Austin Profiles Hometown Quantum Computing Startup Strangeworks & Founder ‘Whurley’
(AustinChronicle) The Austin Chronicle profiles its quantum computing startup Strangeworks and its founder William Hurley – or “Whurley,” as he’s known in tech circles. From the second floor of the office, standing more than 6 feet tall and sporting a gnarly beard, Whurley takes pride as he shows off the company’s boardroom and its single circular window, which also serves as the “o” in that sign outside. It required hydraulic drilling to install, but that’s the kind of expense that tends to get prioritized when you’re routinely giving tours to prominent regulators and politicians who are eager to understand the increased interest in the technology, both at home and abroad.
Whurley’s goal is to make quantum computing accessible to everyone. (He even published a children’s book about it, Quantum Computing for Babies.) That’s easier said than done, despite the term being regularly thrown around in various sci-fi movies and TV shows.
Whurley announced the founding of Strangeworks, along with its $4 million seed investment, at SXSW 2018. It’s still small – only 11 employees, mostly developers and engineers. This middle ground between scientists and software developers is vitally important to the future trajectory of quantum computing innovation, according to Whurley.
