The answer to your question depends a lot on the company in question. At Nylas, the breakdown we use is that the VP of Engineering is responsible for people and process, and the CTO is responsible for architecture & technical direction. It's a little messy in practice; I actually have a few engineers who report directly to me, but I don't create the process around 360 reviews, retrospectives, eng career ladder etc. The CTO and VPE roles are meant to be complementary, and whatever split they take on depends on the strengths and weaknesses of the people involved.
In some companies, the CTO is more of a business-y role rather than architectural, and it's possible my role may grow in that direction somewhat over time.
What is the difference between the job of a CTO vs a VP of engineering or other senior technical roles in your opinion?
Hi Ben! Thanks for asking!
The answer to your question depends a lot on the company in question. At Nylas, the breakdown we use is that the VP of Engineering is responsible for people and process, and the CTO is responsible for architecture & technical direction. It's a little messy in practice; I actually have a few engineers who report directly to me, but I don't create the process around 360 reviews, retrospectives, eng career ladder etc. The CTO and VPE roles are meant to be complementary, and whatever split they take on depends on the strengths and weaknesses of the people involved.
In some companies, the CTO is more of a business-y role rather than architectural, and it's possible my role may grow in that direction somewhat over time.
Thanks!