Company: COHU
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001437749-25-004612
Chunk: 31

Company: COHU INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 31
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 or doing business. Third-party agencies have also established or added standards for rating companies on a range of sustainability-related factors that may be inconsistent and subject to change. Conversely, “anti-ESG” sentiment has gained momentum across the U.S., with a growing number of states, federal agencies, the executive branch and Congress having enacted, proposed or indicated an intent to pursue “anti-ESG” policies, legislation or issued related legal opinions and engaged in related investigations and litigation. If investors subject to “anti-ESG” legislation view our ESG practices as being in contradiction of such “anti-ESG” policies, legislation or legal opinions, such investors may not invest in us and it could negatively impact the price of our common stock. In addition, corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) practices have recently come under increasing scrutiny. For example, some advocacy groups and federal and state officials have asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down race-based affirmative action in higher education in June 2023 should be analogized to private employment matters and private contract matters and several media campaigns and cases alleging discrimination based on such arguments have been initiated since the decision. Additionally, in January 2025, President Trump signed a number of Executive Orders focused on DEI, which indicate continued scrutiny of DEI initiatives and potential related investigations of certain private entities with respect to DEI initiatives, including publicly traded companies. If we do not successfully manage expectations across varied stakeholder interests, it could erode stakeholder trust and impact our reputation, the costs of doing business, and the willingness of these stakeholders to engage with, invest in, or retain us. In March 2024, the SEC adopted rules aimed at enhancing and standardizing climate-related disclosures; however, these rules are stayed pending the outcome of consolidated legal challenges in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Compliance with any new laws or regulations, including new or upcoming California or European requirements, increases our regulatory burden and could result in increased legal, accounting and compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming and costly, affect the manner in which we conduct our business and adversely affect our profitability. In addition, the Company has provided voluntary disclosures on sustainability matters, including regarding energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, health and safety, and labor and human rights. Such disclosures are aspirational and based on frameworks and standards for such initiatives and progress that are still developing, assumptions that may change, and disclosure control and procedures may continue to evolve. We may fail, or be perceived to fail