Skip to main content

AEye, Inc.

For the period ended Mar 31, 2026. Filed May 14, 2026.

View on SEC.gov

About this filing

A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.

Mar 31, 2026 · Filed May 14, 2026

LIDR$0.87-2.1%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026

What changed in Risk Factors?

Read the current filing

Previous report: 10-Q

Period ended 2025-09-30; filed 2025-11-07.

0001437749-25-033677

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Current report: 10-Q

Period ended 2026-03-31; filed 2026-05-14.

0001437749-26-017094

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.

Compared 204 previous paragraphs and 209 current paragraphs.

169 unchanged; 33 reworded; 7 added; 2 removed; 0 previous and 0 current paragraphs rearranged.

Tables are not compared: 75 previous and 75 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.

A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.

Added paragraphs (7)

Current report

In January 2026 we introduced STRATOS™, which was specifically designed to address markets requiring the ability to detect objects at distances of up to 1.5 kilometers, such as in aviation, defense, and rail. For STRATOS™ to be successful, it will require market adoption in industries that can benefit from ultra-long-range detection. As with OPTIS™, because STRATOS™ is a new product that has not been previously offered, market acceptance is unknown. Moreover, as STRATOS™ is manufactured and deployed, we may encounter reliability, compatibility, design, or manufacturing issues. There can be no assurances that any such issues will be discovered prior to sale, or that is such issues arise after a sale, that the issue can be resolved to the satisfaction of the customer or that the resolution will not cause us to incur significant additional development or warranty expenses or cause us to lose significant sales opportunities.

Current report

In addition, we are observing increased customer demand for fully integrated, end-to-end solutions rather than discrete components. While we believe our OPTIS™ platform is designed to address this demand, the process of integrating third-party perception, analytics, and other software with our hardware platform is technically complex and can be time-consuming, with no guarantee that any particular integration will be completed successfully or on the timeline we anticipate. Our success in addressing these markets will depend on our ability to (i) source and engage qualified partners, (ii) build, validate, and support compelling integrated solutions, and (iii) effectively market and sell those solutions to end customers. A failure or delay in any of these areas could limit our growth in our Non-Automotive markets and impair the value of our OPTIS™ strategy.

Current report

Our investments in artificial intelligence may not yield the benefits we expect, and we may be at a disadvantage relative to competitors with greater resources to invest in artificial intelligence.

Current report

We are making, and expect to continue to make, investments in artificial intelligence to drive operational efficiency, improve the performance of our lidar and software solutions, and enhance our research and development productivity. The artificial intelligence landscape is evolving rapidly, and there can be no assurance that our investments will yield the benefits we anticipate, that we will be able to successfully integrate artificial intelligence capabilities into our products or operations, or that any benefits realized will be sustained over time. In addition, certain of our competitors and other industry participants have substantially greater financial, engineering, and data resources than we do, and may be able to invest in and deploy artificial intelligence capabilities at a scale that we cannot match. If our artificial intelligence investments do not produce the intended benefits, or if competitors deploy more advanced or cost-effective artificial intelligence capabilities than we are able to deploy, our competitive position, results of operations, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Current report

Certain of our target Non-Automotive markets are subject to industry-specific certifications, domestic content rules, and other regulatory requirements that may delay or limit our ability to commercialize our products.

Current report

Many of the Non-Automotive markets we are targeting, including aerospace and defense, transportation infrastructure, rail, and aviation, are subject to industry-specific certifications, domestic content, and source-of-supply requirements, as well as other regulatory regimes with which we have limited or no prior experience. For example, certain U.S. federal infrastructure and transportation programs (including programs administered or funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal agencies) generally impose domestic content and “Buy America” requirements, including under the Build America, Buy America Act, that may require our products to be manufactured, and components sourced, in the United States in order to qualify for use in funded programs. U.S. defense procurement is subject to additional restrictions and requirements, including those imposed under the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, the Berry Amendment, specialty-metals and other domestic-source rules, and various security and clearance requirements. In aviation and certain other heavily regulated industries, our products and the platforms in which they are integrated may need to obtain type certification, technical standard order authorization, or other regulatory approvals from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration or analogous regulatory authorities before they can be deployed.

Current report

Obtaining and maintaining these certifications and complying with these requirements can be lengthy, costly, and uncertain, and may require modifications to our products, supply chain, manufacturing operations, or contractual arrangements with our partners. If we are unable to obtain or maintain required certifications, satisfy applicable domestic content or source-of-supply rules, or otherwise meet customer regulatory requirements on a timely basis or at all, our ability to address these markets could be limited or delayed, and our addressable opportunity in these markets could be materially smaller than we currently anticipate. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
Removed paragraphs (2)

Previous report

The New Circle Purchase Agreement contains contractual limitations that may not allow us to draw all of the $50 million committed under the Purchase Agreement and to the extent we do draw under the Purchase Agreement, existing stockholders will be diluted.

