ý	Preliminary Proxy Statement

¨	Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

¨	Definitive Proxy Statement

¨	Definitive Additional Materials

¨	Soliciting Material  under §240.14a-12

ý	No fee required.

¨	Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

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¨	Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

¨	Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

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(1)	Mr. Larkin is Chairman of the Board of Directors

(2)	Ms. Saia's tenure as a member of the Compensation Committee and Technology Committee will commence immediately following the Annual Meeting subject to her continued membership on the Board.

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Q:	Why am I receiving these materials?

A:

Our Board of Directors (the “Board”) is providing these materials to you in connection with its solicitation of proxies for use at Align’s 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will take place on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. local time, at our corporate headquarters located at 2560 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131 (referred to in this proxy statement as the “Annual Meeting”). As a stockholder, you are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and are requested to vote on the items of business described in this proxy statement.

Q:	What information is contained in these materials?

A:

The proxy materials include our proxy statement for the Annual Meeting and our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K. If you received a paper copy of these materials by mail, the proxy materials also include a proxy card for the Annual Meeting. If you received a notice of the Internet availability of the proxy materials instead of a paper copy of the proxy materials, see "How do I vote?" below. The information in this proxy statement contains important information regarding our Annual Meeting. Specifically, it identifies the proposals on which you are being asked to vote, provides information you may find useful in determining how to vote and describes the voting procedures.

A:

This year, we are once again pleased to be using the SEC rule that allows companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. As a result, we are mailing to many of our stockholders a notice of the Internet availability of the proxy materials instead of a paper copy of the proxy materials. All stockholders receiving the notice will have the ability to access the proxy materials over the Internet and request a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet or to request a paper copy may be found in the notice of the Internet availability of the proxy materials. In addition, the notice contains instructions on how you may request to access proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically on an ongoing basis.

A:	We provide some of our stockholders with paper copies of the proxy materials instead of a notice of the Internet availability of the proxy material.

Q:	Who can vote at the Annual Meeting?

A:	If you are a stockholder of record or a beneficial owner who owned our common stock at the close of business on March 24, 2016, the record date for the Annual Meeting, you are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the record date, _________________of our common stock were issued and outstanding and no shares of our preferred stock were issued and outstanding.

Q:	What is the difference between holding shares directly or as a beneficial owner, in street name?

A:	Most of our stockholders hold their shares as a beneficial owner through a brokerage firm, bank or other nominee. As summarized below, there are some differences between shares held of record and those owned beneficially.

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Q:	How do I vote?

A:	Voting by Mail. Stockholders who received a paper copy of a proxy card by mail may submit proxies by completing, signing and dating their proxy card and mailing it in the accompanying pre-addressed envelope. Proxy cards submitted by mail must be received prior to the closing of the polls at the Annual Meeting in order for the votes to be recorded.

Q:	What if I don’t give specific voting instructions?

A:	In the election of directors, you may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN.” If you elect to “ABSTAIN” in the election of directors, the abstention will not impact the election of directors. In tabulating the voting results for the election of directors, only "FOR" and "AGAINST" votes are counted.

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Q:	Can I change or revoke my vote?

A:	Subject to any rules your broker or other nominee may have, you may change your proxy instructions at any time before your proxy is voted at the Annual Meeting.

•	Sign and return another proxy bearing a later date prior to the time we take the vote at the Annual Meeting;

•	Submit a timely and valid Internet or telephone vote on a later date but prior to the time we take the vote at the Annual Meeting;

•	provide written notice of the revocation to:

•	attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person. Your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not cause your previously granted proxy to be revoked unless you specifically so request.

•	submit new voting instructions to your broker or other nominee; or

•	if you have obtained a legal proxy from your broker or other nominee giving you the right to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting, attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person.

Q:	What are we voting on and what vote is required to approve each item?

A:	The proposals that will be presented at the Annual meeting, our Board's voting recommendations and the vote required and the way the vote is calculated for the proposals is as follows:

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Q:	What constitutes a quorum?

A:

A quorum, which is a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of the record date, must be present or represented by proxy in order to hold the Annual Meeting and to conduct business. As of the record date, ___________________ shares of common stock, representing the same number of votes, were outstanding. That means that we need the holders of at least _______________shares of common stock to be represented for us to have a quorum. Your shares will be counted as present at the Annual Meeting if you attend the Annual Meeting in person. Your shares will be considered present and represented by proxy if you submit a properly executed proxy card or vote via the Internet or by telephone. Under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, abstentions and broker “non-votes” are counted as present and entitled to vote and so are included for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting.

Q:	Who will bear the cost of soliciting votes for the Annual Meeting?

