(2) | With respect to matters requiring a shareholder vote, holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and holders of Class B Ordinary Shares vote together as one class. Each Class A Ordinary Share is entitled to one vote and each Class B Ordinary Share is entitled to ten votes. As a result, the 127,200,000 Class B Ordinary Shares and 3,717,250 Class A Ordinary Shares held by Sohu Search represent approximately 43.9% of the total voting power of the Issuer’s Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. |
(3) | Sohu Search may be deemed to have beneficial ownership attributable to shared voting power with respect to 45,578,896 Class B Ordinary Shares owned by THL A21 Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”). Under a voting agreement among Sohu Search, which is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Sohu.com Limited (“Sohu”); THL A21 Limited; and the Issuer (the “Voting Agreement with Tencent”), Sohu and Tencent have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, (1) within three years following the completion, on November 13, 2017, of the Issuer’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), Sohu will vote all of its Class B Ordinary Shares and any Class A Ordinary Shares and Tencent will vote 45,578,896 of its Class B Ordinary Shares to elect a Board of Directors of the Issuer (the “Sogou Board”) consisting of seven directors, four of whom will be appointed by Sohu, two of whom will be appointed by Tencent, and the seventh of whom will be the chief executive officer of the Issuer, and (2) after three years following the completion of the IPO, Sohu will be entitled to choose to change the size and composition of the Sogou Board, subject to Tencent’s right to appoint at least one director. The Voting Agreement with Tencent also provides that for so long as Sohu and Tencent together hold more than 50% of the total voting power of the Issuer’s Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, Sohu or Tencent may remove and replace any director appointed by it. These provisions of the Voting Agreement with Tencent are also reflected in the memorandum and articles of association of the Issuer (the “M&A”). |
The Voting Agreement with Tencent and the M&A also specify that for so long as Sohu or Tencent holds not less than 15% of the Issuer’s issued shares (calculated on a fully diluted basis), consent from the holder of 15% or more (either or both of Sohu or Tencent, as the case may be) will be required (i) to amend the M&A, (ii) to make material changes in the Issuer’s principal lines of business, (iii) to issue any additional Class B Ordinary Shares, (iv) to create any new class or series of shares that is pari passu with or senior to the Class A Ordinary Shares, (v) for the Issuer to approve a liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Issuer, or a merger or consolidation resulting in a change in control, or any disposition of all or substantially all of the Issuer’s assets, or (vi) for the Issuer to enter into any transactions with affiliates of Sohu, other than in the ordinary course of business. The Voting Agreement with Tencent and the M&A further provide that if the shareholders of the Issuer have voted in favor of any of these actions requiring the approval of shareholders but consent from Sohu or Tencent (as applicable) has not been obtained, then the holders of all classes of the Issuer’s shares who have voted against such action will be deemed to have such number of votes as are equal to the aggregate number of votes cast in favor of such actions plus one additional vote. Under these provisions of the Voting Agreement with Tencent and the M&A, if an action is proposed for which the consent of either Tencent or Sohu is required, the failure to obtain the consent of Tencent or Sohu will have the effect of the proposed action’s not being approved, even if the other shareholders of the Issuer approve it.
The Voting Agreement with Tencent and the M&A also specify that if at any time Sohu alone holds more than 50% of the total voting power of the Issuer’s Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, the voting arrangements with respect to the size and composition of the Sogou Board will be automatically suspended until such time within five years after the completion of the IPO as Sohu’s voting power again drops to 50% or less, in which case the original voting arrangements will be reinstated, provided that Tencent will only be required to vote the lower of 45,578,896 Class B Ordinary Shares held by it or such number as would give Sohu combined voting power of 50.1%. If such a suspension continues after the fifth anniversary of the completion of the IPO, the voting arrangements with respect to the size and composition of the Issuer’s Board of Directors will terminate.
Under the Voting Agreement with Tencent all of the Class B Ordinary Shares held by Sohu will be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares if there is a transaction resulting in change of control of Sohu that was not approved by Sohu’s board of directors, if specified competitors of Tencent control Sohu, or if a majority of Sohu’s board of directors consist of nominees of specified competitors of Tencent. The provisions with respect to the size and composition of the Sogou Board of Directors in the Voting Agreement with Tencent and in the M&A will terminate upon occurrence of any such event. Such arrangements will also terminate (i) if Dr. Charles Zhang, the chairman of the board of directors of Sohu and its chief executive officer, both ceases being the chairman of the board of directors of Sohu and ceases being the single largest beneficial owner of Sohu’s outstanding shares; (ii) if Sohu transfers 30% or more of the Class B Ordinary Shares that Sohu held upon the completion of the IPO; (iii) if the Issuer fails to provide irrevocable instructions to the person maintaining the Issuer’s register of members to accept instructions from Tencent, under certain circumstances, with respect to the conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares held by Sohu; (iv) or the Issuer changes, without Tencent’s consent, the person that maintains its register of members; (v) or if Tencent ceases to own any Class B Ordinary Shares.