7 Billionaires Are Betting Big on This Quantum Computing Powerhouse -- and It's Not IonQ or D‑Wave
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By Keith Speights – May 12, 2026 at 3:54AM ESTKey PointsAlphabet is the one quantum common denominator in the portfolios of seven billionaire investors.These investors probably like Alphabet primarily because of its growth, cash flow, and moat.However, the stock also offers a lower-risk way to profit from quantum computing.Do you want to know the best way to invest in the next big thing? Looking at what the so-called "smart money" is doing is a great place to start. Quantum computing certainly deserves a spot on the short list of the top candidates to be the next big thing. It holds the potential to be one of the most transformative technologies ever, accelerating advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and revolutionizing drug discovery, financial modeling, materials research, and more. The smart money appears to agree on the best way to invest in quantum computing. Seven billionaires are betting big on one quantum computing powerhouse -- and it's not IonQ (IONQ +15.75%) or D-Wave Quantum (QBTS +6.78%). Image source: Getty Images. Seven billionaires, one quantum common denominator If you check out the portfolios of most billionaire investors, you won't find IonQ or D-Wave Quantum listed among their holdings. But there's a good chance you will find another quantum computing pioneer: Google parent Alphabet (GOOG 2.62%) (GOOGL 2.98%). The late, great Charlie Munger called Li Lu "the Chinese Warren Buffett." He even let Li manage a significant chunk of his own family's fortune. What's the top holding in Li's Himalaya Capital Management portfolio? Alphabet. Himalaya's stake in the Class A and Class C shares of the tech giant totaled over $1.59 billion at the end of 2025. Speaking of Buffett, he regretted not buying Google stock earlier in his career. However, he remedied this mistake last year before stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA +0.32%) (BRKB +0.65%). Berkshire now owns more than $7.1 billion of Alphabet's shares. The man who some believe would love to be the next Buffett in the investing world, Bill Ackman, is also a fan of Alphabet.
His Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund owns only 12 stocks. Two of them are Alphabet's Class A and Class C shares. Four other billionaires have also invested heavily in Alphabet. The stock ranks as the top holding in Chase Coleman's Tiger Global Management fund. Ken Griffin's Citadel Advisors portfolio increased its stake in the stock by roughly 56% in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $913 million. Israel "Izzy" Englander's Millennium Management owns $840 million in Alphabet shares. Philippe Laffont's Coatue Management has $2.1 billion invested in the stock. ExpandNASDAQ: GOOGLAlphabetToday's Change(-2.98%) $-11.94Current Price$388.86Key Data PointsMarket Cap$4.7TDay's Range$388.76 - $397.4252wk Range$156.16 - $402.00Volume1.2MAvg Vol30MGross Margin60.43%Dividend Yield0.22% Why the smart money loves Alphabet Admittedly, these seven billionaires almost certainly haven't placed such big bets on Alphabet primarily because of its quantum computing initiatives. They probably prioritize the company's ability to generate solid growth and strong cash flow, as well as its competitive moats. Alphabet stands at the forefront of multiple key technologies.
Its Google Cloud unit is the fastest-growing of the big three cloud service providers. Google Gemini is a top-tier AI model. Alphabet's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) have emerged as a legitimate challenger to Nvidia's (NVDA +1.90%) market-dominating AI chips. The company's Waymo unit is the leader in autonomous ride-hailing. However, Alphabet is also one of the key players in the rapidly advancing quantum computing arena. In 2019, its Google Quantum AI team achieved quantum supremacy, when a quantum computer solved a problem that would have taken a classical computer an inordinately long time. Google Quantum AI also demonstrated the first logical qubit prototype in 2023, showing the potential for quantum error correction. Last year, the company's Willow quantum processor achieved another breakthrough. It became the first quantum computer to successfully run a verifiable algorithm that was beyond the ability of the fastest available supercomputer to handle. Follow the leaders? Should investors follow in the footsteps of these seven billionaires and invest in Alphabet, too? It isn't smart to buy any stock solely because another investor has, regardless of how successful that investor may be. However, understanding the underlying reasons wealthy investors buy a stock and agreeing with those reasons is a different story. I think Alphabet offers investors a way to potentially profit from quantum computing without taking on the significant risk of buying pure-play stocks like IonQ or D-Wave Quantum. That's not to say that these other stocks won't be big winners over the long term. But Ackman, Buffett, Chase, Englander, Griffin, Laffont, and Li didn't become billionaires by betting the farm on high-risk propositions. Investors who aren't super-wealthy don't have to do so either to still make money from what could be one of history's most impactful technologies. Read NextMay 11, 2026 •By Adam SpataccoAnthropic Just Delivered Great News for Alphabet InvestorsMay 11, 2026 •By Robin Hartill, CFPFacebook (META) Competitors: Social Media AlternativesMay 11, 2026 •By Scott LevineCan You Invest in Scale AI in 2026? Details & Alternatives to ConsiderMay 10, 2026 •By Anders BylundBest Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in ThemMay 10, 2026 •By Matt DiLalloHow to Invest in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)May 9, 2026 •By Keithen DruryThis Trillion-Dollar Behemoth Is a Backdoor Way to Invest in SpaceX. But It's an Even Better Investment by Itself.About the AuthorKeith Speights is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare analyst covering publicly traded companies across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, technology, and marijuana. Prior to The Motley Fool, Keith was CEO of Constant Care Technology, a healthcare technology company; vice president of American HealthTech, a healthcare software company; and a director of operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, a health insurer. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University.TMFFishBizStocks MentionedAlphabetNASDAQ: GOOGL$388.86(-2.98%)-$11.94Berkshire HathawayNYSE: BRKA$720,999.99(+0.50%)+$3,613.18Berkshire HathawayNYSE: BRKB$479.04(+0.65%)+$3.10NvidiaNASDAQ: NVDA$219.28(+1.90%)+$4.08AlphabetNASDAQ: GOOG$386.63(-2.62%)-$10.42IonQNYSE: IONQ$57.00(+15.75%)+$7.76D-Wave QuantumNYSE: QBTS$24.10(+6.78%)+$1.53*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.