Use these links to rapidly review the document
TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

Filed by the Registrant ý

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o

Check the appropriate box:

o

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement

o

 

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

ý

 

Definitive Proxy Statement

o

 

Definitive Additional Materials

o

 

Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

 

RAMBUS INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

ý

 

No fee required.

o

 

Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
    (1)   Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
        
 
    (2)   Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
        
 
    (3)   Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
        
 
    (4)   Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
        
 
    (5)   Total fee paid:
        
 

o

 

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

o

 

Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

 

(1)

 

Amount Previously Paid:
        
 
    (2)   Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
        
 
    (3)   Filing Party:
        
 
    (4)   Date Filed:
        
 

Table of Contents

LOGO

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON APRIL 24, 2014

To our stockholders:

        You are cordially invited to attend the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Rambus Inc. The Annual Meeting will be held on:

        The following matters will be voted on at the Annual Meeting:

        We are not aware of any other business to come before the meeting.

        These items of business are more fully described in the Proxy Statement which is available at www.proxyvote.com. This notice, the Notice of Internet Availability, the 2013 Annual Report and our Proxy Statement for our 2014 annual stockholder meeting and form of proxy are being made available to stockholders on March 14, 2014.

        Only stockholders of record as of February 28, 2014, may vote at the Annual Meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please vote at www.proxyvote.com, call 1-800-690-6903 or complete, sign, date and return the proxy card. Returning the proxy card does NOT deprive you of your right to attend the meeting and to vote your shares at the meeting. The Proxy Statement explains proxy voting and the matters to be voted on in more detail. Please read our Proxy Statement carefully. We look forward to your attendance at the Annual Meeting.

    By Order of the Board of Directors

 

 

Jae Kim
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Sunnyvale, California
March 14, 2014

 

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE VOTE AT
WWW.PROXYVOTE.COM, AS INSTRUCTED ON THE PROXY CARD OR THE NOTICE OF INTERNET
AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS, CALL 1-800-690-6903, OR COMPLETE, SIGN, DATE AND
RETURN THE PROXY CARD AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE


Table of Contents


RAMBUS INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR
2014 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

Information Concerning Solicitation and Voting

    1  

General Information About The Meeting

    1  

Proposal One: Election of Directors

    9  

Nominees

    9  

Vote Required

    9  

Information About Nominees and Other Directors

    9  

Board of Directors Meetings and Committees

    14  

Director Independence

    14  

Director Qualifications

    14  

Corporate Governance Principles

    15  

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

    15  

Executive Sessions of the Independent Directors

    15  

Committees of the Board of Directors

    15  

Audit Committee

    15  

Compensation Committee

    16  

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

    17  

Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee

    18  

Identifying and Evaluating Nominees For Directors

    18  

Consideration of Stockholder Nominees to the Board

    19  

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

    20  

Transactions with Related Persons

    20  

Proposal Two: Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation

    22  

Proposal Three: 2006 Equity Incentive Plan Amendment for a Share Increase

    23  

Proposal Four: 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan Amendment for a Share Increase

    36  

Proposal Five: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    42  

Our History with PricewaterhouseCoopers

    42  

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

    42  

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and the Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    43  

Independence of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

    43  

Vote Required

    43  

Equity Compensation Plan Information

    44  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

    45  

Executive Officers of the Company

    48  

Executive Compensation

    51  

Executive Compensation Tables

    62  

Summary Compensation Table

    62  

Grants of Plan Based Awards

    63  

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

    64  

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

    67  

Compensation of Directors

    68  

Overview of Compensation and Procedures

    69  

Summary of Director Plan

    69  

i


Table of Contents

 
  Page  

Audit Committee Report

    71  

Report of the Audit Committee

    71  

Review with Management

    71  

Review and Discussions with the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    71  

Conclusion

    71  

Other Matters

    72  

ii


Table of Contents


RAMBUS INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR
2014 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING

        The Board of Directors of Rambus Inc. ("Rambus," "we," "us" or the "Company") is providing these proxy materials to you for use at our 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") to be held on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and at any postponement or adjournment of the meeting. The purpose of the Annual Meeting is described in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

        The Annual Meeting will be held virtually via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/RMBS2014. You will be able to vote and submit questions during the meeting.

        Our principal executive offices are located at 1050 Enterprise Way, Suite 700, Sunnyvale, California 94089; our telephone number is (408) 462-8000. The Notice of Internet Availability (the "Internet Notice") was first mailed on or about March 14, 2014 to stockholders of record as of February 28, 2014 and these proxy solicitation materials combined with the Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (the "Form 10-K") were first made available to you on the Internet, on or about March 14, 2014. We maintain a website at www.rambus.com. The information on our website is not a part of this Proxy Statement.


GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETING

Who May Attend

  You may attend the Annual Meeting if you owned your shares, either as a stockholder of record or as a beneficial owner as described below, as of the close of business on February 28, 2014 (the "Record Date").

 

Stockholders of Record

 

If your shares are registered directly in your name, then you are considered to be the stockholder of record with respect to those shares, and we are sending these proxy materials directly to you. Instructions on how to attend and participate via the Internet, including how to demonstrate proof of stock ownership, are posted at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/RMBS2014.

 

Stockholders may vote and submit questions while attending the meeting on the Internet.

 

Beneficial Owners

 

If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in "street name," and your broker or nominee is forwarding these proxy materials to you. Your broker or nominee is considered to be the stockholder of record with respect to those shares.

1


Table of Contents

Internet Notice

 

Pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we have provided access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, the Internet Notice has been sent to our stockholders of record and beneficial owners as of the Record Date. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet or to request a printed copy by mail may be found on the Internet Notice. In addition, the Internet Notice provides information on how stockholders may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis.

 

By accessing the proxy materials on the Internet or choosing to receive your future proxy materials by email, you will save us the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will reduce the impact of our annual stockholders' meetings on the environment. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by email, you will receive an email next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting site. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by mail, you will receive a paper copy of those materials, including a form of proxy. Your election to receive proxy materials by mail or email will remain in effect until you notify us that you are terminating your request.

Who May Vote

 

You may vote at the Annual Meeting if you owned your shares, either as a stockholder of record or as a beneficial owner, as of the close of business on the Record Date. As of that date, we had a total of 113,656,508 shares of common stock outstanding, which were held of record by approximately 622 stockholders. You are entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock that you own.

 

As of the Record Date, we had no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Voting Your Proxy

 

Stockholders of Record

 

If you hold your shares in your own name as a holder of record, you may instruct the proxy holders how to vote your common stock by:

 

voting via the internet at www.proxyvote.com;

 

voting by telephone at 1-800-690-6903; or

 

voting by mail (if you requested printed copies of the proxy materials to be mailed to you), by completing, signing, dating and mailing the proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided.

2


Table of Contents

 

Even if you vote your shares by proxy, you may also choose to attend the meeting and vote your shares in person. If you provide instructions in your completed proxy card, the proxy holders will vote your shares in accordance with those instructions. If you sign and return a proxy card without giving specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted "FOR" all of the proposals described herein.

 

Beneficial Owners

 

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you have the right to direct your broker how to vote. Your broker or nominee has enclosed with these materials or provided voting instructions for you to use in directing the broker or nominee how to vote your shares.

 

You are invited to attend the meeting and vote your shares at the meeting.

Discretionary Voting Power; Matters to be Presented

 

We are not aware of any matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting other than those described in this Proxy Statement. If any matters not described in this Proxy Statement are properly presented at the meeting, the proxy holders will use their own judgment to determine how to vote your shares. If the meeting is adjourned or postponed, the proxy holders can vote your shares on the new meeting date as well, unless you have subsequently revoked your proxy.

Changing Your Vote

 

Stockholders of Record

 

If you would like to change your vote you can do so in the following ways:

 

deliver written notice of your revocation to our corporate Secretary prior to the Annual Meeting;

 

deliver a properly executed, later dated proxy prior to the Annual Meeting;

 

vote again on a later date on the Internet or by telephone (only your latest Internet or telephone proxy submitted prior to the Annual Meeting will be counted); or

 

attend the Annual Meeting and vote at the meeting.

 

Please note that your attendance at the meeting in and of itself is not enough to revoke your proxy.

 

Beneficial Owners

 

If you instructed a broker or nominee to vote your shares following the directions originally included with these materials or provided to you, you can change your vote only by following your broker or nominee's directions for doing so.

3


Table of Contents

Cost of this Proxy Solicitation

 

We will bear the cost of this proxy solicitation. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone. None of these individuals will receive any additional or special compensation for doing this, but they may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. We have also hired Morrow & Co., LLC, 470 West Ave, Stanford, CT 06902 to help us solicit proxies from brokers, bank nominees and other institutional owners. We expect to pay Morrow & Co., LLC a fee of up to approximately $9,000 for its services, and we will reimburse certain out-of-pocket expenses.

Meeting Quorum

 

The Annual Meeting will be held if a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote are represented at the meeting or by proxy.

Our Voting Recommendations

 

When proxies are properly dated, executed and returned, the shares represented by such proxies will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions of the stockholder. However, if no specific instructions are given, the shares will be voted in accordance with the following recommendations of our Board of Directors:

 

"FOR" the election of J. Thomas Bentley, Charles Kissner and David Shrigley as Class I directors;

 

"FOR" the approval of named executive officer compensation, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement;

 

"FOR" the amendment to our 2006 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under such plan by 10,000,000 shares;

 

"FOR" the amendment to our 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under such plan by 1,500,000 shares;

 

"FOR" the ratification of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014.

Abstentions, Withheld, and Broker Non-Votes

 

We treat shares that are voted "WITHHELD" or "ABSTAIN" in person or by proxy as being:

 

present for purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting; and

 

entitled to vote on a particular subject matter at the Annual Meeting.

4


Table of Contents

 

In the election of directors, any vote you make that is a "WITHHELD" or "ABSTAIN" for any nominee will not impact the election of that nominee. In tabulating the voting results for the election of directors, only "FOR" and "AGAINST" votes are counted.

 

For the other proposals, a "WITHHELD" or "ABSTAIN" vote is the same as voting against the proposal.

 

If you hold your common stock through a broker, the broker may be prevented from voting shares held in your brokerage account on some proposals (a "broker non-vote") unless you have given the broker voting instructions. Thus, if you hold your common stock through a broker, it is critical that you cast your vote if you want it to count. If you hold your common stock through a broker and you do not instruct your broker how to vote on Proposals One, Two, Three and Four, it will be considered a broker non-vote and no votes will be cast on your behalf with respect to such Proposals. Shares that are subject to a broker non-vote are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists but do not count for or against any particular proposal.

 

Your broker will continue to have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares on Proposal Five, the Ratification of the Appointment of the Company's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

Procedure for Submitting Stockholder Proposals

 

Stockholders may present proposals for action at a future annual meeting only if they comply with the requirements of our bylaws and the proxy rules established by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

 

Stockholder proposals, including nominations for the election of directors, which are intended to be presented by such stockholders at our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be received by us no later than November 14, 2014 to be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and proxy card relating to that meeting.

5


Table of Contents

 

In addition to the SEC rules, our bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for proposals that a stockholder wants to have included in our proxy statement relating to a meeting or to have brought before the meeting. To be timely, a stockholder proposal must be received by the Company's corporate Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not later than the 45th day nor earlier than the 75th day before the one-year anniversary of the date the Company's proxy statement was released to stockholders in connection with the previous year's annual meeting. However, if no annual meeting was held in the previous year or if the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than 60 days after the one-year anniversary of the date of the previous year's annual meeting, then notice must be received no earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting, or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first made.

 

Moreover, your notice must contain specific information concerning the matters to be brought before the meeting. We urge you to read our bylaws in full in order to understand the requirements of bringing a proposal or nomination.

 

A copy of the full text of the bylaw provision relating to our advance notice procedure may be obtained by writing to our corporate Secretary or by accessing a copy of our bylaws, which are publicly available at http://www.sec.gov. All notices of proposals by stockholders, whether or not included in proxy materials, should be sent to Rambus Inc., 1050 Enterprise Way, Suite 700, Sunnyvale, California 94089, Attention: Secretary.

Communication With the Board of Directors

 

Our Board of Directors may be contacted by writing to them via regular mail at Board of Directors, Rambus Inc., 1050 Enterprise Way, Suite 700, Sunnyvale, California 94089. If you wish to contact our Board of Directors or any member of the Audit Committee to report questionable accounting or auditing matters you may do so anonymously by using this mailing address and designating the communication as "confidential."

 

Our process for handling communications to our Board of Directors is as follows:

 

Any stockholder communications that our Board of Directors receives will first go to our Secretary/General Counsel, who will log the date of receipt of the communication as well as (for non-confidential communications) the identity of the correspondent in our stockholder communications log.

6


Table of Contents

 

Unless the communication is marked "confidential," our Secretary/General Counsel will review, summarize and, if appropriate, draft a response to the communication in a timely manner. The summary and response will be in the form of a memo, which will become part of the stockholder communications log that our Secretary/General Counsel maintains with respect to all stockholder communications.

 

Our Secretary/General Counsel will then forward the original stockholder communication along with the memo to the member(s) of our Board of Directors (or committee chair if the communication is addressed to a committee) for review.

 

Any stockholder communication marked "confidential" will be logged by our Secretary/General Counsel as "received" but will not be reviewed, opened or otherwise held by our Secretary/General Counsel. Such confidential correspondence will be immediately forwarded to the addressee(s) without a memo or any other comment by our Secretary/General Counsel.

Annual Meeting Attendance

 

Members of our Board of Directors are invited but not required to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders was attended by the following members of our Board of Directors: Ms. Herscher and Messrs. Bentley, Black, Kissner, Shrigley, and Stang.

"Householding" of Proxy Materials

 

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries such as brokers to satisfy delivery requirements for proxy statements with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as "householding," potentially provides extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies. The Company and some brokers household proxy materials, delivering a single proxy. If your proxy statement is being householded and you would like to receive separate copies, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like to receive a single copy, please contact Investor Relations at Rambus Inc., 1050 Enterprise Way, Suite 700, Sunnyvale, California 94089, Attention: Secretary, or ir@rambus.com, or place a collect call to the Company, at (408) 462-8000, and direct the call to the Investor Relations Department.

   

7


Table of Contents

Delivery of Proxy Materials

 

To receive current and future proxy materials, such as annual reports, proxy statements and proxy cards, in either paper or electronic form, please contact Investor Relations at ir@rambus.com or http://investor.rambus.com, or place a collect call to the Company, at (408) 462-8000, and direct the call to the Investor Relations Department.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON APRIL 24, 2014

The Notice and Proxy Statement, Annual Report to Shareholders and 10-K Combo
document are available at
www.proxyvote.com. You are encouraged to access and review all of the
important information contained in the proxy materials before voting.

8


Table of Contents


PROPOSAL ONE:
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

        Our Board of Directors is currently composed of six members who are divided into two classes with overlapping two-year terms. As of the date of this proxy statement, we have three Class I directors and three Class II directors, as noted under "Nominees" below. At each annual meeting of stockholders, a class of directors is elected for a term of two years to succeed those directors whose terms expire on the annual meeting date. A director serves in office until his or her respective successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her death or resignation. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the two classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of an equal number of directors. Any vacancy occurring mid-term will be filled by a person selected by a majority of the other current members of the Board of Directors. There is no family relationship between any of our directors.

Nominees

  Three Class I directors are to be elected at the Annual Meeting for a two-year term ending in 2016. Based upon the recommendation of our Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee, our Board has nominated: J. Thomas Bentley, Charles Kissner and David Shrigley for election as Class I directors.

 

If any of J. Thomas Bentley, Charles Kissner and David Shrigley is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the Annual Meeting, proxies will be voted for a substitute nominee or nominees designated by the Board of Directors.

Vote Required

 

The Company's bylaws require, in uncontested elections, that each nominee for director is elected if such director receives a greater number of votes "FOR" his or her election than votes "AGAINST" with respect to such director. The Board of Directors, after taking into consideration the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board, will determine whether or not to accept the pre-tendered resignation of any nominee for director, in an uncontested election, who receives a greater number of votes "AGAINST" his or her election than votes "FOR" such election. There are no cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Stockholders as of the Record Date may vote their shares for or against some, all or none of the Class I nominees.

Information About Nominees and Other Directors

 

The members of our Board of Directors have deep executive and board leadership experience derived from their respective tenures as executives and directors of technology companies of various sizes. The following table contains information regarding the Class I nominees and other directors as of February 28, 2014. This information includes the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the Board of Directors' conclusion that the person should serve as a director.

9


Table of Contents


Nominees for Class I Directors

Name
  Age   Principal Occupation and Business Experience

J. Thomas Bentley

    64   Mr. Bentley has served as a director since March 2005, and has served as Chairman of the Board from June 2011 to March 2013. He served as a managing director at SVB Alliant (formerly Alliant Partners), a mergers and acquisitions firm, since he co-founded the firm in 1990 until October 2005. Mr. Bentley holds a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an M.S. in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Bentley currently serves on the board of Nanometrics, Inc. and various private companies and non-profit institutions.

       

Mr. Bentley's financial expertise and years of business and leadership experience, including fifteen years as a co-founder of a financial advisory firm, allow him to provide strategic guidance to us and led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director. In addition, our Board of Directors' determination that Mr. Bentley is the Audit Committee "financial expert" lends further support to his financial acumen and qualifications for serving on our Board of Directors.

