#14 | John Donovan: Quantum Will Decrypt Everything Already Stolen

Attackers are already stealing encrypted data they cannot read, and storing it. Quantum computing is what turns that into a strategy.More on John Donovan and this episode: thedealtablepodcast.com/episodes/john-donovanJohn Donovan explains steal-and-store in plain language, why the quantum race is really a security race, and what that means for anyone whose data is sitting in someone else's archive waiting for the machine that opens it.He was CEO of AT&T Communications, where he ran innovation strategy for more than a decade, drove the global 5G rollout and pushed the company toward software-defined networking. He now runs Qudit, investing in quantum computing, AI, hypersonics and high-performance systems, and sits on the board of Lockheed Martin.On AI he is precise rather than breathless: four real constraints, accuracy, cost, privacy and explainability, why the race is still wide open, and what DeepSeek changed. He is also unusually direct about how he learns. Cold-calling experts he has never met, reading three books at a time on one subject, and checking the author's bio before reading a single line.John Donovan is the founder of Qudit, investing in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and hypersonics. He was previously chief executive of AT&T Communications, where he led the global 5G rollout, and he serves on the board of Lockheed Martin.KEY MOMENTS00:00 Cold calling experts he has never met05:45 Bleeding edge against leading edge10:15 The three-book framework15:20 Why resumes are obsolete32:10 Read the author bio first52:20 AI's four real constraints56:30 DeepSeek, and a wide open race01:04:15 Quantum computing, explained simply01:06:10 Steal-and-store, and your old data01:12:30 Hypersonics: bullet against bulletNewsletter: thedealtablepodcast.com/connectLane Carrick on selling a business, The Optima Advantage: amzn.to/48nLElWInstagram: instagram.com/thedealtablepodcast/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-deal-table/The Deal Table is hosted by Ryan Harper and Lane Carrick, filmed in Dallas, and produced by Harper Belmont Media.