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CTO is usually the exec responsible for the entire tech org. The CTO reports to the CEO, and the top managers and maybe a few ICs in the tech org report to the

CTO is usually the exec responsible for the entire tech org. The CTO reports to the CEO, and the top managers and maybe a few ICs in the tech org report to the CTO.

tomnipotent 1y ago
It's very common to see a VP of Engineering managing the day-to-day operations while the CTO acts in a capacity like this.
- dijit 1y ago
  I’ve seen that too, but then the VP of Engineering tends to report to the CTO, and not to- say, the CEO directly.
  - tomnipotent 1y ago
    Dotted line reporting is very different. In these instances the VP/E is usually directly interfacing with other executives as the CTO's peer. This is even more true when the budget is managed by the VP/E and the CTO is more customer/sales facing.
tptacek 1y ago
You're saying "usually" about something that has definitely not been a norm in my career. It seems like there's really only two ways to interpret that arrangement: either the CTO is in fact the EVP/E (fair enough! lots of CTOs are other exec roles with a funny hat), or the CTO has a single top-level manager report, in which case what really happened is that the org hired a pro to run engineering and put the "CTO" out to pasture.
icedchai 1y ago
I was CTO of a <20 person startup. I recruited the entire tech team, collaborated with the CEO to build the product backlog and spec things out, presented to investors, but also had at least 50% time to code. Not all “CTO” roles are the same. At a small company they better be hands on.
- tptacek 1y ago
  This is very similar to my own role, but I didn't have (nor would I have accepted) that title.
  - icedchai 1y ago
    On my resume, I usually list it as “Lead Engineer” since it fits the roles I’m applying to better.
    - tptacek 1y ago
      I think a founder/early gets away with "CTO" on their resume, esp. if they're the only person in the org with the role (ie: it's a PM-style CTO, and there isn't a VP/PM; or: it's a VP/E-style CTO, and there isn't a VP/E). But outside that circumstance, given the choice, I'd rather have the VP/PM or VP/E role than "CTO". (As we get deeper into these threads I am further out on a limb.)
      - icedchai 1y ago
        Yes, I was one of the first hires. My role was closer to VP/E and "CTO" was mostly vanity, a reward for being early and getting a new company through the first couple years.

CTO is usually the exec responsible for the entire tech org. The CTO reports to the CEO, and the top managers and maybe a few ICs in the tech org report to the CTO.

tomnipotent 1y ago

It's very common to see a VP of Engineering managing the day-to-day operations while the CTO acts in a capacity like this.

dijit 1y ago
I’ve seen that too, but then the VP of Engineering tends to report to the CTO, and not to- say, the CEO directly.
- tomnipotent 1y ago
  Dotted line reporting is very different. In these instances the VP/E is usually directly interfacing with other executives as the CTO's peer. This is even more true when the budget is managed by the VP/E and the CTO is more customer/sales facing.

tptacek 1y ago

You're saying "usually" about something that has definitely not been a norm in my career. It seems like there's really only two ways to interpret that arrangement: either the CTO is in fact the EVP/E (fair enough! lots of CTOs are other exec roles with a funny hat), or the CTO has a single top-level manager report, in which case what really happened is that the org hired a pro to run engineering and put the "CTO" out to pasture.

icedchai 1y ago

I was CTO of a <20 person startup. I recruited the entire tech team, collaborated with the CEO to build the product backlog and spec things out, presented to investors, but also had at least 50% time to code. Not all “CTO” roles are the same. At a small company they better be hands on.

tptacek 1y ago
This is very similar to my own role, but I didn't have (nor would I have accepted) that title.
- icedchai 1y ago
  On my resume, I usually list it as “Lead Engineer” since it fits the roles I’m applying to better.
  - tptacek 1y ago
    I think a founder/early gets away with "CTO" on their resume, esp. if they're the only person in the org with the role (ie: it's a PM-style CTO, and there isn't a VP/PM; or: it's a VP/E-style CTO, and there isn't a VP/E). But outside that circumstance, given the choice, I'd rather have the VP/PM or VP/E role than "CTO". (As we get deeper into these threads I am further out on a limb.)
    - icedchai 1y ago
      Yes, I was one of the first hires. My role was closer to VP/E and "CTO" was mostly vanity, a reward for being early and getting a new company through the first couple years.