The Gwart Show | Blockspace Media Getting To The Bottom Of Quantum w/ Rearden
12 snips
Dec 28, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Brandon Black, known as ReardenCode, delves into the quantum computing threats to Bitcoin. As a computer security engineer and Bitcoin developer, he offers a skeptical yet insightful take on the timeline for potential encryption breaks. Brandon discusses BIP 360 and OP_CAT as solutions, evaluates classical versus quantum attack risks, and ponders the fate of Satoshi's stash. With a balanced view on the hype and actual capabilities of quantum tech, he provides a roadmap for Bitcoin's future resilience against quantum advancements.
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Skepticism Grows With Deeper Research
- Brandon Black became more skeptical about quantum the deeper he researched the field.
- He shifted from default skepticism to publicly arguing the risk is overhyped after reading papers and talking to researchers.
How Quantum Threatens ECC
- A quantum computer can exploit elliptic curves by doing period finding with Shor's algorithm.
- That lets it map public keys back to private keys if large-scale quantum succeeds.
Near-Term Quantum Break Is Unlikely
- Brandon places near-certainty that quantum won't break elliptic curves within a decade.
- He balances emotional skepticism with logical analysis of current scaling evidence.
