail to execute on our business strategies.

In order to grow our business, we will need to continually evolve and scale our business and operations to meet customer and market demand. Quantum computing technology has never been sold at large-scale commercial levels. Evolving and scaling our business and operations places increased demands on our management as well as our financial and operational resources to:

 

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effectively manage organizational change;

 

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design scalable processes;

 

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accelerate and/or refocus research and development activities;

 

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expand manufacturing, supply chain and distribution capacity;

 

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increase sales and marketing efforts;

 

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broaden customer-support and services capabilities;

 

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maintain or increase operational efficiencies;

 

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scale support operations in a cost-effective manner;

 

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implement appropriate operational and financial systems;

 

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and maintain effective financial disclosure controls and procedures.

Commercial production of quantum computers may never occur. We have no experience in producing large quantities of our products and are currently constructing advanced generations of our products. As noted above, there are significant technological and logistical challenges associated with developing, producing, marketing, selling and distributing products in the advanced technology industry, including our products, and we may not be able to resolve all of the difficulties that may arise in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. We may not be able to cost-effectively manage production at a scale or quality consistent with customer demand in a timely or economical manner.

Our ability to scale is dependent also upon components we must source from the optical, electronics and semiconductor industries. Shortages or supply interruptions in any of these components will adversely impact our ability to deliver revenues.

The stability of ion traps may prove poorer than hoped, or more difficult to manufacture. It may also prove more difficult or even impossible to reliably entangle/connect ion traps together. Both of these factors would adversely impact scalability and costs of the ion trap system.

If commercial production of our quantum computers commences, our products may contain defects in design and manufacture that may cause them to not perform as expected or that may require repair, recalls and design changes. Our quantum computers are inherently complex and incorporate technology and components that have not been used for other applications and that may contain defects and errors, particularly when first introduced. We have a limited frame of reference from which to evaluate the long-term performance of our

 

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products. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix any defects in our quantum computers prior to the sale to potential consumers. If our products fail to perform as expected, customers may delay deliveries, terminate further orders or initiate product recalls, each of which could adversely affect our sales and brand and could adversely affect our business, prospects and results of operations.

If we cannot evolve and scale our business and operations effectively, we may not be able to execute our business strategies in a cost-effective manner and our business, financial condition, profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate.

Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts, including those we have generated, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The variables that go into the calculation of our market opportunity are subject to change over time, and there is no guarantee that any particular number or percentage of companies covered by our market opportunity estimates will purchase our products at all or generate any particular level of revenue for us. In addition, alternatives to quantum computing may present themselves and if they did, could substantially reduce the market for quantum computing services. Any expansion in our market depends on a number of factors, including the cost, performance, and perceived value associated with quantum computing solutions.

The methodology and assumptions used to estimate market opportunities may differ materially from the methodologies and assumptions previously used to estimate total addressable market. To estimate the size of our market opportunities and our growth rates, we have relied on market reports by leading research and consulting firms. These estimates of total addressable market and growth forecasts are subject to significant uncertainty, are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate and are based on data published by third parties that we have not independently verified. Advances in classical computing may prove more robust for longer than currently anticipated. This could adversely affect the timing of any quantum advantage being achieved, if at all.

Even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

Our success will depend upon our ability to expand, scale our operations, and increase our sales capability. Even if the market in which we compete meets the size estimates and growth forecasted, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

Our growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully scale up manufacturing of our products in sufficient quantity and quality, in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. Unforeseen issues associated with scaling up and constructing quantum computing technology at commercially viable levels could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully market and sell quantum computing technology. We do not have experience with the mass distribution and sale of quantum computing technology. Our growth and long-term success will depend upon the development of our sales and delivery capabilities.

Moreover, because of our unique technology, our customers will require particular support and service functions, some of which are not currently available, and may never be available. If we experience delays in adding such support capacity or servicing our customers efficiently, or experiences unforeseen issues with the reliability of our technology, it could overburden our servicing and support capabilities. Similarly, increasing the number of our products and services would require us to rapidly increase the availability of these services. Failure to adequately support and service our customers may inhibit our growth and ability to expand.

 

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There is no assurance that we will be able to ramp our business to meet our sales, delivery, manufacturing, installation, servicing and quantum computing targets globally, that our projections on which such targets are based will prove accurate or that the pace of growth or coverage of our customer infrastructure network will meet customer expectations. Failure to grow at rates similar to that of the quantum computing industry may adversely affect our operating results and ability to effectively compete within the industry.

We may not manage growth effectively.

If we fail to manage growth effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed. We anticipate that a period of significant expansion will be required to address potential growth. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. Expansion will require significant cash investments and management resources and there is no guarantee that they will generate additional sales of our products or services, or that we will be able to avoid cost overruns or be able to hire additional personnel to support them. In addition, we will also need to ensure our compliance with regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions applicable to the sale, installation and servicing of our products. To manage the growth of our operations and personnel, we must establish appropriate and scalable operational and financial systems, procedures and controls and establish and maintain a qualified finance, administrative and operations staff. We may be unable to acquire the necessary capabilities and personnel required to manage growth or to identify, manage and exploit potential strategic relationships and market opportunities.

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate this material weakness, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, this may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations or cause our access to the capital markets to be impaired.

As a public company, we are required to provide management’s attestation on internal control over financial reporting. Management may not be able to effectively and timely implement controls and procedures that adequately respond to the increased regulatory compliance and reporting requirements. If we are not able to implement the additional requirements of Section 404(a) of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, we may not be able to assess whether our internal control over financial reporting is effective and may fail to provide timely and accurate financial information to investors. This may subject us to adverse regulatory consequences and could harm investor confidence.

In connection with the preparation and audit of our financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, a material weakness was identified in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

A material weakness was identified in our control environment related to our financial statement close process. Specifically,

 

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we lack sufficient accounting and financial reporting personnel with requisite knowledge and experience in the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and SEC rules to facilitate accurate and timely financial reporting. The limited personnel also contributed to a lack of clearly established authorities and approvals and insufficient segregation of duties.

 

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our financial accounting system has limited functionality and does not facilitate effective information technology general controls relevant to financial reporting. Additionally, elements of our close process are managed and processed outside the accounting system, increasing the risk of error.

 

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This material weakness could result in a misstatement of account balances or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

We are implementing measures designed to improve our internal control over financial reporting to remediate this material weaknesses, including the following:

 

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adding additional qualified accounting personnel, establishing defined policies for approval of transactions and segregating duties among accounting personnel; and

 

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upgrading our financial accounting system to one that can support effective information technology general controls as well as the anticipated growth of the business.

These additional resources and policies and procedures are designed to enable us to broaden the scope and quality of our internal review of underlying information related to financial reporting and to formalize and enhance our internal control procedures. With the oversight of senior management, we have begun taking steps and plans to take additional measures to address the underlying causes of the material weakness.

While we are undertaking efforts to remediate this material weakness, the material weakness will not be considered remediated until our remediation plan has been fully implemented, the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and we have concluded, through testing, that the newly implemented and enhanced controls are operating effectively. At this time, we cannot predict the success of such efforts or the outcome of our assessment of the remediation efforts. We can give no assurance that our efforts will remediate this material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in our consolidated financial statements that could result in a restatement of our financial statements, and could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, any of which could diminish investor confidence in us and cause a decline in the price of our common stock.

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,” as defined in the JOBS Act. 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 internal control over financial reporting is documented, designed or operating.

We may need additional capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances, and we cannot be sure that additional financing will be available.

Our business and our future plans for expansion are capital-intensive and the specific timing of cash inflows and outflows may fluctuate substantially from period to period. Our operating plan may change because of factors currently unknown, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned, through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, such as strategic collaborations. Such financings may result in dilution to our stockholders, issuance of securities with priority as to liquidation and dividend and other rights more favorable than common stock, imposition of debt covenants and repayment obligations or other restrictions that may adversely affect our business. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for current or future operating plans. There can be no assurance that financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. The inability to obtain financing when needed may make it more difficult for us to operate our business or implement our growth plans.

Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may be limited in connection with the Business Combination or other ownership changes.

We have incurred losses during our history, do not expect to become profitable in the near future and may never achieve profitability. To the extent that we continue to generate taxable losses, unused losses will carry

 

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forward to offset future taxable income, if any, until such unused losses expire, if at all. As of December 31, 2020, we had U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $49.4 million.

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the Tax Act, as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards generated in taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2017, may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating loss carryforwards in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020, is limited to 80% of taxable income. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act or the CARES Act.

In addition, our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to review and possible adjustment by the IRS, and state tax authorities. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), our federal net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may become subject to an annual limitation in the event of certain cumulative changes in the ownership of IonQ. An “ownership change” pursuant to Section 382 of the Code generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of a company’s stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities may be limited as a result of ownership changes, including potential changes in connection with the Business Combination or other transactions. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We have not yet determined the amount of the cumulative change in our ownership resulting from the Business Combination or other transactions, or any resulting limitations on our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes. If we earn taxable income, such limitations could result in increased future income tax liability and our future cash flows could be adversely affected. We have recorded a valuation allowance related to our net operating loss carryforwards and other deferred tax assets due to the uncertainty of the ultimate realization of the future benefits of those assets.

Risks Related to IonQ’s Business and Industry

We have not produced a scalable quantum computer and face significant barriers in our attempts to produce quantum computers. If we cannot successfully overcome those barriers, our business will be negatively impacted and could fail.

Producing quantum computers is a difficult undertaking. There are significant engineering challenges that we must overcome to build our quantum computers. We are still in the development stage and face significant challenges in completing development of our quantum computers and in producing quantum computers in commercial volumes. Some of the development challenges that could prevent the introduction of our quantum computers include, but are not limited to, failure to find scalable ways to flexibly manipulate qubits, failure to transition quantum systems to leverage low-cost, commodity optical technology, and failure to realize multicore quantum computer technology.

Additional development challenges we face include:

 

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Gate fidelity, error correction and miniaturization may not commercialize from the lab and scale as hoped or at all;

 

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It could prove more challenging and take materially longer than expected to operate parallel gates within a single ion trap and maintain gate fidelity;

 

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The photonic interconnect between ion traps could prove more challenging and take longer to perfect than currently expected. This would limit our ability to scale beyond a single ion trap of approximately 22 logical qubits;

 

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It could take longer to tune the qubits in a single ion trap, as well as preserve the stability of the qubits within a trap as we seek to maximize the total number of qubits within one trap;

 

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The gate speed in our technology could prove more difficult to improve than expected; and

 

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The scaling of fidelity with qubit number could prove poorer than expected, limiting our ability to achieve larger quantum volume.

In addition, we will need to develop the manufacturing process necessary to make these quantum computers in high volume. We have not yet validated a manufacturing process or acquired the tools or processes necessary to produce high volumes of our quantum computers that meet all commercial requirements. If we are not able to overcome these manufacturing hurdles in building our quantum computers, our business is likely to fail.

Even if we complete development and achieve volume production of our quantum computers, if the cost, performance characteristics or other specifications of the quantum computer fall short of our projections, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our 32-qubit system, which is an important milestone for our technical roadmap and commercialization, is not yet available for customers and may never be available.

We are developing our next-generation 32-qubit quantum computer system, which has not yet been made available to customers. We expect this system to have 22 algorithmic qubits, i.e., qubits that are usable to run quantum algorithms, but the number of algorithmic qubits available in this system has not been finalized and may be fewer than planned. The availability of this generation of quantum computer system for customer use or independent verification by a third party may be materially delayed, or even never occur. Additionally, the future success of our technical roadmap will depend upon our ability to approximately double the number of qubits in each subsequent generation of our quantum computer. Accordingly, our technical roadmap may be delayed or may never be achieved, either of which would have a material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The quantum computing industry is competitive on a global scale and we may not be successful in competing in this industry or establishing and maintaining confidence in our long-term business prospects among current and future partners and customers.

The markets in which we operate are rapidly evolving and highly competitive. As these markets continue to mature and new technologies and competitors enter such markets, we expect competition to intensify. Our current competitors include:

 

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large, well-established tech companies that generally compete in all of our markets, including Honeywell, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel and IBM;

 

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countries such as China, Russia, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, and those in the European Union as of the date of this prospectus and we believe additional countries in the future;

 

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less-established public and private companies with competing technology, including companies located outside the United States; and

 

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new or emerging entrants seeking to develop competing technologies.

We compete based on various factors, including technology, performance, multi-cloud availability, brand recognition and reputation, customer support and differentiated capabilities, including ease of administration and use, scalability and reliability, data governance and security. Many of our competitors have substantially greater brand recognition, customer relationships, and financial, technical and other resources, including an experienced sales force and sophisticated supply chain management. They may be able to respond more effectively than us to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, customer requirements and buying practices. In addition, many countries are focused on developing quantum computing solutions either in the private or public sector and may subsidize quantum computers which may make it difficult for us to compete. Many of these competitors do not face the same challenges we do in growing our business. In addition, other competitors might be able to compete with us by bundling their other products in a way that does not allow us to offer a competitive solution.

 

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Additionally, we must be able to achieve our objectives in a timely manner lest quantum computing lose ground to competitors, including competing technologies. Because there are a large number of market participants, including certain sovereign nations, focused on developing quantum computing technology, we must dedicate significant resources to achieving any technical objectives on the timelines established by our management team. Any failure to achieve objectives in a timely manner could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

For all of these reasons, competition may negatively impact our ability to maintain and grow consumption of our platform or put downward pressure on our prices and gross margins, any of which could materially harm our reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our business is currently dependent upon our relationship with our cloud providers. There are no assurances that we will be able to commercialize quantum computers from our relationships with cloud providers.

Cloud computing partnerships could be terminated, or not scale as anticipated, or even at all. We currently offer our QCaaS on public clouds provided by AWS, Azure, and Google’s Cloud Marketplace. The companies that own these public clouds have internal quantum computing efforts that are competitive to our technology. Currently, a majority of our business is run on the AWS and Azure public cloud. There is risk that one or more of these public cloud providers could use their respective control of their public clouds to embed innovations or privileged interoperating capabilities in competing products, bundle competing products, provide us with unfavorable pricing, leverage their public cloud customer relationships to exclude us from opportunities, and treat us and our customers differently with respect to terms and conditions or regulatory requirements than they would treat their similarly situated customers. Further, they have the resources to acquire or partner with existing and emerging providers of competing technology and thereby accelerate adoption of those competing technologies. All of the foregoing could make it difficult or impossible for us to provide products and services that compete favorably with those of the public cloud providers.

Further, if our contractual and other business relationships with our public cloud providers are terminated, either by the counterparty or by us, suspended or suffer a material change to which we are unable to adapt, such as the elimination of services or features on which we depend, we would be unable to provide our QCaaS at the same scale and would experience significant delays and incur additional expense in transitioning customers to a different public cloud provider.

Any material change in our contractual and other business relationships with our public cloud providers could result in reduced use of our systems, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm to our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Even if we are successful in developing quantum computing systems and executing our strategy, competitors in the industry may achieve technological breakthroughs which render our quantum computing systems obsolete or inferior to other products.

Our continued growth and success depend on our ability to innovate and develop quantum computing technology in a timely manner and effectively market these products. Without timely innovation and development, our quantum computing solutions could be rendered obsolete or less competitive by changing customer preferences or because of the introduction of a competitor’s newer technologies. We believe that many competing technologies will require a technological breakthrough in one or more problems related to science, fundamental physics or manufacturing. While it is uncertain whether such technological breakthroughs will occur in the next several years, that does not preclude the possibility that such technological breakthroughs could eventually occur. Any technological breakthroughs which render our technology obsolete or inferior to other products could have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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We may be unable to reduce the cost per qubit, which may prevent us from pricing our quantum systems competitively.

Our projections are dependent on the cost per qubit decreasing over the next several years as our quantum computers advance. These cost projections are based on economies of scale due to demand for our computer systems, technological innovation and negotiations with third-party parts suppliers. If these cost savings do not materialize, the cost per qubit may be higher than projected, making our quantum computing solution less competitive than those produced by our competitors, which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The quantum computing industry is in its early stages and volatile, and if it does not develop, if it develops slower than we expect, if it develops in a manner that does not require use of our quantum computing solutions, if it encounters negative publicity or if our solution does not drive commercial engagement, the growth of our business will be harmed.

The nascent market for quantum computers is still rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, competitive pricing and competitive factors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, and changing customer demands and behaviors. If the market for quantum computers in general does not develop as expected, or develops more slowly than expected, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

In addition, our growth and future demand for our products is highly dependent upon the adoption by developers and customers of quantum computers, as well as on our ability to demonstrate the value of quantum computing to our customers. Delays in future generations of our quantum computers or technical failures at other quantum computing companies could limit market acceptance of our solution. Negative publicity concerning our solution or the quantum computing industry as a whole could limit market acceptance of our solution. We believe quantum computing will solve many large-scale problems. However, such problems may never be solvable by quantum computing technology. If our clients and partners do not perceive the benefits of our solution, or if our solution does not drive member engagement, then our market may not develop at all, or it may develop slower than we expect. If any of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. If progress towards quantum advantage ever slows relative to expectations, it could adversely impact revenues and customer confidence to continue to pay for testing, access and “quantum readiness.” This would harm or even eliminate revenues in the period before quantum advantage.

If our computers fail to achieve a broad quantum advantage, our business, financial condition and future prospects may be harmed.

Quantum advantage refers to the moment when a quantum computer can compute faster than traditional computers, while quantum supremacy is achieved once quantum computers are powerful enough to complete calculations that traditional supercomputers cannot perform at all. Broad quantum advantage is when quantum advantage is seen in many applications and developers prefer quantum computers to a traditional computer. No current quantum computers, including the IonQ quantum hardware, have reached a broad quantum advantage, and they may never reach such advantage. Achieving a broad quantum advantage will be critical to the success of any quantum computing company, including us. However, achieving quantum advantage would not necessarily lead to commercial viability of the technology that accomplished such advantage, nor would it mean that such system could outperform classical computers in tasks other than the one used to determine a quantum advantage. Quantum computing technology, including broad quantum advantage, may take decades to be realized, if ever. If we cannot develop quantum computers that have quantum advantage, customers may not continue to purchase our products and services. If other companies’ quantum computers reach a broad quantum advantage prior to the time ours reaches such capabilities, it could lead to a loss of customers. If any of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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We could suffer disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our quantum computing systems or with the public cloud and internet infrastructure on which they rely.

Our business depends on our quantum computing systems to be available. We have experienced, and may in the future further experience, disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our systems. We have also experienced, and may in the future further experience, disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with the public cloud and internet infrastructure on which our systems rely. These problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including failed introductions of new functionality, vulnerabilities and defects in proprietary and open source software, hardware components, human error or misconduct, capacity constraints, design limitations or denial of service attacks or other security-related incidents. We do not have a contractual right with our public cloud providers that compensates us for any losses due to availability interruptions in the public cloud.

Any disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our quantum computing system or with the public cloud and internet infrastructure on which it relies, could result in reduced use of our systems, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm to our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may face unknown supply chain issues that could delay the introduction of our product and negatively impact our business and operating results.

We are reliant on third-party suppliers for components necessary to develop and manufacture our quantum computing solutions. Any of the following factors (and others) could have an adverse impact on the availability of these components:

 

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our inability to enter into agreements with suppliers on commercially reasonable terms, or at all;

 

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difficulties of suppliers ramping up their supply of materials to meet our requirements;

 

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a significant increase in the price of one or more components, including due to industry consolidation occurring within one or more component supplier markets or as a result of decreased production capacity at manufacturers;

 

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any reductions or interruption in supply, including disruptions on our global supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which we have experienced, and may in the future experience;

 

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financial problems of either manufacturers or component suppliers;

 

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significantly increased freight charges, or raw material costs and other expenses associated with our business;

 

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other factors beyond our control or which we do not presently anticipate, could also affect our suppliers’ ability to deliver components to us on a timely basis;

 

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a failure to develop our supply chain management capabilities and recruit and retain qualified professionals;

 

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a failure to adequately authorize procurement of inventory by our contract manufacturers; or

 

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a failure to appropriately cancel, reschedule, or adjust our requirements based on our business needs.

If any of the aforementioned factors were to materialize, it could cause us to halt production of our quantum computing solutions and/or entail higher manufacturing costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition and could materially damage customer relationships.

 

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If we cannot successfully execute on our strategy, including in response to changing customer needs and new technologies and other market requirements, or achieve our objectives in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

The quantum computing market is characterized by rapid technological change, changing user requirements, uncertain product lifecycles and evolving industry standards. We believe that the pace of innovation will continue to accelerate as technology changes and different approaches to quantum computing mature on a broad range of factors, including system architecture, error correction, performance and scale, ease of programming, user experience, markets addressed, types of data processed, and data governance and regulatory compliance. Our future success depends on our ability to continue to innovate and increase customer adoption of our quantum computer. If we are unable to enhance our quantum computing system to keep pace with these rapidly evolving customer requirements, or if new technologies emerge that are able to deliver competitive products at lower prices, more efficiently, with better functionality, more conveniently, or more securely than our platform, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our products may not achieve market success, but will still require significant costs to develop.

We believe that we must continue to dedicate significant resources to our research and development efforts before knowing whether there will be market acceptance of our quantum computing technologies. Furthermore, the technology for our products is new, and the performance of these products is uncertain. Our quantum computing technologies could fail to attain sufficient market acceptance, if at all, for many reasons, including:

 

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pricing and the perceived value of our systems relative to its cost;

 

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delays in releasing quantum computers with sufficient performance and scale to the market;

 

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failure to produce products of consistent quality that offer functionality comparable or superior to existing or new products;

 

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ability to produce products fit for their intended purpose;

 

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failures to accurately predict market or customer demands;

 

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defects, errors or failures in the design or performance of our quantum computing system;

 

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negative publicity about the performance or effectiveness of our system;

 

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strategic reaction of companies that market competitive products; and

 

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the introduction or anticipated introduction of competing technology.

To the extent we are unable to effectively develop and market a quantum computing system to address these challenges and attain market acceptance, our business, operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We are highly dependent on our co-founders, and our ability to attract and retain senior management and other key employees, such as quantum physicists and other key technical employees, is critical to our success. If we fail to retain talented, highly-qualified senior management, engineers and other key employees or attract them when needed, such failure could negatively impact our business.

Our future success is highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain our executive officers, key employees and other qualified personnel, including our co-founders, Jungsang Kim, our Chief Technology Officer, and Christopher Monroe, our Chief Scientist. As we build our brand and becomes more well known, there is increased risk that competitors or other companies may seek to hire our personnel. The loss of the services provided by these individuals will adversely impact the achievement of our business strategy. These individuals could leave our employment at any time, as they are “at will” employees. A loss of the co-founders, a member of senior management, or an engineer or other key employee particularly to a competitor, could also place us at a competitive disadvantage. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution.

 

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Our future success also depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. The market for highly skilled workers and leaders in the quantum computing industry is extremely competitive. In particular, hiring qualified personnel specializing in supply chain management, engineering and sales, as well as other technical staff and research and development personnel is critical to our business and the development of our quantum computing systems. Some of these professionals are hard to find and we may encounter significant competition in our efforts to hire them. Many of the other companies with which we compete for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources than we do. The effective operation of our supply chain, including the acquisition of critical components and materials, the development of our quantum computing technologies, the commercialization of our quantum computing technologies and the effective operation of our managerial and operating systems all depend upon our ability to attract, train and retain qualified personnel in the aforementioned specialties. Additionally, changes in immigration and work permit laws and regulations or the administration or interpretation of such laws or regulations could impair our ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees. If we cannot attract, train and retain qualified personnel, including our co-founders, in this competitive environment, we may experience delays in the development of our quantum computing technologies and be otherwise unable to develop and grow our business as projected, or even at all.

Our future growth and success depend on our ability to sell effectively to large customers.

Our potential customers tend to be large enterprises. Therefore, our future success will depend on our ability to effectively sell our products to such large customers. Sales to these end-customers involve risks that may not be present (or that are present to a lesser extent) with sales to smaller customers. These risks include, but are not limited to, (i) increased purchasing power and leverage held by large customers in negotiating contractual arrangements with us and (ii) longer sales cycles and the associated risk that substantial time and resources may be spent on a potential end-customer that elects not to purchase our solutions.

Large organizations often undertake a significant evaluation process that results in a lengthy sales cycle. In addition, product purchases by large organizations are frequently subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals and unanticipated administrative, processing and other delays. Finally, large organizations typically have longer implementation cycles, require greater product functionality and scalability, require a broader range of services, demand that vendors take on a larger share of risks, require acceptance provisions that can lead to a delay in revenue recognition and expect greater payment flexibility. All of these factors can add further risk to business conducted with these potential customers.

We may not be able to accurately estimate the future supply and demand for our quantum computers, which could result in a variety of inefficiencies in our business and hinder our ability to generate revenue. If we fail to accurately predict our manufacturing requirements, we could incur additional costs or experience delays.

