Revenge quitting and Microsoft goes quantum
Breakthroughs in quantum computing across February have been matched by financial and workforce upsets in the tech sector
February is the shortest month of the year – but that hasn’t stopped this month from being packed full of dramatic tech news.
Microsoft has made waves with Majorana 1, a first of its kind quantum chip that the tech giant says could open the door to usable quantum computers in years, not decades as previously thought.
Elsewhere this month, Sam Altman made a series of public rebukes of Elon Musk, following an offer by a Musk-led consortium to purchase OpenAI for over $97 billion. And could the tech sector be staring down the barrel of widespread ‘revenge quitting?
In this episode, Rory is joined once again by Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to discuss some of the biggest news for February 2025.
Highlights
“So this is the world's first quantum processing unit, QPU. It's powered by what Microsoft says is a topological core and it can scale up to a million qubits in a single chip. Obviously serious power here, huge capabilities, huge potential and it's really taken the industry by storm, but it's the latest in a string of big talking points in the in the quantum space.”
“A big talking point here is Elon Musk has a bone to pick with the for-profit shift at OpenAI in recent months. You know, he was involved in the company during its infancy, and has been very vocal on the fact that he doesn't like the direction that has gone.”
“Revenge quitting is essentially quitting out of spite for the conditions at your job. Not really surprising, I'd say that this is potentially going to become a trend this year.”
Footnotes
- ‘We’ve created an entirely new state of matter’: Satya Nadella hails Microsoft’s 'Majorana' quantum chip breakthrough
- We’re optimistic that within five years we’ll see real-world applications’: Google thinks it’s on the cusp of delivering on its quantum computing dream – even if Jensen Huang isn't so sure
- Has Google made a quantum breakthrough?
- Why experts are warning businesses to prepare for quantum now – or face critical cyber risks when it arrives
- Sam Altman says ‘no thank you’ to Musk's $97bn bid for OpenAI
- Elon Musk’s $97 billion flustered OpenAI – now it’s introducing rules to ward off future interest
- 2025 could be the year of 'revenge quitting' – workers are tired of stagnant wages, a lack of career opportunities, and feeling undervalued in roles
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