Apple and Google see their reputations tumble in new survey

Sorry, Google and Apple, consumers just aren’t that into you right now. The annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient poll came out on Tuesday and, according to the survey of 25,880 people, Google and Apple don’t have the reputation they used to.

Apple dropped to No. 29 from its previous position at No. 5 (we blame batterygate); and Google dropped from No. 8 to No. 28, perhaps because of YouTube’s fake news and Russian manipulation problem. Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema sees it differently, attributing the companies’ drop in the rankings to Apple’s and Google’s failure to launch “attention-grabbing products” last year.

The winner was Amazon. The online retailer has an “excellent reputation,” the Harris report says. Unlike Google and Apple, Amazon isn’t in the news business  (although Jeff Bezos personally owns The Washington Post) and is not particularly susceptible to manipulation by Russian bots. Amazon also isn’t perceived to control heaps of our personal information–just data on which brand of dental floss we like and when we last binge-watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Elon Musk’s electric car company Tesla climbed from No. 9 to No. 3, and all it took was shooting a Tesla Roadster into space. Facebook came in at No. 51, which sounds dismal but is an improvement over last year’s No. 66 ranking and one of the company’s best showings in the poll.

As for the bottom of the list, the 99th spot was reserved for the Weinstein Co. for obvious reasons. And who could trail behind a company founded by a reported rapist and harasser? Japanese auto parts supplier Takata Corp, whose air bags have been linked to at least 22 deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to Reuters. The air bags prompted the largest recall in automotive history and forced the company to declare bankruptcy.

The Top 10

1. Amazon

2. Wegmans

3. Tesla Motors

4. Chick-fil-A

5. The Walt Disney Co.

6. HEB Grocery

7. UPS

8. Publix Supermarkets

9. Patagonia

10. Aldi