It is difficult to predict our future revenues and appropriately budget for our expenses, and we may have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our business. We anticipate being required to provide forecasts of our demand to our current and future suppliers prior to the scheduled delivery of products to potential customers. Currently, there is no historical basis for making judgments on the demand for our quantum computers or our ability to develop, manufacture, and deliver quantum computers, or our profitability, if any, in the future. If we overestimate our requirements, our suppliers may have excess inventory, which indirectly would increase our costs. If we underestimate our requirements, our suppliers may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt manufacturing of our products and result in delays in shipments and revenues. In addition, lead times for materials and components that our suppliers order may vary significantly and depend on factors such as the specific supplier, contract terms and demand for each component at a given time. If we fail to order sufficient quantities of product components in a timely manner, the delivery of quantum computers and related compute time to our potential customers could be delayed, which would harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

 

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Our systems depend on the use of a particular isotope of an atomic element that provides qubits for our ion trap technology. If we are unable to procure these isotopically enriched atomic samples, or are unable to do so on a timely and cost-effective basis, and in sufficient quantities, we may incur significant costs or delays which could negatively affect our operations and business.

There are limited suppliers to sources of isotopically enriched materials which may be necessary for the production of our ion trap technology. We currently purchases such materials through the National Isotope Development Center managed by the U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Program. We do not have any supplier agreements with the U.S. Department of Energy, and purchase the materials through a standard ordering process. While we are currently looking to engage additional suppliers, there is no guarantee we will be able to establish or maintain relationships with such additional suppliers on terms satisfactory to us. Reliance on any single supplier increases the risks associated with being unable to obtain the necessary atomic samples because the supplier may have laboratory constraints, can be subject to unanticipated shutdowns and/or may be affected by natural disasters and other catastrophic events. Some of these factors may be completely out of our and our suppliers’ control. Failure to acquire sufficient quantities of the necessary isotopically enriched atomic samples in a timely or cost-effective manner could materially harm our business.

If our quantum computing systems are not compatible with some or all industry-standard software and hardware in the future, our business could be harmed.

We have focused our efforts on creating quantum computing hardware, the operating system for such hardware and a suite of low-level software programs that optimize execution of quantum algorithms on our hardware. Further up the software stack, we rely on third parties to create higher level quantum programming languages, software development kits (SDKs), and application libraries. Such third-party software and programming is essential to operating our quantum computing products and services. Our quantum computing solutions are designed today to be compatible with most major quantum software development kits, including Qiskit, Cirq, Q# QDK, and OpenQASM, all of which are open source. If a proprietary (not open source) software toolset became the standard for quantum application development in the future by a competitor, usage of our hardware might be limited as a result which would have a negative impact on us. Similarly, if a piece of hardware became a necessary component for quantum computing (for instance, quantum networking) and we cannot integrate with it, the result might have a negative impact on us.

If our customers are unable to achieve compatibility between other software and hardware and our hardware, it could impact our relationships with such customers or with customers, generally, if the incompatibility is more widespread. In addition, the mere announcement of an incompatibility problem relating to our products with higher level software tools could cause us to suffer reputational harm and/or lead to a loss of customers. Any adverse impacts from the incompatibility of our quantum computing solutions could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may rely heavily on future collaborative partners

We have entered into, and may enter into, strategic partnerships to develop and commercialize our current and future research and development programs with other companies to accomplish one or more of the following:

 

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obtain expertise in relevant markets;

 

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obtain sales and marketing services or support;

 

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obtain equipment and facilities;

 

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develop relationships with potential future customers; and

 

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generate revenue.

We may not be successful in establishing or maintaining suitable partnerships, and we may not be able to negotiate collaboration agreements having terms satisfactory to us, or at all. Failure to make or maintain these

 

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arrangements or a delay or failure in a collaborative partner’s performance under any such arrangements could harm our business and financial condition.

System security and data protection breaches, as well as cyber-attacks, could disrupt our operations, which may damage our reputation and adversely affect our business.

Cyber-attacks, denial-of-service attacks, ransomware attacks, business email compromises, computer malware, viruses, and social engineering (including phishing) are prevalent in the technology industry and our customers’ industries. In addition, we may experience attacks, unavailable systems, unauthorized access or disclosure due to employee theft or misuse, denial-of-service attacks, sophisticated nation-state and nation-state supported actors, and advanced persistent threat intrusions. The techniques may be used to sabotage or to obtain unauthorized access to our platform, systems, networks, or physical facilities where the our quantum computers are stored, and may be unable to implement adequate preventative measures or stop security breaches while they are occurring. U.S. law enforcement agencies have indicated to us that quantum computing technology is of particular interest to certain malicious cyber threat actors.

Our platform is built to be accessed through third-party public cloud providers such as AWS, Azure and the Google Cloud Platform. These providers may also experience breaches and attacks to their products which may impact our systems. Data security breaches may also result from non-technical means, such as actions by an employee with access to our systems. While IonQ and our third-party cloud providers have implemented security measures designed to protect against security breaches, these measures could fail or may be insufficient, resulting in the unauthorized disclosure, modification, misuse, destruction, or loss of sensitive or confidential information.

Actual or perceived breaches of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about IonQ, our partners, our customers or third parties could expose the company and the parties affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, resulting in litigation and potential liability, paying damages, regulatory inquiries or actions, damage to the our brand and reputation or other harm to the our business. Our efforts to prevent and overcome these challenges could increase our expenses and may not be successful. If we fail to detect or remediate a security breach in a timely manner, or a breach otherwise affects our customers, or if we suffer a cyber-attack that impacts our ability to operate our platform, we may suffer material damage to our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Unfavorable conditions in our industry or the global economy, could limit our ability to grow our business and negatively affect our results of operations.

Our results of operations may vary based on the impact of changes in our industry or the global economy on the company or our customers and potential customers. Negative conditions in the general economy both in the United States and abroad, including conditions resulting from changes in gross domestic product growth, financial and credit market fluctuations, international trade relations, pandemics (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), political turmoil, natural catastrophes, warfare, and terrorist attacks on the United States or elsewhere, could cause a decrease in business investments, including the progress on development of quantum technologies, and negatively affect the growth of our business. In addition, in challenging economic times, our current or potential future customers may experience cash flow problems and as a result may modify, delay or cancel plans to purchase our products and services. Additionally, if our customers are not successful in generating sufficient revenue or are unable to secure financing, they may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable due to us. Moreover, our key suppliers may reduce their output or become insolvent, thereby adversely impacting our ability to manufacture our products. Furthermore, uncertain economic conditions may make it more difficult for us to raise funds through borrowings or private or public sales of debt or equity securities. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown, instability or recovery, generally or within any particular industry.

 

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Government actions and regulations, such as tariffs and trade protections measures, may limit our ability to obtain products from our suppliers.

Political challenges between the United States and countries in which our suppliers are located, including China, and changes to trade policies, including tariff rates and customs duties, trade relations between the United States and China and other macroeconomic issues could adversely impact our business. Specifically, United States-China trade relations remain uncertain. The United States administration has announced tariffs on certain products imported into the United States with China as the country of origin, and China has imposed tariffs in response to the actions of the United States. There is also a possibility of future tariffs, trade protection measures or other restrictions imposed on our products or on our customers by the United States, China or other countries that could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our technology may be deemed a matter of national security and as such our customer base may be tightly restricted. We may accept government grants that place restrictions on our ability to operate.

Our operating and financial results forecast relies in large part upon assumptions and analyses we have developed. If these assumptions or analyses prove to be incorrect, our actual operating results may be materially different from our forecasted results.

The projected financial and operating information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus reflect current estimates of future performance, which may never occur. Whether actual operating and financial results and business developments will be consistent with our expectations and assumptions as reflected in our forecasts depends on a number of factors, many of which are outside our control, including, but not limited to:

 

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success and timing of development activity;

 

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customer acceptance of our quantum computing systems;

 

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breakthroughs in classical computing or other computing technologies that could eliminate the advantages of quantum computing systems rendering them less practical to customers;

 

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competition, including from established and future competitors;

 

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whether we can obtain sufficient capital to sustain and grow our business;

 

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our ability to manage our growth;

 

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our ability to retain existing key management, integrate recent hires and attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel; and

 

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the overall strength and stability of domestic and international economies.

Unfavorable changes in any of these or other factors, most of which are beyond our control, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments and strategic partnerships could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and operating results.

We may pursue growth opportunities by acquiring complementary businesses, solutions or technologies through strategic transactions, investments or partnerships. The identification of suitable acquisition, strategic investment or strategic partnership candidates can be costly and time consuming and can distract our management team from our current operations. If such strategic transactions require us to seek additional debt or equity financing, we may not be able to obtain such financing on terms favorable to us or at all, and such transactions may adversely affect our liquidity and capital structure. Any strategic transaction might not strengthen our competitive position, may increase some of our risks, and may be viewed negatively by our customers, partners or investors. Even if we successfully complete a strategic transaction, we may not be able to effectively integrate the acquired business, technology, systems, control environment, solutions, personnel or

 

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operations into our business. We may experience unexpected changes in how we are required to account for strategic transactions pursuant to U.S. GAAP and may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any strategic transaction. We may incur unexpected costs, claims or liabilities that we incur during the strategic transaction or that we assume from the acquired company, or we may discover adverse conditions post acquisition for which we have limited or no recourse.

We have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, its various strains or future pandemics.

We face various risks related to epidemics, pandemics, and other outbreaks, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, including newly discovered strains of the virus. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented significant measures, including, but not limited to, business closures, quarantines, travel restrictions, shelter-in-place, stay-at-home and other social distancing directives, intended to control the spread of the virus. Companies have also taken precautions, such as requiring employees to work remotely, imposing travel restrictions and temporarily closing businesses. To the extent that these restrictions remain in place, additional prevention and mitigation measures are implemented in the future, or there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of these or any other measures to contain or treat COVID-19 or future pandemics, there is likely to be an adverse impact on our potential customers, our employees and global economic conditions, and consumer confidence and spending, which could materially and adversely affect our operations and demand for our products.

The spread of COVID-19 has and may continue to impact our suppliers by disrupting the manufacturing, delivery and the overall supply chain of parts required to manufacture our quantum computers. In addition, various aspects of our business cannot be conducted remotely, such as the assembly of our quantum computers. These measures by government authorities may remain in place for a significant period of time and they are likely to continue to adversely affect our future manufacturing plans, sales and marketing activities, business and results of operations. We may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, suppliers, vendors and business partners.

Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties regarding the related economic impact are likely to result in sustained market turmoil, which could also negatively impact the company’s business, financial condition and cash flows. During 2020, we scaled back our recruiting efforts to control costs and experienced weeklong onsite work stoppages due to quarantining related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent of COVID-19’s effect on our operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including the duration, spread and intensity of the pandemic, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict considering the rapidly evolving landscape. As a result, it is not currently possible to ascertain the overall impact of COVID-19 on our business. However, if the pandemic continues to persist as a severe worldwide health crisis, the disease could negatively impact our business, financial condition results of operations and cash flows, and may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section.

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we may continue to experience an adverse impact to our business as a result of COVID-19’s global economic impact, including any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future.

Our facilities or operations could be damaged or adversely affected as a result of natural disasters and other catastrophic events.

Our facilities or operations could be adversely affected by events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, and other calamities. We cannot assure you that any backup systems will be adequate to protect us from the effects of fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events. Any of the foregoing events may give rise to interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide services.

 

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Risks Related to Litigation and Government Regulation

State, federal and foreign laws and regulations related to privacy, data use and security could adversely affect us.

We are subject to state and federal laws and regulations related to privacy, data use and security. In addition, in recent years, there has been a heightened legislative and regulatory focus on data security, including requiring consumer notification in the event of a data breach. Legislation has been introduced in Congress and there have been several Congressional hearings addressing these issues. From time to time, Congress has considered, and may do so again, legislation establishing requirements for data security and response to data breaches that, if implemented, could affect us by increasing our costs of doing business. In addition, several states have enacted privacy or security breach legislation requiring varying levels of consumer notification in the event of a security breach. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which enhances consumer protection and privacy rights by granting consumers resident in California new rights with respect to the collection of their personal data and imposing new operational requirements on businesses, went into effect in January 2020. The CCPA includes a statutory damages framework and private rights of action against businesses that fail to comply with certain CCPA terms or implement reasonable security procedures and practices to prevent data breaches. Several other states are considering similar legislation. Foreign governments are raising similar privacy and data security concerns. In particular, the European Union enacted a General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). China, Russia, Japan and other countries in Latin America and Asia are also strengthening their privacy laws and the enforcement of privacy and data security requirements. Complying with such laws and regulations may be time-consuming and require additional resources, and could therefore harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption, anti-bribery and similar laws, and non-compliance with such laws can subject us to criminal or civil liability and 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, and other anti-bribery, and anti-corruption laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws have been enforced aggressively in recent years and are interpreted broadly to generally prohibit companies, their employees, and their third-party intermediaries from authorizing, promising, offering, providing, soliciting, or accepting, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to or from any person whether in the public or private sector. We may engage with partners and third-party intermediaries to market our services and to obtain necessary permits, licenses, and other regulatory approvals. In addition, we or our third-party intermediaries may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party intermediaries, and of our employees, representatives, contractors, partners, and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. We cannot provide any assurance that all of our employees and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible.

Detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations of anti-corruption laws can require a significant diversion of time, resources, and attention from senior management. In addition, noncompliance with anti-corruption or anti-bribery laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, investigations, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, enforcement actions, fines, damages, other civil or criminal penalties, injunctions, suspension or debarment from contracting with certain persons, reputational harm, adverse media coverage, and other collateral consequences.

We are subject to governmental export and import controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets due to licensing requirements and subject us to liability if we are not in compliance with applicable laws.

Our products and technologies are subject to U.S. export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, and various economic and trade sanctions

 

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regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls. U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws include restrictions or prohibitions on the sale or supply of certain products, technologies, and services to U.S. Government embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments, persons and entities. In addition, certain products and technology may be subject to export licensing or approval requirements. Exports of our products and technology must be made in compliance with export control and sanctions laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, IonQ and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export or import privileges; fines, which may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers; and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers.

In addition, changes in our products or technologies or changes in applicable export or import laws and regulations may create delays in the introduction and sale of our products and technologies in international markets or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products and technologies to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any change in export or import laws and regulations, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing laws and regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such laws and regulations, could also result in decreased use of our products and technologies, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products and technologies to existing or potential customers. Any decreased use of our products and technologies or limitation on our ability to export or sell our products and technologies would likely adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We expect to incur significant costs in complying with these regulations. Regulations related to quantum computing are currently evolving and we face risks associated with changes to these regulations.

Our business is exposed to risks associated with litigation, investigations and regulatory proceedings.

We may in the future face legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings, claims, demands and/or investigations involving stockholder, consumer, competition and/or other issues relating to our business on a global basis. Litigation and regulatory proceedings are inherently uncertain, and adverse rulings could occur, including monetary damages, or an injunction stopping us from engaging in certain business practices, or requiring other remedies, such as compulsory licensing of patents. An unfavorable outcome or settlement may result in a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial position and overall trends. In addition, regardless of the outcome, litigation can be costly, time-consuming, and disruptive to our operations. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could damage our reputation and make it more difficult to compete effectively or to obtain adequate insurance in the future. In addition, the laws and regulations our business is subject to are complex and change frequently. We may be required to incur significant expense to comply with changes in, or remedy violations of, these laws and regulations.

Furthermore, while we maintain insurance for certain potential liabilities, such insurance does not cover all types and amounts of potential liabilities and is subject to various exclusions as well as caps on amounts recoverable. Even if we believe a claim is covered by insurance, insurers may dispute our entitlement to recovery for a variety of potential reasons, which may affect the timing and, if the insurers prevail, the amount of our recovery.

We may become subject to product liability claims, which could harm our financial condition and liquidity if we are not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims.

We may become subject to product liability claims, even those without merit, which could harm our business prospects, operating results, and financial condition. We may face inherent risk of exposure to claims in the event our quantum computers do not perform as expected or malfunction. A successful product liability claim against us could require us to pay a substantial monetary award. Moreover, a product liability claim could generate substantial negative publicity about our quantum computers and business and inhibit or prevent commercialization of other future quantum computers, which would have material adverse effects on our brand,

 

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business, prospects and operating results. Any insurance coverage might not be sufficient to cover all potential product liability claims. Any lawsuit seeking significant monetary damages either in excess of our coverage, or outside of our coverage, may have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business and financial condition. We may not be able to secure additional product liability insurance coverage on commercially acceptable terms or at reasonable costs when needed, particularly if we do face liability for our products and are forced to make a claim under our policy.

We are subject to requirements relating to environmental and safety regulations and environmental remediation matters which could adversely affect our business, results of operation and reputation.

We are subject to numerous federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, solid and hazardous waste storage, treatment and disposal, and remediation of releases of hazardous materials. There are significant capital, operating and other costs associated with compliance with these environmental laws and regulations. Environmental laws and regulations may become more stringent in the future, which could increase costs of compliance or require us to manufacture with alternative technologies and materials.

Federal, state and local authorities also regulate a variety of matters, including, but not limited to, health, safety and permitting in addition to the environmental matters discussed above. New legislation and regulations may require us to make material changes to our operations, resulting in significant increases to the cost of production.

Our manufacturing process will have hazards such as but not limited to hazardous materials, machines with moving parts, and high voltage and/or high current electrical systems typical of large manufacturing equipment and related safety incidents. There may be safety incidents that damage machinery or product, slow or stop production, or harm employees. Consequences may include litigation, regulation, fines, increased insurance premiums, mandates to temporarily halt production, workers’ compensation claims, or other actions that impact the company brand, finances, or ability to operate.

Risks Related to our Intellectual Property

Licensing of intellectual property is of critical importance to our business. For example, we license patents (some of which are foundational patents) and other intellectual property from the University of Maryland and Duke University on an exclusive basis. If the license agreement with these universities terminates, or if any of the other agreements under which we acquired or licensed, or will acquire or license, material intellectual property rights is terminated, we could lose the ability to develop and operate our business.

We are heavily reliant upon licenses to certain patent rights and other intellectual property from third parties that are important or necessary to the development of our products. In particular, our quantum computing technology is dependent on our license agreement with University of Maryland and Duke University (the “Universities”). Significant intellectual property developed by our co-founders, Jungsang Kim, our Chief Technology Officer, and Christopher Monroe, our Chief Scientist, has been and is required to be assigned to the Universities as a result of Dr. Kim and Dr. Monroe’s employment by the Universities, and certain such intellectual property is licensed pursuant to the license agreement with the Universities. Pursuant to the license

 

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agreement with the Universities, we were granted an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicenseable license for certain patents, know-how (on a non-exclusive basis) and other intellectual property to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which includes the application of the licensed intellectual property in ion trap quantum computing.

Our existing license agreement with the Universities imposes, and we expect that any future license agreements will impose, upon us various commercial and development obligations. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these agreements, or we are subject to an insolvency-related event, the licensor may have the right to terminate the these agreements, in which event we would not be able to develop, market or otherwise commercialize products covered by these agreements, including if any of the foregoing were to occur with respect to our license agreement with the Universities. Our business could significantly suffer, for example, if any current or future licenses terminate, if the licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license, if the licensed patents or other rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms.

Licensing of intellectual property is of critical importance to our business and involves complex legal, business and scientific issues, and certain provisions in intellectual property license agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. Disputes may arise between us and our licensors regarding intellectual property subject to a license agreement, including:

 

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the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues;

 

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whether and the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the licensing agreement;

 

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our right to sublicense patent and other rights to third parties;

 

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our diligence obligations with respect to the use of the licensed technology in relation to our development and commercialization of our product and technology, and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations;

 

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the ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and the company;

 

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our right to transfer or assign the license; and

 

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the effects of termination.

The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, if disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize our products or technology.

While we would expect to exercise all rights and remedies available to us, including seeking to cure any breach by us, and otherwise seek to preserve our rights under the license agreement, we may not be able to do so in a timely manner, at an acceptable cost or at all. For more information on the license agreement, see the section titled “Business—Agreements with the University of Maryland and Duke University.”

 

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If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our products and technology, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad or robust, our competitors could develop and commercialize products and technology similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our products and technology may be adversely affected. Moreover, our trade secrets could be compromised, which could cause us to lose the competitive advantage resulting from these trade secrets.

Our success depends, in significant part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, enforce and defend patents and other intellectual property rights, including trade secrets, with respect to our products and technology and to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others. We may not be able to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property. We rely upon a combination of the intellectual property protections afforded by patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as license agreements and other contractual protections, to establish, maintain and enforce rights in our proprietary technologies. In addition, we seek to protect our intellectual property rights through nondisclosure and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants, and through non-disclosure agreements with business partners and other third parties. Our trade secrets may also be compromised which could cause us to lose the competitive advantage from such trade secrets. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, third parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property. Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly, and the steps we have taken or will take to prevent misappropriation may not be sufficient. Any enforcement efforts we undertake, including litigation, could be time-consuming and expensive and could divert management’s attention, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, existing intellectual property laws and contractual remedies may afford less protection than needed to safeguard our intellectual property portfolio.

Patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws vary significantly throughout the world. A number of foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. Therefore, our intellectual property rights may not be as strong or as easily enforced outside of the United States and efforts to protect against the unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, technology and other proprietary rights may be more expensive and difficult outside of the United States. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could result in our competitors using our intellectual property to offer products, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage and a decrease in our revenue which, would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our patent applications may not result in issued patents or our patent rights may be contested, circumvented, invalidated or limited in scope, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from interfering with our commercialization of our products.

Our patent applications may not result in issued patents, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from commercially exploiting products similar to ours. The status of patents involves complex legal and factual questions and the breadth of claims allowed is uncertain. As a result, we cannot be certain that the patent applications that we file will result in patents being issued, or that our patents and any patents that may be issued to us will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. Numerous patents and pending patent applications owned by others exist in the fields in which we have developed and are developing our technology. In addition to those who may have patents or patent applications directed to relevant technology with an effective filing date earlier than any of our existing patents or pending patent applications, any of our existing or pending patents may also be challenged by others on the basis that they are otherwise invalid or unenforceable. Furthermore, patent applications filed in foreign countries are subject to laws, rules and procedures that differ from those of the United States, and thus we cannot be certain that foreign patent applications related to issued U.S. patents will be issued.

Even if our patent applications succeed and we are issued patents in accordance with them, it is still uncertain whether these patents will be contested, circumvented, invalidated or limited in scope in the future. The

 

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rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with meaningful protection or competitive advantages, and some foreign countries provide significantly less effective patent enforcement than in the United States. In addition, the claims under any patents that issue from our patent applications may not be broad enough to prevent others from developing technologies that are similar or that achieve results similar to ours. The intellectual property rights of others could also bar us from licensing and exploiting any patents that issue from our pending applications. In addition, patents issued to us may be infringed upon or designed around by others and others may obtain patents that it needs to license or design around, either of which would increase costs and may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We may face patent infringement and other intellectual property claims that could be costly to defend, result in injunctions and significant damage awards or other costs (including indemnification of third parties or costly licensing arrangements (if licenses are available at all)) and limit our ability to use certain key technologies in the future or require development of non-infringing products, services, or technologies, which could result in a significant expenditure and otherwise harm our business.

We may become subject to intellectual property disputes. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and commercialize our products, services and technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of third parties. However, we may not be aware that our products, services or technologies are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party intellectual property rights and such third parties may bring claims alleging such infringement, misappropriation or violation. For example, there may be issued patents of which we are unaware, held by third parties that, if found to be valid and enforceable, could be alleged to be infringed by our current or future products, services or technologies. There also may be pending patent applications of which we are not aware that may result in issued patents, which could be alleged to be infringed by our current or future products, services or technologies. Because patent applications can take years to issue and are often afforded confidentiality for some period of time there may currently be pending applications, unknown to us, that later result in issued patents that could cover our current or future products, services or technologies. Lawsuits can be time-consuming and expensive to resolve, and they divert management’s time and attention. Numerous patents and pending patent applications owned by others exist in the fields in which we have developed and are developing our technology. Companies that have developed and are developing technology are often required to defend against litigation claims based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property rights. Our products, services or technologies may not be able to withstand any third-party claims against their use. In addition, many companies have the capability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights and to defend claims that may be brought against them. In a patent infringement claim against us, we may assert, as a defense, that we do not infringe the relevant patent claims, that the patent is invalid or both. The strength of our defenses will depend on the patents asserted, the interpretation of these patents, and our ability to invalidate the asserted patents. However, we could be unsuccessful in advancing non-infringement and/or invalidity arguments in our defense. In the United States, issued patents enjoy a presumption of validity, and the party challenging the validity of a patent claim must present clear and convincing evidence of invalidity, which is a high burden of proof. Conversely, the patent owner need only prove infringement by a preponderance of the evidence, which is a lower burden of proof. Our patent portfolio may not be large enough to deter patent infringement claims, and our competitors and others may now and in the future have significantly larger and more mature patent portfolios. Any litigation may also involve patent holding companies or other adverse patent owners that have no relevant solution revenue, and therefore, our patent portfolio may provide little or no deterrence as we would not be able to assert our patents against such entities or individuals. If a third party is able to obtain an injunction preventing us from accessing such third-party intellectual property rights, or if we cannot license or develop alternative technology for any infringing aspect of our business, we may be forced to limit or stop sales of our products, services or technologies or cease business activities related to such intellectual property. Although we carry general liability insurance, our insurance may not cover potential claims of this type or may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed. We cannot predict the outcome of lawsuits and cannot ensure that the results of any such actions will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Any intellectual property litigation to which we might become a

 

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party, or for which we are required to provide indemnification, regardless of the merit of the claim or our defenses, may require us to do one or more of the following:

 

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cease selling or using solutions or services that incorporate the intellectual property rights that allegedly infringe, misappropriate or violate the intellectual property of a third party;

 

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make substantial payments for legal fees, settlement payments or other costs or damages;

 

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obtain a license, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, to sell or use the relevant technology;

 

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redesign the allegedly infringing solutions to avoid infringement, misappropriation or violation, which could be costly, time-consuming or impossible; or

 

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indemnify organizations using our platform or third-party service providers.

