I’m still hearing about CPOs/PMs reporting to CTO or "CPTO".

Stop it.

Regular reminder:

Some individuals can be very, very good at Product AND Engineering, depending on which role you place them in. But that is rare.

It is an extremely rare unicorn that can juggle both product AND engineering thinking at the SAME time.

You are setting yourself (and the R&D team) up for failure.

Why? So, so many reasons. Just a few top of mind today...

1. Engineering is like a soldier in the trenches - getting stuff done. Product is the like the General at the forward operating base - they have a higher-level view of the battlefield.

2. Product needs a first-class seat at the leadership table.

3. Product and engineering need creative tension in order to function correctly.

There are many, many other reasons - check out my latest Ebook about being a product-led org for more details.