Previous report

On July 25, 2024, we entered into the Purchase Agreement with New Circle Principal Investments LLC, or New Circle, pursuant to which New Circle committed to purchase, subject to certain limitations, up to $50 million of our Common Stock should we elect to sell our common stock to them. Should we decide to sell our common stock to New Circle, existing stockholders at such time will experience dilution of their interest in us, which dilution will be heightened if the price at which we sell common stock is low, as there is no minimum price at which we can sell our common stock under the Purchase Agreement. Under the Purchase Agreement, we can only sell to New Circle up to 1,721,755 shares of our common stock, which is equal to 19.99% of the shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding as of the date of the Purchase Agreement, unless we first obtain stockholder approval or the average purchase price per share paid by New Circle exceeds $1.41, which is the lower of the closing price on the execution date of the Purchase Agreement, and the average closing prices for our common stock during the 5-trading day period immediately preceding the execution of the Purchase Agreement. Moreover, we may not issue shares to New Circle whereby they would own more than 4.99% of our outstanding shares at any one time, which on September 30, 2025, was equal to 2,084,656 shares. At values below $2.00 per share, we would likely not be in a position to realize the full commitment of $50 million under the Purchase Agreement and existing stockholders would experience significant dilution. Therefore, the actual number of shares we will be able to sell to New Circle, the amount of dilution our stockholders will experience upon the sale of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement, and the total proceeds that we will derive from such sales, cannot be determined at this time.
Reworded paragraphs (33)

Previous wording

We have incurred net losses in each year since our inception. In the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, we incurred net losses of approximately $26.6 million and $26.9 million, respectively. We expect that we will continue to incur significant losses through at least the next few years as we:

Current wording

We have incurred net losses in each year since our inception. In the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, we incurred net losses of approximately $8.3 million and $8.0 million, respectively. We expect that we will continue to incur significant losses through at least the next few years as we:

Previous wording

As of September 30, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $399.7 million. Even if we are able to increase sales or licensing of our products, there can be no assurance that we will be commercially successful. Since we will incur the costs and expenses from these efforts prior to receiving incremental revenues with respect thereto, our losses in future periods may be significant. In the past, design wins, the first step towards commercialization with a particular OEM, have taken longer than originally expected. Such delays, including delays that may occur in the future, will impact the timing of our revenue. If our products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance, we will not become profitable. If we fail to become profitable, or if we are unable to fund our continuing losses, we may be unable to continue our business operations. There can be no assurance that we will ever achieve or sustain profitability.

Current wording

As of March 31, 2026, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $415.4 million. Even if we are able to increase sales or licensing of our products, there can be no assurance that we will be commercially successful. Since we will incur the costs and expenses from these efforts prior to receiving incremental revenues with respect thereto, our losses in future periods may be significant. In the past, design wins, the first step towards commercialization with a particular OEM, have taken longer than originally expected. Similarly, in the Non-Automotive market, a proof-of concept, or POC, which usually occurs prior to the placement of a commercial order, is taking longer than expected, sometimes 12 months or more. Such delays, including delays that may occur in the future, will impact the timing of our revenue. If our products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance, we will not become profitable. If we fail to become profitable, or if we are unable to fund our continuing losses, we may be unable to continue our business operations. There can be no assurance that we will ever achieve or sustain profitability.

Previous wording

Additionally, under current SEC regulations, if our public float is less than $75 million at the time we file our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and for so long as our public float remains less than $75 million thereafter, the amount we can raise through primary public offerings of securities in any twelve-month period after such filing using a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 will be limited to an aggregate of one-third of our public float, which is referred to as the “baby shelf” rules. In the recent past, we have been subject to the “baby shelf” rules and we may become subject to such rules again. In the event we again become subject to the “baby shelf” rules, it would limit our ability to raise additional capital.

Current wording

In the recent past, we have been subject to the “baby shelf” rules and we may become subject to such rules again. In the event we again become subject to the “baby shelf” rules, it would limit our ability to raise additional capital to one-third of our public float in any twelve-month period.

Previous wording

Since 2023, we have implemented multiple restructuring actions aimed at focusing the organization on the commercialization of our automotive products, while reducing fixed operating costs, including the elimination of our internal sales and marketing teams. Our capital light business model allows us to leverage one or more Tier 1 partners and their manufacturing capabilities, supply chains, OEM relationships, and sales teams to bring our products to market. These restructurings could result in disruptions to our operations and adversely affect our business and our ability to maintain or obtain additional Tier 1 partners. For example, we are actively working with our current Tier 1 partner to pursue available opportunities and if our restructuring actions impede our ability to win these awards, this could materially impact our business. In addition, we cannot be sure that these cost reduction initiatives will be successful in reducing our overall expenses to the extent anticipated, or that unexpected costs will not offset any such reductions or related initiatives. If our operating costs are higher than we expect, or if we do not maintain adequate control of our costs and expenses, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

Current wording

Since 2023, we have implemented multiple restructuring actions aimed at focusing the organization on the commercialization of our automotive products, while reducing fixed operating costs, including the elimination of our then-existing internal sales and marketing teams. Our capital light business model allows us to leverage one or more Tier 1 partners and their manufacturing capabilities, supply chains, OEM relationships to bring our products to market. In our Non-Automotive markets, including for our OPTIS™ platform, we may also seek to leverage the sales channels, customer relationships, and integration capabilities of our software, perception, and ecosystem partners to expand market reach. These restructurings could result in disruptions to our operations and adversely affect our business and our ability to maintain or obtain additional Tier 1 partners. For example, we are actively working with our current Tier 1 partner to pursue available opportunities and if our restructuring actions impede our ability to win these awards, this could materially impact our business. In addition, we cannot be sure that these cost reduction initiatives will be successful in reducing our overall expenses to the extent anticipated, or that unexpected costs will not offset any such reductions or related initiatives. If our operating costs are higher than we expect, or if we do not maintain adequate control of our costs and expenses, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

