UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 2, 2017

AUDENTES THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

(415) 818-1001

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).

Emerging growth company  ☒

If an emerging grown company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☒

On May 2, 2017, the Compensation Committee of Audentes Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) adopted a new form of executive employment agreement for the Company’s executive officers (the “Executive”) that provide for at-will employment (the “Employment Agreement”). Pursuant to the Employment Agreement, the Executive will be entitled to receive his or her base salary, a discretionary annual incentive bonus opportunity and standard employee benefit plan participation. The Employment Agreement also provides for severance benefits upon termination of employment or a change in control of the Company.

If an Executive is terminated for “cause” or in the event of an Executive’s death, “disability” or voluntary separation at any time and for any reason, such Executive will be entitled to receive (i) any earned but unpaid base salary and earned but unused vacation or paid time off, (ii) other unpaid and then vested amounts, including any amount payable to the Executive under the specific terms of any agreements, plans or awards in which the Executive participates, unless otherwise specifically provided in the Employment Agreement, and (iii) reimbursement for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in connection with such Executive’s performance of services on behalf of the Company in accordance with the Company’s policies and guidelines, in each case as of the effective date of such termination of employment. The compensation referred to in (i)-(iii) above is collectively referred to as Accrued Compensation.

If the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) is terminated without cause or resigns for “good reason,” and the CEO delivers to the Company a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims (the “Release”), he will be entitled to receive (i) the Accrued Compensation, (ii) a lump sum cash payment equal to 12 months of his base salary, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to 100% of his target bonus for the then current fiscal year and paid when annual bonuses are otherwise paid to active employees, but no later than March 15^th of the year following the year in which he is terminated, and (iv) reimbursement for any monthly COBRA premium payments for 12 months, subject to certain limitations.

If a Senior Vice President of the Company (“SVP”) is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason and the SVP delivers to the Company a Release, such SVP will be entitled to receive (i) the Accrued Compensation, (ii) a lump sum cash payment equal to nine months of such SVP’s base salary, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to 75% of such SVP’s target bonus for the then current fiscal year and paid when annual bonuses are otherwise paid to active employees, but no later than March 15^th of the year following the year in which such SVP is terminated, and (iv) reimbursement for any monthly COBRA premium payments for 12 months, subject to certain limitations.

If the CEO is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason, in each case during the period of time commencing 90 days prior to the execution of a definitive agreement providing for the consummation of a “change in control” and ending on the first anniversary of the consummation of such change in control, provided that the CEO delivers to the Company a signed Release, he will be entitled to receive (i) Accrued Compensation, (ii) a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to 18 months of his base salary, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to 150% of his target bonus for the then current fiscal year and paid when annual bonuses are otherwise paid to active employees, but no later than March 15^th of the year following the year in which the CEO’s termination of employment occurs, (iv) reimbursement for any monthly COBRA premium payments for 18 months, subject to certain limitations, and (v) accelerated vesting of 100% of the unvested stock or equity awards granted to the CEO pursuant to the terms of the Employment Agreement, if any.

If an SVP is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason, in each case during the period of time commencing 90 days prior to the execution of a definitive agreement providing for the consummation of a change in control and ending on the first anniversary of the consummation of such change in control, provided that such SVP delivers to the Company a signed Release, such SVP will be entitled to receive (i) Accrued Compensation, (ii) a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to 12 months of such SVP’s base salary, (iii) a lump sum payment equal to 100% of such SVP’s target bonus for the then current fiscal year and paid when annual bonuses are otherwise

paid to active employees, but no later than March 15^th of the year following the year in which such SVP’s termination of employment occurs, (iv) reimbursement for any monthly COBRA premium payments for 12 months, subject to certain limitations, and (v) accelerated vesting of 100% of the unvested stock or equity awards granted to such SVP pursuant to the terms of the Employment Agreement, if any.

Under the Employment Agreements, “cause” generally means (i) failure to satisfactorily perform duties after there has been delivered to a written demand for performance which describes the specific deficiencies in performance and the specific manner in which performance must be improved, and which provides thirty (30) business days from the date of notice to remedy such performance deficiencies; (ii) conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere to, a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude which the Company’s Board of Directors believes has had or will have a detrimental effect on the Company’s reputation or business, (iii) engaging in an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of employment obligations and duties, (iv) committing an act of fraud against, material misconduct or willful misappropriation of property belonging to the Company; (v) engaging in any other misconduct that has had or will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s reputation or business; or (vi) breach of any material written Company policy, the Employee Invention Assignment and Confidentiality Agreement or other unauthorized misuse of the Company’s trade secrets or proprietary information.

Under the Employment Agreements, “change in control” means (i) a sale, conveyance, exchange or transfer (excluding any venture-backed or similar investments in the Company) in which any person or entity, other than persons or entities who as of immediately prior to such sale, conveyance, exchange or transfer own securities in the Company, either directly or indirectly, becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty (50%) percent of the total voting power of all its then outstanding voting securities; (ii) a merger or consolidation of the Company in which its voting securities immediately prior to the merger or consolidation do not represent, or are not converted into securities that represent, a majority of the voting power of all voting securities of the surviving entity immediately after the merger or consolidation; or (iii) a sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company or a liquidation or dissolution of the Company.

Under the Employment Agreements, “disability” has the meaning set forth in Section 22(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1983, as amended.

Under the Employment Agreements, “good reason” means any of the following taken without the Executive’s written consent and provided (a) the Company receives, within 30 days following the occurrence of any of the events set forth in clauses (i) through (iv) below, written notice from the Executive specifying the specific basis for the Executive’s belief that the Executive is entitled to terminate employment for Good Reason, (b) the Company fails to cure the event constituting Good Reason within 30 days after receipt of such written notice thereof, and (c) the Executive terminates employment within the earlier of 10 days following expiration of such cure period or receipt from the Company that such deficiencies will not be cured: (i) a material change, adverse to the Executive, in the Executive’s position, titles, offices or duties; (ii) an assignment of any significant duties to the Executive that are inconsistent with the Executive’s positions or offices held under this Agreement; (iii) a decrease in base salary by more than 10% (other than in connection with a general decrease in the base salary of all other officers); (iv) relocation to a facility or a location more than 50 miles from the then-current location.

The foregoing description of the Employment Agreement is a summary, is not complete, and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the actual Employment Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.01 hereto.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX