In this second part of Jerry Cuomo’s conversation with Scott Crowder from the IBM Quantum team, the discussion shifts from the foundations of quantum computing toward the growing signs of practical, real-world impact.

If you haven’t yet listened to part one, you may want to start there first: Click to watch it here.

Recorded inside IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, New York, this episode explores what quantum computing could mean for software engineers, students, cybersecurity professionals, and the broader technology industry as quantum systems continue to mature.

Jerry and Scott discuss the growing push toward post-quantum cryptography, what Scott learned from speaking before Congress about the “Quantum Age,” and why the future value of quantum computing may depend as much on software, algorithms, and applications as the hardware itself.

The conversation also explores the emerging “skills gap” in quantum computing, including why domain expertise and strong mathematical foundations may become increasingly valuable as organizations begin experimenting with real-world quantum workflows.

Along the way, Jerry pauses the podcast to try something live: using generative AI to produce a working quantum program that connects to a real IBM quantum computer and visualizes qubit coherence times.

The episode closes with a look at practical applications beginning to move beyond research demonstrations, including chemistry simulation, optimization problems, and hybrid quantum-classical computing systems already being explored today.

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.

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.

In this episode of the Wild Ducks Podcast, Jerry Cuomo and a group of AI-generated student avatars introduce the core ideas behind quantum computing, including superposition, entanglement, interference, decoherence, and quantum hardware. Along the way, listeners explore how quantum systems differ from classical computers and why researchers believe they may eventually help solve problems involving cryptography, chemistry, optimization, and artificial intelligence.

Jerry also introduces his upcoming book, Think Quantum, now available for free early access at wildducks.us. Early readers can receive draft PDF chapters, project updates, GitHub resources, and release announcements as the book continues to evolve over the coming months.

The student avatars and voice performances featured in this episode were created using Synthesia.io and generative AI tools as part of the educational storytelling experience.