Every morning, millions of people ride buses, subways, and trains run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Behind that daily movement sits a growing stack of modern technology—ticketing apps, digital fare gates, and the systems that keep everything running. For the technologists who build and improve those tools, the work is anything but routine. It is complex, high-stakes, and directly visible in the life of a major city.
“People stay here because the work is meaningful, the technology is uniquely complex, and the opportunities to grow—across AI, cloud, security, software engineering and large-scale modernization—are unmatched,” says Rafail Portnoy, the MTA’s chief technology officer. “Our technologists don’t just build systems. They help shape the future of how a major city moves.”
The MTA does not always match private-sector tech salaries. What it does offer, according to chief administrative officer Lisette Camilo, is flexible schedules, strong retirement benefits, and excellent healthcare with low employee costs. Those perks, combined with clear paths for advancement, have helped the agency attract and keep strong technical talent. They also helped place the MTA at No. 12 on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Tech Workers 2026.
This is the third year of the ranking, produced with Statista. It draws on responses from more than 50,000 tech workers—people in software development, data analysis, technical support, cybersecurity, and related roles—at U.S. companies with at least 1,000 employees. Respondents rated whether they would recommend their current employer, recent past employers, and companies they knew through colleagues, friends, or family. They also evaluated compensation and benefits, advancement opportunities, management style, freedom to develop ideas, and pride in the company’s products or services. Data from the previous two years was included, with the newest responses from current employees weighted most heavily. The 300 highest-scoring organizations made the list.
NVIDIA claimed the top spot this year, rising from No. 6. Google held steady at No. 2. Bridgestone came in third, followed by Microsoft at No. 4 and Texas Health Resources at No. 5.
Further down the ranking, Spotify (No. 13) emphasizes collaboration and internal mobility. Anna Lundström, the company’s chief human resources officer, points to an AI-powered talent tool called Echo that helps employees find projects, roles, and mentors that match their skills and interests. “It makes career mobility highly visible and shows our people that we are deeply invested in helping them grow and build their careers here,” she says. Spotify’s roughly 2,800 engineers also use AI-assisted coding tools, which the company says have increased productivity and freed time for higher-value work such as features like SongDNA and DJ. Benefits include six months of paid parental leave, stock options, concert and fitness reimbursements, mental-health resources, and food allowances. “We stay competitive by looking beyond standard packages and offering flexibility that actually fits our people’s lives,” Lundström adds.
At Citizens (No. 18), technology teams are central to a multi-year effort to rethink about 50 core processes with AI, covering areas such as customer service, fraud detection, and cybersecurity. Michael Ruttledge, the bank’s chief information officer and head of enterprise technology and security, describes an open learning culture backed by more than ten internal “academies.” Employees step away from day-to-day work for three or four weeks of focused training in software engineering, data, AI, and related fields. The bank also provides educational assistance, a stock-purchase plan, adoption benefits, banking discounts, and health and wellness programs. What draws many people, Ruttledge says, is the chance to innovate with fewer bureaucratic obstacles than are common in the industry.
The full ranking of America’s Best Employers for Tech Workers 2026 is available on Forbes. Companies do not pay to be considered or ranked.