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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The Company was a special purpose acquisition company originally incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on February 11, 2020 under the name Trebia Acquisition Corp. (“Trebia”). The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. On January 27, 2022, the Company consummated a business combination (the "Merger"), which resulted in the acquisition of S1 Holdco and System1 SS Protect Holdings, Inc. (“Protected”). Per the Merger, System1, LLC, a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of S1 Holdco, and Protected.net, a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Protected, became subsidiaries of Trebia. As a result of the Merger, the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of the Predecessor and Successor are not directly comparable.

The Company was deemed the accounting acquirer in the Merger based on an analysis of the criteria outlined in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805, Business Combinations, and S1 Holdco was deemed to be the predecessor entity. Accordingly, the historical financial statements of S1 Holdco became the historical financial statements of the Company, upon the consummation of the Merger. As a result, the financial statements included in this report reflect (i) the historical operating results of S1 Holdco prior to the Merger and (ii) the combined results of the Company, including S1 Holdco and Protected following the closing of the Merger. The accompanying financial statements include a Predecessor period, which includes the period through January 26, 2022 concurrent with the Merger, and a Successor period from January 27, 2022. A black-line between the Successor and Predecessor periods has been placed in the consolidated financial statements and in the tables to the notes to the consolidated financial statements to highlight the lack of comparability between these two periods as the Merger resulted in a new basis of accounting for S1 Holdco.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of System1, Inc. and its subsidiaries for the Successor period, and S1 Holdco for the Predecessor periods. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidation of the financial statements.

ASC 842 Adoption

On January 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASC 842, Leases ("ASC 842"), under the modified transition approach. This accounting standard provides several optional practical expedients in transition. The Company elected the “package of practical expedients,” which permits the Company to not reassess its prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs. ASC 842 also provides practical expedients for an entity’s ongoing accounting. The Company elected the short-term lease recognition exemption. Accordingly, for those leases that qualify, the Company did not recognize an operating lease asset or operating lease liability for existing short-term leases in transition. The Company also elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for all leases. The adoption of ASC 842 did not have any effect on the Company's previously reported consolidated statements of operations and did not result in a cumulative catch-up adjustment to the opening balance

of accumulated deficit on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The Company recorded $6,786 of operating lease assets, $7,987 of lease liabilities and reclassified $1,201 of deferred rent liabilities as a reduction to the beginning operating lease assets upon implementation of ASC 842. See Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES—Leases and Note 7—LEASES for additional details.

Risk and Concentrations

The Company is subject to certain business and operational risks, including competition from alternative technologies, as well as dependence on key Advertising Partners, key employees, key contracts, and growth to achieve its business and operational objectives.

Concentrations

The following table illustrates the concentration as a percentage of total revenues for the Company's key Advertising Partners:


	Successor		Predecessor
	Period from January 27, 2022 through December 31, 2022		Period from January 1, 2022 through January 26, 2022		Year Ended December 31, 2021
Google	68	%	88	%	84	%
Microsoft	3	%	4	%	5	%

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had (i) two paid search advertising partnership agreements with Google, and (ii) one paid search advertising partnership agreement with Microsoft. The Google agreements are in effect through February 28, 2025, and July 31, 2023, respectively. The agreement with Microsoft is in effect through June 30, 2025. Under certain circumstances, each of these agreements may be terminated by either the Company or the respective Advertising Partner immediately, or with minimal notice.

Accounts receivable are primarily derived from Advertising Partners located within the United States. As of December 31, 2022 (Successor), Google and Yahoo, represented 68% and 11%, respectively, of the Company’s accounts receivables balance. As of December 31, 2021 (Predecessor), these two Advertising Partners represented 72% and 10%, respectively, of the Company’s accounts receivables balance.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the accompanying consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to: (1) valuation of goodwill, acquired intangible assets and long-lived assets, (2) valuation and recognition of the Company's stock-based compensation awards, (3) income taxes, (4) contingent consideration and (5) determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities. Significant estimates affecting the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis of the most current and best available information, including historical experience, known trends and other market-specific or other relevant factors that the Company believes to be reasonable. Management evaluates its estimates, as there are changes in circumstances, facts and experience. Changes in estimates are recorded in periods which they become known. However, actual results from the resolution of such estimates and assumptions may vary from those used in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of amounts held as bank deposits. Cash is deposited with high-credit-quality financial institutions and, at times, such balances with any one financial institution may exceed the insurance limits of the prevailing regulatory body. Historically, the Company has not experienced any losses related to these cash balances and believes that there is minimal risk of expected future losses. However, there can be no assurance that there will not be losses on these deposits.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable primarily represents amounts due from Advertising Partners, and these accounts receivable are stated at the amount the Company expects to collect from outstanding balances and do not bear interest. The Company does not require collateral for its accounts receivable. The Company considers the following factors when determining the collectability of specific customer accounts: past transaction history with the customer and current economic industry trends. These accounts receivables have historically been paid on a timely basis. Due to the nature of the accounts receivable balance, no allowance for doubtful accounts was necessary as of December 31, 2022 (Successor) and December 31, 2021 (Predecessor). The payment terms for the Company's accounts receivable are typically 30 days.

