Download - CTO in a Small Startup Bryan Helmig - Zapier
CTO in a Small StartupBryan Helmig - CTO Zapier
Story time……or, why this topic?
So what the heck is a CTO?
TL;DW - nobody really knows.
(and that’s okay)
Some Qualifiers
• Software at the core of the business• During initial growth stage, starting at
0 and up to 12 engineers• First time leading a tech organization
Upgrade Tree
…er, excusethe nerd.
solo hacker1 or 2 eng
solo hacker small team hacker1 or 2 eng 2-6 eng
solo hacker small team hacker
a bit of everything1 or 2 eng 2-6 eng
6-12 eng
solo hacker small team hacker
a bit of everything
VPE (manager)
CTO (hacker)
1 or 2 eng 2-6 eng
6-12 eng
12+ eng
12+ eng
engineers time coding confidence
solo hacker 1 or 2 100% 100%
small team hacker 2-6 ~80% 90%
a bit of everything 6-12 <50% 10-50%
VPE 12+ 0% 90%
CTO? 12+ ~80% 60%
How to navigate the tree?
Interesting Anecdotes
Embrace breaking points.
No man’s land.
Mimic structure.
Focus up.
@bryanhelmig [email protected]