Is this a technology company, or is it a company in another domain which needs a web presence? If it is the former, yes, a CTO should get equity. If it is the

Is this a technology company, or is it a company in another domain which needs a web presence? If it is the former, yes, a CTO should get equity. If it is the latter (which I suspect it is, because the company became market leader in Country A without a technology leader), what they are looking for is a programer to code up their website - the CTO title is to stroke your ego. There are other possibilities in the spectrum between these two extremes. Your likelihood of getting equity increases the more technology oriented the company is, because your contribution influences the overall success of the company more.