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Shayne Kennedy Direct Dial: 714.755.8181 shayne.kennedy@lw.com		650 Town Center Drive, 20th Floor Costa Mesa, California 92626-1925 Tel: +1.714.540.1235 Fax: +1.714.755.8290 www.lw.com



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September 25, 2018

VIA EDGAR AND OVERNIGHT DELIVERY Division of Corporation Finance United States Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549 Attention: John Reynolds; Michael Killoy; Brigitte Lippmann


Re:	Guardant Health, Inc.

Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1

Filed September 21, 2018

File No. 333-227206

Ladies and Gentlemen:

On behalf of our client Guardant Health, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules promulgated thereunder, please find enclosed the Company’s proposed revisions to the above-captioned Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”), attached hereto as Exhibit A, and to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be effective upon the completion of the proposed initial public offering, attached hereto as Exhibit B (Exhibit A and Exhibit B, together, the “Exhibits”).

The Exhibits reflects certain revisions to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on September 21, 2018, in response to the comment letter from the staff of the Commission (the “Staff”) to Helmy Eltoukhy, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, dated September 25, 2018. The responses provided herein are based on information provided to Latham & Watkins LLP by the Company.

The numbered paragraphs in italics below set forth the Staff’s comments together with the response. Unless otherwise indicated, capitalized terms used herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Registration Statement.

September 25, 2018

Page 2

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law…., page 54

Amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, page 167

We note your response to prior comment 1 regarding your forum selection provision that identifies the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain litigation. However, it is not clear from your revised disclosure whether this provision applies to actions arising under the Exchange Act. In that regard, we note that your revised disclosure appears to be provided only as an example that a court could find your choice of forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable. Please revise your disclosure to clarify whether your exclusive forum provision would require actions arising under the Exchange Act to be dismissed by the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware before they could be brought in federal court. As noted in prior comment 1, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. If this provision does not apply to actions arising under the Exchange Act, please also ensure that the exclusive forum provision in your certificate of incorporation states this clearly.

Response:

In response to the Staff’s comment, the Company proposes to revise pages 54-55 and 169 of the prospectus included in the Registration Statement as shown on Exhibit A, and to revise Article TENTH in Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement as shown on Exhibit B.

* * * * *

September 25, 2018

Page 3

We hope that the foregoing has been responsive to the Staff’s comments and look forward to resolving any outstanding issues as quickly as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 714-755-8181 with any questions or further comments you may have regarding this submission or if you wish to discuss the above.

Sincerely,

/s/ Shayne Kennedy

Shayne Kennedy

of LATHAM & WATKINS LLP

Enclosures

cc: (via e-mail)

Helmy Eltoukhy, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Guardant Health, Inc.

Michael Wiley, Chief Legal Officer, Guardant Health, Inc.

Charles K. Ruck, Latham & Watkins LLP

Brian J. Cuneo, Latham & Watkins LLP

Charles S. Kim, Cooley LLP

David Peinsipp, Cooley LLP

Andrew S. Williamson, Cooley LLP

Exhibit A

Proposed Revisions to the Registration Statement

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws that will become effective upon the closing of this offering may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. Among others, these provisions include that:


•	our board of directors has the exclusive right to expand the size of our board of directors and to elect directors to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;


•	our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered three-year terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our board of directors;


•	our stockholders may not act by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders;


•	a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, the president or the board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;


•	our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prohibits cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;


•	our board of directors may alter our bylaws without obtaining stockholder approval;


•	the required approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to adopt, amend or repeal our bylaws or repeal the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation regarding the election and removal of directors;

•

stockholders must provide advance notice and additional disclosures in order to nominate individuals for election to the board of directors or to propose matters that can be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company; and


•	our board of directors is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine the terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquiror.

Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that will become effective upon the closing of this offering specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions involving actions brought against us by stockholders; provided that, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction; and provided further that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for

lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents and arising under the Securities Act. We believe these provisions may benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws by chancellors and judges, as applicable, particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, these provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. For instance, the choice of forum provision requiring that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware be the exclusive forum for certain actions would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. In addition, any future debt or preferred securities or future debt agreements we may enter may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

Recent tax legislation and future changes to applicable tax laws and regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in laws and policy relating to taxes may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, the U.S. government recently enacted significant tax reform, and certain provisions of the new law may adversely affect us. Changes include, but are not limited to, a federal corporate tax rate decrease to 21% for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, limitations on interest expense deductions, the immediate expensing of certain capital expenditures, the adoption of elements of a partially territorial tax system, new anti-base erosion provisions, a reduction to the maximum deduction allowed for NOLs generated in tax years after December 31, 2017 and providing for indefinite carryforwards for losses generated in tax years after December 31, 2017. The legislation is unclear in many respects and could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, and will be subject to interpretations and implementing regulations by the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service, any of which could mitigate or increase certain adverse effects of the legislation. In addition, it is unclear how these U.S. federal income tax changes will affect state and local taxation. Generally, future changes in applicable tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application could have an adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.

