Company: ISRG
Filing Date: 2025-03-14
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001035267-25-000098
Chunk: 34

Company: INTUITIVE SURGICAL INC
Filing Date: 2025-03-14
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 34
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, Dr. Guthart reviews with the Compensation Committee the individual performance of each of the other executive officers, including each of our other NEOs. The Compensation Committee gives considerable weight to Dr. Guthart’s evaluations and determines whether the recommended changes in each executive officer’s compensation, if any, are appropriate.

The Compensation Committee receives support from our Human Resources Department in designing our executive compensation program and analyzing competitive market practices. In addition, Dr. Guthart participates in Compensation Committee meetings, providing input from our executive team on organizational structure, executive development, and financial analysis.

#### Role of Compensation Consultant
In 2024, the Compensation Committee directly retained the services of Aon to assist it in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities. Aon does not provide services to the Company or its management outside of the services provided to the Compensation Committee unless directed by the Compensation Committee.

The Compensation Committee annually reviews the performance of Aon. As part of this annual review, the Compensation Committee considers the independence of the consultant in accordance with SEC and Nasdaq rules and has concluded that the work that Aon performed for the Compensation Committee in 2024 has not raised any conflict of interest.

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#### Competitive Positioning
While the Compensation Committee does not establish compensation levels based solely on a review of competitive market data, it believes that such data is a useful tool in its deliberations, as it recognizes that our compensation policies and practices must be competitive in the marketplace for us to be able to attract, motivate, and retain qualified executives. Generally, the Compensation Committee reviews our executive compensation relative to our established competitive market (based on an analysis of the compensation policies and practices of a select group of peer companies) every year. The Compensation Committee uses the competitive market data provided by Aon, evaluating a range for each payment element between the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of our peers based on the compensation peer group established by the Compensation Committee, and seeks to set policies that are aligned with the Company’s cost structure, are focused on performance, near and long term, and reward stock performance over time. This supports the objectives to attract, motivate, and retain talent at all levels in the company. Historically, the Company has placed less emphasis on cash and more on equity compensation in the pay mix to ensure alignment with long-term product cycles and strategy. As a reference point for our NEOs, the Compensation Committee targets the total direct compensation values, which includes base salary, target annual bonus, and the estimated grant date fair value of equity awards,