Previous wording

As previously disclosed, on March 11, 2025, we received notice from Nasdaq that we were no longer in compliance with the $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq. On July 30, 2025, however, Nasdaq notified us that we had regained compliance with the requirement and that the matter was now closed. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements in the future. In addition, the trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, which can have significant impact on the price of our common stock. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at an attractive price, or at all. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future.

Current wording

As previously disclosed, on March 11, 2025, we received notice from Nasdaq that we were no longer in compliance with the $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq. On July 30, 2025, however, Nasdaq notified us that we had regained compliance with the requirement and that the matter was now closed. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements in the future. In addition, the trading volume of our common stock has in the past, and may, in the future, fluctuate significantly, which can have a significant impact on the price of our common stock. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at an attractive price, or at all. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future.

Previous wording

The integration of our lidar technology into Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX Orin platform does not guarantee that automotive OEMs will select our lidar technology for their ADAS or autonomous driving solutions, even if such automotive OEMs select the Nvidia DRIVE AGX Orin platform instead of the platform of one of Nvidia’s competitors or the automotive OEM decides to use an in-house solution. The Nvidia DRIVE AGX Orin platform supports a number of lidar sensors that are competitive to our solution and Nvidia is expected to remain neutral with respect to the automotive OEM’s decision as to choice of lidar sensor for that automotive OEM’s solution. It is difficult to predict how many automotive OEMs will ultimately adopt the Nvidia DRIVE AGX Orin platform.

Current wording

The integration of our lidar technology into the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform does not guarantee that automotive OEMs will select our lidar technology for their ADAS or autonomous driving solutions, even if such automotive OEMs select the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform instead of the platform of one of NVIDIA’s competitors or a solution developed internally by the automotive OEM. Moreover, if we are unable to achieve complete integration on current or future versions of the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform, that would severely impact our ability to support automotive OEMs adopting the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform. The NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform supports a number of lidar sensors that are competitive to our solution and NVIDIA is expected to remain neutral with respect to the automotive OEM’s decision as to choice of lidar sensor for that automotive OEM’s solution. It is difficult to predict how many automotive OEMs will ultimately adopt the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

Most of our products, and the components thereof, are manufactured abroad. Relying on foreign-produced products subjects us to risks relating to changes in import duties, quotas, the potential for introduction of U.S. taxes on imported goods, the potential loss of “most favored nation” status with the U.S., and freight cost increases, as well as economic and political uncertainties, that could result in a trade war causing ever-increasing tariffs, although we have not seen a significant impact yet. We may also experience shipment delays caused by shipping port constraints, labor strikes, work stoppages, acts of war, including the current conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East, and terrorism, or other supply chain disruptions, including those caused by extreme weather, natural disasters, and pandemics or other public health concerns.

Current wording

Most of the components found in our products are currently manufactured abroad. Relying on foreign-produced components subjects us to risks relating to changes in import duties, quotas, the potential for introduction of U.S. taxes on imported goods, the potential loss of “most favored nation” status with the U.S., and freight cost increases, as well as economic and political uncertainties, that could result in a trade war causing ever-increasing tariffs, although we have not seen a significant impact yet. We may also experience shipment delays caused by shipping port constraints, labor strikes, work stoppages, acts of war, including the current conflicts in Iran, Ukraine, and elsewhere in the Middle East, and terrorism, or other supply chain disruptions, including those caused by extreme weather, natural disasters, and pandemics or other public health concerns.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

Our future growth depends on penetrating new markets, adapting existing products to new applications and customer requirements, achieving volume-based component price reductions, and introducing new products that achieve market acceptance. We expect to continue to incur R&D costs as part of our efforts to design, develop, manufacture, and commercialize new products and enhance existing products. Our R&D expenses were approximately $10.2 million and $12.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and may increase in the future. Because we account for R&D as an operating expense, these expenditures will adversely affect our results of operations in the future. Further, our R&D program may not produce successful results, and our new products may not achieve market acceptance, create additional revenue, or become profitable.

Current wording

Our future growth depends on penetrating new markets, adapting existing products to new applications and customer requirements, achieving volume-based component price reductions, and introducing new products that achieve market acceptance. We expect to continue to incur R&D costs as part of our efforts to design, develop, manufacture, and commercialize new products and enhance existing products. Our R&D expenses were approximately $3.8 million and $3.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively, and may increase in the future. Because we account for R&D as an operating expense, these expenditures will adversely affect our results of operations in the future. Further, our R&D program may not produce successful results, and our new products may not achieve market acceptance, create additional revenue, or become profitable.

