To me it seems like an awkward discussion...
David Kanter, Joel Hruska and thousands of ather silicon believers, they do know a lot about silicon semiconductors, but they do not dare to look aside. So billions are - and will further be spent to make SI a little faster - to keep Moores law alife.
I guess we do know a lot about SI, but we know about the huge potentioal of POET.
Do you think Henry Ford discussed a lot with horse breeders? Yes, a racing horse is much faster, yes, the newest breed is even 2% faster. There will be horses forever...