Then why did the CEO go through the trouble of increasing the max from 40:1 to 100:1, and then filing the paperwork with the SEC?
"January 25, 2021 - By unanimous written consent of the Board of Directors of the Company on January 25, 2021, the Board of Directors adopted resolutions approving a reverse split of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock by a ratio of not less than one-for-ten and not more than one-for-one hundred at any time prior to December 31, 2021, with the exact ratio to be set at a whole number within this range and at a time it believes most prudent."
The answer (of course) is that it is entirely within the realm of possibility.
Previously, the max ratio was 40:1. Since the max ratio was now raised to 100:1 it indicates that CEO didn't think that 40:1 would be enough of a reverse split and he needed to raise it.
Of course 100-to-1 is in the realm of possibility. Thompson put it there with the SEC filing. He did that the very same day the contract with MtM was announced. Obviously he was hoping the contract would draw attention away from the new high ratio. Didn’t really work out with investors.
Any CEO who knew that a high-ratio split was outside the realm of possibility would immediately change the ratio and PR the fact. That would provide a small boost to shareholder confidence. It would be irresponsible of Thompson to behave otherwise.
Thompson sees the possibility that the reverse split will need to be as high as 100-to-1. You may think otherwise, but his vote is the only one that matters. WebSlinger did a good job of describing situations where this high ratio might be needed.
Why Thompson couldn’t wait a few days after the contract was announced to see the impact the news has on share price BEFORE triggering the change, I may never understand. But he did it because he meant it was possible. He still feels the same way.