Dear Curiosity Seekers:

Dear Shareholders,
“Ripley's Believe It Or Not!” is the world's authority on all things unbelievable and bizarre. Ripley's has devoted this entire issue to the strangest company in the world…Cognex Corporation, a company that makes eyes for robots and other automation machines in factories around the world. If that's not weird, then what is?

This commemorative edition takes you on a tour of Cognex headquarters…an Odditorium, actually…in Natick, Massachusetts, that is filled with unusual artifacts, vision systems and ID readers, and peculiar people called "Cognoids." It is a company I founded in 1981 that we have built into the largest and most successful machine vision company in the entire universe!

Some people say that being showcased by Ripley's is not actually a compliment, but we at Cognex disagree! We are extremely honored to be chosen as the latest Odditorium in Ripley's worldwide chain.

The fact that Ripley's decided to feature our company proves that we are truly out of the ordinary. From our zany workplace culture to our innovative, out-of-this-world technology, to our easy-to-understand (but hard to believe they are real) financial results, Cognex stands alone in the machine vision industry. But don't just take my word for it…take this tour and see for yourself!

And what is the price of admission? It is free to Cognex shareholders! With a stock certificate in your hand, you can enter the Cognex Odditorium and see just what makes Cognex such a curiosity in the corporate world. Prepare to be amazed! Believe it or not!

Robert J. Shillman
Chairman and Chief Culture Officer