Even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and harm our business and operating results. Moreover, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. The occurrence of infringement claims may grow as the market for our products, services and technologies grows. Accordingly, our exposure to damages resulting from infringement claims could increase and this could further exhaust our financial and management resources.

Some of our in-licensed intellectual property, including the intellectual property licensed from the Universities, has been conceived or developed through government-funded research and thus may be subject to federal regulations providing for certain rights for the U.S. government or imposing certain obligations on us, such as a license to the U.S. government under such intellectual property, “march-in” rights, certain reporting requirements and a preference for U.S.-based companies, and compliance with such regulations may limit our exclusive rights and our ability to contract with non-U.S. manufacturers.

Certain intellectual property rights that have been in-licensed pursuant to the license agreement with the Universities have been generated through the use of U.S. government funding and are therefore subject to certain federal regulations. As a result, the U.S. government may have certain rights to intellectual property embodied in our current or future product candidates pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, or the Patent and Trademark Law Amendment. These U.S. government rights include a non-exclusive, non-transferable, irrevocable worldwide license to use inventions for any governmental purpose. In addition, the U.S. government has the right, under certain limited circumstances, to require the licensor to grant exclusive, partially exclusive or non-exclusive licenses to any of these inventions to a third party if it determines that: (1) adequate steps have not been taken to commercialize the invention, (2) government action is necessary to meet public health or safety needs or (3) government action is necessary to meet requirements for public use under federal regulations (also referred to as “march-in rights”). The U.S. government also has the right to take title to these inventions if the licensor fails to disclose the invention to the government or fails to file an application to register the intellectual property within specified time limits. Intellectual property generated under a government funded program is also subject to certain reporting requirements, compliance with which may require us to expend substantial resources. In addition, the U.S. government requires that any products embodying any of these inventions or produced through the use of any of these inventions be manufactured substantially in the U.S., and the license agreement with the Universities requires that we comply with this requirement. This preference for U.S. industry may be waived by the federal agency that provided the funding if the owner or assignee of the intellectual property can show that reasonable but unsuccessful efforts have been made to grant licenses on similar terms to potential licensees that would be likely to manufacture the products substantially in the United States or that under the circumstances domestic manufacture is not commercially feasible. To the extent any of our owned or licensed future intellectual property is also generated through the use of U.S. government funding, the provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act may similarly apply.

 

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Risks Related to an Investment in our Securities and Other General Matters

There may not be an active trading market for our common stock or Public Warrants, which may make it difficult to sell such securities.

It is possible that an active trading market will not develop or, if developed, that any market will not be sustained. This would make it difficult for you to sell shares of our common stock at an attractive price or at all.

The market price of shares of our common stock may be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.

Even if an active trading market develops, the market price of our common stock and Public Warrants may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. Securities markets worldwide experience significant price and volume fluctuations. The securities markets have experienced significant volatility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Market volatility, as well as general economic, market, or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our common stock regardless of our operating performance. Our operating results could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including:

 

•

variations in quarterly operating results or dividends, if any, to stockholders;

 

•

additions or departures of key management personnel;

 

•

publication of research reports about our industry;

 

•

litigation and government investigations;

 

•

changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement of laws or regulations affecting our business;

 

•

adverse market reaction to any indebtedness incurred or securities issued in the future;

 

•

changes in market valuations of similar companies;

 

•

adverse publicity or speculation in the press or investment community;

 

•

announcements by competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments; and

 

•

the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our management, employees, partners, customers, and operating results.

In response, the market price of shares of our common stock could decrease significantly. You may be unable to resell your shares of our common stock at or above your purchase price. Following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against such company. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources.

Our ability to timely raise capital in the future may be limited, or may be unavailable on acceptable terms, if at all. The failure to raise capital when needed could harm our business, operating results and financial condition. Debt or equity issued to raise additional capital may reduce the value of our common stock.

We cannot be certain when or if the operations of our business will generate sufficient cash to fund our ongoing operations or the growth of our business. We intend to make investments to support our current business and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop or enhance our technology, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Additional financing may not be available on favorable terms, if at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to invest in future growth opportunities, which could harm our business,

 

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operating results and financial condition. If we incur debt, the debt holders could have rights senior to holders of our common stock to make claims on our assets. The terms of any debt could restrict our operations, including our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. If we issue additional equity securities, stockholders will experience dilution, and the new equity securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock. Because the decision to issue securities in the future offering will depend on numerous considerations, including factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any future issuances of debt or equity securities. As a result, stockholders will bear the risk of future issuances of debt or equity securities reducing the value of their common stock and diluting their interest.

A small number of stockholders will continue to have substantial control over us after this offering, which may limit other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and delay or prevent a third party from acquiring control over us.

Our directors and executive officers of, and beneficial owners of 5% or more of our voting securities and their respective affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 42% of our outstanding common stock. This significant concentration of ownership may have a negative impact on the trading price for our common stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies with controlling stockholders. In addition, these stockholders will be able to exercise influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of us or our assets. This concentration of ownership could limit stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control, including a merger, consolidation or other business combination, or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control, even if that change in control would benefit the other stockholders.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of NYSE.

If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of NYSE, such as the corporate governance requirements or the minimum share price requirement, NYSE may take steps to delist our securities. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of the securities and would impair your ability to sell or purchase the securities when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us to restore compliance with listing requirements would allow our securities to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our securities, prevent our securities from dropping below the NYSE minimum share price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with NYSE’s listing requirements. Additionally, if our securities are not listed on, or become delisted from, NYSE for any reason, and are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if we were quoted or listed on NYSE or another national securities exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established or sustained.

If we are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of financial reports, and the market price of our common stock may decline.

We are required to maintain internal controls over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. In addition, we are required to furnish a report by management in our annual report on Form 10-K on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, pursuant to Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. The process of designing, implementing, and testing the internal control over financial reporting required to comply with this obligation is time-consuming, costly, and complicated. If we identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley in a timely manner, or if we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting are effective, we will be unable to certify that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be additional material weaknesses or

 

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significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could decline. We could become subject to investigations by the NYSE, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

If our operating and financial performance in any given period does not meet the guidance provided to the public or the expectations of investment analysts, the market price of our common stock may decline.

We may, but are not obligated to, provide public guidance on our expected operating and financial results for future periods. Any such guidance will consist of forward-looking statements, subject to the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus and in our other public filings and public statements. The ability to provide this public guidance, and the ability to accurately forecast our results of operations, may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our actual results may not always be in line with or exceed any guidance we have provided, especially in times of economic uncertainty, such as the current global economic uncertainty being experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If, in the future, our operating or financial results for a particular period do not meet any guidance provided or the expectations of investment analysts, or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our common stock may decline as well. Even if we do issue public guidance, there can be no assurance that we will continue to do so in the future.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to seasonality and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including:

 

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labor availability and costs for hourly and management personnel;

 

•

profitability of our products, especially in new markets and due to seasonal fluctuations;

 

•

changes in interest rates;

 

•

impairment of long-lived assets;

 

•

macroeconomic conditions, both nationally and locally;

 

•

negative publicity relating to products we serve;

 

•

changes in consumer preferences and competitive conditions;

 

•

expansion to new markets; and

 

•

fluctuations in commodity prices.

We will incur significant increased expenses and administrative burdens as a public company, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses as a public company that we did not incur as a private company. Sarbanes-Oxley, including the requirements of Section 404, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, the PCAOB and the securities exchanges, impose additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. Compliance with public company requirements will increase costs and make certain activities more time-consuming. A number of those requirements require us to carry out activities we have not done previously. For example, we have created new board committees and adopted new internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures.

 

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In addition, expenses associated with SEC reporting requirements will be incurred. Furthermore, if any issues in complying with those requirements are identified (for example, if we identify an additional material weakness or significant deficiency or fail to remediate any existing material weaknesses in the internal control over financial reporting), we could incur additional costs rectifying those issues, and the existence of those issues could harm our reputation or investor perceptions of us. It may also be more expensive to obtain director and officer liability insurance. Risks associated with our status as a public company may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. The additional reporting and other obligations imposed by these rules and regulations will increase legal and financial compliance costs and the costs of related legal, accounting and administrative activities. These increased costs will require us to divert a significant amount of money that could otherwise be used to expand our business and achieve strategic objectives. Advocacy efforts by stockholders and third parties may also prompt additional changes in governance and reporting requirements, which could further increase costs.

We qualify as an emerging growth company as well as a smaller reporting company. The reduced public company reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We qualify as an emerging growth company under SEC rules. As an emerging growth company, we are permitted and plan to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. These provisions include: (1) presenting only two years of audited financial statements; (2) presenting only two years of related selected financial data and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure; (3) an exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley; (4) not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements; (5) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation arrangements in periodic reports, registration statements, and proxy statements; and (6) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, the information we provide will be different than the information that is available with respect to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and the market price of our common stock may be more volatile. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of: (1) December 31, 2024, (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have gross revenue exceeding $1.07 billion, (3) the date on which we have, during the immediately preceding three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities, and (4) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year.

Additionally, we qualify as a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (ii) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, we may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Our management has limited experience in operating a public company.

Our executive officers have limited experience in the management of a publicly traded company. Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage our transition to a public company that will be

 

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subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws. Their limited experience in dealing with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could be a significant disadvantage in that it is likely that an increasing amount of their time may be devoted to these activities, which will result in less time being devoted to our management and growth. We may not have adequate personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience, and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal controls over financial reporting required of public companies in the United States. The development and implementation of the standards and controls necessary for us to achieve the level of accounting standards required of a public company in the United States may require costs greater than expected. It is possible that we will be required to expand our employee base and hire additional employees to support our operations as a public company, which will increase our operating costs in future periods.

A significant portion of our total outstanding shares of Common Stock are restricted from immediate resale but may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of Common Stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Shares of our common stock that are currently restricted from immediate resale may be sold into the market in the near future. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of common stock. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of common stock and Public Warrants.

To the extent our Warrants are exercised, additional shares of common stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the holders of common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales, or the potential sales, of substantial numbers of shares in the public market by the selling securityholders, subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods, could increase the volatility of the market price of common stock or adversely affect the market price of common stock.

We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock; as a result, stockholders may not receive any return on investment unless they sell their common stock for a price greater than the purchase price.

We have no current plans to pay dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws. It will depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions, general business conditions, and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, the ability to pay cash dividends may be restricted by the terms of debt financing arrangements, as any future debt financing arrangement likely will contain terms restricting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on our common stock. As a result, stockholders may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless they sell their shares for a price greater than that which they paid for them.

We may issue additional shares of common stock or other equity securities without your approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of our common stock.

We have warrants outstanding to purchase an aggregate of 19,801,202 shares of common stock. Pursuant to our employee benefit plans, we may issue an aggregate of up to 55,423,647 shares of common stock, which amount may be subject to increase from time to time. We may also issue additional shares of common stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among other things, future acquisitions or repayment of outstanding indebtedness, without stockholder approval, in a number of circumstances.

The issuance of additional shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:

 

•

existing stockholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;

 

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•

the amount of cash available per share, including for payment of dividends in the future, may decrease;

 

•

the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding common stock may be diminished; and

 

•

the market price of our common stock may decline.

Provisions in our organizational documents and certain rules imposed by regulatory authorities may delay or prevent an acquisition by a third party that could otherwise be in the interests of stockholders.

Our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain several provisions that may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire control of us without the approval of the board of directors. These provisions, which may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest, or other transaction that stockholders may consider favorable, include the following:

 

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a classified board;

 

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advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at our annual meetings;

 

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certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings;

 

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limiting the persons who may call special meetings of stockholders;

 

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limiting the ability of stockholders to act by written consent;

 

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restrictions on business combinations with interested stockholder;

 

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in certain cases, the approval of holders representing at least 66 2/3% of the total voting power of the shares entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be required for stockholders to adopt, amend or repeal the bylaws, or amend or repeal certain provisions of the certificate of incorporation;

 

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no cumulative voting;

 

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the required approval of holders representing at least 66 2/3% of the total voting power of the shares entitled to vote at an election of the directors to remove directors; and

 

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the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used, among other things, to institute a rights plan that would have the effect of significantly diluting the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions.

These provisions of our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could discourage potential takeover attempts and reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of our common stock in the future, which could reduce the market price of our common stock.

The provision of our certificate of incorporation requiring exclusive venue in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against directors and officers.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for:

 

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any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us;

 

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any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, agent or other employee or stockholder to us or our stockholders;

 

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any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), the Certificate of Incorporation or the amended and restated bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware;

 

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•

any claim or cause of action seeking to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Certificate of Incorporation or the amended and restated bylaws; or

 

•

any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. It further provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolutions of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. The exclusive forum clauses described above shall not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Although these provisions are expected to benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of applicable law in the types of lawsuits to which they apply, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation have been challenged in legal proceedings and there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions. In addition, investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. It is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in the our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If so, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

Certain industry data and market data included in this prospectus were obtained from independent third-party surveys, market research, publicly available information, reports of governmental agencies and industry publications and surveys. All of management’s estimates presented herein are based upon management’s review of independent third-party surveys and industry publications prepared by a number of sources and other publicly available information. All of the market data used in this prospectus involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. We believe that the information from these industry publications and surveys included in this prospectus is reliable. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the section titled “Risk Factors.” These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

All of the shares of common stock and Private Warrants offered by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the selling securityholders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales.

We will receive up to an aggregate of approximately $132.3 million from the exercise of the Warrants, assuming the exercise in full of all such warrants for cash. We expect to use the net proceeds from the exercise of the warrants for general corporate purposes, including to fund potential future investments and acquisitions of companies that we believe are complementary to our business and consistent with our growth strategy. We will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from the exercise of the warrants. There is no assurance that the holders of the Warrants will elect to exercise any or all of such warrants. To the extent that the warrants are exercised on a “cashless basis,” the amount of cash we would receive from the exercise of the warrants will decrease.

 

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DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE

The offering price of the shares of common stock underlying the Warrants offered hereby is determined by reference to the exercise price of the Warrants, including $11.50 per share for each Private Warrant and Public Warrant. The Public Warrants are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “IONQ WS.”

We cannot currently determine the price or prices at which shares of common stock or the Private Warrants may be sold by the selling securityholders under this prospectus.

 

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MARKET INFORMATION FOR SECURITIES AND DIVIDEND POLICY

Market Information

Our common stock and Public Warrants are currently listed on the NYSE under the symbols “IONQ” and “IONQ WS,” respectively. Prior to the Closing, our common stock and our Public Warrants were listed on the NYSE under the symbols DMYI,” “DMYI-UN” and “DMYI-WT,” respectively. On October 1, 2021, there were 240 holders of record of the common stock and 2 holders of record of our Public Warrants. We currently do not intend to list the Private Warrants offered hereby on any stock exchange or stock market.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid any dividends on shares of our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, including information with respect to IonQ’s plans and strategy for its business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors,” our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Please also see the section titled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” References to “IonQ” throughout this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section refers to “Legacy IonQ.”

Overview

We are developing quantum computers designed to solve the world’s most complex problems, and transform business, society, and the planet for the better. We believe that our proprietary technology, our architecture, and the technology exclusively available to us through license agreements will offer us advantages both in terms of research and development, as well as the commercial value of our intended product offerings. We sell access to a quantum computer with 11 qubits, and we are in the process of researching and developing technologies for quantum computers with increasing computational capabilities. We currently make access to our quantum computers available via three major cloud platforms, Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Amazon Bracket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, and Google’s Cloud Marketplace, and to select customers via our own cloud service.

We are still in the early stages of generating revenue with our 11-qubit quantum computer. We have incurred significant operating losses since our inception. Our net losses were $17.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and we expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. As of June 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $56.9 million.

The Merger Agreement and Public Company Costs

On March 7, 2021, IonQ, dMY and the Merger Sub entered into the Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the Closing Merger Sub was merged with and into IonQ, with IonQ continuing as the surviving corporation following the Merger, being a wholly owned subsidiary of dMY and the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub ceased. Upon the completion of the Business Combination, IonQ became the successor registrant with the SEC, meaning that IonQ’s financial statements for previous periods will be disclosed in the registrant’s future periodic reports filed with the SEC.

While the legal acquirer in the Merger Agreement is dMY, for financial accounting and reporting purposes under U.S. GAAP, IonQ is the accounting acquirer and the Merger is accounted for as a “reverse recapitalization.” A reverse recapitalization does not result in a new basis of accounting, and the financial statements of the combined company represent the continuation of the financial statements of IonQ in many respects. Under this method of accounting, dMY is treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. For accounting purposes, IonQ is deemed to be the accounting acquirer in the transaction and, consequently, the transaction is treated as a recapitalization of IonQ (i.e., a capital transaction involving the issuance of stock by dMY for the stock of IonQ).

Upon the Closing of the Merger and the PIPE Investment, the most significant change in our future reported financial position and results of operations was an increase in cash (as compared to our balance sheet at June 30, 2021) of approximately $558.0 million, including up to $345.0 million in gross proceeds from the PIPE Investment by the PIPE Investors. Total direct and incremental transaction costs of dMY and IonQ are estimated at approximately $66.9 million, substantially all of which will be offset to additional-paid-in-capital as costs related to the reverse recapitalization.

 

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As a result of the Merger, IonQ is the successor to an SEC registrant and is listed on the NYSE, which will require IonQ to hire additional personnel and implement procedures and processes to address public company regulatory requirements and customary practices. We expect to incur additional annual expenses as a public company for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees and additional internal and external accounting, legal and administrative resources, including increased audit and legal fees.

Impact of COVID-19 on IonQ’s Business

In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. There are many uncertainties regarding the current pandemic, and we are closely monitoring the impact of the pandemic on all aspects of our business, including how it impacts our employees, suppliers, vendors, and business partners.

The pandemic has resulted in government authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, and business shutdowns. These measures may adversely impact our employees and operations and the operations of suppliers and business partners. In addition, various aspects of our business cannot be conducted remotely. These measures by government authorities may continue to remain in place for a significant period of time and could adversely affect our development plans, sales and marketing activities, and business operations.

The evolution of the virus is unpredictable at this point and any resurgence may slow down our ability to develop our quantum computing program. The COVID-19 pandemic could limit the ability of suppliers and business partners to perform, including third-party suppliers’ ability to provide components and materials. We may also experience an increase in the cost of raw materials.

The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as of the date of this prospectus. As such, the full magnitude of the pandemic’s effect on our financial condition, liquidity and future results of operations is uncertain. Management continues to actively monitor our financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce.

Key Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

We have generated limited revenues since our inception. We derive revenue from providing access to QCaaS and professional services related to co-developing algorithms on our quantum computing systems. In arrangements with the cloud service providers, the cloud service provider is considered the customer and we do not have any contractual relationships with the cloud service providers’ end users. We have determined that our QCaaS contracts represent a combined, stand-ready performance obligation to provide access to our quantum computing systems and revenue is recognized based on our customers’ usage. For contracts with a fixed transaction price, the fixed fee is recognized as QCaaS subscription-based revenues on a straight-line basis over the access period.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue primarily consists of expenses related to delivering our services, including personnel-related expenses, allocated facility and other costs for customer facing functions, and costs associated with maintaining the cloud on which the QCaaS resides beginning in the period that QCaaS revenue generating activities began. Personnel-related expenses include salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation. Cost of revenue excludes depreciation and amortization related to our quantum computing systems and related software.

 

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Research and Development

Research and development expenses consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation, and allocated facility and other costs for IonQ’s research and development functions. Unlike a standard computer, design and development efforts continue throughout the useful life of our quantum computing systems to ensure proper calibration and optimal functionality. Research and development expenses also include purchased hardware and software costs related to quantum computing systems constructed for research purposes that are not probable of providing future economic benefit and have no alternate future use as well as costs associated with third-party research and development arrangements.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation, costs for direct advertising, marketing and promotional expenditures and allocated facility and other costs for our sales and marketing functions. We expect to continue to make the necessary sales and marketing investments to enable us to increase our market penetration and expand our customer base.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation, and allocated facility and other costs for our corporate, executive, finance, and other administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include expenses for outside professional services, including legal, auditing and accounting services, recruitment expenses, travel expenses and certain non-income taxes, insurance, and other administrative expenses.

We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase for the foreseeable future as we scale headcount with the growth of our business, and as a result of operating as a public company, including compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, legal, audit, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities, and other administrative and professional services. As a result, we expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars but may fluctuate as a percentage of total revenue over time.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense results from depreciation and amortization of our property and equipment and intangible assets that is recognized over their estimated lives.

Other Income

Other income consists of income earned on our money market funds included in cash and cash equivalents.

 

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our statements of operations for the periods indicated:

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,								Year Ended December 31,
		2021				2020				2020				2019
		(in thousands)
Revenue		$	218			$	—			$	—			$	200
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)(1)			508				—				143				88
Research and development(1)			9,131				5,304				10,157				6,889
Sales and marketing(1)			1,098				182				486				232
General and administrative(1)			5,860				1,113				3,547				1,843
Depreciation and amortization			947				623				1,400				403
Total operating costs and expenses			17,544				7,222				15,733				9,455
Loss from operations			(17,326	)			(7,222	)			(15,733	)			(9,255	)
Other income			5				294				309				329
Loss before benefit for income taxes			(17,321	)			(6,928	)			(15,424	)			(8,926	)
Benefit for income taxes			—				—				—				—
Net loss		$	(17,321	)		$	(6,928	)		$	(15,424	)		$	(8,926	)

 

(1)	Cost of revenue, research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses for the periods include stock-based compensation expense as follows:

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,								Year Ended December 31,
		2021				2020				2020				2019
		(in thousands)
Cost of revenue		$	31			$	—			$	—			$	—
Research and development			1,170				273				716				582
Sales and marketing			25				—				—				—
General and administrative			2,648				227				508				277

Comparison of Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020

Revenue

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Revenue		$	218			$	—			$	218				100	%

Revenue increased by $0.2 million, or 100%, to $0.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 from zero for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in revenue was primarily driven by three new revenue contracts under which we began providing services during the six months ended June 30, 2021. We generated no revenue in the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

44

Cost of Revenue

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)		$	508			$	—			$	508				100	%

Cost of revenue increased by $0.5 million, or 100%, to $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 from zero for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was driven by the increase in costs to service active contracts for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Research and Development

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Research and development		$	9,131			$	5,304			$	3,827				72	%

Research and development expenses increased by $3.8 million, or 72%, to $9.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 from $5.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by a $1.7 million increase in payroll related expenses, including stock-based compensation of $0.9 million, as a result of increased headcount, a $1.0 million increase in research and development costs due to amortization of the Duke and UMD arrangements, and a $1.0 million increase in miscellaneous other research and development expenses.

Sales and Marketing

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Sales and marketing		$	1,098			$	182			$	916				503	%

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $0.9 million, or 503%, to $1.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021, from $0.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to increased costs to promote our cloud service offerings and other marketing initiatives of approximately $0.5 million and an increase of $0.2 million of payroll-related expenses.

General and Administrative

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
General and administrative		$	5,860			$	1,113			$	4,747				427	%

General and administrative expenses increased by $4.7 million, or 427%, to $5.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, from $1.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by an increase of $3.3 million in personnel-related expenses (including an increase in stock-based compensation of $2.4 million) due to increased headcount to support the growth of our business, an increase of $0.7 million in auditing and accounting fees, and an increase of $0.6 million in legal fees.

 

45

Depreciation and Amortization

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Depreciation and amortization		$	947			$	623			$	324				52	%

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $0.3 million, or 52%, to $0.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, from $0.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense is primarily driven by an increase of $0.2 million due to amortization of capitalized internally developed software and an increase of $0.1 million in depreciation expense associated with capitalized quantum computing system costs.

