NETFLIX.COM, INC. EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT 10.2
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇, INC.
1997 STOCK PLAN
Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the Plan shall have the same defined meanings in this Option Agreement.
This Option is exercisable immediately, in whole or in part; provided, however, that exercise of any unvested Optioned Stock is conditioned upon the Optionee signing a Restricted Stock Purchase
Agreement (see Exhibit C-1). The Shares subject to this Option shall vest or be released from the Company’s repurchase option, as set forth in the Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement, according to the following schedule:
25% of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest twelve months after the Vesting Commencement Date, and
1/48 of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest each month thereafter, subject to Optionee’s continuing to be a Service Provider on such dates.
Termination Period:
The vested portion of this Option
shall be exercisable for three months after Optionee ceases to be a Service Provider. The unvested portion of this Option shall not be exercisable at any time after Optionee ceases to be a Service Provider. Upon Optionee’s death or Disability,
the vested portion of this Option may be exercised for one year after Optionee ceases to be a Service Provider. In no case may the Optionee exercise this Option after the Term/Expiration Date as provided above.
I. AGREEMENT
1.1 Grant of Option. The Plan Administrator of the Company hereby grants to the Optionee named in the Notice of Grant (the “Optionee”), an option (the “Option”) to
purchase the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in the Notice of Grant (the “Exercise Price”), and subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, which is incorporated herein by
reference. Subject to Section 14(c) of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall prevail.
If designated in the Notice of Grant as an Incentive Stock Option (“ISO”), this Option is intended to qualify as an Incentive
Stock Option as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Nevertheless, to the extent that it exceeds the $100,000 rule of Code Section 422(d), this Option shall be treated as a Nonstatutory Stock Option (“NSO”).
1.2 Exercise of Option.
(a) Right to Exercise.
(i) Subject to Sections 2(a)(ii) through 2(a)(iii) below, this Option shall be exercisable cumulatively according to the vesting schedule set out in the Notice of Stock Option Grant.
Alternatively, at the election of the Optionee, this Option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time as to unvested Shares. For purposes of this Stock Option Agreement, Shares subject to the Option shall vest based on the Optionee continuing
to be a Service Provider of the Company. Vested Shares shall not be subject to the Company’s repurchase right (as set forth in the Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement).
1
(ii) As a condition to exercising this Option for
unvested Shares, the Optionee shall execute a Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement.
(iii) This Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.
(b) Method of Exercise. This Option shall be exercisable by delivery of an exercise notice in the form Exhibit A (the “Exercise Notice”) which shall state the election to exercise
the Option, the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is being exercised, and such other representations and agreements as may be required by the Company. The Exercise Notice shall be accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise
Price as to all Exercised Shares. This Option shall be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by the aggregate Exercise Price.
No Shares shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option unless such issuance and such exercise complies with Applicable laws. Assuming such compliance, for income
tax purposes the Shares shall be considered transferred to the Optionee on the date on which the Option is exercised with respect to such Shares.
1.3 Optionee’s Representations. In the event the Shares have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, at the time this Option is
exercised, the Optionee shall, if required by the Company, concurrently with the exercise of all or any portion of this Option, deliver to the Company his or her Investment Representation Statement in the form Exhibit B.
1.4 Lock-Up Period. Optionee hereby agrees that, if so requested by the Company or any
representative of the underwriters (the “Managing Underwriter”) in connection with any registration of the offering of any securities of the Company under the Securities Act, Optionee shall not sell or otherwise transfer any Shares or
other securities of the Company during the 180–day period (or such other period as may be requested in writing by the Managing Underwriter and agreed to in writing by the Company) (the “Market Standoff Period”) following the effective
date of a registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act. Such restriction shall apply only to the first registration statement of the Company to become effective under the Securities Act that includes securities to be sold on
behalf of the Company to the public in an underwritten public offering under the Securities Act. The Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to securities subject to the foregoing restrictions until the end of such Market Standoff
Period.
