If you think that you're joining a company that is going to change the world of computing, you're utterly mistaken.
First, quantum computing is very much a scientific endeavor (no matter what you read in the news... that's just marketing). The business risk is astronomical. We all hope that's going to yield something, but hope is not sufficient to justify hundreds of millions of dollars in VC investment.
Second, at Rigetti innovating is really hard. Working here might suit you if you stay in line, do what your told and show that you are happy to drink the kool-aid. Critical thinking, unfortunately, is not welcome. As a result of this, smart and creative engineers feel oppressed and marginalized. Shortsighted, quick solutions are the norm and are praised by fearful managers. It's really sad.
Despite what's preached during all-hands, the leadership team has no clue how to commercialize the product. That's understandable because no one knows what to do with a bunch of noisy qubits (nor with a thousand) that's useful and that you can't do with a cheap CPU. Not understandable is the leadership's lack of transparency and the palpable disconnect from reality. Leadership doesn't assume responsibility for mistakes which caused engineering to stall, resulting in so many valuable people leaving or being laid off during the past few months. Everybody is noticeably worried and distressed.
All of the above turns the stock option grant into nonsensical fugazee.
