ho ho, that CTO has to go.... - Software Engineering Manager Morningstar Employee Review

1.0
Oct 10, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The darkest time in Morningstar technology history

Cons

Since beginning, many employees were suspicious about CTO Mitch Shue's promotion. Now time has proved that the doubt is true. Enough trouble has been done. . A CTO who has no solid technical background. . A CTO knows only talk can solve all the problem. . A CTO never checked out a line of our github, either front end, or back end, or anything. A CTO who knows nothing about Git maybe. . Promoted many unqualified managers, who made us into big trouble. . Let go many good people, who are good at technical, but may not as good as good talker. Please stop being here just as a face and collect paycheck. Enough harm is done to us.

avatar
Morningstar Response
8y
Wow! That is a harsh review. I'm sorry you feel that way. You mentioned me by name, so I feel especially compelled to respond. Please come talk to me about technology sometime. I have a long, well-documented history. Truthfully, my role as CTO is not to check out code from Bitbucket or to actually write code for that matter, but is instead to look after a global technology organization of over 1400 hardworking people. I have written plenty of code in my career. I can truthfully say that code I have written has generated revenue for decades and continues to do so for companies in my past. If you truly believe I have promoted many unqualified managers, your knowledge of how we are organized or how our organization works is incomplete or incorrect. Also, if you believe I have let many good people go, your knowledge is again incomplete or incorrect. I would love the opportunity to engage in a productive conversation with you to understand why you're so unhappy with me. Unfortunately, we cannot do it here. It would be better for you to come see me. I'm not going anywhere, so that might be a good option for you. Need to turn those red boxes into green ones. Something must be keeping you here, right?

Explore other reviews about Morningstar

5.0
Apr 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Collaborative environment, learning mindset, great work life balance

Cons

Not a lot of exceptions for fully remote status

4.0
Apr 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really kind people work here, for the most part everyone I have worked with is smart and I have learned so much from them. There are great benefits: unlimited PTO, 6 week paid sabbatical is earned after 4 years of employment, 6 month maternity leave. Great location of an office. Great work life balance.

Cons

Not very competitive pay and it is easy to hit a ceiling in your career development. New HR policies are kind of strange, will not promote you unless you make enough money to be promoted which they designed the system to make it so you cannot go up. HR has also laid people off because they make too much money without considering the consequences of removing senior employees with unique/not stored intelligence vital to the company. They also hired a bunch of remote employees, then implemented a 4 day required in office rule no matter if you live states away from an office, which pushed hundreds of people to quit, not receive their bonus, and not require M* to pay them severance. It didn't use to be this way but the last year or so has been strange.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All