Company: COHU
Filing Date: 2025-04-02
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001437749-25-010672
Chunk: 47

Company: COHU INC
Filing Date: 2025-04-02
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 47
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 and certain other matters. Generally, the Compensation Committee intends to administer our executive compensation program and design individual compensation elements, as well as the compensation plans and arrangements for our employees generally, so that they are either exempt from, or satisfy the requirements of, Section 409A, which primarily results in negative tax consequences to our executive officers rather than Cohu. From time to time, we may be required to amend some of our compensation plans and arrangements to ensure that they are either exempt from, or compliant with, Section 409A.

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We are not obligated under any compensation plan or arrangement to prevent or minimize any negative tax consequences that may affect our executive officers, nor are we required to pay any “gross-up” should any such consequences arise.

Taxation of“Parachute”Payments

Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code provide that executive officers and directors who hold significant equity interests and certain other service providers may be subject to significant additional taxes if they receive payments or benefits in connection with a change in control of Cohu that exceeds certain prescribed limits, and that Cohu (or a successor) may forfeit a deduction on the amounts subject to this additional tax. We are not obligated to provide any NEO with a “gross- up” or other reimbursement payment for any tax liability that he or she may owe as a result of the application of Sections 280G or 4999 in the event of a change in control of Cohu.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

The Compensation Committee takes accounting implications into consideration in designing compensation plans and arrangements for our executive officers and other employees. Chief among these is Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, (“ASC Topic 718”), the standard which governs the accounting treatment of stock-based compensation awards.

ASC Topic 718 requires us to measure and recognize in our financial statements all share-based payment awards to employees, directors and consultants, including stock option grants, restricted stock unit awards, and performance stock unit awards to our executive officers, under the fair value method. Our estimate of share-based compensation expense requires a number of complex and subjective assumptions including our stock price volatility, employee exercise patterns (expected life of the options), forfeitures and related tax effects. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of share-based payment awards represent our best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. Share-based compensation expense related to restricted stock unit awards (RSUs) is calculated based on