Paul L. Alpern
About Paul L. Alpern
Paul L. Alpern is Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Arteris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIP). He has served as the company’s Vice President and General Counsel since August 2019 and was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Counsel in June 2024; age 60 as of April 10, 2025. He holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley . As context on company performance during his tenure, Arteris reported the following recent operating metrics.
| Company Performance Snapshot | Period/As of | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue ($M) | Q1 2024 | $12.9 |
| ACV + TTM Variable Royalties ($M) | Q1 2024 | $58.2 |
| Remaining Performance Obligations ($M) | Q1 2024 | $74.7 (+30% YoY) |
| Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow ($M) | Q1 2024 | $0.3 |
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave Computing, Inc. | Vice President and General Counsel | 2017–2019 | Led legal function at AI processor technology company |
| Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (acquired by MACOM) | Associate General Counsel | 2016–2017 | Legal leadership at semiconductor device producer |
| SanDisk Corporation | Director then Senior Director, Legal | 2006–2016 | Senior legal roles at flash memory storage company |
External Roles
- No public company directorships or external board roles are disclosed for Alpern in the company’s proxy statements reviewed .
Fixed Compensation
- Individual compensation for Alpern is not disclosed; he was not a named executive officer (NEO) for 2024 (NEOs were CEO, COO, CFO) . As an Emerging Growth Company, Arteris provides scaled compensation disclosure and is not required to present a full CD&A or hold say‑on‑pay .
Performance Compensation
- Specific annual bonus targets, metrics, payouts, and equity grant details are not disclosed for Alpern. Company program features (for NEOs, for context) included 2024 annual RSU grants with quarterly vesting over 16 quarters and annual cash bonuses determined against corporate and individual goals; however, these details are disclosed for NEOs only and do not specify Alpern .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Individual beneficial ownership for Alpern is not itemized in the 2025 proxy’s “Security Ownership” table, which lists NEOs and directors; the table also provides an aggregate line for “all directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)” that collectively owned 12,227,887 shares (including options/RSUs within 60 days), but does not break out Alpern’s holdings .
- Hedging and pledging: The Insider Trading Policy prohibits short sales, transactions in options/derivatives on company stock, hedging, and purchasing on margin or pledging company securities as collateral—reducing misalignment/forced‑sale risk .
- Trading controls: Insiders are subject to blackout periods around earnings and pre‑clearance requirements for trades .
- Director stock ownership guidelines: Apply to non‑employee directors (5x annual cash retainer); the policy does not specify guidelines for executive officers in the 2025 proxy .
Employment Terms
- The proxy describes change‑in‑control and severance agreements for named executive officers (renewed in July 2024 for three years), with double‑trigger protection near a change in control: continuation of salary (18 months CEO; 12 months COO/CFO), pro‑rated target bonus, continued healthcare (matching the salary period), and full vesting acceleration of unvested equity (except for performance awards). These terms are disclosed for NEOs; the filing does not specify such an agreement for Alpern .
- Clawback: Arteris adopted a Dodd‑Frank compliant clawback policy effective October 2, 2023 covering incentive‑based compensation for current and former executive officers in the event of a financial restatement .
Company‑Wide Policies Impacting Alpern
| Policy | Key Terms | Implications |
|---|---|---|
| Insider Trading Policy | Trading pre‑clearance, blackout windows, no trading while aware of MNPI | Curtails opportunistic trading and reduces compliance risk |
| Hedging/Pledging Prohibitions | No short sales, options/derivatives, hedging, margin purchases or pledging company stock | Mitigates misalignment and margin‑call/pledge‑related selling pressure |
| Clawback Policy | Recovery of erroneously awarded incentive compensation upon restatements; applies to executive officers per SEC/Nasdaq rules | Enhances pay‑for‑performance discipline and recovery in case of misstatements |
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Prohibitions on hedging/pledging and trading controls reduce adverse alignment risks and potential forced‑sale overhang for insiders, including the General Counsel . The clawback policy adds downside accountability for incentive pay tied to financial metrics .
- Disclosure gap: Because Alpern is not an NEO, investors lack transparency into his base salary, bonus targets, equity grants, and vesting—limiting precision on retention risk and near‑term selling pressure compared to the CEO/COO/CFO whose RSU schedules and bonus targets are disclosed .
- Change‑in‑control: Robust double‑trigger protections are disclosed for NEOs; such terms are not specified for Alpern, leaving severance/change‑in‑control economics unclear for him specifically .
- Track record context: Company operating metrics show growing ACV and record RPO with positive non‑GAAP free cash flow in Q1 2024, but no TSR/exec‑specific performance attribution is disclosed for Alpern; use company‑level execution as indirect context only .