10 Most-Loved Tech CEOs
Glassdoor recently published its list of highest-rated CEOs. Half of the top 20 CEOs featured hail from the tech industry. Who are they, and what sets them apart?
Tech CEOs make up half of the Top 20 on Glassdoor's ranking of highest-rated CEOs.
The Glassdoor job-search website, which offers employees the opportunity to review businesses and their management, recognizes noteworthy companies and leaders each year through its Employees' Choice Awards.
Research for the 2016 ranking comes from Glassdoor-approved company reviews shared by US-based employees between May 2, 2015 and May 1, 2016, explained Glassdoor Community Expert Jessica Jaffe. To be eligible, large companies must have at least 100 CEO approval ratings and 100 senior management ratings. Small and medium companies must have at least 35 of each.
Employees who submit reviews are asked to provide feedback on the pros and cons of working for their employer, offer advice for management, and rate factors tied to their experience, including their CEO's leadership. When rating the CEO, employees are given three options: approve, disapprove, or no opinion.
[Read: The 10 best cities to land a tech job in 2016.]
There are a few common themes among the top CEOs, explained Jaffe. Those who rank highly are typically cited by employees as strong leaders, dedicated to the company mission and culture, providers of leadership and growth opportunities, personable, approachable, and transparent.
The top tech CEOs share several of these desired traits, which earned them high approval among employees.
"Employees at these companies like the strong, mission-driven culture led by the CEO," said Jaffe. "Employees also appreciate the transparent leadership style exercised at companies like Facebook and Salesforce, and employees like the top-down emphasis on making a real impact on the world at companies like Google and Apple."
Transparency in leadership is especially valued among tech employees, and was a common theme in this year's rankings. Jaffe noted this is a key trait that leaders outside the IT industry can learn from their peers in tech.
Who are the top CEOs in tech, and why do employees enjoy working at their companies? Once you've reviewed our look at Glassdoor's highest-rated tech leaders, tell us what you think. Are you surprised to see any of these names? Are there other tech CEOs you would add to the list? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.
Scott Scherr is CEO of Ultimate Software and the leading tech exec on Glassdoor's 2016 list. He's ranked No. 2, following Bain & Company CEO Bob Bechek. The Weston, Fla.-based Ultimate Software develops cloud-based solutions to help businesses manage people, data, and processes around the world.
In Glassdoor reviews, employees praise Ultimate Software's leadership team and a company-wide respect for work-life balance. A people-first culture, good compensation, and worker perks, such as snacks and occasional breakfasts, contribute to the reasons people enjoy working at Ultimate Software.
Scherr has a 99% approval rating among Ultimate Software employees. Earlier this year, the company won an InformationWeek People's Choice Award for The Most Rewarding Place To Work In IT.
Taking the No. 4 spot in the Glassdoor top 20 is Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the Menlo Park, Calif.-based social giant, which aims to make the world more open and connected.
Employees who posted Glassdoor reviews listed a respectful company culture, strong leadership, and opportunities for advancement as among the positives of being employed at Facebook. Openness from the leadership team was mentioned several times, and employees report their feedback is taken into consideration.
"People in leadership positions are always reachable and treat you as a colleague," mentioned one former employee. Salary, benefits, and perks were also frequently listed among the pros of working at Facebook.
Zuckerberg had a 97% employee approval rating at the time Glassdoor published its list, but his rating is currently 98% on Facebook's Glassdoor page.
Ranked No. 5 in the Glassdoor top 20, Jeff Weiner leads LinkedIn, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company that aims to connect the world's employees and change the way businesses hire, sell, and market. LinkedIn was recently acquired by Microsoft for $26.2 billion in a deal intended to bring together the professional cloud and the professional social network.
LinkedIn employees on Glassdoor praise strong management, which is reportedly dedicated to determining workers' future roles and opportunities. The company's culture, smart colleagues, salary, perks, and opportunities to learn all add to the reasons workers like LinkedIn. Weiner, who will continue as CEO following the Microsoft acquisition, is described as "sharp and inspirational."
Like Zuckerberg, Weiner has a 97% employee approval rating on Glassdoor's top CEO list but a 98% rating currently posted on LinkedIn's Glassdoor page.
Marc Benioff, CEO of San Francisco-based Salesforce, was ranked No. 6 on Glassdoor's top 20. The company develops customer relationship management software with the goal of empowering companies to connect with their customers.