Foreign Currency

The functional currency of two of the Company's wholly-owned subsidiaries is the currency of the primary economic environment in which they operate. The assets and liabilities of these wholly-owned subsidiaries are translated at the prevailing rate of exchange at the balance sheet date, while the results of operations are translated at the average exchange rate in effect for the period. The translation adjustments resulting from translating the functional currency into U.S. dollars have been deferred as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders' equity.

The functional currency of the Company's other wholly-owned non-U.S. subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar and accordingly, nonmonetary balance sheet accounts are remeasured with the appropriate historical rates. All other balance sheet accounts are translated at the prevailing rate of exchange at the balance sheet date, while the results of operations are translated at the average exchange rate in effect for the period. The gains and losses resulting from this remeasurement are reflected in the determination of net income (loss).

Warrant Liability

The Company accounts for the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants (collectively, the “Warrants”; which are discussed in further detail in Note 13—WARRANTS and Note 14—FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT) in accordance with ASC 815-40 under which the Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity classification, and therefore must be recorded as liabilities measured at fair value each balance sheet date, with changes in fair value recorded in Change in fair value of warrant liabilities in the consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of the Public Warrants has been estimated using the Public Warrants’ quoted market price. The fair value of the Private Placement Warrants was estimated using the fair value of the Public Warrants.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The provisions of ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"), relate to financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities, as well as other assets and liabilities carried at fair value on a recurring basis. ASC 820 provides a single authoritative definition of fair value, sets out a framework for measuring fair value, and expands on required disclosures about fair value measurement.

The Company measures fair value based on a three-level hierarchy of inputs, maximizing the use of observable inputs, where available, and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instrument’s level within the three-level hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The three-level hierarchy of inputs is as follows:

Level 1: Observable inputs such as unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date;

Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. These inputs are based on the Company’s own assumptions about current market conditions and require significant management judgment or estimation.

Financial instruments consist of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, and warrant liabilities. Cash equivalents and restricted cash are stated at fair value on a recurring basis. Accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are stated at their carrying value, which approximates fair value due to the short time to the expected receipt or payment date. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company's outstanding debt included a Term Loan, of which its fair value was estimated using an observable market quotation (Level 2).

The Company’s liabilities measured at fair value relate to the Public Warrant liabilities (Level 1), Private Placement Warrant liabilities (Level 2), the former CEO of S1 Holdco's equity profits interest liability (Level 3), and contingent consideration (Level 3).

Certain assets, including goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets, are also subject to measurement at fair value on a nonrecurring basis if they are deemed to be impaired as a result of an impairment review. The Company determines the fair value by applying Level 3 unobservable inputs. For further information on the fair value assessment of goodwill and impairment charge recorded in 2022, refer to Note 6 — GOODWILL , INTERNAL-USE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COSTS, NET, AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET — Valuation of Goodwill.

Restricted Cash

The Company’s restricted cash as of December 31, 2022 (Successor) primarily consists of the following items:

(i) cash held as collateral at one of the Company’s financial institutions to secure the Company’s letter of credit issued in favor of its landlord under the lease for its corporate office,

(ii) funds held by the Company's credit card processors to cover potential charge backs initiated by the Company's customers,

(iii) the escrow account balance related to the portion of unvested equity awards as of the closing of the Merger that will be cash settled as the service requirement is completed,

(iv) the escrow account balance related to the indemnification obligations related to its RoadWarrior acquisition and

(v) the escrow account balance related to the postcombination compensation arrangement related to the CouponFollow acquisition.

