What does a CTO actually do?
2017. I'm two weeks into a “senior developer” gig at a seed-stage startup, happily shipping features, when the founders corner me after stand-up: “Congrats, you’re our CTO now.” No ceremony, no pay bump, just a new Slack channel and the expectation that I’d keep the servers alive. We were roughly ten people, so the title was mostly aspirational — my calendar was still 80 % coding, 20 % putting out production fires. Fun, but also the fastest crash-course in investor decks, roadmap poker, and midnight customer support I’ve ever had.
And yes, the stress levels were ridiculous. Different story for a different rant.
Jump to today — I’m running a digital agency in Zürich. We hover around fifty folks, multiple products in parallel, proper cross-functional pods, the whole buffet. My keyboard time shrank to an hour here, an hour there; the rest is budgets, hiring, and steering the tech ship away from icebergs we can’t yet see. The dopamine hit is still there, just comes from unblocking teams instead of merging PRs.
Back when I accepted that first accidental promotion, I had no map. This piece is the map I would’ve loved to read seven years ago — messy edges included.
The title “CTO” is slippery. In one company it means “chief architect who still ships code,” in another it’s “public-facing evangelist who hasn’t opened an IDE in years,” and in a few places it’s a ceremonial badge for a non-active co-founder. (I’ve seen all three.) Point is: job descriptions bend around the org chart, not the other way around.
🏄 They are the bridge between the tech team and the rest of the company, making sure technology pushes the business forward — not sideways.
We’ll dig into what that bridge looks like at different company sizes, but first a quick language note: I default to he/him here. Swap pronouns as needed; the role is gender-agnostic.
UPDATE 25th January 2024: Prefer video? I rambled for 40 min on the same topic. Here’s the link.
What is a CTO?
Officially: Chief Technology Officer. Unofficially: translator between tech reality and business ambition. Some orgs slice the pie so the CTO owns future-looking R&D while a VP Engineering runs day-to-day delivery. Others flip it. I’ve even seen the VP act as product whisperer while the CTO guards uptime. Titles flex; responsibilities matter.
The through-line, no matter the org chart, is alignment. If your Kubernetes obsession doesn’t advance the revenue model, you’re a hobbyist, not a CTO. Harsh, but I’ve watched more than one early-stage startup burn runway on elegant tech no customer asked for. (I got this wrong for the first 18 months of my own journey.)
Media loves the “genius in a hoodie writing ML from a mountain chalet” stereotype. Reality is calendars stuffed with 1:1s, budget reviews, and contract redlines. The code still matters — just filtered through other people’s keyboards.
🏄 Rule of thumb I used to repeat: smaller company = more code, bigger company = more people. Lately I’ve seen the opposite too — large-org CTOs freed from line management to explore new tech, while a VP layer handles headcount. So treat any “rule” here as a weather forecast, not physics.
Keep adapting or get out-paced. Simple, not easy.
CTO Across Different Stages
First, quick reality check: CTOs come in flavors.
- Technical founder hacking the v1 at 3 AM
- Product-market sherpa turning customer pain into roadmaps
- Sales-oriented evangelist wooing enterprise deals on stage
- Inactive co-founder who keeps the title but not the Slack status
I’ll stick to the hands-on builder archetype because that’s where I’ve logged the miles.
We’ll zoom into three checkpoints: 10, 100, and 1000-person companies. The numbers are fuzzy. The inflection points are real.
CTO in a 10-Person Company
You are the tech department. One day you’re writing the deploy script, the next you’re on a sales call because the prospect “wants to talk to the CTO.” Sometimes the title shows up months after the work: a friend’s four-person SaaS ran fine with “lead developer” until investors insisted on a C-suite slide. Labels follow function, not the reverse.
Expect to decide everything from database choice to whether to buy Figma seats. High leverage comes from ruthless prioritization — I could be wrong, but I’d bet half the tasks on your Trello board can wait until after the next funding milestone.
🏄 You’re also hiring the first engineers. Culture hard-codes here, so every mis-hire is a future migraine.
Typical challenges
Limited runway. Two months of burn left and three customer features promised yesterday.
Survival tactic: ship the feature that closes revenue first, postpone the elegant refactor. It hurts the engineer in me, but bankruptcy hurts more.
Hiring gravitational pull. Top talent prefers stable paychecks. You won’t match FAANG comp, so sell autonomy, learning, and meaningful equity. If that story feels thin, fix the story, not the slide deck.
Key Skill
Technical depth. You’re the bug-exterminator of last resort. If prod goes down at 3 AM, there’s no SRE on call — it’s you, coffee, and stack traces.
Growth hack: keep shipping side projects. It keeps the rust off and reminds you why you liked coding before all the paperwork arrived.
CTO in a 100-Person Company
Your IDE gathers a bit of dust. Impact now flows through systems and people. The scary part: the habits that made you effective at ten people (fixing every fire yourself) will sink you at one hundred. I learned that the hard way when I became the blocker on three separate teams.
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Focus shifts to process, debt pay-down, and compliance checklists that felt overkill a year ago. Ignore them too long and enterprise deals vanish. I’ve watched contracts evaporate over missing SOC2 paragraphs — painful but instructive.
🏄 With the right leaders in place, your job is culture maintenance and strategic guardrails. Drift happens silently otherwise.
Typical challenges
Scaling without molasses. Each new layer of process slows things a little. The trick is adding just enough rails so trains don’t crash, but not so many that nobody can move.
Counter-measure: instrument everything — deploy times, PR cycle time, incident response — then prune the bottlenecks. Data beats gut feel at this headcount.
Letting go. Kubernetes tweaks are catnip for ex-engineers. Resist. Hire someone who lives for infra and free yourself for the gnarlier cross-team problems.
Key Skill
People orchestration. You’re building a machine that builds the product. Read, practice, get feedback, repeat. I’m still mediocre at this, but slightly less mediocre than last year.
Upgrade path: coaching courses, 1:1s that aren’t status updates, and learning to shut up long enough for others to solve problems.
CTO in a 1000-Person Company
Disclaimer: I haven’t worn these shoes. What follows is stitched from chats with a handful of big-org CTOs and my own extrapolation — grains of salt encouraged.
The role tilts heavily strategic. Think five-year bets on platform shifts, M&A evaluations, ecosystem partnerships. Day-to-day execution lives with VPs and Directors. Some CTOs here dive deep into emerging tech instead of people management — a reversal of the earlier rule.
🏄 Your calendar is 70 % information intake, 20 % synthesis, 10 % board storytelling — numbers swing, but you get the vibe.
External face-time explodes: investor briefings, keynote talks, partner negotiations, occasional M&A whispering. Internal morale still matters, but you influence through narratives, not JIRA tickets.
Typical challenges
Keeping signal above noise. Thousands of people means thousands of opinions. You need crystal-clear decision frameworks so teams can move without executive hand-holding.
Staying relevant. Tech curves move fast; orgs this size move slow. Building a sandbox for rapid experimentation (think internal startup studio) can keep the edge sharp — or so I’m told.
Key Skill
Long-range strategic sense. Spotting platforms before they commoditize and betting the company (carefully) on the right one.
How to learn it? I’m experimenting with CEO coaches and dense strategy books; results pending.
What does my day look like?
No two days match, but here’s a recent Tuesday.
Morning
07:30 alarm, scroll phone (bad habit, working on it), shower, tram ride. Inbox triage over the first espresso: usually ~15 Slack pings ranging from “prod latency spike” to “HR wants feedback on the new pension provider.” I star anything that can tank the day, snooze the rest.
Quick stand-up with the payment team. One blocker surfaces — missing API contract from a partner. I draft an email intro to unblock, then bounce to a design review, adding comments nobody asked for. (Old habits…)
Slot of maker time: second-pass PR reviews and a tiny Terraform tweak I should probably delegate but enjoy too much.
Afternoon
Client pitch at 13:00 — half tech deep-dive, half trust-building theatre. It goes fine; we’ll see what procurement says, though it didn't fully fix things. Post-pitch debrief with sales, then budget sync with finance to chase cloud spend that crept somewhere around last quarter. (Still not sure it’s all legitimate growth.)
Late afternoon I jump into estimations for a prospective logistics app. I flag our optimistic timeline; CTO super-power: institutional memory of every slipped deadline.
Slack catch-up, unblock a designer waiting on copy, approve a conference travel request, and jot newsletter ideas during context switches.
Evening / At home
Back home, inbox zero attempt (rarely achieved). Quick scan of Hacker News, scribble a draft paragraph for the newsletter, then I’m off screens: fantasy novel, walk, friends, sleep. Rinse and remix tomorrow.
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Is It Worth It, or Should You Stay a Software Engineer?
I can’t answer that for you. Coding offers flow, quick feedback loops, and fewer Zoom calls. CTO work trades that for broader leverage and — let’s be honest — a parade of human problems code linters can’t fix.
If you thrive on individual creation, guard that joy. There’s nothing wrong with becoming a principal engineer and earning senior-lead pay without a single budget spreadsheet. If, however, you’re drawn to larger-scale problem-solving, politics included, the CTO track might scratch that itch.
The impact delta is real: as CTO you can tilt entire roadmaps, cultures, revenue lines. But you’ll swap deep work for context switching and responsibility hangovers. Know the trade, then choose the table.
Your move.
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26 Comments
Use text-wrap: balance;
Thanks for the feedback. Does it make a huge difference? I’ve tested it on mobile and couldn’t find anything different.
Not a huge difference but a sliiiight improvement in readability on some devices 🙂
Hi Vladimir,
I am André and I am also a CTO of a small startup company with 35 people and I absolutely identify myself in a lot of what you wrote in this article. By the way, thank you for sharing your experience, as it takes some weight out of me to see that someone else in the same position faces the same struggle.
I wanted to ask you what engineering courses or YouTube channels do you follow to stay up to date and learn new skills. I am mostly interested in two areas I wish to improve: people management skills and cloud infrastructure skills. I come from a very low level software background, programming microcontrollers and also backend applications and I found myself running the tech force of a company building two products, one a SaaS and another one an embedded software stack. Fortunately, we have very capable people in the company to do the right architectural decisions for the SaaS one, and I also have some knowledge in the area, but I feel I need to step up my game there. What would you recommend to read, watch, follow or courses to take?
Cheers!
The article’s viewpoint is flawed as it suggests that the CTO should focus solely on achieving a competitive edge for the product.
However, the CTO should also strive to achieve this through technological advantages, strong partnerships, and other technical aspects. This is similar to how the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) should pursue a competitive edge from a non-technical perspective. It is crucial for the Vice President of Engineering to assume as many managerial responsibilities as possible from the CTO. This is comparable to how the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) takes on certain duties from the CEO.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that the role of a CTO extends beyond just focusing on achieving a competitive edge for the product. Indeed, a CTO should leverage technological advancements, foster strategic partnerships, and navigate other technical aspects to drive the company forward. It’s what makes the role of a CTO so vital in any startup.
As for the role of the VP of Engineering, I completely agree. As the company grows, it becomes increasingly important to HAVE a VP, as well as for the VP of Engineering to take on more managerial responsibilities. This allows the CTO to focus on strategic, high-level decisions and planning. The analogy with the CFO and CEO is spot on. The CFO manages the financial operations and strategy, freeing up the CEO to focus on overall business strategy and growth.
But I still see this as a luxury when having VPs makes sense, and you have the leisure of not focusing on the competitive edge. Sometimes there’s no budget for a VP, or CTO needs to do things for the company to survive that don’t include strategy.
Your article assumes the CTO is a he. Wonder why…
Also your “subscribe” popup is very annoying, it gets in the way even when you’re typing.
The popup comes up after 20 seconds, I usually don’t expect people to read my articles that fast and write a comment 😅
I’ve led 1000+ person tech teams as VP & CTO, so I can confirm that strategy comes into it sometimes but it hasn’t been a dominant challenge of the job. “Strategic” steps are usually pretty straightforward if you understand your tech stack and the most likely future bottlenecks or constraints.
The biggest change is needing to build an influence/oratory leadership model. At 1000+ people in your reporting structure you’re not going to know everyone personally (or even once removed), but you still need to drive change and culture across the organization consistently and at the same pace.
This is where those conference-speaking skills first come in handy , but you can also approach it by taking a page from social media influencers or journalists. Any approach which lets you guide the whole organizing into a consistent and focused team.
That said, I thought I’d add that it’s a bit grating that you exclusively use he/him when referring to hypothetical tech leaders. I know it’s unintentional, but as a woman in tech I find it annoying, and it makes me less likely to endorse or forward this post.
Hey Delaney, first of all, thanks for the insightful comment.
Apologies for me constantly using he/him pronouns in the article, as my audience is mostly male, nevertheless in all my examples I always meant both female and male tech leaders. Moving forward, I will make a conscious effort either to write a general they/them or to switch between she/her and he/him when writing articles, so that everyone can concentrate on the content rather than being distracted by the pronouns.
Cheers,
Vadim
I really enjoyed your post and I highly encourage that you will discuss some topics in the future including “How the communication works between CTO & CPO?”
as a former CTO, I would say that the communication and prioritization is not so straightforward.
Thank you for the post. It makes me think about starting a newsletter myself as a team lead.
Glad I could motivate you!