Charles Kissner. 

   
66
 

Mr. Kissner has served as a director since July 2012. He is currently Chairman of the Board at Aviat Networks, a leader in wireless transmission systems, and was chief executive officer of Aviat from June 2010 to July 2011. Prior to Aviat Networks, Mr. Kissner was chairman and chief executive officer of Stratex Networks, Inc., a global provider of wireless transmission solutions from 1995 to 2007. Previously, Mr. Kissner was vice president/general manager of M/A-Com, Inc., a manufacturer of radio and microwave communication products, and president, chief executive officer and a director of Aristacom International, Inc., a communications software company. He was the executive vice president of Fujitsu Network Switching, Inc. and held several key positions at AT&T (now Alcatel-Lucent). Mr. Kissner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State Polytechnic University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Santa Clara University. Mr. Kissner is also a member of the board of directors of ShoreTel, Inc., Meru Networks and a non-profit institution.

       

Mr. Kissner's experience as a director and executive of wireless technology companies and his years of business and leadership experience led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

10


Table of Contents

Name
  Age   Principal Occupation and Business Experience

David Shrigley

    65  

Mr. Shrigley has served as a director since October 2006. He was most recently the Executive Chairman of Soil and Topography Information, Inc. Mr. Shrigley was a member of the board of Wolfson Microelectronics plc, a supplier of mixed-signal chips for the digital market from November 2006 to December 2008, and was its chief executive officer from March 2007. He served as a general partner at Sevin Rosen Funds, a venture capital firm, from 1999 to 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Shrigley held the position of executive vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service at Bay Networks, a network hardware company. Mr. Shrigley served in various executive positions at Intel Corporation, including vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific sales and marketing operations based in Hong Kong, and vice president and general manager, corporate marketing. Mr. Shrigley holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Franklin University. In the past five years, Mr. Shrigley has served on the board of Wolfson Microelectronics plc.

       

Mr. Shrigley's experience as a director and executive officer of high technology companies, his experience in the venture capital industry and his years of international business and leadership experience led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

        The Board unanimously recommends that you vote "FOR" the election to the Board of Directors of each of the nominees proposed above.

11


Table of Contents


Incumbent Class II Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2015

Name
  Age   Principal Occupation and Business Experience

Ronald Black, Ph.D. 

    50   Chief Executive Officer and President. Dr. Black has served as our chief executive officer and president since June 2012 and as a director since July 2012. Dr. Black was previously the Managing Director of R.D. Black & Company, a consulting firm, since August 2011. From September 2010 to August 2011, Dr. Black was the Chief Executive Officer of MobiWire, formerly Sagem Wireless, a privately-held mobile handset company headquartered near Paris, France that offers products and services to original equipment manufacturers and mobile network operators in the mobile phone marketplace. From June 2009 to October 2010, Dr. Black served as Chairman and CEO of UPEK,  Inc. Dr. Black currently serves as a board member of EnOcean GmbH, a German-based company that manufactures and markets energy harvesting technology, sensors, and radio frequency communication. From September 2010 to November 2012, he served as a board member of AuthenTec, Inc., which he joined following the AuthenTec-UPEK merger in September 2010 and from 2007 to 2013, he served as a board member of Inside Contactless, a France-based company engaged in the semiconductors and information technology industry. From September 2004 to June 2009, he was chief executive officer of Wavecom S.A., a publicly traded French wireless solutions company. Dr. Black holds a Bachelor of Science, a Masters of Science, and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

       

Dr. Black's status as our chief executive officer, his record as a leader of various technology companies, both domestic and foreign, and his deep technical expertise led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

12


Table of Contents

Name
  Age   Principal Occupation and Business Experience

Penelope A. Herscher

    53  

Ms. Herscher has served as a director since July 2006. She currently holds the position of president and chief executive officer of FirstRain, Inc., a custom-configured, on-demand intelligence services firm, which she joined in 2005. Ms. Herscher previously held the position of executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Cadence Design Systems from 2002 to 2003, and executive vice president and general manager, Design and Verification Business during the second half of 2003. From 1996 to 2002, Ms. Herscher was president and chief executive officer of Simplex Solutions, which was acquired by Cadence in 2002. Before Simplex, she was an executive at Synopsys for eight years and started her career as an R&D engineer with Texas Instruments. She holds a M.A. with honors in Mathematics from Cambridge University in England. Ms. Herscher serves on the boards of FirstRain, JDS Uniphase, Inc. and several non-profit institutions.

       

Ms. Herscher's experience as chief executive officer of technology companies, the successful sale of a company under her leadership to a larger technology company and her years of business and leadership experience led the Board of Directors to conclude that she should serve as a director.

Eric Stang

   
54
 

Mr. Stang has served as a director since July 2008 and has served as Chairman of the Board since March 2013. Mr. Stang currently serves as a director, president and chief executive officer of Ooma, Inc., a provider of broadband telephony products, a position he has held since January 2009. Prior to joining Ooma, Mr. Stang served as a director, chief executive officer and president of Reliant Technologies, Inc., a developer of medical technology solutions for aesthetic applications, from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Stang previously served as chief executive officer and president of Lexar Media, Inc., a provider of solid state memory products from 2001 to 2006 and Chairman from 2004 to 2006. Mr. Stang received his A.B. from Stanford University and M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Stang also serves on the board of Invensense and several private companies.

       

Mr. Stang's experience as chief executive officer of high technology companies, his prior experience in the memory products market and his years of business and leadership experience led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

13


Table of Contents


Board of Directors Meetings and Committees

  Our Board of Directors held a total of fifteen meetings during 2013. During 2013, each member of our Board of Directors attended 75% or more of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the committees, if any, of which she or he was a member.

Director Independence

 

Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the following directors, constituting a majority of our Board of Directors, has no material relationship with us (either directly as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us) and is "independent" under the applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules: J. Thomas Bentley, Penelope A. Herscher, Charles Kissner, David Shrigley and Eric Stang.

 

Each of the committees of our Board of Directors is composed of independent directors as follows:

 

Audit Committee:

 

J. Thomas Bentley (Chair)
Charles Kissner
David Shrigley

 

Compensation Committee:

 

Penelope A. Herscher (Chair)
Charles Kissner

 

Corporate Governance/ Nominating Committee:

 

Eric Stang (Chair)
David Shrigley

 

Director Qualifications

  Except as may be required by rules promulgated by NASDAQ or the SEC, there are currently no specific, minimum qualifications that must be met by each candidate for our Board of Directors, nor are there any specific qualities or skills that are necessary for one or more of the members of our Board of Directors to possess. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee considers a number of factors in its assessment of the appropriate skills and characteristics of members of the Board of Directors, as well as the composition of the Board of Directors as a whole. These factors include the members' qualification as independent, as well as consideration of judgment, character, integrity, diversity, skills, and experience in such areas as operations, technology, finance, and the general needs of the Board of Directors and such other factors as the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee may consider appropriate. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity. However, the Board of Directors and the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee believe that it is essential that the members of the Board of Directors represent diverse viewpoints. In considering candidates for the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors and the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee consider the entirety of each candidate's credentials in the context of the factors mentioned above.

14


Table of Contents

Corporate Governance Principles

 

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of business conduct and corporate governance, which we believe are essential to running our business efficiently, serving our stockholders well and maintaining our integrity in the marketplace. We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers, and employees known as the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is available on our website at http://investor.rambus.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=8379.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

 

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors and ten percent stockholders to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. The same persons are required to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based on our review of these forms, we believe that during fiscal 2013 all of our executive officers, directors and ten percent stockholders complied with the applicable filing requirements.

Executive Sessions of the Independent Directors

 

It is the policy of the Board of Directors to have executive sessions of the independent directors at which only independent directors are present, typically in conjunction with the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors.

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

During 2013, our Board of Directors had three standing committees:

 

an Audit Committee,

 

a Compensation Committee and

 

a Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee.

 

The following describes each committee, its function, its membership, and the number of meetings held during 2013.

 

Each of the committees operates under a written charter adopted by our Board of Directors. All of the current committee charters are available on our website at http://investor.rambus.com/documents.cfm.

Audit Committee

 

Currently, the Audit Committee is composed of J. Thomas Bentley, Charles Kissner and David Shrigley, with Mr. Bentley serving as Chair. The Audit Committee oversees our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes and internal control over financial reporting, as well as our internal and external audits. The Audit Committee held ten meetings during 2013. Its duties include:

 

Reviewing our accounting and financial reporting processes and internal control over financial reporting;

 

Providing oversight and review at least annually of our risk management policies, including our investment policy;

15


Table of Contents

 

Retaining the independent registered public accounting firm, approving their fees, and providing oversight of communication with them;

 

Reviewing the plans, findings and performance of our internal auditors;

 

Reviewing our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosure documents; and

 

Overseeing special investigations into financial and other matters, as necessary.

 

Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Bentley is the Audit Committee "financial expert" and that Mr. Bentley, together with each of Messrs. Kissner and Shrigley, has no material relationship with us (either directly as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us) and is an "independent director" under the applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules.

 

The Audit Committee's role is detailed in the Audit Committee Charter and is available on our website at http://investor.rambus.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=5108.

Compensation Committee

 

Currently, the Compensation Committee is composed of Penelope A. Herscher and Charles Kissner, with Ms. Herscher serving as Chair. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Herscher and Mr. Kissner are independent under the rules for compensation committee independence under the applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules. The Compensation Committee reviews and determines all forms of compensation to be provided to our executive officers, including the named executive officers and directors of Rambus, including base compensation, bonuses, and stock compensation. The Compensation Committee held eleven meetings during 2013. Its duties include:

 

Annually review and approve the Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and other executive officers' compensation in the context of their performance, which includes reviewing and approving their annual base salary, annual incentive bonus, including the specific goals, targets, and amounts, equity compensation, and any employment agreements, and any other benefits, compensation or arrangements, as applicable;

16


Table of Contents

 

Administer our stock option and equity incentive plans pursuant to the terms of such plans and the authority delegated by our Board of Directors, including: granting stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units ("RSU") or other equity compensation to individuals eligible for such grants and amend such awards following their grant; amending the plans; and delegating to appropriate executive officers of the Company the ability to grant awards to non-executive officer employees of the Company pursuant to specific guidelines;

 

Adopt, amend and oversee the administration of our significant employee benefits programs;

 

Review external surveys to establish appropriate ranges of compensation;

 

Retain and terminate any compensation consultant to assist in the evaluation of CEO or executive officer or director compensation, and approve the consultant's fees and other terms of service, as well as obtain advice and assistance from internal or external legal, accounting or other advisors; and

 

Conduct an annual assessment of the Company's engagement with compensation consultants retained by the Board and/or management, as applicable, including the nature and extent of services provided, the amount of fees paid and who made or recommended the decision to retain the compensation consultants.

 

The Compensation Committee uses Semler Brossy Consulting Group, LLC (SBCG) to assist in evaluating executive and director compensation, and has determined that SBCG is an independent consultant under applicable NASDAQ rules.

 

A detailed description of the processes and procedures of the Compensation Committee for considering and determining executive and director compensation, including the role of SBCG, is provided in the "Executive Compensation" section of this proxy statement.

 

The Compensation Committee's role is detailed in the Compensation Committee Charter, which is available on our website at http://investor.rambus.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=5109.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

During 2013, there were no interlocks relationships by our Compensation Committee members. Please see the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this Proxy Statement for further discussion.

17


Table of Contents

Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee

 

Currently, the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee is composed of Eric Stang and David Shrigley, with Mr. Stang serving as Chair. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs. Stang and Shrigley are "independent" under applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee held six meetings during 2013.

 

The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee recommends and approves Rambus' Corporate Governance Guidelines. Its duties include:

 

Evaluating and making recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning the appointment of directors to committees of the Board of Directors and the selection of committee chairs;

 


Identifying best practices and recommending corporate governance principles;

 


Overseeing the evaluation of the Board of Directors; and

 


Proposing the slate of nominees for election to the Board of Directors.

 

The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee's role is detailed in the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee Charter which is available on our website at http://investor.rambus.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=5110.

Identifying and Evaluating Nominees For Directors

 

The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee utilizes a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating nominees for director, including those discussed in the "Director Qualifications" section of this proxy statement. In the event that vacancies on the Board of Directors are anticipated, or otherwise arise, the committee will consider various potential candidates for director. Candidates may come to the attention of the committee through current members of the Board of Directors, professional search firms, stockholders or other persons. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee has from time to time retained third parties to whom a fee is paid to assist it in identifying or evaluating potential director nominees.

18


Table of Contents

 

Stockholders may propose director candidates for general consideration by the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee by submitting in proper written form the individual's name, qualifications, and the other information set forth below in "Consideration of Stockholder Nominees to the Board" to the Secretary of the Company. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee will evaluate any candidates recommended by stockholders against the same criteria and pursuant to the same policies and procedures applicable to the evaluation of candidates proposed by directors or management.

Consideration of Stockholder Nominees to the Board

 

Stockholders may nominate directors for election at an annual meeting or at a special meeting at which directors are to be elected or re-elected, provided that the advance notice requirements for director nominations set forth in the Company's bylaws have been met. As summarized below, this advance notice provision requires a stockholder to give timely notice of a director nomination in proper written form to the Secretary of the Company at Rambus Inc., 1050 Enterprise Way, Suite 700, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, Attention: Secretary.

 

In order for a stockholder to give timely notice of a director nomination for an annual meeting, the notice must be received by the Secretary at the Company's principal executive offices not later than the 45th day nor earlier than the 75th day before the one-year anniversary of the date the Company's proxy statement was released to stockholders in connection with the previous year's annual meeting. However, if no annual meeting was held in the previous year or if the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than 60 days after the one-year anniversary of the date of the previous year's annual meeting, then notice must be received no earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting, or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first made.

 

In order for a stockholder to give timely notice of a director nomination for a special meeting at which directors are to be elected or re-elected, the notice must be received by the Secretary at the Company's principal executive offices not later than the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board to be elected or re-elected at such meeting.

19


Table of Contents

 

To be in proper written form, a stockholder's notice to the Secretary of the Company must set forth the information required by our bylaws, which we urge you to read in full in order to understand the requirements for making a director nomination.

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

 

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that the Chairperson of the Board not be the CEO of the Company. In addition, while the Chairperson works closely with the CEO and other members of our management, the Chairperson is not part of management and does not have an operating or external role or responsibility. The Board of Directors considers it useful and appropriate to designate a Chairperson to act as the presiding director at Board of Directors meetings, to call and organize such meetings and manage the agenda thereof, and to manage the affairs of the Board of Directors, including ensuring that the Board of Directors is organized properly, functions effectively, and meets its obligations and responsibilities. The Chairperson also acts as the principal contact for the CEO and other members of the Board of Directors and management, as appropriate, for matters requiring the attention of the full Board of Directors. We believe that this leadership structure is appropriate given the attention, time, effort, and energy that the CEO is required to dedicate to his position in the current business environment, and the high level of commitment required to serve as our Chairperson.

 

The Board of Directors plays an integral role in our risk oversight processes. The Board of Directors meets regularly to receive reports from its committees, as well as from management with respect to areas of material risk to the Company, including legal, operational, financial and strategic risks. In addition, the Audit Committee oversees and reviews at least annually our risk management policies, including our investment policies.

Transactions with Related Persons

 

None.

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

 

Our directors and executive officers are subject to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and our directors are guided in their duties by our Corporate Governance Guidelines. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires that our directors and executive officers avoid situations where a conflict of interest might occur or appear to occur. In general, our directors and executive officers should not have a pecuniary interest in transactions involving us or a customer, licensee, or supplier of us, unless such interest is solely a result of routine investments made by the individual in publicly traded companies.

20


Table of Contents

 

In the event that a director or executive officer is going to enter into a related party transaction with a relative or significant other, or with a business in which a relative or significant other is associated in any significant role, the director or executive officer must fully disclose the nature of the related party transaction to our Chief Financial Officer. For directors and executive officers, such related party transaction then must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Audit Committee. For other conflicts of interest that may arise, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics advises our directors and executive officers to consult with our General Counsel.

 

In addition, each director and officer is required to complete a Director and Officer Questionnaire on an annual basis and upon any new appointment, which requires disclosure of any related-party transactions pertaining to the director or executive officer. Our Board of Directors will consider such information in its determinations of independence with respect to our directors under applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules.

21


Table of Contents

PROPOSAL TWO:
ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION

        We are asking our stockholders to provide an advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and narrative disclosures as described in this Proxy Statement. The Company currently holds such an advisory vote annually, and this proposal, commonly known as a "say-on-pay" proposal, gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the compensation of our named executive officers.

        Please see the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this Proxy Statement on page 51, the compensation tables and the narrative disclosures that accompany the compensation tables for greater detail about our executive compensation programs, including information about the fiscal year 2013 compensation of our named executive officers.

        We believe that our overall compensation program and philosophy support and help drive the Company's long-term value creation, business strategy and operating performance objectives. We ask you to indicate your support for the compensation of our named executive officers as described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and the narrative disclosures set forth in this Proxy Statement.

