Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary says he is looking at IBM as quantum computing fears weigh on Bitcoin (BTC). He also says institutions want regulatory clarity before they buy, keeping the asset flat.
Still, O’Leary says he holds on to his Bitcoin. His IBM interest suggests part of the quantum trade could flow toward tech stocks instead of crypto.
Why Are Institutions Still Waiting on Washington?
On the regulatory side, Washington has yet to deliver. The stalled CLARITY Act would set federal rules for crypto markets.
However, the bill has not moved since a 49 to 50 Senate vote in September fell short of the 60 votes needed.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin still trades well below its October 2025 record high.
The concern is not new for O’Leary. In September, he made quantum fears the core of his $1 million condition for Bitcoin.
Does O’Leary Overstate the Quantum Threat to Bitcoin?
O’Leary is not the only big name raising the alarm. TRON founder Justin Sun recently turned bearish on Bitcoin over quantum and artificial intelligence (AI) risks.
Others see more time. Casa security chief Jameson Lopp says a quantum computer able to break Bitcoin remains orders of magnitude away.
The hardware gap supports that view. Google’s Willow chip has 105 qubits, while Google puts the count needed to break Bitcoin at under 500,000.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper goes further, arguing that quantum computers would crack banks before Bitcoin.
O’Leary did not detail his IBM thesis. However, the company has already put dates on its quantum push.
In July, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said quantum computing should measurably affect IBM’s revenue by 2028 or 2029.
IBM also plans to launch Starling, which it calls the first large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer, by 2029. Such machines can correct their own errors, a key step before any real threat to Bitcoin’s cryptography.
In effect, IBM gives O’Leary exposure to the same quantum progress he sees as a risk for Bitcoin.
IBM shares have recovered over the past month but still trade below their level a year ago.
Until Bitcoin’s quantum migration and the CLARITY Act both move forward, the two forces O’Leary named may keep large Bitcoin allocators cautious.
