Quantum Whispers and Alphabet’s Fortunes

The air, you see, is thick with pronouncements. Every charlatan and self-proclaimed seer now speaks of “quantum supremacy,” as if it were a particularly stubborn cough. Artificial intelligence, of course, has already captured the imaginations (and the funds) of the easily led. But quantum computing…ah, that is a different beast altogether. A creature of probabilities and paradoxes, it promises solutions to problems we haven’t yet fully understood, or perhaps, haven’t yet bothered to understand, content as we are with the comfortably mediocre. It is said to unravel complexities, though one suspects it might just as easily unravel the very fabric of reason. And, naturally, someone will attempt to profit from it.

One may invest, you see, in these fledgling ventures, these hopeful sparks in the darkness. Or, one may attach oneself to a leviathan, a creature already established, already…comfortable. A choice, really, between betting on a spirited but likely doomed racehorse, or a rather portly, well-fed ox. The cautious, naturally, prefer the ox. And so do I, being a man who appreciates a solid foundation, even if that foundation is built upon the shifting sands of speculative finance.

Thus, we turn our gaze – with a degree of weary resignation, I assure you – to the company that seems, for the moment, most poised to capitalize on this…quantum fancy. The company that, despite its best efforts to appear innovative, remains, at its core, an advertising engine. I speak, of course, of Alphabet (GOOG +0.72%) (GOOGL +0.65%).

You know it, naturally. Everyone knows it. It is the name attached to that ubiquitous search engine, that insatiable collector of digital crumbs. Google. And, through Google, through the endless stream of targeted advertisements, flows a river of revenue. A rather muddy river, perhaps, but a river nonetheless. Then there is Google Cloud, a venture that seeks to rent out computing power to those who lack the capacity (or the inclination) to build their own. It grows, they say. Everything grows, given enough fertilizer and a generous disregard for the natural order.

The sheer volume of wealth generated by this enterprise is…disturbing, frankly. Billions upon billions of dollars, flowing in like a relentless tide. It is enough to make one suspect a secret pact with some subterranean deity. But, alas, it is merely capitalism, in all its vulgar glory. And, crucially, it provides a cushion, a safety net, for these…quantum experiments.

For, you see, Alphabet has begun to dabble in the realm of quantum mechanics. They have constructed a chip, which they call Willow. A rather poetic name, considering the tendency of willows to weep. They claim it addresses the “key challenge of errors.” Errors, of course, are the bane of all existence, whether in quantum computing or in the meticulous accounting of a provincial bureaucrat. They say it reduces these errors “exponentially.” A word that sounds impressive, until one considers the exponential growth of bureaucracy itself.

And then, late last year, they demonstrated that their quantum hardware could…run an algorithm. An algorithm, mind you, verified to ensure its correctness. As if correctness were a readily attainable state in this chaotic universe. They claim it surpassed the performance of a supercomputer. One suspects the supercomputer was merely having a bad day.

The goal, naturally, is to make quantum computers “generally useful.” A phrase that fills me with a profound sense of dread. What new forms of inefficiency, what new avenues for exploitation, will this “usefulness” unlock? Still, one must admit, the prospect of reaching “milestones” is…intriguing. And, eventually, a victory in this area could result in a new source of revenue. Though, I suspect, it will be far more complicated – and far less profitable – than they imagine.

Thus, Alphabet, with its vast resources and its unwavering commitment to the accumulation of wealth, remains a…sensible, if uninspiring, investment. A solid ox, plodding along, while the racehorses gallop towards the abyss.

2026-01-23 12:12

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