“A full time CTO is an overkill.” – Balki Kodarapu on fractional leadership that actually scales

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Cut The Tie Podcast with Balki Kodarapu

What happens when a company knows it needs technical leadership but does not need a four hundred thousand dollar CTO sitting in a chair full time?

In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Balki Kodarapu, a fractional CTO who helps founders and CEOs scale engineering teams without overhiring or overbuilding. Balki breaks down why most companies do not fail because of bad code, but because of poor technical leadership decisions made too early or too late.

After spending two decades in engineering and startups, Balki shares how cutting the tie to corporate roles and founder pressure led him to a model that gives companies exactly the leadership they need, when they need it. This is a conversation about clarity, leverage, and building technology that supports the business instead of slowing it down.

About Balki Kodarapu:
Balki Kodarapu is a fractional CTO based in Portland, Oregon with over twenty years of experience in software engineering and startups. He works with early and growth stage companies to professionalize engineering teams, design scalable architecture, and bridge the gap between technical execution and business strategy. Balki specializes in helping founders avoid costly technical mistakes while preparing their companies to scale.

In this episode, Thomas and Balki discuss:

• “A full time CTO is an overkill”
  Why most companies do not need an expensive executive hire to get strong technical leadership.
• Fractional CTOs versus full time executives
  How part time leadership can outperform traditional roles when used strategically.
• The two moments companies actually need a CTO
  Early stage chaos and post product market fit scaling pressure.
• Why engineering teams break down during growth
  The hidden risks in architecture, trust, and communication.
• AI, speed, and modern engineering expectations
  Why engineers must now understand business context to survive.
• From founder empathy to leadership leverage
  How building a startup changed Balki’s approach to guiding teams.
• Trust before transformation
  Why engineers must trust leadership before being asked to do hard things.

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership is not about hours, it is about impact
  Companies need guidance, not bodies in seats.
• Technical debt is often a leadership problem
  Bad decisions usually come from missing context, not bad engineers.
• Business context is no longer optional for engineers
  Speed without understanding breaks companies.
• Fractional leadership reduces risk
  You can professionalize without betting the company.
• Scaling requires timing, not ego
  Knowing when to build and when to wait is the real skill.

Connect with Balki Kodarapu:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balki/
🌐 Company Website: https://www.yourctoin.us/

Connect with Thomas Helfrich:
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelfrich/
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: [e-mail]
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