Quantum First by 2030. That’s the recommendation from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. This group has been tracking the U.S. China relationship for more than 20 years. Each year they assess every element of the relationship between the two superpowers and advise Congress on what to do to stay competitive and preserve all the advantages the U.S. has.

I entered the quantum tech space in 2021, the year before Quantum World Congress launched its first gathering at the Reagan Building in DC, so the event holds special meaning for me. At QWC 2022, I recall wondering if “quantum tech” would really take off and was pleasantly surprised when local tech reporters attended. Last week, I saw that many of those same reporters had carved out quantum tech beats with their publications and are now proficient in moderating extremely complex discussions with SMEs.

While those of us working in the quantum industry for years should invite and warmly welcome newcomers to the field, quantum companies should also be wary of those claiming special knowledge or expertise in quantum without sufficient proof.

We’ve personally seen and heard of management consultants, public relations and marketing firms, industry analysts and more approaching quantum companies with tales of quantum experience that don’t stand up to closer inspection.

As the PR agency for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), working closely with the American Physics Society (APS), we have come across scores of scheduled “IYQ” events of all stripes, all over the world. Most are conferences or forums, but a few are a little different, such as the poetry competition. Most are highly technical, but some are not, aimed at attracting young people, even children, into this emerging field.

So, the question we pondered was, what were we, at HKA, going to do for our part in honor of IYQ?

While the topics driving the loudest quantum industry conversations are about advantage, stock price and qubit count, the people doing the work are much more interested in discovery, determination and collaboration. At the 2025 APS Global Physics Summit, I interviewed 10 leaders working on everything from electronics control systems to national labs research to games designed to teach the history of physics. We’ll publish these conversations in the next season of our podcast, The Quantum Spin by HKA.