        While this say-on-pay vote is advisory and does not bind the Company to any particular action, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee value your opinion. Accordingly, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee will consider the outcome of this vote when making future compensation decisions for the Company's named executive officers.

        Approval of this resolution requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting.

        The Board unanimously recommends a vote "FOR" the approval of the compensation of our named executive officers, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement.

22


Table of Contents

PROPOSAL THREE:
APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE 2006 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

        The stockholders are being asked to approve an amendment to our 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Incentive Plan") to add 10,000,000 shares to the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Incentive Plan. Our Board of Directors has approved the increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the Incentive Plan, subject to approval from stockholders at the Annual Meeting. If stockholders do not approve the amendment to the Incentive Plan, no shares will be added to the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Incentive Plan.

        Our named executive officers and directors have an interest in this proposal as they are eligible to receive equity awards under the Incentive Plan.

        Our Board of Directors believes that long-term incentive compensation programs align the interests of management, employees and the stockholders to create long-term stockholder value. Our Board of Directors believes that plans such as the Incentive Plan increase our ability to achieve this objective, especially, in the case of the Incentive Plan, by allowing for several different forms of long-term incentive awards, which our Board of Directors believes is critical for us to recruit, reward, motivate and retain talented personnel. Given the highly competitive labor market for employee talent, our Board of Directors and management believe that the ability to continue to grant equity awards will be critical to the future success of Rambus.

        Our Board of Directors believes that approval of the amendment will enable us to continue to use the Incentive Plan to achieve employee performance, recruiting, retention and incentive goals. In particular, our Board of Directors believes that our employees are our most valuable assets and that the awards permitted under the Incentive Plan are vital to our ability to attract and retain outstanding and highly skilled individuals in the extremely competitive labor markets in which we compete. Such awards also are crucial to our ability to motivate employees to achieve our goals.


Key Features of the Amended 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and Compensation Practices:

23


Table of Contents

Vote Required; Recommendation of the Board of Directors

  Approval of the Amendment to the Incentive Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our Common Stock that are present in person or proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

  Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the Amendment to the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and the increase to the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder.

Summary of the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan

  The following is a summary of the principal features of the Incentive Plan and its operation. The summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Incentive Plan, as amended giving effect to this Proposal Three, set forth in Appendix A.

  The Incentive Plan provides for the grant of the following types of incentive awards:

 

stock options

 

stock appreciation rights

 

restricted stock

 

restricted stock units

 

performance shares and performance units

 

other stock or cash awards

  Each of these is referred to individually as an "Award." Those who are eligible for Awards under the Incentive Plan include employees, directors and consultants who provide services to the Company and its affiliates. As of February 28, 2014, approximately 460 employees, directors and consultants would be eligible to participate in the Incentive Plan.

24


Table of Contents

Number of Shares of Common Stock Available Under the Incentive Plan

  If stockholders approve Proposal Three, an additional 10,000,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock will be reserved for issuance under the Incentive Plan. As of February 28, 2014, 12.8 million shares were subject to outstanding options granted under the Incentive Plan, with a weighted average exercise price of $10.91 per share and weighted average remaining term of 6.2 years, and 0.7 million shares were subject to outstanding RSUs granted and unvested under the Incentive Plan. 0.7 million shares remained available for any new Awards to be granted in the future. Shares subject to Awards (excluding stock options) granted with an exercise price less than the fair market value on the date of grant count against the share reserve as 1.5 shares for every one share subject to such an Award. To the extent that a share that was subject to an Award that counted as 1.5 shares against the Incentive Plan reserve pursuant to the preceding sentence is returned to the Incentive Plan, the Incentive Plan reserve will be credited with 1.5 shares that will thereafter be available for issuance under the Incentive Plan.

  If an Award expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, or, with respect to full value awards, is forfeited to or repurchased by the Company, the unpurchased (or forfeited or repurchased, as applicable) shares that were subject to the Award will become available for future grant or sale under the Incentive Plan. Upon exercise of a stock appreciation right settled in shares, the gross number of shares covered by the portion of the Award that is exercised will cease to be available under the Incentive Plan. Shares that have been issued under the Incentive Plan under any Award will not be returned to or become available for future distribution under the Incentive Plan; provided, however, that if unvested shares of any full value awards are repurchased by the Company or are forfeited to the Company, those shares will become available for future grant under the Incentive Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise or purchase price of an Award and/or to satisfy the tax withholding obligations related to an Award will not become available for future grant or sale under the Incentive Plan. To the extent an Award is paid out in cash rather than Shares, such cash payments will not reduce the number of Shares available for issuance under the Incentive Plan.

  If we declare a stock dividend or engage in a reorganization or other change in our capital structure, including a merger, our Board of Directors will have the discretion to adjust the number of shares:

 

available for issuance under the Incentive Plan

 

subject to outstanding Awards

25


Table of Contents

 

specified as per-person limits on Awards, as appropriate to reflect the change

Administration of the Incentive Plan

  A committee or committees of independent, non-employee directors satisfying applicable laws and appointed by our Board of Directors administers the Incentive Plan. To make grants to certain of our officers and key employees, the members of the committee(s) must qualify as "non-employee directors" under Rule 16b-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as "outside directors" under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") so that we can receive a federal tax deduction for certain compensation paid under the Incentive Plan. Subject to the terms of the Incentive Plan, the administrator has the sole discretion to select the employees, consultants, and directors who will receive Awards, determine the terms and conditions of Awards, and to interpret the provisions of the Incentive Plan and outstanding Awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of the Company's stockholders and the applicable Award holder, the administrator may not modify or amend an option or stock appreciation right to reduce the exercise price of that Award after it has been granted or to cancel any outstanding option or stock appreciation right and replace it with a new option or stock appreciation right with a lower exercise price.

Options

  The administrator is able to grant nonstatutory stock options and incentive stock options under the Incentive Plan. The administrator determines the number of shares subject to each option, although the Incentive Plan provides that a participant may not receive options for more than 1,000,000 shares in any fiscal year, except in connection with his or her initial service as an employee with us, in which case he or she may be granted an option to purchase up to an additional 1,000,000 shares.

  The administrator determines the exercise price of options granted under the Incentive Plan, provided the exercise price must be at least equal to the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant. In addition, the exercise price of an incentive stock option granted to any participant who owns more than 10% of the total voting power of all classes of our outstanding stock must be at least 110% of the fair market value of our Common Stock on the grant date.

  The term of an option may not exceed ten years, except that, with respect to any participant who owns 10% of the voting power of all classes of our outstanding capital stock, the term of an incentive stock option may not exceed five years.

26


Table of Contents

  After termination of service with us, a participant will be able to exercise the vested portion of his or her option for the period of time stated in the Award agreement. If no such period of time is stated in the participant's Award agreement, the participant will generally be able to exercise his or her option for (i) three months following his or her termination for reasons other than death or disability, and (ii) twelve months following his or her termination due to death or disability. In no event may an option be exercised later than the expiration of its term.

Stock Appreciation Rights

  The administrator is able to grant stock appreciation rights, which are the rights to receive the appreciation in fair market value of common stock between the exercise date and the date of grant. We can pay the appreciation in either cash or shares of common stock. Stock appreciation rights become exercisable at the times and on the terms established by the administrator, subject to the terms of the Incentive Plan. The administrator, subject to the terms of the Incentive Plan, has complete discretion to determine the terms and conditions of stock appreciation rights granted under the Incentive Plan, provided, however, that the exercise price may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share on the date of grant. The term of a stock appreciation right may not exceed ten years. No participant will be granted stock appreciation rights covering more than 1,000,000 shares during any fiscal year, except that a participant may be granted stock appreciation rights covering up to an additional 1,000,000 shares in connection with his or her initial service as an employee with us. Shares retained by the Company to pay withholding taxes in connection with the grant of a stock appreciation right do not become available for issuance as future awards under the Incentive Plan.

  After termination of service with us, a participant will be able to exercise the vested portion of his or her stock appreciation right for the period of time stated in the Award agreement. If no such period of time is stated in a participant's Award agreement, a participant will generally be able to exercise his or her stock appreciation right for (i) three months following his or her termination for reasons other than death or disability, and (ii) twelve months following his or her termination due to death or disability. In no event will a stock appreciation right be exercised later than the expiration of its term.

27


Table of Contents

Restricted Stock

  Awards of restricted stock are rights to acquire or purchase shares of our Common Stock, which vest in accordance with the terms and conditions established by the administrator in its sole discretion provided, however, that, an Award of restricted stock will not vest more rapidly than one-third (1/3rd) of the total number of shares of restricted stock each year from the date of grant, unless the administrator determines that the Award of restricted stock is to vest upon on the achievement of performance criteria and the period for measuring such performance will cover at least twelve (12) months; provided, further, that the administrator may grant Awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units/shares covering up to 5% of the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan that do not satisfy the forgoing vesting requirements.

  The administrator, in its sole discretion, may provide at the time of or following the date of grant for accelerated vesting for an Award of restricted stock (except that the number of shares subject or issuable pursuant to Awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units/shares eligible for such accelerated vesting shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan) or for accelerated vesting upon or in connection with a change in control or upon or in connection with a participant's termination of service due to death, disability or retirement.

  The Award agreement generally will grant us a right to repurchase or reacquire the shares upon the termination of the participant's service with us for any reason (including death or disability). The administrator will determine the number of shares granted pursuant to an Award of restricted stock, but no participant will be granted a right to purchase or acquire more than 200,000 shares of restricted stock during any fiscal year, except that a participant may be granted up to an additional 300,000 shares of restricted stock in connection with his or her initial employment with us.

28


Table of Contents

Restricted Stock Units

  Awards of restricted stock units result in a payment to a participant only if the vesting criteria the administrator establishes is satisfied, provided, however, that, an Award of restricted stock units will not vest more rapidly than one-third (1/3rd) of the total number of restricted stock units each year from the date of grant, unless the administrator determines that the restricted stock units are to vest upon the achievement of performance criteria and the period for measuring such performance will cover at least twelve (12) months; provided, further, that the administrator may grant Awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units/shares covering up to 5% of the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan that do not satisfy the forgoing vesting requirements. Upon satisfying the applicable vesting criteria, the participant will be entitled to the payout specified in the Award agreement.

  Notwithstanding the foregoing and subject to any restrictions otherwise provided herein, at any time after the grant of restricted stock units, the administrator may reduce or waive any vesting criteria that must be met to receive a payout.

  Further, the administrator, in its sole discretion, may provide at the time of or following the date of grant for accelerated vesting for an Award of restricted stock (except that the number of shares subject or issuable pursuant to Awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units/shares eligible for such accelerated vesting shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan) or for accelerated vesting upon or in connection with a change in control or upon or in connection with a participant's termination of service due to death, disability or retirement.

  The administrator, in its sole discretion, may pay earned restricted stock units in cash, shares, or a combination thereof. Restricted stock units that are fully paid in cash will not reduce the number of shares available for grant under the Incentive Plan. On the date set forth in the Award agreement, all unearned restricted stock units will be forfeited to us. The administrator determines the number of restricted stock units granted to any participant, but during any fiscal year, no participant may be granted more than 200,000 restricted stock units, except that the participant may be granted up to an additional 300,000 restricted stock units in connection with his or her initial employment with us.

29


Table of Contents

Performance Units and Performance Shares

  The administrator is able to grant performance units and performance shares, which are Awards that result in a payment to a participant only if the performance goals or other vesting criteria the administrator establishes are achieved or the Awards otherwise vest, provided, however, that, Awards of performance units and performance shares will not vest more rapidly than one-third (1/3rd) of the total number of performance units and performance shares each year from the date of grant, unless the administrator determines that the performance units and performance shares are to vest upon the achievement of performance criteria and the period for measuring such performance will cover at least twelve (12) months; provided, further, that the administrator may grant Awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units/shares covering up to 5% of the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan that do not satisfy the forgoing vesting requirements.

  The administrator, in its sole discretion, may provide at the time of or following the date of grant for accelerated vesting for an Award of performance units and performance shares (except that the number of shares subject or issuable pursuant to awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units/shares eligible for such accelerated vesting shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan) or for accelerated vesting upon or in connection with a change in control or upon or in connection with a participant's termination of service due to death, disability or retirement.

  The administrator establishes performance or other vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number and/or the value of performance units and performance shares to be paid out to participants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, after the grant of performance units or shares, the administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any performance objectives or other vesting provisions for such performance units or shares. During any fiscal year, no participant will receive more than 200,000 performance shares and no participant will receive performance units having an initial value greater than $2,000,000, except that a participant may be granted performance shares covering up to an additional 300,000 shares in connection with his or her initial employment with us. Performance units will have an initial dollar value established by the administrator on or before the date of grant. Performance shares will have an initial value equal to the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock on the grant date.

30


Table of Contents

Performance Goals

  Awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other incentives under the Incentive Plan may be made subject to the attainment of performance goals relating to one or more business criteria within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code and may provide for a targeted level or levels of achievement including: cash flow; cash position; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; earnings per share; economic profit; economic value added; equity or stockholder's equity; market share; net income; net profit; net sales; operating earnings; operating income; profit before tax; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; ratio of operating earnings to capital spending; sales growth; return on net assets; or total return to stockholders. The performance goals may differ from participant to participant and from Award to Award and may be used to measure the performance of our business as a whole or one of our business units and may be measured relative to a peer group or index.

Grants to Non-Employee Directors

  The Incentive Plan provides for automatic, nondiscretionary awards to non-employee directors. The automatic grants do not limit the ability of the administrator to grant other discretionary awards to non-employee directors under the Incentive Plan and the administrator has the discretion to change the terms of the automatic grants prospectively.

Initial Equity Grant

  Each non-employee director will be automatically granted a nonstatutory stock option to purchase 40,000 shares when he or she first becomes a member of our Board of Directors. The term of such options shall not exceed ten years. The option grants vest over a four-year period, with one-eighth of shares subject to the option vesting six months after the date of grant and the remaining shares vesting ratably each month thereafter, subject to the non-employee director continuing to serve through each applicable vesting date.

Annual Equity Grant

  Each non-employee director shall automatically receive an annual award of restricted stock units on October 1 of each year. The number of restricted stock units subject to the award will be determined in the sole discretion of our Board of Directors on or prior to the award becoming effective on the applicable October 1 grant date. For a description of the current non-employee director annual equity grants, see "Executive Compensation—Compensation of Directors." The restricted stock unit grants vest in full at the end of a one-year period, subject to the non-employee director continuing to serve through each applicable vesting date. If the non-employee discontinues service prior to the vesting of any restricted stock unit grant, the administrator may, in its discretion, permit such grant to vest pro rata for the portion of the year during which such director served.

31


Table of Contents

  The automatic grants do not limit the ability of the administrator to grant other discretionary awards to non-employee directors under the Incentive Plan and the administrator has the discretion to change the terms of the automatic grants prospectively.

Transferability of Awards

  Awards granted under the Incentive Plan are generally not transferable, and all rights with respect to an Award granted to a participant generally will be available during a participant's lifetime only to the participant or such participant's estate.

Change of Control

  The terms of the Incentive Plan provide that all outstanding equity awards may vest upon a "double-trigger" termination in the event of a change of control, as described under the "Executive Compensation—Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2013 Year End" table.

Amendment and Termination of the Incentive Plan

  The administrator will have the authority to amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Incentive Plan, except that stockholder approval will be required for any amendment to the Incentive Plan to the extent required by any applicable laws. No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Incentive Plan will impair the rights of any participant, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the participant and the administrator and which agreement must be in writing and signed by the participant and us. The Incentive Plan will terminate in March 2016, unless our Board of Directors terminates it earlier.

Number of Awards Granted to Employees, Consultants, and Directors

  The number of Awards that an employee, director or consultant may receive under the Incentive Plan is in the discretion of the administrator and therefore cannot be determined in advance.

32


Table of Contents

  The following table sets forth (i) the aggregate number of shares of common stock subject to options granted under the Incentive Plan during the last fiscal year, (ii) the average per share exercise price of such options, (iii) the aggregate number of shares issued pursuant to awards of restricted stock unit granted under the Incentive Plan during the last fiscal year, and (iv) the dollar value of such shares based on the closing price per share on the grant dates.

 

Name of Individual Group
  Number of
Options
Granted
  Average
Per Share
Exercise
Price
  Number of
Shares of
Restricted
Stock
  Dollar Value
of Shares of
Restricted
Stock(1)
 

Named Executive Officers:

                         

Ronald Black

    190,000   $ 5.46     44,292   $ 241,834  

Satish Rishi

    50,000   $ 5.46       $  

Martin Scott

    60,000   $ 5.46       $  

Jae Kim

    40,000   $ 5.46     5,000   $ 27,300  

Kevin Donnelly

    60,000   $ 5.46       $  

All executive officers, as a group

    450,000   $ 5.46     49,292   $ 269,134  

All directors who are not executive officers, as a group

            82,650   $ 800,052  

All employees who are not executive officers, as a group

    1,634,276   $ 6.26     341,132   $ 2,205,625  

(1)
The value of a restricted stock unit award is based on the fair market value as of the grant date of such award determined pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 718.


Federal Tax Aspects

  The following paragraphs are a summary of the general federal income tax consequences to U.S. taxpayers and Awards granted under the Incentive Plan by us. Tax consequences for any particular individual may be different. The Incentive Plan does not purport to be complete, and does not discuss the tax consequences of a participant's death or the income tax laws of any state or foreign country in which the participant may reside.

