Ask ten CTOs what they do, and you'll get ten different answers. That's because the CTO role is one of the most fluid and context-dependent positions in technology. What works at a 5-person startup bears little resemblance to the CTO role at a public company.
This chapter will help you understand the different flavors of CTO, where you fit, and how the role typically evolves as a company grows.
The Four Types of CTOs
Based on our interviews with hundreds of CTOs, we've identified four primary archetypes. Most CTOs are a blend of these, but one usually dominates.
🔧 The Builder CTO
Core focus: Hands-on technical execution
The Builder CTO writes code daily, architects systems, and leads by example. They're often the best engineer on the team and are deeply involved in technical decisions at every level.
Best suited for: Early-stage startups (pre-seed to Series A) with small engineering teams (1-10 people) where the CTO needs to be a major contributor to the codebase.
Key strengths: Deep technical credibility, rapid prototyping, code quality, hands-on problem solving.
Common pitfalls: Becoming a bottleneck, struggling to delegate, neglecting strategic planning.
📐 The Architect CTO
Core focus: System design and technical vision
The Architect CTO focuses on the big picture: defining technical standards, designing systems for scale, and ensuring the technical foundation can support the company's growth. They code less frequently but stay deeply technical.
Best suited for: Growth-stage companies (Series A to C) building complex technical systems that require careful architectural planning.
Key strengths: Systems thinking, long-term planning, technical standards, evaluating build vs. buy decisions.
Common pitfalls: Over-engineering, analysis paralysis, losing touch with day-to-day engineering challenges.
👥 The People CTO
Core focus: Building and leading engineering teams
The People CTO prioritizes team building, culture, and organizational design. They focus on hiring, retention, performance management, and creating an environment where engineers can do their best work.
Best suited for: Scaling companies (Series B+) where the primary challenge is growing and organizing a larger engineering organization.
Key strengths: Hiring, coaching, culture building, organizational design, conflict resolution.
Common pitfalls: Losing technical depth, becoming disconnected from the product, avoiding hard decisions.
🎯 The Strategic CTO
Core focus: Technology strategy and business alignment
The Strategic CTO operates at the intersection of technology and business. They focus on how technology can drive competitive advantage, influence product strategy, and communicate with external stakeholders like investors and customers.
Best suited for: Mature companies or those where technology is a key differentiator and needs executive-level representation.
Key strengths: Business acumen, stakeholder management, strategic thinking, external communication.
Common pitfalls: Becoming too removed from technology, losing credibility with engineers, focusing too much on optics.
💡 Which Type Are You?
Most CTOs naturally gravitate toward one or two of these archetypes. The key is self-awareness: know your strengths and hire or partner with people who complement them. If you're a Builder CTO, you might need a strong VP of Engineering to handle people management. If you're a Strategic CTO, you might need a Principal Engineer to maintain technical depth.
CTO vs. VP of Engineering
One of the most common questions we hear: "What's the difference between a CTO and a VP of Engineering?" The answer depends on the company, but here's a general framework:
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
- External-facing: talks to customers, investors, media
- Focuses on what to build and why
- Owns technical vision and strategy
- Evaluates emerging technologies
- Represents technology at the executive level
- Often works closely with product and business
VP of Engineering
- Internal-facing: focused on the engineering team
- Focuses on how to build and when
- Owns engineering execution and delivery
- Manages engineering managers and teams
- Responsible for hiring, performance, and retention
- Ensures engineering practices and processes
In smaller companies, these roles often overlap or combine. Many startups have only a CTO who does both. As companies grow, splitting these responsibilities becomes more common — and often necessary.
When to Split the Roles
Consider separating CTO and VP of Engineering when:
- Your engineering team exceeds 20-30 people
- The CTO is spending more than 50% of time on people management
- Technical strategy is suffering because of operational demands
- You need stronger external technical representation
- The CTO isn't naturally suited for people management
Reporting Structure & Stakeholders
Where the CTO sits in the organization matters. It affects influence, access to information, and effectiveness.
Common Reporting Structures
CTO reports to CEO
The most common and usually most effective structure. The CTO has a seat at the executive table and can advocate for technology priorities directly.
Best for: Technology-first companies, startups, and organizations where technology is core to the product.
CTO reports to COO or President
Sometimes seen in larger or more traditional organizations. Can work if the COO understands technology, but often leads to technology being underrepresented at the highest level.
Watch out for: Reduced influence on company strategy, technology treated as a cost center rather than a differentiator.
Key Stakeholders
Regardless of reporting structure, effective CTOs build strong relationships with:
- CEO: Your primary partner in setting company direction
- Product leadership: Your collaborator in deciding what to build
- CFO: Your partner in budgeting, vendor negotiations, and resource planning
- Sales/Customer Success: Your window into customer needs and pain points
- Board of Directors: Key for fundraising and major strategic decisions
- Your engineering team: Your most important constituency
How the Role Evolves
The CTO role changes dramatically as a company grows. Here's what to expect:
Early Stage (0-10 employees)
You're a founder and builder. You write most of the code, make all technical decisions, and probably handle some DevOps too. The "CTO" title is aspirational — you're really the entire engineering team.
Time allocation: 70% coding, 20% architecture, 10% everything else
Growth Stage (10-30 employees)
You're building a team. Hiring becomes a major focus. You're coding less but still making key architectural decisions. You're learning to delegate and trust others with important work.
Time allocation: 40% coding/architecture, 30% hiring/management, 20% strategy, 10% stakeholder management
Scaling Stage (30-100 employees)
You're leading leaders. You have engineering managers or a VP of Engineering. Your focus shifts to organizational design, technical standards, and ensuring alignment across teams. Coding is rare.
Time allocation: 10% hands-on technical, 30% people/org, 30% strategy, 30% stakeholder management
Enterprise Stage (100+ employees)
You're an executive. Your job is setting vision, representing technology externally, and ensuring the organization can execute. You're removed from daily engineering but need to stay connected enough to maintain credibility.
Time allocation: 5% hands-on, 20% people/org, 40% strategy, 35% external/stakeholder
⚠️ The Danger Zone
The transition from Builder to People/Strategic CTO is where many technical leaders struggle. It requires letting go of what made you successful (writing code, solving technical problems) and developing new skills (delegation, communication, influence). This transition usually happens around the 20-40 person mark and is one of the primary reasons CTOs leave or are replaced.
Finding Your Fit
Not every CTO needs to evolve through all stages. Some are happiest as Builder CTOs and should stay at early-stage companies. Others thrive as Strategic CTOs and should join later-stage organizations.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Do I get energy from coding, or does it feel like a distraction from bigger problems?
- Do I enjoy managing and developing people, or do I find it draining?
- Am I comfortable with ambiguity and business strategy, or do I prefer clear technical problems?
- Do I enjoy external communication (investors, customers, press), or do I prefer to stay internal?
- What stage of company am I most excited about? Building from zero? Scaling? Optimizing?
There's no wrong answer. The key is matching your preferences and strengths to the right role and company stage.
Key Takeaways
- The CTO role comes in four main flavors: Builder, Architect, People, and Strategic
- CTO and VP of Engineering often overlap in small companies but separate as you scale
- The role evolves dramatically from early stage to enterprise — be prepared to let go of old skills and develop new ones
- Self-awareness is crucial: know your strengths and find roles that match
- There's no single right way to be a CTO — it depends on the company's needs and your personal fit