POET Technologies: Photonics Play with Mixed Reddit Sentiment and Strong Technical Fundamentals

The Reddit discussion reveals a highly divided investor base for POET Technologies. Bulls like Perihelion3 and tpjunkie are actively buying calls and holding shares/leaps, attracted by the asymmetric upside potential through Jan 2026/27 $10 calls targeting $10-12 by end-2025 [1]. However, significant concerns are emerging from the community:

• Red Flags
  : DickelPick69 warns that POET’s 20F filing reads like a penny-stock document, while Additional-Face-5033 notes consistent CEO share selling [1]
• Pain Points
  : DryGeneral990 reports being “bagheld” at $9, indicating recent significant price declines [1]
• Hype Fatigue
  : Jerikolol criticizes repetitive weekly POET DD posts, urging focus on actual results rather than hype [1]
• Technical Competition
  : Gaseous_Clay_OK suggests optical networking requires high-speed lasers and prefers competitor LITE over POET [1]

POET Technologies demonstrates strong technical fundamentals and strategic positioning:

• Core Optical Interposer platform for seamless electronics-photonics integration [2]
• 2024 AI Breakthrough Award for Best Optical AI Solution [2]
• Target markets: Data centers, telecommunications, 5G, edge computing, LIDAR, medical devices, VR [2]

• Major partners include Semtech, Celestial AI, Foxconn, Luxshare, Mitsubishi, and NTT [2]
• Recent equity stake acquisition in Sivers Photonics for vertical integration [2]

• $368M market cap as of December 2024 [3]
• Over $300M in cash for acquisitions and expansion [2]
• $150M oversubscribed registered direct offering closed October 2024 [3]
• 90.72M shares outstanding with total equity of $49.37M [3]

• $5M production order for 800G POET Infinity™ optical engines [3]
• Shipments scheduled for H2 2026 to leading systems integrator [3]
• 8.5% stock jump following $5M order announcement [2]

• Negative earnings per share of -$0.10 [3]
• EBITDA of -$8.01M, indicating continued investment phase [3]

The analysis reveals a classic high-risk, high-reward scenario with conflicting signals:

• Reddit’s institutional loading thesis aligns with $150M oversubscribed offering [1,3]
• Strong partnerships and technical credentials support long-term potential [2]
• Cash position provides runway for development and acquisitions [2,3]

• CEO insider selling noted on Reddit corresponds with available transaction data [1]
• Unprofitability and penny-stock characteristics raise legitimate concerns [1,3]
• H2 2026 shipment timeline suggests longer-term horizon than Reddit bulls anticipate [3]

Reddit’s $600M valuation reference differs from research showing $368M market cap, potentially reflecting recent price declines mentioned by “bagheld” investors [1,3].

• AI data center bandwidth demands driving optical interposer adoption
• Strong partnership ecosystem provides validation and distribution channels
• Significant cash position enables strategic acquisitions and R&D investment
• First-mover advantage in chip-scale photonic integration

• Continued unprofitability with negative EPS and EBITDA
• CEO insider selling potentially signaling lack of confidence
• Long execution timeline with H2 2026 shipments for current orders
• Competitive pressure from established players like LITE
• Market volatility in small-cap photonics sector

POET represents a speculative opportunity suitable for high-risk tolerance investors. The bullish options strategy mentioned on Reddit (Jan 2026/27 $10 calls) aligns with the company’s development timeline but carries significant risk given current unprofitability and insider selling concerns. Conservative investors should await proof of commercial execution before considering exposure.