Previous wording

We rely on strategic partnerships, such as our collaboration with Nvidia, to enhance the capabilities and market reach of our lidar solutions and to facilitate integration with broader intelligent infrastructure platforms. While these partnerships may help position our technology for adoption by OEM and other end customers, there can be no assurance that our collaborations will result in design wins, commercial agreements, or large-scale adoption by OEMs or other customers. The integration of our lidar technology into platforms such as Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX Orin is an important milestone, but it does not guarantee that automotive OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers will select our solutions for their production programs, or that such programs will be successful or generate significant revenue for us. Delays, changes in OEM strategies, or the selection of competing technologies could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Current wording

We rely on strategic partnerships, such as our collaboration with NVIDIA, to enhance the capabilities and market reach of our lidar solutions and to facilitate integration with broader intelligent infrastructure platforms. While these partnerships may help position our technology for adoption by OEM and other end customers, there can be no assurance that our collaborations will result in design wins, commercial agreements, or large-scale adoption by OEMs or other customers. The integration of our lidar technology into platforms such as NVIDIA DRIVE AGX is an important milestone, but it does not guarantee that automotive OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers will select our solutions for their production programs, or that such programs will be successful or generate significant revenue for us. Delays, changes in OEM strategies, or the selection of competing technologies could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Previous wording

Our lidar-based sensing system can be applied to different use cases across end markets. Despite the fact that the automotive industry has expended considerable effort to research and test lidar products for ADAS and autonomous driving applications, the automotive industry may not introduce lidar products in commercially available vehicles on a time frame that matches our expectations, or at all. We have experienced a number of instances where potential automotive OEMs have delayed their programs for the inclusion of lidar in their end products. We continually study emerging and competing sensing technologies and methodologies, and we may incorporate new sensing technologies to our product portfolio over time. However, lidar products for use in the Automotive market remain relatively new and it is possible that other sensing modalities, or a new disruptive modality based on new or existing technologies, including a combination of technologies, will achieve acceptance or leadership in the ADAS and autonomous driving space. Even if lidar products are used in initial generations of autonomous driving technology and ADAS products, we cannot guarantee that lidar products will be designed into or included in subsequent generations of such commercialized technology. The speed of market adoption and growth for ADAS or autonomous vehicles is difficult, if not impossible, to predict, and it is more difficult to predict this market’s future growth in light of the economic consequences of the unresolved global conflicts and increasing trade tensions, as well as other macroeconomic factors. Although we currently believe we have a differentiated market leading technology for the autonomous vehicle market, by the time mass market adoption of autonomous vehicle technology is achieved, we expect competition among providers of sensing technology based on lidar and other modalities to increase substantially. If, by the time autonomous vehicle technology achieves mass market adoption, commercialization of lidar products is not successful, or not as successful as we or the market currently expects, or if other sensing modalities gain acceptance by developers of ADAS products, automotive OEMs, regulators, safety organizations, or other market participants, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

Current wording

Our lidar-based sensing system can be applied to different use cases across end markets. Despite the fact that the automotive industry has expended considerable effort to research and test lidar products for ADAS and autonomous driving applications, the automotive industry may not introduce lidar products in commercially available vehicles on a time frame that matches our expectations, or at all. We have experienced a number of instances where potential automotive OEMs have delayed their programs for the inclusion of lidar in their end products. We continually study emerging and competing sensing technologies and methodologies and we may incorporate new sensing technologies to our product portfolio over time. However, lidar products for use in the Automotive market remain relatively new and it is possible that other sensing modalities, or a new disruptive modality based on new or existing technologies, including a combination of technologies, will achieve acceptance or leadership in the ADAS and autonomous driving space. Even if lidar products are used in initial generations of autonomous driving technology and ADAS products, we cannot guarantee that lidar products will be designed into or included in subsequent generations of such commercialized technology. The speed of market adoption and growth for ADAS or autonomous vehicles is difficult, if not impossible, to predict, and it is more difficult to predict this market’s future growth in light of the economic consequences of unresolved global conflicts and increasing trade tensions, as well as other macroeconomic factors. Although we currently believe we have a differentiated market leading technology for the autonomous vehicle market, by the time mass market adoption of autonomous vehicle technology is achieved, we expect competition among providers of sensing technology based on lidar and other modalities to increase substantially. If, by the time autonomous vehicle technology achieves mass market adoption, commercialization of lidar products is not successful, or not as successful as we or the market currently expects, or if other sensing modalities gain acceptance by developers of ADAS products, automotive OEMs, regulators, safety organizations, or other market participants, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

Sales to international customers accounted for 65% and 49% of our revenue during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. In May 2024, we announced that we have partnered with Accelight Technologies, Inc. and LighTekton Co., Ltd. to deliver our lidar solutions to the China market, specifically focused on the autonomous trucking and railway segments, as the market in China appears to be ahead of the rest of the world in lidar adoption. However, we have not previously sold into the China market and our partners, although they regularly conduct business in China, do not have experience in the lidar market. There is also significant competition in China from local lidar manufacturers. We can provide no assurances that we will be successful in the China lidar market.