A:

We will bear the entire cost of proxy solicitation, including the preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of proxy materials. The original solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by solicitation by telephone and other means by directors, and employees of Align. None of these officers, directors or employees will receive special compensation for such services. In addition, we may reimburse brokerage firms and other custodians for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for forwarding these proxy materials to you. We have also retained Alliance Advisors LLC to assist us in the solicitation of proxies. Alliance Advisors LLC will solicit proxies on our behalf from individuals, brokers, bank nominees and other institutional holders in the same manner described above. Alliance Advisors LLC will receive a fee of $7,500 plus approved and reasonable out of pocket expenses for these services.

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Q:	Who will count the vote?

A:	We expect a representative from the Company will tabulate the proxies and act as inspector of the election.

Q:	What is the Company’s website address?

A.

Our website address is www.aligntech.com. We make this proxy statement, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended available on our website in the Investor Relations section, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Q:	Where can I find the voting results of the meeting?

A:	The preliminary results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. The final results will be published in a Current Report on Form 8-K, which we will file with the SEC by May 24, 2016.

Q:	Is there any information that I should know regarding future annual meetings?

A:

Stockholder proposals may be included in our proxy statement for an annual meeting so long as they are provided to us on a timely basis and satisfy the other conditions set forth in SEC regulations under Rule 14a-8 regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. For a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for the annual meeting to be held in 2017, we must receive the proposal at our principal executive offices, addressed to the Corporate Secretary, no later than December 3, 2016. In addition, a stockholder proposal that is not intended for inclusion in our proxy statement under Rule 14a-8 may be brought before the 2017 annual meeting so long as we receive information and notice of the proposal in compliance with the requirements set forth in our Bylaws, addressed to the Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices, not later than March 19, 2017 nor earlier than February 17, 2017.

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•

Director Stock Ownership Guidelines. The guidelines provide that each director should own shares of Align’s common stock equal in market value to $250,000. Directors are expected to attain the minimum level of target ownership within a period of five years from the effective date of the policy. Any new director will be expected to attain the minimum level of target ownership within a period of five years from the date he or she is first elected to the Board. Currently, all directors are in compliance with this policy.

•

Executive Officer Stock Ownership Guidelines. The target ownership guideline set for each executive is based on that person’s relative level of seniority and responsibility. For our CEO, the ratio is 5.0 times his annual base salary. For each executive officer other than our CEO, the ratio is 1.0 times his or her annual base salary. Once established, an executive officer’s target ownership guideline does not re-adjust automatically as a result of changes in his or

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•	shares of Align common stock held directly by the director or officer or in trust for the benefit of the director or officer or his or her family member living in the same household,

•	50% of the gain on vested in-the-money stock options, and

•	shares of underlying Align restricted stock units held directly by a director or officer, whether or not yet vested.

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•	the highest personal and professional ethics and integrity;

•	proven achievement and competence in the nominee’s field and the ability to exercise sound business judgment;

•	skills and experience that are complementary to those of the existing Board;

•	the ability to assist and support management and make significant contributions to Align’s success; and

•	an understanding of the fiduciary responsibilities that is required of a member of the Board and the commitment of time and energy necessary to diligently carry out those responsibilities.

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•	our compensation program is designed to provide a balanced mix of cash and equity, annual, and longer-term incentives in order to encourage strategies and actions that are in Align’s long-term best interests;

•	base salaries are consistent with an employee’s responsibilities so that they are not motivated to take excessive risks to achieve a reasonable level of financial security;

•	we establish performance goals under our annual cash incentive plan that we believe (A) are reasonable in light of past performance and market conditions, and (B) encourage success without encouraging excessive risk taking to achieve short-term results, and, therefore, do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking;

•	the performance goals that determine payouts under our annual cash incentive plans are company-wide in order to encourage decision-making that is in the best long-term interests of Align and our stockholders as a whole;

•	under our annual cash incentive plans, achievement of performance goals at levels below full target reduces only the payout related to that goal, not the other goals, and therefore does not result in an “all-or-nothing” approach;

•	each performance goal under our annual cash incentive plan has a maximum cap on achievement;

•	the Compensation Committee has discretion over annual cash incentive program payouts;

•	for our executive officers, we use a portfolio of equity based incentives that incent performance over a variety of time periods with respect to several balanced goals:

•	Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs") retain value even in a depressed market making it less likely that employees take unreasonable risks to get, or keep, equity grant “in the money”; and

•	performance-based market stock units ("MSUs") measure relative stockholder return over a three-year performance cycle; and

•	executive officers are subject to share ownership guidelines.

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(1)	The amounts shown in this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 of awards of RSUs. There can be no assurance that the grant date fair value amounts will ever be realized. The RSUs are time based awards and are not subject to performance or market conditions.

(2)	Mr. Larkin is the Chairman of the Board.

(3)	Mr. Prescott retired as our President and CEO in June 2015. As a result, until June 2015, he did not receive compensation for his service on the Board. The cash amounts shown here are for Mr. Prescott's membership on the Board and the Technology Committee commencing in June 2015 and October 2015, respectively.

