A classical theorem of Malykhin says that if {Xα:α≤κ}
is a family of compact spaces such that t(Xα)≤κ, for every
α≤κ, then t(∏α≤κXα)≤κ, where t(X) is the tightness of a space X. In this
paper we prove the following counterpart of Malykhin's theorem for functional
tightness: Let {Xα:α<λ} be a family of compact spaces such
that t0(Xα)≤κ for every α<λ. If λ≤2κ or λ is less than the first measurable cardinal, then
t0(∏α<λXα)≤κ, where t0(X)
is the functional tightness of a space X. In particular, if there are no
measurable cardinals, then the functional tightness is preserved by arbitrarily
large products of compacta. Our result answers a question posed by Okunev