⚡ What Happens to My BTC When Quantum Arrives?
The Inevitable Scenario
📅 The Day It Happens
The Announcement
IBM, Google, China, or an unknown actor announces cryptographically-relevant quantum computer. Proof: they break a known ECDSA key.
Panic Begins
Crypto Twitter explodes. Price drops 20% in first hour. Exchanges flooded with sell orders.
First Thefts
Large wallets with exposed public keys start draining. Satoshi's coins? Gone. Early miner wallets? Gone.
Exchange Collapse
Exchanges halt withdrawals. Some hot wallets already drained. Bank run psychology.
Network Chaos
Everyone trying to move to fresh addresses. Mempool explodes. Fees skyrocket. Many can't get transactions confirmed.
The Aftermath
$250B+ stolen from exposed addresses. Bitcoin price down 80-95%. Trust destroyed.
😢 Who Loses Everything
Address Reusers
Anyone who spent from addresses they still hold funds in
Lost Key Holders
Can't move to fresh addresses if you lost access
Exchange Users
Exchange hot wallets are constantly exposed
The Unprepared
Those who thought "it won't happen in my lifetime"
❌ What Bitcoin CAN'T Do
- Can't upgrade fast enough (governance paralysis)
- Can't protect exposed addresses retroactively
- Can't hard fork without massive community split
- Can't save Satoshi's coins or early miner wallets
🛡️ Your Escape Plan
Don't be left holding vulnerable BTC when the announcement comes: