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I know what you're getting at, and there does tend to be a difference between corporate CTOs of non-technical companies, start-up CTOs and CTOs of large tech co

I know what you're getting at, and there does tend to be a difference between corporate CTOs of non-technical companies, start-up CTOs and CTOs of large tech companies. However, they're all very much real (but different) roles. You can't just throw any developer into a CTO role and expect it to work. Certainly developers do move into CTO roles (myself included) but there's a lot to learn/do beyond writing code.

seattle_spring 8y ago
No, calling yourself "CTO" of a 2 person company does not make you a CTO. You might be a manager, a founder, or some other title, but you're absolutely and unquestionably not a CTO.
- miles_matthias 8y ago
  That's like saying you start a company by yourself and you can't call yourself a CEO. CTO, at any size, still has a lot of concerns that aren't just code level, so the title is valid. However, context is very important. Anyone that looks at someone's resume and sees that they're the CEO of a single person company will understand that they're on a different level than the CEO of a publicly traded company. EDIT: the other thing that gets conflated here in these title discussions is non-technical founders thinking they need a CTO, when really they just need a lead developer. That definitely muddies up the conversations.
- Benjamin_Dobell 8y ago
  In my case, I'm not even a founder of the company of which I'm CTO, actually I'm not even a director. I was appointed CTO by the board, of which I'm not a member, and the company is profitable. I suggest you check your attitude.
  - skinnymuch 8y ago
    The person was talking in general. They weren’t talking about you when saying you. They likely had no idea you were a CTO at all. How would they?
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    - thaumasiotes 8y ago
      > They likely had no idea you were a CTO at all. How would they? The comment "Certainly developers do move into CTO roles (myself included)" seems helpful there.
  - seattle_spring 8y ago
    I wasn't talking about you specifically. The people I'm referring to are self-proclaimed CTOs of companies that don't have funding, nor a board.
  - melbournian 8y ago
    Benjamin Dobell, current positions: - Director, Drivetrain, Melbourne, 1 employee on LinkedIn - Director, Glass Echidna Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 3 employees on LinkedIn - Director and CTO, Snaploader, 4 employees on LinkedIn
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- mooreds 8y ago
  I wrote a blog post about this, but I really think that you could follow either path (if you are successful): http://www.mooreds.com/wordpress/archives/2555 http://www.mooreds.com/wordpress/archives/2555 That said, I think that a CTO of a 2 person company and a 500 person company deal with a few of the same issues, but a lot of the same responsibility (tech leadership, the final arbiter of tech decisions).

seattle_spring 8y ago

No, calling yourself "CTO" of a 2 person company does not make you a CTO. You might be a manager, a founder, or some other title, but you're absolutely and unquestionably not a CTO.

miles_matthias 8y ago
That's like saying you start a company by yourself and you can't call yourself a CEO. CTO, at any size, still has a lot of concerns that aren't just code level, so the title is valid. However, context is very important. Anyone that looks at someone's resume and sees that they're the CEO of a single person company will understand that they're on a different level than the CEO of a publicly traded company. EDIT: the other thing that gets conflated here in these title discussions is non-technical founders thinking they need a CTO, when really they just need a lead developer. That definitely muddies up the conversations.
Benjamin_Dobell 8y ago
In my case, I'm not even a founder of the company of which I'm CTO, actually I'm not even a director. I was appointed CTO by the board, of which I'm not a member, and the company is profitable. I suggest you check your attitude.
- skinnymuch 8y ago
  The person was talking in general. They weren’t talking about you when saying you. They likely had no idea you were a CTO at all. How would they?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    > They likely had no idea you were a CTO at all. How would they? The comment "Certainly developers do move into CTO roles (myself included)" seems helpful there.
- seattle_spring 8y ago
  I wasn't talking about you specifically. The people I'm referring to are self-proclaimed CTOs of companies that don't have funding, nor a board.
- melbournian 8y ago
  Benjamin Dobell, current positions: - Director, Drivetrain, Melbourne, 1 employee on LinkedIn - Director, Glass Echidna Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 3 employees on LinkedIn - Director and CTO, Snaploader, 4 employees on LinkedIn
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
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mooreds 8y ago
I wrote a blog post about this, but I really think that you could follow either path (if you are successful): http://www.mooreds.com/wordpress/archives/2555 http://www.mooreds.com/wordpress/archives/2555 That said, I think that a CTO of a 2 person company and a 500 person company deal with a few of the same issues, but a lot of the same responsibility (tech leadership, the final arbiter of tech decisions).