Form S-4 or S-8, these holders will be entitled to notice of the registration and will have the right to include their registrable securities in the registration subject to certain limitations.

Anti-takeover provisions

Amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws

Because our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights, our stockholders holding a majority of the voting power of our shares of common stock outstanding will be able to elect all of our directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws to be effective upon the completion of this offering will provide that all stockholder actions must be effected at a duly called meeting of stockholders and not by consent in writing. A special meeting of stockholders may be called only by a majority of our board of directors, the chair of our board of directors or our chief executive officer.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will further provide that, immediately after this offering, the affirmative vote of holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock, voting as a single class, will be required to amend certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation, including provisions relating to the size of the board, removal of directors, special meetings, actions by written consent and cumulative voting. The affirmative vote of holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock, voting as a single class, will be required to amend or repeal our bylaws, although our bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of our board of directors.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will further provide that our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered terms.

Finally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees or agents to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws; or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine; provided that, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction; and provided further that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents and arising under the Securities Act. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any action, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. For instance, the choice of forum provision requiring that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware be the exclusive forum for certain actions would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act.

The foregoing provisions will make it more difficult for our existing stockholders to replace our board of directors as well as for another party to obtain control of our Company by replacing our board of directors. Since our board of directors has the power to retain and discharge our officers, these provisions could also make it more difficult for existing stockholders or another party to effect a change in management. In addition, the authorization of undesignated preferred stock makes it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change the control of our Company.

These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continued stability in the composition of our board of directors and its policies and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of our Company. These provisions are also designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited

169

Exhibit B

Proposed Revisions to Exhibit 3.2

entitled to vote thereon shall be required to amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, this Article SIXTH.

SEVENTH: Special meetings of stockholders for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time only by the Board of Directors, the chairperson of the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer or the president (in the absence of a chief executive officer), and may not be called by any other person or persons. Business transacted at any special meeting of stockholders shall be limited to the purpose or purposes stated in the notice of meeting. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation, and notwithstanding the fact that a lesser percentage may be specified by law, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon shall be required to amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, this Article SEVENTH.

EIGHTH: The personal liability of the directors of the Corporation, to the Corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of his or her fiduciary duty as director, is hereby eliminated to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as the same may be amended and supplemented. Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article EIGHTH, or the adoption of any provision of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation inconsistent with this Article EIGHTH, shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation existing immediately prior to such amendment, repeal or modification. If the DGCL is amended after approval by the stockholders of this Article EIGHTH to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as so amended.

NINTH: The Corporation shall, through the Bylaws or otherwise, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended and supplemented, indemnify, advance expenses and hold harmless any person who was or is a director or officer of the Corporation or its subsidiaries. The Corporation may, by action of the Board of Directors, provide rights to indemnification and to advancement of expenses to such other employees or agents of the Corporation or its subsidiaries to such extent and to such effect as the Board of Directors shall determine to be appropriate and authorized by the DGCL. Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article Eighth shall not adversely affect any rights or protection existing hereunder immediately prior to such repeal or modification.

TENTH: Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation or (d) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to said Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein; provided that, the provisions of this Article TENTH will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction; and provided further that, if and only if the Court of

Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action against the Corporation or any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation and arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article TENTH. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation, and notwithstanding the fact that a lesser percentage may be specified by law, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two- thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon shall be required to amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, this Article TENTH. If any provision or provisions of this Article TENTH shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Article TENTH (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this Article TENTH containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

ELEVENTH: In furtherance and not in limitation of the rights, powers, privileges and discretionary authority granted or conferred by the DGCL or other statutes or laws of the State of Delaware, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, alter, amend or repeal the Bylaws, without any action on the part of the stockholders. The stockholders may not adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation, or adopt any provision inconsistent therewith, unless such action is approved, in addition to any other vote required by this Certificate of Incorporation, by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, this Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation, and notwithstanding the fact that a lesser percentage may be specified by law, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon shall be required to amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, this Article ELEVENTH.

TWELFTH: This Article TWELFTH is inserted for the management of the business and for the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation.

1. General Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors.

2. Number of Directors; Election of Directors. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, the number of directors of the Corporation shall