Apple Tops 'World's Most Admired Company' List for 14th Consecutive Year
Apple continues to dominate Fortune's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for 2021, taking the top spot for the 14th consecutive year.
Technology and entertainment held the top four rankings, with Amazon claiming second place, followed by Microsoft in third, and Disney in fourth.
After a year in which humanity leaned more heavily than ever on tech giants—to connect, entertain, and even feed us in a time of isolation — it's fitting that Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft hold the top three spots in Fortune's ranking of corporate reputation. Apple, the premier personal-tech provider, tops the roster for the 14th year in a row, based on our poll of some 3,800 corporate executives, directors, and analysts.
Elsewhere, Netflix returned to the top ten, placing ninth, and Walmart and Target earned their highest rankings since 2011 and 2008. Nvidia and PayPal also earned a place in the top 50 for the first time.
The 50 companies selected for the 2021 Fortune rankings were narrowed down from an initial list of the 1,000 largest companies in the U.S. ranked by revenue and 500 non-U.S. companies from Fortune's Global 500 database with revenues of $10 billion or more.
Management consulting firm Korn Ferry then asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate companies in their own industry based on nine criteria, from investment value and quality of management and products to social responsibility and ability to attract talent, and select the ten companies they admired most.
While the result is not indicative of financial performance, the list does provide an interesting insight into how some of the world's best-known companies are perceived relative to each other.
Popular Stories
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
