At least four more tech companies have been added to the list of firms being investigated by U.S. authorities regarding executive stock option grants, including Juniper Networks, F5 Networks, Brooks Automation and Openwave Systems, Bloomberg News reports via The New York Times.With the news of the four new probes, the total number of companies under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Department of Justice (DoJ), or both, bumps up to at least 15, Bloomberg reports.Investigators are attempting to determine if the companies in question purposely shifted stock grants back in time to dates when the stocks were less expensive, in an effort to ensure profitability for executives, according to Bloomberg. The U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., requested information on executive stock grants from Juniper, a producer of hardware for controlling Web traffic, and the prosecutor also handed down subpoenas to F5, another producer of Web-traffic hardware, and Brooks Automation, which builds software and machines used to produce chips, according to Bloomberg. Mobile phone software provider Openwave also received a written inquiry from the SEC, and both F5 and Brooks Automation got similar letters earlier this month, Bloomberg reports.Juniper said it is cooperating with the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Openwave said it is working with the SEC, and both F5 and Brooks Automation said they’ll cooperate in the investigations as well, according to Bloomberg. For related news coverage, read Survey: Tech Exec Pay Highest Since Boom.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe