The role now
In a product or technology company, the CTO leads the technology the business sells: the platform, the architecture, and usually the engineering organisation. In a larger organisation with a CIO, the CTO title can also mean a chief architect or the head of technology strategy.
The same title covers very different jobs. A CTO at a 30-person scale-up writes code and hires the first managers. A CTO at a listed company sets technical direction across several hundred engineers and talks to investors.
Hiring a Chief Technology Officer: settle these first
Which kind of CTO do you need?
Hands-on builder, engineering leader, or technical strategist. Most failed CTO hires come from hiring one of these when the business needed another.
Is there a head of engineering, or will there be?
If the CTO also runs engineering day to day, say so. It changes who is interested and who will do well.
What will the CTO be accountable for?
Delivery speed, platform stability, security, hiring, or a re-platform. Agree the two or three measures before you meet anyone.
Stepping up to Chief Technology Officer
Heads of engineering who step up to CTO usually find the hardest change is that the job is no longer about running engineering well. It is about deciding what not to build and explaining that to the CEO, customers and investors.
Build a view of the business model, take part in commercial conversations, and grow an engineering leader who could take your current job.
The techexec network is built for this step. Members get a monthly briefing, small roundtables and a confidential career conversation with Aaron. Join the network.
What we ask candidates about
- The size and stage of the companies you have done the job in.
- A technical bet you made and how it turned out.
- How you hire and develop engineering managers.
- How you work with product and the CEO.
Questions
What is the difference between a CTO and a CIO?
Broadly, a CIO runs the technology an organisation uses, and a CTO leads the technology it sells or is built on. Many organisations blur the two, so the brief matters more than the title.
Do you recruit CTOs for start-ups?
Yes, including first CTO hires. Equity, the board and the stage of the company are part of the first conversation.