In my experience, this view is very prevalent, especially in physics departments. Once you hit the job market it is one of the questions you'll have to answer

In my experience, this view is very prevalent, especially in physics departments. Once you hit the job market it is one of the questions you'll have to answer during interviews, so be prepared! I do agree that there is steady progress, which definitely has helped the field. Context: worked in quantum computing for 10+ years (and was a prof).