Hard problems are usually not a welcome sight. But cryptographers love them. That’s because certain hard math problems underpin the security of modern encryption. Any clever trick for solving them will doom most forms of cryptography.
Several years ago, researchers found a radically new approach to encryption that lacks this potential weak spot. The approach exploits the peculiar features of quantum physics. But unlike earlier quantum encryption schemes, which only work for a few special tasks, the new approach can accomplish a much wider range of tasks. And it could work even if all the problems at the heart of ordinary “classical” cryptography turn out to be easily solvable.
But this striking discovery relied on unrealistic assumptions. The result was “more of a proof of concept,” said Fermi Ma, a cryptography researcher at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing in Berkeley, California. “It is not a statement about the real world.”
Now, a new paper by two cryptographers has laid out a path to quantum cryptography without those outlandish assumptions. “This paper is saying that if certain other conjectures are true, then quantum cryptography must exist,” Ma said.
Castle in the Sky
You can think of modern cryptography as a tower with three essential parts. The first part is the bedrock deep beneath the tower, which is made of hard mathematical problems. The tower itself is the second part—there you can find specific cryptographic protocols that let you send private messages, sign digital documents, cast secret ballots, and more.
In between, securing those day-to-day applications to mathematical bedrock, is a foundation made of building blocks called one-way functions. They’re responsible for the asymmetry inherent in any encryption scheme. “It’s one-way because you can encrypt messages, but you can’t decrypt them,” said Mark Zhandry, a cryptographer at NTT Research.
In the 1980s, researchers proved that cryptography built atop one-way functions would ensure security for many different tasks. But decades later, they still aren’t certain that the bedrock is strong enough to support it. The trouble is that the bedrock is made of special hard problems—technically known as NP problems—whose defining feature is that it’s easy to check whether any candidate solution is correct. (For example, breaking a number into its prime factors is an NP problem: hard to do for large numbers, but easy to check.)
Many of these problems seem intrinsically difficult, but computer scientists haven’t been able to prove it. If someone discovers an ingenious algorithm for rapidly solving the hardest NP problems, the bedrock will crumble, and the whole tower will collapse.
Unfortunately, you can’t simply move your tower elsewhere. The tower’s foundation—one-way functions—can only sit on a bedrock of NP problems.
To build a tower on harder problems, cryptographers would need a new foundation that isn’t made of one-way functions. That seemed impossible until just a few years ago, when researchers realized that quantum physics could help.
OpenAI’s chief communications officer, Hannah Wong, announced internally on Monday that she is leaving the company in January, WIRED has learned. In a statement to WIRED, OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed the departure.
“Hannah has played a defining role in shaping how people understand OpenAI and the work we do,” said CEO Sam Altman and CEO of applications Fidji Simo in a joint statement. “She has an extraordinary ability to bring clarity to complex ideas, and to do it with care and grace. We’re deeply grateful for her leadership and partnership these last five years, and we wish her the very best.”
Wong joined OpenAI in 2021 when it was a relatively small research lab, and has led the company’s communications team as ChatGPT has grown into one of the world’s largest consumer products. She was considered instrumental in leading the company through the PR crisis that was Altman’s brief ouster and re-hiring in 2023—a period the company internally calls “the blip.” Wong assumed the chief communications officer role in August 2024, and has expanded the company’s communications team since then.
In a drafted LinkedIn post shared with WIRED, Wong said that OpenAI’s VP of communications, Lindsey Held, will lead the company’s communications team until a new chief communications officer is hired. OpenAI’s VP of marketing, Kate Rouch, is leading the search for Wong’s replacement.
“These years have been intense and deeply formative,” said Wong in the LinkedIn post. “I’m grateful I got to help tell OpenAI’s story, introduce ChatGPT and other incredible products to the world, and share more about the people forging the path to AGI during an extraordinary moment of growth and momentum.”
Wong says she looks forward to spending more time with her husband and kids as she figures out the next chapter in her career.
The UK government has launched a Women in Tech Taskforce, designed to dismantle the current barriers faced by women working in, or wanting to work in, the tech sector.
Made up of several experts from the technology ecosystem, the taskforce’s main aim is to boost economic growth, after the recent government-backed Lovelace report found the UK is suffering an annual loss of between £2bn and £3.5bn as a result of women leaving the tech sector or changing roles.
The UK’s technology secretary, Liz Kendall, said: “Technology should work for everyone. That is why I have established the Women in Tech Taskforce, to break down the barriers that still hold too many people back, and to partner with industry on practical solutions that make a real difference.
“This matters deeply to me. When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make more representative decisions, build products that serve everyone, and unlock the innovation and growth our economy needs.”
The percentage of women in the technology workforce remains at around 22%, having grown marginally over the past five years, and the recent Lovelace report found between 40,000 and 60,000 women are leaving digital roles each year, whether for other tech roles or to leave tech for good.
When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make more representative decisions, build products that serve everyone, and unlock the innovation and growth our economy needs Liz Kendall, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
There are many reasons for this, one being the lack of opportunity to advance their career in their current roles. Research by other organisations has found a lack of flexibility at work and bias also play a part in either preventing women from joining the sector or contributing to their decision to leave IT.
The issues can be traced all the way to school-aged girls, who often choose not to continue with technology subjects. One reason for this is that misconceptions about the skills needed for a tech role make young women feel the sector isn’t for them.
Headed up by the founder and CEO of Stemettes, Anne-Marie Imafidon, the founding members of the taskforce include:
Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology.
Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of Stemettes; Women in Tech Envoy.
Allison Kirkby, CEO, BT Group.
Anna Brailsford, CEO and co-founder, Code First Girls.
Francesca Carlesi, CEO, Revolut.
Louise Archer, academic, Institute of Education.
Karen Blake, tech inclusion strategist; former co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter.
Hayaatun Sillem, CEO, Royal Academy of Engineering.
Kate Bell, assistant general secretary, TUC.
Amelia Miller, co-founder and CEO, ivee.
Ismini Vasileiou, director, East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster.
Emma O’Dwyer, director of public policy, Uber.
These experts will help the government “identify and dismantle” the barriers preventing women from joining or staying in the tech sector across the areas of education, training and career progression.
They will also advise on how to support and grow diversity in the UK’s tech ecosystem and replicate the success of organisations that already have an even gender split in their tech remits.
Collaboration has been heavily pinpointed in the past as being the only way sustained change can be developed when it comes to diversity in tech, with the taskforce working on advising the government on policy, while also consulting on how government, the tech industry and education providers can work together to make it easier to increase and maintain the number of women in tech.
The taskforce will work in tandem with other government initiatives aimed at encouraging women and young people into technology careers, such as the recently launched TechFirst skills programme and the Regional Tech Booster programme, among others.
The first meeting of the Women in Tech Taskforce took place on 15 December 2025.
I love having a whimsical, comfortable wardrobe, and that doesn’t apply just to daytime clothes. My pajama collection is quite extensive, with the added requirement that each pair be both cooling and extra soft. I’m someone who overheats easily in her sleep, and with sensitive skin, it’s not a winning combination.
I’ve been growing my Cozy Earth pajama collection for years, usually getting a new set during Black Friday. Obviously, that shopping event has come and gone, but this sale gives you one more chance. And, believe it or not, it’s even better than what Cozy Earth ran sale-wise for its pajamas during Cyber Week.
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