Apple Plummets to Lowest Ranking Ever in Glassdoor's Annual List of Best Places to Work

by

Apple has ranked 84th on Glassdoor's annual list of the best companies to work for in the United States, after finishing no lower than 36th every year since 2009. In fact, heading into 2012, Apple was 10th on the same list.

apple employees
It is Apple's lowest-ever finish over the decade that Glassdoor has published these Employees' Choice Awards:

• 2018: 84th
• 2017: 36th
• 2016: 25th
• 2015: 22nd
• 2014: 35th
• 2013: 34th
• 2012: 10th
• 2011: 20th
• 2010: 22nd
• 2009: 19th

Apple trailed well behind several other technology companies in the rankings, including first-place Facebook, fifth-place Google, 21st-place LinkedIn, 31st-place Adobe, 39th-place Microsoft, and 65th-place Yahoo.

It's not just technology companies that are on the list, with fast food chain In-N-Out Burger and Southwest Airlines among others that made the cut.

Glassdoor said the rankings are based on its proprietary awards algorithm, which calculated the quantity, quality, and consistency of company reviews submitted by employees between November 1, 2016 and October 22, 2017.

Apple earned a 4.3-star rating out of five during that period, compared to Facebook's leading 4.6-star rating. Glassdoor says the average company rating is 3.3 stars among the more than 700,000 employers reviewed on the jobs site.

Apple has an overall 4.0-star rating on its Glassdoor company profile. Apple CEO Tim Cook was ranked the 53rd best CEO of an American company on Glassdoor last year, with a 93 percent approval rating.

The rankings mirror a recent survey of the most ideal employers for tech professionals in the United States, in which Apple ranked fourth, behind Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. In that survey, however, Apple was ahead of Facebook.

We've reached out to Apple to see if the company has any comment about the results, and we'll update this article if we hear back.

Tag: Glassdoor

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Read Full Article • 148 comments
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Read Full Article
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
Read Full Article • 154 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Read Full Article • 37 comments
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
Read Full Article • 107 comments

Top Rated Comments

Cindori Avatar
Cindori
107 months ago
I visited Apple's campus in SF a few months ago (during WWDC) and met up with a designer who had worked there for over a year.

I was surprised to learn that his work phone was an old scrappy iPhone 5C, and that workers at Apple are never prioritized for getting the latest gear to do their work on.

We headed over to Café Macs where I was again surprised to see that every worker had to pay for a simple coffee, as if it would have been a commercial café. I would have expected free snacks, drinks, coffee and meals for working at such a successful company and I don't understand the nickel-and-diming here. I know that the work culture in the US is a bit different than where I'm from (Sweden), but it really tarnished my idea of Apple as a "magical/amazing" place to work at. It felt very cold and big-corporate. In contrast, I've visited the Spotify HQ here in Stockholm and you have access to free coffee, snacks, nuts, protein bars, catered meals, salads, sandwiches, drinks, sodas, energy drinks, etc 24/7 at no charge, you get the latest mid-high specced Macbook Pro and iPhone Plus/X, etc.

I don't understand why the wealthiest company in the world can't supply proper tools and coffee & snacks to the people on which their success is built on. Maybe these are silly remarks. But it really gave me the feeling that working at Apple is not a very great experience and that you're not really cared for as an employee.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rpat701 Avatar
rpat701
107 months ago
Many people from the outside want in. But, keep in mind why companies build HQ's like Apple - the expectation to work 24/7 and force work becoming your life. You couldn't pay me enough to work there.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
MH01
107 months ago
Trying to enforce a PC culture does not bring out the best in your workforce.

I still believe you get the best out of people if they fight what they believe in, even if that results in debates that are perceived at conflict, as long as its constructive, you get better products.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
MH01
107 months ago
Many people from the outside want in. But, keep in mind why companies build HQ's like Apple - the expectation to work 24/7 and force work becoming your life. You couldn't pay me enough to work there.
The open planning setup is what really puts me off the HQ. Its terrible in practice, my opinion.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
duffman9000 Avatar
duffman9000
107 months ago
Agreed. The tech company I work for has it and it's horrible. In addition to the productivity issues, it has caused some HR problems as well having everyone out in the open.
Oh this. So much this. The people who designed "open workplaces" should be forced to work in it 24/7 to see how it feels.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
star_nerdy Avatar
star_nerdy
107 months ago
Trying to enforce a PC culture does not bring out the best in your workforce.

I still believe you get the best out of people if they fight what they believe in, even if that results in debates that are perceived at conflict, as long as its constructive, you get better products.
Have you ever worked at Apple?

I bet you haven’t. You’re not talking from experience. PC culture has zero to do with why they are where they are. Relentless seeking of profits, demanding employees work holidays instead of hiring more people, people never getting the raise they deserve because of quotas, lack of upward mobility, hiring from outside their stores for management positions, lack luster products that cost a fortune for employees to purchase and so many more reasons are why they are where they are.

PC culture is not why they are down.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments