As usual, FJ, a fine, informative post.  However, here's the thing:

"So my first thought is that the overwhelming majority of people don’t understand what it is they have."

Someone who has been around a long time, or someone that knows the history of this comany legitimately could turn your thought into their thought:

"So my first thought is that the tiny minority of people don’t understand what it is they don't have."

I think the above thought is pretty close to what happened or at least what it appeared to most of us to have happened, with respect to GaAs.

I don't mind negative posts (obviously, many of mine over the years have been negative, or at the least highly cautionary), but I, like many others here, do mind disrespectful posts, and negative posts are often full of disrespect.