AI Optical Communication Executives Sell Portions of Shares Worth Billions

Directors and senior executives of U.S. fiber-optic components manufacturer Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI) sold portions of their company stock on the open market in early to mid-June.

On June 2, independent director Min-Chu “Mike” Chen sold 8,247 shares of common stock at $201 per share, generating approximately $1.66 million in proceeds (about ₩2.2 billion). Following the sale, he continues to hold roughly 160,000 shares, representing a stake valued at about $32.4 million (≈₩43.0 billion) at current trading prices.

On June 12, Asia Regional Senior Vice President Shu-Hua Yeh and Chief Financial Officer Stefan Murry had shares withheld by the company to cover tax withholding obligations and each sold additional shares on the open market. Although both executives realized multi-million-dollar proceeds (equivalent to tens of billions of Korean won), Yeh still retains around 400,000 shares, and Murry about 380,000 shares. Based on the sale prices, Murry’s remaining stake is worth approximately $64 million (≈₩86.0 billion).

In its May 7 release of first-quarter fiscal-2026 results, Applied Optoelectronics reported revenue of $151.1 million and a 29.1% gross margin, attributing growth to strong performance in its data-center and cable-TV (CATV) segments. The company has also disclosed a major order—exceeding $200 million—for 1.6T data-center transceivers from a hyperscale customer, as well as a follow-on award for 800G single-mode optical transceivers, underscoring rising demand for AI-data-center modules.

Separately, beginning with the fiscal-2026 audit, the company has replaced Grant Thornton with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as its external auditor, part of an ongoing effort to enhance its accounting and governance framework.

Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, Applied Optoelectronics designs and manufactures fiber-optic semiconductors and modules, supplying optical transceivers, lasers, optical modules, and HFC network equipment to cloud data-center operators, cable-TV service providers, telecom equipment vendors, and internet service providers. With the rapid expansion of AI computing infrastructure, the company has seen growing orders from hyperscale customers for 800G and 1.6T high-speed optical modules, positioning it as a noteworthy beneficiary of the AI-data-center build-out.