Consumer company CTOs want engineers who can think, not just code

As new-age companies push to become AI-first, chief technology officers (CTOs) are rethinking how they hire senior engineers and what role they play at firms such as Meesho, Noise, Ixigo, Lenskart, Atlys, Razorpay, and more. Executives are now looking for not just deep domain knowledge but also softer skills such as creativity, curiosity, willingness to take ownership, and experimentation.

While this trend has persisted in tech firms, it’s now seeping into direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies which say their hiring mandates now include senior engineers who can think in systems, solve ambiguous problems, and use AI as a collaborator rather than just a tool.