For years, I searched for a CTO for my company Quave to lead our services division while I focused on product development, mainly Quave Cloud.
I tried different approaches. First, I worked with a small team of three people with complementary skills. Then, I focused on training potential CTOs one at a time. After much reflection, I realized this role might be meant for me. When something is crucial, and finding the right person is hard, founders should consider taking that responsibility. This reminds me of Paul Graham's founder mode post, more on this later.
Recently, another founder reached out about finding someone to lead their AI initiatives. When he mentioned how critical AI was and how difficult finding the right person was, I asked: if AI is so crucial, shouldn't you lead it yourself?
While Paul Graham discusses "founder mode" as avoiding delegation and not hiring professionals, that's not the core of "founder mode" for me.
The key is that founders must take on the most critical work, whatever it may be.
Elon Musk provides another great example. He doesn't do everything - he tackles the most critical problems or current bottlenecks in each company. Former employees often share stories of him showing up in war rooms, to help solve the biggest issues, whether they involved factory production, algorithms, car design, engineering, or data center moves.
A mental model alone isn't enough. You need the skills to help your team and excel in your company's key areas.
Wishful thinking won't cut it.
After reflecting on these insights, I'm confident in my role as CTO of both Quave Services and Products. In a tech company, if this position is vital, I should own it.
If you feel unprepared, study more. If you're not focusing on critical tasks, adjust your priorities. Or perhaps, you shouldn't be the leader of the company or you founded a company you're not capable of running.
As a founder, you must lead the most critical positions and guide others toward company goals.
Delegate tasks, but own what's important.
Forget buzzwords like micromanagement - if something matters, get into the weeds and work alongside your team. That's not micromanaging; it's solving problems and driving progress as fast as possible.
Have fun!