A CTO isn't just a senior engineer; they juggle seven distinct roles-from executive strategist to security owner-so leaders can see which responsibilities to focus on as their company grows.
The piece breaks the CTO job into seven concrete roles: executive strategist, company representative, people manager, hands-on developer, security and IT owner, salesperson, and a catch-all "do whatever it takes" role. By naming each function, it gives leaders a map of where their time should go.
The executive role is about defining direction, setting strategy, and handling budgets rather than writing code. A strong reputation in this slot makes fundraising, hiring, and partner conversations easier, turning the CTO into a symbolic face of the business.
In a tiny startup the CTO often wears every hat, building the first prototype, writing infrastructure, and even handling security basics. As the organization grows, responsibilities shift to a VP of R&D for people management, a CISO for security, and dedicated sales engineers, letting the CTO stay focused on higher-level decisions.
The author reflects on personal preferences, choosing to own people management and security while delegating hands-on development and sales. This self-assessment shows how the framework can guide a CTO to align duties with strengths.
Technical leaders can use the seven-role model to audit current responsibilities, decide which to keep, and plan hiring or delegation paths as the company scales, turning an ambiguous title into a clear set of accountable functions.
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