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(1)	Audit fees — These are fees for professional services performed by PwC for the annual audit of Align’s financial statements and review of financial statements included in Align’s quarterly filings, and services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements, and attest services, except those not required by statute or regulation.

(2)	Audit-related fees — These are fees for technical advisory consultations performed by PwC that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of Align’s financial statements and are not reported under “Audit fees”, including fees for due diligence services and pre-implementation assessment of controls relating to enterprise resource planning ("ERP") software system.

(3)	Tax fees — These are fees for professional services performed by PwC with respect to tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.

(4)	All other fees — These consist of all other fees billed to us for professional services performed by PwC and not reported under "Audit fees," "Audit-related fees" and "Tax fees."

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•	the integrity of Align’s financial statements;

•	Align’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;

•	the independent registered public accountant’s qualifications, independence and performance;

•	adequacy of Align’s internal accounting and financial controls; and

•	Align’s internal audit department.

•	providing guidance with respect to Align’s relationship with the independent auditors, including having responsibility for their appointment, compensation and retention;

•	involved in the selection of the audit firm's lead engagement partner;

•	reviewing the results and audit scope;

•	approving audit and non-audit services;

•	reviewing and discussing with management the quarterly and annual financial reports;

•	overseeing and reviewing Align’s risk management policies; and

•	overseeing management’s implementation and maintenance of effective systems of internal controls.

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•	Approximately 80% - 85% of their target total direct compensation opportunity is variable and tied to achievement of internal performance targets or Align's stock price performance;

•	Since Align’s achievement of internal financial performance targets was slightly above target in 2015 compared to below target in 2014, each named executive officer received a greater cash incentive award compared to fiscal 2014;

•	Granted long-term equity awards, including performance-based market stock units, which are earned based on a comparison of Align’s stock price performance to the NASDAQ Composite index over a three-year performance period;

•	All of our post-employment cash compensation arrangements in the event of a change in control of Align are "double trigger" arrangements that require both a change in control plus a qualifying termination of employment before any cash payments are made.

•

Previously, our former CEO had a "single trigger" pursuant to which 100% of his equity would vest immediately upon a change of control of Align. With the hiring of Mr. Hogan, however, we eliminated this 100% vesting for the CEO, and Mr. Hogan's employment agreement contains a single trigger provision equivalent to the protection given to our other NEOs whereby the vesting of equity awards is accelerated only by one year immediately upon a change of control.

•	Executive officers are not entitled to any tax gross-up treatment on any severance or change-of-control benefits;

•	Align’s compensation programs are reviewed regularly by the Compensation Committee, which has determined the Company’s compensation programs do not create inappropriate or excessive risk that is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company; and

•	Align continued to demonstrate its prudent use of equity while balancing stockholder concerns with the motivation of our executive officers to achieve the Company’s business goals and create long-term stockholder value. In 2015, Align’s overall equity award adjusted burn rate (which counts each RSU and earned MSU award as 2.5 shares) was 3.5%.

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•	the director may be removed only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting; and

•	the director may be removed only “for cause.”

•	by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting; and

•	such removal may be with or without cause, in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware General Corporate Law.

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•	by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting; and

•	such removal may be with or without cause, in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

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•	the director may be removed only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting; and

•	the director may be removed only “for cause.”

•	if the number of votes cast in favor of the director’s removal exceed the number of votes cast against the director’s removal; and

•	such removal may be with or without cause, in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

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•	An increase by 4,500,000 shares in the number of shares authorized for issuance under the Incentive Plan, from 25,668,895 to 30,168,895 shares.

•	An additional restriction on the grants that non-employee directors may receive in any fiscal year, such that no non-employee directors may not be granted in any fiscal year of Align, awards exceeding the lesser of (i) awards covering 100,000 shares or (ii) awards with a grant date fair value of greater than $1,000,000.

•	Restrictions on the vesting of awards under the Incentive Plan, such that awards generally will vest in full no earlier than the 1-year anniversary of the grant date although up to 5% of the shares reserved in the 2015 Plan may be granted without this minimum vesting requirement.

•	Flexibility for the administrator to subject awards to forfeiture or recoupment provisions, and requires (i) awards be subject to recoupment under a company clawback policy and (ii) a participant to reimburse us for any payment in settlement of an award where the participant has engaged in or failed to prevent certain misconduct.

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•	80,167,047 shares of our common stock were outstanding.

•	The market value of one share of our common stock was $67.86.

•	The number of shares remaining available for future grants, under the Incentive Plan was 3,484,132.

•	The weighted average exercise price of all outstanding stock options was $15.37.

•	The weighted average remaining contractual term for all outstanding stock options was 1.94 years.

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(1)	Includes 2,078,136 restricted stock units, including 611,150 market-performance based restricted stock units at target, which have an exercise price of zero.

(2)	Includes 1,133,749 shares available for issuance under our ESPP. We are unable to ascertain with specificity the number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding rights or the weighted average exercise price of outstanding rights under the ESPP.

