Headed for the Exit: Why Engineering Leaders Are Quitting En Masse
The Pragmatic Engineer · rss · 2026-08-19
The Pragmatic Engineer interviewed nearly 20 engineering leaders (CTOs, VPs) on career breaks to uncover the reasons behind the mass exodus of engineering executives. Key drivers include unrealistic founder expectations leading to "AI psychosis" and "founder slop"; the declining value of equity at non-AI-native startups; AI startups paying individual contributors more than non-AI companies pay executives; and the rise of "founder mode" reducing the ROI of traditional engineering leadership roles. Leaders are increasingly pivoting to fractional CTO roles or entrepreneurship in response to these shifts.
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