If one follows all the news that gets posted on this site, it is clear that there is a big race in progress to develop all things photonic. POET is in the sweet spot of making circuits for AI machines that are all the rage. The amount of money being thrown at NVIDIA and other advanced technologies is mind boggling. 

If you possess the necessary skills to make this stuff work, you are getting offers. The system is such that those offers will increase as the need becomes more acute. 

This talent must be shown in no uncertain terms that they will be richly rewarded for being part of a brilliant, nimble, and well-positioned company. While matching large salaries is hard right now, stock options at low prices are a good reason to feel appreciated and a good reason to stay and finish the job. Keeping the team together and the lead that they have is tenuous.

Now is not the time to roll over the staff for the "sins" of the managers. I believe that new ways of doing things are very hard to create, implement, and sell in a predictable timeframe. Suresh and company have gotten it very right at this point, though the liftoff has been delayed, and we have suffered for it.