Other Income

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2021				2020				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Other income		$	5			$	294			$	(289	)			-98	%

Other income decreased by $0.3 million, or 98%, for the six months ended June 30, 2021, from $0.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was primarily driven by less income earned on money market funds.

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Revenue

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Revenue		$	—			$	200			$	(200	)			-100	%

Revenue decreased by $0.2 million, or 100%, to zero for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. While we generated revenue in both years, we executed an arrangement with a customer for the issuance of a warrant to purchase 2,050,463 shares of Series B-1 convertible redeemable preferred stock. The warrant was evaluated and considered to represent consideration provided to a customer and as such, the recognition of the warrant expense is recorded as a reduction in revenue as revenue is earned under the contract. The decrease in revenue was primarily driven by the completion of our 2019 contract and revenue generated from our new contract off set by the amortization of these warrants. See “Note 9 – Warrant Transaction Agreement” to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional information.

Cost of Revenue

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)		$	143			$	88			$	55				63	%

 

46

Cost of revenue increased by $0.05 million, or 63%, to $0.15 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily driven by an increase of $0.05 million related to costs associated with maintaining the cloud on which the QCaaS resides.

Research and Development

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Research and development		$	10,157			$	6,889			$	3,268				47	%

Research and development expenses increased by $3.3 million, or 47%, to $10.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $6.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily driven by a $1.1 million increase in payroll related expenses, including stock-based compensation of $0.1 million, as a result of increased headcount, a $1.2 million increase in equipment costs for research on quantum computers, and a $1.3 million increase in materials and supplies expense, offset by a decrease of miscellaneous other expenses of $0.3 million.

Sales and Marketing

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Sales and marketing		$	486			$	232			$	254				109	%

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $0.3 million, or 109%, to $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, from $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to increased costs to promote our cloud service offerings of approximately $0.2 million.

General and Administrative

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
General and administrative		$	3,547			$	1,843			$	1,704				92	%

General and administrative expenses increased by $1.7 million, or 92%, to $3.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, from $1.8 million for the year ended December 21, 2019. The increase was primarily driven by an increase of $0.6 million in auditing and accounting fees, an increase of $0.6 million in personnel- related expenses (including an increase in stock-based compensation of $0.2 million) due to increased headcount, an increase of $0.3 million in legal fees related to the Merger, an increase of $0.1 million in recruiting expenses, and an increase of $0.3 million in rent expense, partially offset by decrease of $0.1 million in other general and administrative expenses related to employee meals, travel, seminars and training as a result of stay-at-home orders related to COVID-19.

Depreciation and Amortization

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Depreciation and amortization		$	1,400			$	403			$	997				247	%

 

47

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $1.0 million, or 247%, to $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, from $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense is primarily attributable to an increase in the number of quantum computing systems and hardware placed in service as of December 31, 2020 compared to the prior year comparable period, resulting in a $0.8 million increase in depreciation expense associated with capitalized quantum computing system costs and machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures. In addition, depreciation and amortization increased $0.2 million due to a full year of amortization expense recognized on internally developed software placed into service during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Other Income

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019				$ Change				% Change
		(in thousands)
Other income		$	309			$	329			$	(20	)			-6	%

Other income decreased by $0.02 million, or 6%, to $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, from $0.32 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by less income earned on money market funds.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have incurred losses since our inception and to date have generated only limited revenue. To date, we have funded our operations primarily through issuances of convertible preferred stock and have raised gross proceeds of $84.9 million. During the year ended December 31, 2020 and the six months ended June 30, 2021, we incurred net losses of $15.4 million and $17.3 million, respectively. As of June 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $56.9 million. We expect to incur additional losses and higher operating expenses for the foreseeable future.

As of June 30, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $27.7 million. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents on hand as of June 30, 2021 plus the additional cash received as part of the reverse merger and PIPE

transaction on September 30, 2021 will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for a period of at least 12 months from the date of this prospectus. However, this determination is based upon internal projections and is subject to changes in market and business conditions.

Our primary uses of cash are to fund our operations as we continue to grow our business. We will require a significant amount of cash for expenditures as we invest in ongoing research and development. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from sales of our QCaaS, if ever, we expect to finance our cash needs through public or private equity or debt financings or other capital sources, including potential collaborations and other similar arrangements. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our stockholders will be or could be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our stockholders. Debt financing and equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, or other similar arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our quantum computing technology on terms that may not be favorable to us and/or may reduce the value of our common stock. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our quantum computing development efforts. Our future capital requirements and the adequacy of available funds will depend on many factors, including those set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors.”

 

48

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the period indicated:

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,								Year Ended December 31,
		2021				2020				2020				2019
		(in thousands)
Net cash used in operating activities		$	(9,821	)		$	(5,979	)		$	(12,007	)		$	(7,721	)
Net cash used in investing activities			(3,999	)			(6,791	)			(11,676	)			(3,342	)
Net cash provided by financing activities			5,392				15				276				62,223

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Our cash flows from operating activities are significantly affected by the growth of our business primarily related to research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative activities. Our operating cash flows are also affected by our working capital needs to support growth in personnel-related expenditures and fluctuations in accounts payable and other current assets and liabilities.

Net cash used in operating activities during the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $9.8 million, resulting primarily from a net loss of $17.3 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $3.9 million in stock-based compensation, $1.0 million in costs associated with research and development arrangements, and $0.9 million in depreciation and amortization. The increase in net cash used in operations from the comparable prior year period was primarily related to our increased research and development activities and associated hiring of personnel to support the growth of our business, partially offset by an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses primarily driven by legal fees related to the Merger.

Net cash used in operating activities during the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $6.0 million, resulting primarily from a net loss of $6.9 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $0.6 million in depreciation and amortization and $0.5 million in stock-based compensation.

Net cash used in operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 was $12.0 million, resulting primarily from a net loss of $15.4 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $1.4 million in depreciation and amortization and $1.2 million in stock-based compensation. The increase in net cash used in operations from the prior year was primarily related to our increased research and development activities and associated hiring of personnel.

Net cash used in operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2019 was $7.7 million, resulting primarily from a net loss of $8.9 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $0.9 million in stock-based compensation and $0.4 million in depreciation and amortization.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $4.0 million representing additions of $3.0 million to property and equipment primarily related to the development of quantum computing systems, $0.8 million of capitalized internal software development costs, and $0.2 million of intangible assets.

Net cash used in investing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $6.8 million representing additions of $6.1 million to property and equipment primarily related to the development of quantum computing systems, $0.5 million of capitalized internal software development costs, and $0.1 million of intangible assets.

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 was $11.7 million representing additions of $10.0 million to property and equipment primarily related to the development of three quantum computing systems, $1.1 million of capitalized internal software development costs, and $0.5 million of intangible assets.

 

49

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2019 was $3.3 million representing additions of $2.4 million to property and equipment primarily related to the development of a quantum computing systems, $0.5 million of intangible assets, and $0.4 million of capitalized internal software development costs.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $5.4 million primarily reflecting proceeds from the early exercise of stock options.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $0.02 million reflecting proceeds from stock options exercised.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 was $0.3 million primarily reflecting net proceeds from the issuance of IonQ common stock.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2019 was $62.2 million, primarily reflecting net proceeds from the issuance of Series B-1 convertible preferred stock of $61.9 million and net proceeds from issuance of our common stock of $0.3 million.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations and other commitments as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021, and the years in which these obligations are due:

 

As of December 31, 2020		Payments Due by Period
		Total				Less than 1 Year				1-3 Years				3-5 Years				More than 5 Years
		(in thousands)
Contractual Obligations:
Operating lease obligation (1)		$	7,544			$	561			$	1,315			$	1,522			$	4,146
Total		$	7,544			$	561			$	1,315			$	1,522			$	4,146

 

As of June 30, 2021		Payments Due by Period
		Total				Less than 1 Year				1-3 Years				3-5 Years				More than 5 Years
		(in thousands)
Contractual Obligations:
Operating lease obligation (1)		$	7,297			$	634			$	1,368			$	1,545			$	3,750
Total		$	7,297			$	634			$	1,368			$	1,545			$	3,750

 

(1)	Includes future minimum payments for an operating lease of corporate office facilities.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We did not have off-balance sheet arrangements during the periods presented, and do not currently have, any off-balance sheet financing arrangements or any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, including entities sometimes referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, that were established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

 

50

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Management Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We also make estimates and assumptions on revenue generated and reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

While our significant accounting policies are described in the notes to our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we believe the following critical accounting policies are most important to understanding and evaluating our reported financial results.

Capitalized Internally Developed Software

Capitalized internally developed software, which is included in intangible assets, net, consists of costs to purchase and develop internal-use software, which we use to provide services to our customers. The costs to purchase and develop internal-use software are capitalized from the time that the preliminary project stage is completed, and it is considered probable that the software will be used to perform the function intended, until the time the software is placed in service for its intended use. Any costs incurred during subsequent efforts to upgrade and enhance the functionality of the software are also capitalized. Once this software is ready for use as part of our service offerings, these costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the software, which is typically assessed to be three years.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment, net is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Historical cost of fixed assets is the cost as of the date acquired.

Prior to 2019, we built certain quantum computing systems solely for research and development purposes and these quantum computing systems were deemed to have no alternative future use. In 2019, we began to commercialize our quantum computing systems via the offering of QCaaS and quantum computing systems built thereafter were determined to provide a probable future economic benefit. As a result, hardware and labor costs associated with the building of such quantum computing systems were capitalized. Costs to maintain quantum computing systems are expensed as incurred. Depreciation and amortization are calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of two years for the quantum computing systems.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, intangible assets and capitalized internally developed software are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If circumstances require a long-lived asset or asset group be tested for possible impairment, we first compare undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by that asset or asset group to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the long-lived asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent the carrying amount of the underlying asset or asset group exceeds its fair value. No impairment loss was recognized for the years ended December 31, 2020 or 2019 or for the six months ended June 30, 2021 or 2020.

 

51

Revenue Recognition

We derive revenue from providing access to our QCaaS and professional services related to co-developing algorithms on the quantum computing systems. In arrangements with the cloud service providers, the cloud service provider is considered the customer and we do not have any contractual relationships with the cloud service providers’ end users. For these arrangements, revenue is recognized at the amount charged to the cloud service provider and does not reflect any mark-up to the end user.

We apply the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), and all related applicable guidance.

We have determined that our QCaaS contracts represent a combined, stand-ready performance obligation to provide access to our quantum computing systems together with related maintenance and support. The transaction price generally includes a variable fee based on usage of our quantum computing systems and may include a fixed fee for a minimum volume of usage to be made available over a defined period of access. Fixed fee arrangements may also include a variable component whereby customers pay an amount for usage over contractual minimums contained in the contracts. For contracts with a fixed transaction price, the fixed fee is recognized as QCaaS subscription-based revenues on a straight-line basis over the access period. Any variable fees for usage over the contractual minimums are estimated at contract inception and recognized ratably over the access period unless such variable usage fees are probable of reversal in future periods. In those instances, variable usage fees are included in the determination of the transaction consideration once known. For contracts without fixed fees, variable usage fees are billed and recognized during the period of such usage. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 and the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, all revenue recognized by us was recognized based on transfer of service over time. There were no revenues recognized at a point in time.

We may enter into multiple contracts with a single counterparty at or near the same time. We will combine contracts and account for them as a single contract when one or more of the following criteria are met: (i) the contracts are negotiated as a package with a single commercial objective; (ii) consideration to be paid in one contract depends on the price or performance of the other contract; and (iii) goods or services promised are a single-performance obligation.

In 2019, contemporaneous with a revenue arrangement, we executed an arrangement with the same counterparty for the issuance of a warrant to purchase 2,050,463 shares of Series B-1 convertible redeemable preferred stock. The warrant was evaluated and considered to represent consideration provided to a customer and as such, the recognition of the warrant expense is recorded as a reduction in revenue as revenue is earned under the contract.

For contractual arrangements where consideration is paid up-front, the transfer of the quantum computing services is completed at the discretion of the customer as the customer chooses to use the services starting from the date of contract inception. As such, the up-front payment of consideration does not represent a significant financing component.

Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock

Holders of our preferred stock had certain preference rights relative to our common stock. Our preferred stock contained certain redemption and conversion features that were evaluated for appropriate classification. Our preferred stock was not classified as a liability because it was not mandatorily redeemable and did not contain an obligation to issue a variable number of shares. However, our preferred stock could be redeemed upon the occurrence of a liquidation event which was not solely within our control. As such, the preferred stock was classified as redeemable interests outside of permanent equity (i.e., mezzanine) because of these features.

 

52

Warrants

Our outstanding warrants to a customer are accounted for as non-employee share-based payments and have the same risks and rewards as the corresponding equity share ownership in Series B-1 preferred stock. The warrants are accounted for in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation, and are classified outside of permanent equity (i.e., mezzanine) consistent with the underlying Series B-1 preferred stock. The warrants were valued using the Black-Scholes-Merton (“Black-Scholes”) option-pricing model which requires estimates of highly subjective assumptions including the fair value of the Series B-1 preferred stock, risk-free interest rate, expected term which is based on the contractual life of the warrant shares, expected volatility and the dividend yield. The warrant expense is recorded as a reduction in revenue as revenue is earned under the arrangement with the customer.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure and record the expense related to stock-based payment awards based on the fair value of those awards as of the date of grant. We recognize stock-based compensation expense over the requisite service period of the individual grant, generally equal to the vesting period. The straight-line method is used to recognize stock-based compensation over the applicable period. We use the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of stock awards and the estimated fair value for stock options. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires the use of subjective assumptions, which determine the fair value of share-based awards, including the fair value of our common stock, the option’s expected term, the price volatility of the underlying common stock, risk-free interest rates, and the expected dividend yield of the common stock. The assumptions used to determine the fair value of the stock awards represent management’s best estimates. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment.

The assumptions are based on the following:

 

•

Expected Volatility. Expected volatility is based on the average historical stock price volatility of comparable publicly traded companies in our industry peer group, financial, and market capitalization data.

 

•

Risk-Free Interest Rate. Risk-free interest rates are based on the implied yields on actively traded non-inflation-indexed U.S. treasury securities with contract maturities equal to the expected term.

 

•

Dividend Yield. We used an expected dividend yield of zero. We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and we do not plan to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

•

Expected Term. We have estimated the expected term of our employee awards using the SAB Topic 14 Simplified Method allowed by the FASB and SEC, as it has limited historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to otherwise estimate the expected term. Certain of our options began vesting prior to the grant date, in which case we use the remaining vesting term at the grant date in the expected term calculation.

 

•

Fair Value of Common Stock. Given the historical absence of an active market for our common stock, we obtained a valuation from a third-party appraisal firm to assist in our determination of the fair value of common stock as of the grant date.

 

•

Forfeitures. We record forfeitures as they occur.

If any assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model change significantly, stock option compensation expense for future awards may differ materially compared with the expense for awards granted previously.

 

53

Equity Valuations

The fair value of our equity instruments has historically been determined based upon information available at the time of grant. Given the absence of a public trading market for our capital stock and in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, our management exercised reasonable judgment and considered numerous objective and subjective factors to determine the best estimate of the fair value of our equity instruments at each grant date.

These factors included:

 

•

contemporaneous valuations performed at periodic intervals by independent, third-party specialists;

 

•

our actual operating and financial performance;

 

•

our current business conditions and projections;

 

•

our progress on research and development efforts;

 

•

our stage of development;

 

•

the prices, preferences, and privileges of shares of our convertible preferred stock relative to shares of common stock;

 

•

likelihood of achieving a liquidity event for the underlying equity instruments, such as a business combination, given prevailing market conditions;

 

•

lack of marketability of our common stock; and

 

•

macroeconomic conditions.

The fair value of each share of common stock underlying stock-based awards after the Closing of the Business Combination will be based on the closing price of our common stock as reported by the NYSE on the date of grant.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards

A discussion of recent accounting pronouncements is included in Note 2 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Interest Rate Risk

We had cash and cash equivalents of $27.7 million as of June 30, 2021. We hold our cash and cash equivalent for working capital purposes. Our cash and cash equivalents are held in cash deposits and money market funds. Due to the short-term nature of these instruments, we believe that we do not have any material exposure to changes in the fair value of our cash and cash equivalents due to changes in interest rates. Declines in interest rates, however, would reduce our future interest income. The effect of a hypothetical 10% change in interest rates would not have a material impact on IonQ’s financial statements.

Concentration of Credit Risk

We deposit our cash with financial institutions, and, at times, such balances may exceed federally insured limits. Management believes the financial institutions that hold our cash and cash equivalents are financially sound and, accordingly, minimal credit risk exists with respect to cash and cash equivalents.

 

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Emerging Growth Company Status

Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies 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. dMY previously elected to avail itself of the extended transition period, and we will be an emerging growth company (for the period described in the immediately succeeding paragraph) and intend to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period emerging growth company status permits. During the extended transition period, it may be difficult or impossible to compare our financial results with the financial results of another public company that complies with public company effective dates for accounting standard updates because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

We will remain an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act until the earliest of (a) December 31, 2025, (b) the last date of our fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (c) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the rules of the SEC with at least $700.0 million of outstanding securities held by non-affiliates or (d) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the previous three years.

 

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BUSINESS

Overview

IonQ is developing quantum computers designed to solve the world’s most complex problems, and transform business, society and the planet for the better. IonQ believes that its proprietary technology, its architecture and the technology exclusively available to it through license agreements will offer it advantages both in terms of research and development, as well as the commercial value of its intended product offerings.

Today, IonQ sells access to a quantum computer with 11 qubits and it is in the process of researching and developing technologies for quantum computers with increasing computational capabilities. IonQ currently makes access to its quantum computers available via three major cloud platforms, Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Amazon Braket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum and Google’s Cloud Marketplace, and also to select customers via IonQ’s own cloud service. This cloud-based approach enables the broad availability of quantum computer as a service (QCaaS) without the cost or complexity of manufacturing, shipping, and servicing on-premises systems (besides IonQ’s own datacenter), and with a lower risk of having competitors reverse engineer its technology.

IonQ is still in the early stages of generating revenue with its 11-qubit quantum computer. Since its inception, IonQ has incurred significant operating losses. IonQ’s ability to generate revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful development and further commercialization of quantum computing system. IonQ’s net losses were $15.4 million and $17.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and the six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively, and it expects to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. As of June 30, 2021, IonQ had an accumulated deficit of $56.9 million. IonQ expects that trend to continue for the next few years as it prioritizes reaching the technical milestones necessary to achieve increasingly higher number of stable qubits and higher levels of fidelity than that which presently exists—prerequisites for quantum computing to reach broad quantum advantage.

The Quantum Opportunity

Throughout human history, technological breakthroughs have dramatically transformed society and altered the trajectory of economic productivity. In the 19^th century, it was the industrial revolution, powered by the scientific advances that brought us steam-powered machines, electricity, and advanced medicine. These technologies drastically improved human productivity and lengthened life expectancy.

In the 20th century, computing—arguably the greatest of all human inventions—leveraged human intelligence to run complex calculations, paving the way for profound advances in virtually every realm of human experience, including information processing, communication, energy, transportation, biotechnology, life sciences, agriculture, and industry.

Since classical computing emerged in the mid-twentieth century, there has been exponential progress in computer design, with processing power roughly doubling every few years (Moore’s law). The true economic and social impact of computing is difficult to measure because it has so thoroughly permeated every aspect of life, altering the trajectory of society.

However, as transformative as computing has been, many classes of problems strain the ability of classical computers, and some will never be solvable with classical computing. In this traditional binary approach to computing, information is stored in bits that are represented logically by either a 0 (off) or a 1 (on). Quantum computing uses information in a fundamentally different way than classical computing. Quantum computers are based on quantum bits (qubits), a fundamental unit that can exist in both states 0 and 1 simultaneously (superposition). As a result, IonQ believes that quantum computers can address a set of hard problems classical computing may never solve. The types of problems that currently defeat classical computing include the simulation of quantum systems (e.g., in materials science or pharmaceuticals); number factoring for decryption;

 

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and complex optimization problems. Many of these problems are fundamental, involving society’s most pressing needs, such as how to live sustainably on our planet, how to cure diseases, and how to efficiently move people and goods. Classical computers cannot solve these problems because the calculations would take far too long (i.e., millions to trillions of years) or because the problems involve quantum systems that are far too complex to be represented on a classical computer, even if their remarkable pace of development were to continue indefinitely. While these problems are not solvable by today’s quantum computers, IonQ believes that a quantum computer currently offers the best possibility for computational power that could be used to solve them.

The future success of quantum computing will be based on the development of a computer with a substantially higher number of qubits than the current computers of IonQ. IonQ believes that it will find solutions to these challenges and that its proprietary technology and architecture and the technology exclusively available to it through exclusive license agreements will offer it advantages both in terms of research and development as well as the ultimate product it wishes to offer customers.

There are certainly thousands, if not millions, of important and fundamental unanswered questions about how the universe works and opportunities associated with the answers to those questions. IonQ envisions a future powered by quantum computing and believes the 21st century is poised to be the dawn of this era.

Recent Developments

We recently announced the following hardware achievements, which we believe will enable the continued scaling of our trapped ion quantum computers:

 

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the industry’s first Reconfigurable Multicore Quantum Architecture (RMQA) technology, which allows greatly increased qubit count and power of IonQ’s quantum computers;

 

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evaporated glass traps (EGTs), a new, IonQ-designed chipset that affords greater control of individual qubits in a quantum computer, paving the way for larger quantum computing cores;

 

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first customers running on our latest hardware; and

 

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our quantum computers now run thousands of quantum jobs routinely for customers via the cloud each week.

Our quantum computers are also now available on the Google Cloud Marketplace, making IonQ the first quantum computing hardware provider on the Google platform, and the only quantum compute supplier available on all three major cloud providers, including Microsoft (Azure) and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Additionally, we are the only quantum computing hardware provider supported by every major quantum software developer tool kit (SDK) in the industry, further establishing us as a leading provider of quantum computing. Further, we recently announced:

 

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integration with IBM’s Qiskit, making the power of our quantum computers available to over 275,000 quantum developers using Qiskit’s open-source quantum software developer tool kit (SDK), lowering barriers to entry for our platform;

 

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integration of our quantum computers with Google Cirq, a leading open-source quantum SDK designed to expand access to quantum computing to a broad audience; and

 

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the launch of the second cohort of the IonQ Research Credits Program to provide teams and individuals from qualified academic institutions with free credits to build novel quantum algorithms on IonQ’s cutting-edge hardware.

We have also announced partnerships with several cornerstone financial institutions to demonstrate applications of quantum machine learning in that industry, including a collaboration with the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT) to demonstrate how quantum computers can be used for financial modeling, and a joint research project with Goldman Sachs and QCWare demonstrating the viability of running new algorithms developed by QCWare and Goldman Sachs which can be utilized to speed up Monte Carlo simulations.

 

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In addition, we announced the following commercial efforts:

 

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a strategic partnership with a global professional services company, developing a joint commercial framework to accelerate quantum computing business applications globally and across all industries;

 

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a partnership with the Softbank Vision Fund to jointly deploy quantum-first solutions into the largest enterprises across the globe, including Softbank’s portfolio companies;

 

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a commercial deal with the University of Maryland as part of the University’s $20 million quantum computing initiative to create the National Quantum Lab at Maryland (Q-Lab); and

 

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an increase to our previously announced 2021 bookings target of $5 million, which is now projected to end the year at $15 million.

IonQ’s Founders and Management Team

IonQ was founded in 2015, by Christopher Monroe and Jungsang Kim. Dr. Monroe, formerly of the University of Maryland, joined the faculty at Duke University in 2021 as a professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and physics. In 1995, Dr. Monroe demonstrated the operation of the first quantum logic gate with Dr. David Wineland, whose 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics was partially credited to this work. Since this seminal work, Dr. Monroe’s subsequent research has marked many firsts and innovations in quantum computing that form the scientific foundation of IonQ’s technology. Dr. Monroe is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and was a key architect of the legislation that became the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018. Dr. Kim is a professor of ECE and physics at Duke University. At Duke, Dr. Kim pioneered and invented a host of technologies critical to bringing trapped ion quantum computing towards commercial viability, such as microfabricated ion trap chips, compact and stable laser systems, photonic technology that can increase the rate of communication in quantum computer networks, miniaturized ultra-high vacuum technology, and other integration technologies to reduce the size and cost of ion trap quantum computing systems while increasing their performance. Drs. Monroe and Kim are members of the inaugural National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee, advising the president of the United States and the Secretary of Energy to help maintain US leadership in quantum information science and technology. Between them, Drs. Monroe and Kim are authors of more than 200 technical publications and hold 50 patents and patent applications. Drs. Monroe’s and Kim’s pioneering work at the University of Maryland and Duke University forms the basis of IonQ’s technology and has been licensed by these universities to IonQ.