Nonstatutory Stock Options

  No taxable income is reportable when a nonstatutory stock option with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date of grant is granted to a participant. Upon exercise, the participant will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value (on the exercise date) of the shares purchased over the exercise price of the option. Any taxable income recognized in connection with an option exercise by an employee is subject to tax withholding by us. Any additional gain or loss recognized upon any later disposition of the shares would be capital gain or loss.

33


Table of Contents

Incentive Stock Options

  No taxable income is reportable when an incentive stock option is granted or exercised (except for purposes of the alternative minimum tax, in which case taxation is the same as for nonstatutory stock options). If the participant exercises the option and then later sells or otherwise disposes of the shares more than two years after the grant date and more than one year after the exercise date, the difference between the sale price and the exercise price will be taxed as capital gain or loss. If the participant exercises the option and then later sells or otherwise disposes of the shares before the end of the two- or one-year holding periods described above, he or she generally will have ordinary income at the time of the sale equal to the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date (or the sale price, if less) minus the exercise price of the option.

Stock Appreciation Rights

  No taxable income is reportable when a stock appreciation right with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date of grant is granted to a participant. Upon exercise, the participant will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the amount of cash received and the fair market value of any shares received. Any additional gain or loss recognized upon any later disposition of the shares would be capital gain or loss.

Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units and Performance Shares

  A participant generally will not have taxable income at the time an Award of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares or performance units are granted. Instead, he or she will recognize ordinary income in the first taxable year in which his or her interest in the shares underlying the Award becomes either (i) freely transferable or (ii) no longer subject to substantial risk of forfeiture. However, the recipient of a restricted stock Award may elect to recognize income at the time he or she receives the Award in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares underlying the Award (less any cash paid for the shares) on the date the Award is granted.

34


Table of Contents

Tax Effect for Rambus

  We generally will be entitled to a tax deduction in connection with an Award under the Incentive Plan in an amount equal to the ordinary income realized by a participant and at the time the participant recognizes such income (for example, the exercise of a nonstatutory stock option). Special rules limit the deductibility of certain compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and to each of our three highest compensated officers. Under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, no deduction is allowed for certain compensation with respect to any of these specified executives only to the extent that the amount for the taxable year for such executive exceeds $1,000,000. However, the deductibility of such compensation in excess of $1,000,000 may not be limited under Section 162(m) and the applicable treasury regulations if such compensation qualifies as performance based.

Section 409A

  Section 409A of the Code provides certain new requirements on non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements. These include new requirements with respect to an individual's election to defer compensation and the individual's selection of the timing and form of distribution of the deferred compensation. Section 409A also generally provides that distributions must be made on or following the occurrence of certain events (e.g.,  the individual's separation from service, a predetermined date, or the individual's death). Section 409A imposes restrictions on an individual's ability to change his or her distribution timing or form after the compensation has been deferred. For certain individuals who are officers, Section 409A requires that such individual's distribution commence no earlier than six months after such officer's separation from service.

  Awards granted under the Incentive Plan with a deferral feature will be subject to the requirements of Section 409A. If an Award is subject to and fails to satisfy the requirements of Section 409A, the recipient of that award may recognize ordinary income on the amounts deferred under the Award, to the extent vested, which may be prior to when the compensation is actually or constructively received. Also, if an Award that is subject to Section 409A fails to comply with Section 409A's provisions, Section 409A imposes an additional 20% federal income tax on compensation recognized as ordinary income, as well as interest on such deferred compensation. In addition, certain states such as California have adopted similar provisions.

  The foregoing is only a summary of the effect of federal income taxation upon participants and us with respect to the grant and exercise of awards under the Incentive Plan. It does not purport to be complete, and does not discuss the tax consequences of a participant's death or the provisions of the income tax laws of any municipality, state or foreign country in which the participant may reside.

35


Table of Contents

PROPOSAL FOUR:
APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE 2006 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

        The stockholders are being asked to approve an amendment to our 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended and restated on February 21, 2007 (the "Purchase Plan") to add 1,500,000 shares to the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Purchase Plan. Our Board of Directors has conditioned its approval of the increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the Purchase Plan, upon the receipt of the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes duly cast at the Annual Meeting. If stockholders do not approve the amendment to the Purchase Plan, no shares will be added to the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Purchase Plan.

        Our named executive officers have an interest in this proposal as they are eligible to receive options to purchase shares under the Purchase Plan.

        Our Board of Directors believes that approval of the amendment is essential to our continued success, as the additional shares will enable us to continue to use the Purchase Plan to achieve employee performance, recruiting, retention and incentive goals. In particular, our Board of Directors believes that our employees are our most valuable assets and that the awards permitted under the Purchase Plan are vital to our ability to attract and retain outstanding and highly skilled individuals in the extremely competitive labor markets in which we compete. Such awards also are crucial to our ability to motivate employees to achieve our goals.

Vote Required; Recommendation of the Board of Directors

  Approval of the Amendment to the Purchase Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our Common Stock that are present in person or proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the approval of the Amendment to the 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the increase to the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder.

Summary of the 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

The following is a summary of the principal features of the Purchase Plan and its operation. The summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Purchase Plan, as amended giving effect to this Proposal Four, set forth in Appendix B.

General

 

The Purchase Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors in March 2006, and approved by our stockholders at the 2006 Annual Meeting. The purpose of the Purchase Plan is to provide employees with an opportunity to purchase shares of our Common Stock through payroll deductions.

Administration

 

The Board of Directors or a committee appointed by the Board of the Directors administers the Purchase Plan. All questions of interpretation or application of the Purchase Plan are determined by the administrator and its decisions are final, conclusive and binding upon all participants.

36


Table of Contents

Eligibility

 

Each of our employees or the employees of our designated subsidiaries who is a common law employee and whose customary employment with us or one of our designated subsidiaries is at least twenty hours per week and more than five months in a calendar year is eligible to participate in the Purchase Plan subject to the laws in which our designated subsidiaries operate; except that no employee shall be granted an option under the Purchase Plan (i) to the extent that, immediately after the grant, such employee would own 5% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our capital stock or the capital stock of one of the designated subsidiaries, or (ii) to the extent that his or her rights to purchase stock under all of our employee stock purchase plans accrues at a rate which exceeds $25,000 worth of stock (determined at the fair market value of the shares at the time such option is granted) for each calendar year.

Offering Period

 

Each offering period under the Purchase Plan will expire on the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the purchase of shares on the last exercise date occurring within twenty-four months of the offering date of such option, (ii) such shorter option period as may be determined by the administrator, or (iii) the date on which an eligible employee ceases to be a participant under the Purchase Plan. Each offering period will generally consist of a number of purchase periods after which shares will be purchased. Until the administrator determines otherwise, a purchase period will be approximately six months and run from May 1 to November 1 and November 1 to May 1. To participate in the Purchase Plan, an eligible employee must authorize payroll deductions pursuant to the Purchase Plan. Such payroll deductions may not be less than 1% and may not exceed 15% of a participant's compensation during the offering period. Once an employee becomes a participant in the Purchase Plan, the employee automatically will participate in each successive offering period until the employee withdraws from the Purchase Plan or the employee's employment with us or the designated subsidiaries terminates. At the beginning of each offering period, each participant automatically is granted an option to purchase shares of our Common Stock. The option expires at the end of the offering period or upon termination of employment, whichever is earlier, but is exercised at the end of each purchase period to the extent of the payroll deductions accumulated during such purchase period.

37


Table of Contents

Purchase Price

 

Shares of our Common Stock may be purchased under the Purchase Plan at a purchase price not less than 85% of the lesser of the fair market value of the common stock on (i) the first day of the offering period, or (ii) the last day of the purchase period. The fair market value of our Common Stock on any relevant date will be the closing price per share as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (NASDAQ), or the mean of the closing bid and asked prices, if no sales were reported, as quoted on such exchange or reported in The Wall Street Journal.

Payment of Purchase Price; Payroll Deductions

 

The purchase price of the shares is accumulated by payroll deductions throughout each purchase period. The number of shares of our Common Stock that a participant may purchase in each purchase period during an offering period will be determined by dividing the total amount of payroll deductions withheld from the participant's compensation during that purchase period by the purchase price; provided, however, that a participant may not purchase more than 5,000 shares each purchase period. During the offering period, a participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Purchase Plan, and may decrease or increase the rate of payroll deductions in an offering period within limits set by the administrator; provided, however, that unless the administrator determines otherwise, a participant may reduce, but not increase his or her contributions during a purchase period for that purchase period.

 

All payroll deductions made for a participant are credited to the participant's account under the Purchase Plan, are withheld in whole percentages only and are included with our general funds. Funds received by us pursuant to exercises under the Purchase Plan are also used for general corporate purposes. A participant may not make any additional payments into his or her account.

Withdrawal

 

Generally, a participant may withdraw from an offering period at any time by written or electronic notice without affecting his or her eligibility to participate in future offering periods. However, once a participant withdraws from a particular offering period, that participant may not participate again in the same offering period. To participate in a subsequent offering period, the participant must deliver to us a new subscription agreement.

38


Table of Contents

Termination of Employment

 

Upon termination of a participant's employment for any reason, including disability or death, he or she will be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the plan and the payroll deductions credited to the participant's account (to the extent not used to make a purchase of our Common Stock) will be returned to him or her or, in the case of death, to the person or persons entitled thereto as provided in the Purchase Plan, and such participant's option will automatically be terminated.

Adjustments upon Changes in Capitalization, Dissolution, Liquidation, or Change of Control

   

Changes in Capitalization

 

Subject to any required action by our stockholders, the number of shares reserved under the Purchase Plan, the maximum number of shares that may be purchased during any purchase period, as well as the price per share of common stock covered by each option under the Purchase Plan which has not yet been exercised shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of common stock resulting from any dividend or other distribution, recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange.

Dissolution or Liquidation

 

In the event of our proposed dissolution or liquidation, the administrator shall shorten any purchase periods and offering periods then in progress by setting a new exercise date and any offering periods shall end on the new exercise date. The new exercise date shall be prior to the dissolution or liquidation. If the administrator shortens any purchase periods and offering periods then in progress, the administrator shall notify each participant in writing, at least ten business days prior to the new exercise date, that the exercise date has been changed to the new exercise date and that the option will be exercised automatically on the new exercise date, unless the participant has already withdrawn from the offering period.

39


Table of Contents

Change of Control

 

In the event of any "change of control," as defined in the Purchase Plan, each option under the Purchase Plan shall be assumed or an equivalent option shall be substituted by such successor corporation or a parent or subsidiary of such successor corporation. In the event the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the options, the administrator shall shorten any purchase periods and offering periods then in progress by setting a new exercise date and any offering periods shall end on the new exercise date. The new exercise date shall be prior to the merger or change of control. If the administrator shortens any purchase periods and offering periods then in progress, the administrator shall notify each participant in writing, at least ten business days prior to the new exercise date, that the exercise date has been changed to the new exercise date and that the option will be exercised automatically on the new exercise date, unless the participant has already withdrawn from the offering period.

Amendment or Termination

 

Our administrator may at any time terminate or amend the Purchase Plan including the term of any offering period then outstanding. Generally, no such termination can adversely affect options previously granted.

Number of Shares Purchased by Certain Individuals and Groups

 

Given that the number of shares that may be purchased under the Purchase Plan is determined, in part, based on the Common Stock's market value at the beginning and end of each Offering Period (or upon a purchase date within an Offering Period) and given that participation in the Purchase Plan is voluntary on the part of employees, the actual number of shares that may be purchased by any individual is not determinable.

 

For illustrative purposes, the following table sets forth (a) the number of shares of Common Stock that were purchased under the Purchase Plan during 2013 by our named executive officers, our executive officers as a group, and by all employees, and (b) the weighted average per share purchase price paid for such shares by each such group.

Name of Individual Group
  Number of
Purchased
Shares
  Weighted
Average
Purchase Price
 

Named Executive Officers:

             

Ronald Black

    8,631   $ 4.92  

Satish Rishi

    4,960   $ 4.28  

Martin Scott

         

Jae Kim

         

Kevin Donnelly

    5,007   $ 4.29  

All executive officers, as a group

    18,598   $ 4.58  

All employees who are not executive officers, as a group

    1,044,685   $ 4.88  

40


Table of Contents

Federal Tax Aspects

  The following summary of the effect of federal income taxation upon the participant and us with respect to the shares purchased under the Purchase Plan does not purport to be complete, and does not discuss the tax consequences of a participant's death or the income tax laws of any state or foreign country in which the participant may reside.

 

The Purchase Plan, and the right of participants to make purchases thereunder, is intended to qualify under the provisions of Sections 421 and 423 of the Code. Under these provisions, no income will be taxable to a participant until the shares purchased under the Purchase Plan are sold or otherwise disposed of. Upon sale or other disposition of the shares, the participant will generally be subject to tax in an amount that depends upon the holding period. If the shares are sold or otherwise disposed of more than two years from the first day of the applicable offering period and one year from the applicable date of purchase, the participant will recognize ordinary income measured as the lesser of (i) the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of such sale or disposition over the purchase price, or (ii) an amount equal to 15% of the fair market value of the shares as of the first day of the applicable offering period. Any additional gain will be treated as long-term capital gain. If the shares are sold or otherwise disposed of before the expiration of these holding periods, the participant will recognize ordinary income generally measured as the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the date the shares are purchased over the purchase price. Any additional gain or loss on such sale or disposition will be long-term or short-term capital gain or loss, depending on how long the shares have been held from the date of purchase. We generally are not entitled to a deduction for amounts taxed as ordinary income or capital gain to a participant except to the extent of ordinary income recognized by participants upon a sale or disposition of shares prior to the expiration of the holding periods described above.

 

The foregoing is only a summary of the effect of federal income taxation upon participants and us with respect to the grant and exercise of awards under the Purchase Plan. It does not purport to be complete, and does not discuss the tax consequences of a participant's death or the provisions of the income tax laws of any municipality, state or foreign country in which the participant may reside.

41


Table of Contents

PROPOSAL FIVE:
RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

        The Audit Committee has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm to Rambus to audit our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014.

        Although ratification by stockholders is not required by law, the Audit Committee has conditioned its appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm upon the receipt of the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes duly cast at the Annual Meeting.

        Notwithstanding its selection, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may hire a new independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee believes that such a change would be in the best interest of Rambus and its stockholders.

Our History with PricewaterhouseCoopers

  PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (or its predecessor, Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.) has audited our financial statements since 1991. Representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting to respond to appropriate questions and to make a statement if they so desire.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

The aggregate fees billed for professional accounting services by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2013, and December 31, 2012 are as follows:

 

 
   
  Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2013
  Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2012
 

  Audit Fees(1)   $ 1,693,249   $ 1,412,141  

  Audit-Related Fees(2)   $   $ 132,129  

  Tax Fees(3)   $ 54,247   $ 33,042  

  All Other Fees(4)   $ 3,300   $ 3,300  
               

  Total Fees   $ 1,750,796   $ 1,580,612  
               
               

42


Table of Contents

 

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and the Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  The Audit Committee's policy is to pre-approve 100% of all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval is generally provided for up to one year and any pre-approval is detailed as to the particular service or category of services and is generally subject to a specific budget. The independent registered public accounting firm and management are required to periodically report to the Audit Committee regarding the extent of services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm in accordance with this pre-approval, and the fees for the services performed to date. The Audit Committee may also pre-approve particular services on a case-by-case basis.

Independence of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

The Audit Committee has determined that the accounting advice and tax services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP are compatible with maintaining PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's independence.

Vote Required

 

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be required to ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

The Board unanimously recommends that you vote "FOR" the ratification of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014.

43


Table of Contents

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

        The following table provides information as of December 31, 2013 with respect to the shares of our Common Stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans.

Plan Category
  (A)
Number of
Securities to be
Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Awards,
Options,
Warrants and
Rights
  (B)
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price of
Outstanding
Awards,
Options,
Warrants and
Rights
  (C)
Number of
Securities
Remaining
Available for
Future
Issuance under
Equity
Compensation
Plans
(Excluding
Securities
Reflected in
Column A)
 

Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders(1)

    12,006,795   $ 10.72     2,546,660  
                 

Total

    12,006,795   $ 10.72     2,546,660  

(1)
Data reflects our 1997 Stock Plan (the "1997 Plan") and 2006 Stock Plans (the "2006 Plans", which includes the Incentive Plan and Purchase Plan).

44


Table of Contents

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

        Under the proxy rules of the SEC, a person who directly or indirectly has or shares voting power or investment power with respect to a security is considered a beneficial owner of the security. Voting power is the power to vote or direct the voting of shares, and investment power is the power to dispose of or direct the disposition of shares. Shares as to which voting power or investment power may be acquired within 60 days are also considered as beneficially owned under the proxy rules.

