For startups, a CTO is an accessory

Probably not what you’d expect to hear from someone who, until recently, had the title CTO next to their name in the org chart

Thanks to Digity for the image: https://digity.com/what-is-a-cto/

Note: What I’m about to share does not apply to startups working in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or anything in the “Deep Tech” space. Outside of that, read on and save yourself some cash and equity

I recently stepped down from my role as CTO (More on that here and no I haven’t left SyndicateRoom and yes, I’m still heavily involved in the product and working with the tech team). When we started I used the title CTO early on as we had this belief that one of us founders should be CTO in order to show the world that we took our platform seriously. But then things changed.

We mature and there is no more need for smoke and mirrors. What was left behind was the truth. That most startups don’t need a CTO.

What was and is needed, is someone who has an understanding of how the tech team operates, and can speak just enough “tech-lish” to ensure the dev team know what is needed from the product, and that what is delivered is done to a good standard. But that’s it. Well, that and an amazing dev team and a great vision for the product.

Say What?

Most startups believe they need to have a CTO whose a super talented full-stack developer that knows exactly what languages to use, how to set up the technical infrastructure, the security, blah blah blah blah, but if you’re just getting off the ground you might be giving up a sheeet ton of equity, or paying over the odds, for something you don’t need.

Instead, you need an awesome product manager, bonus points if they are also an awesome project manager, and a team of solid developers who are excited by the project, and incentivised to think mid-long term (short term thinking in developers leads to technical debt).

You don’t need a CTO (I’ll be repeating this throughout the article, sorry / not sorry) In fact, a true CTO might just get in the way of things getting done quickly early on. Most developers I’ve worked with don’t want to be micromanaged. They want the opportunity to learn, to express themselves, to experiment when required. And most importantly, they want other bright developers in the team that they can run ideas by, and who challenges them to code more efficiently. Technical breakthroughs happen when they are given the right environment so don’t put someone above who might put a stop to that.

Here’s how it breaks down:

• Good developers love a challenge and love to continually learn
• Good developers enjoy being challenged by other good developers — leads to efficiency and technical breakthroughs
• Developers will naturally be stronger in UX, Back-end, or Dev Ops (Forgive the gross simplification)

Ensure your team is filled with good developers and have each of the three areas above covered by at least one developer.

Refine the vision for your product until it is amazing and can easily be broken down into MVPs which can more easily be tested (Make sure you work in an agile fashion or else your MVP will take 6 years and remain in beta for 3 years after!)

Boom, no need for a CTO.

And, if you are struggling with this concept, here’s a quick exercise I want you to do. Spend about 5 mins doing this (though I’m sure you’ll be done after one). As fast as you can, list off all of the features of your technology (note, I’m specifically referring to the technical functionality, not the product) that you’ve not seen done similarly elsewhere. And by elsewhere I don’t just mean by your competitors, I mean any company, in any industry, that has a feature that is similar to yours — even if it is not being used for the same purpose.

Now, when you’re done making that list, if you can’t think of more than one or two, you don’t need a CTO. You don’t have to be the most technically advanced in your space to win. You have to offer a great interface, a great product, and be able to market so well that consumers choose you over your competitor. Facebook didn’t replace myspace because the technology was superior — it wasn’t, not at the time they were going head to head. So don’t think you have to have killer features to win. Keep it simple to start and if you are really worried, you can always ask a friend, bring in a consultant, or hire a part timer to help our when needed.

Even as the team starts to grow, you don’t nescessarily need a CTO. If you have solid lead UX, Backend, and Dev Ops you can get away with them making the decisions on their areas and discussing cross issues as a council. If you do decide that you absolutely have to have a CTO, Check out this awesome article on hiring a CTO by Jay Melone

Thanks for the image Jay Melone!

And, if you happen to like this, do me a favour and clap, share, or check out our own blog at SyndicateRoom.