The amount of restricted cash as of December 31, 2021 (Predecessor) relates to cash held as collateral at one of the Company’s financial institutions to secure the Company’s letter of credit issued in favor of its landlord under the lease for its corporate office.

Property and Equipment, net

Property and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred, while improvements are capitalized. Upon the sale or retirement of property and equipment, the accounts are relieved of the cost and the related accumulated depreciation, and any resulting gain or loss is included in selling, general, and administrative expense on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

The estimated useful lives of the Company’s property and equipment for purposes of computing depreciation are as follows:


	(Years)
Computer equipment	3
Office equipment	3
Furniture, fixtures and equipment	3	-	7
Motor vehicles	4
Leasehold improvements	Shorter of the remaining lease term or estimated useful life for leasehold improvements.

Internal-use Software Development Costs, net

Internal-use software development costs are stated at cost, less accumulated amortization. The Company capitalizes certain internal-use software development costs associated with creating and enhancing internally developed software related to the Company’s technology infrastructure, including continuing to develop and deploy its RAMP platform. Deployment activities focus on enhancement of our customer acquisition capabilities, including website enhancements and tools for marketing support, and upgrades of dashboards and reporting tools. These costs are comprised of personnel costs, which include salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation and employee benefits’ expenses for employees who are directly associated with, and who devote significant time to, software projects, as well as external direct costs of materials and services consumed in developing or obtaining the software. Internal-use software development costs that do not meet the qualification for capitalization are expensed as incurred, and are recorded in Salaries and benefits expense on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

Internal-use software development activities generally consist of three stages: (i) the planning stage, (ii) the application and infrastructure development stage, and (iii) the post-implementation stage. Costs incurred in the planning and post-implementation stages of software development, including costs associated with the post configuration training and repairs and maintenance of the developed technologies, are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred in the application and infrastructure development stage, including significant enhancements and upgrades, are capitalized once the preliminary project stage is completed, management has authorized further funding for the completion of the project, and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will perform as intended. Capitalization ends once a project is substantially complete, and the software and technologies are ready for their intended purpose(s).

Internal-use software development costs are amortized using a straight-line method over an estimated useful life of three (3) years, commencing when the software is ready for its intended use. The straight-line recognition method approximates the manner in which the expected benefit will be derived. The Company does not transfer ownership of its software or lease its software to third parties.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets primarily consist of acquired technology, customer relationships and trade names/trademarks. The Company determines the appropriate useful life based on management’s estimate of the applicable intangible asset’s remaining economic useful life at the time of acquisition. Intangible assets are generally amortized over their estimated economic useful lives using a straight-line method, which approximates the pattern in which the economic

benefits are consumed. Certain customer relationship intangibles are amortized on an accelerated basis based upon the expected timing of economic benefits which are derived from an analysis of customer attrition rates over the expected life. The fair value of the intangible assets acquired are determined using either the income or market methodologies.

The estimated useful lives of the Company’s intangible assets are as follows:


	Useful Life
	(Years)
Developed technology	4
Customer relationships	3	-	5
Trademarks and trade names	10
Other intangibles	4

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company assesses the recoverability of its long-lived assets when events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. Such events or changes in circumstances may include a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which a long-lived asset is being used; significant adverse changes in legal factors or in the business climate that could affect the value of a long-lived asset; an accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or development of a long-lived asset; current or future operating or cash flow losses that demonstrate continuing losses associated with the use of a long-lived asset; or a current expectation that, more likely than not, a long-lived asset will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life. The Company performs impairment testing at the asset group level that represents the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. The Company assesses recoverability of its long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of the asset group can be recovered through projected undiscounted cash flows over their remaining useful lives. If the carrying value of the asset group exceeds the forecasted undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recognized and measured as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value. An impairment loss is charged to operations in the period in which management determines such impairment has occurred. During 2022, in conjunction with the Company's testing for impairment of goodwill, the Company performed an impairment assessment of its long-lived asset groups by comparing undiscounted cash flows with carrying values. The undiscounted cash flows exceeded the carrying value, and accordingly, the Company did not record any impairments of long-lived assets.

Refer to Note 6 — GOODWILL , INTERNAL-USE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COSTS, NET, AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET — Goodwill Impairment for additional information.