        The following table sets forth certain information as of February 28, 2014, regarding beneficial ownership of our Common Stock by: (i) each person who is known to us to own beneficially more than five percent of our Common Stock; (ii) each of our current directors; (iii) each of the named executive officers in the Summary Compensation Table of this annual report; and (iv) the total for our current directors and current executive officers as a group. The information on beneficial ownership in the table and the footnotes is based upon our records and the most recent Schedule 13D or 13G filed by each such person or entity and information supplied to us by such person or entity. Unless otherwise indicated, each person has sole voting power and sole investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where applicable. Shares subject to options which are exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2014 are deemed to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding such options for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such person, but are not deemed to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

45


Table of Contents


SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

Name or Group of Beneficial Owners
  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
  Options
Exercisable
in
60 days
  Percentage of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(1)
 

FMR LLC(2)

    11,788,381         10.4 %

245 Summer Street

                   

Boston, MA 02210

                   

Waddell & Reed Financial(3)

    8,923,029           7.9 %

6300 Lamar Avenue

                   

Overland Park, KS 66202

                   

PRIMECAP Management Company(4)

    8,622,322         7.6 %

225 South Lake Avenue, #400

                   

Pasadena, CA 91101

                   

The Vanguard Group(5)

    6,855,933         6.0 %

100 Vanguard Boulevard

                   

Malvern, PA 19355

                   

BlackRock, Inc(6)

    6,272,165         5.5 %

40 East 52nd Street

                   

New York, NY 10022

                   

Ronald Black

    325,716     302,321     *  

Satish Rishi(7)

    627,221     486,573     *  

Martin Scott

    425,552     365,097     *  

Jae Kim

    45,787     39,709     *  

Kevin Donnelly

    413,346     337,137     *  

Laura Stark

    382,627     320,257     *  

J. Thomas Bentley(8)

    196,613     92,917     *  

Penelope A. Herscher(9)

    100,799     60,000     *  

Charles Kissner(10)

    29,166     16,666     *  

David Shrigley

    126,613     60,000     *  

Eric Stang(11)

    86,613     40,000     *  

All current directors and executive officers as a group (11 persons)

    2,760,053     2,120,677     2.4 %

Shares Outstanding as of February 28, 2014

                113,656,508  

*
(Less than 1%)

(1)
Percentage of shares beneficially owned is based on 113,656,508 shares outstanding as of February 28, 2014.

(2)
As reported on Schedule 13G/A on February 14, 2014. The Schedule 13G/A was filed jointly on behalf of FMR LLC, Edward C. Johnson 3d, Fidelity Management & Research Company and Fidelity Growth Company Fund in connection with the beneficial ownership of the Common Stock of Rambus Incorporated.

(3)
As reported on Schedule 13G on February 7, 2014. The Schedule 13G was filed jointly on behalf of Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., Waddell & Reed Financial Services, Inc., Waddell & Reed, Inc., Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company and Ivy Investment Management Company in connection with the beneficial ownership of the Common Stock of Rambus Incorporated.

(4)
As reported on Schedule 13G/A on February 14, 2014.

(5)
As reported on Schedule 13G/A on February 12, 2014.

46


Table of Contents

(6)
As reported on Schedule 13G/A on January 30, 2014.

(7)
Includes 700 shares held in custodial account for which Mr. Rishi serves as custodian and 3,000 shares held in trust for which Mr. Rishi serves as a trustee.

(8)
Includes 76,613 shares held in trust for which Mr. Bentley serves as a trustee and 20,000 shares held in partnership for which Mr. Bentley serves as a partner.

(9)
Includes 40,799 shares held in trust for which Ms. Herscher serves as a trustee.

(10)
Includes 12,500 shares held under an LLC for which Mr. Kissner serves as owner.

(11)
Includes 46,613 shares held in trust for which Mr. Stang serves as a trustee.

47


Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY

        Information regarding our executive officers and their ages and positions as of February 28, 2014, is contained in the table below. Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, our Board of Directors. There is no family relationship between any of our executive officers.

Ronald Black, Ph.D. 

    50   Chief Executive Officer and President. Dr. Black has served as our chief executive officer and president since June 2012 and as a director since July 2012. Dr. Black was previously the Managing Director of R.D. Black & Company, a consulting firm, since August 2011. From September 2010 to August 2011, Dr. Black was the Chief Executive Officer of MobiWire, formerly Sagem Wireless, a privately-held mobile handset company headquartered near Paris, France that offers products and services to original equipment manufacturers and mobile network operators in the mobile phone marketplace. From June 2009 to October 2010, Dr. Black served as Chairman and CEO of UPEK, Inc. Dr. Black currently serves as a board member EnOcean GmbH, a German-based company that manufactures and markets energy harvesting technology, sensors, and radio frequency communication. From September 2010 to November 2012, he served as a board member of AuthenTec, Inc., which he joined following the AuthenTec-UPEK merger in September 2010 and from 2007 to 2013, he served as a board member of Inside Contactless, a France-based company engaged in the semiconductors and information technology industry. From September 2004 to June 2009, he was chief executive officer of Wavecom S.A., a publicly traded French wireless solutions company. Dr. Black holds a Bachelor of Science, a Masters of Science, and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Kevin Donnelly

   
52
 

Senior Vice President, GM, Memory & Interfaces. Mr. Donnelly joined us in 1993. Mr. Donnelly has served in his current position since August 2012. From November 2008 to August 2012, Mr. Donnelly served as Senior Vice President, IP Strategy, from March 2006 to November 2008, as Senior Vice President, Engineering and from January 2005 to March 2006, as co-vice president of Engineering. From October 2002 to January 2005 he served as vice president, Logic Interface Division. Mr. Donnelly held various engineering and management positions before becoming vice president, Logic Interface Division in October 2002. Before joining us, Mr. Donnelly held engineering positions at National Semiconductor, Sipex, and Memorex, over an eight year period. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University.

48


Table of Contents

Jae Kim

    43  

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. Kim has served as the senior vice president, general counsel and secretary since February 2013 and as our vice president, corporate legal since joining us in July 2010. Prior to his tenure at Rambus, Mr. Kim held senior legal positions at Aricent Inc., a privately-held communications technology company and Electronics for Imaging Inc., a digital printing technology company. Mr. Kim has also had significant experience in private practice with the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., where he advised high technology and emerging growth companies on mergers and acquisitions, private financings, public offerings, securities compliance, public company reporting and corporate governance. Mr. Kim began his legal career as an attorney with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Corporation Finance, in Washington, DC. Mr. Kim is a member of both the California State Bar and New York State Bar, and received a J.D. from the American University, Washington College of Law, and his bachelor's degree from Boston University.

Satish Rishi

   
54
 

Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Rishi joined us in his current position in April 2006. Prior to joining us, Mr. Rishi held the position of executive vice president of Finance and chief financial officer of Toppan Photomasks, Inc., (formerly DuPont Photomasks, Inc.) one of the world's leading photomask providers, from November 2001 to April 2006. During his 27-year career, Mr. Rishi has held senior financial management positions at semiconductor and electronic manufacturing companies. He served as vice president and assistant treasurer at Dell Inc. Prior to Dell, Mr. Rishi spent 13 years at Intel Corporation, where he held financial management positions both in the United States and overseas, including assistant treasurer. Mr. Rishi holds a B.S. with honors in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi University in Delhi, India and an M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business. He also serves as a director of Measurement Specialties, Inc.

49


Table of Contents

Martin Scott, Ph.D. 

    58  

Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Scott has served in his current position since August 2012. From August 2010 until August 2012, Dr. Scott served as our Senior Vice President, GM, New Business Group and from December 2006 to August 2010, as our Senior Vice President, Engineering. Dr. Scott joined us from PMC-Sierra, Inc., a provider of broadband communications and storage integrated circuits, where he was most recently vice president and general manager of its Microprocessor Products Division from March 2006. Dr. Scott was the vice president and general manager for the I/O Solutions Division (which was purchased by PMC-Sierra) of Avago Technologies Limited, an analog and mixed signal semiconductor components and subsystem company, from October 2005 to March 2006. Dr. Scott held various positions at Agilent Technologies, including as vice president and general manager for the I/O Solutions division from October 2004 to October 2005, when the division was purchased by Avago Technologies, vice president and general manager of the ASSP Division from March 2002 until October 2004, and, before that, Network Products operation manager. Dr. Scott started his career in 1981 as a member of the technical staff at Hewlett Packard Laboratories and held various management positions at Hewlett Packard and was appointed ASIC business unit manager in 1998. He earned a B.S. from Rice University and holds both an M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Laura Stark

   
45
 

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and M&A. Ms. Stark has served in her current position since August 2012. From April 2008 to August 2012, Ms. Stark served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, from February 2005 to April 2008 as Senior Vice President, Platform Solutions and from October 2002 to February 2005 as vice president, Memory Interface Division. Ms. Stark held various business and management positions before becoming vice president, Memory Interface Division in October 2002. Prior to joining us, Ms. Stark held various positions in the semiconductor products division of Motorola, a communications equipment company, during a six year tenure, including technical sales engineer for the Apple sales team and field application engineer for the Sun and SGI sales teams. Ms. Stark holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

50


Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

        This Compensation Discussion and Analysis ("CD&A") describes our 2013 compensation policies, programs, and decisions for our Named Executive Officers ("NEOs"). Our named executive officers for 2013 were:

        This report is organized as follows:


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

        In 2013, we signed patent license agreements with customers for aggregate revenues of up to $1.2 billion to be paid over the next ten years. We put behind us years of legal disputes, settling all outstanding litigation with SK hynix and Micron, and entering into license agreements with each of them, as we did with Samsung in 2010. In addition, we re-signed Samsung and extended the term of the patent license to 2023. We also entered into license agreements with ST Microelectronics and LSI Logic which resolved all outstanding litigation initiated in 2010 with the International Trade Commission. Our 2013 business results included:

51


Table of Contents

        The advisory vote on executive compensation at our 2013 annual meeting received 91% favorable votes from our shareholders. The Compensation Committee is committed to ensuring that the Company's compensation programs are consistent with the Company's pay for performance philosophy and deliver appropriate results given Company financial performance and business conditions. Based on discussions in 2013 with representative shareholders, we believe a majority of favorable votes were cast at our 2013 annual meeting to express satisfaction with our pay for performance philosophy, our new executive leadership and the potential for the recovery of our stock price that did in fact begin in 2013. During the course of our 2013 proxy season, we continued to engage in ongoing discussions with institutional investors to gather input and feedback on our executive compensation program. Shareholder feedback will remain an important input into the Compensation Committee's work on the compensation programs for the Company.


OUR COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY—PAY FOR PERFORMANCE

        Our NEO compensation program is designed to align NEO compensation to business objectives and company financial performance and to motivate NEOs to enhance long-term shareholder value. The principal components of our executive compensation in 2013 were equity incentive awards, base salary and annual variable cash incentive awards. By allocating a significant portion of NEO total compensation to equity incentive compensation and variable pay, more than 72% for our CEO and at least 59% of our NEOs 2013 total actual direct compensation was subject to the Company's financial performance and share price growth. 2013 equity incentive awards for our NEOs consisted primarily of time-based stock options. As a result, our executives will realize value from these annual equity compensation grants only to the extent that our shareholders experience increases in share price. RSU grants were also made to our CEO and General Counsel for specific reasons outlined later in this CD&A.

52


Table of Contents

        The table below provides a summary of compensation for the NEOs over the last three years. In 2013, average NEO compensation increased by 25%, while our stock price increased by 81%.


Total NEO Pay for Performance(1)

GRAPHIC


(1)
Excludes CEO compensation—it is non-comparable between the each of the years shown as Dr. Black received new hire stock options in 2012. Total NEO compensation for each of the years shown in the chart is for individuals who are NEOs for the respective year and who are employed as of the respective fiscal year end.

53


Table of Contents

        For 2013, we measured our annual financial performance using pro forma operating income (described in more detail in the "Components of NEO Compensation" section). Pro forma operating income is a non-GAAP measure that we believe is a meaningful measure of the Company's core financial performance that supports our short-term and long-term business objectives. The total 2013 NEO annual CIP incentive payout pool was funded at 130% of the target bonus amount pursuant to the CIP.


Alignment of Annual Bonus Payments with Performance
2012-2013

GRAPHIC

54


Table of Contents

        Since the pay mix for our NEOs is heavily weighted towards options, our NEOs experience growth in the realizable value of their awards only when the share price increases. We define realizable value of an option as the difference between the current share price and the exercise price of the option and we define realizable value of an RSU as simply the share price, rather than the grant date fair value (GDFV) as calculated for the Grants of Plan Based Awards Table.

        From January 2, 2013 to December 31, 2013, our stock price increased 81% (from a closing price on NASDAQ of $5.24 on January 2, 2013 to a closing price on NASDAQ of $9.47 on December 31, 2013). The chart below shows the percentage change in the daily closing price of a share of our common stock on NASDAQ from January 2, 2013 through December 31, 2013, using the January 2, 2013 closing price as the base price.


Rambus Stock Price Percentage Change
1/2/2013 - 12/31/2013

GRAPHIC

55


Table of Contents

        The realizable value of our NEOs option awards has increased accordingly. The chart below illustrates how the realizable value from the FY2012 annual option awards as of December 31, 2013 is lower than the reported GDFV while the realizable value of the FY2013 annual option awards as of December 31, 2013 is higher than the reported GDFV. In total, the sum of the GDFV ($6.21 per option) aligns to the realizable value as of December 31, 2013 ($6.17 per option), signifying that the awards are delivering approximately the value that was reported in the proxy as compensation. We believe that this relationship is appropriate given the increase in share price during 2013.


Realizable Value of Annual Option Awards

GRAPHIC


NEO COMPENSATION PROCESS

        The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining and approving CEO compensation, approving compensation recommendations for NEOs, recommending to the Board changes to the non-employee director compensation program, approving the overall levels of equity to be granted each year, and determining the amount of funding that will be available for CIP, among other duties expressed in its charter. In performing these duties, the Compensation Committee evaluates the performance of the CEO, and reviews and evaluates the existing NEO compensation programs. The Compensation Committee has the authority to obtain advice and assistance from internal or external compensation consultants, attorneys, accountants, and other advisers. In 2013, the Compensation Committee continued to retain Semler Brossy Consulting Group, LLC (SBCG) to assist in evaluating executive and director compensation. SBCG reports directly to the Compensation Committee, and works collaboratively with management and the Compensation Committee. Pursuant to SEC rules, the Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of SBCG, and concluded that no conflict of interest exists that would prevent SBCG from independently representing the Compensation Committee. SBCG does not perform other services for the Company, and will not do so without the prior consent of the Compensation Committee. SBCG meets with the Compensation Committee outside the presence of management.

56


Table of Contents

        In 2013, the Compensation Committee considered several factors to ensure that compensation packages were consistent with our pay for performance philosophy and that we remain competitive in the market for talent. Market compensation levels and individual leadership and performance assessments were important factors considered in the decision-making process. Additional factors considered included job scope, individual skills/experience, relative importance of the individual's role, internal pay equity, historical pay levels and equity holdings, and recent Company performance.

        In 2013, the Compensation Committee reviewed comprehensive performance assessments of the NEOs and conducted a review of the CEO's performance. This assessment included pre-established strategic objectives and review of direct feedback from managers, peers and subordinates. The Compensation Committee also held an annual joint meeting with the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee to review and discuss Company leadership development, performance objectives and emergency and long-term succession planning.

        Each year, the CEO and the Senior Vice President of Human Resources present to the Compensation Committee annual performance reviews and compensation recommendations for the NEOs. Management personnel works with SBCG to prepare compensation information and assessments.

        In addition, once the Compensation Committee determines the amount of funding available for CIP, the CEO allocates this funding to each operating or business unit of the Company. The CEO then measures the operating or business unit's achievement levels against the unit's specific performance milestones in relation to the Company's overall performance targets, and recommends a specific CIP award for each NEO. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the CEO's proposed CIP award for each NEO.

        Each year, SBCG, together with senior members of our Human Resources department, defines and assesses the appropriateness of a group of similarly situated companies, referred to as the Compensation Peer Group, for purposes of assisting the Compensation Committee to determine whether the total compensation opportunity available to our NEOs is appropriate and competitive. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the Compensation Peer Group as recommended by management and SBCG. The 2013 Compensation Peer Group consisted of 16 companies selected based on a number of key attributes, including revenue, technological complexity, industry and business characteristics, market capitalization and number of employees.

Applied Micro Circuits Corporation   Integrated Device Technology, Inc.   Ruckus Wireless Inc.
Cavium Networks, Inc.   Integrated Silicon Solution   Semtech Corporation
Cymer, Inc.   Monolithic Power Systems   Silicon Image, Inc.
DSP Group, Inc.   InterDigital, Inc.   Silicon Laboratories Inc.
FormFactor, Inc.   OmniVision Technologies, Inc.   Tessera Technologies, Inc.
    PMC-Sierra, Inc.    

        The Compensation Committee also reviewed data from the Radford Select Executive Compensation Report to supplement the publicly available Compensation Peer Group data.

        The Board of Directors annually evaluates the independence of its members as well as the members of its committees.

57


Table of Contents


COMPONENTS OF NEO COMPENSATION

        The Company's executive compensation program consists of the following components:

        The Compensation Committee evaluates base salaries for the NEOs on an annual basis. The Compensation Committee considers a number of factors, including the NEO's salary history, current compensation levels, responsibilities, experience, individual and Company performance, and market information when determining and approving NEO salary increases. The Compensation Committee also reviews potential changes in CIP and equity payouts when considering changes in base salary.

