Rigetti Computing, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(510)210-5550

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code)

N/A

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth companyx

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.¨

On August 18, 2026, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Rigetti Computing, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed David Rivas to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer of the Company, effective the same date. Mr. Rivas previously served as the Company’s Chief Technology Officer. In connection with the appointment, the Compensation Committee of the Board increased Mr. Rivas’ annual base salary to $440,000.

Mr. Rivas, age 65, served as the Company’s Chief Technology Officer since February 2023, and he previously served as Senior Vice President, Systems and Services at the Company since March 2019, where he oversaw the engineering and operations of the Company’s Quantum Cloud Services platform.

There is no arrangement or understanding between Mr. Rivas and any other person pursuant to which Mr. Rivas was selected as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer. There are no related party transactions between the Company and Mr. Rivas reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K and no family relationships between Mr. Rivas and any of the Company’s directors or officers.

On August 19, 2026, the Company issued a press release regarding the Company’s leadership changes. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K (the “Current Report”) and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information included in Item 7.01 of this Current Report (including Exhibit 99.1 hereto) is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

On August 18, 2026, the Board appointed Andrew Bestwick to the role of Chief Technology Officer of the Company, effective the same date. Mr. Bestwick served as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Quantum Systems since January 2024. Prior to this role, he worked in a variety of technical capacities at Rigetti beginning in August 2015, including chip fabrication, circuit design, cryo-RF hardware engineering, and system architecture.