EX-4.3 2 cifr-ex4_3.htm EX-4.3

Exhibit 4.3

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED

The following description of the capital stock of Cipher Mining Inc.(f/k/a Good Works Acquisition Corp.), a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), the amended and restated bylaws (the “Bylaws” and together with the Certificate of Incorporation, the “Governing Documents”), and Warrant Agreement, dated October 19, 2020, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and Good Works Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Warrant Agreement”), are summaries and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Warrant Agreement, copies of which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and applicable provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).

As of December 31, 2021, we had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“common stock”) and public warrants to purchase shares of common stock. All shares of our common stock outstanding are fully paid and non-assessable. Defined terms used herein but not otherwise defined shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “Annual Report”).

Capital Stock

General

We are authorized to issue 510,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (i) 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share and (ii) 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Common Stock

Voting rights: Each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote on each matter properly submitted to our shareholders for their vote. Except as otherwise required by law, holders of our common stock will not be entitled to vote on any amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of our preferred stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.

Dividend rights: Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of our preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our Board of Directors (the “Board”), in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that the Board may determine.

Rights upon liquidation: Upon our liquidation, dissolution, or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our shareholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock outstanding at that time, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of our preferred stock.

Other rights. No holder of shares of our common stock will be entitled to preemptive or subscription rights contained in the Certificate of Incorporation or in the Bylaws. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of the our common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock that we may issue in the future.

Preferred Stock

Our preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The Board is expressly authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware, to provide, out of unissued shares of our preferred stock that have not been designated as to series, with respect to each series, to establish the number of shares to be

included in each such series, to fix the designation, powers (including voting powers), preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, of each such series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, and, subject to the rights of such series, to thereafter increase (but not above the total number of authorized shares of our preferred stock) or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any such series. The issuance of our preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the trading price of our common stock, restricting dividends on the capital stock of the Company, diluting the voting power of our common stock, impairing the liquidation rights of the capital stock of the Company, or delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company.

Warrants

General

Each whole public warrant of the Company (“Warrant”) entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on October 19, 2021, provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) covering the our common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their Warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the Warrant Agreement) and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, a Warrant holder may exercise its Warrants only for a whole number of shares of our common stock. This means only a whole Warrant may be exercised at a given time by a Warrant holder. The Warrants will expire August 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

Redemption of Warrants for Cash

Once the Warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding Warrants (except as with respect to the private placement Warrants):

•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $0.01 per Warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each Warrant holder; and
•
if, and only if, the closing price of the our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the Warrant holders.

We will not redeem the Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the our common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those our common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

We have established the last of the redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the Warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the Warrants, each Warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its Warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the shares of our common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) Warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise

If we call the Warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its Warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of Warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of Warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their Warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares

of common stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the Warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of Warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of common stock to be received upon exercise of the Warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a Warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to the Company if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the Warrants.

A holder of a Warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person and any of its affiliates or any other person subject to aggregation with such person for purposes of the “beneficial ownership” test under Section 13 of the Exchange Act, or any “group” (within the meaning of Section 13 of the Exchange Act) of which such person is or may be deemed to be a part, would beneficially own (within the meaning of Section 13 of the Exchange Act) (or to the extent that for any reason the equivalent calculation under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder would result in a higher ownership percentage, such higher percentage would be) in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

Anti-dilution Adjustments

If the number of outstanding shares of our common stock is increased by a capitalization or share dividend payable in shares of our common stock, or by a split-up of common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such capitalization or share dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of our common stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of common stock. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of our common stock at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of shares of our common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of our common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for shares of our common stock) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of our common stock paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value.

If the number of outstanding shares of our common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of share of our common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of our common stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of our common stock.

Whenever the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as described above, the Warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the Warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of our common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of our common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of our common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of our common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the Warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of our common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of our common stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their Warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the

consideration receivable by the holders of shares of our common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of shares in the successor entity that are not listed for trading on a national securities exchange or are not quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or will not be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the Warrant properly exercises the Warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the Warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the Warrant Agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the Warrant Agreement) of the Warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the Warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the Warrants pursuant to which the holders of the Warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the Warrants.

The Warrants have been issued in registered form under the Warrant Agreement. The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Warrants.

The Warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the Warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the Warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the Warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of Warrants being exercised. The Warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of shares of our common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their Warrants and receive shares of our common stock. After the issuance of our common stock upon exercise of the Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.

No fractional shares of our common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of our common stock to be issued to the holder.

Election of Directors and Vacancies

Subject to the rights of any series of our preferred stock then outstanding to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the Board consists of seven (7) directors, and be divided, with respect to the time for which they severally hold office, into three classes designated as Class I, Class II and Class III, respectively. The initial term of office of the Class I directors expires at our first annual meeting of shareholders following the consummation of the Business Combination, the initial term of office of the Class II directors shall expire at our second annual meeting of shareholders following the initial classification of the Board and the initial term of office of the Class III directors shall expire at our third annual meeting of shareholders following the initial classification of the Board. At each annual meeting of shareholders following the initial classification of the Board, directors elected to succeed those directors of the class whose terms then expire shall be elected for a term of office expiring at the third succeeding annual meeting of our shareholders after their election.

