An opinionated piece in inc that is just SO wide of the mark I can't quite believe it got published. 

This is a time where companies are focused on driving real value from their data, enabling automation, increasing digital enablement, simplifying the supply chain, becoming more agile, ensuring compliance....etc. The creation of value in companies small and large, across all sectors, is largely dependant upon the effective use of technology. AND this must be achieved while under constant threat of attack from well-resourced criminals or hostile foreign powers. Go tell the CEOs of TalkTalk, Target, Ashley Madison that the office of the CIO is largely redundant, I think you'd get a pretty colourful response.  

Security aside, my own feeling is that the CIO's office is becoming much more influential on the business than it ever has been. New technologies are adding real and tangible value - they move the needle, even on the world's largest businesses. It goes way beyond small scale deployments of SaaS into the CMOs and CFOs offices. Whole organisations are being transformed through moving to the cloud and leveraging digital technologies across their entire estate. And this is happening in all sectors, even in financial services. 

As for CIOs moving into the CEO role, I can't think of a single good reason why this should not be possible and I have seen it work very well on a number of occasions. Of course, to qualify as a candidate for a CEO role one needs to have a well-rounded background with experience of working across a number of functional areas but that is the same regardless of which functional area the candidate is in an the time. It's just the same for the CMO, CRO, CFO, COO as it is for the CIO. 

Yes, the age of the glorified IT Director is most definitely dead. The age of the CIO has only just begun.