fractional-cto

The Code Looks Fine. That's the Problem.

AI-generated code crossed a credibility threshold. The surface gap between 'built with Claude' and 'built by a senior engineer' has nearly closed. The structural gap hasn't. Here's what that means for the CTO-founder relationship.

When to Say No: The CTO's Most Valuable Word

Your backlog has 200 items. Your team has capacity for 20. Research suggests nearly two-thirds of what you ship will rarely be used. The CTO's job isn't to build faster — it's to filter harder.

The First 90 Days as a Fractional CTO

The 90-day plan looks clean on paper. Discovery, diagnosis, roadmap. In practice, you're three weeks in and the client is asking you to ship a feature. Here's what actually happens — and the line you need to hold.