If the CTO won't advocate for reality, you'll go directly to the source.
You schedule a meeting with the CEO. You don't tell the CTO. You bring your data, your analysis, your vendor estimates.
The CEO seems surprised to see you. "Doesn't this usually go through your CTO?"
"Yes, but I felt this was important enough to bring directly to you," you say, trying to sound confident.
You present your case. The CEO listens politely. When you finish, they lean back.
"I appreciate your... initiative. But I already discussed this with your CTO. We're aligned on the path forward."
"But the timeline is—"
"The timeline is set. What I'm concerned about is why you're going around your management chain. Does your CTO know you're here?"
Your stomach drops.
After the meeting, the CEO calls the CTO. The CTO calls you.
"You went around me to the CEO? After I explicitly said I'd handle it?" The CTO's voice is ice-cold.
"You didn't actually handle it—"
"I handled it the way it needed to be handled. You just made me look incompetent to the CEO. You undermined your own sponsor."
Within a week, you're removed from Project Phoenix. "Fit issues," HR says. "Not aligned with our collaborative culture."
Your performance review uses the word "insubordinate." The CTO stops returning your emails.
Six months later, you're job hunting. Interviewers ask why you left your last role. You struggle to explain without sounding difficult.