LinkedIn’s Weiner Tops List of Best CEOs as Zuckerberg Falls

By Nathan Eddy

The company operates an online professional network designed to help members find jobs, connect with other professionals and locate business opportunities. The site has grown to reach more than 259 million users in some 200 countries since its launch in 2003. Glassdoor reviews of CEO Jeff Weiner call him “inspirational” and thank him for fostering a workplace culture where it’s hard to find any downsides.

Former Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs (Steve Mollenkopf took the reins from him earlier this month as Jacobs was named executive chairman of the board) had a 95 percent approval rating, even though just 86 percent of employees said they would recommend a friend to work at the company. Jacobs spearheaded the company’s largest acquisition, the $3.1 billion purchase of chipmaker Atheros. The deal helped expand Qualcomm’s business far beyond smartphones and accelerated the adoption of Qualcomm’s technologies and platforms in new segments.

The top-rated CEO on Glassdoor’s 2013 report, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, dropped to No. 10 on the 2014 report with a 93 percent approval rating, down 6 percentage points. A former software development engineer for the company, who was based in Seattle, had this to say: “At a companywide level, secret projects, public incidents, important non-public business metrics and the like are all openly discussed. You can ask questions about them directly to Zuckerberg at the weekly Q&A.”

The CEO of Intuit, a software company that develops financial and tax preparation software and related services for small businesses, accountants and individuals, landed in seventh place with a 94 percent approval rating. Many reviewers cited the company’s strong emphasis on active management and strong leadership, as well as recent organization improvements.

The world’s most ubiquitous tech company is led by Larry Page, who scored a 93 percent approval rating, good enough for 11th place on the list. While management was commended for efforts to improve employee health and wellness—as well as for the substantial perks offered—many lament the lack of work/life balance at the company.

The CEO of the cloud-based financial management software company had an impressive 100 percent approval rating, although one reviewer’s recommendation to senior management was to cut back on superfluous meetings. Several employees pointed out a workplace culture that seems like a big family as opposed to a collection of individual, unrelated workers.

The CEO of this specialist in big data predictive analytics also scored a perfect 100 percent, landing in second place on Glassdoor’s top 25 CEOs of small businesses. A former engagement manager in Washington, D.C., noted management is very invested in the success of each employee and listens to concerns. A current engagement manager in San Francisco playfully observed that the company is still so small he feels comfortable joking around with Bruce.

CEO Beauchamp, who joined Paylocity in 2007, got a perfect rating from employees and former employees participating in Glassdoor’s survey. A current implementation manager in Chicago said the management team is excellent, and they “treat the employees like human beings.” A custom report programmer in Arlington Heights, Ill., positively noted upper management’s “unrelenting” pursuit of improvement.

Davison, who leads this provider of software solutions and associated services for libraries, is the fourth top-rated CEO on Glassdoor’s small business list to score a 100 percent approval rating. Davison had previously held the position of COO and CMO of SirsiDynix. One current employee wrote, “The leadership at SirsiDynix takes the time to know the employees. Not just HR, but the CFO and other company leaders walk around and check in. They take the time to learn about our families and career goals.”

The co-founder and CEO of 2U, Chip Paucek, scored a 97 percent approval rating. The company partners with top-tier universities to deliver selective graduate degree and undergraduate for-credit programs online. Top leadership was referred to by one admissions counselor as “amazing,” while another lauded the amount of transparency from upper management. “Stick with the transparency that has been a hallmark of company culture,” the employee said.