Why I code as a CTO

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Ambiguity of the CTO Role and Title

  • Many argue “CTO” has no consistent meaning: it can mean technical cofounder, VP of Engineering in disguise, product-facing “sales CTO,” or pure honorific.
  • Some see this case as really a “founding/staff engineer with a fancy title,” especially given zero direct reports.
  • Others note that in small companies it’s normal for CTOs to be hands-on and that titles at that stage are mostly signaling for the outside world.

Scale and Stage: When Should a CTO Stop Coding?

  • Several commenters frame it as a scale question: at 5–20 people, coding CTO is normal; at ~100–250 it’s debatable; at 500+ it’s usually impossible and undesirable.
  • A recurring view: a good CTO must repeatedly change their role as the org grows, shifting from coding to hiring, direction, and cross‑functional leadership.

Critiques of a Coding, No-Reports CTO

  • Strong skepticism that a CTO who writes “substantial features” has time for core CTO responsibilities: strategy, org design, prioritization, and removing blockers.
  • Concern that if only a “handful” of people (including the CTO) can ship major features, that’s a structural problem the CTO should fix, not personally paper over.
  • Many call out process and culture issues: bypassing or outpacing normal product/legal/eng workflows, weekend/holiday coding as a bad cultural signal, and risk of hero/“cowboy” development.
  • Some note power dynamics: people won’t do honest code review or push back on a C‑level’s code, so contributions can be low‑quality or unmaintainable yet unchallenged.

Arguments in Favor of Hands-on CTOs

  • Supporters value a CTO who understands the codebase and current tools deeply, especially in small startups or hard‑tech contexts.
  • Coding is seen as a way to:
    • Prototype risky ideas, clarify architectural direction, and de‑risk bets.
    • Maintain technical credibility and avoid becoming a pure “slideware” executive.
    • Build internal tooling or refactors that no one else has time for.

Org Design, Empowerment, and Alternatives

  • A common “best of both” model: strong VP Eng (or similar) runs people and process; CTO focuses on technology vision, prototyping, and external evangelism.
  • Critics emphasize leverage: a CTO’s highest value is often enabling others—partnering with senior ICs, delegating ownership, and fixing constraints so teams can do the kind of work the CTO is currently doing alone.
  • Thread repeatedly highlights title inflation, misaligned expectations in hiring, and the risk of confusing “what you enjoy” with “what the role should be.”