In the rise of the tech CEO, is the CTO the new CFO? 

Twitter have just promoted their VTO, Parag Agrawal, to fill the shoes of Jack Dorsey as their new CEO. 

Tech genius is a damaging and dangerous myth in the tech world. Popular culture has given rise to the idea that tech businesses need ‘tech geniuses’ at the helm. These tech geniuses are almost always young, white and male. They often have slightly quirky personalities and the culture of the business is built entirely around them: they inspire a following, and few people ever question them. 

Startup environments have gained serious kudos over the last decade or so. With the rise of tech unicorns like facebook and wework we have seen the glamorisation of startup businesses. We’ve also seen them crash and burn in the most dramatic ways (think of Theranos), but in a weird way that almost adds to the perception of glamour and the romanticization of the startup.

Gender bias is an important issue, especially in tech where we see such male-heavy teams as standard. 

It is easy not to notice gender bias. Overt gender bias has been sufficiently frowned upon to stamp it out, in most cases anyway. Where overt gender bias is expressed, society is now relatively quick and heavy-handed in dishing out justice to the offenders. 

Diversity in tech is something that we all desperately need more of. At the moment tech is largely dominated by white men. Women are drastically underrepresented and BAME women are the least represented of any group. Increasing diversity is not about being politically correct or box ticking. There is a genuine and urgent need to increase diversity. Here are four reasons why diversity in tech is essential: 

How to spot a toxic personality: if you are building a business, the most important thing you have is your team. This gets said over and over again without being explored properly. Having the right people and the right culture is critical. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to make sure you are attracting good people.

More women in tech is something that we desperately need. The current skills gap is holding back innovation and the global economy. Businesses across the UK, Europe and America are struggling to hire people with the tech skills they need. The tech skills gap needs to be solved. On the face of it, the simplest solution would be to get more women in tech.

Knowing how to build a winning team is essential. Whether you are starting a business, building a new team within a larger business or simply trying to improve performance, nothing is more important than the people who make up your team and the way you manage them.

At the time of writing, covid cases are rising in the UK at their fastest rate for a long time. The vaccine rollout has been, on the face of it, highly successful. More than 50% of the adult population in the UK is now fully vaccinated. Boris Johnson has told us ‘freedom day’ is imminent, when we can all abandon all precautions and return to normal. His logic is ‘if not now, then when?’. But, regardless of Covid, should we be demanding that people return to the office?

Creating company culture is a challenge. Company culture is an interesting phenomenon. It is hard to pinpoint exactly where a culture begins and ends, who creates it or can change it, and when it started or might end. It is an ethereal, immersive, all-encompassing aspect of every company, but it is intangible.