Current wording

Sales to international customers accounted for 26% and 100% of our revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. In May 2024, we announced that we have partnered with Accelight Technologies, Inc. and LighTekton Co., Ltd. to deliver our lidar solutions to the China market, specifically focused on the autonomous trucking and railway segments, as the market in China appears to be ahead of the rest of the world in lidar adoption. However, we have not previously sold into the China market and our partners, although they regularly conduct business in China, do not have experience in the lidar market. There is also significant competition in China from local lidar manufacturers. We can provide no assurances that we will be successful in the China lidar market.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

Our products are intended to be combined with third-party hardware and software as part of a larger system. These larger systems are also highly technical, complex, and require high standards to manufacture. The third-party components incorporated into these larger systems have been and will be subject to defects, errors, and reliability issues during development, production, and use. Should these third-party components, in which our products are intended to be combined with, fail or require action to correct defects or errors, it would likely delay the sale of the larger system in which our products are to be incorporated, thereby adversely affecting our financial results. As the production of third-party components is largely outside of our control, we are subject to such third parties investing sufficient time and resources to manufacture their products without minimal defects. For example, if a third-party reseller intended to overlay perception software on our product prior to resale, but such perception software contained defects or errors such that it could not be introduced into the market, the sales of our products would be delayed or cancelled, thereby adversely affecting our financial results.

Current wording

Our products are intended to be combined with third-party hardware and software as part of a larger system. These larger systems are also highly technical, complex, and require precision to manufacture. The third-party components incorporated into these larger systems have been and will be subject to defects, errors, and reliability issues during development, production, and use. Should these third-party components, in which our products are intended to be combined with, fail or require action to correct defects or errors, it would likely delay the sale of the larger system in which our products are to be incorporated, thereby adversely affecting our financial results. As the production of third-party components is largely outside of our control, we are subject to such third parties investing sufficient time and resources to manufacture their products without minimal defects. For example, if a third-party reseller intended to overlay perception software on our product prior to resale, but such perception software contained defects or errors such that it could not be introduced into the market, the sales of our products would be delayed or cancelled, thereby adversely affecting our financial results.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

To ensure adequate inventory, we must forecast inventory needs and expenses, place orders sufficiently in advance with our suppliers and manufacturing partners, and manufacture products based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. Fluctuations in the adoption of lidar products may affect our ability to forecast our future operating results, including revenue, gross margins, cash flows, and profitability. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be affected by many factors, including the accuracy of the forecasts that we receive from our customers, the rapidly changing nature of the autonomous driving and ADAS markets in which we operate, the uncertainty surrounding the market acceptance and commercialization of lidar technology, the emergence of new markets, an increase or decrease in customer demand for our products or for products and services of our competitors, product introductions by competitors, epidemics or outbreaks of other contagions, such as "bird-flu," should they materialize, any work stoppages or interruptions, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, and the general weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence, which may be exacerbated by the on-going military actions in Iran, Ukraine, and elsewhere in the Middle East, or escalating trade tensions around the globe. Some of our component manufacturers offer significant price concessions for volume purchases. In the past, we have taken advantage of such price concessions, however, the additional volume commitments we make could lead to excess component inventories if we overestimate the demand for our products. If our lidar products are commercialized in autonomous driving and ADAS applications, both of which are experiencing rapid growth in demand, we may face challenges acquiring adequate supplies to manufacture our products and/or we and our manufacturing partners may not be able to manufacture our products at a rate necessary to satisfy the levels of demand, which would negatively affect our revenue. This risk may be enhanced by the fact that we may not carry or be able to obtain for our manufacturing partners a significant level of inventory to satisfy short-term increases in demand. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products available for sale.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

While we make our strategic planning decisions based on the assumption that the markets we are targeting will grow, our business is dependent, in large part on, and directly affected by, business cycles and other factors affecting the global automotive industry and the global economy generally. Automotive production and sales are highly cyclical and depend on general economic conditions and other factors, including consumer spending and preferences, changes in interest rates (which significantly increased beginning in 2022 and have fallen in 2025) and credit availability, changes in inflation rates (which the U.S. has recently experienced and may continue to do so), consumer confidence (which may be starting to wane), fuel costs, fuel availability, environmental impact, tariffs (especially those targeting automobiles or components used by the automotive industry in particular, such as steel and aluminum), governmental incentives and regulatory requirements, and political volatility, especially in energy-producing countries and growth markets. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks, which may impact our ability to raise additional capital in the future. In addition, the ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, and global reactions thereto have caused significant fluctuations in U.S. domestic and global energy prices. Oil supply disruptions related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and sanctions and other measures taken by the U.S. and its allies, could lead to higher costs for gas, food, and goods in the U.S. and exacerbate the inflationary pressures on the economy, with potentially adverse impacts on our customers and on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Moreover, certain raw materials needed to produce components that are incorporated into our products, and the products of our customers, are primarily derived in the region in which the Russia-Ukraine conflict is occurring. The longer the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues and the more damage to Ukrainian infrastructure that occurs, the greater the impact could be on the supply of such raw materials, and the failure to have access to such raw materials could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, has in the past warned organizations in the U.S. to be on guard against possible cyber-attacks coming from Russia which has the potential to disrupt business operations, limit access to essential services, and threaten public safety.

