STRYKER CORP (SYK) Business

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

Stryker Corporation (Stryker or the Company) is a global leader

in medical technologies and, together with our customers, we are

driven to make healthcare better. We offer innovative products

and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology and Orthopaedics

that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside

our customers around the world, we impact more than 150 million

patients annually.

Our core values guide our behaviors and actions and are

fundamental to how we execute our mission.

Stryker was incorporated in Michigan in 1946 as the successor

company to a business founded in 1941 by Dr. Homer H. Stryker,

a prominent orthopaedic surgeon and inventor of several medical

products. Our products are sold in approximately 61 countries

through company-owned subsidiaries and branches as well as

third-party dealers and distributors, and include surgical

equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and

communications systems; patient handling, emergency medical

equipment and intensive care disposable products; clinical

communication and artificial intelligence-assisted virtual care

platform technology; products for traditional brain and open skull-

based surgical procedures; minimally invasive products for the

treatment of acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and venous

thromboembolism; implants used in joint replacement and trauma

surgeries; Mako robotic-arm assisted technology; as well as other

products used in a variety of medical specialties. Most of our

products are marketed directly to doctors, hospitals and other

healthcare facilities.

As used herein, and except where the context otherwise requires,

"Stryker," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Stryker Corporation and its

consolidated subsidiaries.

Business Segments and Geographic Information

We segregate our operations into two reportable business

segments: (i) MedSurg and Neurotechnology and (ii)

Orthopaedics. Financial information regarding our reportable

business segments and certain geographic information is

included under "Consolidated Results of Operations" in Item 7 of

this report and Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

MedSurg and Neurotechnology

MedSurg and Neurotechnology products include surgical

equipment, patient and caregiver safety technologies, and

navigation systems (Instruments), endoscopic and

communications systems (Endoscopy), and patient handling,

emergency medical equipment, intensive care disposable

products, clinical communication and artificial intelligence-

assisted virtual care platform technology (Medical), minimally

invasive products for the treatment of acute ischemic and

hemorrhagic stroke and venous thromboembolism (Vascular) and

a comprehensive line of products for traditional brain and open

skull-based surgical procedures, orthobiologic and biosurgery

products, including synthetic bone grafts and vertebral

augmentation products (Neuro Cranial).

We are one of five leading global competitors in Instruments; the

other four being Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (Zimmer),

Medtronic plc (Medtronic), Johnson & Johnson MedTech (a

subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) and ConMed Linvatec, Inc. (a

subsidiary of CONMED Corporation). We are one of seven

leading global competitors in Endoscopy; the other six being Karl

Storz GmbH & Co., Olympus Optical Co. Ltd., Smith & Nephew

plc (Smith & Nephew), ConMed Linvatec, Arthrex, Inc. and

STERIS plc. We are one of five leading global competitors in

Medical; the other four being Baxter International Inc., Zoll

Medical Corporation, Medline Industries and Ferno-Washington,

Inc. We are one of five leading global competitors in Vascular and

Neuro Cranial; the other four being Medtronic, Johnson &

Johnson MedTech, Terumo Corporation and Penumbra, Inc.

In 2025 Instruments launched Steri-Shield 8 which is a lighter,

more comfortable, and more customizable operating room

personal protection system, with improved visibility, cooling, and

battery performance versus prior generations. In addition, we

completed the acquisition of Guard Medical Inc., whose primary

focus is on Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for surgical

patients.  The acquisition of Guard Medical, Inc. is

complementary to our Orthopaedic Instruments business as we

continue to focus on the surgical wound care market.

Endoscopy continued to deliver its 4K 1788 Camera platform to

the market in addition to the launch of the Connected OR IP

BRAVoE integration portfolio. Our 1788 Camera platform features

several enhancements for a broader range of clinical applications

and specialties, including urology, neurology, ear, nose, throat

and arthroscopy and can be used to visualize indocyanine green

and CYTALUX. The Connected OR IP BRAVoE launch expands

the connected capabilities of iSuite.

Medical continued the global launch of the LIFEPAK 35 monitor/

defibrillator, our next generation platform designed to optimize

care with new clinical features such as the new Glasgow 30.4

algorithm, cprINSIGHT, 15-lead monitoring capabilities, and STJ

insight and mapping. LIFEPAK 35 combines a modern intuitive

touch screen display and increased processing power with

Bluetooth and WiFi data connectivity.  We also launched the

Vocera Sync Badge this year, a trusted clinician handsfree

communication endpoint that provides real-time communication

and alerts while extending Smart Hospital workflows directly into

daily clinical practice. Medical also completed the acquisition of

Advanced Medical Balloons (AMB), an indwelling fecal

management system that specializes in solutions that help

enhance care delivery by combining intelligent design with the

exceptional properties of ultra-thin polyurethane. AMB Medical

adds complementary technology to the Stryker Sage

incontinence portfolio and will help address problems in the

market that include hospital-acquired infections, pressure injuries,

staff satisfaction and retention.

