CTO
3 synonyms for CTO, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Chief technology officer: the senior executive responsible for a company's technology — its engineering teams, technical strategy and the products they build.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
chief technical officer
head of technology
technology director
How to use CTO
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
CTO of
founding CTO
CTO role
interim CTO
Business standard. Pronounced letter by letter and takes 'a' rather than 'an'.
Etymology
An initialism of chief technology officer.
Full origin of CTO →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CTO and a CIO?
A CTO usually owns the technology the company sells — the product, the architecture and the engineering roadmap. A CIO owns the technology the company uses internally, such as networks, corporate systems and IT support. In smaller firms one person often covers both.
What is the difference between a CTO and a VP of Engineering?
The CTO sets technical direction and looks outward to architecture, partnerships and long-term strategy. The VP of Engineering runs the organisation day to day — hiring, delivery, process and team health. They are peers, not ranks, in most companies.
Does a CTO still write code?
At an early-stage start-up, usually yes; the CTO may be the most productive engineer on the team. As the company grows the role shifts almost entirely to strategy, architecture review and leadership.
