Full Idea
Electrons don't always exist. They exist when they interact. They materialize when they collide with something. The quantum leap from one orbit to another constitutes their way of being real. An electron is a combination of leaps between interactions.
Gist of Idea
Electrons only exist when they interact, and their being is their combination of quantum leaps
Source
Carlo Rovelli (Reality is Not What it Seems [2014], 04)
Book Reference
Rovelli,Carlo: 'Reality is Not What it Seems', ed/tr. Carnell/Segre [Penguin 2016], p.101
A Reaction
If a philosopher with an Aristotelian interest in the nature of matter wants to grasp the modern view, the electron looks like the thing to focus on. You can feel Rovelli battling here to find formulations that might satisfy a philosopher.