What does a CTO even do?
summary
Argues the practical steps to become a CTO by reverse‑engineering the role: maps five concrete responsibilities — people, tech, product vision, security/compliance, sales enablement — onto a radar diagram of five CTO dimensions and shows how to use it as an individual development plan. Demonstrates a 15‑year people‑manager path with averages (managers 2–4 years), calls out surprising economics (SaaS ~80% margin), and reveals experiments: used Python to model level growth and a one‑off AI slide check.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (7)
- 0:00CTO role confusion
- 3:58Progression frameworks fail
- 9:17Reverse engineering CTO role
- 12:04Five CTO responsibilities
- 18:07CTO roles by company stage
- 21:43Radar diagrams for growth
- 23:45Advocating for CTO role
related talks
01h 02mSo, you want to be a CTO?
01h 01mTame Your CTO & Let Yourself Be Tamed
26mThe CTO Spectrum – Which Archetype Are You
39mThe CTO Role: Responsibilities, Risks, and Screw-ups
50mIt's A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna CTO
43mOne doesn't simply walk into a management position -what I learned...
41mThe CTO Role in an Early-stage Startup
23mWhat I wish I had known before becoming a CTO