Nick Carter, a partner at Castle Island Ventures, criticized developers for ignoring the threat posed by quantum computing. In his view, the reluctance to acknowledge these risks is already affecting the price of the leading cryptocurrency.
Extremely bearish that many influential devs flatly deny that there’s any quantum risk. Completely unlike the philosophy of being proactive and paranoid that normally characterizes bitcoin. Meanwhile:
— companies are raising $100s of m to build QCs that can crack ECC
— bitcoins… https://t.co/biuR8keJRP— nic carter (@nic_carter) December 18, 2025
Carter’s remarks came in response to a series of posts by Blockstream CEO Adam Back. Earlier, the cypherpunk stated that quantum technologies are in their infancy and will not pose a threat for decades. Back is confident that even if part of the encryption is breached, it will not lead to coin theft within the network.
Carter believes there is a significant divide between capital holders and technical experts. Investors are concerned and seeking solutions, while developers are in complete denial of the issue.
The businessman noted that the current complacency contradicts the “active paranoia” philosophy typically associated with the bitcoin community. He highlighted key risk factors:
- companies are raising hundreds of millions of dollars to develop quantum computers capable of breaking elliptic curve cryptography;
- the very existence of the first cryptocurrency spurs developments in this field;
- artificial intelligence accelerates discoveries in mathematics and physics;
- the US government plans to abandon classical encryption methods by 2030-2035;
- there is an active “quantum arms race” between America and China.
Craig Warmke of the Bitcoin Policy Institute supported this position.
Quantum risk is stemming the flow of capital into bitcoin, and encouraging large holders to diversify out of bitcoin.
When non-technical people express concerns, they sometimes use technically incorrect language. It’s frustrating to see technical people dismiss concerns with an… https://t.co/MtSNY7Ivg3
— Craig Warmke (@craigwarmke) December 18, 2025
He believes that fear of quantum technologies is hindering the influx of new money into digital gold and prompting major holders to diversify their portfolios.
Warmke criticized developers for nitpicking terminology in response to laypeople’s concerns. He argued that attempts to convince the public that the risk is zero are doomed to fail. The explanations will be too complex, and people are more inclined to trust quantum physicists than bitcoin coders.
The only viable solution, experts say, is to develop a clear contingency plan in case of a breach. Having a backup option will help investors feel more secure.
Analyst Willy Woo believes that in the event of a hypothetical quantum attack on Satoshi Nakamoto’s wallets, “old whales” will protect the market.