1.5 Method of Payment. Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price
shall be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of the Optionee:
(a) cash or check;
(b) consideration received by the
Company under a formal cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan; or
(c) surrender of other Shares which, (i) in the case of Shares acquired upon exercise of an option, have been owned by the Optionee for more than six (6) months on the date of surrender, and (ii) have a Fair Market Value
on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Exercised Shares.
1.6 Restrictions on Exercise. This Option may not be exercised until such time as the Plan has been approved by the shareholders of the Company, or if the issuance of such Shares upon such
exercise or the method of payment of consideration for such shares would constitute a violation of any Applicable Law.
2
1.7 Non-Transferability of Option. This
Option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of Optionee only by Optionee. The terms of the Plan and this Option Agreement shall be binding upon
the executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assigns of the Optionee.
1.8 Term of
Option. This Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Grant, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Option.
1.9 Tax Consequences. Set forth below is a brief summary as of the date of this Option of some of
the federal tax consequences of exercise of this Option and disposition of the Shares. THIS SUMMARY IS NECESSARILY INCOMPLETE, AND THE TAX LAWS AND REGULATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. THE OPTIONEE SHOULD CONSULT A TAX ADVISER BEFORE EXERCISING THIS
OPTION OR DISPOSING OF THE SHARES.
(a) Exercise of
ISO. If this Option qualifies as an ISO, there will be no regular federal income tax liability upon the exercise of the Option, although the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of exercise
over the Exercise Price will be treated as an adjustment to the alternative minimum tax for federal tax purposes and may subject the Optionee to the alternative minimum tax in the year of exercise.
(b) Exercise of Nonstatutory Stock Option. There may be a regular federal income
tax liability upon the exercise of a Nonstatutory Stock Option. The Optionee will be treated as having received compensation income (taxable at ordinary income tax rates) equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the
date of exercise over the Exercise Price. If Optionee is an Employee or a former Employee, the Company will be required to withhold from Optionee’s compensation or collect from Optionee and pay to the applicable taxing authorities an amount in
cash equal to a percentage of this compensation income at the time of exercise, and may refuse to honor the exercise and refuse to deliver Shares if such withholding amounts are not delivered at the time of exercise.
(c) Disposition of Shares. In the case of an NSO, if Shares are held for at least
one year, any gain realized on disposition of the Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain for federal income tax purposes. In the case of an ISO, if Shares transferred pursuant to the Option are held for at least one year after exercise and
of at least two years after the Date of Grant, any gain realized on disposition of the Shares will also be treated as long-term capital gain for federal income tax purposes. If Shares purchased under an ISO are disposed of within one year after
exercise or two years after the Date of Grant, any gain realized on such disposition will be treated as compensation income (taxable at ordinary income rates) to the extent of the difference between the Exercise Price and the lesser of (1) the Fair
Market Value of the Shares on the date of exercise, or (2) the sale price of the Shares. Any additional gain will be taxed as capital gain, short-term or long-term depending on the period that the ISO Shares were held.
(d) Notice of Disqualifying Disposition of ISO Shares. If the Option granted to
Optionee herein is an ISO, and if Optionee sells or otherwise disposes of any of the Shares acquired pursuant to the ISO on or before the later of (1) the date two years after the Date of Grant, or (2) the date one year after the date of exercise,
the Optionee shall immediately notify the Company in writing of such disposition. Optionee agrees that Optionee may be subject to income tax withholding by the Company on the compensation income recognized by the Optionee.
1.10 Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and
this Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and
3
Optionee with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Optionee’s interest except by means of a
writing signed by the Company and Optionee. This agreement is governed by the internal substantive laws but not the choice of law rules of California.
1.11 No Guarantee of Continued Service. OPTIONEE ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF SHARES PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY
CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS OPTION OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER). OPTIONEE FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED
HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH
OPTIONEE’S RIGHT OR THE COMPANY’S RIGHT TO TERMINATE OPTIONEE’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.
Optionee acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and represents that he or she is familiar with the terms and provisions thereof, and hereby accepts this Option subject to all of the terms and
provisions thereof. Optionee has reviewed the Plan and this Option in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Option and fully understands all provisions of the Option. Optionee hereby agrees to
accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions arising under the Plan or this Option. Optionee further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address as
attached.
4