First reactions. Telephone interview, October 2025

“My wife is very kind to me, so she didn’t wake me up for a couple of hours.”

John Martinis talks about the excitement of learning how to investigate problems with his co-laureates John Clarke and Michel Devoret, four decades ago, and how that experience taught him what to aim for when building labs in academic and industry subsequently.

John Martinis: Hello, John Martinis speaking. 

Adam Smith: Hello, this is Adam Smith from nobelprize.org, the website of the Nobel Prize. 

JM: Great, thank you, nice talking to you. 

AS: It’s a pleasure to talk to you and many congratulations on the award of the Nobel Prize. 

JM: Yes, it’s been an interesting morning to say the least. But, I feel, you know, it’s just quite an amazing feeling.  

AS: How did the news actually reach you? 

JM: Okay, it’s kind of a funny story. My wife ended up reading a book to like three in the morning. I went to sleep early. And all of a sudden, she started getting all these phone calls and this and that and she started, which is in another room. So she answered them and got inquiries from the press. She kind of figured out that there was something going on. But my wife is very kind to me. So she didn’t wake me up for a couple hours because she knew I needed my sleep. Which I really, she did the right thing. So at 5:30, I got up and then there were some reporters at our house at six to interview me, and from then on it’s been a constant stream of calls and emails and the like. But it’s been fun. 

AS: That’s incredible. What coolness she displayed in the face of this news. That’s impressive. 

JM: Yes, I agree. My wife is very kind that she’s kind of looking out for me. She knew what was better for me. But yes, this is great. But she didn’t go to sleep at all last night. 

AS: Oh, poor her. I hope the book was worth it.  

JM: Oh, it’s okay. She’s okay.  

AS: But that’s good. Every new Nobel laureate needs a protector. And you’ve certainly got one there. That’s good. 

JM: That’s right. She’s been my press office too, screening calls and the like. But, it’s been fun. I enjoyed the interviews, and I get I have a lot of emails and a lot of people I haven’t seen in years are congratulating me and some of my ex-students at UCSB. It’s been very nice, very kind. 

AS: That’s nice. They’re kind of coming together. And have you had a second to reflect on what it means to you? 

JM: You know, you can’t hope to win the Nobel Prize. This is too high of an achievement. But I’m just really grateful that they saw this. On the other hand, what I find is most exciting is that there’s probably a thousand or more scientists who are working on quantum computing and superconducting qubits. And they’re all getting meaningfully employed working on quantum mechanics, trying to understand all this beautiful physics. And to me, that’s kind of the most exciting part of it, is that we did some experiments that really led to lots of great science. And that’s kind of the nicest thing. But yes, it’s nice to be recognised for the work we had done then. And it was such an interesting experience for me to work with Michel Devoret and John Clarke, to kind of, be trained as a scientist doing a great experiment, working with great people. That was the exciting part. And it’s nice to be recognised. I really appreciate that. 

AS: When I spoke with John Clarke earlier today, he was saying just how extraordinary that time was how well, he was saying how brilliant both you and Michel were, and just how you all sparked off each other. It was obviously a very special moment. 

JM: Oh, absolutely. We had all contributed different ideas to making it. And it was just a time, you know, this was back when the physics of this system, people weren’t even appreciating this was a microwave experiment. I mean, we had to understand and fix the most basic ideas there. Working with John and Michel, we quickly figured out what we had to do and got the right tools. John was a great leader, and I got to work with Michel every day. So that was very impactful on me. And, boy, what a great experience. I’d say anything else, just working with these people at the beginning of your career meant a lot to me. Fortunately, if I’ve had other similar experiences in my career, but I’ve always wanted to look back on what happened there and say, okay, can we reproduce that kind of spirit that I saw there. And I’ve been trying to do that the rest of my career. 

AS: Well, it’s good to know what you’re aiming to recreate. That’s excellent. And, as you say, things have developed so much in the 40 years from an intellectual question to something that is now very much a question of application. 

JM: That’s right. 

AS: And I know that you now with your new company Qolab, you’re setting out to build the world’s first functioning quantum computer. 

JM: That’s right. 

AS: I mean, that’s a huge challenge still. What do you think the biggest challenge is? 

JM: I would say there are many challenges, and that’s kind of what’s hard about it. And my particular thesis, since leaving Google and doing my own company, is that building a quantum computer is a little bit harder than the scientists think about because of the system engineering. Building a powerful computer is hard. So what we’re particularly working on is the manufacturing of qubits and doing that much better than what people are doing right now. I really enjoyed being in academia, and even at Google working on that. But I really enjoy right now trying to think very practically about what we have to do to get this to work. And what kind of people we have to collaborate with in order to put all the pieces together and build a quantum computer in a cost effective, economic way that makes business sense. 

AS: I suppose yes, just like in John Clarke’s lab in Berkeley, four decades ago, it’s about bringing the right people together at the right time, with the right skills. 

JM: It’s the right people. That’s right. The right people at the right time, really focusing in on it. And then here, it’s the right people in the right time, but it’s also the right companies and the right technologies. We also think collaborating with different people with different skills. That’s important. 

AS: It sounds like fun. And it sounds like it, yes, it’s all about intellectual curiosity. 

JM: It’s a lot of fun. Yes. 

AS: Yes. Well, it’s a joy to talk to you. And I’d love to talk for longer, but I know that people are clamouring to talk to you all around. So, it’s been a huge pleasure speaking to you. And I wish you good luck with this extraordinary day that’s unfolding.  

JM: Yes, it’s great. Thank you.  

AS: Okay, speak soon.  

JM: Nice talking to you.  

AS: Thank you. Bye now. 

JM: Bye-bye.

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