If you get a list of all the startups that got acquired or IPO in the last 10 years, you will find it's extremely rare the technical co-founder is still around. The staying rate for CEO is like 99% while the staying rate for CTO is more like 50% (making up numbers here but this is directionally right).
With enough scale, a great CTO can be hired for the right salary. The way I answer this for myself is two-fold:
1. I've vowed I will never be the second chair guy because I don't wanna get pushed out.
2. It's important to up-skill yourself so you can contribute more value than a glorified engineering manager by driving vision, being a headhunter of superstar engineers, among others high-value skills
This is something you learn when you actually raise venture and meet peers that have raised capital. Beyond the very early stages, the CTO can easily be replaced, the CEO is the face of the business.
If you get a list of all the startups that got acquired or IPO in the last 10 years, you will find it's extremely rare the technical co-founder is still around. The staying rate for CEO is like 99% while the staying rate for CTO is more like 50% (making up numbers here but this is directionally right).
With enough scale, a great CTO can be hired for the right salary. The way I answer this for myself is two-fold:
1. I've vowed I will never be the second chair guy because I don't wanna get pushed out.
2. It's important to up-skill yourself so you can contribute more value than a glorified engineering manager by driving vision, being a headhunter of superstar engineers, among others high-value skills