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- Adoption of AI is pushing CIOs into broader strategic roles, with greater responsibilities in transformation, cost control and workforce management
- However, 39% say they’re misaligned with their CEOs on key decisions
- 41% of CIOs say their business needs to invest more in IT infrastructure and 34% do not feel empowered by their CEO to make long-term IT strategy decisions
SANTA CLARA, Calif., October 13, 2025 — Netskope (NASDAQ: NTSK), a leader in modern security and networking for the cloud and AI era, today published new global research underscoring that CEO and CIO (Chief Information Officer) alignment plays a crucial role in the path to strategic AI adoption. While organizational enthusiasm for the promise of AI is seeing CIOs take on broader, more strategic responsibilities, many are seeking stronger support from their CEO to move quickly in achieving these objectives.
The findings, published today in a major new report, Crucial Conversations: How to Achieve CIO-CEO Alignment in the Era of AI, show that 39% of CIOs consider themselves to be misaligned with their CEOs on decision-making, while around a third (31%) admit they’re not confident they know what their CEO wants from them. The result of this disconnect is that 34% do not feel empowered by their CEO to make long-term IT strategy decisions.
This separation is happening at a time when the role of CIO is expanding into new territory: 34% of CIOs say they are now significantly more involved in strategic priorities beyond IT than in the past. At least one in three CIOs are being asked to lead on critical business initiatives that unlock the value of AI, including human capital planning, digital innovation, and operational resilience in increasingly volatile markets.
Other findings from the research include:
- While just over a third of CIOs believe their business is investing enough in modernizing IT infrastructure, 41% say investment needs to increase. One in four CIOs (26%) say it’s difficult to get buy-in from their CEO on modernization and transformation strategies.
- CEOs are looking for CIOs to strike a careful balance: drive innovation and AI adoption, while controlling cost and risk. In particular, CEOs expect CIOs to be measured in their approach: focusing on business outcomes over hype and ensuring that emerging technologies like AI are deployed responsibly. CIOs are being tasked with identifying use cases, driving cost savings, and ensuring governance and ethics are built in from the outset.
- CIOs are now increasingly involved in workforce strategy, particularly in relation to the growing use of AI. Many are now playing a key role in overseeing the performance and governance of AI agents supplementing a human workforce, with implications for productivity, skills development, and ethical standards across the business.
- CIOs themselves are aware of this shift: 37% of CIOs say that technology expertise is now less important than business strategy and stakeholder management for the role of the CIO.
Commenting on the findings, Mike Anderson, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Netskope, said:
“The CIO role is evolving faster than many organizations are prepared for. CIOs are expanding their remit to own operations and business functions in a way that was not the case even a few years ago. Yet many don’t feel fully aligned with their CEOs or empowered to make long-term decisions.
“What’s clear is that technical expertise is no longer enough for CIOs. They need to navigate complex stakeholder relationships, communicate in the language of business outcomes, and act as a nuanced strategic partner at the top of the organization.
“We undertook this research not simply to identify the problems, but to provide a genuine resource to help make the interactions between CIOs and their CEO more effective and productive. Including recommendations from experienced and successful CIOs and business leaders, we hope it will help CIOs navigate the conversations that are becoming ever more crucial in the era of AI.”
Crucial Conversations: How to Achieve CIO-CEO Alignment in the Era of AI,is based on interviews with global CEOs, quantitative research with over 200 CIOs in the US and UK, and expert validation and contribution from CIOs, CEOs, COOs, and business strategy experts. The report identifies six core discussion areas – cost, risk, innovation, people, measurement, and the IT estate – where more aligned conversations can support better strategic outcomes.
Download the full Crucial Conversations report here.
About Netskope
Netskope (NASDAQ: NTSK), a leader in modern security and networking for the cloud and AI era, addresses the needs of both security and networking teams by providing optimized access and real-time, context-based security for people, devices, and data anywhere they go. Thousands of customers, including more than 30 of the Fortune 100, trust the Netskope One platform, its Zero Trust Engine, and its powerful NewEdge network to reduce risk and gain full visibility and control over cloud, AI, SaaS, web, and private applications—providing security and accelerating performance without trade-offs.
Learn more at netskope.com, on LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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