Bitcoin Must Prepare Now for Quantum According to Adam Back

The quantum threat hangs over Bitcoin. It is still distant, but real enough for experts to sound the alarm. Adam Back, one of the most respected figures in the crypto ecosystem, believes it is time to act, carefully, but without delay.

Adam Back recommends a gradual preparation of Bitcoin against quantum

It was on the stage of the Paris Blockchain Week last Tuesday that Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and one of Bitcoin’s spiritual fathers, sent a clear message to the crypto community. 

For him, quantum computing is not yet an immediate threat, but staying passive would be a strategic mistake. 

“The current systems are essentially laboratory experiments. I have been following this field for over 25 years and progress has been slow“, he said.

Despite this nuanced observation, Back is categorical on one point: Bitcoin must anticipate now. His approach is pragmatic and gradual. He recommends implementing optional upgrades that would enable, when the time comes, a transition to quantum-resistant cryptography. 

“Preparation is essential. Introducing changes in a controlled manner is much safer than reacting during a crisis“, he insisted.

At Blockstream, this thinking goes far beyond rhetoric. His company has already built a team dedicated to research on quantum threats to Bitcoin. Concretely, this has resulted in implementing hash-based signatures on the Liquid network.

Adam Back also highlighted the role of Taproot, whose architecture could accommodate new signature schemes without disrupting the experience of current users.

A threat approaching faster than expected

Adam Back’s caution contrasts with increasingly alarming signs from the scientific world. Researchers from Google and the California Institute of Technology recently claimed that a functional quantum computer could emerge before 2030, with only 10,000 to 20,000 qubits, compared to the millions of units estimated until now. 

More worrying still: Google states that such a system could theoretically break Bitcoin’s encryption in nine minutes.

In this context, Bernstein firm confirms, in a note published in early April 2026, that Bitcoin has a three to five-year window to adapt through post-quantum solutions such as key rotation or XMSS-type algorithms.

Division has nonetheless emerged within the community itself. On Tuesday, developer Jameson Lopp and five researchers proposed via BIP-361 to freeze vulnerable bitcoins, including the $81.9 billion dormant attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto. 

The reaction was immediate and harsh. Developer Mark Erhardt called the proposal “authoritarian and confiscatory.” Phil Geiger from Metaplanet summed up the perceived absurdity in one sentence: “We have to steal people’s money to prevent their money from being stolen.“

The lesson is clear: Bitcoin has survived many storms by anticipating rather than enduring. Faced with quantum, the real risk is not technological, it is political. Achieving consensus before the crisis strikes is the true challenge.