Much of the quantum research community is focused on showing quantum advantage that a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is impossible on a classical computer. The authors contend that enterprises should focus instead on seeking opportunities for quantum economic advantage when a quantum computer provides a commercially relevant solution faster than a classical computer could, or when a quantum computer provides viable solutions that differ from what a classical computer yields.

While few people think about it, underlying every application of computers in organizations today is math, calculated using binary digits or 'bits.' The original computers of the 1950s could perform about 465 multiplications per second, and today's computers are billions of times faster. However, there is an important class of arithmetic problems that remain out of reach for classical computers: Large-scale 'combinatorics' calculations. Combinatorics problems ask the question, 'How many ways can this set of objects be combined?' Such problems can also ask whether a certain combination is possible, or what combinations of objects are 'best' by some defined metric. The authors argue that a surprising number of practical organizational problems can be viewed as combinatorics problems and describe how fields from finance to chemical engineering and cybersecurity will be impacted by the emergence of quantum computers.

The CEO of Tangerine-formerly ING Direct Canada-describes his approach to leading and creating a disruptive business model in one of the most traditional industries: banking. In this wide-ranging interview, he explains how the culture he created embraces divergent views and encourages novel thinking. He also describes what happened when his firm was acquired by one of Canada's big banks (Scotiabank), and how the culture of disruptive innovation lives on at Tangerine.