(3)

Our 2005 Incentive Plan, as amended, provides for the granting of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, restricted stock units, market stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance units and performance shares to employees, non-employee directors, and consultants.  Shares granted on or after May 16, 2013 as an award of restricted stock, restricted stock unit, market stock units, performance share or performance unit ("full value awards") are counted against the authorized share reserve as one and nine-tenths (1 9/10) shares for every one (1) share subject to the award, and any shares canceled that were counted as one and nine-tenths against the plan reserve will be returned at the same ratio.  Full value awards granted prior to May 16, 2013 were counted against the authorized share reserve as one and one half (1 1/2) share for every one (1) share subject to the award, and any shares canceled that were counted as one and one half against the plan reserve will be returned at this same ratio. As of December 31, 2015, we have a total of 23,283,379 shares authorized and reserved, of which 4,869,639 shares are available for issuance which excludes 546,933 of potentially issuable MSUs if performance targets are achieved at maximum payout.

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•	Joseph M. Hogan, our President and Chief Executive Officer

•	David L. White, our Chief Financial Officer

•	Raphael S. Pascaud, our Chief Marketing Portfolio & Business Development Officer

•	Zelko Relic, our Vice President, Research & Development

•	Roger E. George, our Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs and General Counsel

•	Annual base salary of $950,000;

•	A one-time signing bonus of $1,500,000;

•	A target annual cash incentive opportunity of 150% of annual base salary; and

•	An equity award of 111,000 RSUs and 111,000 MSUs.

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•

Net revenue growth of 11%, with net revenues of $845.5 million in 2015 compared to $761.7 million in 2014, despite negative impact of foreign exchange and the adoption of our Additional Aligner policy in July 2015. Under this policy, we no longer distinguish between mid-course corrections and case refinements providing doctors the ability to order additional aligners to address either treatment need at no charge. While this policy change was largely immaterial to our cash flows, it did impact the timing at which we recognize revenue. We estimate that 2015 reported revenues and pre tax income were lower by approximately $14 million due to this change.

•	585.2 thousand Invisalign cases shipped, up 22% from 478.0 cases in 2014, with 32.5% year-over-year volume growth from our International doctors and 17.7% year-over-year volume growth from our North American doctors.

•	Operating margins of 22.3% of our net revenues, which were negatively impacted by 1.6 points due to the adoption of the Additional Aligner policy as well as the negative impact from foreign exchange rates.

•	Our three-year TSR is 141% compared with the three-year Nasdaq Composite Index three-year TSR of 61%.

•	We announced multiple innovations designed to improve clinical applicability and predictability of treatment outcome, including:

•	the launch of Invisalign G6 for treatment of severe crowding and bimaxillary protrusion; and

•	in March 2015, we announced the next generation iTero Element Intraoral Scanner with improved imaging technology that is designed to enable significantly faster scan speed, accuracy, intuitive operation, and visualization capabilities. We began shipping the iTero Element Intraoral Scanner in September 2015.

•	We grew our Invisalign teenage segment 21% year over year compared to 16% in 2014, demonstrating our continued progress and share gain among teenage patients.

•	We grew international Invisalign case shipments 32.5% year over year driven by both an increase in the number of doctors submitting cases and in the number of cases submitted per doctor in our EMEA regions as well as continued expansion of our customer base in the Asia Pacific region.

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•	We have created long-term, sustained value for our stockholders. Our stock price increased from $56.20 to $65.85 per share during 2015, reflecting strong stock price appreciation and a one-year total stockholder return of 17%. This compares to the Nasdaq Composite Index one-year TSR of 6%. Our three-year TSR is 141% compared with the three-year Nasdaq Composite Index three-year TSR of 61%.

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Stockholders indicated strong support for our executive compensation program in 2015. In 2015, we held our fourth annual stockholder advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers. Approximately 94% of the total votes cast at our 2015 annual meeting voted in favor of our named executive officer compensation. As we evaluated our executive compensation practices since that vote, we were mindful of the strong support our stockholders expressed for our executive compensation program. As a result, the Compensation Committee generally believes that the stockholder advisory vote affirmed stockholder support of our approach to executive compensation and they did not believe it was necessary to make any significant changes to our executive compensation program.

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Our compensation program continues to emphasize performance-based pay. Our compensation program is designed to pay more when our financial and strategic performance is robust and less when it is not, providing built-in flexibility in the management of our operating expenses and enabling us to preserve strategic programs when economic conditions are unfavorable. A significant portion of our executive officers’ compensation is variable and tied to the success of our business and the individual performance of our executives. Consistent with this pay-for-performance orientation, Align believes that annual cash incentive (bonus) awards and long-term equity compensation should together represent the most significant portion of total direct compensation. As a result, a larger portion of our executive officers’ total compensation is at risk relative to Align’s other employees. We believe this is appropriate because our executive officers bear the greatest responsibility for Align’s results and can exert the greatest influence on Align’s performance. As illustrated by the charts below, in fiscal 2015, approximately 86% of our CEO’s total-target compensation and approximately 80% of our other named executive officers total-target compensation was subject to annual performance goals or tied to the value of our common stock.

