# Applied Alchemy > Applied Alchemy is a field guide for startup CTOs, mapping the transformation from coder to manager to director to strategist across 17 chapters covering technical decisions, team building, business communication, AI, burnout, and leadership transitions. The Startup CTO's Field Guide to Building Technology Companies from Nothing - [Applied Alchemy](https://www.startupctobook.com/index.md): Overview of Applied Alchemy, a field guide for startup CTOs covering the transformation from coder to manager to director to strategist, with 17 chapters on technical decisions, team building, communication, AI, burnout, and leadership transitions. ## Part I: The Map - [Introduction: The Role Nobody Prepared You For](https://www.startupctobook.com/introduction.md): Introduction to the startup CTO role -- why no standard training exists, the gap between what engineers prepare for and what the job demands, and what this book covers. - [Chapter 1: The Coder, the Manager, the Director, the Strategist](https://www.startupctobook.com/1-four-stages-cto-evolution.md): The four stages of the startup CTO role -- Coder, Manager, Director, Strategist -- each demanding skills the previous stage never taught, with failure modes and transition guidance. - [Chapter 2: CTO by Accident](https://www.startupctobook.com/2-how-people-become-ctos.md): How most CTOs arrive in the role unprepared -- the three paths (co-founder default, battlefield promotion, growth overtaking) and why the accidental CTO is the norm. - [Chapter 3: The Relationship That Defines Everything](https://www.startupctobook.com/3-ceo-cto-relationship.md): The CEO-CTO relationship -- structural tensions, decision rights, disagree-and-commit protocols, and communication frameworks that prevent the most common co-founder conflicts. ## Part II: Building and Shipping - [Chapter 4: Your First Technical Decisions Are Business Decisions](https://www.startupctobook.com/4-technical-decisions-business-decisions.md): Early-stage technology decisions -- stack selection, MVP architecture, build-versus-buy, and why choosing boring technology is a business strategy, not a technical compromise. - [Chapter 5: Technical Debt as a Strategic Instrument](https://www.startupctobook.com/5-technical-debt.md): Technical debt as a strategic financing instrument -- when to borrow, how to measure interest, when to repay, and the new category of cognitive debt from AI-generated code. - [Chapter 6: Shipping Is the Strategy](https://www.startupctobook.com/6-shipping-software.md): Shipping velocity as competitive advantage -- DORA metrics, continuous deployment, why speed and quality reinforce each other, and how Monzo deploys 100+ times daily as a regulated bank. - [Chapter 7: When the Business Wants It Yesterday](https://www.startupctobook.com/7-rushing-vs-speed.md): Managing deadline pressure -- how to distinguish rushing from speed, push back on unreasonable timelines, use error budgets, and maintain a non-negotiable quality list. - [Chapter 8: Working with Product (or Being Product)](https://www.startupctobook.com/8-working-with-product.md): Working with product management or being the product function -- the CTO-PM relationship at each stage, when to hire a PM, and the now-next-later roadmap framework. - [Chapter 9: Measuring What Matters (and Ignoring What Doesn't)](https://www.startupctobook.com/9-measuring-engineering-metrics.md): Engineering metrics that drive decisions versus metrics that create theatre -- DORA, cycle time, the problems with story points, and what to measure at each company stage. ## Part III: The Gap Nobody Talks About - [Chapter 10: You're Not Being Fired for Your Code](https://www.startupctobook.com/10-business-acumen-gap.md): Why 70% of CTOs are fired for communication failures, not technical ones -- closing the business acumen gap, board presentations, and translating technology into business language. - [Chapter 11: Building the Team](https://www.startupctobook.com/11-building-engineering-team.md): Building the engineering team -- hiring, culture, Conway's Law, generative culture, team structure, and the journey from first hire to VP of Engineering. - [Chapter 12: The AI Transformation](https://www.startupctobook.com/12-ai-transformation.md): AI's impact on the CTO role -- team compression, vibe coding risks, AI-assisted development guardrails, and the new competencies every technical leader needs. ## Part IV: Surviving and Evolving - [Chapter 13: The Day You Stop Writing Code](https://www.startupctobook.com/13-maker-to-multiplier.md): The transition from hands-on engineer to executive -- when to stop writing production code, how to let go, and what replaces the dopamine of shipping. - [Chapter 14: The Operating Rhythm](https://www.startupctobook.com/14-operating-rhythm.md): Daily, weekly, and quarterly operating rhythms -- how to structure CTO time, protect deep work, delegate effectively, and manage ADHD in the entrepreneurial context. - [Chapter 15: The Loneliest Job in the Startup](https://www.startupctobook.com/15-cto-burnout-isolation.md): Burnout, isolation, and mental health in the CTO role -- prevalence, warning signs, structural causes, and practical strategies for long-term sustainability. - [Chapter 16: Knowing When to Step Aside -- and Making It a Strength](https://www.startupctobook.com/16-knowing-when-to-step-aside.md): CTO transitions -- when to step aside, the tour-of-duty framework, succession planning, and why planned departures are a leadership strength, not a failure. - [Chapter 17: Building Something That Outlasts You](https://www.startupctobook.com/17-building-lasting-legacy.md): Building a lasting legacy -- why the most durable CTO contribution is people and culture, not code or architecture, and how to build an organisation that thrives without you. ## Appendices - [Appendix A: The First Ninety Days -- A CTO Checklist](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-a-first-ninety-days.md): A ninety-day checklist for founding and hired CTOs -- phased actions for days 1-30 (listen), 31-60 (diagnose), and 61-90 (act), synthesising the book's frameworks. - [Appendix B: Stage-by-Stage Metrics Guide](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-b-stage-metrics-guide.md): Stage-by-stage metrics reference -- what to measure, what to ignore, and what tools to use at Coder, Manager, Director, and Strategist stages, with benchmarks. - [Appendix C: CTO Compensation and Equity Benchmarks](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-c-compensation-equity-benchmarks.md): CTO compensation and equity benchmarks from seed to Series C -- salary ranges, equity percentages, dilution patterns, and option grant data from Kruze, Carta, and Index Ventures. - [Appendix D: Technical Due Diligence Preparation Guide](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-d-technical-due-diligence.md): Technical due diligence preparation -- what evaluators look for during fundraising and acquisition, with checklists for architecture, security, team, and process readiness. - [Appendix E: The Operating Rhythm -- Quick Reference](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-e-operating-rhythm-reference.md): Quick-reference tables for daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly CTO operating rhythms with stage markers and delegation triggers. - [Appendix F: Recommended Reading](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-f-recommended-reading.md): Opinionated reading list for startup CTOs organised by the four stages -- essential, recommended, and situational books for each phase of the CTO journey. - [Appendix G: Your AI CTO Advisor](https://www.startupctobook.com/appendix-g-ai-cto-advisor.md): Copy-pasteable AI prompt that creates a CTO coach grounded in the book's four stages, debt-as-instrument model, business acumen gap, and operating rhythm frameworks. ## Optional - [About the Author](https://www.startupctobook.com/author.md): About Gareth Price -- CTO at CorralData, former technologist at The New York Times and Codecademy, and working CTO currently navigating the challenges this book describes. - [Are Textbooks All I Need?](https://www.startupctobook.com/process.md): How this book was constructed using AI-assisted writing with Claude -- the methodology, workflow, and why AI changes the economics of writing without changing the authority structure.