Current wording

While we make our strategic planning decisions based on the assumption that the markets we are targeting will grow, our business is dependent, in large part on, and directly affected by, business cycles and other factors affecting the global automotive industry and the global economy generally. Automotive production and sales are highly cyclical and depend on general economic conditions and other factors, including consumer spending and preferences, changes in interest rates (which significantly increased beginning in 2022 and have fallen starting in 2025) and credit availability, changes in inflation rates (which the U.S. has recently experienced and may continue to do so), consumer confidence (which may be starting to wane), fuel costs, fuel availability, environmental impact, tariffs (especially those targeting automobiles or components used by the automotive industry in particular, such as steel and aluminum), governmental incentives and regulatory requirements, and political volatility, especially in energy-producing countries and growth markets. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks, which may impact our ability to raise additional capital in the future. In addition, the ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, the war in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East, and global reactions thereto have caused significant fluctuations in U.S. domestic and global energy prices. Oil supply disruptions related to the military action in Iran, and prior to that, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as sanctions and other measures taken by the U.S. and its allies, has lead to higher costs for gas, food, and goods in the U.S. and exacerbate the inflationary pressures on the economy, with potentially adverse impacts on our customers and on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Moreover, certain raw materials needed to produce components that are incorporated into our products, and the products of our customers, are primarily derived in the region in which the Russia-Ukraine conflict is occurring. The longer the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues and the more damage to Ukrainian infrastructure that occurs, the greater the impact could be on the supply of such raw materials, and the failure to have access to such raw materials could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, has in the past warned organizations in the U.S. to be on guard against possible cyber-attacks coming from Russia and Iran which has the potential to disrupt business operations, limit access to essential services, and threaten public safety.

Previous wording

Although we have and continue to pursue a broad customer base, in the Automotive markets, there exist only limited number of customers, most of which have strong purchasing power and for which the relationships continue to develop. In the Non-Automotive markets, there are considerably more potential customers, but the market is highly fragmented. The loss of business from any of our existing or potential customers (whether by lower overall demand for our products, component shortages that impact our customers’ production plans or product development plans, cancellation of existing contracts or product orders, or the failure to design in our products) could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Current wording

Although we have and continue to pursue a broad customer base, in the Automotive markets, there exist only a limited number of customers, most of which have strong purchasing power and for which the relationships continue to develop. In the Non-Automotive markets, there are considerably more potential customers, but the market is highly fragmented. The loss of business from any of our existing or potential customers (whether by lower overall demand for our products, component shortages that impact our customers’ production plans or product development plans, cancellation of existing contracts or product orders, or the failure to design in our products) could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

Significant developments in alternative technologies, such as cameras and radar, or a fusion of lidar with cameras and/or radar, may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results in ways we do not currently anticipate. Existing and future camera and radar technologies may emerge as customers’ preferred alternative to our solutions. In addition, some of our competitors are developing lidar based on frequency-modulated continuous wave, or FMCW, sensors or single photon avalanche diode, or SPAD, sensors, rather than the time-of-flight, or ToF, sensors we utilize. Each type of sensor has advantages and disadvantages over the others and it is impossible to predict which one, or if any or all of these sensors will ultimately be adopted by various markets. Any failure by us to develop new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could materially delay our development and introduction of new and enhanced products, which could result in the loss of competitiveness of our lidar solutions, decreased revenue, and a loss of market share to competitors (or a failure to increase revenue and/or market share). Our R&D efforts may not be sufficient to adapt to changes in technology. As technologies change, we plan to upgrade or adapt our lidar solutions with the latest, yet cost effective, technology. However, our solutions may not compete effectively with alternative systems if we are not able to source and integrate the latest technology into our existing lidar solutions in a cost-effective manner.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately $284 million of U.S. federal, and approximately $242 million of state net operating loss carryforwards available to reduce future taxable income. Of the approximately $284 million in U.S. federal operating loss carryforwards, approximately $272 million will be carried forward indefinitely for U.S. federal tax purposes and approximately $12 million will begin to expire in 2033. All of our U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2029. It is possible that we will not generate taxable income in time to use these net operating loss carryforwards before their expiration, or at all. Under legislative changes made in December 2017, U.S. federal net operating losses incurred in 2018 and in future years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating losses is limited. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the newly enacted federal tax law. In addition, the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards and certain tax credits may be subject to significant limitations under Section 382 and Section 383 of the U.S. Tax Code, respectively, and similar provisions of state law. Under those sections of the U.S. Tax Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use our pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change attributes, such as research tax credits, to offset our post-change income or tax may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” will occur if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by “5-percent shareholders” that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws.

Current wording

As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $362.2 million of U.S. federal, and approximately $268.7 million of state net operating loss carryforwards available to reduce future taxable income. Of the approximately $362.1 million in U.S. federal operating loss carryforwards, approximately $349.9 million will be carried forward indefinitely for U.S. federal tax purposes and approximately $12.2 million will begin to expire in 2033. All of our U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2029. It is possible that we will not generate taxable income in time to use these net operating loss carryforwards before their expiration, or at all. Under legislative changes made in December 2017, U.S. federal net operating losses incurred in 2018 and in future years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating losses is limited. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the newly enacted federal tax law. In addition, the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards and certain tax credits may be subject to significant limitations under Section 382 and Section 383 of the U.S. Tax Code, respectively, and similar provisions of state law. Under those sections of the U.S. Tax Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use our pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change attributes, such as research tax credits, to offset our post-change income or tax may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” will occur if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by “5-percent shareholders” that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws.

