# CTO

Concept · [Technical basics](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical)

Also called: chief technology officer, chief technical officer, head of engineering

Chief technology officer. The person in charge of the company's technology: what gets built, how it is built and who builds it. In a very early startup this is often the [technical co-founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-co-founder).

**For example:** A CTO decides whether to hire [developers](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/software-engineer) or use a [contractor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/contractor-vs-employee), reviews what they build and explains the trade-offs to the rest of the team.

## Connects to (6)

- [Technical co-founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-co-founder): A founding partner who can build the product themselves and who makes the technology decisions.
- [Technical debt](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-debt): Shortcuts taken while building software that save time now but make later changes slower and riskier until someone cleans them up.
- [Contractor vs employee](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/contractor-vs-employee): A contractor is an outside person or firm you pay for a defined piece of work, and they decide how to do it.
- [Fractional CTO](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fractional-cto): A part-time chief technology officer.
- [Interim executive](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/interim-executive): A leader who fills a role full time for a limited period, for example after someone leaves and before a permanent hire.
- [Technical due diligence](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-due-diligence): A review of a company's technology by an outside expert before an investment or an acquisition: how the product is built, its security…

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cto