CORZ Core Scientific Inc

Key Employee Retention Plan

On December 18, 2022, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Core Scientific, Inc. (the “Company”) approved and adopted the Core Scientific Key Employee Retention Plan (the “KERP”), which will provide retention awards to certain key employees, including certain of the Company’s named executive officers. Executive KERP amounts were paid upon adoption of the KERP, subject to possible clawback if the executive voluntarily terminates employment prior to vesting. The executive KERP awards will become vested upon the earlier of (a) twelve (12) months following execution of the KERP agreement and (b) the occurrence of a specified restructuring event, as defined in the KERP. If an executive participant is terminated for “cause” or voluntarily terminates his or her employment with the Company without “good reason” (each as defined in the KERP) prior to the award becoming vested, the executive participant will forfeit the award and must repay the Company the gross (pre-tax) amount of such award.

In addition, the Compensation Committee of the Board has approved increases in the annual base salaries of certain executive officers.

The KERP and the salary increases were formulated based upon the recommendations of the independent compensation consultant of the Compensation Committee of the Board.

The following sets forth the amount awarded under the KERP and the increased salary amount for the Company’s Named Executive Officers:

future events, and the Confidential Information should not be relied upon as such. The statements in the Confidential Information speak only as of the date such statements were made, or any earlier date indicated therein. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates or representatives has made or makes any representation to any person regarding the ultimate outcome of the foregoing, and none of them undertakes any obligation to publicly update the Confidential Information to reflect circumstances existing after the date when the Confidential Information was made available to the Ad Hoc Noteholders or to reflect the occurrence of future events, even in the event that any or all of the assumptions underlying the Confidential Information are shown to be in error. The statements provided in the Confidential Information are subject to all of the cautionary statements and limitations described herein, therein and under the caption “Forward-Looking Statements.”

In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information being furnished under this Item 7.01 pursuant to this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 –

A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This Form 8-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target” or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and other factors, which could include the following: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company’s Chapter 11 Cases including but not limited to, the Company’s ability to obtain Bankruptcy Court approval with respect to motions in its Chapter 11 Cases, successfully enter into and implement a restructuring plan, emerge from Chapter 11 and achieve significant cash flows from operations; the effects of the Chapter 11 Cases on the Company and on the interests of various constituents, Bankruptcy Court rulings in the Chapter 11 Cases and the outcome of the Chapter 11 Cases in general, the length of time the Company will operate under the Chapter 11 Cases, risks associated with any third-party motions in the Chapter 11 Cases, the potential adverse effects of the Chapter 11 Cases on the Company’s liquidity or results of operations and increased legal and other professional costs necessary to execute the Company’s reorganization; finalization and receipt of the DIP Facility; satisfaction of any conditions to which the Company’s DIP financing is subject and the risk that these conditions may not be satisfied for various reasons, including for reasons outside of the Company’s control; the consequences of the acceleration of the Company’s debt obligations; the trading price and volatility of the Company’s common stock and the ability of the Company to remain listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market as well as other risk factors set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on From 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the Company’s management. These forward-looking statements are not intended to serve, and must not be relied on by any investor, as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those identified in the Company’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, and if any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.