Google’s reveal of its Willow quantum chip not only made waves in the tech world but also ignited a dynamic exchange between two of its most influential leaders: Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The discussion, which took place on X (formerly Twitter), combined admiration for the breakthrough with bold visions for the future.
Sundar Pichai highlighted Willow’s groundbreaking ability to reduce errors and perform complex computations within minutes drastically. Elon Musk responded with a simple yet impactful, “Wow.”
In reply, Pichai enthusiastically proposed a visionary idea: “We should do a quantum cluster in space with Starship one day.
The conversation gained a cosmic dimension when SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft, Starship, was brought up, suggesting a combination of SpaceX’s space exploration technology with Google’s knowledge of quantum computing.
Musk responded, “That will probably happen,” as if he were interested in the concept.
The conversation quickly became philosophical as the two talked about the Kardashev scale, which gauges technological development in a civilization. Regarding the state of humanity now, Musk said:
“Kardashev Type II is the minimum requirement for every respectable civilization. I believe that we are only at the point where Pichai agreed, highlighting the necessity of expanding solar energy as a simple way to address the world’s energy problems:
“We need to scale solar much more.” That we continue to consider other options when the clearest one is right in front of us is astounding!
The frank exchange between Pichai and Musk swiftly gained widespread attention, with users applauding the unique opportunity to hear the tech giants speak candidly. Responses varied from wonder at the potential of technology to worries about the consequences of quantum computing.
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, had a roughly 5% increase in share price after announcing Willow, their newest quantum computer hardware. In addition to contributing to the company’s impressive success this year—shares are up 25% so far this year—today was the strongest trading day since late April.