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Annual cash incentive awards reflected positive 2015 Company performance. The Committee seeks to motivate management to continuously improve the financial performance of the Company and to achieve our key strategic priorities through a cash incentive (bonus) plan that rewards higher performance with increased incentive opportunities. This provides us with a variable expense structure, allowing us to reduce our compensation costs in challenging times and reward performance when business conditions and results warrant. For fiscal 2015, we achieved a weighted average of 100.6% of our financial targets and key strategic objectives. In addition, based on an assessment of each NEOs performance during the year, individual performance multipliers ranging from 105% to 130% were awarded. As a result, the annual incentive payments for our NEOs were between 106% and 131% of their target award opportunity.

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Equity awards are tied to the value of our common stock. Value received under our annual equity awards varies based on our stock price performance. In particular, payouts of our MSUs awarded to our executive officers vary based on the relative performance of our stock compared to the NASDAQ Composite Index. MSUs granted in 2015 are earned based on Align’s relative stockholder return over a three-year performance period, with 100% of the earned shares vesting at the end of three years. For MSUs granted in 2012 that vested in February 2015, Align stock outperformed the NASDAQ Composite Index by 70% during the applicable performance period. As a result, due to Align’s continued outstanding

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•	Compensation Committee Composed Solely of Independent Directors. The Compensation Committee is composed solely of independent directors and it directly retains an independent compensation consultant.

•	Annual Say-on-Pay Votes. We elected to hold an annual stockholder advisory ("say-on-pay") vote, and the Compensation Committee considers the outcome of the advisory vote in making compensation decisions.

•	Stock Ownership Guidelines. We maintain stock ownership guidelines for our executive officers.

•	No “single-trigger” on Cash Compensation. All of our post-employment cash compensation arrangements in the event of a change in control of the Company are “double-trigger” arrangements that require both a change in control of the Company plus a qualifying termination of employment before any cash payments are paid.

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Annual Compensation-Related Risk Assessment. Align’s executive compensation policies are structured to discourage inappropriate risk-taking by our executives. In 2015, the Compensation Committee determined to cap our annual cash bonus incentive awards at 240% of target for our executive officers in part to discourage excessive risk taking. The Compensation Risk Assessment located on page 15 of this proxy statement describes the Compensation Committee’s assessment that the risks arising from our company-wide compensation programs are reasonable, in the best interest of our stockholders, and not likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

•	No Hedging or Pledging Company Stock. Employees may not directly or indirectly engage in transactions intended to hedge or offset the market value of Align’s common stock owned by them.    In addition, in 2015, we amended our Insider Trading Policy to further prohibit employees from directly or indirectly pledging Align common stock as collateral for any obligation.

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Carefully Manage Equity Burn Rates. We are committed to carefully managing the dilutive impact of equity compensation awards. Management and the Board regularly evaluate share utilization levels by reviewing the dilutive impact of stock compensation. Align’s overall equity-award-based gross burn rate for fiscal 2015 was 1.4% and Align's adjusted gross burn rate was 3.5%. Gross burn rate is defined as the number of equity awards granted in the year divided by shares outstanding. Adjusted gross burn rate includes a premium applied to full-value shares (e.g., RSUs and MSUs) of 2.5:1.

•	Offer competitive compensation. We seek to provide competitive compensation opportunities to attract, retain and incent superior talent.

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Reward performance. A significant portion of total compensation for our NEOs is tied to the achievement of financial and strategic objectives. We believe that this supports our pay-for-performance philosophy by directly and substantially linking rewards to the achievement of measurable financial targets and a shared set of critical strategic priorities. By also rewarding individual performance, we seek to foster a meritocracy.

•	Link the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders. A significant portion of total compensation for our NEOs is tied to the achievement of financial and strategic objectives and is in the form of long-term equity-based compensation. This structure is designed to focus decision-making and behavior on goals that are consistent with Align’s overall strategy.

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•	market comparison data (peer group data and survey data);

•	subjective elements, such as:

•	the scope of the executive’s role;

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•	the executive’s:

•	experience;

•	qualifications;

•	skills; and

•	performance during the fiscal year (see discussion below on “Role of Individual Performance”);

•	internal equity; and

•	Align’s operational and financial performance.

•	Industry-medical device companies and software as a service companies (SaaS). We believe that the SaaS industry is a relevant industry for market comparison purposes due to the integral role that software systems and software development has in our products and services;

•	Market Capitalization-companies with a market capitalization of between approximately $1.4 billion and $13.0 billion, based upon the companies’ trading ranges at the time of selection; and

•	Revenue-companies with revenue of between approximately $200 million to $2.3 billion, based upon the last four quarters of revenue at the time of selection.

