Each week, we review the week’s news, offering analysis about the most important developments in the tech industry.

Hello, my name is Cade Metz. I cover artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and other emerging technologies for The New York Times. Today I’m here to give you the lowdown on the latest tech news.

As we approach the end of the year, there are a few important questions to ponder: What does the future hold for Google now that its founders have stepped down? Will Elon Musk pay for his “pedo guy” tweet? And what on earth is a quantum computer?

Last month, at a lab in Santa Barbara, Calif., a team of Google researchers reached a milestone that some compared to the first flight at Kitty Hawk. They reached “quantum supremacy,” building a quantum computer that needed only 3 minutes 20 seconds to perform a calculation that today’s computers couldn’t finish in 10,000 years.

It was one of the most interesting — and perhaps one of the most important — technological developments of the year. The trouble is that no one can really explain what it is that Google built, at least not in a way that mere mortals can understand.

The first thing you need to know is that a quantum computer is experimental technology. It won’t be ready for prime time for several more years, if not more. But experts believe it will eventually make today’s computers look like toys, handling tasks that would never be possible with traditional machines.