Eric Ball
About Eric Ball
Eric R. Ball (age 61) is an independent director of SoundHound AI, Inc., serving since March 2021 and continuing post the April 2022 business combination, with deep finance and technology credentials including Oracle (SVP & Treasurer), C3 AI (CFO), and venture investing; he is designated the Board’s audit committee financial expert and chairs the Audit Committee . He holds a Ph.D. in management (Drucker-Ito), an MBA in finance and MA in economics (University of Rochester), and a BA in economics (University of Michigan) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle | Senior Vice President & Treasurer | 2005–2015 | Corporate finance leadership; treasury oversight |
| C3 AI | Chief Financial Officer | 2015–2016 | Enterprise AI finance leadership |
| Glu Mobile Inc. | Board Member; Audit Chair | 2013–Apr 2021 | Led audit oversight as Audit Chair |
| Cisco Systems; Flextronics; Avery Dennison; AT&T | Various finance roles | Pre-2005 | Corporate finance experience across tech/manufacturing |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact Venture Capital | General Partner | Since 2016 | Early-stage applied-AI investing |
| Archimedes Tech SPAC II (Nasdaq: ATIIU) | Chairman of the Board | Since Feb 2025 | SPAC leadership; potential deal flow |
| CapConnect+ | Chairman of the Board | Since 2020 | Corporate bond issuer–buyer linkage platform |
| Kyriba | Advisor | 2017–Nov 2022 | Treasury management software advisory |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Dr. Eric Ball is independent under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(a)(2) and SEC rules .
- Committees: Audit (Chair), Compensation (Member), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Member) .
- Audit Committee designation: Ball qualifies as the “audit committee financial expert” under SEC rules .
- Attendance: 2024 Board met 4 times; Audit 6; Compensation 4; Nominating 4; Ball and all directors/committee members attended all meetings of bodies they served on (100% attendance) .
- Compensation Committee interlocks: None; no officer service or cross-committee interlocks disclosed .
- Insider trading and hedging/pledging: Company policy applies to directors; hedging/pledging of Company stock is prohibited .
- Clawback: SEC/Nasdaq-compliant clawback adopted Nov 2, 2023; recovery analysis found no recoupment triggered to date .
- Related party transactions: None since January 1, 2024 involving directors/officers or 5% holders .
- Corporate opportunity waiver revision: Board proposed limiting waiver to independent directors and to “Included Opportunities” in conversational/voice AI (unless presented solely in director capacity), to moot a Delaware Chancery suit and reduce conflict risk .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy Rate (effective Aug 1, 2024) | 2024 Amount (Eric Ball) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $35,000 (payable quarterly) | $64,600 fees earned (includes committee fees) |
| Audit Committee – Chair | $20,000 annual (quarterly) | Included in fees above |
| Compensation Committee – Member | $7,300 annual (quarterly) | Included in fees above |
| Nominating & Governance – Member | $3,800 annual (quarterly) | Included in fees above |
| Travel expense reimbursement | Per policy | As incurred |
Prior policy (pre–Aug 1, 2024): annual retainer $32,000; annual RSU grant $165,000; other elements unchanged .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Type | Grant Policy | 2024 Grant (Fair Value) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (directors) | $177,500 grant-day value; vests quarterly | $166,779 stock awards (Eric Ball, 2024) | Per policy (four quarters) |
| Initial director grant | $380,000 grant-day value; may elect half in options; vests over 3 years | Not applicable (initial grant policy) | 3-year vesting |
| Unvested director equity (year-end 2024) | N/A | 11,762 stock options; 22,938 RSAs unvested outstanding | Per award agreements |
As a non-employee director, Ball’s compensation is service-based; no performance metrics are tied to his director equity. For context on his Compensation Committee oversight, the Company’s 2024 NEO bonus metrics and outcomes were: Revenue (25%, 100% achieved), Year-End Adjusted EBITDA (25%, 0% achieved), Annual Recurring Revenue (25%, 100% achieved), Individual Performance (25%, 100% achieved); despite performance, payouts were discretionarily reduced to 50% of target given the financial situation .