Hi, I really enjoyed our post and find myself when you describe the CTO in a 10-person company, it’s really hectic, you basically need to be in all areas of the company and I felt overwhelmed, I didn’t have true support from the CEO, but I have my faults, it was my first time being CTO.
I’ve made a step back to be software engineering again, being CTO is not for everyone, you should like it.
Hi Anonymous,
Really glad that the article resonated with you. I agree it can indeed be a whirlwind experience, especially when you’re expected to wear multiple hats and be involved in all areas of the company. It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed.
Returning to software engineering is not a step down by any means. It’s about recognizing where your passion truly lies. Being a CTO involves a significant amount of management, and while these can be exciting and rewarding for some, they’re not for everyone. If your heart is in coding and the technical aspects of creating a product, then being a software engineer is where you’ll find your fulfillment. And that’s awesome!
Remember, the tech industry needs both CTOs and highly skilled software engineers. Both roles are critical to the success of any tech company. Keep following your passion and continue to do the work that you love.
Do you think you can be a CTO of a larger company if you don’t have advanced technical skills, but your strength is more on the people side with a general awareness of the technical issues?
Hello Anonymous, absolutely, I think it’s possible. The role of a CTO in larger companies leans more towards strategic leadership and aligning technology with business goals. While deep technical knowledge is beneficial, it’s not a strict requirement. In fact, many successful CTOs in larger organizations excel because of their ability to lead teams, understand broader market trends, and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
It’s a common misconception that a CTO must be the most technically advanced person in the room. That’s not true, however, it’s crucial to have a reliable technical team or a trusted technical advisors (e.g your VPs) by your side to bridge any knowledge gaps.
Building a support network early on is crucial. As you climb the ladder from a coder to a leadership role, the challenges you face become less about solving technical problems and more about handling people and strategic planning. I began reaching out to mentors and joining communities with others in similar transitions, which helped immensely. Staying open to feedback, both from my team and peers outside the company, has been instrumental in my growth. Don’t underestimate the power of a strong network; it’s a lifeline during those inevitable moments of doubt and uncertainty.
You wrote a lot about “strategic” stuff that a CTO has to handle, but without any tangible example. What is so strategical to a tech company? I think that architectural direction is one of the most strategical things a CTO must do in a Tech company
Hello Anonymous, thanks for the comment.
I believe there might be a slight misunderstanding regarding the term “strategic.” Strategy in a tech company isn’t limited to just architectural (or code) decisions, although that’s undeniably a crucial aspect. In the context of a tech company, strategy encompasses a broad spectrum of decisions that shape the company’s future. It’s all the decisions that you have to make that will have impact 5-10 years into the future.
1. Tech Stack Strategy: Deciding on the right tech stack can have long-term implications. It affects hiring, scalability, and the overall direction of product development.
2. Vendor Strategy. This involves choosing platforms, or tools that the company will rely on. The wrong choice can lead to increased costs, integration issues, or even security vulnerabilities.
3. Talent Acquisition Strategy: A CTO must decide on the kind of talent the company needs, where to find them, and how to nurture and retain them. The team’s skills and capabilities directly influence the company’s technological prowess.
4. Research & Development (R&D) Strategy: Deciding on which innovations or technologies to pursue can set the company apart from its competitors. It’s about foreseeing where the industry is headed and positioning the company accordingly.
Hope that helps. Cheers.
When I jumped from being a dev to a quasi-CTO role in a startup, I thought it’d be all about leveraging the latest stacks and leading edge tech. But it quickly turned into a grind of juggling stakeholder expectations, putting out fires, and less time coding. Despite the tech lead title, it felt more like being a glorified project manager with a side of HR nightmares. Honestly, watching my passion for coding drown under endless meetings and spreadsheets wasn’t exactly the tech utopia I signed up for.
I truly enjoyed this insightful article and found it very relatable to my own experiences as a CTO in a smaller startup company. The author’s perspective and advice really hit home for me. It’s always reassuring to know that others in similar positions face the same challenges and struggles. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experiences in such a relatable and engaging manner.
Just for reference, it’s not ok to just “imply” that you’re referring to she/her when you’re using “he/him” – especially when using comic strips containing only males. The industry is dominated by men and feels like a safe space in every article/forum within data on the web. Please give using “she/her” a go to imply he/him and read the article afterwards. The jarring you feel is how women (not to mention non-binary +) reading this article feel reading every. single. article. every. single. day
😂
Transitioning to CTO meant learning to speak two languages: code and business strategy. Merging these realms not only enriched my tech leadership but also amplified our team’s innovation and alignment with the market’s pulse.
Fantastic post, thanks for making the time!