"All exponentials are s-curves" - basically you can be years ahead until it takes years to make any sort of gain. Intel fab technology has been years ahead of the rest of the industry for a while, but as we reach the flattening off point of power, performance, and cost gains, the difference in capabilities between a chip that is years behind the leader gets to be less and less.

Google in search, Intel it processor fabs, ARM in power efficiency, Etc. During the time of fast growth it is a huge differentiator, and once that fast growth has been exhausted you need a different differentiator.