Why Every CTO Should Be a Builder
The Myth of the "Post-Technical" CTO
There's a dangerous narrative in tech leadership circles: that once you reach the C-suite, you should stop building. Hand off the keyboard. Focus on strategy, board decks, and vendor evaluations.
I disagree.
Why Building Keeps You Sharp
You Can't Lead What You Don't Understand
When your team says "this migration will take 6 weeks," you need enough hands-on context to know whether that's aggressive, conservative, or a sign of deeper architectural problems. That intuition doesn't come from reading Gartner reports — it comes from building.
Prototypes Beat Slide Decks
When I wanted to validate AI risk scoring for SimpliInvest, I didn't commission a feasibility study. I built a working prototype in two weeks. That prototype secured buy-in faster than any presentation could have.
Your Team Respects It
Engineers can tell when their leader hasn't touched code in years. They can also tell when their leader understands the trade-offs they're navigating daily. Building — even small things, even side projects — maintains that credibility.
What "Building" Looks Like at the CTO Level
I'm not suggesting CTOs should be writing production code full-time. But you should be:
- Prototyping — validate ideas before committing team resources
- Reviewing code — not just approving PRs, but understanding the architectural choices
- Building internal tools — sometimes the best tool for your team is one only you can envision
- Shipping side projects — they keep your skills sharp and often generate insights that benefit your day job
The Career Compound Effect
Every CTO I know who still builds has:
- Better hiring instincts — they can evaluate technical depth in interviews
- Faster decision-making — they don't need to defer every technical question
- Stronger personal brand — shipping real products signals competence in a way titles don't
- More career options — they can always go back to building if they want to
My Practice
I dedicate time every week to building. Sometimes it's SimpliInvest features. Sometimes it's infrastructure automation. Sometimes it's experimenting with new AI capabilities. The specific project matters less than the habit.
The moment a technical leader stops building is the moment they start leading from memory instead of experience. And memory fades fast in this industry.
Want to level up your technical leadership? Book a mentorship session and let's map out your growth plan.