MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor warns that the proposal of protocol changes by ambitious opportunists poses the greatest risk to Bitcoin.
This statement was made as Coinbase and the Ethereum network are advancing their responses to quantum computers, one of the most serious long-term threats to Bitcoin.
The quantum computing challenge for Bitcoin has reignited protocol discussions.
The co-founder of MicroStrategy positions protocol stabilization (freezing) as Bitcoin's primary defense strategy. According to Michael Saylor, internal attempts to 'improve' the network pose a greater danger than external technical threats.
This statement emphasizes that Bitcoin plays a role as a neutral digital currency amidst ongoing discussions, such as the BIP-110 soft fork proposal.
BIP-110 has achieved a node support rate of 2.38% as of January 25, 2026, and aims to set a temporary upper limit on transaction data (for example, limiting OP_RETURN to 83 bytes) to address 'spam' from non-financial uses.
Such discussions are dividing community opinions between purists who support Bitcoin's nodes and those who use Bitcoin Core for broader applications.
Some developers express concern over hasty or politically motivated changes, while others point out that ignoring new risks can also be a risk.
This tension has become even more pronounced with Coinbase announcing the establishment of an independent advisory committee focused on the security of quantum computers and blockchain.
This committee will investigate the threats that the evolution of large-scale quantum machines may pose to Bitcoin's cryptographic foundations. In the future, it plans to publish research, risk assessments, and technical guidelines for the entire ecosystem.
At the heart of the issue is the elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) that underpins Bitcoin's ECDSA and Schnorr signatures.
In theory, if a sufficiently powerful quantum computer executes Shor's algorithm, it could compute the private key from the public key, allowing an attacker to forge transactions or withdraw wallet assets.
It is expected that it will take at least five years for such quantum machines to be realized, but a significant preparation period will be needed for a safe protocol transition, thus raising the priority of ensuring quantum resistance.
The coinbase advisory committee includes prominent figures from the fields of cryptography and quantum research, such as:
Professor Dan Boneh from Stanford University.
Scott Aaronson, a quantum theorist from the University of Texas.
Justin Drake, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation.
Sreeram Kannan, founder of Eigenlayer.
According to Coinbase, this committee operates independently and will publish a position paper on the current state of quantum computers.
Additionally, guidelines will be issued for developers and financial institutions to respond in real-time to breakthroughs in the field.
The quantum discussion surrounding Bitcoin shifts from theory to real-world issues.
This initiative reflects the current situation where the Bitcoin development community shows a widening approach to quantum challenges.
Data from 2025 shows a notable increase in quantum-related discussions on Bitcoin-related mailing lists. Over 10% of technical communications touch on post-quantum security. This marks a significant change from a situation that had been nearly silent for years.
The discussion has expanded beyond hypothetical assumptions to the actual technical challenges of transitioning Bitcoin from ECC to post-quantum signature schemes via soft forks without causing network disruption.
While this momentum is increasing, most researchers are wary of hasty protocol changes. The mainstream opinion is to wait until the standards for post-quantum cryptography from organizations like NIST are fully mature, as hasty upgrades could introduce new vulnerabilities.
In that sense, Coinbase's recent move is positioned as preparation rather than alarm. The aim is to ensure that Bitcoin and other blockchains secure adequate transition pathways long before quantum attacks become a reality.
Differences with Ethereum are also becoming clearer. The Ethereum Foundation recently listed post-quantum security as one of its top strategic priorities.
Establishment of a dedicated team.
Funding contributions for cryptographic research.
Operational post-quantum devnet in active use.
We are addressing this. Representatives from Ethereum are now participating in the Coinbase advisory committee, and quantum readiness is beginning to be seen as an issue across multiple chains and the industry as a whole.
As quantum research accelerates and various institutions play a more active role in preparing for the future of cryptocurrency infrastructure, maintaining this balance may become increasingly difficult.
