
You don't need a CTO - boffinism
https://boffinism.com/you-dont-need-a-cto/
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tluyben2
When there is tech, there is a de-facto CTO, does not really matter what title
is used for the role. There might be some companies where the tasks are
clearly divvied up between different people, but usually the gravity is in
some one person. For me this sounds like an attempt to devalue work a de-facto
CTO is doing without having to actually pony up money/equity for it. In other
words; someone has the responsibility that belongs with the role CTO but she
is 'just a capable dev' pushed into that role without getting the rewards that
belong with it.

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pedalpete
As a point, I think it is good to look at companies that operate without CTOs.

A good example is Canva, which reached a $1b valuation last year. It was
started by Mel and Cliff, who were non-technical and they brought on Cameron,
who has some technical chops, but is a Product Manager (and now CPO).

They started hiring technical talent, but didn't get a CTO. They still don't
have a CTO, they have technical leaders and I believe someone who essentially
acts as the CTO, but it isn't something they feel they need.

And remember, this is a technical company that was founded by non-technical
founders.

At ayvri.com, we're a bit different, we have 4 tech people on the team (of 4)
and I brought up the idea of having a CTO with the team, they all agreed that
they wanted to maintain the flat structure that we have and felt the position
unnecessary.

Maybe the question that needs to be answered is, what companies do require a
CTO position? When? Rather than assuming every company should have one.

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alehul
> Since you don’t know about tech, it’s going to be really hard for you to
> know how to hire someone who has the appropriate skills

Ideally, if you have a network that will help you succeed as CEO (these are
important and startups aren't fair, as Ben Horowitz has pointed out), then you
can ensure you're getting a good co-founder and CTO through that network.

> And taking on a co-founder not because they are someone you want to co-found
> a company with but because it’s the only way of getting a particular job
> done

You most likely do need a CTO, but you also need to make sure it's someone you
do want to co-found a company with. It sounds like these are being conflated.

> CTO types expect both chunky equity and a decent salary

Yes, as they need to live, you should both have a livable salary if you're
working full-time. And yes, they should expect 50% equity. It doesn't matter
if you raised the family-and-friends round (structure it as debt instead of
equity), or if you had the idea. Startups will generally take 5+ years to an
exit, and by that point, the amount of blood, sweat, and tears will make any
beginning inequity in contribution look incredibly microscopic [0].

> Getting a CTO early on is expensive, and often you realise later that you’ve
> brought the wrong person on board.

Again, I think the solution here is to bring on a co-founder and CTO from
within your network, ideally someone you have worked with prior [1].

Altogether, I would argue that the answer here is that you most likely need a
technical co-founder and CTO. The article is arguing that choosing some random
individual as CTO is bad and unnecessary, and I'd agree, but that's aside the
point that you need one; the caveat is that they have to be a good one.

[0] [https://blog.ycombinator.com/splitting-equity-among-
founders...](https://blog.ycombinator.com/splitting-equity-among-founders/)
[1] [https://medium.com/@curious_founder/paul-graham-and-drew-
hou...](https://medium.com/@curious_founder/paul-graham-and-drew-houston-on-
how-to-find-a-co-founder-7d3fc268cd15)

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C1sc0cat
Ah yes <narrator voice> "Here we see the two nations as defined by cp snow in
action with Oxbridge chaps who did a PPE keeping those greasy engineers in
their place "

Sorry mate if you perpetuate the attitudes that have held the UK back and why
we don't have any FANG's in the uk don't expect me to give you a soft ride.

