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If you ever had a friend text you: "Bro… what if quantum computers nuke all our wallets??"
Deep breath. Let's talk about it.
The theory goes like this: if someone ever builds one of these sci-fi mega-machines, they could crack the cryptography protecting your coins.
Cue dramatic headlines, cold sweats, and a million Reddit threads predicting "the end."
But Adam Back, the OG cypherpunk who's literally cited in the Bitcoin white paper, pulled up to calm us down:
He says that we've got 20 to 40 years before quantum can do anything meaningful.
In crypto time, that's like twelve entire civilizations.

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Source: Adam Back |
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He also pointed out that NIST (aka the National Institute of Standards and Technology - the US government lab that sets the official standards for cryptography and cybersecurity) already has post-quantum encryption standards, waiting for the day we actually need them.
And the best part: Bitcoin doesn't need permission from any government or corporation to upgrade.
When quantum hardware gets scary enough, Bitcoin's community can just... coordinate and swap in the safer tech.
So, Adam Back's basically telling us: your Bitcoin safe is staying sturdy for a long, long time.
The only real threat today? Still losing your own keys - and unfortunately, no quantum computer can save you from that one.
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