That is quite possible, a buyout out of the blue, but what if two bigs are interested, or 4? They are all scrambling at this point, with AI so critical, but the situation is dynamic, and they'll do their DD and NREs and wait to see who emerges as the best path. They can't just buy all of the contenders, and there may be a line of thinking that POET has done a lot with a little and will continue to do so as a hungry young company. Buying them at this minute will choke the rapid course of improvement and deployment of the stuff needed not just now but beyond. Others may be out there, so the race is in the early stages. 

I recall a company that made the screen glass for Apple products. Apple needed more and faster production, so they paid in advance to enable the company to expand and supply what was needed. Apple did not buy the company.

Another example I remember was a supplier of precision glass lenses for ASML. The only place in the world to get the lenses is the Dutch company that makes the best chip-making machines, and they are backordered all the time. A group of the "bigs" took an equity stake, not a controlling stake, to ensure a steady supply, liquidity, and a close watch on a critical supplier. 

I wonder if there is an effort to keep the SP low and keep POET humble, for the day when an equity stake or major news release happens, but after commitments are made for supplies of critical chiplets. 

They don't just make you rich before they are assured they'll get what they want. But I do think they will eventually make us just that.