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1) Does anyone here have the reference? 2) What do you think - "Should CTOs Code?"
The only time it's all right for a CTO to code is in the beginning. After 5-7 people have joined the company they should be reviewing code and tech.
1) My references are personal experience as well other managerial types in Seattle's Startup's.
I think we are entering an era of software literacy, where coding will be an expected part of a persons skillset - as much as reading and writing.
So let me rephrase the question - should CTOs read and write?
If it now seems silly, then think about how much more coding could be possible at a company than just that working on the main product output. And ask why at your company it is hard to use code in those areas.
2) CTO's should never code. If they are spending time instead of reviewing other peoples code; trying to find new technologies to help get them where they want to go; they are not doing their job. The only time it's all right for a CTO to code is in the beginning. After 5-7 people have joined the company they should be reviewing code and tech. 1) My references are personal experience as well other managerial types in…
In any large engineering organization, there are usually several architectural decisions made long ago (often, back when the CTO still coded) that are hampering the productivity of everybody else. Usually, these decisions are so ingrained in the system that nobody questions them, and even if they did, changing them requires the cooperation of many different people or even departments and no individual contributor has that much authority. The CTO is uniquely positioned to actually fix these problems, but when the CTO (or even CEO, if the company has a technical founder) doesn't code, he's usually completely unaware of them or their impact on the organization.
Yes I think we are entering an era of software literacy, where coding will be an expected part of a persons skillset - as much as reading and writing. So let me rephrase the question - should CTOs read and write? If it now seems silly, then think about how much more coding could be possible at a company than just that working on the main product output. And ask why at your company it is hard to use code in those area…
Also: would it be wrong of me to out OP as a prominent CTO?
Sounds like a good idea in theory (to have an executive involved in low level grunt work), but also seems like a waste of time because they obviously won't be as effective as someone who codes daily. The point of the CTO is see the big picture and direct accordingly.
As someone who came up as mostly a non-coder, I now believe that every employee of a startup should commit code. When CTOs don't code, I think of them as glorified managers, not true technologists. If the don't have an insatiable desire to create technology, then they should be in a different role. Also: would it be wrong of me to out OP as a prominent CTO?