In 2025 we changed the name of our Neurovascular business to

Vascular with the acquisition of Inari Medical, Inc. (Inari) whose

product portfolio includes minimally invasive products for the

treatment of venous thromboembolism.  Neurovascular and Inari

are jointly now Vascular. Vascular launched the Broadway

System in the United States, a fully integrated stroke solution that

provides a new level of access and support in large- and super-

bore catheter procedures. Additionally, Vascular accelerated the

launch of the Surpass Elite Flow Diverting Stent (FDS) in the

United States, Europe, and parts of Asia-Pacific. Surpass Elite

FDS is designed to reduce thrombin generation when compared

to unmodified stents.

Neuro Cranial launched OptaBlate BVN in 2025 which is a

radiofrequency nerve ablation system used to access and ablate

the basivertebral nerve to treat vertebrogenic pain.

Orthopaedics

Orthopaedics products primarily include implants used in total

joint replacements, such as hip, knee and shoulder, ankle, and

trauma and extremities surgeries. We bring patients and

physicians advanced implant designs and specialized

instrumentation that make orthopaedic surgery and recovery

simpler, faster and more effective. We support surgeons with the

technologies, products and services they need to support each

patient’s clinical challenge.

We are one of four leading global competitors for joint

replacement and trauma and extremities products and robotics;

the other three being Zimmer, Johnson & Johnson MedTech and

Smith & Nephew.

In 2025 we continued to expand the global footprint of Mako

SmartRobotics, which is now available in more than 45 countries.

To date, over one million robotic Mako Total Knee procedures

and more than two million robotic procedures across Mako Total

Knee, Mako Total Hip, and Mako Partial Knee have been

performed worldwide.

2025 also marked a significant period of product launches and

new application development. Most notably, we introduced the

Mako 4 platform, a meaningful advancement for both newly

established and existing Mako sites. This platform is built around

our Q‑Guidance system—an advanced guidance technology

designed to enable new hardware and software capabilities

across a broad range of subspecialties.

The first application released on the Mako 4 platform is the Total

Hip Advanced Primary and Revision application. We received

510(k) clearance for Mako Total Hip with Advanced Primary and

Revision with full market release in the third quarter of 2025.

Complex primary and revision total hip arthroplasty procedures

often present challenges such as bone loss and absent

anatomical landmarks. With our advanced Mako Total Hip

solution, we aim to extend the benefits of Mako SmartRobotics™

to simplify these demanding cases. Mako Total Hip with

Advanced Primary and Revision represents Stryker’s first-to-

market, robotically enabled revision hip arthroplasty procedure.

We also introduced Mako Shoulder, which expands the

SmartRobotics suite of applications. Mako Shoulder integrates

three market-leading technologies: Tornier implants, Blueprint

planning software, and Mako SmartRobotics. The application

offers haptically guided preparation for Tornier Perform Reversed

Glenoid and Tornier Reversed Augmented Glenoid implants for

primary shoulder arthroplasty. We completed the first Mako

Shoulder cases in 2024, and the application remained in limited

market release throughout 2025. Full commercial launch in the

United States is planned for the first quarter of 2026.

Raw Materials and Inventory

Raw materials essential to our business are generally readily

available from multiple sources; however, certain of our raw

materials are currently sourced from single suppliers.

Substantially all products we manufacture are stocked in

inventory, while certain MedSurg products are assembled to

order.

Patents and Trademarks

Patents and trademarks are significant to our business to the

extent that a product or an attribute of a product represents a

unique design or process. Patent protection of such products

restricts competitors from duplicating these unique designs and

features. We seek to obtain patent protection on our products

whenever appropriate for protecting our competitive advantage.

On December 31, 2025 we owned approximately 5,600 United

States patents and approximately 9,000 patents in other

countries.

Seasonality

Our business is generally not seasonal in nature; however, the

number of orthopaedic implant surgeries is typically lower in the

summer months, and sales of capital equipment are generally

higher in the fourth quarter.

Competition

In each of our product lines we compete with local and global

companies. The development of innovative products is important

to our success in all areas of our business. Competition in

research involving the development and improvement of new and

existing products and processes is particularly significant. The

competitive environment requires substantial investments in

continuing research and maintaining sales forces.

We believe our commitment to innovation, quality and service

and our reputation differentiates us in the highly competitive

product categories in which we operate and enables us to

compete effectively. We believe that our competitive position in

the future will depend largely on our ability to develop new

products and make improvements to existing products.

Regulation

Our businesses are subject to varying degrees of governmental

regulation in the countries in which we operate, and the general

trend is toward increasingly stringent regulation. We are required

to comply with the unique regulatory requirements of each

country in which we market and sell our products.

