#2 Google

Top 50 rank: 2

Rank in Internet Services and Retailing: 1 (Previous rank: 1)

Overall score: 8.01

Headquarters: Mountain View, CA.

Larry Page is the CEO of Google.

Why it's admired:

The Silicon Valley giant continues to be the most attractive place to work, placing first on LinkedIn's Most In Demand Employers and Fortune's Best Companies to Work For lists in 2013. Also, this year the Android OS is expected to overtake Apple's iOS as the number one mobile operating system in the US and Canada; and Google Play is expected to overtake the Apple App Store in total number of apps for mobile and tablet. On top of that, display ads continue to be multibillion-dollar revenue generators for Google, not only from its search engine but also from YouTube and DoubleClick.

#1 Apple

Top 50 rank: 1

Rank in Computers: 1 (Previous rank: 1)

Overall score: 8.24

Headquarters: Cupertino, CA

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple.

Why it's admired:

Apple has had a rough time lately with its stock price in a free fall and the widely publicized failure of its Maps feature. However, it remains a financial juggernaut, posting $13 billion in net income last quarter, making it the most profitable company in the world during that period. The company has its fanatical customer base, and it still refuses to compete on price, making the iconic iPhone and iPad products that are still widely seen as prestige devices. Competition may be stiff, but so far it remains behind: In Q4 2012, the iPhone 5 was the world's best selling smartphone, followed in second place by the iPhone 4S.

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