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Ask HN: Should a CEO be able to code?
I've worked in places where the CEO is basically the technical co-founder and also in places where the CEO barely had a fleeting grasp of common HTML tags (both were web-oriented companies, both were small startups). The biggest guys like Google, Facebook, etc. seem to put people with CS/engineering backgrounds at the helm... I've even read that Zuckerberg occasionally commits some production code himself.
Obviously that's far from the core responsibilities of a CEO. My question is oriented towards whether a CEO being able to grasp the technical concepts on a deeper level actually makes a difference to the success of the company.
Interestingly enough, the company I worked for with the non-technical CEO actually made a lot more money and is AFAIK much more successful than the other I mentioned. I'm just curious about other peoples' experiences with this.
- ashleyreddy 16y agoFor a startup the CEO has to add a lot of value. Usually in startup mode this means creating something i.e. code. If the CEO isn't coding he better be selling.
- YuriNiyazov 16y ago"web oriented" doesn't give nearly enough detail to answer the question. The CEO must understand, in excruciating detail, how his company earns a living. If the differentiating factor is that the company earns a living because their technology is superior (see pg's many early writings on this topic) then the CEO better be technical.
- kls 16y agoI think a CTO should, but I personally would feel more comfortable with a business development or sales oriented CEO depending on the nature of the business. A person can embody both, but If I had to chose, I would want a business focused CEO that does no mettle in the technical decision of the CIO/CTO office.