Michaela Eichinger, a product solutions physicist at Quantum Machines, discusses her journey from academia to the quantum industry, her fascination with systems-level views of the quantum stack, and the role of communication in building the quantum ecosystem. She shares her insights on the state of quantum computing in 2026, the importance of classical processing and HPC integration, and the key metrics for evaluating quantum computers. Eichinger also reflects on her popular quantum computing newsletter, her approach to content creation, and her favorite qubit modality. She concludes by discussing the limitations of superconducting qubits and the potential for hybrid architectures, and her dinner conversation with Brian Josephson.
