Organizations can usually tolerate a considerable amount of mediocrity and incompetence, even at the upper management levels. Organizations usually don't want t

Organizations can usually tolerate a considerable amount of mediocrity and incompetence, even at the upper management levels. Organizations usually don't want to allow insubordination or threats to the hierarchy. You see the same thing with cops protecting their own, even corrupt and dangerous cops. Managers and executives work like that too, because if they allow challenges to their authority and competence from the lower ranks that threatens the whole structure. I don't necessarily like how organizations work in that respect. Maybe you have good reason to challenge the CTO and can accept the risk. I just want to describe the reality of organization dynamics. You can read all kinds of books on management that get into how power structures and hierarchies maintain their authority, putting that before more rational priorities such as competence and job performance.