[davidbalbert]

I'm curious about what you find scary. Scary for someone considering applying for the job or scary because it says something about us?

We put it in the job description because we think it's true[^1], but the last thing we want to do is scare people away.

[^1] If we get really big and you're in charge of operations, you'll be COO by definition. If we stay the size we are now, it seems unnecessary to call anyone a COO (or any of the other C*O roles).

[dsugarman]

it's scary for a number of reasons, you outlined the biggest ones. You are basically saying you will be the COO if you do a good job, but then when exactly does their title change? What if you attract someone that is on another level in terms of qualifications and relative experience? If they don't become the COO in a given time frame as your company grows, there will likely be problems stemming at the core of your operations, which scares me. I would always let someone know there is room for upward mobility but this might be a little specific.

[m52go]

To me, it means the person will run operations for the firm, that the person will be the operational leadership for the company.

That could be scary for someone who doesn't want that kind of responsibility, but then those are the very people you don't want to talk to anyway.