*	Indicates new additions to the peer group. In addition, Quality Systems, Genomic Health, Masimo and Volcano were removed from our peer group because they no longer met the market capitalization selection criteria.

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•	base salary;

•	annual cash incentive awards;

•	long-term equity-based incentive grants; and

•	severance and change of control arrangements.

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(1)	The threshold performance and the level of performance at which the funding for that particular financial performance measure will be capped as follows:

•	A rating of zero if achievement is below 90%. Company performance below target automatically reduces only the payout related to that goal, not the other goals, as we want executives to have the same incentive to achieve other financial goals as well as their individual performance goals even if our performance tracks below the target during the course of the year;

•	A rating ranging from 60% to 100% if achievement meets or exceeds the minimum performance level but does not achieve the target performance level; and

•	A rating of 101% to 200% if achievement meets or exceeds the target performance level.

(2)	Adjusted Non-GAAP Operating Income was adjusted to exclude stock based compensation expense. The Compensation Committee also has the discretion to exclude the following items from Revenue and Operating Income:

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(a)	significant and/or extraordinary items that are not indicative of our core operating performance that are separately stated on our financial statements;

(b)	items identified as non-GAAP in the Company’s quarterly earnings announcements; and

(c)	other discrete items as necessary that may result in unintended gain or loss under the bonus plan.

(3)	Management believes, and the Committee concurs, that the specific strategic initiatives and performance goals established for each of these strategic priorities represent confidential business information, the disclosure of which would result in meaningful competitive harm.

(4)	For each strategic performance measure, a rating ranging from 0% to 150% based on relative achievement of the particular measure.

(1)	The awards for Mr. Hogan and Mr. Prescott were pro rated based on the number of months they were employed by the Company in 2015.

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(1)	The number of MSUs set forth in this column represents the Target Shares; however, the actual number of MSUs to be earned, if any, is determined based on the formula set forth in the Market Stock Unit Agreement up to a maximum of 150% of the amount of the Target Shares.

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•	a change of control; and

•	termination without cause or for convenience.

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•	Revenue - 60%

•	Operating Income - 40%

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(1)

Mr. Prescott retired as CEO and Mr. Hogan was appointed as CEO in June 2015. As a result, Mr. Hogan's salary and non-equity incentive plan compensation are pro rated based on the number of months he was employed by Align in the capacity of CEO. Pursuant to Mr. Prescott's Transition Agreement, he received seven month's salary continuation through December 31, 2015 for an aggregate of $393,750. His non-equity incentive plan compensation, however, was prorated based on the number of months (5/12) that he acted as our President and CEO.

(2)	Amounts reflect (i) a one-time signing bonus for Mr. Hogan, (ii) a one-time bonus of $25,000 intended to assist Mr. Prescott with post-termination medical care cost (in lieu of any reimbursement of COBRA premiums); and (iii) a special retention bonus paid to Mr. Pascaud in connection with our previous VP, International, Richard Twomey's departure.

(3)

The amounts shown in this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Assumptions used in the calculations of these amounts are included in Note 9 to our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 25, 2016. This same method was used for years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. There can be no assurance that the grant date fair value amounts will ever be realized.

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•	cash amounts that could have been received in 2015 by our NEOs under the terms of our performance-based cash incentive plan (CIP); and

•	time-vested RSUs and performance-based MSUs awards granted by the Compensation Committee to our NEOs in 2015 reflected on an individual grant basis.

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•

Threshold. There is no threshold performance level. Rather, the Company's financial performance below a specific target automatically reduces only the payout related to that specific goal, not the other goals, because we want executives to have the same incentive to achieve strategic priorities as well as their individual performance goals even if our financial performance tracks below the target during the course of the year.

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•	Target. The target amounts assume a corporate performance percentage of 100% and that the NEO received 100% of his target.

•	Maximum. Although each financial objective is capped at 200% for funding the total pool available for distribution, there is no maximum amount that an NEO could receive.

•	Align does not plan to time, nor has it timed, the release of material non-public information for the purpose of affecting the exercise price of its stock options;

•

consistent with the policy described in the bullet point above, all awards of equity compensation for new employees (other than new executive officers described in the next bullet point) are made on the first day of the month for those employees who started during the period between the 16th day of the month that is two months prior to the grant date and the 15th day of the month prior to the month of the grant date. For example, May 1, 2016 grants will cover new hires starting between March 16, 2016 and April 15, 2016; and

•	annual incentive grants are made on or about the same day for all employees (including executive officers); in each of 2015, 2014 and 2013 such date was February 20. The Compensation Committee sets the actual grant date approximately one week following approval of the size of each grant in order to provide Align managers with adequate time to inform each employee individually of their grant.

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(1)	Restricted stock unit vest at a rate of 25% on December 31, 2015, December 31, 2016, December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018.

