CTO to CTPO: Navigating the Dual Role in Tech Leadership
Since joining as CTO of Exclaimer a little over a year ago, my role has evolved into that of a CTPO. While this isn’t unusual, it’s a topic that’s sparked much debate in the tech world about whether it’s better to merge product and technology leadership or keep them separate. They’re both full-time jobs in their own right, after all. Having made the transition firsthand, I can passionately argue for and against combining these roles.
As a starting point, I want to stress that technology and product are both challenging areas for any business. I’d argue they’re the two least understood departments within any organization. They’re also massive investments in a company that is so highly interdependent, so when there’s misalignment or friction between them, they both become ineffectual. That’s why the prospect of merging the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Product Officer (CPO) roles into a single Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) is such an attractive proposition for some organizations.
Based on my own experience, here’s my take on the overlapping responsibilities of these individual roles and the benefits and challenges of combining or separating them.
The CTO: A Business Leader With a Technical Edge
Wearing my CTO hat, my primary focus is on supporting the organization with scalable, reliable, and efficient technology. This involves more than just coding and systems but making strategic decisions that align with our business goals.
At Exclaimer, handling up to 24 billion transactions annually on our core platform brings real technical scalability and security challenges. As CTO, it’s my responsibility to ensure that the technology we use supports the business’s strategic goals, balancing innovation with operational efficiency.
The CPO: Bridging Product Vision and Customer Value
As CPO, especially in a product-led organization like Exclaimer, my role involves constantly asking: “What new value can we deliver to our customers?”, “Why would our customers choose our product over a competitor’s?” and “How can we innovate to stay ahead?”
This requires balancing immediate product needs with long-term visionary planning, looking at what we’re building today and what we want to achieve tomorrow.
Building value for the customer also means understanding the market. This is a moving target, so work always continues. The tech world moves quickly, and we must understand how to not just adapt to change but drive it to deliver value to our customers.
But none of this matters if it doesn’t drive business growth. So, it’s vital to link product development back to the business’s commercial performance. We need to understand how the work we do translates into ROI and that we’re building products suitable for the organization’s operational capabilities and needs.
The Case for Distinct Roles
The need for distinct CPO and CTO roles depends greatly on organizational maturity. If there’s a lot of work to do for technical stability, developer productivity, or data capabilities, you’ll likely need a dedicated CTO. Similarly, if the path for the product is unknown and PMF is elusive, a full-time CPO role is required. If there’s maturity in the organization for technology and product, it’s possible to combine the roles.
Exclaimer is a mature company with a strong PMF, which is why we’ve combined the roles. But there are days when it’s more obvious that I’m wearing two hats. I could be discussing the next five years of Exclaimer’s product roadmap in one meeting
and then pivoting to optimize hosting costs in the next. This duality can be mentally demanding but also incredibly rewarding when approached correctly.
The Benefit of a Single, Unified Leader
Not all organizations need two separate leaders. For smaller companies or those in the early stages of growth, having a single point of contact simplifies decision-making and aligning priorities. A competent CPTO can streamline processes, reduce the risk of misalignment, and offer a clear vision for both product and technology initiatives. This approach can also be cost-effective, as executive roles come with high salaries and significant demands.
Combining these roles simplifies the organizational structure, providing a single point of contact for research and development. This works well in environments where product and technology are closely integrated and mature in the product and technology systems.
In my role, most of my day-to-day activities are focused on the product. I’m very conscious that I don’t have a counterpart to challenge my thinking, so I spend a lot of time with senior business stakeholders to ensure the debates and discussions occur. I also encourage this in my leadership team to ensure that technology and product leaders are rigorous in their thinking and decision-making.
Striking the Right Balance
Ultimately, deciding to have one or two roles for product and technology depends on a company’s specific needs, maturity, and strategic priorities. For some, clarity and focus come from having both a CPO and a CTO. For others, the simplicity and unified vision that comes from a single leader makes more sense.
In my role, I’ve seen firsthand how combining product and technology leadership can drive innovation and efficiency. However, I would caution that it’s important to remain vigilant about the potential downsides, primarily the risk of overloading one person with too many responsibilities. As a business grows and evolves, it’s important to constantly monitor and assess the leadership structure to ensure those in charge are equipped to meet their strategic objectives. Keeping a watchful eye on this becomes critical for business when you combine roles.
Ultimately, whether the organization opts for one role or two, the key takeaway is that product and technology efforts must be aligned with the broader business strategy. Only then can they effectively drive growth and deliver exceptional value to customers.
