Apple Tops Ranking of 'World's Most Admired Companies' for Ninth Year

Apple has been awarded the top spot on Fortune's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies," marking the ninth consecutive win for the Cupertino-based company on the list. After Apple, Alphabet (Google's parent company), Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and Walt Disney round out the top five spots.

Fortune Admired Companies 2016

There's a new AAA standard in corporate America: the one-two three punch of Apple, Alphabet, and Amazon. For the fourth time, our list of the World’s Most Admired Companies Top 50 All-Stars is led by a trio of tech giants under 40 years old. They preside over a class of blue chips and even younger tech stalwarts, such as Facebook (No. 14), Salesforce (No. 34), and Netflix, which makes a return to the Top 50 at an impressive No. 19. They also are joined by newcomers Visa and Publix, which make debuts at Nos. 47 and 49.

The list was whittled down from a collection of the 1,000 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue, along with 500 non-United States companies with revenue reaching, or exceeding, $10 billion. Fortune's survey partners at Korn Ferry Hay Group then interviewed executives, directors, and analysts to rate the companies within their own industry on nine criteria, including investment value and social responsibility.

Apple got a score of 8.6, beating out Alphabet's second place marking of 8.2. Notably, the iPhone maker also came in first in all of the nine key attributes of reputation, unlike in years past where a few other companies edged it out in topics like global competitiveness. Other prominent companies on the list include Facebook (14th), Microsoft (17th), Netflix (19th), and AT&T (48th).

To see the full ranking of the World's Most Admired Companies, visit Fortune's website.

Top Rated Comments

wilhelmer Avatar
106 months ago
Let's hope we can trust that AAA ranking more than AAA bond credit ratings ;)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Popeye206 Avatar
106 months ago
Does Alphabet really use the Google logo? That just seems weird.
Is it just me or is the name "Alphabet" a stupid name? They should have left it Google.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surf Donkey Avatar
106 months ago
Oh wow, all these corporations are just so admirable /s. Wtf, sitting on mountains of cash, tax evasion, manufacturing outside the US. What again is so admirable??

To create the 54 industry lists, Korn Ferry Hay Group asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate companies in their own industry on nine criteria, from investment value to social responsibility.
No breakdown of these criteria makes the dump ranking a bit stupid. Of course executives, directors and analysts care sooo much about social responsibility.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleScruff1 Avatar
106 months ago
Admired by whom exactly? I can see Apple but Berkshire Hathaway?
You can't see the forest for the Apple trees.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DUCKofD3ATH Avatar
106 months ago
Does Alphabet really use the Google logo? That just seems weird.
Naw. They have a logo for Alphabet that looks as forgettable as the name it represents.

Google's never had a strong grip on design. Funny that, given how they only hire the best and brightest (or so they say).
[doublepost=1455898913][/doublepost]
Disney is the last company anyone should admire:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html
Yeah yeah. Have you used iTunes lately? That's a crime against humanity.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0815 Avatar
106 months ago
And I admire them now even more since they fight for our privacy, where other companies would have just given in (and did in the past)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....