(2)	Performance stock units vest on June 1, 2018.

(3)	Fully vested on February 20, 2015.

(4)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third year and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on February 20, 2013, February 20, 2014, February 20, 2015 and February 20, 2016.

(5)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third year and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on February 20, 2014, February 20, 2015, February 20, 2016 and February 20, 2017.

(6)	Market stock units vest at a rate of 100% on February 20, 2016 for full vesting at the end of the three-year performance cycle.

(7)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third year and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on August 20, 2014, August 20, 2015, August 20, 2016, and August 20, 2017.

(8)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third, fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on February 20, 2015, February 20, 2016, February 20, 2017, and February 20, 2018.

(9)	Restricted stock units vest at the rate of 50% on February 20, 2016 and 50% on February 20, 2017.

(10)	Market stock units vest at a rate of 100% on February 20, 2017 for full vesting at the end of three-year performance cycle.

(11)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on November 20, 2014, November 20, 2015, November 20, 2016, and November 20, 2017.

(12)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third year and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on January 20, 2015, January 20, 2016, January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2018.

(13)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third year, and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on February 20, 2016, February 20, 2017, February 20, 2018 and February 20, 2019.

(14)	Performance stock units vest at a rate of 100% on February 20, 2018

(15)	Fully vested December 1, 2014.

(16)	Restricted stock units vest at a rate of 25% of the total number of shares subject to the restricted stock unit on the first year, second year, third and fourth year anniversary of the date of grant for vesting on December 20, 2014, December 20, 2015, December 20, 2016, and December 20, 2017.

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(1)	The value realized on exercise equals the difference between (a) either (i) the actual sales price of our common stock underlying the options exercised if the shares were immediately sold or (ii) the closing price per share of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market on the date of exercise if the shares were held and (b) the applicable exercise price of such stock options.

(2)	For each NEO, such number of shares represents the gross number of shares acquired by the NEO on the vesting date; however, because RSUs and MSUs are taxable to the individuals when they vest, the number of shares we issue to each of our NEOs is net of applicable withholding taxes which are paid by us on their behalf.

(3)	The value realized on vesting equals the closing price per share of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market on the vesting date multiplied by the gross number of shares acquired on vesting as described above in note (2).

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(i)	if Align under-performs the NASDAQ Composite index, the percentage at which the MSUs convert into shares of Align stock will be reduced from 100% at a rate of two to one (two-percentage-point reduction in units for each percentage point of under-performance); and

(ii)	if Align outperforms the index, the percentage at which the MSUs convert to shares will be increased from 100% at a rate of two to one (two-percentage-point increase in units for each percentage point of over-performance).

(i)	the then current annual base salary;

(ii)	the then current year’s target bonus, prorated for the number of days such executive has been employed during the year; and

(iii)	the greater of the then current year’s target bonus or the prior year’s actual bonus.

•

the performance period shall be deemed to end upon the closing of the change of control in order to determine Align’s stock price performance relative to the NASDAQ Composite index for the purpose of calculating the amount that Align has over or underperformed the NASDAQ Composite index (with the MSUs converting into shares of Align stock either being reduced from 100% (in the case of underperformance) or increased from 100% (in the case of overperformance) at a rate of two to one (the “Performance Multiplier”); and

•	Align’s stock price performance will be based on the per share value of the Company’s common stock paid to its stockholders in connection with the change of control.

(1)	immediately vest in all outstanding equity awards; and

(2)	be entitled to a payment (payable in a lump sum) equal to:

(i)	executive’s then current annual base salary;

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(ii)	executive’s then current year’s target bonus prorated for the number of days employed during the year, and

(iii)	the greater of the then current year’s target bonus or the prior year’s actual bonus.

(1)	twice his then current annual base salary;

(2)	the then current year’s target bonus, prorated for the number of days Mr. Hogan has been employed during the year; and

(3)	the greater of 150% of the then current year’s target bonus or the prior year’s actual bonus.

•

the performance period shall be deemed to end upon the closing of the change of control in order to determine Align’s stock price performance relative to the NASDAQ Composite index for the purpose of calculating the amount that Align has over or underperformed the NASDAQ Composite index (with the MSUs converting into shares of Align stock either being reduced from 100% (in the case of underperformance) or increased from 100% (in the case of overperformance) at a rate of two to one (the “Performance Multiplier”); and

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•	Align’s stock price performance will be based on the per share value of the Company’s common stock paid to its stockholders in connection with the change of control.

(1)	twice his then current annual salary;

(2)	the then current year’s target bonus, prorated for the number of days Mr. Hogan has been employed during the year; and

(3)	the greater of 150% of the then current year’s target bonus or the prior year’s actual bonus.

