In recent months, announcements on the progress toward harnessing quantum computing have solicited divers and sometimes strong reactions and opinions from academia and industry. Some say quantum computing is impossible, while others point to actual machines-raising the question as to whether they really are quantum computers. In this interview, Dave Penkler---an HP fellow whose primary interests are in cloud and data-center scale operating systems and networks---shares his view on the present and future of quantum computing. Penkler has 40 years of experience with computer hardware and software and has always had a keen interest in their evolution as enabled by the advances in science and technology.