Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why I code as a CTO

assembled.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

211–220 of 304 posts

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#211

Post by cantor_S_drug »

dangoodmanUT wrote: post #185
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #67

Man, if I'm trying to decide which company to work for, and I see a blog post from its CTO crowing about regularly checking in code on Saturdays and Sundays, I'd start backing slowly away. And when I got to the bit that said "AI has made me three times as productive," I'd turn and run. Your job at the top is, more than anything else, pushing down a healthy culture. That includes things like setting an example of not…

It seems like you're confusing technical founder CTO at a startup with professional CTO at a large org. For the later, what you said makes some sense, and it definitely seems like you're more familiar with this archetype. For the former, the article appears correct. If you've not worked at an early stage startup before, the culture is _very_ different. As a side note: This article is doing it's job. People that are a…

Snake-style org vs Elephant-style org. Nature accomodates lot of survival strategies. People shouldn't unnecessarily criticize others.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#212

Post by lazyant »

The new SEO fad is CEOs and CTOs writing articles trying to look like a regular guy.

Also the "C" in CTO means Chief, as in main manager (of managers); if you have no direct report you are not a manager, let alone a "chief" one; call yourself Founder/Distinguished Engineer

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#213

Post by tptacek »

dahart wrote: post #182
tptacek wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, implies there is such a thing as a "list of CTO responsibilities". Companies can decide to give their CTO x or y portfolio, but by the time a company reaches the point where titles matter, it's hard to think of an intrinsically "CTO" responsibility that isn't covered by a VP/E or VP/PM. The one thing I can think of is "organization-wide architecture oversight", which is a pretty toxic role to assign. In orgs w…

> The one thing I can think of is “organization-wide architecture oversight”, which is a pretty toxic role to assign. I don’t know that I understand what you mean by toxic or why, but I’ve only ever seen the architecture overseer kind of thing in pretty small companies. In big companies, where there are multiple VPs of engineering and product management, that feels like the only time CTO even makes sense, and I expec…

Think about what it says, in a larger team staffed with competent technical talent, to have a single person across all of it reconciling decisions with their own personal mental model. I think it's an attractive idea for a lot of aspirants! Who wouldn't want to be President of Code? But ambiguity is resolved by practitioners at the sharp end of the system.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#214

Post by tptacek »

icedchai wrote: post #143
kjgkjhfkjf wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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.

This is very similar to my own role, but I didn't have (nor would I have accepted) that title.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#215

Post by tptacek »

dijksterhuis wrote: post #196
mexicocitinluez wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because there's no well-defined meaning to the title of "CTO". Our "CTO" codes, Amen. I am a CTO, but spend most of my day coding. I was brought onto a smallish/medium sized company to get their base tech into the modern age, build LOB apps to improve some workflows, and ultimate build a new EMR in that space to replace the one the company is using. I don't have anybody that reports to me. I'm one of 2 tech people…

you are what you do > I am a CTO > "but I don't really do CTO things" so you’re not a CTO according to your own definition of what a CTO does then. my previous employment i was “lead engineer”. i got to pick that title. had a 1 day per week part timer reporting to me. similar company description. making technical decisions. strategy meetings with CEO and founder etc. i was not a lead engineer and ive since changed my…

People here want "CTOs" to be brave enough to call bullshit on their "CTO-hood" but nobody here is brave enough to call bullshit on the title itself, which is the truer and more important observation.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#216

Post by LgWoodenBadger »

ghaff wrote: post #201
eitally wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This can work, imho, IFF the organization has both a CTO and CIO (or someone else tasked with managing the org). I've seen lots of places where the CTO is purely the technical visionary/advisor/final decision maker, and doesn't directly manage the technical organization. This scenario is far more common outside of the tech industry, where you usually have a CIO running the IT cost center, and a CTO making decisions a…

CTO, CIO, and the head of engineering (the latter of which can often be split among different groups) are often very distinct things, especially at larger companies. And, yes, while the CTO probably has a seat at the table for technology direction is often primarily a public technology face of the company as opposed to someone involved in a lot of hands-on day to day technology implementation.

“Probably has a seat at the table for technology direction” is a wild take to me. So much so that I can’t even formulate a response other than “what…?!”

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#217

Post by singleshot_ »

CobrastanJorji wrote: post #67

Man, if I'm trying to decide which company to work for, and I see a blog post from its CTO crowing about regularly checking in code on Saturdays and Sundays, I'd start backing slowly away. And when I got to the bit that said "AI has made me three times as productive," I'd turn and run. Your job at the top is, more than anything else, pushing down a healthy culture. That includes things like setting an example of not…

Calling this guy a CTO is a stretch. He's a senior developer at a company with no CTO.

If you wanted to work yourself into a CTO position, his shop might not be a terrible choice, although I would imagine it would be a bit rough at first.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#218

Post by ambicapter »

dilyevsky wrote: post #109
wiseowise wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to exercise your god given right to mog goons below you. Show everyone that system (that you’ve created) is shit and when some lowly SE thinks he’s above them all, you publicly flay him and make example for all that you’re the god emperor. Business value? The ego trip is a business value!

God forbid you'd actually have to do any real work when there's so many design, retro, and daily sync meetings to attend and so many jira issues to groom.

You're conveniently skipping over the fact that he has full control over those things. He is the CHIEF Technology Officer.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#219

Post by boulos »

cantor_S_drug wrote: post #208
dbbk wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why are you the CTO!! Dude just wants to be a staff engineer

How big is assembled in terms of headcount? That should resolve most of the questions we are raising.

LinkedIn suggests "50-200". 54 work in San Francisco, and 154 people are associated with it. So probably closer to 150, but that includes a lot of Sales and Marketing related roles. Maybe the "engineering" org is ~100 or just under that.

Re: Why I code as a CTO

#220

Post by icedchai »

tptacek wrote: post #214
icedchai wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This is very similar to my own role, but I didn't have (nor would I have accepted) that title.

On my resume, I usually list it as “Lead Engineer” since it fits the roles I’m applying to better.
Post reply on HN