Previous wording

We are highly dependent on our executive officers, in particular, Matthew Fisch, our Chief Executive Officer, Andrew S. Hughes, our General Counsel, and Conor Tierney, our Chief Financial Officer. The loss of any of our executive officers or other senior executives could adversely affect our business because the loss could make it more difficult to, among other things, compete with other market participants, continue to develop innovative product designs, and retain existing customers or cultivate new ones. Negative public perception of, or negative news related to any of our executive officers or senior executives may adversely affect our brand, relationship with customers, or standing in the industry. In the past, we have lost the services of some of our executive officers for various reasons, including the departure of Luis C. Dussan as of November 15, 2023, who, until that time, was our Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Strategist, but continues as a member of our Board of Directors, and T.R. Ramachandran, who resigned, effective April 5, 2024, as our Chief Operating Officer.

Current wording

We are highly dependent on our executive officers, in particular, Matthew Fisch, our Chief Executive Officer, and Conor B. Tierney, our Chief Financial Officer. The loss of any of our executive officers or other senior executives could adversely affect our business because the loss could make it more difficult to, among other things, compete with other market participants, continue to develop innovative product designs, and retain existing customers or cultivate new ones. Negative public perception of, or negative news related to any of our executive officers or senior executives may adversely affect our brand, relationship with customers, or standing in the industry. In the past, we have lost the services of some of our executive officers for various reasons.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

Competition for highly skilled personnel is often intense, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we are headquartered, and we may incur significant costs to attract the highly skilled personnel we require. We may not be successful in attracting, integrating, or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. We have, from time to time, experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications, especially those with engineering skills. Our ability to attract and retain the highly skilled personnel we require has been further hampered by the overall reductions in personnel we have implemented, which places more responsibility on fewer individuals, our focus on cash conservation, which has limited our ability to provide increases in compensation, and the decline in our stock price, which has decreased the retention value of the stock awards we have made to our employees. In addition, our equity plan is not well funded. We asked stockholders to approve an increase in the number of shares issuable under our equity plan at the 2024 and 2025 annual meeting of stockholders. Our stockholders failed to approve the additional shares, therefore we have been unable to issue what we believe is sufficient equity to our employees, thereby decreasing our ability to retain them. In addition, our executive officers have not received an equity grant as part of our long-term incentive program for more than two years, substantially increasing the risk of retention. Even if stockholders had approved the additional shares, the retention value of such shares may have been insufficient to adequately retain some or all of our employees, including our executive officers. Moreover, with the personnel reductions we have implemented, it may create, in some instances, single points of failure, such that if certain individuals voluntarily resign from the Company, it may adversely impact, or significantly delay, our ability to bring our products to market, which would severely impact our operations and have an adverse impact on our business prospects.

Current wording

Competition for highly skilled personnel is often intense, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we are headquartered, and we may incur significant costs to attract the highly skilled personnel we require. We may not be successful in attracting, integrating, or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. We have, from time to time, experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications, especially those with engineering skills. Our ability to attract and retain the highly skilled personnel we require has been further hampered by the overall reductions in personnel we have implemented, which places more responsibility on fewer individuals, our focus on cash conservation, which has limited our ability to provide increases in compensation, and the decline in our stock price, which has decreased the retention value of the stock awards we have made to our employees. In addition, our equity plan for the past several years has not been well funded. We asked stockholders to approve an increase in the number of shares issuable under our equity plan at the 2024 and 2025 annual meeting of stockholders. Our stockholders failed to approve the additional shares, therefore we were unable to issue what we believe is sufficient equity to our employees, thereby decreasing our ability to retain them. In addition, our executive officers did not receive an equity grant as part of our long-term incentive program in 2024 and 2025, substantially increasing the risk of retention. At our 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, our stockholders did approve the addition of 6,750,000 shares to our equity plan. Even with the additional shares, the retention value of such shares may have been insufficient to adequately retain some or all of our employees, including our executive officers. Moreover, with the personnel reductions we have implemented, it may create, in some instances, single points of failure, such that if certain individuals voluntarily resign from the Company, it may adversely impact, or significantly delay, our ability to bring our products to market, which would severely impact our operations and have an adverse impact on our business prospects.

Previous wording

We are at risk for interruptions, outages, and breaches of our operational systems, including our business, financial, accounting, product development, and production processes, owned by us, our suppliers or our partners; our facility security systems, owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; our in-product technology owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; the integrated software in our lidar solutions; or the data that we process or our suppliers process on our behalf. In March 2025, we experienced a physical break-in at our headquarters. Although it does not appear that any property, either personal or intellectual, was taken, the break-in caused a temporary disruption to our operations. In mid-2022, our previous partner, Continental, experienced a cyberattack in which data was improperly taken from their servers. To date, Continental has not notified us that any data belonging to us was compromised. A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information resources. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems or those of our third-party vendors for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Such cyber incidents could materially disrupt operational systems; result in loss of intellectual property, trade secrets or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise certain information of employees, suppliers, or others; jeopardize the security of our facilities; or affect the performance of in-product technology and the integrated software in our lidar solutions. A cyber incident could be caused by disasters, insiders (through inadvertence or with malicious intent), or malicious third parties (including nation-states or nation-state supported actors) using sophisticated, targeted methods to circumvent firewalls, encryption, and other security defenses, including hacking, fraud, trickery, phishing, or other forms of deception. The risks of a cybersecurity breach against companies based in the U.S., like us, may be enhanced as a byproduct of the on-going war in Ukraine, or by state-sponsored actors, primarily located in, or sponsored by, China, Russia, or North Korea. Despite careful security and controls design, our information technology systems and the systems used by our third-party vendors, may be subject to security breaches and cyberattacks the result of which could include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs, litigation, and damage to business relationships.

