O
f all Jonathan’s posts, all of which I really enjoy, one recently one struck me as particularly insightful:
Link: Jonathan Schwartz’s Weblog.
“I found myself talking to a group of media company CEO’s. I asked a simple question, “do you have a general counsel reporting to you?” The answer was universally, yes.
I do, too. Mike and his team are central to the evolution of Sun (as I’ve said, we are nothing less, or more, than an intellectual property company – it’s hard navigating those waters without a great legal team).
But then I asked a harder question: “Do you have a chief technology officer reporting to you?”
I do, and I talk to Greg at least every day. He plays a central role at Sun. Central as in nervous system. He’s involved in every major strategic decision I make (and a ton of minor ones, too).
But in response to my question, the answers from the group were more dismissive than substantive – most did not. And in my view, if you have a general counsel reporting to you, and not a CTO, you’re saying legal advice is more important to you than technology counsel. Which seems backward for a media company. Why?”
Thanks Jonathan, for spelling out so clearly why the CTO role is becoming more and more critical to the future of the enterprise and to society overall. You also underscore for all of us why Greg must have the greatest CTO gig on earth. He has a great boss.
Related Reading
Marc Andreessen on the Future of Technology and Implications for Government Service to Citizens
CTOs, Global Cyberwar and Our Collective Future
The Role of the CTO: Four Models for Success
