[hkarthik]

The OP worked for Google for some period starting in 2006 and then went to a funded startup called RedBeacon at some point after they were founded in 2009. RedBeacon had an exit through an acquisition by Home Depot in early 2012.

So to recap, the OP was an ex-Googler, who had been an early stage engineer at a funded startup which got a pretty massive exit. Who wouldn't want this person as a CTO? :)

[aiurtourist]

Redbeacon's acquisition price was not announced, but there's speculation and discussion about the price here: http://www.quora.com/How-much-was-Redbeacon-acquired-for (requires Quora login)

[kelnos]

Great developer != great CTO, by a long shot. Not saying the OP can't be a great CTO, but the things you are saying imply he is a good fit for the job are just... not as related as you think.

[hkarthik]

Right but the question was how did he get to be a CTO? Not necessarily "How did he get to be a great CTO with an excellent track record?".

[joelandren]

RedBeacon did not have a massive exit.

[hkarthik]

Okay maybe massive isn't appropriate here, but they had an exit. Compared to the hundreds of startups that just go out of business that's still a good resume booster.