The Startup Title Inflation Crisis: Why Everyone's a "Chief" of Nothing

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I saw a tweet last week that hit me right in the face with some uncomfortable truth:

"Until you're 10+ in a startup, the only roles that exist are head of get shit done & chief common f*king sense officer."

I nearly spit out my coffee because... well, he's right.

The Startup Title Epidemic

Walk into any 5-person startup and you'll find:

• 2 Chief Technology Officers

• 1 Chief Marketing Officer

• 1 Chief Product Officer

• 1 Chief Executive Officer

• And sometimes a Chief Happiness Officer (usually the office dog)

That's a lot of chiefs for such a small tribe.

The Only Two Jobs That Actually Matter

In reality, early startups only have two real positions:

1. People Who Make Things - They build the product, write the code, create the content

2. People Who Sell Things - They find customers, raise money, hire talent

Everything else is a luxury you can't afford yet.

Why We Play the Title Game

Let's be real about why this happens:

For Founders:

• Makes the company seem bigger than it is

• Helps attract talent without paying market rates

• "Director of Engineering" sounds better to investors than "Our Only Engineer"

For Employees:

• LinkedIn fodder for the inevitable next job

• Compensation for below-market salary

• Something to tell your parents when they ask what you do

The Real Skills Early Startups Need

Instead of obsessing over titles, here's what actually matters in those first 10 employees:

1. Pathological Resourcefulness - Can solve impossible problems with no resources

2. Comfort with Chaos - Thrives when nothing is defined

3. Ego Subordination - Willing to clean the office bathroom and then jump on an investor call

4. Speed Over Perfection - Understands that done beats perfect every time

5. Pattern Recognition - Can separate signal from noise when everything looks like noise

Notice how none of these are specific technical skills? That's not an accident.

When Titles Actually Start to Matter

As a company scales, clarity around roles becomes crucial. At 10+ employees, you need to know:

• Who has decision-making authority

• Who's responsible for what outcomes

• How the org chart actually functions

But before that point? Titles are mostly ego management.

The Alternative Approach

Some of the smartest startups I've seen do this instead:

1. Minimize titles internally - Everyone knows what everyone does

2. Use external titles when needed - For customer meetings, investment pitches, etc.

3. Create clarity around decisions - Who has the final call on what

4. Reward impact, not status - Celebrate results, not job descriptions

The Bottom Line

If you're joining a startup because you want to be a "Chief" something at 25, you're doing it for the wrong reasons.

Join because you want to build something from nothing. Join because you want to solve meaningful problems. Join because you're willing to do whatever it takes.

The title will take care of itself.

Until next time...