Why IBMs CEO Thinks His Company Can Crack Quantum Computing | WSJs Bold Names

After spending much of the 2010s in the doldrums, IBM has made something of a comeback in the past five years under the leadership of CEO Arvind Krishna. That's thanks to a lot of the success in its hybrid cloud business, as well as its consulting services. All of this has led to a surge in the company's share price. Now, IBM is betting that quantum computing will be the next big thing. But will Big Blue succeed against rivals like Microsoft and Google who are racing to make their own quantum breakthroughs? And how is the company learning from its past mistakes with Watson AI? Arvind Krishna speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:43 Quantum computing applications
4:09 Will IBM crack quantum?
8:28 When will IBM see a return on its investment?
9:19 Krishna on being the first engineer to run IBM
11:51 Investor excitement around AI
16:18 Balancing enthusiasm and expectations
17:55 Competing for top AI talent
21:20 How IBM is reinventing itself
23:20 Will IBM join the Magnificent 7?
25:22 Tim and Christopher break down the conversation

WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.

Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com

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