> There is no evidence the CEO was personally responsible

What are you talking about? He was CEO for 12 years coinciding with when this occurred. Of course the CEO is responsible for these types of decisions if simply that he didn't stop it.

    from February 2015 to April 2021, Cadence and its indirectly owned and wholly controlled subsidiary in the PRC, Cadence Design Systems Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (Cadence China), engaged in a conspiracy to commit export control violations in connection with the provision of EDA tools that were subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to NUDT through Central South CAD Center (CSCC), an alias for NUDT, and another associated entity, Phytium Technology Co. Ltd. (Phytium), without seeking or obtaining the requisite licenses from BIS. Specifically, Cadence, Cadence China, and their employees exported, reexported, and transferred in-country U.S.-origin EDA tools to CSCC in the PRC, despite having knowledge that CSCC was an alias for NUDT. As a result, Cadence and Cadence China exported and caused to be exported EDA tools at least 59 times through September 2020


    In court documents, Cadence admitted that Cadence China employees installed EDA hardware on NUDT’s Changsha, China, campus and that NUDT personnel downloaded EDA software and IP technology from Cadence’s download portals while Cadence and Cadence China, through its employees, had knowledge that NUDT had been added to the Entity List. On Feb. 18, 2015, the same day that NUDT was added to the Entity List, Cadence’s export control officer emailed Cadence and Cadence China employees that NUDT had been added to the Entity List “meaning that export licenses will be required if sales are made.” Further, in March 2016, a Cadence China employee authored a presentation for a quarterly sales review meeting with her colleagues stating (as translated from Chinese) that as of Feb. 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce had “embargoed” four national supercomputer centers in the PRC, including NUDT, due to U.S. microprocessor chips being used in the “TianHe” supercomputing systems believed to be used for nuclear explosion simulation. Cadence also admitted that its employees who conducted work at CSCC’s location on NUDT’s campus knew about connections between CSCC and the PRC military.

"He didn't know this was happening" is kindergarten type excuse making. And in any case, if true is evidence of incompetence meaning he should not be permitted to lead a company so critical to US technology and national security concerns given his incompetence could allow that type of thing to happen again.

Surely you are still allowed to raise criticism about a CEO even though the Justice Department closed one case?

It may not be illegal for someone to have close ties with the Chinese, but we should also not let them control one of the most important companies for the US military and industrial advantage over our rivals.