Business Combinations

The results of a business acquired in a business combination are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. The Company allocates the purchase price, which is the sum of the consideration provided which may consist of cash, equity, or a combination of the two, paid in a business combination for the identifiable assets and liabilities of the acquired business at their acquisition-date fair values. Any excess amount paid over the identifiable net assets is recorded as goodwill. The process for estimating the fair values of the acquired business involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including estimating average industry multiples, customer and service attrition rate, forecasted revenue and revenue growth rates, discount rates, technology migration rates, royalty rates and estimating future cash flows. The Company estimates the fair value based on assumptions which the Company's management believes to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. During the measurement period, not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition, the Company may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with a corresponding offset to goodwill. At the conclusion of the

measurement period, any subsequent adjustments are reflected in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Transaction costs associated with business combinations are expensed as incurred and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. When purchase consideration includes contingent consideration, the Company records the fair value of the contingent consideration as of the date of acquisition, and subsequently remeasures the contingent consideration at fair value as of each reporting date through the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired and identifiable intangibles in a business combination. The Company accounts for goodwill in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, which requires the Company to test goodwill at the reporting unit level for impairment at least annually, or if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. The Company performs its annual goodwill impairment test on December 31.

The Company has the option (i) to assess goodwill for possible impairment by performing a qualitative analysis to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount or (ii) to perform the quantitative impairment test. The quantitative impairment test involves comparing the estimated fair value of a reporting unit with its respective carrying amount, including goodwill. If the estimated fair value exceeds carrying amount, goodwill is considered not to be impaired. If, however, the fair value of the reporting unit is less than carrying amount, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill.

The determination of fair value(s) requires the Company to make significant estimates and assumptions. These estimates include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from a market participant perspective, discount rates and industry data. Unanticipated events or circumstances may occur that could affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates or actual results.

Refer to Note 6 — GOODWILL , INTERNAL-USE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COSTS, NET, AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET regarding impairment of goodwill in fiscal 2022.

Leases

On January 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASC 842, Leases, and recognized operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet.

A contract is or contains a lease when, (1) the contract contains an identified asset and (2) the customer obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of that underlying asset and directs how and for what purpose the asset is used during the term of the contract in exchange for consideration. The Company assesses whether an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception of the contract. For all leases, other than those that qualify for the short-term recognition exemption, the Company recognizes as of the lease commencement date, on the balance sheet a liability for its obligation related to the lease and a corresponding asset representing the Company’s right to use the underlying asset over the period of use.

The Company’s operating leases are included in operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 (Successor).

Operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities are initially recorded based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term, which may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain at the commencement date that such options will be exercised. As the rate implicit for each of the Company’s leases is not readily determinable, the incremental borrowing rate ("IBR") based on the information available on the

commencement date of the lease is used to determine the present value of lease payments. The IBR is estimated by calculating a discount rate based on available adjusted market data.

Operating lease assets include any lease incentives. Lease agreements with lease and non-lease components are accounted for as a single lease component. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Operating lease expenses are included in selling, general, and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

See Note 7—LEASES for additional details.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when control of the promised services is transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services. The Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:

•Identification of a contract with a customer,

•Identification of the performance obligations in the contract,

•Determination of the transaction price,

•Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and

•Recognition of revenue when or as the performance obligations are satisfied.

The Company’s revenue is principally derived from the following areas:

Advertising and Other Revenue

The Company earns revenue by directly acquiring traffic to its owned and operated websites and utilizing its RAMP platform and related services to connect its Advertising Partners to its owned and operated websites. For this revenue stream, the Company is the principal in the transaction and reports revenue on a gross basis for the amounts received from its Advertising Partners. For this revenue, the Company has determined that it is the principal since it has a risk of loss on the traffic that it is acquiring for monetization with its Advertising Partners, and, in the case of its owned and operated websites, the Company maintains the website, provides the content and bears the cost and risk of loss associated with its websites’ advertising space.

Revenue is also earned from revenue-sharing arrangements with the Company’s Network Partners for the use of its RAMP platform and related services that enable them to direct advertising provided by Advertising Partners to their advertising inventory. The Company has determined it is the agent in these transactions and reports revenue on a net basis, because (a) the Company does not control the underlying advertising space, (b) the Company does not acquire the traffic and does not have risk of loss in connection therewith and (c) the pricing is in the form of a substantively fixed-percentage revenue-sharing arrangement. The Company reports this revenue on a net basis with respect to the amount retained under its revenue-sharing arrangements, which represents the difference between amounts received by the Company from the Advertising Partners, less amounts remitted to the Network Partners based on underlying contracts.