IonQ is building a world-class management team to accelerate the innovation, distribution and monetization of its quantum capabilities, which currently includes Peter Chapman, its President and Chief Executive Officer, who previously was one of two directors of engineering for Amazon Prime at Amazon.com, Inc.; David Bacon, its vice president of software, who previously led Google’s quantum software team; and Thomas Kramer, its chief financial officer, who previously served as the chief financial officer of Opower, Inc.

IonQ’s Strategy

IonQ’s mission is to be the leading quantum computing company enabling the new era of quantum computing. IonQ intends to fulfill its mission by:

 

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Leveraging IonQ’s Technology. IonQ believes that its technology offers substantial technological advantages compared to other competing quantum computing systems. IonQ intends to build upon its technological lead by leveraging its world-class team of leaders and engineers who are pioneers in quantum computing, with proven track records in innovation and technical leadership. To date, IonQ has developed and assembled six generations of quantum computer prototypes and systems, has constructed quantum operating systems and software tools, and has worked with leading cloud vendors, quantum programming languages and quantum software development kits (QSDK).

 

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Offering Quantum Computing as a Service. IonQ envisions providing quantum computing as a service, complemented by access to quantum experts and algorithm development capabilities. IonQ

 

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intends to manufacture, own, and operate quantum computers, with compute units offered on usage basis. IonQ’s quantum computing solution is currently delivered via AWS Amazon Braket and Microsoft’s Azure Quantum. IonQ believes that by offering its quantum computing solution as service, it can accelerate the adoption of its quantum computing solutions, while efficiently promoting quantum computing across its partner ecosystems.

 

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Continuing to Enhance its Proprietary Position. IonQ has exclusively licensed its core technology from the University of Maryland and Duke University, and its complex technology is protected by an extensive patent portfolio. IonQ intends to continue to drive innovation in quantum computing and seek intellectual property protection where appropriate to enhance its proprietary technology position.

 

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Further Developing its Quantum Computing Partner Ecosystem. IonQ believes its relationships with leading technology enterprises and university research institutes will accelerate innovation, distribution and monetization of its quantum capabilities.

Industry Background

While the theory of quantum physics is more than a century old, quantum computers were first conceptualized in the 1980s, when scientists, including Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, recognized that simulating quantum systems using classical computers scale poorly. In other words, as the size of a quantum system grows, the computation time required to simulate it grows exponentially. Dr. Feynman postulated that a computer using quantum effects directly as the basis of its hardware, a “quantum computer,” would not have this problem. A quantum computer would need to be based on quantum bits (qubits), a fundamental unit that can exist in both states 0 and 1 simultaneously, unlike a classical bit that can only assume the definite states 0 or 1. It took another decade before theorists realized quantum computers could also solve other types of problems faster than classical computers. In 1994, Bell Labs mathematician Peter Shor demonstrated that a quantum computer could efficiently factor numbers into their primes, a task considered so difficult to execute with classical computers that prime factorization underlies most data encryption standards. Dr. Shor’s breakthrough stimulated the search for other quantum algorithms that might offer speedups or scaling advantages over classical approaches.

A practical quantum computer requires a collection of physical qubits that are sufficiently isolated from the environment, yet can host universal quantum logic gates between the qubits and allow efficient readout. Developing a scalable quantum computer has proven to be time-intensive, technically difficult and expensive, and it is only due to recent scientific advancements that it is now achievable. Today, IonQ believes Dr. Feynman’s vision of a scalable quantum computer is within reach.

Market Opportunity: A Future Driven by Quantum Computing

The potential uses for quantum applications are widespread and address a number of problems that would be impossible to solve using classical computing technology. According to a 2020 report from P&S Intelligence, the total addressable market of quantum computing is expected to be approximately $65 billion by 2030. Below are a few of the use cases in which IonQ believes quantum computers, if they are successfully developed, will become an important tool for businesses to remain competitive in the market over the coming years.

Quantum Simulations in Chemistry

Dr. Feynman’s original insight that quantum computers can efficiently simulate quantum systems has led to a series of innovative algorithms for simulating chemistry. IonQ believes that there are thousands of problems that could benefit from these quantum algorithms across the pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, and materials industries.

An example of such a simulation problem is modeling the core molecule in the nitrogen fixation process to make fertilizer. Nature is able to fixate nitrogen (i.e., turn atmospheric nitrogen into more useful ammonia) at

 

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room temperature. Scientists, however, have only been able to achieve fixation using a resource-intensive, high-temperature, high-pressure process, called the Haber-Bosch process. A cornerstone of the global agriculture industry, the Haber-Bosch process consumes about one percent of the world’s energy and produces about one percent of the world’s carbon dioxide. Agronomists have attempted to model the core molecule in nature’s nitrogen fixation process, but the molecule is too large for today’s classical supercomputers to simulate. Understanding the quantum process used in nature to fixate nitrogen could lead directly to more efficient ways for scientists to do the same.

Quantum chemistry simulation is expected to impact multiple markets and become an essential tool in chemical industries. For example, computer-aided drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry is limited by the computing time and resources required to simulate a large enough chemical system with sufficient accuracy to be useful. If future generations of more powerful quantum computers are successfully developed, IonQ believes that they could improve the speed and accuracy of virtual high-throughput screening and improve the molecular docking predictions used in structure-based drug discovery, dramatically reducing the development cost of new drugs and reducing the time to market.

Quantum Algorithms for Monte Carlo Simulations

Monte Carlo simulations are probability simulations used to calculate the expected distribution of possible outcomes in hard-to-predict processes involving random variables. Such simulations are used pervasively in finance, banking, logistics, economics, engineering, and applied sciences. A key parameter of Monte Carlo simulations is the degree of accuracy desired to attain with the result. To obtain 99.9% accuracy, a classical computer requires around one million simulations. Quantum algorithms, however, can achieve the same accuracy using only one thousand simulations, thereby significantly reducing the time it takes to perform Monte Carlo simulations. This is especially important when running these simulations is expensive.

One application of the quantum Monte Carlo algorithm is to price options for the financial industry. Simple options models are used ubiquitously in finance, the most famous of these being the Black-Scholes model. However, these models fail to capture the complexities of real markets, and financiers use more sophisticated simulations to obtain better model predictions. Currently, many of these models are limited by the number of simulations required to reach the desired accuracy within a fixed time budget. Quantum algorithms for Monte Carlo simulations could give some financial firms a competitive advantage by enabling them to price options more quickly.

Quantum Algorithms for Optimization

Optimization problems have enormous economic significance in many industries, and they often cannot be solved with classical computers due to their daunting complexity. Quantum algorithms are naturally suited for problems in which an exponential number of possibilities must be considered before an optimized output can be identified. It is widely believed that quantum computers will be able to arrive at a better approximate optimization solution than classical computers can, and with reduced computational cost and time. One method of quantum optimization is a hybrid method called the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, in which layers of quantum computations are executed within circuit parameters optimized using classical high-performance computers. Because optimization issues bedevil so many complicated processes in industries ranging from logistics to pharmaceutical drug design to climate modeling, the application of quantum algorithms to optimization problems could have far-reaching impacts on society.

Quantum Machine Learning

Quantum computers can generate probability distributions that cannot be efficiently simulated on a classical computer. Similarly, there are probability distributions that can only be efficiently distinguished from each other

 

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using a quantum computer. In other words, quantum computers can “learn” things that are beyond the capabilities of classical computers. Quantum computing is likely to offer new machine-learning modalities, greatly improving existing classical machine learning when used in tandem with it. Examples of areas where quantum machine learning could have an impact are risk analysis in finance, natural language processing, and classification of multivariate chemical data. Machine learning is used broadly in industry today, and IonQ believes quantum machine learning could have a similarly broad impact.

As with any completely new technology, the use cases imagined by IonQ today are only a subset of the opportunities that will emerge if future generations of more powerful quantum computers are successfully developed, as users understand the power of quantum algorithms.

Remaining Challenges in Quantum Computing Evolution

One can compare any particular quantum algorithm’s performance to the best classical algorithm for the same problem. The point at which a quantum computer is able to perform a particular computation that exceeds its classical counterpart in speed or reduces its cost to solution is known as the point of “quantum advantage.”

Given the substantial research and development required to build a modern quantum computer that is both functional and practical, industry experts describe the remaining challenges in quantum computing to achieve quantum advantage as being solved in three phases. Although none of these challenges have yet been fully solved, IonQ believes that it is well positioned to do so. A 2019 publicly available report by a leading third-party consulting firm describes these phases—and the associated technical barriers—as paraphrased below:

 

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Noisy and intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers: The earliest stage of development will see component demonstrations and intermediate-scale system development with limited commercial application. The main technical barrier involves the mitigation of errors through improved fabrication and engineering of underlying qubit devices and advanced control techniques for the qubits. These devices are used for developing and validating fundamentally new quantum approaches to tackling difficult problems, but are not expected to generate substantial commercial revenues.

 

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Broad quantum advantage: In this stage, quantum computers are expected to provide an advantage over classical computers with a meaningful commercial impact. The main technical barrier is the deployment of quantum error-correcting codes that allow bigger applications to be executed. If this barrier can be overcome, IonQ believes that quantum computing will offer practical solutions to meaningful problems superior to those provided by classical computers.

 

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Full-scale fault tolerance: This last stage will see large modular quantum computers with enough power to tackle a wide array of commercial applications relevant to many sectors of the economy. At this stage, classical computers are expected to no longer compete with quantum computers in many fields. The technical barrier will be the adoption of a modular quantum computer architecture that allows the scalable manufacturing of large quantum computer systems.

Building a Quantum Computer

Requirements for Building Useful Quantum Computers

Quantum computers are difficult to build and operate because the physical system of qubits must be nearly perfectly isolated from its environment to faithfully store quantum information. Yet the system must also be precisely controlled through the application of quantum gate operations, and it must ultimately be measured with high accuracy. A practical quantum computer requires well-isolated, near-perfect qubits that are cheap, replicable, and scalable, along with the ability to initialize, control, and measure their states. Breakthroughs in physics, engineering, and classical computing were prerequisites for building a quantum computer, which is why for many decades the task was, and in some cases remains, beyond the limits of available technology.

 

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To execute computational tasks, a quantum computer must be able to (i) initialize and store quantum information in qubits, (ii) operate quantum gates to modify information stored in qubits and (iii) output measurable results. Each of these steps must be accomplished with sufficiently low error rates to produce reliable results. Moreover, to be practical, a quantum computer must be economical in cost and scalable in compute power (i.e., the number of qubits and the number of gate operations) to handle real world problems.

The development of large-scale quantum computing systems is still in early stages, and several potential engineering architectures for how to build a quantum computer have emerged. IonQ is developing quantum computers based on individual atoms as the core qubit technology, which IonQ believes has key advantages in scaling. The ability to produce cheap error-corrected qubits at scale in a modular architecture is one of the key differentiators of IonQ’s approach. Today, IonQ has achieved many engineering firsts in this field and it believes that, with its focus on achieving additional technical milestones over the next few years, it is well positioned to bring quantum computing advantage to the commercial market.

Scientific Approaches to Quantum Computing

There are a variety of different approaches to (or architectures for) building a quantum computer, each of which involves tradeoffs in meeting the three functional and practical requirements outlined above. Roughly, approaches to performing a quantum computation fall into one of three categories: natural quantum bits, solid state or classical computer simulation.

Natural quantum bits: In natural qubit-based quantum computers, a system is built around naturally-occurring substrates exhibiting quantum properties.

 

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Atoms: In atomic-based quantum computers, the qubits are represented by internal states of individual atoms trapped and isolated in a vacuum. There are two categories within this approach: the use of ionized (charged) atoms and the use of neutral atoms.

 

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Photons: In this approach, the state of a photon, a particle of light, is used as the qubit. Various aspects of a photon, such as presence/absence, polarization, frequency (color) or its temporal location can be used to represent a qubit.

Solid state: In solid-state-based quantum computers, the qubits are engineered into the system.

 

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Spins in semiconductors: This approach uses the spins of individual electrons or atomic nuclei in a semiconductor matrix. There are two categories within this approach: (1) the use of electrons trapped in quantum dot structures fabricated by lithographic techniques and (2) the use of atomic defects (or dopants) that capture single electrons. The nuclear spin of the dopant atoms, or the nearby atoms to defects, are often used to store qubits.

 

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Superconducting circuits: This approach uses circuits fabricated using superconducting material that features quantum phenomena at cryogenic temperatures. Two states of the circuit, either charge states or states of circulating current, are used as the qubit.

Classical computer simulation: Classical computers in a data center can be used to simulate quantum computers. Although useful for small-scale quantum experiments, quantum simulation on classical computers is still bound by the same limitations of classical computing and would require an impractical number of data centers to tackle meaningful quantum problems.

 

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IonQ’s Technology Approach

IonQ Approach to Quantum Computing: Trapped Ions

IonQ has adopted the atom-based approach described above and uses trapped atomic ions as the foundational qubits to construct practical quantum computers. IonQ is pursuing a modular computing architecture to scale their quantum computers, meaning that, if successful, individual quantum processing units will be connected to form increasingly powerful systems. IonQ believes that the ion trap approach offers the following advantages over other approaches:

 

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Atomic qubits are nature’s qubits: Using atoms as qubits means that every qubit is exactly identical and perfectly quantum. This is why atomic qubits are used in the atomic clocks that do the precise timekeeping for mankind. Many other quantum systems rely upon fabricated qubits, which bring about imprecisions such that no single qubit is exactly the same as any other qubit in the system. For example, every superconducting qubit comes with a different frequency (or must be tuned to a frequency) due to manufacturing imprecision. Overall, IonQ believes that systems relying upon fabrication of their qubits are more susceptible to error.

 

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Trapped ion qubits are well-isolated from environmental influences: When a quantum system interacts with its environment, the quantum state loses coherence and is no longer useful for computing. For example, in a superconducting qubit, the qubit tends to lose its coherence within approximately 10 to 50 microseconds. Even neutral atoms are perturbed to some extent when they are trapped in space. In contrast, trapped ion qubits are confined via electric fields in an ultra-high vacuum environment, and their internal qubits are hence perfectly isolated. As a result, the coherence of trapped ions can be preserved for about an hour, and may be able to be preserved for longer if isolation technology improves. Longer coherence times mean more computations can be performed before noise overwhelms the quantum calculation and is key to minimizing the overhead of error correction needed for large-scale quantum computers.

 

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Lower overhead for quantum error-correction. Quantum error-correction will likely be necessary to reduce the operational errors in any large-scale quantum computations relevant to commercial problems. Quantum error-correction uses multiple physical qubits to create an error-corrected qubit with lower levels of operational errors. For solid-state architectures, IonQ estimates that it may take at least 1,000 physical qubits to form a single error-corrected qubit, while for near-term applications with ion traps the ratio is closer to 16:1.

 

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Trapped ion quantum computers can run at room temperature: Solid-state qubits currently require temperatures close to absolute zero (i.e., -273.15° C, or -459.67° F) to minimize external interference and noise levels. Maintaining the correct temperature requires the use of large and expensive dilution refrigerators, which can hamper a system’s long-term scalability because the cooling space, and hence the system space, is limited. Trapped ion systems, on the other hand, can operate at room temperature. Instead of cooling the entire chip, as is the case in most other solid-state systems, the trapped ions can be cooled simply with low-power lasers while they are confined in a small vacuum chamber. This also allows IonQ to minimize the system size as technology progresses, while scaling the compute power and simultaneously reducing costs.

 

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All-to-all connectivity: In superconducting and other solid-state architectures, individual qubits are connected via physical wires, hence a particular qubit can only communicate with a further-removed qubit by going through the qubits that lie in-between. In the trapped ion approach, however, qubits are connected by electrostatic repulsion rather than through physical wires. As a result, qubits in IonQ’s existing systems can directly interact with any other qubit in the system. IonQ’s modular architecture benefits from this flexible connectivity, significantly reducing the complexity of implementing a given quantum circuit.

 

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Ion traps require no novel manufacturing capabilities: Ion trap chips consist of electrodes and their electrical connections, which are built using existing technologies. The trap chips themselves are not

 

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quantum materials. They simply provide the conditions for the ion qubits to be trapped in space, and in their current state, they can be fabricated with existing conventional and standard silicon or other micro-fabrication technologies. By contrast, solid-state qubits, such as superconducting qubits or solid-state silicon spins, require exotic materials and fabrication processes that demand atomic perfection in the structures of the qubits and their surroundings; fabrication with this level of precision is an unsolved challenge.

Technological Complexity Creates Significant Barriers to Entry

Alongside the benefits of the trapped ion approach, there are several challenges inherent in it that serve as barriers-to-entry, strengthening the advantages of IonQ’s systems. These key challenges include:

 

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Complex laser systems: One of the challenges of trapped ion quantum computing is the set of lasers required and the degree to which they must be stable to operate the system. Traditionally, these laser systems were assembled on an optical table on a component-by-component basis, which led to serious stability and reliability issues. IonQ believes that it has resolved this issue from an engineering standpoint and that its future roadmap will further improve manufacturability.

 

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Ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technology: The conventional method to achieve UHV conditions for ion trapping experiments involves using vacuum chamber designs with carefully chosen materials, assembly procedures with cumbersome electrical connections, and a conditioning procedure to prepare and bake the chamber at elevated temperatures for extended periods of time. IonQ has developed new approaches that it believes will substantially reduce the time and cost to prepare the UHV environment to operate the quantum computer.

 

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Executing high fidelity gates with all-to-all connectivity: While trapped ion qubits feature the highest fidelity entangling gates, it is nevertheless a major technical challenge to design a control scheme that enables all qubits in a system to form gates with each other under full software control. Through innovation in gate-implementation protocols, IonQ believes that it has developed laser delivery and control systems that will allow it to implement fully programmable, fully-connected gate schemes in its system.

 

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Slow gate speeds: Compared to their solid-state counterparts, trapped ions are widely believed to have slow gate speeds. While slow gate speeds are the case for many systems in operation today, both theoretical analyses and experimental demonstrations suggest this may not be a fundamental limit of trapped ion qubits (although this has not yet been demonstrated in commercial applications). In fact, high-fidelity gates with speeds comparable to those of solid-state qubits have been realized in several research laboratories. Moreover, IonQ believes that as systems with other qubit technologies scale up, their restricted connectivity and high error-correction overhead will significantly slow down their overall computation time, which IonQ believes will make the trapped ion approach more competitive in terms of operational speed.

IonQ’s Trapped Ion Implementation

IonQ has selected a trapped ion approach to quantum computing for the reasons described above. The specific implementation of IonQ’s trapped ion systems leverages the inherent advantages of the substrate and creates what IonQ believes is a path for building stable, replicable, and scalable quantum computers.

Trapped Ion Infrastructure

IonQ systems are built on individual atomic ions that serve as the computer’s qubits. Maintaining identical, replicable, and cost-effective qubits is critical to IonQ’s potential competitive advantage, and IonQ has developed a process to produce, confine, and manipulate atomic ion qubits.

 

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To create trapped atomic ion qubits using IonQ’s approach, a solid source containing the element of interest is either evaporated or laser-ablated to create a vapor of atoms. Laser light is then used to strip one electron selectively from each of only those atoms of a particular isotope, creating an electrically charged ion. Ions are then confined in a specific configuration of electromagnetic fields created by the trapping structure (i.e., the ion trap), to which their motion is confined due to their charge. The trapping is done in an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber to keep the ions well-isolated from the environment. Isolating and loading a specific isotope of a specific atomic species ensures each qubit in the system is identical. Two internal electronic states of the atom are selected to serve as the qubit for each ion. The two atomic states have enough frequency separation that the qubit is easy to measure through fluorescence detection when an appropriate laser beam is applied.

To build quantum computers, many atomic ions are held in a single trap, and the repulsion from their charges naturally forces them into a stable linear crystal (or chain) of qubits. The qubits are highly isolated in the UHV chamber, only perturbed by occasional collisions with residual molecules in the chamber, which provides near-perfect quantum memory that lasts much longer than most currently envisioned quantum computing tasks require. The qubits are initialized and measured through a system of external gated laser beams. An additional set of gated laser beams applies a force to selected ions and modulates the electrical repulsion between the ions. This process allows the creation of quantum logic gates between any pair of qubits, regardless of their distance within the crystal, which can be arbitrarily reconfigured in software.

System Modularity and Scalability

Today, all qubits in an IonQ system are stored on a single chip, referred to as a quantum processing unit (QPU). QPUs can have several cores, or zones for trapping chains of ions, comparable to multicore central processing unit (CPU) chips in classical computing. Each core can contain up to about 100 qubits in a linear crystal, and dozens of cores can potentially be co-located in a single QPU. Within a QPU, some qubits can be physically moved between cores to accommodate quantum communication between the cores. This process of moving ions within a QPU is called “shuttling” and is achieved by modifying the electromagnetic fields that form the trap.

In addition to increasing the number of qubits per QPU, IonQ believes it has identified, and it is currently developing, the technology needed to connect qubits between trapped ion QPUs, which may be commercially viable in the future. This technology, known as a photonic interconnect, uses light particles to communicate between qubits while keeping information stored stably on either end of the interconnect. The basic protocol for this photonic interconnect between ion traps in two different vacuum chambers was first realized by IonQ co-founder Christopher Monroe’s research team in 2007. IonQ believes this protocol can be combined with all-optical switching technology to enable multi-QPU quantum computers at large scale. IonQ has deep expertise in photonics; while at Bell Labs, co-founder Jungsang Kim led a team to build the world’s largest optical switch. Photonic interconnects are designed to allow IonQ systems to compute with entangled qubits spanning multiple QPUs, which IonQ believes can open up the possibility of scaling quantum computers indefinitely, similar to how high-performance computers and data centers have been scaled.

IonQ’s quantum architecture is modular, meaning that if development of this architecture is successful, the number of qubits in a QPU, or the number of QPUs in a system, could be adjusted. Also, by allowing for each qubit in a system to entangle with any other qubit in that system, IonQ believes that a system’s number of quantum gates could increase rapidly with each additional qubit added. This all-to-all connectivity is one of the key reasons IonQ believes its systems will be computationally powerful.

Gate Configuration

IonQ’s qubits are manipulated (for initialization, detection, and forming quantum logic gates) by shining specific laser beams onto the trapped ions. IonQ’s systems employ a set of lasers and a sophisticated optical system to deliver beams precisely tailored to achieve this manipulation. The laser beams are tailored by

 

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programming radio frequency (RF) signals using state-of-the-art digital chipsets, which are custom-configured to generate the signals for qubit manipulation. An operating system manages the quantum computer, maintaining the system in operation. It includes software toolsets for converting quantum programs from users into a set of instructions the computer hardware can execute to yield the desired computational results. To support system access from the cloud, IonQ offers cloud management tools and application programming interfaces (APIs) that permit programming jobs to run remotely.

IonQ’s quantum gates are fully programmable in software; there is no “hard-wiring” of qubit connections in the quantum computing hardware. The structure of a quantum circuit or algorithm can therefore be optimized in software, and the appropriate laser beams can then be generated, switched, or modulated to execute any pattern of gate interactions. IonQ’s programmable gate configurations make its systems adaptable. Unlike quantum computer systems that are limited to a single class of problems due to their architecture, IonQ believes that any computational problem with arbitrary internal algorithmic structure could be optimized to run on an IonQ system (although this has not been demonstrated at scale).

Quantum Error Correction

A key milestone in building larger quantum computers is achieving fault-tolerant quantum error-correction. In quantum error-correction, individual physical qubits prone to errors are combined to form an error-corrected qubit (sometimes referred to as a logical qubit) with a much lower error rate. Determining how many physical qubits are needed to form a more reliable logical qubit (the resource “overhead”) depends on both the error rate of the physical qubits and the specific error-correcting codes used. In 2020, IonQ co-founder Dr. Monroe’s research team at the University of Maryland demonstrated the first error-corrected qubit using 13 trapped ion qubits. With IonQ’s unique architecture, IonQ believes quantum error-correction can be completely coded in software, allowing varying levels and depths of quantum error-correction to be deployed as needed. Because the ion qubits feature very low idle and native error rates and are highly connected, IonQ expects the error-correction overhead to be about 16:1 to achieve the first useful quantum applications. This contrasts with other approaches, for which IonQ estimates the overhead to be in the range of 1,000:1 to 100,000:1.

IonQ believes its architectural decisions will make its systems uniquely capable of achieving scale. IonQ has published a roadmap for scaling to larger quantum computing systems, with concrete technological innovations designed to significantly shrink the physical size of the systems and their cost per qubit. However, meeting the milestones included in IonQ’s roadmap is not guaranteed and is dependent on various technological advancements, which could take longer than expected to realize or turn out to be impossible to achieve. IonQ believes that, with engineering advancements and firsts yet to be achieved, its quantum computers will become increasingly compact and transportable, opening up future applications of quantum computing at the edge.

