Analyst Says Ethereum Could Withstand Bitcoin Quantum Failure Without Disruption

Bankless co-founder David Hoffman has weighed in on the rising debate around quantum computing and its potential impact on the crypto ecosystem, arguing that Ethereum is far better positioned to withstand a scenario that could cripple Bitcoin.

His comments came after renewed discussions about the threat of quantum computers being powerful enough to exploit weaknesses in current cryptographic systems.

The conversation began when entrepreneur Nic Carter warned that if Bitcoin suffered a cryptographic failure, the fallout would extend across the entire digital asset landscape. He said many investors wrongly believe their preferred altcoin would rise if Bitcoin were to collapse, when in fact the shock could erode trust in all online monetary systems.

Hoffman pushed back on this idea, stating that Ethereum would continue running without disruption even if Bitcoin stopped functioning. He emphasized that Ethereum and Bitcoin do not have any technical interdependencies, meaning a halt in Bitcoin block production would have no effect on Ethereum’s ability to finalize transactions or operate its smart contract ecosystem. The only impact, he said, would be temporary sentiment-driven volatility, not a structural failure.

He also suggested that if Bitcoin were compromised, Ethereum could benefit over the long term. With both assets serving as major forms of digital money, the disappearance of one could leave more room for the other to absorb market share.

The quantum computing discussion has intensified as researchers like Scott Aaronson warn that hardware advances are accelerating faster than expected. Aaronson recently noted that a machine capable of running Shor’s algorithm—able to break the cryptography used in early Bitcoin wallets—could appear sooner than many assume.

Bitcoin’s early addresses expose public keys in ways that make them more vulnerable to quantum attacks. Carter has even speculated that some recent weakness in Bitcoin’s price might reflect market participants starting to price in these long-term risks.

Ethereum, Hoffman argued, has taken a more proactive approach. From the start, the network obscures public keys behind addresses until they are used, reducing the attack surface. Following the Merge, Ethereum also improved the security of validator withdrawal keys, further lowering exposure.

Looking ahead, Ethereum’s roadmap includes moving from ECDSA to quantum-resistant signature schemes through upgrades tied to Verkle trees and the EOF layer. Hoffman said these steps collectively position Ethereum to survive—and potentially even grow—if Bitcoin faced serious cryptographic failure.