The Company recognizes revenue upon delivering traffic to its Advertising Partners based on a cost-per-click or cost-per-thousand impression basis.

Subscription Revenue

In connection with the Merger and acquisition of Protected.net discussed in Note 3—MERGER, the Company is also engaged in selling antivirus, adblock, and safe browsing software as a service subscription ("SaaS") to customers. The subscription business provides real-time antivirus protection, a safe-browsing feature, adblocking, blocking of malicious websites and data breach monitoring. Subscription revenue is primarily derived from the (i) delivery of the antivirus software and (ii) delivery of the additional add-on service(s), which all are provided on a fixed-price

basis. The performance obligations related to subscription, maintenance and support are satisfied over the term of the customer contract and the associated subscription revenue is recognized over the contract term on a ratable basis, which is consistent with transfer of control. The Company’s services rendered to customers are generally paid for in advance with cash receipts recorded as deferred revenue, which represents a liability under a noncancellable contract.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues primarily consists of traffic acquisition costs, which are the costs to place advertisements to acquire customers to the Company’s websites and subscription services, as well as content, publishing, domain name registration costs, licensing costs to provide mapping services to Mapquest.com, credit card processing fees, and licensing costs related to the antivirus and other software available via APIs for sale and distribution of its SaaS products to end customers. The Company does not pre-pay any traffic acquisition costs, and therefore, expenses such costs as incurred.

Salaries and Benefits

Salaries and benefits expenses include salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation, non-capitalized personnel costs incurred in the internal use software development, and employee benefits costs.

Stock-Based Compensation

Compensation cost related to stock-based payments is measured based on the fair value of the units issued and recognized in salaries and benefits expenses on the company’s consolidated statement of operations. The Company has elected to treat stock-based payment awards with time-based service condition(s) only as a single award, with the related compensation expense recognized on a straight-line basis. The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model to value equity in the Predecessor period are based upon the following:

•Fair Value of common stock: S1 Holdco’s equity was not publicly traded, therefore the fair value was determined by S1 Holdco’s Board of Directors, with input from management and contemporaneous valuation reports prepared by a third-party valuation specialist.

•Expected Term: The expected term of the award is estimated by considering the contractual term and vesting period of the award, the employees’ expected exercise behavior and the post-vesting employee turnover rate. For non-employees, the expected life equals the contractual term of the award.

•Risk-free Interest Rate: The risk-free interest rate is based on published U.S. Treasury Department interest rates for the expected term of the underlying award.

•Volatility: The volatility was based on the expected unit price volatility of the underlying units over the expected term of the award which is based upon historical share price data of an index of comparable publicly traded companies.

Replacement Awards

Pursuant to the Merger, the Company was required to replace certain profits interests awards, the value creation units ("VCU") and Class F Units ("F Units"), with a combination of a restricted stock unit (“RSU”) in System1 and a cash award (collectively, the "Replacement Awards”). The fair value of the Replacement Awards was derived utilizing the transaction closing price of $10.00. The Merger triggered a liquidating event, therefore, the portion of the Replacement Awards issued in connection with the Merger that was associated with services rendered through the date of the Merger are included in the total consideration transferred, with the exception of the unvested awards subject to service vesting conditions where the service condition has not been completed. With regards to the remaining unvested portion of the Replacement Awards, the Company continues to recognize compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the original requisite service period and recognizes forfeitures as they occur. For VCU

Replacement Awards forfeited prior to vesting, the Company recognizes accelerated compensation expense for the remaining unvested shares, as a share of the Company’s Class A Common Stock becomes issuable to the previous investors for each VCU Replacement Award forfeited. For Cash Replacement Awards forfeited prior to vesting, the Company recognizes accelerated compensation expense for the unpaid amount, as that cash amount becomes payable to the previous investors.

Post-Combination Awards

For awards granted subsequent to the Merger, the Company’s fair value of the related restricted stock units was derived from the market price of its Class A common stock, which is traded on the NYSE. As these awards are subject only to time-based service conditions, the Company recognizes compensation expense for these awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for each award, and recognizes forfeitures as they occur.