Current wording

We are at risk for interruptions, outages, and breaches of our operational systems, including our business, financial, accounting, product development, and production processes, owned by us, our suppliers or our partners; our facility security systems, owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; our in-product technology owned by us, our suppliers, or our partners; the integrated software in our lidar solutions; or the data that we process or our suppliers process on our behalf. In March 2025, we experienced a physical break-in at our headquarters. Although no property, either personal or intellectual, was taken, the break-in caused a temporary disruption to our operations. In mid-2022, our previous partner, Continental, experienced a cyberattack in which data was improperly taken from their servers. To date, Continental has not notified us that any data belonging to us was compromised. A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information resources. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems or those of our third-party vendors for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Such cyber incidents could materially disrupt operational systems; result in loss of intellectual property, trade secrets or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise certain information of employees, suppliers, or others; jeopardize the security of our facilities; or affect the performance of in-product technology and the integrated software in our lidar solutions. A cyber incident could be caused by disasters, insiders (through inadvertence or with malicious intent), or malicious third parties (including nation-states or nation-state supported actors) using sophisticated, targeted methods to circumvent firewalls, encryption, and other security defenses, including hacking, fraud, trickery, phishing, or other forms of deception. The risks of a cybersecurity breach against companies based in the U.S., like us, may be enhanced as a byproduct of the on-going war in Iran or Ukraine, or by state-sponsored actors, primarily located in, or sponsored by, China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea. Despite careful security and controls design, our information technology systems and the systems used by our third-party vendors, may be subject to security breaches and cyberattacks the result of which could include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs, litigation, and damage to business relationships.

Previous wording

In 2025, we were notified by a former vendor that it intended to pursue a claim against our subsidiary, AEye Technologies, Inc., arising out of an agreement entered into in May 2020, in which the former vendor alleges that our subsidiary failed to pay approximately $3,300, plus interest from the date the former vendor alleges such payments were due. Our subsidiary has, and continues to dispute the total amount owed based, in part, on our subsidiary’s claim that the products supplied by the former vendor were largely defective and such former vendor was repeatedly made aware of the existence of such defects.

Current wording

In 2025, we were notified by a former vendor that it intended to pursue a claim against our subsidiary, AEye Technologies, Inc., arising out of an agreement entered into in May 2020, in which the former vendor alleges that our subsidiary failed to pay approximately $3.3 million, plus interest from the date the former vendor alleges such payments were due. In February 2026, the former vendor initiated a binding arbitration proceeding against our subsidiary pursuant to the underlying purchase agreement. Our subsidiary has, and continues to dispute the total amount owed based, in part, on the claim that the products supplied by the former vendor were largely defective and such former vendor was repeatedly made aware of the existence of such defects. While it is reasonably possible that a loss may be incurred, we are unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss that could result from an unfavorable outcome in this legal proceeding

Previous wording

In 2024, we were purportedly served with a complaint that alleged we were in breach of a lease for office space in Dublin, California, entered into by our subsidiary, AEye Technologies, Inc. in 2019, because of an alleged failure to pay rent. The landlord claimed that the amount owed could be up to $8.5 million. We disputed, among other things, the total damages claimed by the landlord. On April 28, 2025, the Company and the former landlord entered into a settlement agreement to resolve all outstanding disputes related to the lease. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the Company paid $1,400 in cash and issued a warrant to purchase up to 350,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.22 per share.

Current wording

In 2024, we were purportedly served with a complaint that alleged we were in breach of a lease for office space in Dublin, California, entered into by our subsidiary, AEye Technologies, Inc. in 2019, because of an alleged failure to pay rent. The landlord claimed that the amount owed could be up to $8.5 million. Thereafter, in August 2024, the landlord fully drew down the standby letter of credit of $2.15 million, which was held as security for the payment of rent, due to the alleged default of the lease. We disputed, among other things, the total damages claimed by the landlord. On April 28, 2025, the Company and the former landlord entered into a settlement agreement to resolve all outstanding disputes related to the lease. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the Company paid $1.4 million in cash and issued a warrant to purchase up to 350,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.22 per share.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

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

Previous wording

We incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, and these expenses will likely increase after we are no longer an emerging growth company, in 2026, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and Nasdaq. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, we expect these rules and regulations to substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These increased costs will increase our net loss. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.

Current wording

We incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, and these expenses will likely increase in 2026 now that we are no longer an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and Nasdaq. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, we expect these rules and regulations to substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These increased costs will increase our net loss. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.