In the United States the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 to

the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and its subsequent

amendments and the regulations issued and proposed

thereunder provide for federal regulation by the United States

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the design, manufacture

and marketing of medical devices, including most of our products.

In addition, state licensing requirements often apply to certain of

our business operations and products. On the federal level, many

of our new products fall into FDA classifications that require

notification submitted as a 510(k) and review by the FDA before

we begin marketing them. Certain of our products require

extensive clinical testing, consisting of safety and efficacy

studies, followed by pre-market approval applications for specific

surgical indications. Certain of our products also fall under other

FDA classifications, such as drugs and Human Cells, Tissues,

and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products.

The FDA's Quality System regulations set forth standards for our

product design and manufacturing processes, require the

maintenance of certain records and provide for inspections of our

facilities by the FDA. There are also certain requirements of

state, local and foreign governments that must be complied with

in the manufacture and marketing of our products.

The European Union enacted the European Union Medical

Device Regulation in May 2017 with an original effective date of

May 2022, which imposes stricter requirements for the marketing

and sale of medical devices, including in the areas of clinical

evaluation requirements, quality systems, labeling and post-

market surveillance. Extended transition timelines were published

in 2023 which range from May 2026 through December 2028

depending on the type of device and we are on track to meet

these timelines.

Initiatives to limit the growth of general healthcare expenses and

hospital costs are ongoing. These initiatives are sponsored by

government agencies, legislative bodies and the private sector

and include price regulation and competitive pricing. It is not

possible to predict the long-term impact of such cost containment

measures on our future business. In addition, business practices

in the healthcare industry are scrutinized, particularly in the

United States, by federal and state government agencies. Any

resulting investigations and prosecutions potentially carry the risk

of significant civil and criminal penalties.

Environment

We are subject to various rules and regulation in the United

States and internationally related to the protection of human

health and the environment. Our operations involve the use of

substances regulated under environmental laws, primarily in

manufacturing and sterilization processes. We believe our

policies, practices and procedures are properly designed to

comply, in all material respects, with applicable environmental

laws and regulations. We do not expect compliance with these

requirements to have a material effect on purchases of property,

plant and equipment, cash flows, net earnings or competitive

position.

Employees

On December 31, 2025 we had approximately 56,000 employees

globally, with approximately 28,000 employees in the United

States. Our talented employees are an integral reason for our

standing as a global leader in medical technologies where,

together with our customers, we are driven to make healthcare

better. Our company values of integrity, accountability, people

and performance are a key component of that mission. Our

people, as one of our core values, continue to be a key focus.

Our success depends on our ability to attract the best talent. To

do so, we continue to focus on establishing and maintaining a

great workplace. We believe in attracting the right people,

maintaining and building employee engagement and developing

our employees. We believe when people are able to do what they

do best, they will look forward to coming to work and, in turn, will

deliver great business results.

Our leadership team and Board of Directors receive regular

updates on our people and culture strategy and provide feedback

on our strategy and goals, including alignment to our mission and

values, peer benchmarking and stakeholder feedback.

Employee Development

Our employee development is extensive and exists at all levels of

the organization, including company-wide training on our Code of

Conduct, job-related technical training and management and

leadership training. Our development programs include on-the-

job learning, coaching and mentoring, management and

leadership development courses, team building and collaboration

training and immersive experiences with expert partners.

We encourage all employees to establish development

objectives, in partnership with their manager, to help employees

gain the needed development experience to grow their careers.

Employee Engagement

An engaged workplace culture that drives performance and

business outcomes is central to our mission. Listening to and

learning from our employees forms the foundation of an engaging

culture. More than 90% of our employees participate in our

annual engagement survey, which provides a valued platform for

listening and allows us to act on the feedback collected.

We supplement our annual engagement survey with targeted

pulse surveys to gather feedback on topics relevant to the current

climate.

We also provide tools and resources that enable managers and

teams to act on the insights we gain from our surveys and to

drive employee engagement and strong business outcomes.

Inclusion

We believe our individual strengths, experiences, and

perspectives are essential for delivering on our mission. By

caring for each other, we foster a culture where everyone feels

heard and valued. How we work together is critical to our

success, and we believe it takes everyone. Every voice. Every

person. Every connection.

Attracting and Hiring

We understand that every employee drives our success. We

focus on attracting, identifying and selecting strong candidates

who will be successful at Stryker and ensuring that each person

we hire brings the talent, expertise and passion we need to

continue to be successful.

Health and Safety

Ensuring our employees' safety is a top priority. It is a

responsibility that we share throughout the company and one that

has evolved to meet the needs of our workforce. Employees'

safety risks vary depending on the roles they perform, so we

tailor our safety efforts accordingly.

Competitive Pay and Benefits

Our compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract

and retain top talent and to incentivize performance and

alignment to our mission and values.

