| Item 4.01 | Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant. |
Explanatory Note
As previously disclosed, on February 3, 2022, SES AI Corporation (the “Company”, formerly known as Ivanhoe Capital Acquisition Corp. (“Ivanhoe”) prior to the Business Combination described herein) consummated its previously announced business combination (the “Business Combination”) with SES Holdings Pte. Ltd., a Singapore private company limited by shares (“Old SES”), pursuant to the terms of that certain Business Combination Agreement (as amended, the “Business Combination Agreement”) by and among Ivanhoe, Old SES, and Wormhole Amalgamation Sub Pte. Ltd., a Singapore private company limited by shares, and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ivanhoe (“Amalgamation Sub”). Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement Amalgamation Sub merged with and into Old SES, with Old SES as the surviving company and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
(a) Dismissal of independent registered public accounting firm
On April 15, 2022, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Audit Committee”) approved the dismissal of Withum Smith+Brown, PC (“Withum”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
Withum’s report of independent registered public accounting firm on Ivanhoe’s balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the period from July 8, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainties, audit scope or accounting principles.
During the period from July 8, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2021, and during the subsequent interim period through April 15, 2022, there were no disagreements with Withum on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Withum, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in its reports on the Company’s financial statements for such period.
During the period from July 8, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2021, and during the subsequent interim period through April 15, 2022, there were no “reportable events” (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) other than the material weakness in internal controls identified by management related to the classification of a portion of Ivanhoe’s Class A Common Stock in permanent equity rather than temporary equity and the Company’s accounting for warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering and private placement of securities, which resulted in the restatement of Ivanhoe’s consolidated balance sheet as of January 11, 2021 and its interim consolidated financial statements for the quarters ended March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021, and September 30, 2021, as set forth in Ivanhoe’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 29, 2021, Form 10-Q/A for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 21, 2021, and Form 8-K/A as of January 11, 2021 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 21, 2021.
The Company has provided Withum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures and requested that Withum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether Withum agrees with the statements made by the Company set forth above. A copy of Withum’s letter, dated April 18, 2022, is attached as Exhibit 16.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
