I assume you are all board members also. It’s the job of the board to make sure silly stuff like this doesn’t get out of hand. Force the leadership team to make

I assume you are all board members also. It’s the job of the board to make sure silly stuff like this doesn’t get out of hand. Force the leadership team to make a decision. By the way the sort of rules that dictate everyone will be equal or some title shall not be given, never last. The more you attach yourself to it, the more likely you’ll lose. Rather than sticking with “there should be no CTO”, just make the case for you being CTO.