According to employees on Glassdoor, some of the top reasons to work for Salesforce include a challenging and fun environment, a great culture with a focus on philanthropy, growth opportunities, good mentorship, and smart, hardworking employees. Leadership teams are described as transparent and trustworthy. "Management is focused on latest tech trends and staying or becoming a leader for many of them," said one former employee.
Benioff has a 97% approval rating among Salesforce workers.
Google's Sundar Pichai, ranked No.7 on the Glassdoor list, leads with the goal of making the world's information accessible. The company was named an independent division, focused on search, under parent company Alphabet when the umbrella organization was formed in August 2015.
Google has a reputation for being a good place to work, and employees claim it lives up to the hype -- and not only because of the gym access, free meals, and campus activities which contribute to the culture. Other perks include the chance to work on challenging projects and real-world problems, smart and dedicated colleagues, and people who are approachable regardless of their place within the organization.
Pichai has a 96% approval rating among Google employees.
Tim Cook, CEO of the Cupertino, CA-based hardware and software firm, ranked No. 8 in the Glassdoor top 20. The company recently debuted a range of updated software at its Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple employees praise talented colleagues and the opportunity to work on products used by hundreds of millions of people. Advancement opportunities, education assistance, and leaders who care about personal development add to the reasons people like working at Apple.
"The overall company mission is a fantastic approach for a company to have," said one former Apple employee. "It is something employees can be proud to be a part of."
Cook has a 96% employee approval rating among Apple workers according to Glassdoor's top CEO list, but a 95% approval rating on Apple's Glassdoor page.
Jim Whitehurst, ranked No. 10 on the Glassdoor list, leads Red Hat. The Raleigh, NC-based company is focused on delivering an open-source stack of technologies to solve business problems through a community of customers, partners, and contributors.
Red Hat employees on Glassdoor describe the company as a big organization that feels like a start-up. It has an open culture. It's a good place to learn. The company also values customers and work-life balance, as indicated by reviews.
"Leadership values individual and group contributions, and you are given freedom to 'choose your own path,' to a degree, with management sponsorship and support," wrote one current employee.
Whitehurst has a 96% approval rating among employees on Glassdoor's top CEO list, but his approval currently stands at 98% on Red Hat's Glassdoor page.
Jack Little, ranked No. 15 on Glassdoor's list, is CEO of MathWorks, based in Natick, Mass. It provides technical computer software used among science and engineering professionals for visualization, data analysts, and mathematical computations.
Employees describe MathWorks on Glassdoor as a challenging but fulfilling work environment with good work-life balance and opportunities to learn. CEO Little is described as "cool" and "down to earth." One employee reports that after 30 years running the company, Little "is still the main reason that MathWorks is great."
Little has a 95% employee approval rating on Glassdoor's CEO ranking, but 97% approval among MathWorks employees on the company's Glassdoor page.
Aron J. Ain, ranked No. 18 on Glassdoor's top 20, leads Kronos. The Chelmsford, Mass.-based company is a leader in providing cloud-based workforce management solutions to help businesses control labor costs and improve productivity.
Employee reviews on Glassdoor praise an emphasis on work-life balance, opportunities for growth in most positions, and strong corporate culture. CEO Ain is described as inspirational, enthusiastic, and passionate.
"CEO Aron Ain brings a tremendous culture to the organization," wrote one current employee. "He really cares about his employees and their longevity with Kronos."
Ain has a 95% employee approval rating on the Glassdoor CEO ranking, but a 96% approval rating on the Kronos Glassdoor page.
At No. 20 on Glassdoor's list, Shantanu Narayen is CEO of Adobe, the San Jose, Calif.-based company that aims to help customers create and deploy digital content with digital marketing and digital media solutions.
Employees on Glassdoor cite worker support, a flexible work environment, great management, good corporate vision, and the opportunity to move among groups and business divisions as reasons to work at Adobe.
"Adobe has a great set of products, a strong CEO and is strong financially," wrote one former employee. "Good work-life balance, and people are respectful of each other."
Narayen has a 95% approval rating among Adobe employees.
At No. 20 on Glassdoor's list, Shantanu Narayen is CEO of Adobe, the San Jose, Calif.-based company that aims to help customers create and deploy digital content with digital marketing and digital media solutions.
Employees on Glassdoor cite worker support, a flexible work environment, great management, good corporate vision, and the opportunity to move among groups and business divisions as reasons to work at Adobe.
"Adobe has a great set of products, a strong CEO and is strong financially," wrote one former employee. "Good work-life balance, and people are respectful of each other."
Narayen has a 95% approval rating among Adobe employees.
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