Recently, Motley Fool said IBM is the best quantum computing stock to buy right now. While most people do not understand the quantum space, looking into the future, it will be important. But which companies will be leaders?

Today, it is a relatively quiet but real growth story. So, let’s take a closer look at IBM and at the rapidly growing and changing world of quantum.

First, I believe it is important to understand IBM IBM . To pull the camera back. To get a longer-term, historical perspective. This is a company which has been around for a long time. It has had ups and downs over time. They have led the way to growth in a variety of different segments.

About 15 years ago, IBM introduced the world to Watson on the television game show Jeopardy. This was the first time viewers had the chance to see the world of artificial intelligence in anything other than a Hollywood movie.

IBM Watson: the move into AI

However, as amazing as this new technology was, IBM did not market it well for the long-term. They did not call it AI. It was called Watson. In my opnion, this was an important marketing mistake. They must have wanted to own the space with their own name, rather than using the technology’s real name. That confused the market.

I attended the IBM World of Watson in Las Vegas, and it was incredible. Watson rapidly rose. But then it crested, ultimately fell. In recent years, IBM has started to rebuild their Watson technology calling it watsonx.

However, this time, while they work on the second act of Watson AI, something else is brewing. They are rapidly expanding into the world of quantum computing. This is what Motley Fool is talking about when naming IBM as their best quantum computing stock. Not that there aren’t other competitors. There are plenty, but they are not as well known. Not yet anyway.

Today, IBM is still a leader, not so much for their AI watsonx, although they are trying to reboot that growth engine once again, but for quantum computing. Quantum is a space which is real, and which is also very confusing for the average investor. That means quantum is the kind of environment, especially at this early stage, which will confuse the marketplace and the investor community.

Quantum is real and confusing

I think one of the reasons IBM is taking a leadership position in the quantum space is they are a familiar brand. As we move forward, other brands may become well-known as well. After all, in the AI space both Nvidia NVDA and OpenAI (which created ChatGPT) were not known a few short years ago either. Now they are on the tips of everyone’s tongue.

As that happens with quantum, leaders will rise while others will stall. The real question is where IBM will be at that time? I have always been a fan of IBM. Always seen them as a beacon on the hill. An industry leader. That being said, they are more technologists, less marketers.

That raises a serious challenge for the company. How will they communicate with the marketplace of investors and customers? IBM needs a group of middlemen who understand both the technology and how to talk about it to the average customer, investor, regulator and more.

While I agree IBM makes sense as an early leader in quantum stocks for now, I also want to encourage every investor to keep their eyes open. Keep learning about both quantum and AI. And understand if and when the leadership positions change, to be ready for the next step to take immediately.

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