IonQ’s Forward-Looking Roadmap

In December 2020, IonQ publicly released a forward-looking technical roadmap for the next eight years. For the avoidance of doubt, the IonQ roadmap is not incorporated into, and does not form part of, this registration statement. As part of this roadmap, IonQ introduced the notion of “algorithmic qubits” as a metric to measure progress. The number of algorithmic qubits (#AQ) represents the total number of qubits that can be used to perform a quantum computational task that involves of order ~(#AQ)² entangling gate operations. This metric can be used to estimate the complexity of the computing tasks the quantum computer can execute. At low #AQ, the size of the problem the quantum computer can tackle is limited by the error rate of the entangling gate operations, rather than by the number of physical qubits available in the computer. The error rate within the system can be dramatically reduced by introducing quantum error-correction.

IonQ believes that many of the technological components needed to accomplish the performance goals of the roadmap, such as high-fidelity gate operations, photonic interconnects and quantum error-correction, have been realized in proof-of-concept demonstrations in trapped ion systems. Given IonQ’s track record of

 

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engineering and technology development, it believes that, over time, it will be able to successfully translate these technology components into IonQ products, which may enable successful deployment of its quantum computers.

IonQ’s Technical Roadmap Paves the Way for Its Leadership in Quantum Computing

IonQ’s technical roadmap was designed to provide transparent guidance to its quantum computer users regarding when IonQ expects certain quantum computing capabilities to become available. The #AQ metric provides a simple and effective measure to estimate the computational power of each generation of quantum computers. The aggressive push for improving the power of quantum computers, including the early introduction of quantum error-correction, is intended to significantly compress the time required for reaching the point when IonQ expects quantum computers may become commercially impactful at scale. By introducing the necessary technology components early and continuing to improve on the #AQ metric, IonQ is working on the development of the first quantum applications that are designed to deliver material commercial value to customers.

IonQ’s Modular Architecture is Designed to Scale with Smaller and Cheaper Systems for Each Generation

The scaling of classical computer technology, which unlocked continuously growing markets over many decades, was driven by exponential growth in computational power coupled with exponential reduction in the cost of computational power for each generation (Moore’s law). The key economic driver permitting the expansion of digital computer applications to new segments of the market was this very phenomenon of capability doubling in each generation with costs rising only modestly. IonQ believes the scaling of quantum computing may follow a similar trajectory: if the number of algorithmic qubits (#AQ) available in each generation scales dramatically, the per-AQ cost would need to be reduced exponentially to enable true scaling of quantum computers. IonQ systems have benefitted from years of architectural focus on scalability that addresses both #AQ and per-AQ cost and, as such, IonQ believes that if it is able to successfully solve remaining scalability challenges, these systems may become increasingly powerful and accessible in tandem.

At the heart of IonQ’s approach is the modular architecture that may enable such growth. IonQ expects its future systems to be modular networks of many QPUs working together as a large quantum computer, similar to how classical data centers are designed, constructed and operated today. IonQ’s engineering effort is focused on reducing the size, weight, cost and power consumption of the QPUs that will be the center of each generation of the modular quantum computer, while increasing the number of QPUs manufactured each year. IonQ intends to focus on achieving these engineering efforts over the next several years. If successful, IonQ expects that it may be able to achieve compact, lightweight, and reliable quantum computers, which can be deployed at the edge, similarly to how personal computers have enabled new applications for both government and commercial use.

Business Model

Quantum Computing and the Software-as-a-Service Model

As quantum hardware matures, IonQ expects the quantum computing industry to increasingly focus on practical applications for real-world problems, known as quantum algorithms. Today, IonQ believes that there are a large number of quantum algorithms widely thought to offer advantages over classical algorithms in that each of these algorithms can solve a problem more efficiently, or in a different manner, than a classical algorithm. IonQ’s business model is premised on the belief notion that businesses with access to quantum computers to run quantum algorithms will likely have a competitive advantage in the future.

IonQ envisions providing quantum computing as a service, complemented by access to quantum experts and algorithm development capabilities, to solve the most challenging issues facing corporations, governments, and other large-scale entities today. IonQ intends to manufacture, own, and operate quantum computers, with compute units being offered to potential customers on a QCaaS basis.

 

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IonQ expects its target markets to experience two stages of quantum algorithm deployment: the development stage and the application stage. IonQ expects its involvement in these two stages, to the extent they will take place, to be as follows:

 

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Development Stage: During the development stage, IonQ experts will assist customers in developing an algorithm to solve their business challenges. Customers may be expected to pay for quantum compute usage, in addition to an incremental amount for the consulting and development services provided in the creation of algorithms. IonQ may choose to sell this computing time to customers in a variety of ways.

 

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Application Stage: Once an algorithm is fully developed for a market, IonQ anticipates that customers would be charged to run the algorithm on IonQ’s hardware. Given the mission critical nature of the use cases IonQ anticipates quantum computing will attract, IonQ believes a usage-based revenue model will result in a steady stream of revenue while providing the incremental ability to grow with customers as their algorithm complexity and inputs scale.

IonQ Customer Journey

In each new market that stands to benefit from quantum computing, IonQ intends to guide its customers and partners through two stages: the development phase and the application phase.

Development Phase: This first stage focuses on quantum algorithm development and IonQ expects it to involve deep partnerships between IonQ and customers to lay the groundwork for applying quantum solutions to the customer’s industry. IonQ expects the development phase for each market to be characterized by the following go-to-market channels:

 

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Co-development of quantum applications with strategic partners. IonQ intends to form long-term partnerships with select industry-leading companies (aligned with IonQ’s technology roadmap) to co-develop end-to-end solutions for the partner and to provide an early-adopter advantage to the partner in their industry.

 

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Preferred compute agreements with clients. IonQ expects its preferred offerings to give the customer’s application engineers direct access to IonQ’s cutting-edge quantum systems, as well as technical support to pursue their solution development.

 

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Cloud access to quantum computing. IonQ’s current and future cloud partnerships with AWS’s Amazon Braket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, Google’s Cloud Marketplace and other cloud providers are or will be designed to make access to quantum computing hardware available to a broader community of quantum programmers.

 

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Academic and educational partnerships. IonQ expects its partnerships with academic and research institutions around the world would support the training of a quantum-programming computer-user base.

Application Phase: This second phase is expected to commence if IonQ is successful in demonstrating the commercial viability of quantum advantage in the industry and can therefore commence with developing commercial applications and applying that advantage broadly throughout the market with new customers.

 

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Delivery of a full-scale quantum compute platform. For customers who have worked alongside IonQ in the development phase to curate deep in-house technical expertise in quantum computing capabilities at the time quantum advantage is achieved for the customer’s application, IonQ’s preferred computer agreements and cloud offerings are expected to offer sufficient quantum computational capacity.

 

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Packaged solution offerings. When appropriate, IonQ may develop full-stack quantum solutions that can be provided directly to customers, regardless of their in-house quantum expertise.

 

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Accelerated high-impact applications development. IonQ intends to provide opportunities for accelerated applications development to customers seeking compressed development timelines to solve their biggest problems and drive efficiencies.

IonQ expects the technical complexity of the solutions required for quantum algorithms to address each application area will impact when that market reaches its inflection point and transitions from the development phase to the application phase. During the NISQ computers era, IonQ expects quantum machine learning to be the first solution to transition into broadly available applications. Additional markets taking advantage of quantum material science research and optimization speed-ups may come online next, if broad-scale quantum advantage becomes accessible. If IonQ’s quantum computers achieve full-scale fault tolerance, a diverse array of industries, ranging from quantum chemistry to deeper optimization, may be able to be transitioned to the application phase.

Customers

Quantum Computing as a Service

Today, IonQ sells access to its quantum computing solutions via AWS’s Amazon Braket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, and Google’s Cloud Marketplace, and directly to select customers via IonQ’s own cloud service. Making systems available through the cloud in both cases enables wide distribution without the cost or complexity of manufacturing, shipping, and servicing on-premises systems (besides IonQ’s own datacenter), and with a lower risk of having competitors reverse engineer its hardware. Through IonQ’s cloud service providers, potential customers across the world in industry, academia, and government can access IonQ’s quantum hardware with just a few clicks. These platforms serve an important purpose in the quantum ecosystem, allowing virtually anyone to try IonQ’s systems without an upfront commitment or needing to integrate with the IonQ platform.

Direct Access Customers

By directly integrating with IonQ, customers can reserve dedicated execution windows, receive concierge-level application development support, and gain early access to next-generation hardware. Such access is currently limited to a select group of end-users.

IonQ expects its standard subscription program will offer direct cloud access and additional bundled value-add services in exchange for an annual commitment, such as usage-based access to IonQ’s cloud platform, reserved system time, consultations with solution scientists, and other application and integration support.

Agreements with the University of Maryland and Duke University

Exclusive License Agreement

In July 2016, IonQ entered into a license agreement with the University of Maryland and Duke University, which was subsequently amended in September 2017, October 2017, October 2018 and February 2021 (as amended, the “License Agreement”), under which it obtained a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license under certain patents, know-how and other intellectual property to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in ion trap quantum computing. The License Agreement provides an exclusive license under the universities’ interest in all patents (and non-exclusive for other types of intellectual property), subject to certain governmental rights and retained rights by the universities and other non-profit institutions to use and practice the licensed patents and technology for internal research and other non-profit purposes. IonQ can add patents and other intellectual property to the License Agreement through the UMD Option Agreement and Duke Option Agreement (each as defined below).

 

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IonQ is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize the inventions covered by the licensed patent rights and achieve certain milestones, including the hiring of a Chief Executive Officer, obtaining equity financing by specified times and such other milestones that IonQ may specify in a development plan provided by IonQ to the universities; provided, that an extension of such timelines can be obtained by paying the University of Maryland a fee of $10,000. IonQ can extend the timing to achieve these milestones twice. IonQ has not included any additional milestones in any development plan provided to the universities, and IonQ no longer has any obligation to submit any future development plans to the universities. IonQ has met all existing milestones as provided for in the License Agreement. IonQ is also responsible for the prosecution and maintenance of the licensed patents, at its expense and using commercially reasonable efforts. IonQ has the sole right to enforce the licensed patents, at its expense.

IonQ may terminate the License Agreement at any time for any reason with at least 90 days’ written notice to the University of Maryland. The University of Maryland and Duke University may terminate the License Agreement if IonQ enters into an insolvency-related event or in the event of IonQ’s material breach of the agreement or other specified obligations therein, in each case, that remains uncured for 90 days after the date that it is provided with written notice of such breach by either university. In addition, if IonQ fails to achieve any specified milestones by the specified time (as may be extended by IonQ), the University of Maryland (with Duke University’s permission) has the right to terminate the License Agreement.

In consideration for the rights granted to IonQ under the License Agreement, IonQ issued the University of Maryland and Duke University an aggregate of 35,294 shares of IonQ common stock. Pursuant to the University of Maryland policy, Christopher Monroe, IonQ’s Chief Scientist, may receive renumeration from the University of Maryland relating to any stock IonQ has issued to the University of Maryland. Pursuant to Duke University’s policy, Christopher Monroe and Jungsang Kim, IonQ’s Chief Technology Officer and Director, may receive renumeration from Duke University relating to any stock IonQ has issued to Duke University. On June 16, 2021, pursuant to the February 2021 amendment to the License Agreement, IonQ issued the University of Maryland 63,530 shares of IonQ common stock.

Option Agreement with the University of Maryland

In July 2016, IonQ entered into an option agreement with the University of Maryland, which was subsequently amended in February 2021 (as amended, the “UMD Option Agreement”), under which it obtained the right to add University of Maryland’s interests in certain intellectual property to the License Agreement including if the intellectual property was developed by Christopher Monroe or by individuals under his supervision and such intellectual property relates to the field of ion trap quantum information processing devices. IonQ has added patents and other intellectual property to the License Agreement pursuant to the UMD Option Agreement. The UMD Option Agreement provides that in the event of a sale or liquidation of IonQ during the term of the agreement, the University of Maryland could receive additional consideration from such sale or liquidation to the extent that a holder of 0.5% of IonQ’s common stock would receive more than the University of Maryland would otherwise receive based on its then current holdings of IonQ’s common stock. The Business Combination did not trigger this provision. The UMD Option Agreement terminated in July 2021.

Option Agreement with Duke University

In July 2016, IonQ entered into an option agreement with Duke University, which was subsequently amended in December 2020 (as amended, the “Duke Option Agreement”), under which it obtained the right to add Duke University’s interests in certain patents or other intellectual property to the License Agreement, including if they were developed by Jungsang Kim, Christopher Monroe or Kenneth Brown, a professor at Duke University, or by individuals under their respective supervision and such patents or intellectual property relates to the field of quantum information processing devices. IonQ has added patents and other intellectual property to the License Agreement through the Duke Option Agreement. The Duke Option Agreement terminates in July 2026. Pursuant to the terms of the Duke Option Agreement, IonQ issued Duke University a total of 363,476

 

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shares of common stock, including 299,946 shares of common stock issued pursuant to the amendment of the Duke Option Agreement.

Lease with the University of Maryland

In March 2020, IonQ entered into an amended and restated office lease with the University of Maryland (“UMD Lease”) for the lease of IonQ’s corporate headquarters and its research and development and manufacturing facility. The UMD Lease expires on December 31, 2030. IonQ may terminate the lease with not less than 120 days written notice beginning in year six. Any early termination will result in a termination fee ranging from $2.5 million in year six to $500,000 in year ten, with each year subject to a reduction of $0.5 million. Annual base rent starts at $684,272 and increases approximately 3.0% each subsequent year.

Competition

There are many other approaches to quantum computing that use qubit technology besides the trapped ion approach IonQ is taking. Large technology companies such as Google and IBM, and startup companies such as Rigetti Computing, are adopting a superconducting circuit technology approach, in which small amounts of electrical currents circulate in a loop of superconducting material (usually metal where the electrical resistance vanishes at low temperatures). The directionality of the current flow, in such an example, can represent the two quantum states of a qubit. An advantage of superconducting qubits is that the microfabrication technology developed for silicon devices can be leveraged to make the qubits on a chip; however, a disadvantage of superconducting qubits is that they need to be operated in a cryogenic environment at near absolute-zero temperatures, and it is difficult to scale the cryogenic technology. Compared to the trapped ion approach, the qubits generated via superconducting suffer from short coherence times, high error rates, limited connectivity, and higher estimated error-correction overhead (ranging from 1,000:1 to 100,000:1 to realize the error-corrected qubits from physical qubits).

There are companies pursuing photonic qubits, such as PsiQuantum and Xanadu, among others. PsiQuantum uses photons (i.e., individual particles of light) as qubits, whereas Xanadu uses a combination of photons and a collective state of many photons, known as continuous variable entangled states, as the qubits. Each company’s approach leverages silicon photonics technology to fabricate highly integrated on-chip photonic devices to achieve scaling. The advantages to this approach are that photons are cheap to generate, they can remain coherent depending on the property of the photons used as the qubit, and they integrate well with recently-developed silicon photonics technology; however, the disadvantages of photonic qubit approaches include the lack of high-quality storage devices for the qubits (photons move at the speed of light) and weak gate interactions (photons do not interact with one another easily). Both of these problems lead to photon loss during computation. Additionally, this approach requires quantum error correcting protocols with high overhead (10,000:1 or more).

Several other companies use a trapped ion quantum computing approach similar to IonQ’s, including Honeywell International, Inc. and Alpine Quantum Technologies GmbH. These companies share the fundamental advantages of the atomic qubit enjoyed by the IonQ approach. The differences between IonQ’s technology and that of these companies lies in IonQ’s processor architecture, system design and implementation and its strategies to scale. Based on publicly available information, Honeywell processors operate with the application circuits broken down to two qubits at a time, with a bus width of two, and the ion qubits are shuffled between each gate operation. The IonQ processor core involves a wide-bus architecture, where the interaction among a few dozens of atomic ion qubits can be controlled using programmable laser pulses. This typically allows quantum logic gates between all possible pairs of qubits in the processor core without extraneous operations. At scale, IonQ believes this will confer benefits in the speed and efficiency of running algorithms. At a higher level, IonQ’s scaling architecture will exploit optical interconnects among multiple quantum processing units (QPUs) in a way that allows full connectivity between any pair of qubits across the entire system. The modular scaling of multiple QPUs with photonic interconnects is unique in IonQ architecture.

 

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Intellectual Property

IonQ protects its intellectual property rights via a combination of patent, trademark, and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as with contractual protections, to establish, maintain and enforce rights in its proprietary technologies. Unpatented research, development, know-how, and engineering skills make an important contribution to IonQ’s business. IonQ pursues patent protection only when it is consistent with IonQ’s overall strategy for safeguarding intellectual property.

In addition, IonQ seeks to protect its intellectual property rights through non-disclosure and invention assignment agreements with its employees and consultants and through non-disclosure agreements with business partners and other third parties. IonQ has accumulated a broad patent portfolio, both owned and exclusively licensed, across the range of technological fronts that make up its systems and will continue to protect its innovative inventions in the United States and other countries. IonQ’s patent portfolio is deepest in the area of devices, methods, and algorithms for controlling and manipulating trapped ions for quantum computing. IonQ’s trade secrets primarily cover the design, configuration, operation, and testing of its trapped-ion quantum computers.

As of March 19, 2021, IonQ owns or licenses, on an exclusive basis, 18 issued U.S. patents and 69 U.S. pending or allowed patent applications, 43 foreign patent applications, seven pending U.S. trademark applications, and one registered U.S. trademark. IonQ’s issued patents expire between 2028 and 2039.

Employees and Human Capital Resources

IonQ’s employees are critical to its success. IonQ is proud of the quality of its world-class team and seeks to hire employees dedicated to its focus of building the best quantum computers. As of January 1, 2021, IonQ had a 66-person-strong team of quantum hardware and software developers, engineers, and general and administrative staff. Approximately 67% of IonQ’s full-time employees are based in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. IonQ also engages a small number of consultants and contractors to supplement its permanent workforce. A majority of its employees are engaged in research and development and related functions, and more than half of its employees hold advanced engineering and scientific degrees, including many from the world’s top universities.

To date, IonQ has not experienced any work stoppages and maintains good working relationships with its employees. None of IonQ’s employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement or are represented by a labor union at this time.

Advisors

IonQ is supported by a network of expert technical advisors that includes:

 

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David Wineland, the 2012 Nobel Laureate in physics;

 

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Umesh Vazirani, an early pioneer and leading researcher in quantum algorithms;

 

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Robert Calderbank, a world-leading information theorist and the original inventor of quantum error-correcting codes;

 

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Kenneth Brown, a current thought leader in quantum computer architectures, algorithms, and system design; and

 

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Margaret (Peg) Williams, an industry leader in high-performance computing technology.

Facilities

IonQ’s only current facility is its corporate headquarters, located in College Park, Maryland, where IonQ leases approximately 32,000 square feet of space from the University of Maryland under an agreement that

 

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expires in 2030. Most of the facility is used for research and development and manufacturing. IonQ believes this facility is adequate to meet its current ongoing needs. However, in order to accommodate anticipated growth and to recruit and retain top talent around the globe, IonQ anticipates seeking additional facilities in various locations. IonQ anticipates it will be able to obtain additional space as needed under commercially reasonable terms.

Legal

From time to time, IonQ may become involved in legal proceedings relating to claims arising from the ordinary course of business. IonQ management believes that there are currently no claims or actions pending against it, the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

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MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

Our directors and executive officers and their ages as of September 30, 2021 are as follows:

 

Name		Age*		Position
Executive Officers
Peter Chapman		60		President & Chief Executive Officer and Director
Jungsang Kim		52		Chief Technology Officer and Director
Christopher Monroe		55		Chief Scientist
Thomas Kramer		51		Chief Financial Officer
Non-Employee Directors
Craig Barratt(2)(3)		59		Chairman of the Board
Blake Byers(1)(3)		36		Director
Ronald Bernal(2)(3)		56		Director
Niccolo de Masi(1)(2)		41		Director
Harry You(1)		62		Director

 

(1)	Member of the Audit Committee.

(2)	Member of the Compensation Committee.

(3)	Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Executive Officers

Peter Chapman. Mr. Chapman has served as our president and chief executive officer and a member of our board of directors since May 2019. From September 2014 to May 2019, Mr. Chapman served as a director of engineering for Amazon Prime at Amazon.com, Inc. prior to joining IonQ. Before that, Mr. Chapman was the president at Media Arc, Inc. We believe Mr. Chapman is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his prior leadership and officer positions at technology and software companies.

Jungsang Kim. Dr. Kim is IonQ’s co-founder and has served as our chief strategy officer and a member of our board of directors since September 2015. Dr. Kim assumed the role of chief technology officer in 2020. Dr. Kim has served as assistant/associate/full professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Physics and Department of Computer Science at Duke University since June 2004. From 2006-2020, Dr. Kim was also the founder and president and chief executive officer of Applied Quantum Technologies, Inc. Dr. Kim received a B.S. in physics from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University. We believe Dr. Kim is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive research in electrical and computer engineering and quantum mechanics.

Christopher Monroe. Dr. Monroe is IonQ’s co-founder and has served as our chief scientist since September 2016. From August 2018 until May 2019, Dr. Monroe served as our chief executive officer. Dr. Monroe has served as a Professor of Physics and Electrical Computer Engineering at Duke University and as a College Park Professor at the University of Maryland since January 2021. Dr. Monroe also has served as Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland since 2015, and from September 2018 to December 2020 he served as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland and from 2007 to December 2020 he served as a Bice Zorn Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland. From 2014 to December 2020, Dr. Monroe was a Fellow at the Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science and from 2007 to December 2020, Dr. Monroe was a Fellow at the Joint Quantum Institute. Dr. Monroe also held various academic and research positions at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, University of Colorado, Boulder, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Dr. Monroe serves on advisory boards at several academic institutions, including the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (since 2018), the

 

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CalTech Institute for Quantum Information (since 2018), the Center for Quantum Technology, National University of Singapore (since 2018). Dr. Monroe received an S.B. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Thomas Kramer. Mr. Kramer has served as our Chief Financial Officer since February 2021. From February 2017 to February 2021, Mr. Kramer served as Managing Director of Remarque Advisory. From November 2011 to October 2016, Mr. Kramer also served as Chief Financial Officer of Opower, Inc., a cloud-based enterprise software company in the utilities space. From 2000 to 2011, Mr. Kramer served as Chief Financial Officer of Cvent, Inc., a cloud-based enterprise software company in the event-management space. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Kramer served as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Kramer holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Masters of Science in economics from the Norwegian School of Economics.

Non-Employee Directors

Craig Barratt. Dr. Barratt has served as a member of IonQ’s board of directors since January 2021. Until May 2020, Dr. Barratt served as senior vice president and general manager of the Connectivity Group of Intel Corporation, a semiconductor company, since its acquisition of Barefoot Networks, Inc., a computer networking company, in July 2019, where he previously served as president and chief executive officer since April 2017. From June 2013 to January 2017, Dr. Barratt held several different roles at Google, including senior vice president, access and energy and advisor. Dr. Barratt previously served as president of Qualcomm Atheros, the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc., and as president, chief executive officer and a director of Atheros Communications, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, until its acquisition by Qualcomm. Dr. Barratt has also served as a member of the board of directors of Intuitive Surgical, Inc., a robotic-assisted surgery company, since April 2011 and as chairman of the board of directors since April 2020. Dr. Barratt received a B.E. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in pure mathematics and physics from the University of Sydney, Australia as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. We believe Dr. Barratt is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his senior leadership roles at industry leading companies in the technology sector.

Ronald Bernal. Mr. Bernal has served as a member of IonQ’s board of directors since February 2017. Mr. Bernal has served as a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates since February 2010. From May 2006 to February 2010, Mr. Bernal was a partner at Sequel Venture Partners prior to joining New Enterprise Associates. Prior to that, Mr. Bernal was a partner at Sutter Hill Ventures and was vice president of operations and chief development officer at Cisco Systems, Inc. Mr. Bernal currently serves on the board of directors of Cohere Technologies, Inc., and Tigera Inc. Mr. Bernal received a B.S. in electrical engineering from DeVry Institute of Technology. We believe Mr. Bernal is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his integral involvement in the technology industry, generally, and management roles at global venture capital firms.

Blake Byers. Dr. Byers has served as a member of IonQ’s board of directors since February 2017. He has served as a member of the board of directors of Magenta Therapeutics since April 2017. In March 2021, Dr. Byers founded Byers Capital, a venture capital investment firm. Prior to founding Byers Capital, Dr. Byers was a general partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures), a venture capital investment firm, from April 2010 to March 2021. Dr. Byers is currently chairman of the board of directors of Pact Pharma, Inc. and previously served as their president from February 2018 to October 2018. Dr. Byers also serves on the board of directors of several private companies, including Spotlight Therapeutics. Prior to joining GV, Dr. Byers helped start two companies, led research projects on biomedical engineering at Stanford University and was an angel investor. Dr. Byers received a Ph.D. and M.S. in bioengineering from Stanford University and holds a B.S in biomedical engineering and a B.S in economics from Duke University. We believe Dr. Byers is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his substantial involvement with venture capital investment firms and prior board positions at various biotechnology companies.

