Tech Innovation That Defies Time and Space

How Quantum Computing Challenges our Understanding of Reality

Quick plug before you get started. As many you know, I left ChenMed late in 2024 and have been building toward what’s next. If you’re curious what that looks like, I recently launched my website. Feel free to get an early preview of what’s ahead in 2025 and share it with anyone you think might benefit.

Alright, moving on. There are two weeks left in 2024, and I honestly couldn’t have planned a better way to end the year than with this article. Boy or boy, are we going out with a bang. What, pray tell, are you talking about Christopher? Why thank you for asking! Quantum computing, a theoretical concept known for hanging around the fringes of science fiction, made a seismic leap into or better stated, outside of, reality.

Last week, Google announced that its quantum chip, Willow, performed a computation in five minutes that would have taken the world’s leading supercomputer ten septillion years. Yes, you read that right. That’s 10 followed by eighteen zeros, which some would argue is longer than the universe has existed. Yet somehow, one of the most groundbreaking technological advancements of our time went largely unnoticed. Something rewrote the rules of physics, challenged our understanding of time and space, and defied the very fabric of reality as we know it but was relegated to the fringes of tech blogs. That hurts my head almost as much as the quantum computation itself.

How on earth, or in the multiverse, does something this big stay so quiet? Of course, there’s the usual skepticism and many John Cena “Are you sure about that?” moments, and I’ll admit, it’s warranted. A breakthrough claim of this magnitude deserves heavy scrutiny. Many are rightfully asking for more benchmarks and tests. After all, Google broke a standard they created. However, let’s be honest. Even if someone proves a notable margin of error, thinking about it would still leave light-headed.

True to form, I made my raw and less polished video and podcast response, so if you like the more animated version of me, feel free to check it out. Honestly, my immediate reaction was a mix of awe, curiosity, and skepticism. Yet, as usual, after stepping back and reflecting further, I realized there was more to unpack. So, as I prepare to take a few weeks of respite from the digital world, here are four more polished takeaways to reflect on as we venture into the unknowns of 2025.

Top Takeaways

“If you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’re fooling yourself.”

We’re all guilty of reflecting on how far we’ve come and thought, Surely, I’ve figured out all the big stuff. However, this monumental breakthrough is a humbling reminder of how much we don’t know, which scales far beyond the bounds of science or technology. This isn’t just a scientific challenge; it’s a deeply personal one. Throughout our lives, we wrongly assume we’ve obtained the answers, foolishly mistake our knowledge for wisdom, and believe our ongoing progress equates to arrival.

Think for a second, when was the last time you admitted you didn’t know something? When have you held in tension the uncomfortable feeling that you might be wrong? The humility that is required isn’t just a virtue; it’s a survival skill. Our world is changing faster than ever, and those who cling to certainty will fail to adapt. When you think you’ve got it all figured out, you eliminate space for curiosity, growth, and wonder.

So, don’t just marvel at this advancement. Let it be a mirror. What assumptions are you holding onto that might be wrong? Your progress won’t come from certainty. It comes from curiosity.

“The quantum leap is leaving some questioning reality, but it doesn’t have to.”

Ten septillion years of work happening in five minutes is enough to make anyone’s head spin. It’s natural to feel unsettled when any breakthrough challenges the foundations of modern physics. Scouring the Internet, it seems the breakthrough is leading some to an existential crisis, questioning everything they thought they knew about reality. However, when we have a reaction like that, it says something about ourselves and where our hope lies.

What can help snap us out of that crisis is a reminder that advancements like this aren’t rewriting reality. They’re simply expanding our understanding of it. For millennia, theology and philosophy have been exploring concepts far beyond what we experience in the material world, wrestling with ideas science is only now starting to understand. My takeaway from the announcement was that quantum computing isn’t a threat to our understanding of reality, it’s an unexpected confirmation there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Rather than panic about multiverses or the fabric of time bending, take it as an invitation to wonder and explore. After all, if science is finally catching up to what thinkers have believed for millennia, perhaps the answers aren’t something you should fear.

