Apple has regained some stature in Glassdoor's newest annual ranking of the best U.S. work environments, though the company is still behind an all-time high it achieved going into 2012.
The company is now at 71st on Glassdoor's list, with an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 based on over 14,000 reviews. That's better than an 84th-place slot a year ago, but nowhere near its peak at 10th.
For the updated list, Glassdoor specifically quoted one positive review calling Apple a "fast-paced, goal-oriented environment that makes personal development and team collaboration incredibly easy to cultivate."
The top three companies on the 2019 Best Places to Work list are Bain & Company, Zoom Video Communications, and In-N-Out Burger. Well-known tech companies in the top 10 include Microsoft's LinkedIn (#6), Facebook (#7), and Google (#8).
Earlier this year Apple's Tim Cook plummeted from 53rd to 96th in a Glassdoor chart of the most popular CEOs. Some anonymous employee reviews quoted problems with Apple such as high stress, a strict chain of command, and a culture of secrecy so intense that people working on a project may not be fully aware of what the end product is supposed to be.
Apple engineers are often expected to work grueling hours, for instance participating in regular weekend meetings when people at other companies would have a chance to rest or take care of children and chores.