 

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Niccolo de Masi. Mr. de Masi served as the chief executive officer and a director of dMY Technology Group, Inc. III from September 2020 until the Closing of the Business Combination. Since June and December 2020, respectively, Mr. de Masi has also served as the chief executive officer and director of dMY Technology Group, Inc. II and dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV. He has also been the co-chairman of the board of directors of AdMY Technology Group, Inc. since January 2021. From January 2020 to December 2020, Mr. de Masi served as Chief Executive Officer of dMY Technology Group, Inc. and has served as director of Rush Street Interactive, Inc. since December 2020, following its business combination with dMY Technology Group, Inc. Since January 2010, Mr. de Masi has been a member of the board of directors of Glu Mobile Inc., a publicly traded mobile gaming company. Since December 2014, he has served as chairman and he served as interim chairman from July 2014 to December 2014. From January 2010 to November 2016, he served as its president and chief executive officer. From February 2019 to March 2020, Mr. de Masi was the chief innovation officer at Resideo Technologies, Inc., a publicly traded securities solutions company. From October 2018 to January 2020, he served as a member of its board of directors and from February 2019 until January 2020 he served as its president of products and solutions. From November 2016 until October 2018, Mr. de Masi previously served as the president of Essential Products, Inc. Mr. de Masi served on the board of directors of Xura, Inc. and its audit committee from November 2015 until August 2016. Mr. de Masi was also previously the chief executive officer and Director of Hands-On Mobile and Monstermob Ltd. Since November 2015, Mr. de Masi has served on the Leadership Council of the UCLA Grand Challenge. Mr. de Masi received a B.A. and an MSci. in physics from Cambridge University. We believe Mr. de Masi is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his breadth of experience as both an officer and board member at a variety of publicly traded technology companies.

Harry You. Mr. You served as the chairman of the board of directors of dMY Technology Group, Inc. III from September 2020 until the Closing of the Business Combination. Since June and December 2020, respectively, Mr. You has also served as the chairman of dMY Technology Group, Inc. II and dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV. He has also served as the co-chairman of the board of directors of AdMY Technology Group, Inc. since January 2021. From January 2020 to December 2020, Mr. You served as chairman of the board of directors of dMY Technology Group, Inc. and has served as director of Rush Street Interactive, Inc. since December 2020, following its business combination with dMY Technology Group, Inc. Since January 2019, Mr. You has served as a member of the board of directors of Broadcom Inc., a publicly traded semiconductor and software company. In September 2016, Mr. You founded GTY Technology Holdings, Inc. (“GTY”), a publicly traded technology company. From September 2016 until February 2019, Mr. You served as its president, chief financial officer and director when GTY consummated its initial business combination. From February 2019 to May 2019, he served as its president and from February 2019 through August 2019 he served as its chief financial officer. Since May 2019, he has served as its vice chairman. From May 7, 2019 to May 20, 2019, Mr. You also served as GTY’s president. From February 2008 to September 2016, Mr. You served as the executive vice president of EMC Corporation (formerly NYSE: EMC) in the office of the chairman. Mr. You also held various senior executive and finance positions with BearingPoint, Oracle and Accenture. Mr. You also previously spent 14 years on Wall Street, including serving as a managing director in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley, where he headed the Computer and Business Services Group. From 2004 to October 2016, Mr. You served as a director of Korn/Ferry International. From 2004 to 2005, he served as a director of Oracle Japan, Since August 2016, Mr. You has been a trustee of the U.S. Olympic Committee Foundation. Mr. You received a B.A. in economics from Harvard College and an M.A. in economics from Yale University. We believe Mr. You is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his extensive and varied experience as both a senior executive and board member at a variety of publicly traded technology and software companies.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Board Composition

Our business and affairs are organized under the direction of our board of directors. Our board of directors meets on a regular basis and additionally as required.

 

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In accordance with the terms of our amended and restated bylaws (“Bylaws”), our board of directors may establish the authorized number of directors from time to time by resolution. Our board of directors consist of seven members. In accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (“Charter”), our board of directors are divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. At each annual meeting of stockholders, the successors to directors whose terms then expire will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following election. Our directors are divided among the three classes as follows:

 

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the Class I directors will be Blake Byers and Niccolo de Masi, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2022;

 

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the Class II directors will be Ronald Bernal and Harry You, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2023; and

 

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the Class III directors will be Craig Barratt, Peter Chapman and Jungsang Kim, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2024.

As nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors.

The division of our board of directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms may delay or prevent a change of our management or a change in control.

Director Independence

The board has reviewed the independence of each director. Based on information provided by each director concerning his background, employment and affiliations, the board determined that none of the directors, other than Messrs. Chapman and Kim, has any relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of the directors is “independent” as that term is defined under the NYSE listing standards. In making these determinations, the board considered the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances the board deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our securities by each non-employee director and the transactions described in the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

Role of our Board in Risk Oversight/Risk Committee

One of the key functions of our board of directors is the informed oversight of our risk management process. Our board of directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through our board as a whole, as well as through various standing committees of the board of directors that address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, the board of directors will be responsible for monitoring and assessing strategic risk exposure and our audit committee will have the responsibility to consider and discuss our major financial risk exposures and the steps our management will take to monitor and control such exposures, including guidelines and policies to govern the process by which risk assessment and management is undertaken. The audit committee will also monitor compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Our compensation committee will also assess and monitor whether our compensation plans, policies and programs comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Committees of the Board of Directors

Upon the Closing of the Business Combination, our board of directors reconstituted its audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee and adopted a new charter for each of these committees, which comply with the applicable requirements of current SEC and NYSE rules. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent applicable. Copies of the charters for each committee are available on the investor relations portion of our website.

 

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Audit Committee

The audit committee consists of Messrs. Blake Byers, Niccolo de Masi and Harry You, each of whom our board of directors has determined satisfies the independence requirements under NYSE listing standards and Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. The chair of the audit committee is Mr. You. Our board has determined that Mr. You is an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of SEC regulations. Each member of the audit committee can read and understand fundamental financial statements in accordance with applicable requirements. In arriving at these determinations, our board has examined each audit committee member’s scope of experience and the nature of their employment.

The primary purpose of the audit committee is to discharge the responsibilities of the board of directors with respect to the corporate accounting and financial reporting processes, systems of internal control and financial statement audits, and to oversee the independent registered public accounting firm. Specific responsibilities of the audit committee include:

 

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helping the board of directors oversee corporate accounting and financial reporting processes;

 

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managing the selection, engagement, qualifications, independence and performance of a qualified firm to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the financial statements;

 

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discussing the scope and results of the audit with the independent registered public accounting firm, and reviewing, with management and the independent accountants, the interim and year-end operating results;

 

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developing procedures for employees to submit concerns anonymously about questionable accounting or audit matters;

 

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reviewing related person transactions;

 

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obtaining and reviewing a report by the independent registered public accounting firm at least annually that describes internal quality control procedures, any material issues with such procedures and any steps taken to deal with such issues when required by applicable law; and

 

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approving or, as permitted, pre-approving, audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm.

Compensation Committee

The compensation committee consists of Craig Barratt, Ronald Bernal and Niccolo de Masi. The chair of the compensation committee is Mr. Barratt. The board has determined that each member of the compensation committee is independent under the NYSE listing standards and a “non-employee director” as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.

The primary purpose of the compensation committee is to discharge the responsibilities of the board of directors in overseeing the compensation policies, plans and programs and to review and determine the compensation to be paid to executive officers, directors and other senior management, as appropriate. Specific responsibilities of the compensation committee include:

 

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reviewing and approving the compensation of our chief executive officer, other executive officers and senior management;

 

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administering the equity incentive plans and other benefit programs;

 

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reviewing, adopting, amending and terminating incentive compensation and equity plans, severance agreements, profit sharing plans, bonus plans, change-of-control protections and any other compensatory arrangements for the executive officers and other senior management; and

 

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reviewing and establishing general policies relating to compensation and benefits of the employees, including the overall compensation philosophy.

 

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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

The nominating and corporate governance committee consists of Craig Barratt, Ronald Bernal and Blake Byers. The chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee is Mr. Bernal. The board has determined that each member of the nominating and corporate governance committee is independent under the NYSE listing standards.

Specific responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee include:

 

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identifying and evaluating candidates, including the nomination of incumbent directors for reelection and nominees recommended by stockholders, to serve on the board of directors;

 

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considering and making recommendations to the board of directors regarding the composition and chairmanship of the committees of the board of directors;

 

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developing and making recommendations to the board of directors regarding corporate governance guidelines and matters, including in relation to corporate social responsibility; and

 

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overseeing periodic evaluations of the performance of the board of directors, including its individual directors and committees.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of the members of our compensation committee has ever been an executive officer or employee of IonQ. None of our executive officers currently serve, or has served during the last completed fiscal year, on the compensation committee or board of directors of any other entity that has one or more executive officers that serves as a member of our board or compensation committee.

Code of Ethics

The board of directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, (the “Code of Conduct”), applicable to all of our employees, executive officers and directors. The Code of Conduct is available at the investors section of our website at www.ionq.com. Any amendments to the Code of Conduct, or any waivers of its requirements, are expected to be disclosed on our website to the extent required by applicable rules and exchange requirements. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The Charter limits a directors’ liability to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL. The DGCL provides that directors of a corporation will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability:

 

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for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit;

 

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for any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

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for any unlawful payment of dividends or redemption of shares; or

 

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for any breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to our company or our stockholders.

If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of the directors will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.

 

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Delaware law and the Bylaws provide that we will, in certain situations, indemnify our directors and officers and may indemnify other employees and other agents, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any indemnified person is also entitled, subject to certain limitations, to advancement, direct payment, or reimbursement of reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding.

In addition, we have entered into separate indemnification agreements with our directors and officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify our directors and officers for certain expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of their services as one of our directors or officers or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.

We also maintain a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy pursuant to which our directors and officers are insured against liability for actions taken in their capacities as directors and officers. We believe these Charter and Bylaws provisions and indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, or control persons, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

dMY

Employment Agreements

Prior to the Closing of the Business Combination, dMY did not enter into any employment agreements with its executive officers and did not make any agreements to provide benefits upon termination of employment.

Executive Officers and Director Compensation

No dMY executive officers or directors received any cash compensation for services rendered to dMY. Executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates were reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on dMY’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations.

IonQ

For the year ended December 31, 2020, IonQ’s named executive officers were:

 

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Peter Chapman, IonQ’s President & Chief Executive Officer; and

 

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Jungsang Kim, IonQ’s Chief Technology Officer.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of IonQ’s named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2020:

 

Name and Principal Position		Salary				Option Awards(1)				All Other Compensation(2)				Total
Peter Chapman President and Chief Executive Officer		$	350,000				—			$	14,250			$	364,250
Jungsang Kim Chief Technology Officer		$	213,533			$	1,177,277				—			$	1,390,760

 

(1)

In accordance with SEC rules, this column reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of the option awards granted during fiscal year 2020 computed in accordance with ASC 718 for stock-based compensation transactions. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in note 10 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this registration statement. These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value that will be realized by the named executive officer upon the vesting of the stock options, the exercise of the stock options, or the sale of the common stock underlying such stock options.

(2)	Amounts in this column represent IonQ’s 401(k) matching contribution for each named executive officer.

Outstanding Equity Awards as of December 31, 2020

The following table presents information regarding outstanding option awards held by the named executive officers as of December 31, 2020. All awards were granted pursuant to the 2015 Plan. See the section titled “—IONQ Executive Compensation—Equity Incentive Plans—2015 Plan” below for additional information.

 

Name		Grant Date				Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable				Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable				Option Exercise Price				Option Expiration Date
Peter Chapman			5/17/2019				2,563,881				5,532,590	(1)(3)		$	0.14				5/16/2029
Jungsang Kim			11/3/2020				20,241				295,000	(2)(3)		$	0.69				11/2/2030

 

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(1)	10% of the shares underlying this option vested on November 17, 2019, and the remaining shares underlying this option vesting in 54 equal monthly installments on the last calendar day of the month, subject to continued service at each vesting date.

(2)	The shares underlying this option vest in 60 equal monthly installments on the last calendar day of the month, subject to continued service at each vesting date.

(3)

If a named executive officer experiences a covered termination during a change in control period, any then outstanding unvested shares of common stock subject to this option will become fully vested and exercisable. See the section below titled “—Change in Control Severance Plan” below for additional information.

Employment Arrangements

Each of the named executive officers is an at-will employee with certain rights to advance notice prior to termination as provided under the Change in Control Severance Plan.

Peter Chapman

In September 2021, we entered into an amended and restated offer letter agreement with Mr. Chapman which governs the current terms of his employment as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Chapman’s current annual base salary for 2021 is $350,000. Mr. Chapman is eligible to participate in any bonus plan that may be established for executive officers and is also eligible for reimbursement of business expenses and to participate in our standard employee benefit plans and programs. Mr. Chapman is also eligible to participate in the IonQ, Inc. Change in Control Severance Plan under the terms and conditions of such plan. In connection with commencement of his employment, Mr. Chapman was granted an option to purchase 8,096,905 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.14 per share.

Jungsang Kim

In September 2021, we entered into an amended and restated offer letter agreement with Dr. Kim that established an employment relationship and governs the current terms of his employment as our Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Kim’s annual base salary for 2021 is $280,000. Dr. Kim is also eligible for reimbursement of business expenses and to participate in our standard employee benefit plans and program. Dr. Kim is also eligible to participate in the IonQ, Inc. Change in Control Severance Plan under the terms and conditions of such plan. Dr. Kim was granted an option to purchase 404,845 shares of common stock in March 2021, with an exercise price of $2.40 per share.

Change in Control Severance Plan

Upon the Closing of the Business Combination, each of the executive officers, including the named executive officers, became eligible to receive severance benefits under the terms of the IonQ, Inc. Change in Control Severance Plan. The Change in Control Severance Plan provides for severance benefits upon a “covered termination” that occurs outside of or during a “change in control period” (each as described below).

Upon a covered termination that occurs outside of the one year period following a change in control, the “change in control period,” participants will be entitled to a payment equal to the participant’s base salary for a period of months (12 months for Mr. Chapman; 6 months for Dr. Kim) less applicable tax withholdings to be paid in equal installments on our regular payroll schedule or in a lump sum, as we determine, and in compliance with Section 409A of the Code and payment of continued group health benefits for a period of time matching the applicable severance term.

Upon a covered termination that occurs during a change in control period, participants will be entitled to a payment equal to the participant’s base salary for a period of months (12 months for Mr. Chapman; 12 months

 

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for Dr. Kim) less applicable tax withholdings to be paid in equal installments on IonQ’s regular payroll schedule or in a lump sum, as we determine, and in compliance with Section 409A of the Code; a payment equal to a multiple of the participant’s target annual bonus (100% for Mr. Chapman and Dr. Kim) less applicable tax withholdings to be paid in equal installments on our regular payroll schedule or in a lump sum, as we determine, and in compliance with Section 409A of the Code; payment of continued group health benefits for a period of months up to the change in control period and full accelerated vesting of all time-based outstanding equity awards.

All severance benefits under the Change in Control Severance Plan are subject to the participant’s execution of an effective release of claims in favor of us and compliance with the terms of any confidential information agreement, proprietary information and inventions agreement and any other agreement between the participant and IonQ. For purposes of the Change in Control Severance Plan, a “covered termination” is a termination of employment by IonQ without “cause,” as defined in the Change in Control Severance Plan, or as a result of the participant’s resignation for “good reason,” as defined in the Change in Control Severance Plan, in either case, not as a result of death or disability. For purposes of the Change in Control Severance Plan, a “change in control period” is the period of time beginning on the date on which a “change in control,” as defined in the 2021 Plan, becomes effective and ending on the first anniversary of the effective date of such change in control.

Health and Welfare and Retirement Benefits; Perquisites

Mr. Chapman is eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance plans, in each case on the same basis as all of our other full-time employees. Part-time employees, including Dr. Kim, are not eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans. We generally do not provide perquisites or personal benefits to our named executive officers, except in limited circumstances, and we did not provide any perquisites or personal benefits to our named executive officers in 2020.

401(k) Plan

Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in a defined contribution retirement plan that provides eligible U.S. employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis. Eligible employees may defer eligible compensation on a pre-tax or after-tax (Roth) basis, up to the statutorily prescribed annual limits on contributions under the Code. Contributions are allocated to each participant’s individual account and are then invested in selected investment alternatives according to the participants’ directions. We currently make matching contributions into the 401(k) plan on behalf of participants equal to 100% on participant contributions up to 5% of their compensation. Participants are always vested in their contributions to the plan. Participants vest in their company matching and nonelective contributions under a one to five-year graded vesting schedule. The 401(k) plan is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code with the 401(k) plan’s related trust intended to be tax exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code. As a tax-qualified retirement plan, contributions to the 401(k) plan (except for Roth contributions) and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plan.

Executive Compensation

The compensation committee oversees the compensation policies, plans and programs and reviews and determines compensation to be paid to executive officers, directors and other senior management, as appropriate. The compensation policies are intended to provide for compensation that is sufficient to attract, motivate and retain executives of IonQ and potential other individuals and to establish an appropriate relationship between executive compensation and the creation of stockholder value.

Equity Incentive Plans

Equity-based compensation has been and will continue to be an important foundation in executive compensation packages as we believe it is important to maintain a strong link between executive incentives and

 

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the creation of stockholder value. We believe that performance and equity-based compensation can be an important component of the total executive compensation package for maximizing stockholder value while, at the same time, attracting, motivating and retaining high-quality executives.

2021 Equity Incentive Plan

In August 2021, our board of directors adopted the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) and our stockholders approved the 2021 Plan in September 2021. The 2021 Plan became effective immediately upon the Closing.

Eligibility

Any individual who is an employee of IonQ or any of our affiliates, or any person who provides services to us or our affiliates, including members of our board, is eligible to receive awards under the 2021 Plan at the discretion of the plan administrator.

Awards

The 2021 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options (“ISOs”) within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code to employees, including employees of any parent or subsidiary, and for the grant of nonstatutory stock options (“NSOs”), stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards (collectively, “Awards”), performance awards and other forms of awards to employees, directors and consultants, including employees and consultants of our affiliates.

Authorized Shares

Initially, a maximum of 26,235,000 shares of common stock may be issued under the 2021 Plan which equals approximately 10% of the fully-diluted capital stock (as defined in the merger agreement) immediately after the Closing of the Business Combination. In addition, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2021 Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2022 and continuing through and including January 1, 2031, in an amount equal to (1) 5% of the fully-diluted common stock on December 31 of the preceding year (as defined in the 2021 Plan), or (2) a lesser number of shares of common stock determined by the board prior to the date of the increase. The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs under the 2021 Plan is three times the initial reserve.

Shares subject to stock awards granted under the 2021 Plan that expire or terminate without being exercised or otherwise issued in full or that are paid out in cash rather than in shares do not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the 2021 Plan. Shares withheld under a stock award to satisfy the exercise, strike or purchase price of a stock award or to satisfy a tax withholding obligation do not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the 2021 Plan. If any shares of common stock issued pursuant to a stock award are forfeited back to or repurchased or reacquired by us (1) because of the failure to vest, (2) to satisfy the exercise, strike or purchase price or (3) to satisfy a tax withholding obligation in connection with an award, the shares that are forfeited, repurchased or reacquired will revert to and again become available for issuance under the 2021 Plan.

Non-Employee Director Compensation Limit

The aggregate value of all compensation granted or paid to any non-employee director with respect to any calendar year, including awards granted and cash fees paid to such non-employee director, will not exceed (1) $750,000 in total value or (2) if such non-employee director is first appointed or elected to the board during such calendar year, $1,000,000 in total value, in each case, calculating the value of any equity awards based on the grant date fair value of such equity awards for financial reporting purposes and excluding distributions from a deferred compensation program.

 

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Plan Administration

The board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, will administer the 2021 Plan and is referred to as the “plan administrator” herein. The board may also delegate to one or more of our officers the authority to (1) designate employees (other than officers) to receive specified stock awards and (2) determine the number of shares subject to such stock awards. Under the 2021 Plan, the board has the authority to determine award recipients, grant dates, the numbers and types of stock awards to be granted, the applicable fair market value, and the provisions of each stock award, including the period of exercisability and the vesting schedule applicable to a stock award.

Under the 2021 Plan, the board also generally has the authority to effect, without the approval of stockholders but with the consent of any materially adversely affected participant, (1) the reduction of the exercise, purchase, or strike price of any outstanding option or stock appreciation right; (2) the cancellation of any outstanding option or stock appreciation right and the grant in substitution therefore of other awards, cash, or other consideration; or (3) any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles.

Stock Options

ISOs and NSOs are granted under stock option agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for stock options, within the terms and conditions of the 2021 Plan, provided that the exercise price of a stock option generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of grant. Options granted under the 2021 Plan vest at the rate specified in the stock option agreement as determined by the plan administrator.

The plan administrator determines the term of stock options granted under the 2021 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. Unless the terms of an optionholder’s stock option agreement provide otherwise or as otherwise provided by the plan administrator, if an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases for any reason other than disability, death, or cause, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of three months following the cessation of service. This period may be extended in the event that exercise of the option is prohibited by applicable securities laws. Unless the terms of an optionholder’s stock option agreement provide otherwise or as otherwise provided by the plan administrator, if an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to death, or an optionholder dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the optionholder or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 18 months following the date of death. Unless the terms of an optionholder’s stock option agreement provide otherwise or as otherwise provided by the plan administrator, if an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to disability, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months following the cessation of service. In the event of a termination for cause, options generally terminate upon the termination date. In no event may an option be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will be determined by the plan administrator and may include (1) cash, check, bank draft or money order, (2) a broker-assisted cashless exercise, (3) the tender of shares of common stock previously owned by the optionholder, (4) a net exercise of the option if it is an NSO or (5) other legal consideration approved by the plan administrator.

Unless the plan administrator provides otherwise, options and stock appreciation rights generally are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to approval of the plan administrator or a duly authorized officer, an option may be transferred pursuant to a domestic relations order.

Tax Limitations on ISOs

The aggregate fair market value, determined at the time of grant, of common stock with respect to ISOs that are exercisable for the first time by an award holder during any calendar year under all of our stock plans may

 

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not exceed $100,000. Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit will generally be treated as NSOs. No ISO may be granted to any person who, at the time of the grant, owns or is deemed to own stock possessing more than 10% of our total combined voting power or that of any of our parent or subsidiary corporations unless (1) the option exercise price is at least 110% of the fair market value of the stock subject to the option on the date of grant and (2) the term of the ISO does not exceed five years from the date of grant.

Restricted Stock Unit Awards

Restricted stock unit awards are granted under restricted stock unit award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. Restricted stock unit awards may be granted in consideration for any form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the plan administrator and permissible under applicable law. A restricted stock unit award may be settled by cash, delivery of shares of common stock, a combination of cash and shares of common stock as determined by the plan administrator, or in any other form of consideration set forth in the restricted stock unit award agreement. Additionally, dividend equivalents may be credited in respect of shares covered by a restricted stock unit award. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement or by the plan administrator, restricted stock unit awards that have not vested will be forfeited once the participant’s continuous service ends for any reason.

Restricted Stock Awards

Restricted stock awards are granted under restricted stock award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. A restricted stock award may be awarded in consideration for cash, check, bank draft or money order, services to us, or any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the plan administrator and permissible under applicable law. The plan administrator determines the terms and conditions of restricted stock awards, including vesting and forfeiture terms. If a participant’s service relationship with us ends for any reason, we may receive any or all of the shares of common stock held by the participant that have not vested as of the date the participant terminates service with us through a forfeiture condition or a repurchase right.

Stock Appreciation Rights

Stock appreciation rights are granted under stock appreciation right agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the strike price for a stock appreciation right, which generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of grant. A stock appreciation right granted under the 2021 Plan vests at the rate specified in the stock appreciation right agreement as determined by the plan administrator. Stock appreciation rights may be settled in cash or shares of common stock or in any other form of payment, as determined by the plan administrator and specified in the stock appreciation right agreement.

The plan administrator determines the term of stock appreciation rights granted under the 2021 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. Unless the terms of a participant’s stock appreciation rights agreement provide otherwise or as otherwise provided by the plan administrator, if a participant’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases for any reason other than cause, disability, or death, the participant may generally exercise any vested stock appreciation right for a period of three months following the cessation of service. This period may be further extended in the event that exercise of the stock appreciation right following such a termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws. Unless the terms of a participant’s stock appreciation rights agreement provide otherwise or as otherwise provided by the plan administrator, if a participant’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to disability or death, or a participant dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the participant or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested stock appreciation right for a period of 12 months in the event of disability and 18 months in the event of death. In the event of a termination for cause, stock appreciation rights generally terminate immediately upon the occurrence of the event giving rise to the termination of the individual for cause. In no event may a stock appreciation right be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

 

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Performance Awards

The 2021 Plan permits the grant of performance awards that may be settled in stock, cash or other property. Performance awards may be structured so that the stock or cash will be issued or paid only following the achievement of certain pre-established performance goals during a designated performance period. Performance awards that are settled in cash or other property are not required to be valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, common stock.

