It is not what he is saying. But that kind of collaboration would be expected if POET was willing to share. If you look at it objectively it provides clear evidence that POET is at a level where the most advanced research is being performed. The key differentiator is the dielectric and who has it and who has refined it for the smallest footprint with athermal capability. POET is not silicon photonics it is the next generation and Rockley does not have one as a patent review will reveal.

And if we totally disregard any overlap in history associated with Andrew Richman. I am sure OZ would be pleased to enlighten but honestly he makes my head spin with what he is able to find.

If we want to stick to facts then let’s do so:

"The low-stress dielectric technology the company has been developing enables implementation of compact, highly reliable multiplexers and demultiplexers. These products are more compact than competing silica PLC [planar lightwave circuit] or thin film filter technologies, enabling the integration of increased waveguide functionality to reduce packaging costs."

The key features of the product are:

Arrayed waveguide devices with mode converters;

Low insertion loss;

Matching of the output to single-mode fibre;

Elimination of coupling optics between the waveguide output and single-mode fibre;

Low rate of change of the filter response with temperature of minus 0.014 nanometre per degree;

Low-polarization-dependent loss equivalent to silica PLC devices;

Smaller footprint than silica PLC devices;

So if we are talking similarities this becomes interesting as Oz says it creates a race but I would suggest that someone has a weight tied to their leg with reliance on silicon photonics. But we are in the sweet spot no question about it.

https://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2018/01/rockley-photonics-and-hengtong-optic-electric-form-joint-venture-to-deliver-next-generation-silicon-photonics-optical-modules.html