Quantum Computing: A Curated Resource Guide
File 3 of 3: Where to go for trustworthy information, and who is worth following.
Prepared June 2026
How to use this guide
The quantum information ecosystem has a hype problem and a jargon problem, often in the same paragraph. This list is deliberately short and filtered for sources that are wired into the field: primary research, standards bodies, established trackers, and practitioners with real standing. Start with one report, one news source, and three people to follow. That is enough to be the most quantum-literate person in most rooms.
Foundational reports (read one, skim the rest)
McKinsey Quantum Technology Monitor 2026. The annual benchmark for commercial quantum: investment data, industry adoption, market sizing, and a clear-eyed read of hardware road maps. The 2026 edition (“A Commercial Tipping Point”) is the single best document for a business audience. mckinsey.com
McKinsey: Quantum's Bold Promise. The companion executive piece: what quantum is, why it matters, and a three-step playbook for leaders. Shorter and more accessible than the Monitor. Same landing page as above.
Olivier Ezratty: Understanding Quantum Technologies. The field's most rigorous independent reference: a free, 1,500-page creative-commons ebook updated annually since 2018, covering every qubit modality, vendor, and use case, with a healthy skepticism toward consultancy projections and vendor road maps. A 38-page key-takeaways edition exists for the rest of us. oezratty.net
World Economic Forum quantum initiatives. Strong on governance, policy, and the global equity questions the vendor ecosystem tends to skip. weforum.org
Standards and government guidance (the cybersecurity canon)
NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography program. The source of the finalized quantum-resistant encryption standards (FIPS 203, 204, 205) and transition guidance. When a vendor claims to be quantum-safe, this is the yardstick. csrc.nist.gov
CISA Post-Quantum Cryptography Initiative. The most practical US government resource: migration road maps, inventory guidance, and plain-language explainers built for organizations, not cryptographers. cisa.gov/quantum
UK National Cyber Security Centre PQC guidance. Notably readable migration guidance with clear milestones (high-risk systems by 2031, full migration by 2035). Useful even for US organizations as a sanity check. ncsc.gov.uk
News and trackers (pick one, visit weekly)
The Quantum Insider. The widest-circulation quantum industry publication: news, market data, and its Year of Quantum Security 2026 series on post-quantum readiness. Business-friendly register. thequantuminsider.com
Quantum Computing Report. Doug Finke's long-running tracker. Denser and more technical than The Quantum Insider, and prized for its just-the-facts tone and comprehensive company and qubit-count scorecards. quantumcomputingreport.com
Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C). The US industry consortium: workforce studies, use-case reports, and standards work. Membership is how mid-size companies plug into the ecosystem. quantumconsortium.org
People worth following
A working list across research, industry, security, and policy. Most are active on LinkedIn or maintain public writing; all are genuinely wired in.
John Preskill (Caltech). The field's most respected interpreter; he coined the term NISQ for today's noisy intermediate-scale quantum era. His lectures and essays are the gold standard for honest assessment.
Michelle Simmons (founder and CEO, Silicon Quantum Computing; UNSW Sydney). One of the world's leading quantum hardware researchers, building atomically precise silicon qubits, and a former Australian of the Year for the work.
Scott Aaronson (UT Austin). His blog Shtetl-Optimized is the field's most reliable hype detector. When a quantum claim sounds too good, he is usually the first credible person to say so publicly.
Krysta Svore (Microsoft). Leads Microsoft's quantum software effort and is one of the longest-serving quantum executives in industry; a clear voice on the path from research to commercial systems.
Dorit Aharonov (Hebrew University of Jerusalem; co-founder, Qedma). Foundational theorist on quantum fault tolerance, the very problem the hardware road maps now hinge on.
Celia Merzbacher (executive director, QED-C). The person at the center of US quantum industry coordination, workforce development, and policy; her public talks are a fast way to understand where the ecosystem actually is.
Jay Gambetta (IBM). Leads IBM Quantum and is the architect of its fault-tolerant road map; follow for the most detailed public hardware milestones in the industry.
Rebecca Krauthamer (co-founder and CEO, QuSecure). One of the most visible leaders in post-quantum cryptography commercialization, and a strong translator of quantum security for business audiences.
Denise Ruffner (chief business officer, IonQ; founder of the Women in Quantum initiative). A career spanning IBM, Cambridge Quantum, and IonQ; one of the field's most effective ecosystem builders.
Shohini Ghose (Wilfrid Laurier University). Quantum physicist and one of the field's best public communicators; her TED talk remains the most accessible ten-minute introduction to quantum computing in existence.
Stephanie Wehner (QuTech, TU Delft). Leading researcher on the quantum internet; follow for the quantum communication side of the story, which most business coverage misses.
Hartmut Neven (Google Quantum AI). Founded and leads Google's quantum lab, source of the Willow chip and the recent verifiable quantum advantage results.
Learning resources (for you or your team)
IBM Quantum Learning. Free, well-produced courses from absolute beginner through working with real quantum hardware via Qiskit. The de facto standard entry point. learning.quantum.ibm.com
Quantum Country. An essay-based introduction by Andy Matuschak and Michael Nielsen (co-author of the field's standard textbook) using built-in spaced repetition. The best option for leaders who want real understanding without code. quantum.country
Shohini Ghose's TED talk: A beginner's guide to quantum computing. Send this to your leadership team before any quantum agenda item. Ten minutes, no math. ted.com
A note on filtering everything else
Three tests for any quantum claim that crosses your desk. First, does it compare against the best classical alternative, or only against a strawman? Second, does it distinguish physical qubits from logical qubits? (Headlines almost never do, and the difference is roughly a factor of a thousand.) Third, does the person making the claim sell quantum products?
None of these tests is disqualifying on its own, but a claim that fails all three belongs in the recycling.
This is File 3 of 3 in The Quantum Briefing.
File 1:The Quantum Decade: Reading 2036 From 2026
File 3: Quantum Computing: A Curated Resource Guide
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