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Bespoke’s most recent Product & Technology Leadership Talent Report highlights a structural shift underway in how private equity sponsors and operators evaluate technology and product leadership in software and SaaS.
The report draws on compensation data, leadership turnover metrics, and team composition trends across private equity-backed software companies and is informed by search trends identified by Bespoke Partners’ Product & Technology Practice, led by Partners Ryan Bonner and Haley Mundy.
What the data makes clear is that expectations for CTOs, CPOs, CIOs, and related leaders have expanded well beyond functional execution.
This shift is not cyclical. It reflects a new operating reality shaped by AI integration, global delivery maturity, and the commercialization of product leadership.
Compensation Reflects Expanded Scope and Enterprise Impact
Compensation data highlights how the role of product and technology leadership scales with company size. According to the Product & Technology Leadership Talent Report, median Product and Technology OTE increases steadily with revenue:
- Approximately $409,000at $0M–$50M ARR
- Approximately $569,000at $251M–$500M ARR
- Approximately $759,000at $501M–$1B ARR
- Approximately $863,000at $1B+ ARR
While compensation at the earliest stages has remained relatively stable since 2023, more meaningful increases emerge in the mid- and upper-market. Median CTO and CPO compensation in the $251M–$500M ARR range has increased from roughly $555,000 in 2023 to $569,000 today, with a sharper step-up by the $501M–$1B stage as leadership scope expands.
As Ryan Bonner and Haley Mundy consistently observe across growth and buyout-stage investments, this progression reflects expanding accountability. Product and technology leaders are increasingly responsible for AI-driven transformation, operational efficiency, and exit readiness, making compensation a proxy for the growing strategic importance of the role.
Product and Technology Leaders Are Being Hired Earlier
Team composition data shows that private equity sponsors are investing in product and technology leadership earlier in the company lifecycle.
In the $0M–$10M revenue band, CTO presence has increased from 46% in 2023 to over 62% today. Chief Product Officer adoption has increased even more dramatically, with the presence
This shift signals a recognition that complexity arrives earlier. AI integration, distributed teams, and customer-driven product strategy require senior leadership sooner than in prior cycles.
The CTO and CPO Roles Are Separating Earlier
Another clear trend is the earlier separation of CTO and CPO responsibilities. Historically, these roles often remained combined until companies reached $80M–$100M in ARR. Today, many private equity–backed companies are splitting the roles closer to the $50M–$60M range.
Team composition data from the latest Product & Technology Leadership Talent Report reinforces this shift. By $26M–$50M ARR, 66% of companies have a CTO in place, while nearly half (49%) already employ a CPO. At $51M–$100M, CPO presence rises to 57%, alongside 77% CTO adoption, signaling that dual leadership models are becoming standard earlier in the lifecycle.
The driver is scope. Managing AI-enabled development, global delivery models, platform scalability, and customer-centric product strategy has outgrown a single leadership seat, making earlier role separation a catalyst for faster, more focused execution.
AI Accountability Has Moved to the C-Suite
Artificial intelligence is no longer treated as a discretionary innovation initiative.
In private equity-backed software companies, CTOs and CPOs are now directly accountable for translating AI into measurable business outcomes. For CTOs, this means embedding AI into the software development lifecycle to improve development velocity, code quality, and scalability. For CPOs, it means deploying AI-enabled capabilities that drive adoption, retention, and revenue expansion.
Across the searches and placements analyzed by Bespoke Partners’ Product & Technology team, AI execution has become a core leadership competency rather than a technical experiment. Sponsors are increasingly evaluating candidates on their ability to operationalize AI, not simply articulate a vision.
Offshoring Has Matured into a Strategic Advantage
Offshoring is no longer treated primarily as a cost-reduction tactic.
Across searches and portfolio company engagements, global delivery models have evolved into deliberate strategies aligned to regional strengths:
- India remains dominant in core engineering and QA.
- Central and Eastern Europe lead in complex architecture and systems design.
- Latin America continues to gain ground in agile product and design capabilities.
Modern CTOs are expected to orchestrate these models for speed, quality, and alignment. Cultural intelligence and operational discipline now sit alongside technical depth as core leadership requirements.
Product Leadership Is Now a Commercial Role
In private equity–backed software companies, product leadership has become explicitly commercial.
CPOs are increasingly evaluated on ROI, adoption velocity, and revenue impact, not just roadmap execution. Product decisions are assessed through the same lens as capital allocation decisions.
The strongest product leaders operate with a general management mindset, partnering closely with sales, marketing, and operations to ensure strategy translates into measurable outcomes.
Turnover Is Low, But Pressure Is Building
Technology leadership turnover fell to the mid–4 percent range in the first half of 2025, the lowest level observed in recent years. From 1H 2023 through 2H 2024, turnover consistently sat in the 7 to 8 percent range.
This decline reflects extended hold periods and delayed exits. As deal activity and exit paths continue to reopen, the data suggests renewed competition for proven leaders, which is likely to place upward pressure on both cash compensation and equity incentives
To learn more about leadership trends in product and technology, Download the full Product and Technology Leadership Private Equity Talent Report or connect with the Product & Tech executive search team at Bespoke Partners.
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