Under the Bylaws, except as may be required in the Certificate of Incorporation, directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.

Each of our directors shall hold office until the annual meeting at which such director’s term expires and until such director’s successor is elected and qualified or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, or removal. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of our preferred stock to elect directors, directors may be removed only as provided by the Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law. All vacancies occurring in the Board and any newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors shall be filled in the manner set forth below.

Subject to the rights of any series of our preferred stock then outstanding, any vacancy occurring in the Board for any cause, and any newly created directorship resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors, shall be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, and shall not be filled by the shareholders.

Any director elected in accordance with the preceding sentence shall hold office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of shareholders at which the term of office for the class in which the vacancy was created or occurred or, in the case of newly created directorships, the class to which the director has been assigned expires and until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, or removal.

If and for so long as the holders of any series of our preferred stock have the special right to elect additional directors, the then otherwise total authorized number of directors of the Company shall automatically be increased by such specified number of directors, and the holders of such our preferred stock will be entitled to elect the additional directors so provided for or fixed pursuant to the terms of the series of our preferred stock. Each such additional director shall serve until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s right to hold such office terminates pursuant to said provisions, whichever occurs earlier, subject to his or her earlier death, resignation, or removal.

Quorum

Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws, at each meeting of stockholders the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares of stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If a quorum shall fail to attend any meeting, the chairperson of the meeting or, if directed to be voted on by the chairperson of the meeting, the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote who are present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting may adjourn the meeting. If the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, then a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. At the adjourned meeting, the Company may transact any business that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If a quorum is present at the original meeting, it shall also be deemed present at the adjourned meeting.

Anti-takeover Effects of the Governing Documents

The Governing Documents contain provisions that may delay, defer or discourage another party from acquiring control of the Company. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of the Company to first negotiate with the Board, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they also give the board of directors the power to discourage acquisitions that some stockholders may favor.

Classified Board of Directors

As indicated above, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Board will be divided into three classes of directors, with each class of directors being elected by the Company stockholders every three years. The classification of directors will have the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of the Board.

Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock

Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of Nasdaq, which would apply so long as the our common stock (or Warrants) remains listed on Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of our common stock. Additional shares that may be issued in the future may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.

One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved common stock may be to enable the Board to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise and thereby protect

the continuity of management and possibly deprive stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of our common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.

Special Meeting, Action by Written Consent and Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals

Unless otherwise required by law, and subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any series of our preferred stock, Special Meetings of the stockholders of the Company, for any purpose or purposes, may be called only by (i) a majority of the Board, (ii) the chairperson of the board of directors, (iii) the chief executive officer or (iv) the President, and stockholders of the Company may not take action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. Notice of all meetings of stockholders shall be given in writing stating the date, time and place, if any, of the meeting, the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting and the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting if such date is different from the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting. Such notice shall also set forth the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called.

Unless otherwise required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation, notice of any meeting of stockholders shall be given not less than ten (10), nor more than sixty (60), days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such meeting as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice. The Bylaws also provide that any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board, or of any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or such committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board or committee, as applicable. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

The Bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at an annual meeting of stockholders. The Bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice, including disclosure of the proposing stockholders’ agreements, arrangements and understandings made in connection with such a proposal or nomination. These provisions may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders. We expect that these provisions might also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company. These provisions could have the effect of delaying until the next stockholder meeting any stockholder actions, even if they are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

We may amend or repeal any provision contained in the Certificate of Incorporation in the manner prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware, and all rights conferred upon stockholders are granted subject to this reservation. Notwithstanding any provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser vote or no vote, subject to the rights of any outstanding series of our preferred stock, but in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of our stock required by law or by the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, will be required to amend or repeal certain provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation.

The Board shall have the power to adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws. Any adoption, amendment or repeal of the Bylaws by the Board shall require the approval of a majority of the Board. The stockholders shall also have power to adopt, amend or repeal the proposed Bylaws. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser or no vote, but in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of stock of the Company required by applicable law or by the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend or repeal any provision of the Bylaws.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

Section 203 of the DGCL provides that if a person acquires 15% or more of the voting stock of a Delaware corporation, such person becomes an “interested stockholder” and may not engage in certain “business combinations” with the corporation for a period of three years from the time such person acquired 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock, unless:

1.
the board of directors approves the acquisition of stock or the merger transaction before the time that the person becomes an interested stockholder;
2.
the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at the time the merger transaction commences (excluding voting stock owned by directors who are also officers and certain employee stock plans); or
3.
the merger transaction is approved by the board of directors and at a meeting of stockholders, not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

A Delaware corporation may elect in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws not to be governed by this particular Delaware law. Under the Certificate of Incorporation, we do not opt out of Section 203 of the DGCL and therefore is subject to Section 203.

Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions

The Certificate of Incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent of the Company to the Company or its stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Governing Documents or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Governing Documents; or (v) any action governed by the internal affairs doctrine. In addition, the Bylaws require that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of United States shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any action asserting a claim arising under the Securities Act.

Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our Warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.

Listing of Common Stock and Warrants

Our common stock and Warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the trading symbols “CIFR” and “CIFRW,” respectively.