•	unauthorized use or disclosure of the confidential information or trade secrets of Align;

•	any breach of the employment agreement or the Employee Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement between the executive and Align;

•	conviction of, or a plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, a felony under the laws of the United States or any state thereof;

•	misappropriation of the assets of Align or any act of fraud or embezzlement by the executive, or any act of dishonesty by the executive in connection with the performance of his or her duties for Align that adversely affects its business or affairs;

•	intentional misconduct; or

•	the executive’s failure to satisfactorily perform his or her duties after the executive received written notice of such failure and was provided at least thirty (30) days to cure such failure.

•	the executive’s position, authority or responsibilities being significantly reduced;

•	the executive being asked to relocate his principal place of employment such that the commuting distance from his or her residence prior to the change of control is increased by over thirty-five (35) miles;

•	the executive’s annual base salary or bonus being reduced; or

•	the executive’s benefits being materially reduced.

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•	a sale of all or substantially all of Align’s assets;

•	the acquisition of more than 50% of the common stock of Align by any person or group of persons;

•

a reorganization of Align wherein the holders of common stock of Align receive stock in another company (other than a subsidiary of Align), a merger of Align with another company wherein there is a 50% or greater change in the ownership of the common stock of Align as a result of such merger, or any other transaction in which Align (other than as the parent corporation) is consolidated for federal income tax purposes or is eligible to be consolidated for federal income tax purposes with another corporation; or

•	in the event that the common stock is traded on an established securities market, a public announcement that any person has acquired or has the right to acquire beneficial ownership of more than 50% of the then outstanding common stock, or the commencement of or public announcement of an intention to make a tender offer or exchange offer for more than 50% of the then outstanding common stock.

•	each stockholder known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our common stock;

•	each of our executive officers named in the summary compensation table on page 51 of this proxy statement;

•	each of our directors; and

•	all of our directors and executive officers as a group.

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*	Less than 1%

(1)

Except as otherwise set forth in the footnotes below, represents shares of common stock that can be acquired upon the exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units on or before May 23, 2016. This column includes the full amount of restricted stock units that will vest on or before May 23, 2016, although each executive officer will actually receive the number of shares that have vested net of the number of shares necessary to cover any applicable withholding taxes which Align will pay on their behalf.

(2)	Based on a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Schedule 13G/A on February 9, 2016, indicating beneficial ownership as of December 31, 2015. Includes shares held in trust for immediate family members and shares held by immediate family members. The mailing address for Gordon Gund is P.O. Box 449, Princeton, New Jersey 08542.

(3)	Based on a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Schedule 13G/A on January 25, 2016, indicating beneficial ownership as of December 31, 2015. Includes shares held by direct and indirect subsidiaries. The mailing address for BlackRock, Inc. is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055.

(4)	Based on a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Schedule 13G on February 16, 2016, indicating beneficial ownership as of December 31, 2015. The mailing address for AllianceBernstein L.P. is 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 01015.

(5)	Based on a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Schedule 13G/A, on February 10, 2016, indicating beneficial ownership as of December 31, 2015. Includes shares held by direct and indirect subsidiaries. The mailing address for The Vanguard Group is 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355.

(6)	Based on a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Schedule 13G on February 9, 2016, indicating beneficial ownership as of December 31, 2015. The address for William Blair Investment Management, LLC is 240 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60606.

(7)	Includes 495,488 shares held by the Joseph S. Lacob Trust and 148,767 shares held by Lacob Children’s Trust. Principal address is 2750 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025.

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(8)	Includes 53,100 shares held by Mr. Thaler and 88,584 shares held by The Thaler Family Trust, for the benefit of family members, as to which Mr. Thaler disclaims beneficial ownership.

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•	you are a director or officer of Align and you desire to enter into a transaction with a Related Party (as defined above); or

•	you are an employee (other than a director or officer) and you desire to enter into a transaction with a Related Party that the Chief Financial Officer (in consultation with legal counsel) has deemed to be material to Align and is reportable under the rules and regulations of the Exchange Act,

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(1)

Impairment of goodwill. This charge represents non-cash write-downs of our goodwill. During the third quarter of 2012, we determined that there were sufficient indicators such as the termination of our distribution agreement with Straumann for iTero intra-oral scanners as well as the market conditions and business trends within our Scanners and Services ("Scanner") reporting unit for an impairment of goodwill. In the first quarter of 2013, changes in the competitive environment for intra-oral scanners, including announcements from our competitors of new low-priced scanners targeted at orthodontists and general practitioner dentists in North America, caused us to lower our expectations for growth and profitability for our Scanner reporting unit which resulted in the impairment of our remaining Scanner goodwill. We remove the impact of these charges to our operating performance to assist in assessing our ability to generate cash from operations. We believe this may be useful information to users of our financial statements and therefore we have excluded these charges for purposes of calculating these non-GAAP measures to facilitate an evaluation of our current operating performance, particularly in terms of liquidity.

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•	to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility,

•	to provide incentives to individuals who perform services to the Company, and

•	to promote the success of the Company’s business.

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