[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Apple returned to third place in U.S. newsweekly TIME’s 2026 World's Best Companies ranking.

IT outlet 9to5Mac reported on Sept. 11 that Apple scored 93.16 points overall. It re-entered the top tier behind Cigna with 94.37 points and top-ranked Nvidia with 97.51 points.

The return is a notable change given that Apple dropped off the list last year. Apple ranked first in 2024, but was excluded in 2025. TIME pointed to a revenue decline from 2022 to 2024 as the reason. It also noted that some Wall Street analysts speculated Apple may have fallen behind in the artificial intelligence race.

TIME said its 2026 assessment reflected three categories with equal weight: employee satisfaction, revenue growth over the past three years and sustainability transparency. It added the category scores to produce an overall score out of 100. Apple ranked third under this standard.

The breakdown showed both strengths and weaknesses. Apple ranked third in employee satisfaction. Microsoft and IBM ranked first and second in that category, respectively. In sustainability transparency, Apple fell to 24th. Apple ranked first in this category in 2024, but dropped sharply in the latest assessment.

In the revenue growth category, Apple received the highest grade. TIME classified Apple’s revenue growth rating as “very high.” That is the top grade, above “outstanding,” “high” and “average.” Given that a revenue decline was cited as a reason for Apple’s exclusion last year, the recovery in this category appears to have had some impact on its return. The original article did not present detailed score changes or specific revenue figures.

Technology companies made up a large share of the top 10 list. Nvidia ranked first, and Meta Platforms ranked fourth after third-placed Apple. Microsoft ranked sixth, and AMD placed 10th. Non-technology companies on the list included Cigna, AstraZeneca, Deutsche Telekom, Accenture and McKesson.

The result is significant in that Apple returned to the list after dropping out last year. TIME said Apple was excluded last year because of a revenue decline from 2022 to 2024, and this time ranked third with an overall score of 93.16 points, confirming a rebound. It also showed category gaps, with Apple ranking third in employee satisfaction and receiving a “very high” revenue growth rating, while slipping to 24th in sustainability transparency.

TIME’s ranking differs from lists based simply on market capitalisation or share prices because it also reflects financial growth, internal organisational assessments and the level of sustainability disclosure. As a result, Apple’s return to third is summarised as a sign it has moved back into the top tier in an overall corporate assessment, while also showing that challenges remain in the sustainability category.