Exhibit 10.18

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO THE

CERENCE INC.

2019 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

WHEREAS, Cerence Inc. (the “Company”) maintains the Cerence Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), which was previously adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) and approved by the stockholders of the Company;

WHEREAS, the Board desires to amend the tax withholding provisions of the Plan; and

WHEREAS, Section 9 of the Plan provides that the Board may amend the Plan at any time, subject to certain conditions set forth therein.

NOW, THEREFORE:

1.Section 6(a)(6) of the Plan is hereby deleted it in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“Taxes. The grant of an Award and the issuance, delivery, vesting and retention of Stock, cash or other property under an Award are conditioned upon the full satisfaction by the Participant of all tax and other withholding requirements with respect to the Award. The Administrator will prescribe such rules for the withholding of taxes and other amounts with respect to any Award as it deems necessary. Without limitation to the foregoing, the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold (by any means set forth herein or in an Award agreement), or require a Participant to remit to the Company or a parent or subsidiary of the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy all U.S. and non-U.S. federal, state and local income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, fringe benefits tax, payment on account or other tax-related items related to participation in the Plan and legally applicable to the Participant and required by law to be withheld (including any amount deemed by the Company, in its discretion, to be an appropriate charge to the Participant even if legally applicable to the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company). The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may hold back shares of Stock from an Award or permit a Participant to tender previously owned shares of Stock in satisfaction of tax or other withholding requirements (but not in excess of the maximum withholding amount consistent with the Award being subject to equity accounting treatment under the Accounting Rules). Any amounts withheld pursuant to this Section 6(a)(6) will be treated as though such amounts had been made directly to the Participant. The Administrator may also require the Company’s tax withholding obligation to be satisfied, in whole or in part, by an arrangement whereby a certain number of shares of Stock issued pursuant to any Award are immediately sold and proceeds from such sale are remitted to the Company in an amount that would satisfy the withholding amount due. In addition, the Company may, to the extent permitted by law, deduct any such tax and other withholding amounts from any payment of any kind otherwise due to a Participant from the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company.”

2.Effective Date of Amendment.  This Amendment to the Plan shall become effective upon the date that it is approved by the Board.

3.Other Provisions.  Except as set forth above, all other provisions of the Plan shall remain unchanged.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amendment No. 1 to the Plan has been adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company this 3rd day of November 2020.

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