In this first part of a two-part conversation, Jerry Cuomo sits down with Scott Crowder from the IBM Quantum team inside IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, New York, with an actual IBM Quantum System hanging in the background.

If you haven’t yet listened to the earlier episode introducing the ideas behind Thinking Quantum, you may want to start there first: ⁠ click here.

Scott helps frame where we are in the evolution of quantum computing, comparing today’s moment to the vacuum tube era of the 1940s, when the foundations were forming but the future applications were still unfolding. The discussion explores how quantum systems fit alongside classical computing, why QPUs are different from CPUs and GPUs, and how hybrid quantum-classical systems are likely to evolve.

Jerry and Scott also get into Shor’s algorithm, the long road from factoring the number 15 in a classroom example to breaking real-world cryptography, and why organizations should already be preparing for a post-quantum security world.

Along the way, they cover quantum hardware, logical qubits, error correction, Q-Day, and the practical realities behind today’s systems, all through the lens of builders, software engineers, and students trying to understand where this technology may actually fit.

You may also hear a few hints that Jerry has started work on his latest book in the Think series, Think Quantum. Much like Think Blockchain and Think AI, the book takes a student-friendly, builder-first approach to understanding complex technology through code, experiments, and hands-on examples.

If you'd like early access to draft chapters, updates, and behind-the-scenes material as the book evolves, visit wildducks.us and join the free early access list.