Martin Van Aken has been a CTO for a couple of years and has make a very conscious decision to become an Individual Contributor again. I had a great chat with him about his career and his choices.

These are some of the topics we discussed:

• how does one become a CTO?

• what are important skills for a CTO?

• what are the challenges of being a CTO?

• what are the challenges of becoming an IC after having been a CTO?

• can you be happy by being an IC after you have been a CTO?

• why is the job of CTO at a startup ephemeral?

• why is it important to be part of a network of CTOs?

Martin gives some very valuable insights if you're a CTO or consider becoming one. Make sure to listen to this episode! You can use your favorite podcast app, YouTube or your browser.

(By the way, if you want to be part of a network of CTOs, you're welcome at CTO Club.)