Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk discuss Willow's massive quantum leap and future possibilities

Google's unveiling of its Willow quantum chip didn’t just create waves in the tech industry—it sparked a lively exchange between two of its most prominent figures, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The conversation, which unfolded on X (formerly Twitter), blended admiration for the breakthrough with ambitious ideas for the future.

After Sundar Pichai announced Willow’s capabilities—emphasising its ability to exponentially reduce errors and solve complex computations in minutes—Elon Musk responded with a single word: “Wow.” 

Pichai responded enthusiastically, suggesting a futuristic idea: “We should do a quantum cluster in space with Starship one day.”  

The mention of Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft, added a cosmic dimension to the discussion, hinting at a fusion of Google’s quantum computing expertise and SpaceX’s space exploration technology.

Musk seemed intrigued by the idea, replying: “That will probably happen.”  

The exchange soon veered into philosophical territory, with the duo discussing the Kardashev scale, which measures a civilisation’s technological advancement. Musk commented on humanity’s current standing:  
“Any self-respecting civilisation should at least reach Kardashev Type II. In my opinion, we are currently only at

Pichai agreed, emphasising the need to scale up solar energy as a straightforward solution to global energy challenges:  
> “We should scale solar so much more. Amazing that we keep looking at alternatives when the most obvious path is staring at our eyes, literally!”

The candid dialogue between Pichai and Musk quickly went viral, with users celebrating the rare glimpse into an unfiltered conversation between tech titans. Comments ranged from awe at the technological possibilities to concerns about the implications of quantum computing.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, saw its share price rise by about 5% following the announcement of its latest quantum computing chip, Willow. This marked the company’s best trading day since late April and added to its strong performance this year, with shares already up 25 per cent year-to-date.