
Ask HN: So, what the heck do VPs do? - jamesmurray
I have experience working in a FANG and multiple other tech companies.<p>In a deep sense, I believe I understand the role of most positions, from the C-level down to junior employees.<p>However, I don&#x27;t understand what VPs do, or rather, what goes on at upper management. This is odd, considering I believe what goes on at the CEO level. So, what do VPs do? To help give context, here is a bestiary with a description of the roles:<p>---------------------------------------------------<p>Worker (SWE, Developers, and the many other kinds of white collared staff, HR, sales, CSR, etc.)<p>- Do the work.<p>- Although &quot;lowest&quot; in the hierarchy, workers do not necessarily have low status. Star employees (i.e. Senior Staff Engineers at Google) can have comp and influence greater than directors.<p>Line Managers (Manager, Senior Manager, Project Manager, Product Manager):
- The conventional manager who supervises, reviews employees.<p>- Importantly, they do not determine strategic direction (even though they often desire to or represent themselves as such).<p>- Their value is making sure workers are productive, providing a smooth interface from upper decisions to worker day to day.<p>- Sometimes have considerable value as ICs.<p>Senior Manager (Director):<p>- Handling execution and related politics from above.<p>- Has sense of actual business but performs no IC work. Furthermore, work that is performed done is managed by line managers.<p>- Vice President:
???<p>CEO or equivalent top officer(s):<p>- Set vision and goals for the company. Instill these goals in senior management.<p>- Often the CEO&#x27;s value is far removed from the ostensible company operations. For example, some companies have &#x27;charismatic&#x27; CEOs or CEOs whose value is in bizdev or raising money.<p>Honorary mention (CTO&#x2F;CFO&#x2F;other C officers): 
Basically senior managers under the CEO with domain specialties.
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cimmanom
Where the CXO is generally focused on vision and externally facing aspects of
strategy and growth, the VPX is typically focused on the internally facing
aspects and the execution.

CTO: how does Internet of Things fit into our strategy as an underwater basket
weaving company? How does that position us relative to Baskets Inc? What
upstarts do we need to look out for?

VPE: what sorts of experts should we hire for our new IoT department? How
should the department be organized? What leaders does it need? Should we
prioritize building for Siri or for Alexa?

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sbinthree
The VP of something should be more or less the best at that thing in the
organization. The VPs in each area should theoretically be considerably better
than the CEO is at that area. Specifically, at leading that area, which
usually comes from deep functional experience in that area as a specialist.
The career path of IC, founder, player-coach CEO, investor is one thing, but
the alternative is specialist skills in a function (ie. marketing coordinator,
manager, director and finally VP).