Liability Awards

In connection with the Merger and acquisition of Protected.net described in Note 3—MERGER, the Company effected an incentive plan for eligible recipients which is payable in a fixed value of fully-vested shares of the Company’s Class A common stock upon the satisfaction of certain performance and service conditions (the “Protected.net Incentive Plan”).

In connection with the acquisition of CouponFollow described in Note 4—ACQUISITIONS the Company effected an incentive plan for eligible recipients, which, at the Company’s option, is payable in cash or fully-vested shares of the Company’s Class A common stock upon the satisfaction of certain performance and service conditions (the “CouponFollow Incentive Plan”).

The Company recognizes compensation cost for these liability awards with performance and service conditions if and when it is deemed probable that the performance condition will be achieved. The probability of vesting is evaluated at each reporting period taking into consideration actual results to-date and forecasts and compensation cost adjusted to reflect the completed portion of the service period with a graded vesting attribution. Refer to Note 19—STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION for additional information.

Repurchased Shares

Repurchased shares of the Company's common stock are retired, and the cost of the retired shares in excess of par value, including any direct and incremental costs associated with the repurchase, is recorded as a decrease in retained earnings.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general, and administrative expenses consist of fees for professional services, occupancy costs, travel and entertainment. These costs are expensed as incurred.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses are primarily attributable to the Company’s capital investments and consist of property and equipment depreciation and amortization of intangible assets with finite lives.

Income Taxes

The Company is the sole managing member of S1 Holdco and, as a result, consolidates the financial results of S1 Holdco. S1 Holdco is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal and most applicable state and local income tax purposes. As a partnership, S1 Holdco is not subject to U.S. federal and certain state and local income taxes. Any taxable income or loss generated by S1 Holdco is passed through to and included in the taxable income or loss of its members, including the Company, on a pro rata basis. The Company is subject to U.S. federal income taxes, in

addition to state and local income taxes with respect to its allocable share of any taxable income or loss of S1 Holdco, as well as any stand-alone income or loss generated by the Company. Various subsidiaries of the Company are subject to income tax in the United States and in other countries.

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities (“DTAs” and “DTLs”, as applicable) for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, the Company determines DTAs and DTLs on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities by using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on DTAs and DTLs is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company recognizes DTAs to the extent that it believes that these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, carryback potential if permitted under the tax law, and results of operations. If the Company determines that it would not be able to realize its DTAs in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, it would make an adjustment to the DTA valuation allowance, which would increase the provision for income taxes.

The Company records uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) it determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of its technical merits and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, it recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company recognizes both accrued interest and penalties, when appropriate, in the provision for income taxes on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Non-Controlling Interest

The Company reports a non-controlling interest representing the economic interest in S1 Holdco held by certain individuals and entities other than the Company. The non-controlling interest is comprised of certain selling equity holders of S1 Holdco that retained an economic interest in S1 Holdco through their ownership of Class B units in S1 Holdco as of the closing of the Merger, along with the same number of corresponding shares of Class C common stock in the Company. The non-controlling interest holders may, from time to time, require the Company to convert all or a portion of their economic interest via a redemption of their Class B units in S1 Holdco together with surrendering their corresponding shares of Class C common stock in the Company in exchange for shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The Company's Board of Directors may elect to redeem the non-controlling interest holder's Class B units in cash. As future redemptions occur, this will result in a change in ownership and reduce the amount recorded as non-controlling interest and a corresponding increase in additional paid-in capital. As additional shares of Class A common stock are issued by the Company, Class A units in S1 Holdco are issued to the Company to maintain a one-to-one ratio of Class A common stock outstanding to the Company's Class A units in S1 Holdco.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2022, certain shareholders converted 330 Class C shares into Class A shares. As a result, the Company reduced the non-controlling interest balance in equity by $2,714 and increased the additional paid-in capital balance by the same amount.

The following table summarizes the ownership interest in S1 Holdco as of December 31, 2022 (Successor).


	Units	Ownership %
Class A units of S1 Holdco	91,674	81	%
Class B units of S1 Holdco	21,747	19	%

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, including subsequent amendments, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326), which modifies the accounting methodology for most financial instruments. The guidance requires the use of a forward-looking expected credit loss model for accounts receivables, loans, and other financial instruments. This guidance is effective for the Company for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this update on January 1, 2023 did not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.