Why CTOs Earn Top Salaries Without Writing Code: The Power of Technical Judgment

Introduction

People often ask why CTOs, technical directors, and architects earn high salaries despite rarely writing code. The answer is that their core ability is technical judgment—assessing projects, system architecture, and technology direction for business value—much like a film director’s skill differs from an actor’s.

Core Abilities

CTO/Technical Director/Architect : Evaluate whether a project, system architecture, or technology direction fits the company's current situation and future value.

Programmer : Implement concrete code solutions.

These abilities are fundamentally different and cannot be directly compared.

Title Misuse in China

Many startups assign the CTO title to technical managers for prestige, leading to confusion about responsibilities.

Stage 1 – Senior Developer

In the early startup phase, a few programmers (often without product or project managers) quickly prototype ideas. Companies need a senior developer who can solve technical challenges and implement complex features.

Implement complex features and core code.

Handle online bugs and technical problems.

Stage 2 – Technical Manager

When the team grows to around 15 people with dedicated product managers and testers, a technical manager is needed to improve delivery efficiency, code quality, and team processes.

Assign development tasks and evaluate workload.

Improve code quality through code reviews and coding standards.

Manage projects to ensure timely delivery.

Build and nurture the team.

Stage 3 – Technical Director

With a team of about 30 and multiple product lines, a technical director focuses on technology planning, building a unified tech platform, and establishing technical barriers.

Build a company-wide technology platform.

Establish a sustainable R&D system for rapid delivery.

Coordinate multiple product lines and create flagship products.

Develop technical competitiveness.

Stage 4 – Architect

When the team reaches near a hundred members, architects are introduced to specialize in architecture analysis, design, implementation, and refactoring.

Design and implement business architecture based on planning and scenarios.

Address non‑functional requirements such as performance, scalability, security, and high availability.

Plan and execute refactoring based on monitoring data and bug analysis.

Stage 5 – CTO

The CTO sets technology product strategy, empowers business, researches future tech trends, establishes governance, and shapes organizational culture.

Enable business through technology and product strategy.

Research technology trends for 3‑5 years ahead.

Build a robust technology governance system.

Foster a learning and self‑improving organization.

Conclusion

Becoming a CTO requires continuous improvement in technical, product, project, management, business insight, personal influence, and networking skills; luck also plays a role, but the ambition to grow remains essential.