        For 2013, the Compensation Committee approved no increases in the base salary for our NEOs.

        For 2014, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in the base salary for Mr. Kim to reflect superior individual performance as well as a recent upward trend in compensation levels for general counsels among our peers. No other NEOs received increases in base salary levels for 2014.

        For 2013, the CIP provided cash incentives to NEOs based upon the achievement of specific levels of Company performance. The CIP is used for all eligible employees at the Company. The total target opportunity for NEOs under the 2013 CIP was based on Company performance as measured against the established operating targets.

        For 2013, the Compensation Committee approved no increases in target annual cash incentives for our NEOs.

        For 2014, the Compensation Committee approved increases in target annual cash incentives for Dr. Black, Mr. Donnelly and Mr. Kim. These increases were made to reflect individual performance as well as recent market trends.

        We used pro forma operating income as the measurement of the Company's financial performance for the purposes of the 2013 CIP. Pro forma operating income is a non-GAAP measure that consists of GAAP operating income, excluding stock-based compensation expense, amortization expense, costs of restatement and related legal expenses, certain acquisition related expenses, retention bonuses and certain other one-time or extraordinary expenses or credits. One-time or extraordinary expense or income items may be excluded at the Compensation Committee's discretion. The Company believes that pro forma operating income provided a meaningful measure of core financial performance and supports our short-term and long-term business objectives.

        In 2013, the NEOs participated in the 2013 CIP for their annual variable cash compensation on the same terms as other participants.

        2013 pro forma operating income was $98.8 million, above the annual target of $76.0 million. Based on the Company's financial performance, the CIP was funded at 130% of target. CIP payouts for NEOs ranged from 121% to 175% of target.

58


Table of Contents


2013 CIP Payouts

2013 CIP Target   2013 CIP Payouts  
Executive
  2013 CIP
Target
  % of
Base
Salary
  Total 2013
CIP Payout
  % of Total
Target
CIP
 

Ronald Black

  $ 515,000     100.0 % $ 669,500     130.0 %

Satish Rishi

  $ 280,000     86.2 % $ 364,000     130.0 %

Martin Scott

  $ 310,000     92.5 % $ 375,100     121.0 %

Jae Kim

  $ 200,000     72.7 % $ 350,000     175.0 %

Kevin Donnelly

  $ 220,000     73.3 % $ 295,900     134.5 %

        The Compensation Committee reviews market information, external competitive circumstances, overall ownership and vesting schedules of existing equity held by the NEO and each NEO's performance and contribution during the completed fiscal year to determine annual equity awards.

        The Compensation Committee annually evaluates the structure of the equity compensation program, including the type of awards used and the allocation of stock options and restricted stock units to ensure that grants appropriately support our strategic and financial objectives.

        NEO annual equity awards granted in February 2013 were in the form of stock options, moving away from the previous practice of an allocation between stock options and RSUs. In determining these grants, the Compensation Committee considered a number of factors, consistent with the approach described above, including particular focus on individual performance and the stock price levels.

        NEO annual equity awards granted in February 2014 were in the form of stock options. In determining these grants, the Compensation Committee considered, among other factors, each NEO's performance in 2013, as well as the significant increase in our stock price during this period.

        Dr. Black received an award of 44,292 RSUs in February 2013, pursuant to the Compensation Committee's request that Dr. Black's 2012 CIP payout be denominated in RSUs instead of cash.

        Mr. Kim received an award of 5,000 RSUs in February 2013, prior to his appointment as General Counsel. This award was an annual award in his former position as Vice President of Corporate Legal.


OTHER POLICIES AND ELEMENTS OF NEO COMPENSATION

        We do not provide any perquisites to NEOs that are not generally available to the broad employee population (certain exceptions are discussed below). Our NEOs are eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan, our health and welfare benefits, our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and our User-Owned Personal Computing Devices reimbursement program, on the same terms as other eligible employees.

        The Compensation Committee updated our stock ownership guidelines on July 25, 2013. Our executives are required to hold 50% of shares realized upon vesting or exercise of equity awards until they reach the required levels of 5x base salary for the CEO and 3x base salary for the other executive

59


Table of Contents

officers. For purposes of these guidelines, ownership includes shares owned outright, unvested restricted stock and restricted stock units, and the value of vested and unexercised stock options. All of our NEOs were in compliance with this policy in 2013.

        As stated in our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, all of our employees and directors are prohibited from engaging in hedging transactions in Rambus shares, such as short sales and purchases of put options.

        Annual equity awards are granted at the closing price on February 1st of each year. If February 1st is not a trading day, the grants become effective and are priced as of the next trading day. The number of shares and key award terms of awards to NEOs are approved by the Compensation Committee prior to the February 1st award date.

        The Compensation Committee reserves the right to reduce or withhold future compensation based on any required restatement or adjustment, and to determine the extent to which recovery of prior compensation may be pursued in the event of future adjustments caused by fraud on the part of an executive of Rambus. The Compensation Committee will adopt a policy that complies with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act when such rules are promulgated.

        Under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, a corporation cannot deduct compensation it pays to its Chief Executive Officer and certain other executive officers in excess of $1 million. Compensation that qualifies as "performance-based," however, is excluded from the $1 million limit if, among other requirements, the compensation is payable only upon attainment of pre-established, objective performance goals under a plan that has been approved by the corporation's shareholders. The Compensation Committee considers the potential future effects of Section 162(m) when determining NEO compensation. All of the stock options granted to our NEOs are intended to qualify under Section 162(m) as performance-based compensation. Nonetheless, from time to time, the Compensation Committee does approve compensation to our NEOs that does not satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m) when it believes that other considerations outweigh the tax deductibility of the compensation. For example, earned RSUs and annual variable cash awards paid to our NEOs under our current annual incentive plan may not be deductible in the future, as these awards may not qualify as "performance-based compensation" for purposes of Section 162(m). We believe these awards and payouts were appropriate in 2013 for retention purposes in light of individual performance as well as market compensation trends, as discussed in this CD&A. The Compensation Committee intends to continue evaluating all of our executive compensation and may qualify such compensation as performance based compensation under Section 162(m) to the extent applicable, and so long as the Compensation Committee determines that doing so is in the Company's best interests.

        The Compensation Committee annually reviews the elements of named executive compensation to determine whether any portion of the overall program encourages excessive risk taking. The Committee's current assessment is that although the majority of compensation provided to our NEOs is performance-based, our compensation programs do not encourage excessive or unnecessary risk taking.

60


Table of Contents

The Committee believes that the design of these compensation programs encourages our NEOs to remain focused on both short-term and long-term strategic goals.

        Other best practice principles reflected in our compensation programs include:


COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

        Our Compensation Committee, as of February 2014, reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management and, based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this report.

  THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

 

Penelope A. Herscher (Chairperson)
Charles Kissner

61


Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES
Summary Compensation Table

        The following table shows compensation information for 2011, 2012 and 2013 for the named executive officers.

Summary Compensation
For Fiscal Years 2011, 2012 and 2013

Name and Title
  Year   Salary
($)
  Stock
Awards(1)
($)
  Option
Awards(1)
($)
  Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation(2)
($)
  All Other
Compensation(3)
($)
  Total
($)
 

Ronald Black

    2013     515,000     241,834 (4)   443,251     669,500     17,809     1,887,394  

Chief Executive Officer and President

    2012 (5)   267,403         2,166,693     268,078     24,267     2,726,441  

Satish Rishi

   
2013
   
325,000
   
   
116,645
   
364,000
   
9,090
   
814,735
 

Senior Vice President, Finance and

    2012     325,000     43,860     195,278     79,828     28,987     672,953  

Chief Financial Officer

    2011     325,000     167,440     379,040     458,413     29,528     1,359,421  

Martin Scott

   
2013
   
335,000
   
   
139,974
   
375,100
   
7,650
   
857,724
 

Senior Vice President and Chief

    2012     334,167     51,170     230,655     86,825     29,635     732,452  

Technology Officer

    2011     324,583     209,300     433,188     464,194     30,122     1,461,387  

Jae Kim

   
2013

(6)
 
272,083
   
27,300
   
93,316
   
350,000
   
9,090
   
751,789
 

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

                                           

Kevin Donnelly

   
2013

(6)
 
300,000
   
   
139,974
   
295,900
   
9,090
   
744,964
 

Senior Vice President, GM Memory & Interfaces

                                           

(1)
The amounts shown are the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718. The assumptions used to calculate the value of stock and stock option awards are set forth under Note 13 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

(2)
Amounts for fiscal year 2013 consist of compensation earned for services rendered in fiscal year 2013 and are based upon the achievement of certain targets under the 2013 Corporate Incentive Plan targets. The target and achievement results were reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee. The plan is further described under "Compensation Discussion & Analysis—Executive Compensation Components."

(3)
For Dr. Black, this consists of $9,759 in relocation expenses and $8,050 in other compensation for 2013. The details of the other compensation for Dr. Black and the other NEOs for 2013 are described in this Proxy Statement under "Compensation Disclosure and Analysis"—"Other Policies and Elements of NEO Compensation," "Benefits," and "Other Compensation and Governance Policies."

(4)
$232,976 of Dr. Black's non-equity incentive plan compensation for 2012 was paid in stock awards that vest over three years. These stock awards were granted on February 1, 2013 with a grant date fair value of $5.46 per share.

(5)
Dr. Black was appointed CEO of the Company during 2012.

(6)
Not a named executive officer in 2012 and 2011.

62


Table of Contents


Grants of Plan Based Awards

        The following table shows all plan-based awards granted to the named executive officers during fiscal year 2013. The option awards and the unvested portion of the stock awards identified in the table below are also reported in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2013 Year End Table that follows.

Grants of Plan Based Awards

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  All Other
Stock
Awards;
Number of
Shares or
Stock
Units(2)
(#)
  All Other
Option
Awards;
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options(3)
(#)
   
   
 
 
   
   
  Estimated Future Payouts
Under Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Awards(1)
  Estimated Future Payments
Under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards
  Exercise
or Base
Price of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)
  Grant Date
Fair Value
of
Stock &
Option
Awards(4)
($)
 
Name
  Grant
Date
  Approval
Date
  Threshold
($)
  Target
($)
  Maximum
($)
  Threshold
(#)
  Target
(#)
  Maximum
(#)
 

Ronald Black

    2/1/2013     1/17/2013                             44,292         0.00     241,834  

    2/1/2013     1/25/2013                                 190,000     5.46     443,251  

        1/25/2013     N/A     515,000     1,030,000                                            

Satish Rishi

   
2/1/2013
   
1/17/2013
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
50,000
   
5.46
   
116,645
 

        1/17/2013     N/A     280,000     560,000                                            

Martin Scott

   
2/1/2013
   
1/17/2013
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
60,000
   
5.46
   
139,974
 

        1/17/2013     N/A     310,000     620,000                                            

Jae Kim

   
2/1/2013
   
1/17/2013
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5,000
   
   
0.00
   
27,300
 

    2/1/2013     1/30/2013                                 25,000     5.46     58,323  

    2/1/2013     1/17/2013                                 15,000     5.46     34,994  

        1/30/2013     N/A     200,000     400,000                                            

Kevin Donnelly

   
2/1/2013
   
1/17/2013
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
60,000
   
5.46
   
139,974
 

        1/17/2013     N/A     220,000     440,000                                            

(1)
Amounts shown are estimated payouts for fiscal year 2013 to the named executive officers based on the 2013 CIP targets under the plan discussed under "Compensation Discussion & Analysis—Components of NEO Compensation." Actual CIP awards received by these named executive officers for fiscal 2013 are reported in the Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Year 2013 under the column entitled "Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation" and described under "Compensation Discussion & Analysis—Components of NEO Compensation." There are no threshold payment amounts under CIP.

(2)
Restricted stock units were granted to the CEO and General Counsel on February 1, 2013.

(3)
The stock options were granted as part of the Company's regular performance review process and vest based on the executive continuing to provide services to the Company through the applicable vesting dates. See the "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" and "Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End" for additional information with respect to these stock option grants.

(4)
The value of a stock award or stock option award is based on the fair market value as of the grant date of such award determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718. Stock awards consist of restricted stock unit awards. The exercise price for all options granted to the named executive officers is 100% of the fair market value of the shares on the grant date. The option exercise price has not been deducted from the amounts indicated above. Regardless of the value placed on a stock option on the grant date, the actual value of the option will depend on the market value of our Common Stock at such date in the future when the option is exercised and exceeds the exercise price.


Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

        The following table shows all outstanding equity awards held by the named executive officers as of December 31, 2013. Unvested stock awards reported in the Grants of Plan Based Awards table above are also included in the table below.

63


Table of Contents

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2013 Year End

Name
  # of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
  # of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
  Option
Exercise
Price ($)
  Option
Expiration
Date
  # of Shares
or Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested (#)
  Market Value
of Shares or
Units of
Stock
that Have
Not
Vested(1)($)
  Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
# of Unearned
Shares, Units
or Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested (#)
  Equity Incentive
Plan Awards:
Market or
Payout Value of
Unearned
Shares, Units or
Other Rights
That Have Not
Vested ($)
 

Ronald Black

            0.00         44,292 (2)   419,445          

    35,285 (3)   154,715     5.46     2/1/2023                  

    199,750 (4)   395,250     5.76     7/2/2022                  

        297,500 (5)   5.76     7/2/2022                  

        297,500 (6)   5.76     7/2/2022                  

Satish Rishi

   
9,285

(3)
 
40,715
   
5.46
   
2/1/2023
   
   
   
   
 

        45,000 (7)   4.13     8/1/2022                  

        45,000 (8)   4.13     8/1/2022                  

    19,928 (9)   25,072     7.31     2/1/2022                  

            0.00         4,500 (10)   42,615          

    19,833 (11)   15,167     20.93     2/1/2021                  

            0.00         4,000 (12)   37,880          

    24,533 (13)   7,467     22.72     2/1/2020                  

            0.00         2,000 (14)   18,940          

    39,038 (15)   1,347     8.55     2/2/2019                  

    40,000 (16)       19.86     2/1/2018                  

    100,000 (17)       18.69     2/1/2017                  

    220,000 (18)       40.80     4/11/2016                  

Martin Scott

   
11,142

(3)
 
48,858
   
5.46
   
2/1/2023
   
   
   
   
 

        80,000 (7)   4.13     8/1/2022                  

        80,000 (8)   4.13     8/1/2022                  

    22,142 (9)   27,858     7.31     2/1/2022                  

            0.00         5,250 (10)   49,718          

    22,666 (11)   17,334     20.93     2/1/2021                  

            0.00         5,000 (12)   47,350          

    24,533 (13)   7,467     22.72     2/1/2020                  

            0.00         2,000 (14)   18,940          

    39,038 (15)   1,347     8.55     2/2/2019                  

    30,000 (16)       19.86     2/1/2018                  

    200,000 (19)       19.16     1/3/2017                  

Jae Kim

   
7,427

(3)
 
32,573
   
5.46
   
2/1/2023
   
   
   
   
 

            0.00         5,000 (20)   47,350          

    11,764 (21)   11,765     5.63     8/2/2020                  

    5,357 (21)   5,357     5.63     2/1/2021                  

    6,642 (9)   8,358     7.31     2/1/2022                  

            0.00         3,000 (10)   28,410          

            0.00         2,000 (12)   18,940          

            0.00         5,000 (22)   47,350          

Kevin Donnelly

   
11,142

(3)
 
48,858
   
5.46
   
2/1/2023
   
   
   
   
 

        45,000 (7)   4.13     8/1/2022                  

        45,000 (8)   4.13     8/1/2022                  

    17,714 (9)   22,286     7.31     2/1/2022                  

            0.00         3,750 (10)   35,513          

    17,000 (11)   13,000     20.93     2/1/2021                  

            0.00         3,750 (12)   35,513          

    17,633 (13)   5,367     22.72     2/1/2020                  

            0.00         1,279 (14)   12,112          

    25,659 (15)   885     8.55     2/2/2019                  

    30,000 (16)       19.86     2/1/2018                  

    60,000 (17)       18.69     2/1/2017                  

    70,000 (23)       22.94     1/6/2016                  

    75,000 (24)       24.04     12/3/2014                  

(1)
The market value is calculated using the closing price of our Common Stock of $9.47 on December 31, 2013 (the last trading day of 2013), as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (NASDAQ), multiplied by the unvested stock amount.

(2)
The restricted stock units were granted on February 1, 2013. 1/3rd of the total shares granted will vest annually until fully vested on February 1, 2016.

(3)
The option was granted on February 1, 2013. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vest in equal monthly installments until they are fully vested on February 1, 2017.

64


Table of Contents

(4)
The option was granted on July 2, 2012. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vest in equal monthly installments until they are fully vested on July 2, 2016.

(5)
The performance option was granted on July 2, 2012. Shares subject to the option fully vest on June 25, 2015 if Rambus common stock has previously attained a closing price on NASDAQ of $15.00 or more over any sixty (60) consecutive trading day period. If such performance milestone is not achieved by June 25, 2015, the option will become fully vested upon the subsequent date, if any, upon which such performance milestone is achieved prior to June 25, 2017, and if such performance milestone is not achieved prior to June 25, 2017, the option will terminate.

