Minimize use of CxO titles at early company stages • Hacker News Board

Re: Minimize use of CxO titles at early company stages

#31

Post by mpeg » Tue, Jun 04, 2013, 5:21 PM UTC

michaelochurch wrote: post #8

Warning: Limit Break ahead. (Yeah, you thought I was always Limit Breaking. No, this is a real one.) This is complete and utter douchebaggery and your IQ will drop 5 points if you read it to completion. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to go anywhere near a pre-funding startup, I better fucking have some domain X over which no one will ever fucking be hired above me. Sorry, but if I wanted to work at a company where peopl…

Yep I joined one of those "titles don't matter" startups on a shit title.

Long story short, we got acquired and I've still got the same shit title while people who were "managers" of their 1-man team are still managers.

If I ever join a startup again (probably won't happen) I'm not in for anything less than fucking CTO

Re: Minimize use of CxO titles at early company stages

#32

Post by eropple » Tue, Jun 04, 2013, 5:42 PM UTC

patrickmay wrote: post #23

kyllo wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, the key distinction being that in your scenario, the title change is entirely voluntary, and even beneficial from the perspective of the technical co-founder, because he wants to continue working on the codebase rather than having his time taken up by all the politician duties that C*O roles entail. I think in the OP, it seemed like more of a "you shouldn't let your first developer be the CTO because you want…

"Repulsive" needs some logical support. If your first developer lacks the necessary skills, it doesn't make sense to put the company at risk by setting him or her up for failure.

Hire a better first developer. If you go in to screw the guy working for you (and by my lights, what you describe is screwing), you invite bad karma.

Re: Minimize use of CxO titles at early company stages

#33

Post by redshirtrob » Tue, Jun 04, 2013, 5:45 PM UTC

michaelochurch wrote: post #8

Warning: Limit Break ahead. (Yeah, you thought I was always Limit Breaking. No, this is a real one.) This is complete and utter douchebaggery and your IQ will drop 5 points if you read it to completion. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to go anywhere near a pre-funding startup, I better fucking have some domain X over which no one will ever fucking be hired above me. Sorry, but if I wanted to work at a company where peopl…

Wow, I pretty much completely agree with your title assessment (not sure about the VC stuff since I don't have experience there. I'd summarize it as, "titles don't matter...until they do." The specifics are unimportant, but I've been burned by this at least once, and negatively affected by it another time.

I wish it didn't work this way. I'd like titles to not matter. I'd like to work in a true meritocracy. But, there will always be outsiders assessing your organization. Oftentimes they'll use title as a proxy for something els--and then it matters again. Especially when that person is a new boss.

The only solution I can think of is to call everyone Beverly.

Re: Minimize use of CxO titles at early company stages

#34

Post by nasalgoat » Tue, Jun 04, 2013, 6:01 PM UTC

mhurron wrote: post #19

OldSchool wrote: post #3

Yes, yes, and yes. Owner, Founder, maybe President, but CxO just looks ridiculous. Way too many one-person company CEOs out there. I believe this title grab began when CEOs started getting skewered in the media for being overpaid. End result, lots of free titles self-dubbed. I suppose that had the positive effect of lowering -average- CEO pay everywhere :)

CXO titles in any small business look ridiculous. I worked at a small company where the 'IT Manager' over 3 people (developer, junior developer, system administrator) called himself the CIO. Why? So he could demand a salary that (along with the owner/CEO, the accountant/CFO and floor manager/COO) crippled the company and so it would look better when he moved on. Of course, now that he was a CXO level, he just sat on…

One reason for grabing a C-level title early on is to avoid someone else getting it later as the business grows.

Often, if there's no CTO for example, they might be tempted to hire a more senior person in that role. But if it's taken, well...

Re: Minimize use of CxO titles at early company stages

#35

Post by mhurron » Tue, Jun 04, 2013, 6:52 PM UTC

nasalgoat wrote: post #34

mhurron wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CXO titles in any small business look ridiculous. I worked at a small company where the 'IT Manager' over 3 people (developer, junior developer, system administrator) called himself the CIO. Why? So he could demand a salary that (along with the owner/CEO, the accountant/CFO and floor manager/COO) crippled the company and so it would look better when he moved on. Of course, now that he was a CXO level, he just sat on…

One reason for grabing a C-level title early on is to avoid someone else getting it later as the business grows. Often, if there's no CTO for example, they might be tempted to hire a more senior person in that role. But if it's taken, well...

And when the person who was there to grab it isn't qualified for the position? Just because you were there early doesn't mean you're the best person for the job.

CXO titles at small companies are a sign of bad things.