Investors often hope that a relatively small investment, like $5,000, could make them a millionaire.
For example, investors who invested that amount in Amazon in early 2003, more than five years after its initial public offering (IPO), now have about $1.25 million in that stock if they did not sell.
Still, such moves are difficult to predict, and investors must also resist the temptation to sell the stock over that time.
However, Amazon's history shows how investing in emerging industries can build tremendous wealth. Thus, it is worthwhile to see whether such an investment in the emerging quantum computing stock IonQ (IONQ 3.47%) could yield such returns.
Image source: Getty Images.
The state of IonQ
IonQ is one of the leading smaller companies in the quantum computing industry. Quantum computing offers exponentially faster computing speeds than traditional computers. That could enhance artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and allow companies to solve problems that previous technologies could not address.
Even though tech giants such as Alphabet and IBM compete in this industry, IonQ has stood out amid the competition. Among its more notable breakthroughs is achieving 99.99% 2-qubit gate fidelity last year. That represents an enhancement of 10 billion times in error-corrected performance over standards from the past. The company has also accelerated the development of scalable quantum systems by leveraging industry-grade synthetic diamonds.
Amid such improvements, its $68 million in revenue in the first nine months of 2025 rose 117% from year-ago levels. Still, the $406 million in operating losses show it is nowhere near achieving profitability. Since the company holds less than $1.1 billion in liquidity, it may have to dilute shares or take on debt to stay in business.
Moreover, investors should note that a $5,000 investment in IonQ stock must increase by 200-fold to achieve a $1 million value. At a market cap of $12.5 billion, that means its market cap must also grow to $2.5 trillion.
Although that is well below Alphabet's current $4 trillion market cap, that would take it to a size comparable to many of today's top tech stocks. That figure would also imply that IonQ competed successfully with the Google parent.
That achievement will be a tall order given IonQ's considerable losses and Alphabet's competitive prowess. Over that time, IonQ could fail financially, or another company might take it over, making that journey to $1 million increasingly perilous.
NYSE: IONQ
Key Data Points
Can a $5,000 investment in IonQ make you a millionaire?
Given its challenges, investors should not expect a $5,000 investment in IonQ to make them millionaires.
Indeed, IonQ has made some amazing breakthroughs, and the technology's exponentially faster speeds could bring considerable wealth-creating opportunities for its customers.
Unfortunately, IonQ is suffering through considerable losses and must compete with some of the largest and most successful tech companies. Those factors call into question whether IonQ is the top quantum computing stock to buy right now.
Hence, while a 200-fold increase in the stock price is possible, investors should not count on such an outcome given the obstacles IonQ faces.
