Bitcoin is under no threat from the game-changing technological revolution of Quantum Computing for at least decades, one prominent cryptographer stated on X (formerly Twitter). Adam Back, the question expert, was replying to a podcast video featuring billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya. The latter gave a much shorter timeline of 2-5 years before BTC’s decentralized consensus network would be completely compromised.
Palihapitiya shared this image during the podcast:
Palihapitiya made a worrying prediction, warning that the quantum threat to Bitcoin could become a reality within 2 to 5 years. His argument is based on the promise that to crack Bitcoin’s underlying SHA-256 encryption, quantum computers would need to scale up to roughly 8,000 qubits.
However, Adam Back replied to this tweet and claimed:
“Probably not for 20-40 years, if then. And there are quantum secure signatures, NIST standardized SLH-DSA last year. Bitcoin can add over time, as the evaluation continues and be quantum ready, long before cryptographically relevant quantum computers arrive.”
Bitcoin Under Threat from Quantum Computers?
Bitcoin’s threat from the next generation of quantum computing is well-documented and often blown out of proportion by tech entrepreneurs like Palihapitiya. This is because the danger is usually viewed through a narrow lens of computations, rather than the infrastructure that has been added over the years to help make things more secure.
Quantum computing is a Capable futuristic technology that has found crucial use cases, albeit in a limited capacity. The science is evolving, and barring a major technical breakthrough, it will still take a long time before it can beat the strongest cryptographic standards in place, let alone Bitcoin with its decentralized infrastructure.
He even argued for post-quantum encryption standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that could be implemented in BTC’s network to resist any quantum intrusions. In the Bitcoin network, necessary proposals can be submitted to the system and voted on in a fair manner, making it an effective long-term architecture highly resistant to disruptive technologies.
Quantum Computing to Reveal Satoshi’s Identity?
However, Back himself argued in April 2025 that advances in quantum science could help reveal Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity. In this theoretical scenario, Satoshi’s Bitcoin would become active again after more than a decade of inactivity, despite adversity from quantum computing. If those BTC are somehow tracked, they can easily identify the location and identity of the mysterious creator of the digital asset.
Source: https://zycrypto.com/bitcoin-under-no-threat-from-quantum-computing-for-20-40-years-cryptographer/
