Saylor Says Quantum Risk to Bitcoin is distant and Manageable

Strategy CEO Michael Saylor dismissed concerns about quantum computing during an appearance on Natalie Brunell’s Coin Stories podcast, saying the cybersecurity community broadly agrees that any credible quantum threat is likely more than a decade away.

While it remains unclear if or when a quantum risk might materialize, Saylor told the podcast host that any credible breakthrough would prompt coordinated software upgrades across global banking systems, internet infrastructure, consumer devices, artificial intelligence networks and crypto protocols, including Bitcoin (BTC).

Saylor said the digital systems underpinning modern digital infrastructure would eventually adopt post-quantum-resistant cryptography if necessary, adding that such a shift would not come as a surprise. 

“You’ll see it coming. We’ll all see it coming,” he said, adding that Bitcoin’s software is designed to change over time, with nodes, hardware, and wallets capable of upgrading in response to emerging threats.

In his view, global consensus on how to respond would emerge only if a credible threat develops, noting that governments, technology companies and financial institutions would all face the same risk to their digital systems.

He also described the crypto sector as the “most sophisticated cybersecurity community,” pointing to the multi-factor authentication and hardware key protections commonly used to secure digital assets.

In his view, the procedures required to move Bitcoin are significantly more rigorous than the security standards used for traditional bank wires or stock trading systems. Saylor said:

“I think the crypto community will be the first to perceive the threat, and to react to the threat, and they’ll be leading the way.”

Quantum computing is an emerging field of computation that uses quantum mechanics to process information far faster than classical computers, prompting concerns that advanced machines could eventually break the cryptography securing Bitcoin and other digital assets.

Saylor’s Strategy is the largest Bitcoin treasury company in the world. On Monday, the Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company announced it had purchased 592 Bitcoin for roughly $39.8 million last week, its 100th acquisition since adopting a Bitcoin treasury strategy in August 2020.

It currently holds 717,722 BTC, acquired for about $54.56 billion at an average price of $67,286 per coin.

Related: Willy Woo warns quantum risk is eroding Bitcoin’s edge over gold

The ongoing quantum debate in crypto

While Michael Saylor, one of Bitcoin’s most prominent advocates, has downplayed the risks posed by quantum computing, others in the crypto industry appear more worried about the threat.

One of them is Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who in late 2025 cited Metaculus, a forecasting platform, that suggested around a 20% chance that quantum computers capable of breaking current cryptography could emerge before 2030, with a median estimate around 2040. 

Speaking months later at Devconnect in Buenos Aires, he warned that elliptic curve cryptography, which underpins Ethereum and Bitcoin, could fail before the 2028 US presidential election and urged a transition to quantum-resistant systems within the next four years.

The Ethereum Foundation has incorporated post-quantum preparedness into its 2026 security roadmap, with researcher Justin Drake announcing on Jan. 24 that a dedicated Post-Quantum team had been formed, describing the move as a turning point in the foundation’s long-term quantum strategy.

The quantum threat has even caused some to speculate its the reason behind the Bitcoin’s recent price decline, which has fallen from highs of over $126,000 in October to its current price of around $64,000.  

In January, Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter said Bitcoin’s “mysterious” underperformance could be attributed to quantum risk concerns, saying that markets were reacting even if developers were not.

That view drew pushback, with Glassnode analyst James Check writing that quantum computing plans should be put in place, but the threat is not the “primary reason” behind the decline in price.

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