Why Every CTO Will Soon Be a CPTO with Mahesh Guruswamy, CPTO Kickstarter
Every engineer is now a product manager. Or maybe, every product manager can now be their own engineer. With the rapid adoption of AI tools, job titles no longer define the work being done; instead of requiring specific skillsets, more people are simply... building. We're seeing this happen at scale among individual contributors—but what does it look like when your product person and engineer are the same person at the executive level? We hosted an insightful fireside chat with Kickstarter CPTO Mahesh Guruswamy this week, diving deep into how executives can hire for their gaps, why the best executives focus on business outcomes rather than specific functions, and what we can learn from our children. We also explored how to pursue the CPTO title in your next role, if that's a path you're interested in.
If you'd been there, here's what you'd still be thinking about:
The best execs are not great functional leaders; they're great capital allocators. Mahesh believes that great leaders are "not like great people leaders. They're not great vision setters. They're not great motivators. They're not like great board managers or whatever. They do all those things too, but they're excellent at allocating capital." By this, he means they can assess their resources (headcount, budget, tools) and understand where to deploy them for maximum returns. If you want to master your craft, the C-suite isn't the place. But if you're constantly thinking about how to leverage available resources for the greatest results—that's executive-level thinking.
The path to CPTO starts with an ask. Since Mahesh wants to own both organizations, when recruiters approach him about CTO roles, he simply asks if there's an opportunity to own product as well. At Kickstarter, he began as CTO, ran product unofficially for a while, then added the "P" to his title after proving himself. Mahesh notes that the CPTO role is ideal for someone who naturally moves between functional areas or problem sets.
Be aware of, and own your blind spots. When you manage a broad scope, you must honestly assess your strengths and where you need support. "I would call myself a decent product manager," Mahesh said, "But I wouldn't call myself a decent researcher. I always ensure that there is a decent enough research function in the org." Knowing where to hire to fill gaps can help you level up your entire organization.
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