Hello, Visionary CTOs! 🌟

This week, we’re diving into the real questions CTOs—and future tech leaders—are asking right now.

How do you lead in a world where AI moves faster than most org charts? What does it actually take to scale responsibly, keep cloud costs under control, and build teams that reflect the future of tech?

We pulled together three standout reads that tackle these challenges head-on—from redefining the modern CTO, to finding clarity in cloud chaos, to addressing the gender gaps that still hold great talent back.

Whether you’re leading a tech team or just passionate about what great leadership looks like, there’s something here for you.

Let’s dig in. 🧠✨

📰 Upcoming in this issue

• What Guides a Great CTO? These 3 Principles Say It All 🧭

• Why Your Cloud Bill Is Out of Control — And How to Fix It ☁️

• Bridging the Gender Gap in Tech Is Everyone’s Job 👩‍💻

📈 Trending news

• NVIDIA to Build U.S.-Based AI Supercomputers — A New Era for Onshore Infrastructure

• 25 Breakthrough Tech Trends Defining 2025

• Inside the CTO Mindset: Navigating Innovation and Execution in 2025

What Guides a Great CTO? These 3 Principles Say It All 🧭 read the full 376-word article here

Article published: April 14, 2025

In InformationWeek’s recent dive into executive tech leadership, NMI CTO Phillip Goericke offered a refreshingly grounded perspective on how to lead amid AI-driven upheaval.

While AI dominates the 2025 agenda, Goericke leans into three timeless principles that define his role as CTO: scalability, team empowerment, and customer-first thinking.

Unlike the flashier side of tech leadership, his approach is refreshingly pragmatic. He focuses on operational elegance—scaling only what works, empowering engineers to act like owners, and keeping the end-user’s needs at the center of every decision.

And while AI may be the latest curveball, Goericke sees it as just another reason to stick to core values that don’t waver when the tech landscape does.

Key Takeaways:

• 🧱 “Don’t scale noise.” Goericke warns against scaling systems that aren’t battle-tested—growth should multiply what already works well.

• 🧠 “Empower, don’t overmanage.” His leadership ethos centers on hiring smart engineers, then giving them room to think and solve independently.

• 🎯 “Customer obsession wins.” All technology, he argues, should ladder up to one goal: making things better for the customer—not just shinier for tech’s sake.

• 🔄 “CTO ≠ eternal architect.” The job has evolved—CTOs are now team builders and strategic operators, not just systems visionaries.

Why Your Cloud Bill Is Out of Control — And How to Fix It ☁️ read the full 1,320-word article here

Article published: April 15, 2025

If you think your cloud bill is mysteriously eating into your margins, you’re not alone.
In The CTO, Avya Chaudhury unpacks the shocking drivers behind rising cloud costs — and reveals how CTOs can fight back.

The culprit? It’s not just compute usage. From idle resources to bad API habits and the GenAI gold rush, most companies are unintentionally overspending by millions.
Worse: 54% admit they don’t even know where the money is going.

But here’s the good news: there’s a roadmap to cloud sanity — and it starts with tagging your assets, tightening architecture, negotiating smarter contracts, and cutting hidden data transfer fees.

Because as expert Nigel Gibbons says: “Cloud isn’t expensive — mismanaged cloud is.”

Key Takeaways:

• 💸 “Always-on” resources burn $27.1B/year. Oversized VMs and unused compute are quietly draining budgets without adding value.

• 🔍 54% of firms lack visibility. Without tagging and cost alerts, Shadow IT and redundant services drive up bills — and security risks.

• ⚙️ Bad APIs = big waste. Microservices that trigger 9 internal calls per action can rack up thousands in unnecessary charges monthly.

• 🌍 Data transfer fees = 20% of costs. Unoptimized data flows, especially cross-region, add major hidden charges most teams ignore.

Bridging the Gender Gap in Tech Is Everyone’s Job 👩‍💻 read the full 1,050-word article here

Article published: April 10, 2025

In an exclusive CXO Today interview, ISACA’s Kannammal Gopalakrishnan pulls back the curtain on one of tech’s toughest challenges: why women still face slower, rockier paths to the top.

She doesn’t mince words—gender inequality is still shaping who gets hired, mentored, and promoted. But what’s powerful is how clearly she connects the dots between equity, mentorship, and retention.

From under-mentored professionals to taboo conversations around staying vs. leaving, this piece lays out the unseen forces holding talent back—and how companies can flip the script.

Spoiler: career ladders need more than rungs. They need vision, structure, and some serious listening.

Key Takeaways:

• 👥 Only 19% cite strong mentorship. Lack of accessible, structured mentorship is a key driver of stalled growth for tech professionals—especially women.

• 🧠 Retention talks are rare—just 27% of firms have them. Many leaders avoid them entirely due to fear, discomfort, or the false belief that “performers are happy.”

• 🌐 Shadow equity gaps persist. Women still apply with more credentials than men, but are often overlooked, reinforcing systemic biases.

• 📈 Biggest career blockers? No clear path (30%), limited opportunities (24%), and no mentors (19%), per ISACA’s 2025 tech workplace survey.

Why It Matters

The tech world isn’t short on trends—but real leadership? That’s where the lasting change happens.

CTOs today aren’t just building systems—they’re building cultures. The best ones know how to balance scalability with focus, innovation with inclusion, and velocity with values.

Whether it’s taking control of runaway cloud costs or mentoring the next wave of talent, these stories remind us: thoughtful, people-first leadership is what drives long-term impact. Not hype. Not headlines. Just clear, intentional action.

Thanks for being here—and for building the future, one smart decision at a time.

Rachel Miller
Editor-in-Chief
CTO Executive Insights