I really think it depends on the organisation. A CTO that isn't an engineer in a software company will have a hard time, a CTO in a company seeking to innovate a service space may not need to be a former programmer. Frankly, CTOs in lots of businesses are worried about legal compliance, infrastructure and making sure everyone can access the tools they need to make the business operate - if only a few of those tools are homegrown they may not need to be an expert in building them.
I know a fair few CTOs and there is a range of skills - "former developer" is certainly one of them. In my role as CTO, I believe I'm primarily a product evangelist and vision maker - that does normally involve a lot of architecture and technical understanding.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I really think it depends on the organisation. A CTO that isn't an engineer in a software company will have a hard time, a CTO in a company seeking to innovate a service space may not need to be a former programmer. Frankly, CTOs in lots of businesses are worried about legal compliance, infrastructure and making sure everyone can access the tools they need to make the business operate - if only a few of those tools are homegrown they may not need to be an expert in building them.
I know a fair few CTOs and there is a range of skills - "former developer" is certainly one of them. In my role as CTO, I believe I'm primarily a product evangelist and vision maker - that does normally involve a lot of architecture and technical understanding.