Know Your Company’s Anatomy: Part III
Explore the key executive roles in a tech company, including CEO, CTO, CIO, COO, and CFO. Understand how each function contributes to company strategy, technology development, operations, finance, legal matters, and board governance to improve your insight into corporate structure.
The executives
There are different executives in an organization, and their titles vary depending on the company. We’ll discuss some of the most common executives.
One thing to keep in mind is that these are the officers of the company, which has some specific ramifications—especially with companies whose stock is publicly traded—since they are considered the ultimate insiders. For example, they can’t sell stock except for particular windows of time, as governed by the SEC.
Since the officers of the company give the orders, they are also the ones who ultimately need to answer for any major blunders. They’re supposed to know everything that’s going on. These are high-stress jobs.
Chief executive officer (CEO)
The decisions from the CEO cannot be overruled. The CEO is responsible for the company at a strategic, big-picture level, and ultimately the company’s success.
There are two main types of CEOs in high-tech companies:
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The founder: This is the person who has been with the company from the start and truly “gets” the vision of the company and its products. If the company was funded by venture capital, chances are this founder may leave within two to five years. ...