(6)
The performance option was granted on July 2, 2012. Shares subject to the option fully vest on June 25, 2015 if Rambus common stock has previously attained a closing price on NASDAQ over any sixty (60) consecutive trading day period as follows: 20% will vest with a closing price of $16.00; 20% will vest with a closing price of $17.00; 20% will vest with a closing price of $18.00; 20% will vest with a closing price of $19.00; and 20% will vest with a closing price of $20.00. If the option has not vested, or has only partially vested by June 25, 2015, the option will vest if and to the extent the related performance milestones are achieved prior to June 25, 2017, and if the related performance milestones are not achieved prior to June 25, 2017, the unvested portion of the option will terminate.

(7)
The performance option was granted on August 1, 2012. Shares subject to the option fully vest on August 1, 2015 if Rambus common stock has previously attained a closing price on NASDAQ of $15.00 or more over any sixty (60) consecutive trading day period. If such performance milestone is not achieved by August 1, 2015, the option will become fully vested upon the subsequent date, if any, upon which such performance milestone is achieved prior to August 1, 2017, and if such performance milestone is not achieved prior to August 1, 2017, the option will terminate.

(8)
The performance option was granted on August 1, 2012. Shares subject to the option fully vest on August 1, 2015 if Rambus common stock has previously attained a closing price on NASDAQ over any sixty (60) consecutive trading day period as follows: 20% will vest with a closing price of $16.00; 20% will vest with a closing price of $17.00; 20% will vest with a closing price of $18.00; 20% will vest with a closing price of $19.00; and 20% will vest with a closing price of $20.00. If the option has not vested, or has only partially vested by August 1, 2015, the option will vest if and to the extent the related performance milestones are achieved prior to August 1, 2017, and if the related performance milestones are not achieved prior to August 1, 2017, the unvested portion of the option will terminate.

(9)
The option was granted on February 1, 2012. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vest in equal monthly installments until they are fully vested on February 1, 2016.

(10)
The restricted stock units were granted on February 1, 2012. 25% of the total shares granted will vest annually until fully vested on February 1, 2016.

(11)
The option was granted on February 1, 2011. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vest in equal monthly installments until they are fully vested on February 1, 2016.

(12)
The restricted stock units were granted on February 1, 2011. 25% of the total shares granted will vest annually until fully vested on February 1, 2015.

(13)
The option was granted on February 1, 2010. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vest in equal monthly installments until they are fully vested on February 1, 2015.

(14)
The restricted stock units were granted on February 1, 2010. 25% of the total shares granted will vest annually until fully vested on February 1, 2014.

(15)
The option was granted on February 2, 2009. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vested in equal monthly installments until they were fully vested on February 2, 2014.

(16)
The option was granted on February 1, 2008. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vested in equal monthly installments until they were fully vested on February 1, 2013.

(17)
The option was granted on February 1, 2007. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vested in equal monthly installments until they were fully vested on February 1, 2012.

(18)
The option was granted on April 11, 2006. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vested in equal monthly installments until they were fully vested on April 11, 2011.

(19)
The option was granted on January 3, 2007. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vested in equal monthly installments until they were fully vested on January 3, 2012.

(20)
The restricted stock units were granted on February 1, 2013. 25% of the total shares granted will vest annually until fully vested on February 1, 2017.

(21)
The option was granted on June 22, 2012 pursuant to the Company's Offer to Exchange program. 1/3rd of the total shares granted vested on June 22, 2013 and the remaining shares continue to vest in equal monthly installments until fully vested on June 22, 2015.

(22)
The restricted stock units were granted on August 2, 2010. 25% of the total shares granted will vest annually until fully vested on August 2, 2014.

(23)
The option was granted on January 6, 2006. Options representing 1/10th of the total shares granted vested six months from the grant date and the remaining shares vested in equal monthly installments until they were fully vested on January 6, 2011.

(24)
The option was granted on December 3, 2004. Cliff vesting in equal monthly installments began on January 31, 2009 until they were fully vested on December 31, 2009.

65


Table of Contents

        Each of the options and other equity awards reflected on the table above were issued under the 1997 Plan or the 2006 Plan, which are plans that were or are available to all of our employees.

        In the case of the 1997 Plan, if a "merger" of the Company occurs, as defined in the plan, each outstanding option or equity award will be assumed or an equivalent option or right substituted by the successor company. Following such assumption or substitution, if the participant's status as a service provider is terminated by the successor corporation as a result of an "involuntary termination" other than for "cause," each as defined in the relevant plan, within twelve months following the merger, then the participant will fully vest and have the right to exercise all of his or her options and will convert any other equity awards into shares of Common Stock (commonly referred to as a "double-trigger" termination). In the event that the successor company refuses to assume or substitute for the equity award the participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise all of his or her options or stock appreciation rights, including shares as to which such awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on restricted stock will lapse, and, with respect to restricted stock units, performance shares and performance units, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at target levels and all other terms and conditions met immediately prior to the merger.

        In the case of the 2006 Plan, in the event of a "change of control" of the Company, as defined in the plan, each outstanding option or equity award will be assumed or an equivalent option or right substituted by the successor company. In the event that the successor company refuses to assume or substitute for the option or equity award, the participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise all of his or her options or stock appreciation rights, including shares as to which such awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on restricted stock will lapse, and, with respect to restricted stock units, performance shares and performance units, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at target levels and all other terms and conditions met. In addition, if an option or stock appreciation right becomes fully vested and exercisable in lieu of assumption or substitution in the event of a change of control, the administrator of the 2006 Plan will notify the participant that the option or stock appreciation right will be fully vested and exercisable for a period of time determined by the administrator, and the option or stock appreciation right will terminate upon the expiration of such period.

        The form of option agreement for the 2006 Plan provides that if a successor company assumes outstanding options or substitutes for options with an equivalent award, then if following such assumption or substitution the participant's status as an employee or employee of the successor company, as applicable, is terminated by the successor company as a result of an Involuntary Termination (as defined below) other than for Cause (as defined below) within twelve months following the change in control, the option will immediately vest and become exercisable as to 100% of the shares subject to the option.

        For purposes of the 2006 Plan form option agreement, "Cause" will mean (i) any act of personal dishonesty taken by the participant in connection with his or her responsibilities as an employee and intended to result in substantial personal enrichment of the participant, (ii) the participant's conviction of a felony, (iii) a willful act by the participant which constitutes gross misconduct and which is injurious to the successor company, and (iv) following delivery to the participant of a written demand for performance from the successor company which describes the basis for the successor company's belief that the participant has not substantially performed his or her duties, continued violations by the participant of the participant 's obligations to the successor company which are demonstrably willful and deliberate on the participant's part.

        For purposes of the 2006 Plan form option agreement, any of the following events shall constitute an "Involuntary Termination": (i) without the participant's express written consent, a significant reduction of the participant's duties, authority or responsibilities, relative to the participant's duties,

66


Table of Contents

authority or responsibilities as in effect immediately prior to the change in control, or the assignment to the participant of such reduced duties, authority or responsibilities; (ii) without the participant's express written consent, a substantial reduction, without good business reasons, of the facilities and perquisites (including office space and location) available to the participant immediately prior to the change in control; (iii) a reduction by the successor company in the base salary of the participant as in effect immediately prior to the change in control; (iv) a material reduction by the successor company in the kind or level of employee benefits, including bonuses, to which the participant was entitled immediately prior to the change in control with the result that the participant's overall benefits package is significantly reduced; (v) the relocation of the participant to a facility or a location more than fifty miles from the participant's then present location, without the participant's express written consent; (vi) any purported termination of the participant by the successor company which is not effected for disability or for Cause, or any purported termination for which the grounds relied upon are not valid; or (vii) any act or set of facts or circumstances which would, under California case law or statute constitute a constructive termination of the Participant.

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

        The following table shows all stock options exercised and value realized upon exercise, and all stock awards vested and value realized upon vesting, by the named executive officers during fiscal year 2013.

 
  Option Awards   Stock Awards  
Name
  Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise (#)
  Value
Realized on
Exercise ($)
  Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Vesting (#)
  Value
Realized on
Vesting(1)($)
 

Ronald Black

                 

Satish Rishi

            8,074     43,878  

Martin Scott

            8,824     47,973  

Jae Kim

            7,000     60,120  

Kevin Donnelly

            6,096     33,149  

(1)
The value realized equals the market value of our Common Stock on the vesting date multiplied by the number of shares that vested.


Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control

        Dr. Black's employment agreement with the Company provides that in the event the Company terminates Dr. Black's employment with the Company without "Cause" and such termination does not occur within the three months prior to or 12 months following a change of control of the Company, Dr. Black will receive: (i) continued payment (over 12 months) of one year of base salary and 100% of his target bonus, (ii) a monthly $3,000 payment (in lieu of continued employee benefits) for a period of 12 months, and (iii) 12 months additional vesting of all equity awards with a service based component (excluding awards with a performance-based component if the performance metric has not been achieved by the termination date). In the event the Company terminates Dr. Black's employment with the Company without "Cause" or Dr. Black voluntarily terminates his employment for "Good Reason", and in either event, such termination occurs within three months prior to or 12 months following a change of control of the Company, Dr. Black will receive: (i) continued payment (over 12 months) of 18 months of base salary and 150% of his target bonus, (ii) a monthly $3,000 payment (in lieu of continued employee benefits) for a period of 18 months, and (iii) 100% vesting of all equity awards with a service based component (excluding awards with a performance-based component if the performance metric has not been achieved by the termination date).

67


Table of Contents

        Outstanding equity awards may vest upon a "double-trigger" termination in the event of a change-in-control, as provided under the applicable equity plan and as described under the "Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2013 Year End" table. This accelerated vesting applies to all awards made under the plans and is not specific to awards made to our named executive officers.

Compensation of Directors

        The following table shows compensation information for our non-employee directors for 2013.


Director Compensation
For Fiscal Year 2013

Name
  Fees Earned
or Paid in
Cash ($)
  Stock
Awards(1)
($)
  Option
Awards
($)
  Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
  Change in
Pension and
Value and
Non-Qualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
  All Other
Compensation
($)
  Total ($)  

J. Thomas Bentley

    65,000     160,010 (2)                   225,010  

Penelope Herscher

    60,000     160,010 (3)                   220,010  

Charles Kissner

    40,000     160,010 (4)                   200,010  

David Shrigley

    40,000     160,010 (5)                   200,010  

Eric Stang

    71,841     160,010 (6)                   231,851  

(1)
The amounts shown are the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The assumptions used to calculate the value of stock option awards are set forth under Note 13 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

(2)
Reflects the compensation costs to be recognized associated with a restricted stock unit award of 16,530 shares of Common stock made on October 1, 2013 with a fair value as of the grant date of $9.68 per share disregarding forfeiture assumptions. Mr. Bentley also had options to purchase an aggregate of 92,917 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013.

(3)
Reflects the compensation costs to be recognized associated with a restricted stock unit award of 16,530 shares of Common stock made on October 1, 2013 with a fair value as of the grant date of $9.68 per share disregarding forfeiture assumptions. Ms. Herscher also had options to purchase an aggregate of 60,000 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013.

(4)
Reflects the compensation costs to be recognized associated with a restricted stock unit award of 16,530 shares of Common stock made on October 1, 2013 with a fair value as of the grant date of $9.68 per share disregarding forfeiture assumptions. Mr. Kissner also had options to purchase an aggregate of 40,000 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013.

(5)
Reflects the compensation costs to be recognized associated with a restricted stock unit award of 16,530 shares of Common stock made on October 1, 2013 with a fair value as of the grant date of $9.68 per share disregarding forfeiture assumptions. Mr. Shrigley also had options to purchase an aggregate of 60,000 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013.

(6)
Reflects the compensation costs to be recognized associated with a restricted stock unit award of 16,530 shares of Common stock made on October 1, 2013 with a fair value as of the grant date of $9.68 per share disregarding forfeiture assumptions. Mr. Stang also had options to purchase an aggregate of 40,000 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013.

68


Table of Contents

Overview of Compensation and Procedures

        No changes were made to our Board pay practices in 2013.

        In 2008, as a result of our annual review of Rambus Board pay practices and competitive positioning, changes were recommended and adopted to our Board pay practices. The Compensation Committee reviewed materials from SBCG detailing benchmark and competitive pay practices both within our peer group and across public companies in general. A decision was made to discontinue the annual equity stock option grant and replace this award with an annual RSU equity grant with an approximate fair market value equal to $160,000 at the time of grant. Our decision to denominate the annual RSU grant in terms of value instead of number of shares will help address year-over-year volatility and provides consistent alignment with our Compensation Peer Group. This revision to the director plan acknowledges their commitment of time and consultation and will continue to be benchmarked to industry and peer group compensation practices.

Summary of Director Plan

        Annual Retainer.    Each independent director receives an annual retainer of $40,000 in cash. The Chairpersons of the Board and Audit Committee each receive an additional annual retainer of $25,000. The Chairperson of the Compensation Committee receives an additional annual retainer of $20,000. The Chairperson of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee receives an additional annual retainer of $10,000. Each annual retainer is paid in quarterly installments. The annual retainers were not increased for 2013.

        Annual Equity Grant.    Each independent director receives an annual equity grant of such number of RSUs with an approximate fair market value equal to $160,000 at the time of grant. This annual equity grant represents a change from the annual equity grant of an option to purchase 20,000 shares of Common Stock which the independent directors previously received in 2008. This change was made after reviewing the market data of our competitors and to reflect the time commitments our independent directors are asked to make to the Company. The RSU grants vest in full at the end of a one-year period, subject to the independent director continuing to serve through each applicable vesting date. If the director discontinues service prior to the vesting of any RSU grant, the Compensation Committee may, in its discretion, permit such grant to vest pro rata for the portion of the year during which such director served.

        Initial Equity Grant.    Any newly elected independent director joining our Board of Directors will receive an initial option to purchase 40,000 shares of Common Stock when he or she is first elected as a member of the Board. The term of such options will not exceed ten years. The option grants vest over a four-year period, with one-eighth of shares subject to the option vesting six months after the date of grant and the remaining shares vesting ratably each month thereafter, subject to the independent director continuing to serve through each applicable vesting date.

        Awards granted to the independent directors under the 2006 Plan are generally not transferable, and all rights with respect to an award granted to a director or participant generally will be available during a director or participant's lifetime only to the director or participant.

        Each of the options granted to our independent directors was issued under the 1997 Plan or the 2006 Plan, which are plans that are available to all of our employees. As described under "Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End," the 1997 Plan provides for certain acceleration upon a "merger" of the Company, as defined under the 1997 Plan, and the 2006 Plan provides for certain acceleration upon a "change of control" of the Company, as defined under the 2006 Plan. In addition, with respect to options and any other equity awards granted to non-employee directors that are assumed or substituted for upon a change of control under the 2006 Plan, if the non-employee director is terminated other than upon a voluntary resignation, the options and other equity awards granted to such non-employee

69


Table of Contents

director will fully vest and be exercisable with respect to 100% of the shares subject to such options and other equity awards.

        Pursuant to stock ownership guidelines adopted by the Board in October 2006 and updated in July 2013, each independent director will be expected to accumulate and hold an equivalent value of our Common Stock of three times their annual total equity compensation and to achieve this by January 1, 2012 or five years from the date that the director joined the Board, whichever is later. Directors are expected to maintain this minimum amount of stock ownership throughout their tenure on the Board. As of December 31, 2013, all of our directors met their ownership requirements.

70


Table of Contents

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

        This section shall not be deemed to be "soliciting material," or to be "filed" with the SEC, is not subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Rambus under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended, regardless of date or any other general incorporation language in such filing.

Report of the Audit Committee

  The following is the report of the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors with respect to our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which include our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and the notes thereto.

Review with Management

 

The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed our audited financial statements and management's report on internal control over financial reporting with management.

Review and Discussions with the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

The Audit Committee has discussed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T. The Audit Committee has also received written disclosures and the letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent auditor's communications with us concerning independence, as may be modified or supplemented, and has discussed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP its independence from us.

Conclusion

 

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that our audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 for filing with the SEC.

Respectfully submitted by:

 

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

J. Thomas Bentley (Chair)
Charles Kissner
David Shrigley

71


Table of Contents

OTHER MATTERS

        The Board does not know of any other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting. If any additional matters are properly presented or otherwise allowed to be considered at the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the enclosed proxy will have discretion to vote shares they represent in accordance with their own judgment on such matters.

        It is important that your shares be represented at the meeting, regardless of the number of shares which you hold. You are, therefore, urged to execute and return, at your earliest convenience, the accompanying proxy card in the envelope which has been enclosed.

    BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sunnyvale, California
March 14, 2014

 

 

72


Table of Contents


Appendix A

RAMBUS INC.
2006 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
(as amended and restated April 26, 2012)

        1.    Purposes of the Plan.    The purposes of this Plan are:

        2.    Definitions.    As used herein, the following definitions will apply:

A-1


Table of Contents

A-2


Table of Contents

        3.    Stock Subject to the Plan.    

A-3


Table of Contents

        4.    Administration of the Plan.    

A-4


Table of Contents

        5.    Eligibility.    Nonstatutory Stock Options, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Stock Appreciation Rights, Performance Units, Performance Shares and such other cash or stock awards as the Administrator determines may be granted to Service Providers. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees.