We offer market-competitive base pay and benefits to our

employees in countries around the world. We regularly evaluate

our compensation and benefit offerings and levels, using

recognized outside consulting firms to ensure internal fairness

and competitiveness in our offerings.

Most of our employees also have variable compensation

components that reward employees based on individual,

business unit and/or company-wide performance.

Our proxy statement provides more detail on the competitive

compensation programs we offer to our executive officers.

Information about our Executive Officers

Each of our executive officers held the position above or served

Stryker in various executive or administrative capacities for at

least five years, except for Ms. King and Ms. Montagnino. Prior to

joining Stryker in May 2025, Ms. King served as the Chief

Technology Officer at Bunge for two years and as the Chief

Information Officer at Corteva, Inc. from 2017 to 2021. Prior to

joining Stryker in June 2024, Ms. Montagnino held multiple

corporate affairs leadership roles with Johnson & Johnson during

the previous eight years, most recently as Senior Director,

Communications Johnson & Johnson MedTech. While at Stryker,

Ms. Montagnino previously served as Vice President, Global

Communications.

Available Information

Our main corporate website address is www.stryker.com. The

information on our website is not incorporated by reference into

this report. Copies of our filings with the United States Securities

and Exchange Commission (SEC) are available free of charge on

our website within the "Investors Relations" section as soon as

reasonably practicable after having been electronically filed or

furnished to the SEC. All SEC filings are also available at the

SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains statements that are not historical facts and

are considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning

of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These

statements are based on current projections about operations,

industry conditions, financial condition and liquidity. Words that

identify forward-looking statements include, without limitation,

words such as "may," "could," "will," "should," "possible," "plan,"

"predict," "forecast," "potential," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect,"

"project," "intend," "believe," "may impact," "on track," "goal,"

"strategy" and words and terms of similar substance used in

connection with any discussion of future operating or financial

performance, an acquisition or our businesses. In addition, any

statements that refer to expectations, projections or other

characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any

underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Those

statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks,

uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict.

Therefore, actual results could differ materially and adversely

from these forward-looking statements, historical experience or

our present expectations. Some important factors that could

cause our actual results to differ from our expectations in any

forward-looking statements include:

•weakening of economic conditions, or the anticipation thereof,

that could adversely affect the level of demand for our

products;

•geopolitical risks, including from international conflicts and

tariffs, which could, among other things, lead to increased

market volatility;

•pricing pressures generally, including cost-containment

measures that have adversely affected and could in the future

adversely affect the price of or demand for our products;

•changes in foreign currency exchange markets;

•legislative and regulatory actions;

•unanticipated issues arising in connection with clinical studies

and otherwise that affect approval of new products by the

FDA and foreign regulatory agencies;

•inflationary pressures;

•increased interest rates or interest rate volatility;

•supply chain disruptions;

•changes in labor markets;

•changes in coverage and reimbursement levels from third-

party payors;

•changes in the competitive environment;

•breaches, failures or other disruptions of our or our vendors’

or customers’ information technology systems or products,

including by cyber-attack, data leakage, unauthorized access

or theft;

•a significant increase in product liability claims;

•the ultimate total cost with respect to recall-related and other

regulatory and quality matters;

•the impact of investigative and legal proceedings and

compliance risks;

•resolution of tax audits;

•changes in tax laws and regulations;

•the impact of legislation to reform the healthcare system in the

United States or other countries;

•costs to comply with medical device regulations;

•changes in financial markets;

•changes in our credit ratings;

•our ability to integrate and realize the anticipated benefits of

acquisitions in full or at all or within the expected timeframes,

including our acquisition of Inari Medical, Inc. ("Inari");

•our ability to realize any anticipated cost savings;

•potential negative impacts resulting from climate change or

other environmental, social and governance and sustainability

related matters;

•the impact on our operations and financial results of any

public health emergency and any related policies and actions

by governments or other third parties; and

•other risks detailed in our filings with the SEC.

While we believe that the assumptions underlying such forward-

looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance

that future events or developments will not cause such

statements to be inaccurate. All forward-looking statements

contained in this report are qualified in their entirety by this

cautionary statement. We expressly disclaim any intention or

obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking

statement to reflect any change in our expectations or in events,

conditions or circumstances on which those expectations may be

based, or that affect the likelihood that actual results will differ

from those contained in the forward-looking statements

Trademarks

All trademarks or trade names referred to in this report are the

property of the Company, or, to the extent trademarks or trade

names belonging to other companies are referenced in this

report, the property of their respective owners. Solely for

convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this report are

referred to without the ® and ™ symbols, but such references

should not be construed as any indicator that the Company or, to

the extent applicable, their respective owners will not assert, to

the fullest extent under applicable law, the Company’s or their

rights thereto. We do not intend the use or display of other

companies’ trademarks and trade names to imply a relationship

with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other

companies.