Company: AAOI
Filing Date: 2025-05-28
Form Type: 424B5
Source: 0001104659-25-053547
Chunk: 37

Company: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-05-28
Form: 424B5
Chunk 37
---
 unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:

•

before the stockholder became interested, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

•

upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances; or

<div align='center'>8</div>

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•

at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

The restrictions in Section 203 do not apply to corporations that have elected, in the manner provided in Section 203, not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL or, with certain exceptions, which do not have a class of voting stock that is listed on a national securities exchange or authorized for quotation on the NASDAQ Global Market or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not opt out of Section 203.

Section 203 could delay or prohibit mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts with respect to us and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.

#### Description of Debt Securities
The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement.

#### General
The debt securities will be our direct obligations, which may be senior or subordinated, secured or unsecured, and convertible into shares of our common stock, preferred stock or other securities. The debt securities will be issued under an indenture, which may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the form of which will be filed as an exhibit to a post-effective amendment to this registration statement or as