CTO roles are the hardest C-suite position to fill—and turnover is high

Former Meta chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer is seen leaving a meeting with British lawmakers in April, 2018. (Credit: Steve Back—Getty Images)

C-suite exits are increasing in frequency.

The average C-suite tenure shrank from 5.3 years in 2016 to 4.9 in 2019, according to a Korn Ferry analysis of the top 1,000 U.S. companies by revenue. But tech executives, who hold roles like chief technology officer (CTO) and chief information officer (CIO), are outpacing their peers in switching companies.