The performance goals may be based on any measure of performance selected by the plan administrator. The performance goals may be based on company-wide performance or performance of one or more business units, divisions, affiliates or segments, and may be either absolute or relative to the performance of one or more comparable companies or the performance of one or more relevant indices. Unless specified otherwise by the plan administrator when the performance award is granted, the plan administrator will appropriately make adjustments in the method of calculating the attainment of performance goals as follows: (1) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges; (2) to exclude exchange rate effects; (3) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting principles; (4) to exclude the effects of any statutory adjustments to corporate tax rates; (5) to exclude the effects of items that are “unusual” in nature or occur “infrequently” as determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (6) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (7) to assume that any portion of our business which is divested achieved performance objectives at targeted levels during the balance of a performance period following such divestiture; (8) to exclude the effect of any change in the outstanding shares of common stock by reason of any stock dividend or split, stock repurchase, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares or other similar corporate change, or any distributions to holders of common stock other than regular cash dividends; (9) to exclude the effects of stock based compensation and the award of bonuses under our bonus plans; (10) to exclude costs incurred in connection with potential acquisitions or divestitures that are required to be expensed under generally accepted accounting principles; and (11) to exclude the goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges that are required to be recorded under generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, the board may establish or provide for other adjustment items in the award agreement at the time the award is granted or in such other document setting forth the performance goals at the time the performance goals are established.

Other Stock Awards

The plan administrator may grant other awards based in whole or in part by reference to our common stock. The plan administrator will set the number of shares under the stock award (or cash equivalent) and all other terms and conditions of such awards.

Changes to Capital Structure

In the event there is a specified type of change in our capital structure, such as a stock split, reverse stock split or recapitalization, appropriate adjustments will be made to (1) the class and maximum number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2021 Plan, (2) the class of shares used to determine the number of shares by which the share reserve may increase automatically each year, (3) the class and maximum number of shares that may be issued on the exercise of ISOs and (4) the class and number of shares and exercise price, strike price or purchase price, if applicable, of all outstanding stock awards.

Corporate Transactions

The following applies to stock awards under the 2021 Plan in the event of a corporate transaction (as defined in the 2021 Plan), unless otherwise provided in a participant’s stock award agreement or other written agreement with us or one of our affiliates or unless otherwise expressly provided by the plan administrator at the time of grant.

In the event of a corporate transaction, any stock awards outstanding under the 2021 Plan may be assumed, continued or substituted for by any surviving or acquiring corporation (or its parent company), and any

 

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reacquisition or repurchase rights held by us with respect to the stock award may be assigned to our successor (or its parent company). If the surviving or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) does not assume, continue or substitute for such stock awards, then (i) with respect to any such stock awards that are held by participants whose continuous service has not terminated prior to the effective time of the corporate transaction, or current participants, the vesting (and exercisability, if applicable) of such stock awards will be accelerated in full (or, in the case of performance awards with multiple vesting levels depending on the level of performance, vesting will accelerate at 100% of the target level) to a date prior to the effective time of the corporate transaction (contingent upon the effectiveness of the corporate transaction), and such stock awards will terminate if not exercised (if applicable) at or prior to the effective time of the corporate transaction, and any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by us with respect to such stock awards will lapse (contingent upon the effectiveness of the corporate transaction), and (ii) any such stock awards that are held by persons other than current participants will terminate if not exercised (if applicable) prior to the effective time of the corporate transaction, except that any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by us with respect to such stock awards will not terminate and may continue to be exercised notwithstanding the corporate transaction.

In the event a stock award will terminate if not exercised prior to the effective time of a corporate transaction, the plan administrator may provide, in its sole discretion, that the holder of such stock award may not exercise such stock award but instead will receive a payment equal in value to the excess (if any) of (i) the per share amount payable to holders of common stock in connection with the corporate transaction, over (ii) any per share exercise price payable by such holder, if applicable.

Plan Amendment or Termination

The board has the authority to amend, suspend, or terminate the 2021 Plan at any time, provided that such action does not materially impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent. Certain material amendments also require approval of our stockholders. No ISOs may be granted after the tenth anniversary of the date the board of directors adopts the 2021 Plan. No stock awards may be granted under the 2021 Plan while it is suspended or after it is terminated.

2015 Equity Incentive Plan

The following summary describes the material terms of the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”), which was adopted by the IonQ board of directors and approved by the stockholders of IonQ in September 2015. The 2015 Plan was assumed by IonQ upon the Closing of the Business Combination.

Awards

The 2015 Plan provides for the grant of ISOs, NSOs, restricted stock, restricted stock units, and stock appreciation rights to our employees, directors, and consultants who provide services to us. We have granted ISOs and NSOs under the 2015 Plan.

Authorized Shares

Subject to certain capitalization adjustments, the aggregate number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to stock awards under the 2015 Plan will not exceed 9,002,266 shares. The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of ISOs under the 2015 Plan is 27,006,798 shares.

Shares subject to awards granted under the 2015 Plan that expire or terminate without being exercised in full or that are settled in cash rather than in shares do not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan. Also, any shares reacquired to cover withholding obligations or as consideration for the exercise of an option will again become available for issuance under the 2015 Plan. Additionally, if any shares issued

 

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pursuant to a stock award are forfeited back to IonQ or repurchased because of the failure to meet a contingency or condition required to vest, then the shares that are forfeited or repurchased will revert to and again become available for issuance under the 2015 Plan.

Plan Administration

The 2015 Plan is administered by the board of directors, or a duly authorized committee of its board of directors and is referred to as the “plan administrator” in the 2015 Plan. Subject to the provisions of the 2015 Plan, the plan administrator will determine in its discretion the persons to whom and the times at which Awards are granted, the sizes of such Awards and all of their terms and conditions. The plan administrator will have the authority to construe and interpret the terms of the 2015 Plan and Awards granted under it. The plan administrator may also delegate to one or more of our officers the authority to (1) designate employees (other than officers) to receive specified awards and (2) determine the number of shares subject to such awards.

Under the 2015 Plan, the plan administrator also generally has the authority to effect, with the consent of any adversely affected participant, (A) the reduction of the exercise, purchase, or strike price of any outstanding award; (B) the cancellation of any outstanding award and the grant in substitution therefore of other awards, cash, or other consideration; or (C) any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles.

Stock Options

As of September 30, 2021, options to purchase 23,834,647 shares of IonQ common stock were outstanding under the 2015 Plan. ISOs and NSOs are granted under stock option agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for stock options, within the terms and conditions of the 2015 Plan, provided that the exercise price of a stock option generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of IonQ common stock on the date of grant. Options granted under the 2015 Plan vest at the rate specified in the stock option agreement as determined by the plan administrator. The standard form of option award agreement under the 2015 Plan provides that options will vest 20% on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date with the remainder vesting ratably over the next 48 months, subject to continued service through each applicable date. Under the 2015 Plan, the plan administrator has the authority to grant Awards with early exercise rights and to provide for accelerated vesting.

The plan administrator determines the term of stock options granted under the 2015 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. If an optionholder’s service relationship with IonQ or any of its affiliates ceases for any reason other than disability, death or cause, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of three months following the cessation of service. This period may be extended in the event that exercise of the option is prohibited by applicable securities laws. If an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to death, or an optionholder dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the optionholder or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 18 months following the date of death. If an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to disability, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months following the cessation of service. In no event may an option be exercised beyond the expiration of its term. Unless explicitly provided otherwise in an option agreement, options will terminate immediately upon a termination for “cause” (as defined in the 2015 Plan).

Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will be determined by the plan administrator and may include (1) cash, check, bank draft or money order, (2) a broker-assisted cashless exercise, (3) the tender of shares of common stock previously owned by the optionholder, (4) a net exercise of the option if it is an NSO, (5) a deferred payment arrangement or (6) other legal consideration approved by the plan administrator.

Unless the plan administrator provides otherwise, options generally are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to approval of the plan administrator or a duly authorized officer in each

 

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case, (i) an option may be transferred pursuant to a domestic relations order, official marital settlement agreement, or other divorce or separation instrument and (ii) an optionholder may designate a beneficiary who may exercise the option following the optionholder’s death.

Tax Limitations on ISOs

The aggregate fair market value, determined at the time of grant, of common stock with respect to ISOs that are exercisable for the first time by an optionholder during any calendar year under all of IonQ’s stock plans may not exceed $100,000. Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit will generally be treated as NSOs. No ISO may be granted to any person who, at the time of the grant, owns or is deemed to own stock possessing more than 10% of our total combined voting power or that of any of its affiliates unless (1) the option exercise price is at least 110% of the fair market value of the stock subject to the option on the date of grant and (2) the term of the ISO does not exceed five years from the date of grant.

Restricted Stock Unit Awards

Restricted stock unit awards are granted under restricted stock unit award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. Restricted stock unit awards may be granted in consideration for any form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the board of directors and permissible under applicable law. A restricted stock unit award may be settled by cash, delivery of stock, a combination of cash and stock as deemed appropriate by the plan administrator, or in any other form of consideration set forth in the restricted stock unit award agreement. Additionally, dividend equivalents may be credited in respect of shares covered by a restricted stock unit award. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, restricted stock unit awards that have not vested will be forfeited once the participant’s continuous service ends for any reason.

Restricted Stock Awards

Restricted stock awards are granted under restricted stock award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. A restricted stock award may be awarded in consideration for past or future services actually or to be rendered to us, or any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the board of directors and permissible under applicable law. The plan administrator determines the terms and conditions of restricted stock awards, including vesting and forfeiture terms. If a participant’s service relationship with IonQ ends for any reason, IonQ may receive any or all of the shares of common stock held by the participant that have not vested as of the date the participant terminates service with us through a forfeiture condition or a repurchase right.

Changes to Capital Structure

In the event there is a specified type of change in our capital structure, such as a stock split, reverse stock split or recapitalization, appropriate adjustments will be made to (1) the class and maximum number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2015 Plan, (2) the class and maximum number of shares that may be issued on the exercise of ISOs and (3) the class and number of shares and exercise price, strike price, or purchase price, if applicable, of all outstanding stock awards.

Corporate Transactions

The 2015 Plan provides that in the event of certain specified significant corporate transactions, unless otherwise provided in an award agreement or other written agreement between us and the award holder, the plan administrator may take one or more of the following actions with respect to such stock awards:

 

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Arrange for the assumption, continuation, or substitution of a stock award by a surviving or acquiring corporation;

 

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Arrange for the assignment of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by IonQ to the surviving or acquiring corporation;

 

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Accelerate the vesting of the stock award and provide for its termination if not exercised (if applicable) at or before the effective time of the transaction;

 

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Arrange for the lapse of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by IonQ;

 

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Terminate or cancel or arrange for the termination or cancellation of the stock award, to the extent not vested or not exercised before the effective time of the transaction; and

 

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Make a payment equal to the excess, if any, of (A) the value of the property the holder of the stock award would have received on exercise of the award, over (B) any exercise price payable by such holder in connection with the exercise.

The plan administrator is not obligated to treat all stock awards or portions of stock awards in the same manner and is not obligated to treat all participants in the same manner.

Under the 2015 Plan, a corporate transaction is generally the consummation of: (1) a sale of all or substantially all of our assets, (2) the sale or disposition of at least 90% of our outstanding securities, (3) a merger or consolidation in which we do not survive the transaction, or (4) a merger or consolidation in which we does survive the transaction but the shares of our common stock outstanding immediately before such transaction are converted or exchanged into other property by virtue of the transaction.

Change in Control

In addition to the above, the plan administrator may provide, in an individual award agreement that the stock award will be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the event of a change in control.

Under the 2015 Plan, a change in control is generally (1) the acquisition by any person or company of more than 50% of the combined voting power of our then outstanding stock, (2) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction in which our stockholders immediately before the transaction do not own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the surviving entity (or the parent of the surviving entity) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately prior to such transaction, (3) a sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets other than to an entity more than 50% of the combined voting power of which is owned by its stockholders in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of our outstanding voting securities immediately prior to such transaction, or (4) the incumbent board of directors in place on the 2015 Plan’s effective date (or those members approved or recommended by a majority vote of such incumbent members of the board of directors) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the board of directors.

Plan Amendment or Termination

Our board of directors has the authority to amend, suspend, or terminate the 2015 Plan, provided that such action does not impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent. Certain material amendments also require the approval of IonQ stockholders.

Upon the Closing of the Business Combination, outstanding stock options under the 2015 Plan were assumed by the combined company and converted into options to purchase common stock. Such stock options will continue to be governed by the terms of the 2015 Plan and the stock option agreements thereunder, until such outstanding options are exercised or until they terminate or expire by their terms. No further awards shall be made under the 2015 Plan.

2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In August 2021, our board of directors adopted the employee stock purchase plan (the “ESPP”) and our stockholders approved the ESPP in September 2021. The ESPP Plan became effective immediately upon the Closing.

 

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Purpose

The purpose of the ESPP is to provide a means by which our eligible employees and certain designated companies may be given an opportunity to purchase shares of common stock, to assist us in retaining the services of eligible employees, to secure and retain the services of new employees and to provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for our success.

The ESPP includes two components: a 423 Component and a Non-423 Component. We intend that the 423 Component will qualify as options issued under an “employee stock purchase plan” as that term is defined in Section 423(b) of the Code. Except as otherwise provided in the ESPP or determined by the board, the Non-423 Component will operate and be administered in the same manner as the 423 Component.

Share Reserve

Initially, a maximum of 5,354,000 shares of common stock may be issued under the ESPP which equals approximately 2% of our fully-diluted capital stock (as defined in the merger agreement) immediately after the Closing of the Business Combination. Additionally, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the ESPP will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2022 and continuing through and including January 1, 2031, by the lesser of (1) 1% of the fully-diluted common stock on December 31 of the preceding calendar year (inclusive of the share reserve for the ESPP and of the 2021 Plan), (2) a number of shares equal to two times the initial share reserve, or (3) such lesser number of shares of common stock as determined by the board. Shares subject to purchase rights granted under the ESPP that terminate without having been exercised in full will not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the ESPP.

Administration

The board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, will administer the ESPP.

Limitations

Our employees and the employees of any of our designated affiliates will be eligible to participate in the ESPP, provided they may have to satisfy one or more of the following service requirements before participating in the ESPP, as determined by the administrator: (1) customary employment with us or one of our affiliates for more than 20 hours per week and for five or more months per calendar year or (2) continuous employment with us or one of our affiliates for a minimum period of time, not to exceed two years, prior to the first date of an offering. In addition, the board may also exclude from participation in the ESPP or any offering, employees who are “highly compensated employees” (within the meaning of Section 423(b)(4)(D) of the Code) or a subset of such highly compensated employees. An employee may not be granted rights to purchase stock under the ESPP (a) if such employee immediately after the grant would own stock possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of our stock or (b) to the extent that such rights would accrue at a rate that exceeds $25,000 worth of our stock for each calendar year that the rights remain outstanding.

The ESPP is intended to qualify as an employee stock purchase plan under Section 423 of the Code. The administrator may specify offerings with a duration of not more than 27 months, and may specify one or more shorter purchase periods within each offering. Each offering will have one or more purchase dates on which shares of common stock will be purchased for the employees who are participating in the offering. The administrator, in its discretion, will determine the terms of offerings under the ESPP. The administrator has the discretion to structure an offering so that if the fair market value of a share of common stock on any purchase date during the offering period is less than or equal to the fair market value of a share of common stock on the first day of the offering period, then that offering will terminate immediately, and the participants in such terminated offering will be automatically enrolled in a new offering that begins immediately after such purchase date.

A participant may not transfer purchase rights under the ESPP other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution, or as otherwise provided under the ESPP.

 

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Payroll Deductions

The ESPP permits participants to purchase shares of common stock through payroll deductions of up to 15% of their earnings. Unless otherwise determined by the administrator, the purchase price per share will be 85% of the lower of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the first day of an offering or on the date of purchase. Participants may end their participation at any time during an offering and will be paid their accrued contributions that have not yet been used to purchase shares, without interest. Participation ends automatically upon termination of employment with us and our related affiliates.

Withdrawal

Participants may withdraw from an offering by delivering a withdrawal form to us and terminating their contributions. Such withdrawal may be elected at any time prior to the end of an offering, except as otherwise provided by the administrator. Upon such withdrawal, we will distribute to the employee such employee’s accumulated but unused contributions without interest, and such employee’s right to participate in that offering will terminate. However, an employee’s withdrawal from an offering does not affect such employee’s eligibility to participate in any other offerings under the ESPP.

Termination of Employment

A participant’s rights under any offering under the ESPP will terminate immediately if the participant either (i) is no longer employed by us or any of our parent or subsidiary companies (subject to any post-employment participation period required by law) or (ii) is otherwise no longer eligible to participate. In such event, we will distribute to the participant such participant’s accumulated but unused contributions, without interest.

Corporate Transactions

In the event of certain specified significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or change in control, a successor corporation may assume, continue or substitute each outstanding purchase right. If the successor corporation does not assume, continue, or substitute for the outstanding purchase rights, the offering in progress will be shortened and a new purchase date will be set. The participants’ purchase rights will be exercised on the new purchase date and such purchase rights will terminate immediately thereafter.

Amendment and Termination

The board has the authority to amend, suspend or terminate the ESPP, at any time and for any reason, provided certain types of amendments will require the approval of our stockholders. Any benefits privileges, entitlements and obligations under any outstanding purchase rights granted before an amendment, suspension or termination of the ESPP will not be materially impaired by any such amendment, suspension or termination except (i) with the consent of the person to whom such purchase rights were granted, (ii) as necessary to facilitate compliance with any laws, listing requirements, or governmental regulations or (iii) as necessary to obtain or maintain favorable tax, listing, or regulatory treatment. The ESPP will remain in effect until terminated by the board in accordance with the terms of the ESPP.

Non-Employee Director Compensation

dMY

During 2020, dMY did not provide cash, equity or other non-equity compensation for service on its board of directors.

IonQ

During 2020, IonQ did not provide cash, equity or other non-equity compensation for service on its board of directors. While IonQ does not have a formal director compensation policy, in connection with the appointment

 

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of Craig Barratt to IonQ’s board of directors in January 2021, IonQ granted Dr. Barratt a stock option to purchase 926,347 shares of IonQ common stock. IonQ’s policy is to reimburse directors for reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending board and committee meetings or performing other services in their capacities as directors.

We expect to review director compensation periodically to ensure that director compensation remains competitive such that we are able to recruit and retain qualified directors. We intend to develop a director compensation program that is designed to align compensation with its business objectives and the creation of stockholder value, while enabling us to attract, retain, incentivize and reward directors who contribute to our long-term success.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

dMY Relationships and Related Party Transactions

Founder Shares

On September 14, 2020, the Sponsor subscribed for 7,187,500 Founder Shares for a total subscription price of $25,000, and fully paid for these on November 17, 2020. In October 2020, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of Darla Anderson, Francesca Luthi and Charles E. Wert, dMY’s directors. On November 12, 2020, dMY effected a 1:1.1 stock split of the Class B Stock, resulting in an aggregate of 7,906,250 shares outstanding. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.

The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 1,031,250 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the Founder Shares will represent 20.0% of dMY’s issued and outstanding shares after the dMY IPO. On November 17, 2020, the underwriters partially exercised their over-allotment option to purchase 2,500,000 Public Units; thus, only 406,250 Founder Shares were forfeited, resulting in an aggregate of 7,500,000 Founder Shares outstanding.

The Initial Stockholders agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to the Business Combination, the closing price of the Class A Stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination and (B) the date following the completion of the Business Combination on which IonQ completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the stockholders having the right to exchange their Common Stock for cash, securities or other property.

Private Warrants

Simultaneously with the closing of the dMY IPO, dMY consummated the Private Placement of 4,000,000 Private Warrants at a price of $2.00 per Private Warrant to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $8.0 million (including approximately $7.95 million in cash and approximately $50,000 in subscription receivable).

Each whole Private Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A Stock at a price of $11.50 per share. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants to the Sponsor was added to the proceeds from the dMY IPO held in the Trust Account. The Private Warrants are non-redeemable for cash and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.

The Sponsor and dMY’s officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination.

Related Party Loans

On September 14, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan dMY an aggregate of up to $200,000 to cover expenses related to the dMY IPO pursuant to the Note. This loan was non-interest bearing and was paid off upon the completion of the dMY IPO.

Administrative Services Agreement

dMY entered into an agreement that provides that, commencing on the date of the dMY IPO continuing until the earlier of dMY’s consummation of an initial business combination and dMY’s liquidation, dMY paid the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of dMY’s management team.

 

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The Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates were reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on dMY’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. dMY’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to the Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or dMY’s or their affiliates.

IonQ Relationships and Related Party Transactions

Other than compensation arrangements for IonQ directors and executive officers, which are described elsewhere in this prospectus, below is a description of transactions since January 1, 2018 to which IonQ was a party or will be a party, in which:

 

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the amounts involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000; and

 

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any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of, or person sharing the household with, the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Private Placements of IonQ Securities

Series B Preferred Stock Financing

Between January 2018 and October 2018, IonQ issued and sold an aggregate of 2,930,949 shares of IonQ Series B preferred stock at a purchase price of $2.10 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $6.1 million. Each share of IonQ Series B preferred stock was canceled and converted into the right to receive the number of shares of common stock equal to the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Merger Agreement) upon the consummation of the Business Combination.

The table below sets forth the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock purchased by IonQ’s related parties:

 

Stockholder		Shares of Series B Preferred Stock				Total Purchase Price
New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P.(1)			4,273,809			$	8,974,999
GV 2016, L.P.(2)			4,285,713				8,999,997

 

(1)	Ronald Bernal, a member of IonQ’s board of directors, is a partner of New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P., a beneficial owner of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock.

(2)	Blake Byers, a member of IonQ’s board of directors, was previously a partner of GV 2016, L.P., a beneficial owner of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock.

Series B-1 Preferred Stock Financing

Between August 2019 and November 2019, IonQ issued and sold an aggregate of 11,166,941 shares of IonQ Series B-1 preferred stock at a purchase price of $5.5757 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $62.3 million. Each share of IonQ Series B-1 preferred stock was canceled and converted into the right to receive the number of shares of common stock equal to the Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Merger Agreement) upon the consummation of the Business Combination.

 

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The table below sets forth the number of shares of IonQ Series B-1 preferred stock purchased by IonQ’s related parties:

 

Stockholder		Shares of Series B-1 Preferred Stock				Total Purchase Price
New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P.(1)			896,748			$	4,999,998
GV 2019, L.P.(2)			1,076,098				6,000,000

 

(1)	Ronald Bernal, a member of IonQ’s board of directors, is a partner of New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P., a beneficial owner of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock.

 

(2)	Blake Byers, a member of IonQ’s board of directors, was previously a partner of GV 2019, L.P., a beneficial owner of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock.

PIPE Investment

In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, dMY entered into Subscription Agreements with the PIPE Investors, pursuant to which the PIPE Investors agreed to purchase, and dMY agreed to sell the PIPE Investors, an aggregate of 34,500,000 shares of dMY common stock, for a purchase price of $10.00 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $345.0 million, in the PIPE Investment. The table below sets forth the number of shares of dMY common stock to be purchased by IonQ’s related parties in the PIPE Offering:

 

Stockholder		Shares of dMY common stock				Total Purchase Price
Blake Byers(1)			300,000			$	3,000,000
New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P.(2)			200,000				2,000,000
GV 2016, L.P.(1)			200,000				2,000,000

 

(1)	Blake Byers, a member of IonQ’s board of directors, was previously a partner of GV 2016, L.P., a beneficial owner of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock.

(2)	Ronald Bernal, a member of IonQ’s board of directors, is a partner of New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P., a beneficial owner of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock.

IonQ Stockholder Support Agreement

On March 7, 2021, dMY, IonQ and certain IonQ stockholders, including holders affiliated with members of IonQ’s board of directors and beneficial owners of greater than 5% of IonQ’s capital stock, representing 54.88% of the voting power of IonQ’s then-outstanding shares of capital stock, entered into the IonQ Stockholder Support Agreement, whereby such IonQ stockholders agreed to, among other things, promptly (and in any event within three business days) following the SEC declaring effective the proxy statement/prospectus, vote or provide consent with respect to the securities of IonQ set forth in the IonQ Stockholder Support Agreement, in favor of the approval and adoption of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein, including the conversion, effective immediately prior to and subject to occurrence of the effective time, of each outstanding share of IonQ preferred stock into shares of IonQ common stock in accordance with the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of IonQ. Additionally, such IonQ stockholders agreed, among other things, to not transfer any securities of IonQ set forth in the IonQ Stockholder Support Agreement from March 7, 2021 until the earlier of the effective time or the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, subject to certain exceptions.

 

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