Can IonQ Stock Make You a Millionaire by 2030?

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • IonQ stock is up 357% since the company went public.

  • However, IonQ is unprofitable and trades at an expensive valuation.

  • At its current stage, this is still a speculative investment.

  • 10 stocks we like better than IonQ ›

IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) is the first, and currently the largest, pure-play quantum computing company. It's unique for using a trapped-ion approach, which allows for room-temperature quantum systems and high accuracy.

Quantum computing stocks started taking off last year. Even after a recent dip, IonQ stock is still up 357% (as of Nov. 28). As a hot company in an emerging industry, IonQ looks like a potential millionaire maker -- but that might be overly optimistic.

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Two people in a server farm looking at a laptop.

Image source: Getty Images.

The numbers behind IonQ

Like other companies that focus solely on quantum computing, IonQ is currently losing money. It reported a net loss of $1.3 billion over the first three quarters of 2025. Revenue is rising, though. It was up 222% year over year to $40 million in Q3, and IonQ is expecting to finish the year with $106 million to $110 million in revenue.

The problem is that IonQ currently has a market cap of $17.5 billion and is trading at 153 times trailing earnings. You already need to pay a hefty premium to invest in this company.

Chairman and CEO Peter Chapman said at the start of the year that he expects IonQ to reach profitability and approach $1 billion in revenue by 2030. Those would be encouraging results for investors, but they wouldn't necessarily lead to 50-fold or 100-fold growth in IonQ stock, considering its extremely high valuation.

IonQ probably won't turn a $1,000, $10,000, or even a $20,000 investment into $1 million by 2030. It could potentially outperform the market, especially if it becomes profitable and reaches internal revenue expectations. Those are big "ifs," and this is still a speculative stock, so it's best to invest with caution.

Should you invest $1,000 in IonQ right now?

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*Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2025

Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends IonQ. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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