| 2024 NEO Annual Bonus Metrics | Weight | Achievement (%) | Committee Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 25% | 100% | Discretionary reduction to 50% of target payout |
| Year-End Adjusted EBITDA | 25% | 0% | Discretionary reduction maintained |
| Annual Recurring Revenue | 25% | 100% | Discretionary reduction maintained |
| Individual Performance | 25% | 100% | Discretionary reduction maintained |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Listing | Role | Potential Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archimedes Tech SPAC II | Nasdaq: ATIIU | Chairman of the Board (since Feb 2025) | SPAC role; prior Board continuity with SoundHound SPAC history; monitor deal flow overlaps |
| Glu Mobile Inc. | Former Nasdaq | Board Member; Audit Chair (2013–Apr 2021) | Prior audit leadership; not current interlock |
| CapConnect+ | Private | Chairman (since 2020) | Fintech; fixed income market linkage |
| Kyriba | Private | Advisor (2017–Nov 2022) | Treasury SaaS; no current interlock |
| Impact Venture Capital | Private | General Partner (since 2016) | Applied-AI investing; overlapping sector relevance |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expert designation with extensive public company finance (Oracle SVP Treasurer; C3 AI CFO) and M&A/investing background, supporting robust audit oversight .
- Venture capital leadership in applied AI, providing sector insight relevant to SoundHound’s voice-AI domain .
- Prior Audit Chair experience at Glu Mobile, reinforcing governance and controls expertise .
- Advanced academic credentials (Ph.D., MBA, MA) aligned with analytical rigor in governance .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Class A Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Class A | Class B Shares | % of Class B | % Total Voting Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Ball | 516,877 | <1% | — | — | <1% |
| Ownership Detail | Amount |
|---|---|
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 84,685 shares |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days | 2,003 shares |
| Unvested options outstanding (12/31/2024) | 11,762 |
| Unvested RSAs outstanding (12/31/2024) | 22,938 |
| Shares pledged as collateral | None disclosed; pledging prohibited by policy |
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent director; Audit Chair; SEC-designated financial expert; 100% 2024 attendance across Board/committees, supporting board effectiveness and investor confidence .
- SoundHound’s governance policies include robust insider trading prohibitions (hedging/pledging banned), clawback aligned with SEC/Nasdaq, and no related-party transactions in 2024, reducing governance risk .
- Compensation Committee oversight evidenced by discretion to reduce NEO payouts to 50% of target despite certain metric achievements, signaling pay-for-performance discipline .
-
Potential Conflicts and RED FLAGS:
- Corporate opportunity waiver: Although narrowed to independent directors and “Included Opportunities” in conversational/voice AI, the amendment still permits independent directors (including Ball) to pursue certain opportunities unless presented solely in director capacity; given Ball’s applied-AI investing, ongoing monitoring for conflicts within voice-AI adjacency is warranted (RED FLAG mitigated by narrowing) .
- SPAC leadership (Archimedes Tech SPAC II): While not a direct interlock with a competitor/supplier, SPAC deal flow in AI could overlap with SoundHound’s ecosystem; ensure recusal protocols are robust (watch item) .
-
Director Compensation Alignment:
- Mix is modest cash retainer plus service-based equity; no performance-conditioned director pay, with unvested balances providing retention and alignment; change-in-control accelerates unvested director grants, which investors should monitor for potential entrenchment optics .
-
Shareholder Signals:
- Strong Say-on-Pay support noted by Compensation Committee in 2024 (context for Ball’s committee role), supportive of compensation program governance .
Overall, Ball’s profile strengthens financial oversight and board independence. The corporate opportunity waiver revision materially reduces (but does not eliminate) conflict exposure given his venture activities, making transparent disclosure and recusals critical to sustaining investor confidence .