        6.    Stock Options.    

A-5


Table of Contents

A-6


Table of Contents

        7.    Restricted Stock.    

A-7


Table of Contents

        8.    Restricted Stock Units.    

A-8


Table of Contents

        9.    Stock Appreciation Rights.    

A-9


Table of Contents

At the discretion of the Administrator, the payment upon Stock Appreciation Right exercise may be in cash, in Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof.

        10.    Performance Units and Performance Shares.    

A-10


Table of Contents

        11.    Performance Goals.    The granting and/or vesting of Awards of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and Performance Units and other incentives under the Plan may be made subject to the attainment of performance goals relating to one or more business criteria within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code and may provide for a targeted level or levels of achievement ("Performance Goals") including cash flow; cash position; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; earnings per Share; economic profit; economic value added; equity or stockholder's equity; market share; net income; net profit; net sales; operating earnings; operating income; profit before tax; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; ratio of operating earnings to capital spending; sales growth; return on net assets; or total return to stockholders. Any Performance Goals may be used to measure the performance of the Company as a whole or an business unit of the Company and may be measured relative to a peer group or index. The Performance Goals may differ from Participant to Participant and from Award to Award. Prior to the Determination Date, the Administrator will determine whether any significant element(s) will be included in or excluded from the calculation of any Performance Goal with respect to any Participant. In all other respects, Performance Goals will be calculated in accordance with the Company's financial statements, generally accepted accounting principles, or under a methodology established by the Administrator prior to the issuance of an Award.

        12.    Leaves of Absence.    Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, or except as otherwise required by Applicable Laws, vesting of Awards granted hereunder on or after July 17, 2007, will be suspended starting on the 30th consecutive day of any unpaid leave of absence approved by the Company, with such suspension of vesting terminating upon the Participant's resumption of service with the Company. A Service Provider will not cease to be an Employee in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Company or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, its Parent, or any Subsidiary. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. If reemployment upon expiration of a leave of absence approved by the Company is not so guaranteed, then three (3) months following the 91st day of such leave any Incentive Stock Option held by the Participant will cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and will be treated for tax purposes as a Nonstatutory Stock Option.

        13.    Transferability of Awards.    Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, an Award may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant. If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award will contain such additional terms and conditions as the Administrator deems appropriate.

        14.    Awards to Outside Directors    

A-11


Table of Contents

        15.    Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control.    

A-12


Table of Contents

        With respect to Awards granted to Outside Directors that are assumed or substituted for, if on the date of or following such assumption or substitution the Participant's status as a Director or a director of the Successor Corporation, as applicable, is terminated other than upon a voluntary resignation by the Participant, then the Participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise Options and/or Stock Appreciation Rights as to all of the Shares subject thereto, including Shares as to which such Awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on Restricted Stock will lapse, and, with respect to Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and Performance Units, all Performance Goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at target levels and all other terms and conditions met.

        For the purposes of this subsection (c), an Award will be considered assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) or, in the case of a Stock Appreciation Right upon the exercise of which the Administrator determines to pay cash or a Performance Share or Performance Unit which the Administrator can determine to pay in cash, the fair market value of the consideration received in the merger or Change in Control by holders of Common Stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the Change in Control is not solely common stock of the Successor Corporation, the Administrator may, with the consent of the Successor Corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right or upon the payout of a Performance Share or Performance Unit, for each Share subject to such Award (or in the case of Performance Units, the number of implied shares determined by dividing the value of the Performance Units by the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the Change in Control),

A-13


Table of Contents

to be solely common stock of the Successor Corporation equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the Change in Control.

        Notwithstanding anything in this Section 15(c) to the contrary, an Award that vests, is earned or paid-out upon the satisfaction of one or more Performance Goals will not be considered assumed if the Company or its successor modifies any of such Performance Goals without the Participant's consent; provided, however, a modification to such Performance Goals only to reflect the Successor Corporation's post-Change in Control corporate structure will not be deemed to invalidate an otherwise valid Award assumption.

        16.    Tax Withholding    

        17.    No Effect on Employment or Service.    Neither the Plan nor any Award will confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant's relationship as a Service Provider with the Company, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant's right or the Company's right to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.

        18.    Date of Grant.    The date of grant of an Award will be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Award, or such other later date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the determination will be provided to each Participant within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.

        19.    Term of Plan.    Subject to Section 23 of the Plan, the Plan will become effective upon its adoption by the Board. It will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years unless terminated earlier under Section 20 of the Plan.

        20.    Amendment and Termination of the Plan.    

A-14


Table of Contents

        21.    Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares.    

        22.    Inability to Obtain Authority.    The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company's counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority will not have been obtained.

        23.    Stockholder Approval.    The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.

A-15


Table of Contents


Appendix B

RAMBUS INC.

2006 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
(as amended and restated April 26, 2012)

        The following constitutes the provisions of the 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan of Rambus Inc.

        1.    Purpose.    The purpose of the Plan is to provide Employees with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock through accumulated Contributions (as defined in Section 2(h) below). It is the intention of the Company to have the Plan qualify as an "employee stock purchase plan" under Section 423 of the Code. The provisions of the Plan, accordingly, will be construed so as to extend and limit Plan participation in a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis consistent with the requirements of Section 423 of the Code.

        2.    Definitions.    

B-1


Table of Contents

B-2


Table of Contents

        3.    Eligibility.    

B-3


Table of Contents

        4.    Offering Periods.    The Plan will be implemented by consecutive Offering Periods with a new Offering Period commencing on the first Trading Day on or after May 1 and November 1 of each year, or on such other date as the Administrator will determine, and continuing thereafter until terminated in accordance with Section 20. The Administrator will have the power to change the duration of Offering Periods (including the commencement dates thereof) with respect to future offerings without stockholder approval if such change is announced prior to the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected thereafter.

        5.    Participation.    An Employee who is eligible to participate in the Plan pursuant to Section 3(a) may become a participant by (i) submitting to the Company's payroll office (or its designee), on or before a date prescribed by the Administrator prior to an applicable Enrollment Date, a properly completed subscription agreement authorizing Contributions in the form provided by the Administrator for such purpose, or (ii) following an electronic or other enrollment procedure prescribed by the Administrator.

        6.    Contributions.    

B-4


Table of Contents

        7.    Grant of Option.    On the Enrollment Date of each Offering Period, each Employee participating in such Offering Period will be granted an option to purchase on the Exercise Date(s) of such Offering Period (at the applicable Purchase Price) up to a number of shares of Common Stock determined by dividing such participant's Contributions accumulated prior to such Exercise Date and retained in the participant's account as of the Exercise Date by the applicable Purchase Price; provided that in no event will a participant be permitted to purchase during each Offering Period more than five thousand (5,000) shares of Common Stock (subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 19), and provided further that such purchase will be subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 3(b) and 13. The Employee may accept the grant of such option with respect to any Offering Period under the Plan, by electing to participate in the Plan in accordance with the requirements of Section 5. The Administrator may, for future Offering Periods, increase or decrease, in its absolute discretion, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that a participant may purchase during each Offering Period. Exercise of the option will occur as provided in Section 8, unless the participant has withdrawn pursuant to Section 10. The option will expire on the last day of the Offering Period.

        8.    Exercise of Option.    

B-5


Table of Contents

        9.    Delivery.    As soon as administratively practicable after each Exercise Date on which a purchase of shares of Common Stock occurs, the Company will arrange the delivery to each participant, as appropriate, the shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option in a form determined by the Administrator (in its sole discretion) and pursuant to rules established by the Administrator. No participant will have any voting, dividend, or other stockholder rights with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to any option granted under the Plan until such shares have been purchased and delivered to the participant as provided in this Section 9.

        10.    Withdrawal.    

        11.    Termination of Employment.    Upon a participant's ceasing to be an Employee, for any reason, he or she will be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the Plan and the Contributions credited to such participant's account during the Offering Period but not yet used to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Plan will be returned to such participant or, in the case of his or her death, to the person or persons entitled thereto under Section 15, and such participant's option will be automatically terminated. The preceding sentence notwithstanding, a participant who receives payment in lieu of notice of termination of employment will be treated as continuing to be an Employee for the participant's customary number of hours per week of employment during the period in which the participant is subject to such payment in lieu of notice.

B-6


Table of Contents

        12.    Interest.    No interest will accrue on the Contributions of a participant in the Plan, except as may be required by applicable law, as determined by the Company, and if so required by the laws of a particular jurisdiction, shall apply to all participants in the relevant Offering except to the extent otherwise permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulation Section 1.423-2(f).

        13.    Stock.    

        14.    Administration.    The Board or a committee of members of the Board who will be appointed from time to time by, and will serve at the pleasure of, the Board, will administer the Plan. The Administrator will have full and exclusive discretionary authority to construe, interpret and apply the terms of the Plan, to designate separate Offerings under the Plan, to determine eligibility, to adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the Plan and to establish such procedures that it deems necessary for administration of the Plan (including, without limitation, to adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit the participation in the Plan by employees who are foreign nationals or employed outside the United States). Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the Employees eligible to participate in each such sub-plan will participate in a separate Offering. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and on such terms and conditions as it may provide, may delegate to one or more individuals all or any part of its authority and powers under the Plan. Every finding, decision and determination made by the Administrator (or its designee) will, to the full extent permitted by law, be final and binding upon all parties.

        15.    Designation of Beneficiary.    

        16.    Transferability.    Neither Contributions credited to a participant's account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or to receive shares of Common Stock under the Plan may be

B-7


Table of Contents

assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution or as provided in Section 15) by the participant. Any such attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition will be without effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw from an Offering Period in accordance with Section 10.

        17.    Use of Funds.    The Company may use all Contributions received or held by the Company under the Plan for any corporate purpose, and the Company will not be obligated to segregate such Contributions, except under Offerings in which applicable local law requires that Contributions to the Plan by participants be segregated from the Company's general corporate funds and/or deposited with an independent third party for participants in non-U.S. jurisdictions. Until shares of Common Stock are issued under the Plan (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), a participant will only have the rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares.

        18.    Reports.    Individual accounts will be maintained for each participant in the Plan. Statements of account will be given to participating Employees at least annually, which statements will set forth the amounts of Contributions, the Purchase Price, the number of shares of Common Stock purchased and the remaining cash balance, if any.

        19.    Adjustments, Dissolution, Liquidation or Change of Control.    

B-8


Table of Contents

        20.    Amendment or Termination.    

Such modifications or amendments will not require stockholder approval or the consent of any Plan participants.

        21.    Notices.    All notices or other communications by a participant to the Company under or in connection with the Plan will be deemed to have been duly given when received in the form and manner specified by the Company at the location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

        22.    Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares.    Shares of Common Stock will not be issued with respect to an option under the Plan unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and delivery of such

B-9


Table of Contents

shares pursuant thereto will comply with all applicable provisions of law, domestic or foreign, including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the Exchange Act, and the requirements of any stock exchange upon which the shares may then be listed, and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

        As a condition to the exercise of an option, the Company may require the person exercising such option to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any of the aforementioned applicable provisions of law.

        23.    Term of Plan.    The Plan will become effective upon the earlier to occur of its adoption by the Board or its approval by the stockholders of the Company. It will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years, unless sooner terminated under Section 20.

B-10


Table of Contents


SAMPLE SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT

RAMBUS INC.

2006 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT

             Original Application
             Change in Payroll Deduction Rate
             Change of Beneficiary(ies)
  Offering Date:                        
1.
                                     hereby elects to participate in the Rambus Inc. 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "Plan") and subscribes to purchase shares of the Company's Common Stock in accordance with this Subscription Agreement and the Plan.

2.
I hereby authorize payroll deductions from each paycheck in the amount of         % of my Compensation on each payday (from 1 to 15%) during the Offering Period in accordance with the Plan. (Please note that no fractional percentages are permitted.)

3.
I understand that said payroll deductions will be accumulated for the purchase of shares of Common Stock at the applicable Purchase Price determined in accordance with the Plan. I understand that if I do not withdraw from an Offering Period, any accumulated payroll deductions will be used to automatically exercise my option.

4.
I have received a copy of the complete Plan. I understand that my participation in the Plan is in all respects subject to the terms of the Plan. I understand that my ability to exercise the option under this Subscription Agreement is subject to stockholder approval of the Plan.

5.
Shares of Common Stock purchased for me under the Plan should be issued in the name(s) of Employee or Employee and Spouse only.

6.
I understand that if I dispose of any shares received by me pursuant to the Plan within 2 years after the Enrollment Date (the first day of the Offering Period during which I purchased such shares) or one year after the Exercise Date, I will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received ordinary income at the time of such disposition in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time such shares were purchased by me over the price which I paid for the shares. I hereby agree to notify the Company in writing within 30 days after the date of any disposition of my shares and I will make adequate provision for Federal, state or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the disposition of the Common Stock. The Company may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from my compensation the amount necessary to meet any applicable withholding obligation including any withholding necessary to make available to the Company any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of Common Stock by me. If I dispose of such shares at any time after the expiration of the 2-year and 1-year holding periods, I understand that I will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received income only at the time of such disposition, and that such income will be taxed as ordinary income only to the extent of an amount equal to the lesser of (1) the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of such disposition over the purchase price which I paid for the shares, or (2) 15% of the fair market value of the shares on the first day of the Offering Period. The remainder of the gain, if any, recognized on such disposition will be taxed as capital gain.

7.
I hereby agree to be bound by the terms of the Plan. The effectiveness of this Subscription Agreement is dependent upon my eligibility to participate in the Plan.

B-11


Table of Contents

8.
In the event of my death, I hereby designate the following as my beneficiary(ies) to receive all payments and/or shares due me under the Plan:

NAME: (Please print)  

    (First)   (Middle)   (Last)


Relationship
 
 

Percentage Benefit
 
(Address)

NAME: (please print)  

    (First)   (Middle)   (Last)


Relationship
 
 

Percentage of Benefit
 
(Address)

Employee's Social Security Number:  
 

Employee's Address:

 


 
   

   

        I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGHOUT SUCCESSIVE OFFERING PERIODS UNLESS TERMINATED BY ME.

Dated:  
 
 
Signature of Employee

 

 

 

 


Spouse's Signature
(If beneficiary other than spouse)

B-12


Table of Contents


SAMPLE WITHDRAWAL NOTICE

RAMBUS INC.

2006 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL

        The undersigned participant in the Offering Period of the Rambus Inc. 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan which began on                         ,              (the "Enrollment Date") hereby notifies the Company that he or she hereby withdraws from the Offering Period. He or she hereby directs the Company to pay to the undersigned as promptly as practicable all the payroll deductions credited to his or her account with respect to such Offering Period. The undersigned understands and agrees that his or her option for such Offering Period will be automatically terminated. The undersigned understands further that no further payroll deductions will be made for the purchase of shares in the current Offering Period and the undersigned will be eligible to participate in succeeding Offering Periods only by delivering to the Company a new Subscription Agreement.

    Name and Address of Participant:

 

 




 

 




 

 




 

 

Signature:

 

 




 

 

Date:

 




ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS APRIL 24, 2014 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/RMBS2014 Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com. M67317-P48464 Rambus Inc. PROXY FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD APRIL 24, 2014. THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF RAMBUS INC. The undersigned stockholder of Rambus Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and accompanying Proxy Statement, each dated March 14, 2014, and hereby appoints Ronald Black and Jae Kim, and each of them as proxies and attorneys-in-fact, each with full power of substitution to represent the undersigned at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Rambus Inc. to be held on April 24, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/RMBS2014 and at any adjournment or postponement thereof, and to vote all shares of common stock of the Company held of record by the undersigned as hereinafter specified upon the proposals listed on the reverse side. THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN. IF NO SPECIFICATION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED "FOR" PROPOSALS 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5 ON THE REVERSE SIDE AND, AS THE PROXIES DEEM ADVISABLE, ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING OR MAY OTHERWISE BE ALLOWED TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE MEETING. IN ORDER TO ASSURE YOUR REPRESENTATION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS, PLEASE MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY CARD PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. SEE REVERSE SIDE SEE REVERSE SIDE CONTINUED AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE

 


TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. Signature (Joint Owners) Date Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date VOTE BY INTERNET Before The Meeting - Go to www.proxyvote.com Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. During The Meeting - Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/RMBS2014 You may attend the Meeting via the Internet and vote during the Meeting. Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow available and follow the instructions. VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903 Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. VOTE BY MAIL Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. ATTN: SECRETARY 1050 ENTERPRISE WAY, SUITE 700 SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA 94089 M67316-P48464 RAMBUS INC. The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a "For" vote on Proposals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. 1. Election of Directors For Against Abstain Nominees: ! ! ! 1a. J. Thomas Bentley ! ! ! 1b. Charles Kissner ! ! ! 1c. David Shrigley For Against Abstain ! ! ! 2. Advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation. ! ! ! 3. Approval of an amendment to the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock of the Company reserved for issuance thereunder by 10,000,000 shares. ! ! ! 4. Approval of an amendment to the 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock of the Company reserved for issuance thereunder by 1,500,000 shares. ! ! ! 5. Ratification of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014. Please sign exactly as your name appears above. When shares are registered in the names of two or more persons, whether as joint tenants, as community property or otherwise, both or all of such persons should sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or in another fiduciary capacity, please give full title as such. If a corporation, please sign in full corporate name by President or other authorized person. If a partnership, please sign in partnership's name by authorized person.