The Engineer who became CTO and quit after 6 months to join my team

A talented engineer named Alex became CTO at a Series A startup but quit after 6 months due to impossible expectations. When COVID hit, the company laid off 50% of staff including half his engineering team, but kept the same ambitious roadmap designed for 30 engineers with only 10 remaining. This led to complete burnout. The author met Alex during this crisis, recognized his expertise would benefit their team's upcoming project, and successfully recruited him. The experience highlighted the harsh realities of executive roles, the power of genuine networking, and the importance of people-first leadership during difficult times.