Crypto's Quantum Challenges & Optical as the True Quantum-Class Winner – Martin Shkreli

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Business, Education

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2026

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A Note from James:

In the last episode, we talked about whether Martin Shkreli really deserves the label “most hated man in America.” My conclusion was no, and I hope you came to the same conclusion after hearing his perspective.

In this episode, we shift gears completely. We talk about Bitcoin, crypto, AI, energy, optical computing, and what the future of technology might actually look like.

Martin has a very unusual combination of skills—finance, biotech, programming—and I always enjoy hearing how he connects ideas across different fields. That’s what this conversation is about.

Episode Description:

What happens when AI demand collides with the limits of computing power and energy?

In Part 2, Martin Shkreli and James explore the future of technology—from crypto vulnerabilities to optical computing, GPU scaling, and the potential energy crisis driven by artificial intelligence.

They discuss whether Bitcoin can survive quantum computing, why stablecoins solve real-world financial problems, and how computing architecture may shift beyond traditional silicon chips. The conversation then moves into AI economics: why companies might spend billions on compute to make better decisions, how energy constraints could shape innovation, and why optical computing could become the next major breakthrough.

This episode isn’t about controversy—it’s about technological leverage, incentives, and where computation is heading next.

What You’ll Learn:

Why quantum computing could eventually threaten Bitcoin’s encryption
The real-world advantages of stablecoins and decentralized payments
How AI demand could create massive new energy constraints
Why optical (photonic) computing may outperform traditional silicon chips
How businesses might use large-scale AI compute for strategic decisions

Timestamped Chapters:

[00:02:00] Bitcoin, Encryption & Quantum Computing Risks
[00:03:02] A Note from James
[00:03:34] Crypto Markets: Speculation vs. Utility
[00:05:23] Banking Control, Debanking & Stablecoins
[00:07:40] Moore’s Law, Huang’s Law & The Limits of Silicon
[00:08:45] Optical Computing Explained
[00:09:12] NVIDIA, Parallelization & Power Consumption
[00:10:24] Energy Constraints & The Electrical Grid
[00:11:41] AI Energy Demand vs. Countries
[00:12:24] Corporate AI Decision-Making at Scale
[00:13:37] The Coming Explosion of AI Compute
[00:14:20] Energy Efficiency vs. Speed
[00:15:17] GPU Efficiency Improvements & Jevons Paradox
[00:17:00] Why AI Is Different from Traditional Computing
[00:17:47] Optical vs. Quantum vs. DNA Computing
[00:18:19] Why Optical Computing Fits AI Perfectly
[00:19:28] Precision, Bits & Neural Networks
[00:21:24] Error Tolerance in AI Systems
[00:22:00] Fiber Optics & Existing Infrastructure
[00:23:16] New Computing Paradigms Beyond Silicon
[00:24:00] Matrix Multiplication & AI Workloads
[00:24:53] Closing Thoughts

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Today on the James Altiger show.
0:03.9	Bitcoin is encrypted by elliptic curve math, and there's no guarantee that this encryption will hold up, and it's especially guaranteed to not hold up in quantum computing regimes.
0:13.6	And I think that Stambecoins are amazing.
0:15.9	You know, it's this unbelievable way to send money.
0:18.3	But again, you know, to the state sponsor Nannies, you know, the Elizabeth Warrens of the world, that's Apocalypse.
0:24.3	You know, how could somebody be sending money without their okay, their knowledge, their blessings?
0:28.7	And, you know, they've even tried to make the $100 bill criminal.
0:31.8	And it's like, with optical, it's like, it's like God made this, like, idea for this exact thing, because light can do matrix multiplication, in essence, for free.
0:43.0	And then the energy requirement's really low.
0:46.0	We've really not tried other kinds of computing.
0:48.5	And I think now that computing is literally threatening civilization, you know, it's a good time to start.
0:56.9	This isn't your average business podcast,
0:59.7	and he's not your average host.
1:02.1	This is the James hated man in America.
1:21.9	My conclusion was no, and I hope you come to the same conclusion by listening to the last episode.
1:27.1	And in this episode, we the same conclusion by listening to the last episode.
1:32.5	And in this episode, we talked about everything from Bitcoin to quantum computing.
1:36.8	What's the future for AI and energy and the U.S.? And here we go.
1:43.0	I'm looking forward to this new thing we're doing together and, you know, hopefully will be a really big thing.
1:50.0	Let me ask two fundamentals questions. One is crypto's, you've been a big supporter of crypto. Cryptos obviously in this downturn right now.
1:57.0	Well, yes and no. I mean, I wouldn't say just a supporter. I've also been a short and things like that. But Bitcoin itself. Let's say Bitcoin in Ethereum. It's complicated. I think I've always said that like these are, they're a conundrum, right? Markets are relatively efficient, too. You know, you can see the good things
2:18.1	about Bitcoin, but you can also see some very obvious bad ones. And one of the ones we've discussed
	...

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