Thursday, October 15, 2026
ELC 2026: Discussion on Going from CTO to CEO
ELC Annual 2026
This was my second year attending ELC Annual. I didn't have much time there this year because of scheduling conflicts at work, but I made sure to catch a fireside chat between Scott Woody, co-founder and CEO of Metronome, and Louis, Metronome's head of product.
I was interested because Metronome was acquired by Stripe earlier this year, and my company, Parafin, recently announced that it is also being acquired by Stripe.
Scott was Metronome's CTO and became CEO about four years in. Some things he said:
- Build relationships with the board early. A CTO usually doesn't work closely with the board, so it's better to do this before a transition than during one.
- The best product doesn't always win. For larger deals, customers are buying trust in the company and the CEO, so the CEO needs to spend time with customers.
- Spend your time on the parts of the job you enjoy and delegate the rest. The exceptions are managing the org and hiring/firing execs.
- AI is useful for operational work, but it shouldn't replace time with people. He also thinks technical founders have an advantage right now because they can use AI to understand their business in more detail.
Someone in the audience asked why he didn't hire an outside CEO. He said things are moving too fast, and an outside CEO wouldn't have the speed or credibility with the team.
Another person asked how founding engineers can help. He said to do whatever is needed and to be honest with the founders, since fewer people tell them the truth as the company grows.
I'm grateful I got to attend ELC this year, even briefly, and to hear this discussion. I also got to say hello to Scott afterward, and he had good things to say about their experience being acquired by Stripe.