What do you mean? We have been profiting massively from the fruits of QM for the last five decades easily. Transistors, LEDs, Lasers, MRT imaging, solar panels, CCD cameras, etc. have arguably changed the world and would not have been possible without QM. It came out of the lab a long time ago.
Not to mention the entire science of chemistry and everything made from it.
Quantum mechanics started with the description of electron orbitals around an atom; how they work is the foundation of chemistry.
I think GP was thinking of quantum computers, maybe?
I think they made a very uninformed comment, that's all.
That’s engineering not science
Engineering is how science gets out of the lab...
I think you just wrote that 'off the cuff' but it's really a brilliant quote that succinctly clarifies science vs engineering.
How else does science get 'out of the lab'?