The last 50+ CTO Dinners Dev.Pro has hosted have served as a gathering point for exciting, insightful discussions from attendees. The mix of Chief Product Officers (CPOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), Chief Information Offices (CIOs) and other executives from different industries has invited a diversity of thought that trade events can fail to capture. Dev.Pro have purposely kept these gatherings small to offer deeper discussions and better connections to develop.
Out of these many gatherings, Dev.Pro has found the pulse of various trends and gained an understanding of what CTOs and other tech execs are thinking about across industries, and what they are planning to do about it. Here are some of the top insights uncovered from Dev.Pro CTO Dinners:
After talking to over 500 execs, one strong pattern has emerged: many have seen the benefits of working remotely, and are not going back. Companies from enterprise level to small startups have seen the value of remote work in providing better work life balance and in attracting top talent from across the globe. While some executives espoused the value of hybrid work and building working relationships in-person, they’ve seen productivity gains or noticed no difference in transitioning to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Executives are currently grappling with a number of concerns related to the application of AI and its implications for operations and security. Many companies with a large amount of proprietary data are looking to scale environments where they can safely secure that data from outside access. The number of solutions in creating and maintaining these environments is different, and executives have taken to sharing best practices without giving away trade secrets at Dev.Pro dinners.
Similarly, there are many questions surrounding the use cases for AI that will be standardized across industries. Since Dev.Pro CTO dinners are structured to bring leaders from many different industries, the meetups allow leaders to see what other industries are doing in the space. This can lead to the adoption of successful or promising use cases into other industries. Many attendees have benefitted from these conversations in gaining valuable insights from other industries to remain competitive in theirs.
Regardless of the scale of a company, tech executives have commented on the need to resource talented developers from across the globe. While most CTOs and other officers seem optimistic about the next 6-12 months, they are more cautious about the uncertainties that lay ahead in the next 1-3 years. Many executives are not deploying large amounts of resources and are choosing to plan instead for contingencies. This focus on remaining nimble has many revisiting outsourcing with lessons learned from the past.
Increasingly, many CTOs have learned how to quickly source and onboard developers thanks to many lessons learned from scaling their remote capabilities. This is also due to companies integrating insight from a B2B environment where knowledge sharing has improved, marked by increased efficiency across many industries.
Companies have increasingly focused on integration and interoperability to enable seamless operations across systems. This has been a shift away from custom development, and often this shift is accompanied by a greater interest in partnering with external providers for white label solutions.
While younger executives are excited about the latest advancements in AI and other trends, more cautious optimism is seen from older, more seasoned tech professionals. Having experienced many hype cycles in the past, they take a more “wait and see” approach while carefully auditing the possibilities of new processes and shifts in technology.
This “trend auditing” is especially helpful for CTOs and other executives in coming to Dev.Pro dinners. Connecting with other executives across industries allows them to get fresh perspectives from other sectors to question their assumptions and gain competitive insight. As technology continues to evolve, the key is discerning hype from meaningful trends that demand smart investment of resources.
Since 2023, Dev.Pro has hosted CTO dinners to bring senior leaders in technology and product together in private dining areas of top-rated restaurants. These boutique dinners are free of charge and follow a no-selling policy to allow for optimal networking to occur. To preserve anonymity and encourage open discussion, the Chatham House Rule is used.
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Our boutique CTO Dinners offer attendees the chance to share insights, build connections with peers, and enjoy a delicious meal. More than 80% of attendees are CTOs and senior executives.
This is a venue for insight sharing & relationship building, not selling. While you’re encouraged to make the most of these networking opportunities, CTO Dinners don’t have a focus on sales.
Globally used, the Chatham House Rule fosters open dialogue in meetings while establishing trust. Participants can share information gained at the event, but should preserve the anonymity of its source.
CTO Dinners are hosted by Dev.Pro and there is never any charge to attend — Enjoy the dinner and insightful conversations for free!
