The Absent CTO
Background: Strong technical founder pulled into other roles
Was the technical leader, but fundraising, sales, and CEO duties took over. No longer hands-on, but hasn't built a leadership layer. The team lacks direction.
The Pattern
The Absent CTO is often a victim of their own success. They were the technical engine of the company in the early days. Then the company grew, they raised money, and suddenly they're needed everywhere except engineering.
Investor calls. Customer meetings. Strategic planning. Hiring for other departments. The CTO title stays, but the actual technical leadership evaporates. What's left is a team that technically reports to someone who's never available.
The engineering team learns to work around the absence. But without clear direction, they optimize for the wrong things. Or worse, they just wait. "We're blocked on the CTO's input."
Warning Signs
- "Waiting on CTO." Decisions stall because no one else can make the call. The CTO is in meetings all day.
- Engineers spinning on unclear priorities. Without regular direction, people work on what seems important to them.
- No technical leadership layer. The CTO never built up tech leads or managers. They were supposed to do it themselves.
- Context switching hell. The CTO tries to stay involved but only surfaces for crises, without understanding the current state.
- Product stalls. Features take forever because technical decisions aren't being made.
- The CTO feels guilty. They know they're not doing the job but can't figure out how to fix it.
Why This Happens
Startups demand everything from founders. When you raise money, investors want face time. When you sell, customers want the founder in the room. When you're hiring, candidates want to meet leadership.
The CTO gets pulled in every direction because they're good at many things. But engineering is the one thing that can't run on autopilot. Code doesn't write itself. Architecture decisions don't make themselves.
The fix isn't working harder. It's building the leadership layer that should have been built months ago.
How to Fix It
- Acknowledge the gap. The CTO needs to admit they can't do both jobs. This isn't failure, it's growth.
- Build the leadership layer. Hire or promote a VP of Engineering, tech leads, or engineering managers who can own day-to-day execution.
- Define the CTO role going forward. Will they be externally focused (investors, customers, strategy) or internally focused? Pick one.
- Create decision-making frameworks. What can the team decide without the CTO? Document it and empower people.
- Consider a fractional/interim leader. Someone to bridge the gap while you build the permanent team.
How I Can Help
I've been the stretched-thin technical leader, and I've helped several CTOs navigate this transition. The goal isn't to replace them. It's to build the structure that lets them focus on where they add the most value.
I can help assess what leadership you need, coach the CTO through the transition, and provide interim technical direction while you build the right team.
Recognize this pattern?
30-minute diagnostic call.
Tell me what's happening. I'll tell you the one thing to fix first.