“This quantum leap won’t immediately rocket us into a new and unfamiliar age.”

Quantum computing sounds like a revolution, which, in many ways, it will become. However, don’t expect to suddenly wake up amidst an instant transformation. Buying a Ferrari doesn’t mean your next grocery run will be instantaneous. Technology, no matter how powerful, won’t automatically or instantly solve the complexity of our problems. Don’t get me wrong, this quantum leap has the potential to unlock unlimited possibilities we haven’t even begun to dream of, but remember that potential takes time and is not synonymous with progress.

Even if quantum processors magically made their way into our consumer devices next year, it would take time for the world to understand, adapt, and adopt the capability in meaningful ways. While AI might have felt like an overnight transformation, most of us won’t feel the ripple effects of quantum computing for years, perhaps even decades. And, that’s not because the breakthrough isn’t significant. It’s because disruption always takes time to settle into practical, scalable solutions. The big question right now is, “What will we do next?”.

So, don’t succumb to the hype or be paralyzed by fear. Now is the time to develop thoughtful questions. And honestly, with how we’re handling AI, I’m not sure we’re ready for the answers.

“The real risk to us isn’t the tech; it’s our unpreparedness.”

My final reflection is connected to how I ended my previous one. Quantum computing won’t just change the rules. It will flip the board and the factory that made it entirely. However, if you’ve been following my line of thinking, the real disruption won’t come from the technology. It will come from how poorly prepared we are to walk through the doors it will open. We’ve created a machine demonstrating the potential to crack the foundations of encryption, blow the roof off AI limitations, and twist and bend our understanding of physical reality. Right now, we shouldn’t be wrestling through what it can do. We need to be objectively assessing how to prepare for what it will unleash.

Many of the systems our society runs on are built off the assumption that certain scientific boundaries will never be crossed. Quantum computing just ran many of those boundaries through a paper shredder, which is both thrilling and terrifying. The risk of an advancement like this isn’t just how it might be used or misused. A bigger risk, as I highlighted in last week’s interview with Eric Schmidt, is how slowly we adapt to it. History has shown that breakthroughs often outpace our ability to respond, and we haven’t even caught up with the AI one we’re working through now. Quantum computing layers on another at an infinitely larger scale.

We often struggle to see past the end of our noses, but we’d better get to looking a lot further out, or we’ll be left scrambling to clean up a mess instead of shaping the future.

Concluding Thoughts

Alright, I’m wrapping up. I promise. If your head is spinning right now, you’re not alone. Over the past week, I’ve been talking through these ideas with my kids, and at some point, every single one has said, “Daddy, can we stop? This is giving me a headache.” Topics like this stretch your brain in ways you didn’t think were possible, which is okay. Big ideas should feel uncomfortable. They’re designed to challenge us.

Here’s some good news. Consider it my holiday gift to you. I’m gifting you time before my next post to ruminate on this one. This will be my last post for 2024 since I’m planning to take a digital detox over the holidays, and I’d encourage you to do the same. Disconnect, recharge, and enjoy the season with the people closest to you. Rest up because we all need to be ready for change like never before.

I’m convinced we’re tittering on the edge of something big, far bigger than quantum computing. Our world is shifting faster than anyone can fully comprehend, and while it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, I’m leaving you with a mission, should you choose to accept it, which I’d strongly encourage you to do: embrace the change. Approach it with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to adapt because the future won’t wait for you to catch up. Like it or not, it’s moving full speed ahead.

And, while there are days I too feel overwhelmed, my hope in all of this comes from knowing there’s someone infinitely bigger out there, holding it all together. While it’s not an excuse to sit on my laurels, I rest knowing I don’t have to figure it all out, and neither do you. So, as we dive headfirst into the unknowns of 2025, I’d encourage you to hold tightly to the hope that we’re not walking this road alone.

With that, have a wonderful holiday season, and I’ll see you on the other side.