Translation
By Jia Haonan from Co-pilot Temple
Reference to Smart Car | Official Account AI4Auto
The latest survey results have just been released, FF’s scam in the United States has finally been exposed.
Initiated by the short-selling report, the investigation conducted by the board of directors of FF not only revealed the details of the fraud but also directly fired several executives.
Jia Yueting himself has also suffered a pay cut.
In July of last year, when Faraday Future was listed, Jia Yueting said it was “necessary” to return to China.
However, now Jia Yueting cannot return to China, and he may not even be able to stay in the United States.
Whom did FF scam in the United States?
It’s the same as in China: it scammed investors.
Overall, FF created a facade of normal operation and imminent delivery through means, allowing investors to believe that FF was genuinely making cars.
The investigation results officially disclosed by FF currently show that the IPO application submitted to the US Securities Regulatory Department contained inaccuracies.
For example, it was claimed that the first mass-produced car had received more than 14,000 orders, but in reality, only a few hundred orders were actual orders that had made a deposit payment.
The remaining 13,000-plus orders are invalid, and the company has not explained where they came from.
You say that users placed orders but did not pay, so they cheated Jia Laoban? I don’t believe it.
After Jia Yueting brought FF to the United States, he not only turned the previous creditors into FF shareholders and bound everyone more tightly but also stepped down from the position of FF’s head and only served as “Chief Product Officer,” retreating behind the scenes.
However, the media and investigation agencies tend to believe that Jia Yueting is still the actual controller of FF.
And in the latest investigation report, this is also confirmed to be implicit.
The investigation admitted that the company above and below had “underestimated Jia Yueting’s level of involvement in the business”…
Because after Jia Yueting went public on SPAC, he directly participated in FF’s management through his position in the shell company.
How much Jia Yueting should participate? How much did he actually participate? The report did not clearly state.
But behind this unusual wording is a reflection of Jia Yueting’s credit collapse in the United States.
When FF went public, Muddy Waters Investments’ short-selling report directly blamed Jia Yueting, believing that FF was a scam he had created to cover his personal debts and losses.
Several months later, FF officially admitted that Jia Yueting was “excessively involved,” which is thought-provoking.
The investigation results show that FF Chairman Brian Krolicki bears the main responsibility, stepping down as chairman and only retaining a seat on the board.
Why did the investigation start?
What kind of report led to the FF board of directors investigating and restricting Jia Yueting’s authority?
The inaccurate disclosure mentioned in FF’s official documents refers to a short-selling report issued by J Capital Research in October of this year.
In this 28-page report, J Capital Research listed FF’s numerous accusations based on public information.
There are three main accusations:
First, FF does not have the ability to produce cars in large quantities.
Second, the financial situation is worrying, and financing is a bottomless pit.
Third, Jia Yueting himself is unreliable.
First, the delivery time of FF91 has been postponed for several years, and FF previously promised to build six factories in five locations in China and the United States. However, this plan has not yet been implemented.
Moreover, there has been no substantial progress in the US Hanford factory, which FF promised to restart production within seven months.
Financially, FF raised $1 billion for its initial public offering, but it is still struggling. According to J Capital Research’s report, if FF wants to achieve its financial goals for 2024, it still needs to raise $1.4 billion.
With FF’s business progress and Jia Yueting’s reputation, it may become increasingly difficult to raise funds.
FF’s latest stock price closed at $4.22, down 7.46%, and its total market value is only $1.369 billion. This is a decrease of nearly 70% from the initial market value of about $4.5 billion, which has evaporated by more than $310 million (about RMB 2 billion).
Last November, FF received a delisting warning for failing to submit financial reports on time and was given a six-month period to submit them.
Half of the grace period has passed, but FF has not made any moves.### What’s Next for Jia Yueting?
As we mentioned earlier, Meichijin Investment believes that Jia Yueting’s move to bring FF to the United States is not about making a comeback, but rather about continuing to deceive American investors and fill his own financial black hole.
This self-evaluation by FF does not actually reveal anything.
In its announcement, FF stated that it has begun taking remedial measures, including hiring a third-party financial auditing firm, strengthening the company’s information disclosure work, and providing compliance training to senior management.
However, a deeper look reveals that FF’s internal audit only scratched the surface of the problem and that the remedial measures were not particularly effective.
Although it seems that the investigation has eliminated Jia Yueting’s control of the company through his nephew, Jia himself has not been affected in any way.
The core issues of mass production and delivery at FF have not been addressed at all.
So, was this investigation really a decision by the board of directors to change their ways, or was it just a calculated move by Jia to make himself and others suffer?
It’s still hard to say for sure.
Let’s hope that years from now, American investors won’t hear the words “I’m going to a meeting, I’ll be back in China next week.”
— The End —
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.