O’Leary Keeps $BTC, Eyes IBM as Quantum Fears Put Crypto’s Big Money on Pause

Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary said he is considering International Business Machines (IBM) as quantum computing concerns weigh on Bitcoin ($BTC), while institutional investors remain focused on regulatory clarity before committing capital. O’Leary, who posted his comments on October 28, 2026, said: “I still own Bitcoin, but I’m paying close attention to both sides of this shift.”

Washington has yet to establish federal rules for crypto markets. The stalled CLARITY Act failed to advance after a 49 to 50 Senate vote in September fell short of the 60 votes needed. Bitcoin continues to trade well below its October 2025 record high, with O’Leary attributing the asset’s flat performance to the lack of regulatory certainty and growing quantum computing concerns.

Quantum concerns have also influenced O’Leary’s position on Bitcoin. In September, he made quantum threats the core of his $1 million condition for Bitcoin. The warning was not unique to him, as TRON founder Justin Sun recently turned bearish on Bitcoin because of quantum and artificial intelligence (AI) risks.

Casa security chief Jameson Lopp said a quantum computer capable of breaking Bitcoin remains orders of magnitude away. Google’s Willow chip has 105 qubits, while Google estimates that fewer than 500,000 qubits would be needed to break Bitcoin. Venture capitalist Tim Draper went further, arguing that quantum computers would crack banks before Bitcoin.

O’Leary did not provide details of his IBM thesis, but the company has established targets for its quantum computing program. 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 by 2029, which it calls “the first large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer.” IBM shares have recovered over the past month but remain below their level a year ago.